Under the assault of the M Exoskeleton System armor, which swept through like an iron storm, even trees with sturdy trunks two to three meters in diameter could not serve as cover for long; they would be snapped clean in mere seconds.

Thus, as the barrage of fire, resembling a fierce storm, slightly abated, several extraordinarily long, blue shadows darted out, scattering into the dense woods with elusive movements. They appeared like fish leaping from the water—a brief, stunning glimpse before they were to vanish again, shaking their tails to disappear beneath the deep surface.

It was at this moment that Fang Senyan emerged from behind a tree, dropping to one knee and raising his rifle. He narrowed one eye in a rare gesture, tilted his head close to the scope, and lifted the Nil Gun with both hands. A small, eerie red dot could be seen swiftly weaving through the forest; this was the built-in infrared laser precision aiming device of the Nil Gun.

When it overlapped with one of the blue shadows, Fang Senyan, with a distinctly vulgar excitement, squeezed the trigger without hesitation. In that instant, he finally fulfilled a childhood desire: to be like the protagonist, or perhaps the villain eliminated by the protagonist, in a Hong Kong crime film—shooting with perfect accuracy and slaying enemies everywhere.

Undoubtedly, Fang Senyan’s inherent deficiency in shooting talent was instantly compensated for by high technology. He successfully hit the enemy. The tall, slender blue shadow instantly tilted and fell, and at that moment, a blinding spurt of crimson blood could be seen erupting from its left thigh.

But just as Fang Senyan exclaimed a triumphant "Yesss!" in excitement, something long, like a whip, suddenly lashed out from behind the slender shadow. It masterfully coiled around a nearby branch, and the now-unbalanced body was flung airborne once more, disappearing behind a large tree.

"Damn it, I curse all dexterous tails!" Fang Senyan muttered sullenly while reloading. "If this gun could fire automatically, I guarantee that even ten more tails wouldn't save them."

Mogansa, leaning nearby, held a cigar askew between his thick lips and drawled:

"My only advice is to put that beauty away and stand in front of me, block those damned arrows as much as possible. That’s the best way for you to make your presence felt."

"Get lost!"

Fang Senyan snapped back irritably.

The powerful armor-piercing capability of the Nil Gun made its ammunition quite expensive, and single-shot bursts were the weapon's only firing mode. Fortunately, Fang Senyan’s reloading speed had become quite rapid, bringing the interval between shots down to under five seconds.

However, in that brief moment, the Na'vi reappeared within Fang Senyan's line of sight. But as he stumbled out of cover with staggering steps, he was completely useless as a target. This was because he was being driven out by a grim-faced Leer.

This agility-specialized Contractor leaped lightly past the Na'vi, whose eyes were already vacant, executing a casual, sloping flip over its head as if clearing a hurdle. The dagger in his left hand did not even swing as he landed; it merely followed the natural motion of his body, revealing only a flash of desolate black light!

That glint of the dagger was like a black moon rising obliquely, stained with streaks of terrifying crimson!

It caught the Na'vi's braid,

It caught the Na'vi's throat,

Amidst the fiercely gushing blood, this Na'vi—which had already absorbed five depleted uranium armor-piercing rounds and one titanium alloy spike round—instantly lost its life, returning to the embrace of its gods.

B-Rank Ability: Blade Dance Technique: Side Slice!

The Na'vi's braid drifted down through the trees, landing on the ground with a soft thud, before dissolving into countless fine strands that burrowed into the soil of Pandora. The next Na'vi did not last long either, having its head blown clean off by Jin Ximin’s roaring sniper rifle mid-leap!

The remaining Na'vi, seemingly having lost its reason in pain and fury, shrieked and charged out without attempting to evade. He appeared to be a melee specialist; carrying no bow, he gripped a jagged blade fashioned from animal teeth and swung it wildly in the air, as if this could stop the bullets from penetrating, and then...

Then an exceedingly annoyed MacGhee aimed the M Exoskeleton System at him,

And then...

There was no 'then.'

