Chapter 46 Whac-A-Mole

The straight-line distance from the team to the Ordnance NCO Academy was approximately 16 kilometers, which meant that the most crucial target point of this reconnaissance mission completely overlapped with the active range of that Level 3 monster.

Every step closer to the objective spelled immense danger, so Chen Jian had no intention of conserving equipment battery power. The moment the team began moving, two drones initiated uninterrupted reconnaissance to ensure a continuous aerial field of view.

To Chen Jian's surprise, however, after an hour of continuous reconnaissance—utilizing the drones' maximum operational radius of 25 kilometers and their powerful night-vision sensory capabilities—no trace of the monster had yet been detected.

Theoretically speaking, this was entirely improbable.

After all, a monster standing 15 meters tall should possess exceptionally distinct infrared signals. Even if obscured by newly grown urban vegetation, it should have been impossible to miss completely.

What was even stranger was that while large targets were nowhere to be found, small ones were abundant, primarily consisting of wildlife. Chen Jian even spotted a herd of deer inhabiting a green space in the center of the city.

"The biological resources here are quite rich... So do these monsters survive by eating these creatures?"

Hearing Chen Jian's remark, Xu Lie shook his head and replied, "No monster is purely carnivorous. At least from the information we've gathered so far, they eat everything—some even eat rocks."

"Though it's true they primarily eat meat, and their hunting methods are diverse."

"Some monsters even build their own dams to trap fish in the water."

"Others herd herbivorous animals and consume them once their numbers grow."

"Are these really still monsters?" Chen Jian asked, dumbfounded.

"We've never claimed monsters lack intelligence... It's just that their habits have gradually deviated from humanity due to changes in their physical size."

"In fact, this is precisely why monsters have such strong territorial awareness. If their territory is invaded by other monsters, they really might starve to death."

...That sounded quite reasonable.

Chen Jian calculated silently in his mind. The territorial range of a wild Amur tiger was roughly 500 to 1,000 square kilometers, whereas the territory of this Level 3 monster was around 4,000 square kilometers. Considering the success rate of hunting and the difference in their omnivorous diet, the so-called Hanshui Ruins should be just enough to sustain it.

Following this line of reasoning, would this monster tend to be more active in food-rich areas?

Chen Jian opened the map newly generated by the drones, marked several densely forested areas with heavy infrared signals, and intended to have the drones fly over, lower their altitude, and conduct close-range reconnaissance once more.

Yet at that exact moment, He Shuo, who had been constantly monitoring the drones' video feed, suddenly issued a warning.

"A large number of abnormal thermal signals detected 1.5 kilometers away! Moving at high speed and approaching us!"

"They don't look like ordinary wildlife; they resemble small-scale monsters!"

Chen Jian immediately opened the video feed. Combining the coordinates calibrated by the INS inertial navigation system, he quickly realized that the team was still 600 meters away from the designated Observation Post 1. If they continued moving in their current direction, they would likely collide with that group of monsters.

Therefore, he decisively issued an order: "Descend from the Wujindi Overpass to ground level, enter the eastern residential area, and head to the rooftops for observation!"

"Understood!"

At the command, everyone sprang into action.

At that moment, Xu Lie once again grasped the vital importance of "information."

Why had the previous hunting operation of the Machine Cult failed? Wasn't it precisely because they lacked information?

Had they been able to react at the very first sign of danger just like these Chosen Ones, avoiding monster reconnaissance and unnecessary conflicts as much as possible, it shouldn't have been too difficult for their firepower to take down that monster, right?

Thus, perhaps the most formidable equipment of the Chosen Ones wasn't the guns and cannons in their hands, but those flying iron birds in the sky—those drones...

Closely following Chen Jian's pace, the group rapidly descended from the elevated highway, entered the residential zone, and searched their way up a building.

There was no activity from the blood skeletons here. Inside the residential building, apart from some small wild animals, birds, and bats, there was nothing else.

The eight of them successfully reached the rooftop, and by this time, the small group of monsters detected by He Shuo was sprinting past the street directly beneath their feet.

Chen Jian pulled out his binoculars to observe. Under the dim moonlight obscured by clouds and fog, he clearly saw the forms of those monsters.

Indeed, they were not ordinary wildlife, nor did they resemble the "mantis"-style predatory monsters he had previously seen in Chuansha City.

Their appearances still retained a considerable degree of human characteristics, but both their muscles and bones had undergone drastic transformations, mutating toward an adaptation for quadrupedal crawling.

Huge tumor-like growths protruded from the backs of all the monsters. In the center of each tumor was a small, tubular opening that kept contracting while they ran at high speeds, presenting a sickening sight.

"What are these things??" Chen Jian asked.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling they resemble the 'ground rats' from previous scout logs."

"If that's the case, we're in trouble."

"Once ground rats appear, the monsters are not far behind!"

"Why didn't you say so earlier?!" Chen Jian snapped angrily. Xu Lie replied with a look of guilt, "I had no idea these things actually existed! Nobody knew whether they were real or not!"

There was no use arguing about that now. Chen Jian immediately commanded: "Everyone retreat immediately, find reliable cover on the ground, and prepare to engage the enemy!"

"Leave right now?" Xu Lie asked in surprise.

"What else? If the monsters arrive, are we supposed to stay trapped on a rooftop waiting to die?"

"Haven't you ever seen a bear climb a tree? When dealing with monsters like this, the higher you run, the faster you die!"

Chen Jian's tone revealed distinct dissatisfaction, but he also knew this could not be blamed on Xu Lie.

Objectively speaking, the other party possessed no more information than he did.

Being able to issue a warning after roughly identifying the monster species was already a commendable effort.

When it all came down to it, it was a gap in professionalism.

These people possessed no concept of systematic warfare and were incapable of distinguishing the difference in the importance of intelligence.

With this level of competence, having stronger physical attributes was completely useless!

With no time for further thought, Chen Jian immediately led the team downward.

While climbing down the heavily weathered staircase, he continued to observe the status of that small group of monsters.

Soon, however, the scenario he least wanted to see occurred.

Those ground rats stopped less than two hundred meters away from the building they were in, hesitating and circling around.

The tumors on the backs of the ground rats split open like blooming flesh-eating flowers, exposing the unfolded fleshy petals to the air, while viscous fluid streamed down their backs and dripped onto the ground.

Following that, the ground rats slowly changed direction.

The fleshy petals on their backs all grew still, save for the ones pointing in a uniform direction, which continued to twitch.

And the direction those petals pointed toward was precisely the building where Chen Jian and his group were located.

Chen Jian's heart tightened.

He suddenly realized what those creatures were meant for.

That tumor was a colossal olfactory organ; they were undoubtedly gathering pheromones from the air. If they detected any anomalies, they would immediately carry the news back to the real monsters!

These ground rats and that Level 3 monster were in a symbiotic relationship!

Not a single one of them could be allowed to escape, otherwise, the entire squad would fall into a passive and vulnerable position!

At this thought, Chen Jian immediately ordered:

"Prepare for combat!"

"Drones maintain surveillance and cut off this pack of ground rats!"

"Swift battle, rapid withdrawal, but do not let a single one get away!"