Through the night vision goggles, I carefully observed the situation ahead. At four o'clock in the morning, the advance troops of the 82nd Airborne Division had set up a blockade outside the TEC building. The fully armed special forces were deploying the latest M252 biological protection system.
"Target analysis initiated..."
The calm voice of the system sounded in my mind.
[Analysis in progress...
Special forces: 38 people
Equipment: M4 carbine, M252 biological protection suit
Combat effectiveness assessment: elite
But... they will all become the first batch of advanced mutants]
My memory of the previous life told me that this unit will encounter the complete ogre in fifteen minutes. Their equipment and tactical training are meaningless in the face of absolute power.
And their destruction will give birth to the first batch of high-quality awakening stones.
"Jack, position report." I asked through the encrypted channel.
"In position at Point B," Jack Morrison said calmly. The former Navy SEAL seemed to have adapted to this crazy situation. "Jesus Christ... I just saw a mutant overturn an armored vehicle. What the hell is going on?"
"Focus on the mission," I reminded him. "Remember the plan. When I give the signal, use the sonic grenades."
The sonic grenade is a weapon I specially ordered. My experience in my previous life told me that early mutants are particularly sensitive to high-frequency sound waves.
"Warning! Abnormal energy signature detected!"
The system suddenly sounded an alarm.
Through the night vision goggles, I saw three complete ogres approaching the military blockade. They were more than three meters tall and covered with dark red scales. One of them had bloodshot eyes.
It was it - the ogre nicknamed "Red Eye". In the previous life, it was it that completed the second evolution after devouring the captain of the special forces, and a rare high-quality awakening stone was born in its body.
But this time, something was wrong.
"Caution! Target behavior pattern shows significant deviation from historical data. Butterfly effect detected!"
Damn it! I should have thought of it earlier. The butterfly effect brought by rebirth has begun to affect the development of the situation. The evolutionary path of these dark creatures may have changed.
The "Red Eye" in front suddenly stopped and turned his head to look around. Its actions were much more cautious than in the memory of the previous life.
"Jack, change of plans. Execute Protocol Delta."
"Copy that." As a retired special forces soldier, Jack fully understands the importance of improvisation.
I quickly adjusted my tactics. Since I can't predict the specific action pattern of the opponent, I have to take the initiative to create opportunities.
I took out a special biological bait from my backpack. This is an inducer cultivated from the early stage of mutation tissue, which can attract the attention of the ogre.
"Warning! Risk level exceeds safety threshold!"
The system alarmed frantically.
But I have no choice. If I miss this opportunity, the next high-quality awakening stone may not appear until a month later.
The bait was thrown in the direction of the special forces, and several sound wave generators hidden in the dark were turned on at the same time. These devices would produce special infrasound waves to interfere with the perception of mutant creatures.
The effect was immediate. "Red Eye" and the other two ogres were immediately attracted. They rushed in the direction of the bait and ran into the ambush circle of the special forces.
"NOW!"
Jack activated the sonic grenade buried underground. The deafening high-frequency sound waves instantly enveloped the entire area.
"SCREEEEEECH!"
The three ogres screamed in pain. The special forces immediately opened fire, but the bullets only sparked on their scales.
At this moment, "Red Eye" made an unexpected move. Instead of rushing wildly like in the previous life, it suddenly jumped into the sky and tried to escape the sound wave range.
This was something I didn't expect.
"Jack, activate the sonic cannon in area B!"
The pre-arranged sonic weapons formed a three-dimensional encirclement. "Red Eye" suddenly lost balance in the air and fell heavily to the ground. There was a crack in its scales.
Here comes the chance!
I took out a specially customized sniper rifle and aimed at the crack in its neck. This gun uses a special armor-piercing bullet with strong targeting.
"Chance of success: 47%"
The system gave a not very optimistic data.
But I have to try.
"Bang!"
The bullet hit the crack accurately. "Red Eye" let out a deafening roar, and more scales began to fall off.
However, its reaction was even crazier than in its previous life. It suddenly stabbed its claws into its chest, as if it was going to do something.
"WARNING! Target attempting emergency evolution!"
Not good! It wants to stimulate evolution through self-mutilation, which has never happened in its previous life!
"Jack, throw a second wave of sonic bullets, don't let it complete the evolution!"
But it was too late. A dazzling red light suddenly burst out from the wound of "Red Eye". Its body was expanding further.
I gritted my teeth and pulled out my last trump card - a syringe filled with the military's latest neurotoxin. This thing cost me a lot of money on the black market.
"Survival rate less than 20% if you approach target now."
The system issued a final warning.
"Sometimes you have to risk everything."
I whispered and rushed out.
"Red Eye" is at a critical moment of evolution, and this is when it is weakest. Through the hail of bullets, I ran towards it.
Special forces bullets whizzed past my ears, but I couldn't care about them now.
After the last roll, I arrived right below "Red Eye". Its chest was reorganizing, revealing the awakening stone that was forming inside.
Now!
The syringe accurately pierced the crack. "Red Eye"'s movements slowed down instantly. I drew out the saber and slashed hard at the crack.
Accompanied by a roar that was enough to shatter glass, an awakening stone emitting blood-red light finally appeared in my hand.
"Hostile entities approaching. Immediate evacuation advised."
More mutants were attracted by the battle.
"Jack, retreat!"
We quickly evacuated the battlefield before other mutants arrived. The special forces' gunfire and roars came from behind, but I couldn't care about them anymore.
Back in the safe house, I finally had the opportunity to carefully examine the awakening stone in my hand.
The pigeon egg-sized awakening stone exuded a dark red light, and something seemed to be constantly flowing inside. This is definitely a top-quality awakening stone.
In my previous life, it took me a year to get my first awakening stone. This time, it took less than three hours.
"Congratulations! Mission accomplished!
Rewards:
- 2000 points
- Store system fully unlocked
- Bonus: Basic healing skill unlocked"
Looking at the awakening stone in my hand, I fell into deep thought. The most critical question now is: should I try to awaken immediately? If successful, I will gain powerful power; if failed, it will be a waste of all previous efforts.
More importantly, the butterfly effect has begun to emerge. This means that the next development may be very different from the previous life.
I must be more cautious.