Chapter 127: Earthquake—1

“No, this won’t do!” After throwing several “Plasma Fists” and comparing the energy consumed with the damage inflicted on the giant mutated rats, Bai Yuxi shook his head. “Relying solely on ‘Plasma Fists’ to kill them consumes too much energy!”

Though the “Plasma Fist” packs tremendous power, without the layered amplifications from particle bombardments, its effectiveness in actual combat is quite limited—unless one masters specific combat techniques.

“Just be content with what you have!” he chided. “Stop always looking for shortcuts! The number of giant mutated rats here isn’t too large. If we all work together and hold on a bit longer, we might just wipe them out!”

Brandishing his battle knife, he cut down the charging giant mutated rats one by one with precise strikes.

Lo Fei took a moment to glance back and scold the lazy foreigner, “Don’t just coast along, mooching off Xiao Bai’s ‘experience’!”

Though Bai Yuxi didn’t mind, Lo Fei clearly felt embarrassed that this group of so-called veterans now needed protection from a newcomer like Bai Yuxi.

To avoid being seen as useless by the rookie, Lo Fei, as captain of the Seventh Squad, often unconsciously tried to prevent any freeloading during missions, always leading from the front and contributing her strength.

Unfortunately, Willy, the lazy foreigner, failed to grasp this. He kept daydreaming about instant success, hoping that Bai Yuxi, his “max-level main character,” would carry his slow-progressing “level five weakling alt” and eventually become a master capable of settling scores.

Bai Yuxi just smiled, not seeing anything wrong with this. Over time, he had come to understand Willy’s overly familiar, talkative nature and how, unlike Lo Fei or Su Xiaoke, he didn’t overthink things. This was partly due to cultural differences between East and West, and partly because of Willy’s personality—call it simplicity or, less kindly, an intelligence on par with a chimpanzee’s, which simply couldn’t conceive so many complications.

The danger of the mutated rats increased proportionally with their size, but their numbers decreased accordingly. Compared to the overwhelming swarms before, the mutated rats in the mid-level second ring had evolved across several stages but had drastically diminished in number.

Though the scale still seemed considerable, their total count was roughly between seven or eight hundred and a thousand. Occupying advantageous terrain, the group could slowly but surely eliminate them without risking their own safety.

They knew from experience that, given their own strength, killing a single giant mutated rat was not difficult. However, wiping out a whole pack was nearly impossible.

Thus, the Seventh Squad acted with clear self-awareness, choosing a purely defensive stance—simply repelling the attacking mutated rats to avoid wasting stamina and energy, leaving the killing to Bai Yuxi, whose offensive power was unmatched.

Without worrying about attacks from the sides or behind, Bai Yuxi fought with much greater ease. Initially, he guarded himself with the “Nine-Nine Shield” in one hand and the “Nine-Nine Spear” in the other. But as the team’s coordination improved, their tacit understanding deepened.

Eventually, Bai Yuxi let go completely, entrusting his safety to his comrades. He unleashed volleys from dual light spears, striking down the charging giant mutated rats with a single punch each, turning the battlefield into a river of blood and a sea of corpses.

The penetrating attacks of the “Nine-Nine Spear” were especially effective against the “super-active” shields. Coupled with the “F8.1200.Nine-Nine Spear” variant’s output rating of 1638.4°, it was just enough to break through the F3-level giant mutated rats’ shields and deliver a fatal blow in one strike.

Even the few stronger giant mutated rats that survived were rendered immobile, subsequently torn apart by their red-eyed kin.

But as the number of giant mutated rats dwindled, the situation shifted. Whether sated or for some other reason, they gradually ceased tearing at the corpses of their slain comrades.

This caused a growing pile of mutated rat carcasses to amass around the stalagmite where the group took shelter, nearly leveling with the umbrella-like platform atop it.

With the terrain less obstructed, the remaining mutated rats found it easier to storm upward, putting immense pressure on Lo Fei and the others assigned to defense.

Unlike Bai Yuxi, who currently enjoyed an infinite stamina buff, the others, though possessing stamina and endurance several times greater than ordinary humans, still grew fatigued over time.

Consequently, the team tightened their formation. Willy and Su Xiaoke, who could offer little assistance, retreated back into the cave they came from.

Meanwhile, Xia Youyou and Maya, both nearly spent, took cover behind the three men, minimizing their exposure to attacks and trying to recover stamina.

Although Bai Yuxi could still endure, “infinite stamina” didn’t mean he could fight endlessly like a robot. Even robots suffer wear and tear on their parts, let alone Bai Yuxi’s flesh and blood.

Prolonged combat, while strengthening his body under super-evolution, still caused muscle and bone fatigue without adequate rest.

If Bai Yuxi was beginning to feel strain, so much more were Jason and Drumstick—both only at F5 level.

Stealing a glance at the two young, well-built men, Bai Yuxi saw them drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. They had completely ceased attacking, focusing all their energy on their shields, desperately blocking and shoving back the charging mutated rats. Yet, they could not hold out much longer.

Assessing the remaining mutated rats, Bai Yuxi took a deep breath and shouted, “Xiao Xia! Lightning Rod!”

The heavily drained Xia Youyou swiftly manipulated magnetic forces, scattering a mass of iron spikes around the stalagmite.

Bai Yuxi, no longer conserving his super-active energy, let blue electric arcs crackle fiercely along his arms. The intensity forced Drumstick, who was covering his right side, to retreat hastily to avoid friendly fire.

Just as Bai Yuxi was about to unleash a powerful strike, the entire cave suddenly trembled violently!

The frenzied pack of giant mutated rats paused, then let out high-pitched squeals as they scattered in all directions, leaving behind a ground littered with mutated rat corpses around the stalagmite.

“...” Bai Yuxi raised his arm in exasperation. Seeing his companions all looking at him, he quickly shook his head and said, “It wasn’t me!” (To be continued.)