All Lin Ke knew was that the other party was using a Bezos T1 tactical machine pistol. Lin Ke didn't know how much spare ammo he had, so he didn't dare to act rashly.
Treasure Hunter Rat, go another round!
Upon hearing the order, Treasure Hunter Rat, hiding opposite him in a corner of the wall, moved stealthily along the wall and crept up to the mercenary.
The mercenary almost pulled the tactical machine pistol's trigger when he saw the rat again but still stopped himself in the end.
He had a complex expression on his face. On the one hand, this rat had caused him to waste more than ten bullets, and he wished that he could exterminate it. On the other hand, the rat appearing within his sight amid such a strange atmosphere eased his unsettlement a little and gave him the illusion that he wasn't all alone.
Upon seeing that the other party hadn't fired, Treasure Hunter Rat continued to move ahead boldly while staying close to the wall.
The rat had successfully distracted the mercenary a little. Lin Ke was very patient as he hid in the shadows.
It wasn't time to launch an ambush yet. Once Treasure Hunter Rat entered the sprinting range, they would coordinate their actions and take the enemy's life.
Treasure Hunter Rat continued to approach the mercenary. Although Lin Ke was hiding behind the wall, the unique blood link between them allowed him to clearly sense Treasure Hunter Rat's location. As it turned out, the purpose behind using ten HP to create the blood cocoon was to nurture his pet and provide nutrients for its birth. This special bond allowed Lin Ke and his pet to build a solid and impregnable relationship, where blood was thicker than water between the two of them.
Incubating a cocoon and hatching it… He was seriously playing both father and mother roles.
Squeak, squeak…
Treasure Hunter Rat let out a few squeaks. Then, it suddenly stood straight and stared at the mercenary in a daze.
The mercenary's eyes lit up. His right hand, which was holding a gun, rested on his knee and continued to face outside the wall.
He stretched out his left thumb and index finger and rubbed them against each other while making tsking sounds with his tongue to lure Treasure Hunter Rat over.
Since he's calling you over, go ahead and put on a show. Hurry! Go right in front of him and launch a sudden attack! Lin Ke vocalized his plan telepathically. While he sensed Treasure Hunter Rat's location, he also got ready to take action.
Treasure Hunter Rat tilted its head and sized up the mercenary, putting on a show of being curious. Right after that, it lowered its body and slowly got nearer to the mercenary.
A look of joy slowly came over the mercenary's facial features. After spending such a long time in the desert, he knew that all these animals were sentient.
Since a rat was moving about here and there now, it implied that his current location was safe for the time being.
Thinking of getting the rat to climb onto his palm, the mercenary stretched out his palm.
However, Treasure Hunter Rat suddenly sped up. Using the mercenary's palm as a jumping board, it jumped onto his head.
The rat's sudden movements surprised the mercenary, and he subconsciously reached out to smack the rat off himself.
Lin Ke took the opportunity during this moment to poke his head out from the corner. Holding the Glock 17 with both hands, he took aim and fired decisively.
Bang, bang, bang!
Some of the bullets struck the wall, and some landed on the mercenary.
Every time Lin Ke pulled the trigger, the recoil from the pistol would knock his arms back a little.
[You've successfully hit the enemy with the Glock 17 pistol and activated your Special Ability, 'Basic Marksmanship.']
"Basic Marksmanship Progress: 1%… 2%… 3%…]
Above the mercenary's head, two pale-blue numerical figures surfaced one after the other.
-20!
-23!
Two bullets struck his arm and shoulder, but neither was lethal.
Lin Ke fired off six shots in total. Only two had struck the mercenary while the remaining four bullets had flown by vaguely and abstractly. However, his arms were already slightly numb from the pistol recoil.
His current body's quality was honestly too poor. It also didn't possess any shooting experience or expertise at all. It was totally a situation of a max-level soul possessing a useless account; a ruler's consciousness but a newbie's operation skills.
Clack, clack, clack!
Counterattacks from the tactical machine pistol came right in the wake of Lin Ke's gunshots. After Lin Ke ducked and returned to hiding behind the wall, the bullets struck the wall and caused its distinct edges and corners to become irregular and uneven as if something had gnawed on it.
