Gonzalez opened the metal case and pulled out a massive weapon.
It resembled a flamethrower, with a large metal backpack connected to a long hose, the end of which looked like a faucet.
Strapping it onto his back, Gonzalez opened a side panel, took out a full box of energy cells, and quickly loaded them in. He didn't bother picking up the many that fell out, then slammed the cover shut.
"Die!"
As Gonzalez spoke, he aimed the "faucet" at the fire spirit, and then...
The thing was actually for spraying water!
Large amounts of liquid were sprayed out, accompanied by a chilling coldness.
Much condensation dripped from the sides of the hose, and upon hitting the ground, immediately covered it with a layer of frost.
Meanwhile...
Hit by the cold air and water, the fire spirit struggled incessantly.
Although the fire spirit had no face, only a humanoid outline, one could still sense its agony.
Moreover...
As Gonzalez roared and charged forward, under the effect of the cold air and water, the fire spirit's body continuously shrank, until finally...
*Crack!*
The magic array beneath the fire spirit let out a crisp sound, like shattering glass, and completely broke apart.
As the magic array shattered, the fire spirit's body disintegrated, dispersing into countless fire orbs and vanishing.
Gonzalez, not reassured, continued to spray water at the spot where the fire spirit had disappeared until all the fire orbs were extinguished. Only then did he slump to the ground, relieved.
Bai Ye sheathed his twin swords and walked forward, asking, "How are you guys? Are you alright?"
Ji Ruyue lowered her head, her voice sorrowful, "Li Chengjie is dead."
"Good riddance..." Seeing everyone staring at him, Bai Ye quickly corrected himself, "He died so suddenly. Did that shot hit a vital spot? I recall there being a lot of emergency medical supplies in the supply box."
Ji Ruyue sighed, "Even though it narrowly missed his heart, we only have emergency supplies. Such an injury would require surgery."
Allen sighed, "Davis, prepare to move him. Regardless, we must take the remains back."
Bai Ye asked, "Do we continue with the plan?"
Allen nodded, "We've already paid with the life of one comrade. Are we going to back down now? If we retreat now, wouldn't Li Chengjie have died in vain?"
*He didn't die in vain, it saved me a lot of trouble getting rid of him,* Bai Ye thought to himself, but on the outside, he was full of agreement. Of course, they couldn't turn back now; otherwise, what about his hidden mission?
Allen continued, "How was your pursuit? Were the attackers crystal beings?"
Bai Ye replied, "They ran too fast, I couldn't catch up."
Allen asked, "You mentioned crystal beings before. What about the one engulfed in flames? What was its origin?"
Bai Ye shook his head, "I'm not too sure. I haven't seen that one before. Perhaps it's some kind of mutated creature, or a new type of mutant?"
Bai Ye employed the "knows nothing" tactic.
However, Allen didn't suspect him. Due to the environment in the wasteland, mutations were commonplace. Humans had always been researching mutated creatures, but had never yielded significant results. The appearance of unknown mutated creatures from another world, in Allen's opinion, was not something to be overly surprised about.
Soon, Ji Ruyue and Davis returned carrying Li Chengjie's body.
Following that, the group gathered dry branches, piled them into a large bonfire, placed Li Chengjie's body on top, and then poured gasoline over it before igniting it.
Flames blazed, black smoke billowed, and the faces of the group were etched with sorrow.
Bai Ye scoffed inwardly, *Why the sorrow?*
*He was just a traitor, wasn't he?*
*Even if I didn't know Li Chengjie was the traitor, he was just the leader of the artificial humans, not your father or mother...*
Just then...
Bai Ye noticed everyone's gaze shifting towards him, and he immediately began wailing dramatically.
"Ah, Brother Li, I've admired you for so long, and we've only just met..." Bai Ye cried, "Why have you left so soon? I haven't had a chance to share drinks with you, to have heart-to-heart talks, to tie the knot..."
Ji Ruyue couldn't help but interject, "That's not the right wording!"
Bai Ye stopped and asked, "What's wrong?"
Ji Ruyue gritted her teeth, "Tie the knot."
"Oh!" Bai Ye put on a look of sudden realization, "I haven't had a chance to break off a piece of the melon with you!"
Ji Ruyue: "..."
Soon, the flames gradually died down. The group tidied up and set off into the wilderness again.
Their target was to leave the wilderness and return to the border via the highway.
Allen, holding his gun and moving forward, said, "Everyone, be cautious. I know you're familiar with the mutated creatures distributed around the border, but this is another world. It merely resembles our border, and no one can say for sure how the mutated creatures here are distributed."
Gonzalez and Davis nodded.
Ji Ruyue replied, "It's alright. While in the vehicle, the speed was too fast for me to use my scouting abilities, but on foot, I should be able to detect nearby mutated creatures."
Allen nodded, "I'm counting on you."
Bai Ye sidled up to Allen, curiously asking, "What do you mean?"
Allen looked at Bai Ye with a puzzled expression.
Bai Ye elaborated, "I feel that the scouting ability you're talking about is different from my understanding of scouting."
Ji Ruyue was responsible for scouting in the team, but Bai Ye had never seen her actually perform any scouting tasks. Furthermore, scouts, while not frontline combatants, were required to have strong individual combat abilities, excellent stamina, agile movements, and proficiency in stealth and tracking. However, Ji Ruyue possessed none of these. Yet, Bai Ye could tell that Allen placed significant importance on her.
"She is an artificial human who experienced an anomaly during gene cloning," Allen explained. "Her brainwaves are different from ordinary humans, and even from most artificial humans. She can see and hear things that we cannot."
Bai Ye asked, "The five senses?"
Allen continued, "Yes, her five senses are beyond human, but it's not that simple. To a certain extent, she can see the future."
Ji Ruyue said coldly, "It's not seeing the future, but inferring it to a certain degree through her superhuman senses."
Allen chuckled awkwardly, "My apologies."
Bai Ye asked, "What happened?"
Allen made a shushing gesture and lowered his voice, "Ruyue dislikes people discussing her affairs, so please don't say any more about it. As for her scouting abilities, trust them unconditionally. She has never been wrong."
...