Chapter 55

Chapter 55

This was undoubtedly an extremely ferocious mutant beast, and its horrifying size made anyone who saw it instinctively suck in a sharp breath.

Moreover, Jiang Se and the others had been some distance away at first. It was only when they got a bit closer that they could clearly see its full form—at a glance, its scales seemed to cover its body like those on a crocodile, but upon closer inspection, the edges of each scale gave off a metallic gleam, indicating that these scales were razor-sharp, practically weapons in their own right.

In other words, this crocodile was essentially a giant weapon.

Despite the critical situation, Jiang Se looked at the crocodile and suddenly had an idea—wouldn't it be great if they could strip the scales off this crocodile to make weapons? After all, these scales were so sharp that they would be perfect material for crafting lightweight, thin Mecha long blades.

If the crocodile knew what Jiang Se was thinking, its mind would probably be utterly bewildered and it would let out a soul-searching question—just which one of us is the real monster here?!

The comms channel fell silent for a moment. After a few seconds, Zhu Jin spoke up: "You all saw it, right?"

His tone was calm, but there was a faint tremor in his voice.

This was their team’s first battle against a mutant beast. Before entering the Mecha Championship, Zhu Jin had a rough plan for this fight: find some relatively simple mutant beasts for them to practice on first, hone their coordinated Mecha combat skills, and then gradually take on tougher challenges.

It wasn’t just Zhu Jin—many Commanders participating in this Mecha Championship had similar thoughts. After all, none of them had ever piloted Mechas and fought alongside their teammates before.

But the reality they faced was a sudden, harsh surprise. The giant mutant beast had already set its sights on them, and while they were still in the air, their altitude made it impossible to change their landing point. This meant the moment they touched down, a fierce battle would begin.

"This beast has to be at least S-class, right?" Chu Yun whispered as she looked at the creature.

Her tone carried a sense of excitement at the prospect of facing a powerful enemy.

After all, the thirst for battle was something that always flowed in the blood of Mech Pilots.

"More than that. It’s a mutated species—its actual combat strength might be around SS-class," Zhu Jin said. He released his psychic energy, his gaze firmly locked on the beast. "When we land, we strike first."

"Right," Jiang Se replied, her eyes fixed on the crocodile. "Once we land, I’ll see if I can find its weak spot and take a shot."

In addition to being a Mecha Pilot, Jiang Se also served as the team’s sniper. Given the sniper rifle’s lethality and long-range capabilities, it was often used for delivering fatal blows.

"On it," Xi Qing added. "Yun and I will engage it up close. You seize the opportunity to strike when you see an opening."

The role of close-combat Mechas was sometimes to create opportunities for long-range Mechas to attack.

...

The giant beast’s gaze was also firmly locked on the four of them, clearly viewing them as prey that was about to become its next meal.

Outside the screen, a massive silver-white display had risen in the venue at some point, showing the live footage of the students’ battles in the Mecha Championship.

At that moment, the screen displayed the real-time combat footage of Jiang Se’s team.

*

Seeing the giant, ferocious mutated crocodile beast, one of the instructors couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath. "How did this team get so unlucky? They haven’t even landed yet, and they’ve already run into something like this!"

"Tsk, this beast has to be at least an S-class mutant species. On top of that, it’s in a swamp—a terrain that naturally favors crocodiles. Looks like these students are in for a rough time!"

"Could it be that these students get eliminated the moment they land?"

"Expecting a team that hasn't even gelled yet to take on a beast like this is a pipe dream. Even professionally trained recruits would find this creature extremely troublesome, let alone a bunch of inexperienced students!"

...

Amid the chatter, Jiang Se’s team’s instructor chuckled softly.

He might not know the others, but he knew Jiang Se well. He was certain that this crocodile would be no match for Jiang Se and her teammates!

The moment they landed, the parachutes behind them retracted automatically into the Mechas’ rear wings.

As soon as Chu Yun touched down, she raised her Ion Cannon and fired a shot at the crocodile. "Eat this, you damned crocodile!"

*

A massive beam of energy shot toward the crocodile’s head, while Xi Qing brandished his long blade and dashed forward under the cover of the Ion Cannon’s suppressing fire, preparing to engage the crocodile in close combat.

Jiang Se set up her sniper rifle, peered through the scope, and locked onto the crocodile. Almost simultaneously with Chu Yun, she fired a shot at the relatively vulnerable top of the crocodile’s head.

Zhu Jin, armed with a pulse gun, also laid down suppressing fire on the mutated crocodile.

For a moment, the crocodile was engulfed in a storm of intense artillery fire.

The level of tacit understanding in their coordination even surprised Zhu Jin. It felt as though they hadn’t just met but had fought alongside each other for a long time.

In the next instant, the crocodile’s seemingly heavy and bulky body thrashed fiercely in the swampy water, sending waves of murky water soaring into the air.

Unlike the clumsiness it had displayed while lying in wait in the water, this mutated crocodile’s agility was astonishing.

With a swing of its tail, it dodged the Ion Cannon blast. Then, it raised its head, let out a ferocious roar, bared two rows of steel-saw-like teeth, and charged toward Xi Qing, who was closest to it.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye, making one wonder if it was all an illusion.

Xi Qing’s long blade was clamped tightly in the mutated crocodile’s jaws. The crocodile’s strength was terrifying—it bit down on Xi Qing’s blade, lifted him off the ground, and swung him through the air like a ragdoll.

"Save Xi Qing, now!" Zhu Jin shouted urgently.

In the next moment, a bullet shot through the air from afar and, despite the crocodile’s rapid movement, accurately struck its left eye.

The crocodile roared in pain, letting out an even sharper, more piercing cry—like nails scraping against a drum membrane.

"Damn, does it come with sonic attacks too?" Jiang Se exclaimed.

She felt like her ears were about to go deaf from the crocodile’s screeching!

On the other hand, because the crocodile was in pain, it loosened its grip on Xi Qing’s blade, allowing Xi Qing to break free.

"This crocodile is ridiculously strong!" Xi Qing said, still shaken.

He had nearly been lifted off the ground, and the force was so immense that it felt like he was in a tug-of-war with a starship.