The mercenary got to his feet using the wall as support. He held up the tactical machine pistol in one hand while his other hand moved about quickly as he tried to smack the rat darting about on his body.
Treasure Hunter Rat ducked into the mercenary's clothes. As it fled and scurried about, it would bite the mercenary out of the blue once in a while.
The '-1, -1, -1' damage indicators above the mercenary didn't pause at all.
"Damn! That guy's holding a Glock!" When he saw Lin Ke, the mercenary instantly realized that his companion's death had nothing to do with the mystical and unknown at all. Rather, it was the slave in front of him that killed his companion using some kind of unknown method. The slave had even gotten his hands on a pistol and ammo magazines now. The situation instantly turned critically dangerous.
The mercenary was terribly anxious since he had to guard against the slave behind the wall and also take care of the rat scurrying all over his body at the same time.
Not only was the rat scurrying around everywhere on his body at lightning-quick speed, but he had even been shot in the shoulder. As a result, his actions had become significantly slower.
Upon seeing this, the mercenary grabbed his T-shirt at the chest, grit his teeth, and ripped the T-shirt off.
Upon noticing the mercenary's actions, Treasure Hunter Rat shrank back and squeezed itself into the mercenary's trousers.
Both digging holes and diving into them were a rat's innate abilities.
A wave of disgust came over the mercenary at once when he felt a ball of fur in his crotch. Cold sweat constantly trickled down his back.
At the same time as this, small lines of notifications also appeared in Lin Ke's system interface.
[Your pet has hit the enemy's weakness and dealt a 12-point critical hit!]
[Your pet has hit the enemy's weakness and dealt a 15-point critical hit!]
…
What accompanied the critical hit notifications were the mercenary's heart-wrenching screams.
Lin Ke subconsciously squeezed his legs together tightly. These attacks were real tricky; there was no way to defend against them at all. It wasn't like he could fire at his own crotch, right?
Lin Ke poked his head out from the corner of the wall. At a time like this, how could the mercenary possibly have the time to guard against him? His tactical machine pistol had already been tossed aside, his hands were cupped over his crotch in a death grip, and he was bent over into a prawn-like pose. All of his defenses were completely gone.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!
Lin Ke let loose a barrage of bullets, five consecutive shots in total. This time, three of them hit his target, killing the mercenary through and through.
[You've killed a Wastelands Gang mercenary and gained 200 EXP]
Lin Ke flipped the thoroughly dead mercenary over. Treasure Hunter Rat's tiny little head poked out from the mercenary's trouser waistband. It even had some blood on its head.
Lin Ke grimaced. For some reason, he felt an illusory pain at his crotch, too. Perhaps this was what one called empathy!
"Go to the side and clean yourself up."
Treasure Hunter Rat crawled out obediently, ran over to the corner of the wall, and rolled about in the earth. Then, it used its little paws to groom its head and comb its fur, cleaning itself.
"A slave like you actually dared to go against your superiors and kill the Wastelands Gang's mercenaries! You're dead for sure!"
Lin Ke was still squatting and searching the corpse when severe censuring came from the satellite phone on the floor.
As it turned out, Lin Ke's appearance had already been captured by the satellite phone's camera when he had first appeared from the corner of the wall. However, the mercenary had ripped his T-shirt off to deal with the rat scurrying around on his body. As a result, the satellite phone had dropped onto the floor along with the T-shirt.
However, the people at Wastelands Gang's headquarters had still heard the mercenary's heart-wrenching screams, as well as the gunshots from the Glock. They naturally guessed what had happened after that.
Lin Ke let out a cold snort, the mockery in his attitude fully exhibited.
He pulled the T-shirt aside and picked up the satellite phone on the floor. Then, he placed it beside his ear and, as if making an oath, said in a resolute tone with his diaphragm, "Machinery is eternal; the chief lives forever! The desert's secret belongs only to the Machinery Holy Cult!"
Then, he turned off the satellite phone's communication function after speaking.
The motto that Lin Ke had shouted belonged exclusively to the Machinery Holy Cult's fervent followers.
This move of redirecting trouble elsewhere directly pointed the finger at another force in the desert—the Machinery Holy Cult.
In any case, neither of these two forces was anything decent anyway. Thus, he could just set them loose on each other and let them fight it out!
