"Ke, keke."
A lone Elu stood while crazily laughing without stop. Its skinny body resembled one of a hunter Elu. However, it fully geared itself like a human. It even armed itself with a gun.
"Take cover!" Schwartz shouted.
The squad scattered left and right and took cover in the corners of the room. The bullets shot past their original positions. Once the Elu emptied its magazine, it disappeared and escaped off to somewhere.
"It used a gun!" Private Herald shouted.
There had never been a case of Elus using guns. They never used the gears which belonged to humans. It seemed to have been a taboo of their species. But the Elu here broke the taboo and used guns while fully equipped with human-made equipment.
"A funny guy. Is it trying to imitate humans?" Schwartz's eyes glinted with light while he continued forward. He took a single leap which flung him forward ten meters. He was now buffed with extra strength and was capable of chasing down the Elu.
BOO-OOM!
There was an explosion. Schwartz was thrown back by the force of the explosion. He threw off his battle gear which was burnt into black charcoal. Thanks to his physical strength reinforcement skill, he didn't suffer critical injuries.
"Damn, he uses grenades as well."
"It's fighting like a human would." Han mumbled.
The enemy was calculative and provocative. It attacked from the front, but it understood it was fighting a disadvantaged battle, so it always maintained a safe distance.
Han had not fought many battles against Elus, but even he could see this Elu vastly differed in all aspects of a typical Elu.
"Leader Schwartz, it just attempted luring one alone so that it can kill you solo. It must have been trying to change this battle of 4v1 to that of a 3v1 battle, but failed. It must not have taken into account your physical strength reinforcement unique skill. We're not the only one in shock. It must be just as surprised as us. It would probably refrain from attacking for a short moment." Han logically broke down the current situation. It was important to quickly calculate the situation of your allies and enemies to create an advantageous situation for the battle.
"Continue, Chan." Schwartz said while patting off some of the black ash.
"It appeared as soon as we opened the level three door. Just before, it was with us in the second level. We can conclude that it's traveling in a route that we are unaware of. At first I thought maybe it traveled through the air vent, however its arms and legs are too long for it to fit in the small vents here. We would also easily hear it move around in such a quiet place."
Han didn't miss a single hint. Anyone would be able to deduce these facts. It was just a matter of speed.
The ability to quickly catch all hints and correlate it in a logical way, not just anyone is capable of this. His harsh life in poverty which required speedy observations and decision-making skills helped groom his senses to this degree.
"His ability to aim is extremely poor. He has trouble aiming and it takes quite a bit of time for him to begin shooting. It's using human weapons, but it's not fully accustomed to it yet. It doesn't have the ability to set up grenade booby traps neither. If it had such ability, we would have all died the moment we blindly opened the door. Unless it gets a lucky shot, it will have a difficult time to headshot us."
The squad simultaneously fully geared their under armor and helmets. The place was narrow and there was only a limited amount of places the bullet may hit.
As Han stated, it had a horrible aim, and it was very unlikely that any of them would be hit. The fog of mystery which shrouded the enemy slowly cleared bit by bit.
"As long as we continue to move with all four members, it shouldn't make sudden attacks. The moment it appeared was when Private Herald and I were alone, and just a moment ago when we got the door open. It fears us. The corpse it displayed on the second level was to set fear into our minds, this goes for that horrible laugh as well… it's trying to confuse us and weaken our formation. The weaker they are the stronger the bluff will be."
Han learned many things from Laocha over the past month. His senses had become much sharper.
He learned to find the bigger picture from small hints. Laocha would simulate a circumstance, and Han would have to deduce the situation through only a few hints.
All the examples had been from real battle. Though indirect, he did his best to let Han experience the facts of real battle.
"You would receive a standing ovation if you were in the classroom." Schwartz stood up and said. The situation seemed better after hearing Han's explanation. They were able to figure out many things about their opponent through only a few clues.
There was nothing more important than understanding the enemy's powers and skills in battle. As long as they fully understood their enemy, they wouldn't meet failure.
Han didn't try to be modest or show off. He simply stood there. It was unbelievable this youth had been throwing up after seeing the remains of the researcher's corpses.
"There is a research room just ahead of the emergency power room. We should stop by there on the way. We must collect the data of what happened in this place." Corporal Zhai said.
Everyone agreed. They continued to walk through the dark corridor.
They could hear the Elu's laughter from a distance. Just as Han had pointed out, the Elu let out a horrifying laugh like it was fighting against weaklings.
"Blood…"
Han covered his mouth while he continued to walk forward. The entrance of the research room was gruesome. People were strewn all around the room like they were drowning in their own blood.
The stench of rotting organs filled the room. Han was having a hard time trying to bear with the smell and sight.
'This is concerning. This isn't a good place for us.' Schwartz looked to Han. Han's mental state wasn't good for everyone right now. He's withstanding with the squad well right now, but after everything was over this place would probably become a very traumatic memory.
It could very well develop into PTSD(Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). This was one of the core aspects Ark tried the best to prevent. This was one of the most frequent causes of the youths of Ark becoming unable to battle.
"Huu.. huu.."
Han took deep breaths. He focused his racing heartbeat to slow down.
"Herald and Zhai continue to keep watch. I'm going to search for the data here. Chan, help me." Schwartz commanded as he stepped into the research room. Han dripped in cold sweat as he helped Schwartz. He wanted to throw up every second and his thoughts were chaotic.
'I must endure.'
Han took a drink of water and wiped his mouth. His eyes looked shaken.