Free Web NovelChapter 94: Chapter 93: Head-On Confrontation
Ye Yun was no longer the clueless rookie he once was.
Although he didn’t have any professional instruments on hand, he could tell from its size alone that this mutated hyena wouldn’t be too powerful. After all, it was only three meters long.
Ye Yun’s brow twitched slightly. Even though it was just a three-meter-long mutated hyena, underestimating anything in this Wasteland World could have fatal consequences.
He quickly issued his orders:
"Bena, put on the exoskeleton. You’ll be the main attacker for this fight."
"Everyone else, check your gear and prepare to provide support."
"No. 1, open the Shelter Entrance as soon as Bena has the exoskeleton on."
The next moment, a message popped up from the assessment system.
[Assessment Type: Combat]
[Assessing operational risk...]
[Assessment: White Item Drop Rate 40.1%, Green Item Drop Rate 39.7%, Blue Item Drop Rate: 20.285%, Purple Item Drop Rate: 0.005%, Risk Factor: 0.292%]
Seeing the risk factor was less than 0.292%, a smile touched the corners of Ye Yun’s lips.
’As expected, a good piece of equipment can really boost the team’s combat effectiveness and survivability.’
Before, facing an injured large mutated creature, the risk factor was typically around 1% to 2%.
Now, facing a perfectly healthy large mutated creature, the risk had actually dropped to 0.292%.
’Perhaps trying to acquire more powerful equipment is also a quick way to improve the team’s combat strength.’
Ye Yun had no desire to turn the inside of the shelter into a battlefield.
If a fierce battle broke out and damaged the plants and flowers inside the shelter...
He’d have to spend extra resources to fix them, and the cost would simply outweigh the benefits.
Everyone was already prepared. Just as Bena finished putting on the exoskeleton,
No. 1 pressed the switch for the Shelter Entrance. With a WHIR of machinery, the great door slowly opened.
A cold wind and a cloud of dust immediately surged in, carrying the desolate air of the wasteland.
Ye Yun gave everyone a final instruction:
"Everyone, stay safe and keep your distance."
"Bena, remember, our goal is to end this fight quickly. Avoid any unnecessary wear and tear as much as possible."
Bena nodded.
"Understood!"
Bena adjusted his exoskeleton, confirming all systems were running normally before striding outside.
As Bena, clad in his exoskeleton, prepared for battle, Ye Yun kept a close watch on the situation outside.
A massive mutated hyena had appeared just outside the shelter. It was surveying its surroundings with wary, ferocious eyes, as if searching for something.
Ye Yun noted that although the mutated hyena was huge, it moved with exceptional agility.
Its hide was a sickly gray-white, covered in all sorts of scars and healed wounds—clear evidence of countless life-or-death struggles in the wasteland.
Bena had already walked out of the shelter and was now standing opposite the mutated hyena.
Zhou Mei and the three androids stood ten meters away from Bena, ready to provide support at a moment’s notice.
Bena lightly clenched his fist. The power provided by the exoskeleton bolstered his confidence, but facing such a ferocious mutated creature, he didn’t dare let his guard down for a second.
The mutated hyena wasn’t highly intelligent, but its genetic instincts seemed to sense the threat emanating from Bena.
It let out a low growl and slowly backed away a few steps. For a moment, man and beast were locked in a standoff.
Bena was a bit surprised by this. Just a few days ago, it had taken several of them working together to kill a single injured large mutated creature.
Yet now, wearing the exoskeleton, he was faced with a large mutated creature in its prime, and instead of attacking, it was retreating.
However, his elation didn’t last long.
The mutated hyena across from him soon launched a probing attack.
The three-meter-long mutated hyena displayed an agility that completely betrayed its size.
Like a gray bolt of lightning, it lunged at Bena, its speed so fast it was staggering.
Bena reacted instantly. He sidestepped the mutated hyena’s sharp claws while activating the exoskeleton’s thrusters, accelerating in a burst to circle around to the creature’s flank.