The main thing was that the city ruins were the Machinery Holy Cult's territory. It was highly likely that his words could force the Wastelands Gang to discontinue their previous relief effort plans.
[You've obtained Satellite Phone x1, Bezos T1 Tactical Machine Pistol x1]
"It's kind of a shame that this person doesn't have machine gun ammo clips on him."
Lin Ke searched the mercenary's body from head to toe but only found a phone and a tactical machine pistol. He didn't find any spare ammo clips.
Fortunately, both the Glock 17 and the tactical machine pistol used the same 9mm bullets, so he could split some of the bullets in the pistol's ammo clips with the tactical machine pistol, guaranteeing him short to mid-range firepower.
Of course, all of this came later.
After taking all of his loot, Lin Ke's attention fell onto the dead mercenary again.
He sized the corpse up for a brief moment. Then, he actually stuck out his tongue and licked his dry, chapped lips…
Just as Lin Ke was about to brandish his dagger to modify the army boots into a size suitable for himself, Treasure Hunter Rat jumped in front of Lin Ke and called out to him anxiously.
Squeak, squeak!
"Did you say that someone else is here?!" Cold sweat trickled down Lin Ke's forehead. He immediately stored the dagger away and took out the pistol. "Myself included, only three people escaped from the quicksand. Why are there other people now?"
Lin Ke would never believe that anyone could climb out of quicksand, even if someone told him that. In that case, there was only one possibility left—the Machinery Holy Cult!
Lin Ke hurriedly did an inventory count of his ammunition. He had six bullets left in the Glock, 12 bullets left in the tactical machine pistol, and two full ammo clips, totaling 52 9mm bullets.
Should he face the metal exoskeleton armor-wearing Machinery Holy Cult soldiers, it would be a very tough battle!
"How many are there in total?"
Treasure Hunter Rat had a normal search range of 500 meters, while its search range for metallic items could reach as far as 1,000 meters.
Lin Ke's only advantage was to use the 'metal radar,' aka Treasure Hunter Rat, to conduct targeted attacks and take them out one by one, fighting like a guerrilla in the city ruins.
Squeak, squeak!
"Huh? One?" Lin Ke was startled again.
Machinery Holy Cult soldiers weren't programmed to head out alone. All low-level Machinery Holy Cult soldiers were programmed to use microchip battle tactics, and these programmed tactics required at least five people.
Lin Ke hung the tactical machine pistol on the bandolier and loaded a full ammo clip into the pistol. Then, he stroked Treasure Hunter Rat's little head and said, "Let's go! Bring me to that person!"
Treasure Hunter Rat had already cleaned off all the blood and dirt on itself. After shaking off the remaining dust on its body, it ran to the front and led the way.
Lin Ke followed at the back and realized that this was a route leading out of the maze.
Treasure Hunter Rat stopped at the maze entrance and squeaked a few times to indicate that the person was right outside.
Lin Ke pressed his back against the wall. Then, he twisted his neck bit by bit past the edge of the wall. A figure entered his peripheral vision.
The very next second, Lin Ke's expression turned into one of astoundment, and he looked absolutely stunned.
|д•́)!!
It was a tanned little fatty wearing the same flax clothing as Lin Ke; he was even carrying a full and bulging camouflage-patterned bag on his back.
Lin Ke's brows knitted together tightly. He couldn't verify that person's identity.
Although the little fatty was also wearing a slave's clothes, all the slaves Lin Ke had previously seen were skin and bones and malnourished. He had never seen a slave so fat that they were practically dripping oil before!
Are we even still talking basic logic here anymore?
"Treasure Hunter Rat, go over and sound him out. Don't try to kill him, and don't attack his vitals!"
Treasure Hunter Rat ran its little paws through the fur on its head a few times and tidied up its 'hairstyle.' Then, it ran out while staying close to the wall.
(・_・)
Lin Ke hid in the shadows to observe the tanned fatty and roughly determine the fellow's background through his reactions.
Treasure Hunter Rat went along the wall edges and crept forward quietly. As for the little fatty, he was hunched over, and his big, black, and round eyes were alert and full of life. They darted left and right warily, watching out for danger like a cat. The moment he felt like something was even a little amiss, he would scuttle quickly over to a pile of junk by the roadside and hide behind it, waiting till everything was calm again before poking his head out to observe his surroundings.
