Chapter 67: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada
Chapter 67: Chapter 67: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada
Bena calmly analyzed the situation.
This Mutated Brown Bear looked ferocious, but based on its three-meter-tall frame, Bena knew it couldn’t be much stronger than the mutated gray wolf they had encountered before.
The four people on the scene were coordinating reasonably well, but their individual strength wasn’t that great.
’If the combat power of those four is a 10, then the five of us would be a 15 or 20.’
However, Bena also had to admit that if they joined the fight now, they would inevitably suffer casualties.
They had been lucky last time. The mutated gray wolf had been heavily injured, after all. And though Number 1 had been badly mauled, he ultimately hadn’t died.
But this time, the Mutated Brown Bear wasn’t seriously injured. There was a good chance they would lose someone.
Just as Bena was contemplating their next move, the situation on the nearby battlefield changed again.
The man, Python, who Bena had thought fled, had actually snuck back while the Mutated Brown Bear was chasing Black Bull.
Seeing Python stuff something from his hands into the arms of the dead gunman, Zhou Mei gasped beside him.
"That looks like a bomb in his hand. We’re too far to be sure, but it’s probably a remote-detonated one."
Zhou Mei was a freelance mercenary, after all. She was often hired by various merchant caravans and had far more combat experience than Bena, the scavenger. Her powers of observation were also exceptionally sharp, which was why she recognized the object as a bomb at a single glance.
Hearing this, an idea sparked in Bena’s mind. He immediately raised his binoculars to get a closer look at Python’s movements.
Sure enough, after planting the remote bomb, Python immediately hid in some distant ruins.
"Looks like he plans to use the bomb on the Mutated Brown Bear," Bena said in a low voice.
Zhou Mei nodded, her eyes fixed on Python, observing his every move.
Soon, a scream echoed from the distance. Bena and Zhou Mei exchanged a glance and then nodded silently. It was obvious that Black Bull, who had tried to escape, had been caught and killed.
Just as they expected, the huge Mutated Brown Bear returned to the battlefield moments later, carrying Black Bull’s corpse in its jaws.
Zhou Mei said in a low voice,
"I’ve heard that mutated bear-type creatures have a habit of hoarding food. It looks like that’s true."
Bena had been wondering why Python would go out of his way to return and plant a bomb on his companion’s corpse. Now it was clear that he was also aware of this particular habit.
Bena and Zhou Mei continued to watch the battlefield, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Python knew this as well. He waited patiently, looking for the best time to detonate the bomb.
Python knew he only had one chance; he had to make sure the bomb went off when the Mutated Brown Bear was at its most vulnerable.
The Mutated Brown Bear set Black Bull’s corpse aside, then slowly ambled toward the two other bodies at the edge of the battlefield. It had killed those two in its initial ambush.
The Mutated Brown Bear carefully picked up the two corpses and placed them next to Black Bull’s.
Seeing this, everyone watching held their breath.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, the Mutated Brown Bear slowly approached the corpse rigged with the remote bomb.
One step...
Two steps...
Three steps...
Python felt like his heart was about to leap out of his chest.
The very moment the Mutated Brown Bear was about to touch the body, a crazed look flashed in Python’s eyes as he slammed down on the detonator’s button.
The next instant, with a deafening BOOM, the bomb exploded right next to the Mutated Brown Bear. The force of the blast was far greater than Bena and Zhou Mei had anticipated. Flames and thick smoke instantly engulfed the entire battlefield.
The corpse used to hide the bomb was instantly blasted to dust.
The Mutated Brown Bear let out a pained roar. Its nearly two-ton body was actually thrown into the air by the shockwave, and it landed heavily on the ground.
From within the smoke, the Mutated Brown Bear let out a series of piercing shrieks, clear evidence that the explosion had wounded it severely.
However, no one on the scene made a rash move.
Bena and Zhou Mei were waiting for Python to act, while Python was waiting for the smoke on the field to clear completely.
A few minutes later, the smoke from the explosion finally dissipated.
As the smoke gradually cleared, the Mutated Brown Bear’s form once again came into view.
Its massive body no longer looked as imposing as before; instead, it appeared somewhat pathetic.
The bear’s hide was torn apart by shrapnel, exposing the raw, red flesh beneath.
One of its eyes was squeezed shut, surrounded by bloodstains. It had clearly been blinded in the blast.
The Mutated Brown Bear’s limbs trembled slightly. It tried to stand up several times, but each attempt ended in failure.
Even from a great distance, Bena could clearly sense its breathing growing heavier. Each breath was accompanied by a low groan, as if recounting its suffering.
On the bear’s abdomen, the once-thick fur was scorched away, revealing large patches of skin covered in wounds from the bomb.
Some of the deeper wounds were still gushing blood, which flowed down its body and had already formed a pool in just a few short minutes.
Its head and face were also grievously injured. One of its ears was torn, exposing the tissue within.
Around its nose and mouth, blood mixed with dirt, making it look even more grotesque.
Despite suffering such severe injuries, the Mutated Brown Bear was still struggling to breathe, a testament to its tenacious life force.
However, its eyes no longer held their previous ferocity and aggression. In their place was a look of confusion and pain.
’To think the Mutated Brown Bear wasn’t killed instantly even after an explosion that terrifying.’
Bena felt a surge of lingering fear. ’It’s a good thing we didn’t go down there and fight it head-on.’
’If we had really confronted it directly, even if we’d won, we probably would have suffered heavy losses.’
Seeing that the Mutated Brown Bear couldn’t even get to its feet, Python breathed a sigh of relief.
His original plan was to turn and run if the bomb didn’t kill it outright.
But it seemed his luck was quite good; the blast had taken away half of the creature’s life.
Python didn’t make any rash moves. Instead, he remained hidden in the ruins, quietly waiting for the creature to die.
The Mutated Brown Bear’s life force was incredibly tenacious; it had taken a remote bomb head-on and hadn’t died instantly.
However, it was still a creature of flesh and blood. As time passed, the Mutated Brown Bear, which had been trying to stand, now lay motionless on the ground, its mournful cries growing fainter and fainter.
After a few more minutes, the Mutated Brown Bear lying on the ground went completely still.
Python cautiously poked his head out, aimed the gun in his hand at the Mutated Brown Bear’s head, and fired several shots.
The bullets sank easily into the Mutated Brown Bear’s body, but the creature didn’t stir.
Convinced that the Mutated Brown Bear was truly dead, Python finally left the ruins and walked slowly toward its corpse.