He thrust the military-grade spear in his hands straight at the hyena’s relatively soft abdomen.
However, the hyena clearly hadn’t used its full strength in this probing attack. The moment Bena’s wrist began to move,
a cunning glint flashed in its eyes. Its forepaws, having just touched the ground, kicked back sharply as it nimbly retreated.
Bena hadn’t expected it to be so agile; his military spear stabbed into empty air.
Although the attack missed, he didn’t panic.
He quickly adjusted his stance and kicked the shaft of the spear, flicking it upward.
But Bena was still a fraction too slow, and the spear missed again.
After dodging the attack, the mutated hyena didn’t immediately counter. Instead, it stood a short distance away, baring its teeth and letting out a low snarl, as if assessing Bena’s strength.
However, the other four were not about to just stand by.
The guns in their hands immediately spat fire. The dense barrage momentarily stunned the mutated hyena.
Bena seized the opportunity. He activated the exoskeleton’s thrusters again, charging toward the mutated hyena at astonishing speed.
This time, having learned from his previous attempt, he didn’t go for a single killing blow but instead focused on inflicting as much effective damage as possible.
Wound after wound appeared on the mutated hyena’s body.
Feeling its injuries, the mutated hyena instantly realized Bena’s intention.
The mutated hyena let out a piercing howl and tried to charge in, attempting to trade blows with Bena.
However, Bena wasn’t about to let it have its way.
With a few quick steps, Bena retreated sharply.
As Bena fell back, the others immediately opened fire, forcing the mutated hyena to retreat.
Watching the battle unfold, Ye Yun nodded in satisfaction.
With the boost from the exoskeleton, the shelter’s team could now handle a large mutated beast without much pressure, even with a degree of ease.
Under normal circumstances, a mutated hyena that had been repeatedly thwarted would have likely given up on its prey by now.
But at this moment, the mutated hyena’s eyes were bloodshot. It was as if Bena had become its mortal enemy, one it had to fight to the death.
Without any hesitation, the mutated hyena pounced at Bena once more.
...
「Three minutes later.」
The mutated hyena let out one final, agonizing howl. Its body convulsed violently a few times, then it collapsed to the ground, motionless.
Bena quickly pulled out his spear and warily took a few steps back. Only after confirming that the mutated hyena showed no more signs of life did he finally let out a sigh of relief.
The battle had been even easier than he’d imagined.
Seeing this, Ye Yun also breathed a sigh of relief and walked out of the shelter.
After confirming that no one was injured, he walked over to Bena and inspected the exoskeleton for damage.
[Sentinel-1 Portable Exoskeleton (Blue)]
[Type: Exoskeleton]
[Defense: 45]
[Attack Power: 20-20]
[Speed: 0-30 km/h]
[A portable exoskeleton produced by the Academy. In its stowed state, it is only the size of a briefcase, making it highly portable. However, this comes at the cost of some defensive capabilities and functions.]
[Required Attributes: Strength 5, Agility 5, Perception 5, Endurance 5]
[Durability: 90%]
[Power: 90%]
[Function Slot 1: None]
[Function Slot 2: None]
[Function Slot 3: None]
Seeing the exoskeleton’s status, Ye Yun frowned slightly. The battle just now hadn’t been particularly intense, and it lasted ten minutes at most.
And yet, both its durability and power had dropped by 10%.
’It seems this thing isn’t suited for prolonged combat.’ Based on this battle’s consumption rate,
the exoskeleton’s total operational time was about 100 minutes, or roughly an hour and a half.
If the battle were any more intense, it would probably run out of power in under an hour.
Ye Yun figured the short operational time was most likely because it was a stripped-down version.
This portable model had indeed given up a lot for the sake of convenience.
Shaking himself from his thoughts, he said to Bena, "Good work. You performed exceptionally well in this battle."
Bena wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and managed a small smile. "The fight went so smoothly mainly because of the exoskeleton you granted me, Administrator. Everyone’s covering fire was also crucial."