Lin Ke did a count with his fingers—in just a short distance of over 100 meters, the sound of the wind and the noise from junk being blown about had scared the fatty into hiding by the roadside four times.
That fat little slave was cautious to the extreme!
However, Lin Ke was even more cautious than him. Before his suspicions were fully and clearly explained, and before he had sounded the other party out and got a clear idea of his capabilities, he would never make any rash actions.
The fatty turning up here was already very strange and inconceivable in itself.
Both the Wastelands Gang mercenaries and himself had escaped from the quicksand by driving. The fatty didn't have a vehicle; he was even carrying a bag that was filled to the brim. How had he made his way out?
But Lin Ke would have the opportunity to verify the truth very soon.
After panicking at the sound of wind, the little fatty stuck his head out again. After making certain that there was no danger, he began to scuttle forward quickly again while hunched over.
All of a sudden, Treasure Hunter Rat slipped out from behind the obstacles and ran toward the fat little slave.
When the little fatty saw a ball of grayish-black matter running and moving about at high speed on the ground, he was so frightened that he immediately turned tail and ran.
However, how could a barrel of 'moving lard' possibly outrun the lightning-quick Treasure Hunter Rat?
With a leap, Treasure Hunter Rat grabbed hold of the little fatty's coarse flax clothing and swiftly climbed onto him.
The little fatty was so frightened that he howled non-stop and rolled about on the ground.
Lin Ke hadn't even ordered Treasure Hunter Rat to bite him. It was purely just climbing all over him.
Just this alone and the little fatty's voice was already akin to the squeals of a pig being slaughtered…
Now that his wariness had been mostly reduced, what was left was to dispel his doubts. Lin Ke walked out of the maze and lifted the gun, pointing it at the little fatty. "How did you escape?!"
The rolling little fatty didn't even cast a glance at Lin Ke, who had spoken suddenly. He straight up dropped to his knees and begged for mercy while covering his head with both hands. "Please spare my life, I beg you! You can capture me and bring me back! You can do anything you want as long as you don't kill me!"
"Raise your head!"
The little fatty raised his head. When he saw Lin Ke—who was similarly dressed in slave clothing—pointing a gun at him, he couldn't quite react for a moment there.
"The big boss over there, you're…"
"I'm asking you how you managed to escape!"
Bang!
Lin Ke fired at the ground right after speaking. The fat all over the little fatty trembled, and he didn't dare to move.
"I-I escaped by hiding in a jeep's trunk."
"That's impossible! Security in the mercenary camp is very tight. With a big physique like yours, how could you have gotten past the camp's heavy defenses to hide in the jeep's trunk?"
The little fatty was close to tears. He hurriedly replied, "I'm in charge of cooking and food supplies. Last night, when I was delivering supper to the mercenaries, I happened to overhear that there would be an outbound mission today. So, I went back the very same night to pack my bags and even stole quite a bit of food from the kitchen. I entered the barracks while it was dark and hid in the trunk in advance just to wait for a chance to escape when they carried out their mission today."
Lin Ke was 90% convinced by his words.
Considering how tanned the fatty was, Lin Ke wouldn't discover his presence as long as he didn't break into a grin at night, even if he stood right in front of him.
Lin Ke then checked the little fatty's data.
[As your level is close to the target's, you can only see partial information when using Scout on this target.]
Name: ???
Race: Human
Level: 1
Status: Slave
Health Points: 50/50
Energy Points: 50/50
Stats: Power (4), Agility (5), Endurance (5), Intelligence (4), Energy (1), Charm (3), Luck (9)
Appraisal: Do you know what 'having one's wishes come true' means?
…
He was certainly a slave. It was just that the little fatty's stats were such that even Lin Ke's teeth chattered upon seeing them.
Why? Why did he get to have 3 points for Charm and 9 points for Luck?!
"What's your name?"
"Forbes."
Lin Ke had a rather complex look in his eyes as he gazed at Forbes. His escape had been extremely perilous the whole way; he had only managed to survive by fighting a battle of both wits and courage with the mercenaries.
In contrast, this fatty had it going for him—he had won, even when he had done nothing at all!