This fellow was instantly perforated by thirty-seven depleted uranium rounds, convulsing violently in mid-air with continuous tat-tat-tat sounds, riddled into a honeycomb.

Fang Senyan, however, turned his gaze toward Reef at this moment. During the attack, the three Na'vi certainly weren't just taking hits without retaliation. They counterattacked while running. One arrow missed, but another was aimed directly at Yu Ze! Fortunately, Reef charged forward first to block it, but the arrow, fired at a tricky angle, lodged firmly in Reef's shoulder.

A two-meter-long arrow,

An arrow steeped in neurotoxin.

Fang Senyan glanced at Reef, who knew what he wanted to ask and provided the answer in a raspy voice:

"Seventy-two points, no critical hit, cumulative damage over time: forty-eight points, slowing effect."

If Reef had not been wearing the RD Corporation's Hydrus Protective Layer (YDR RMR) armor, a single remote attack from an ordinary Na'vi could inflict nearly a hundred points of damage, not to mention the damage over time and the slowing effect of the neurotoxin. This level of difficulty was already approaching the strength of a common Orc from the previous world.

It must also be recognized that the Na'vi possessed ranged attacks, which implied the possibility of concentrated fire! If Mogansa were simultaneously attacked by three or more Na'vi, it was entirely possible he could be crippled or instantly killed!

"The B+ difficulty is indeed this potent... This means if we wish to explore this world further, the difficulty will reach A—or even higher!" Fang Senyan sighed inwardly.

Among the keys dropped by the three slain Na'vi, only two items required for the "Headhunter" milestone were found: the Na'vi's personal longbows, indicating that this drop was not 100% guaranteed. To complete this milestone, it was estimated that each person would need to eliminate about ten Na'vi.

At this point, the remaining Contractors began to cautiously move forward. MacGhee, utilizing his powerful mech with great professionalism, took the lead and continued to provide combat analysis for the team:

"In the film, the Omaticaya (Miy) Na'vi clan that the protagonist joins numbers around 500, with only 10 to 20 individuals capable of riding Ikran. Their Hometree stands 460 meters tall and is about 50 meters in diameter. However, the Hometree before us is less than a hundred meters high. Furthermore, based on some data I previously collected, this so-called Tsu’tay Clan likely consists of only three to five individuals—a clan on the verge of decline and annihilation."

MacGhee had made full use of his biologist knowledge during their advance, and what was remarkable was that each judgment was well-founded and remarkably precise. Thus, despite his recent joining, he had already begun to overshadow the others.

Hearing his assessment, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and then rushed toward the Hometree—the thrill of sacking humanoid creature nests was something everyone desired most, even in a game, without exception.

More importantly, even with the Contractor agreement on loot distribution, only keys dropped from slain monsters were automatically assigned to the Ace Team leader, Reef. Items obtained inside the nest would not be taken by the Ace Team...

However, before Fang Senyan and the rear guard could enter the Hometree's hollow, an agile Contractor who had rushed in first emerged with a ghastly expression. His face suggested a mixture of nausea and a sudden urge to draw a blade and start fighting. Fang Senyan, feeling a flicker of confusion, stepped inside and immediately smelled a scent of smoke.

Although the trunk of the Hometree was hollow, the large plank roots distributed throughout gave a feeling of sturdy, vigorous life. Contrary to expectation, the interior of the hollow was not damp but rather dry, warm, and clean. The expected presence of insects, ants, and rotten wood debris was nowhere in sight. Yet, it was distinctly noticeable that the space was not very large, and a second level did not appear.

Against the tree wall—or what could be called wooden walls—were some items resembling trophies, such as horns and skulls, hung up, with broken spears and bows neatly arranged beside them.

In the center of the trunk was a fire pit containing cold embers. Next to the pit were torches, tied together with dried banana leaves or similar material and soaked in a substance resembling oil, likely some tree sap exudate.

Above the fire pit, withered vines were stretched across, from which hung strips of meat that had been butchered and smoked—undoubtedly done to preserve them longer. Fang Senyan did not recognize the meats on the left row of hooks, but he recognized the second hook on the right row, and was intimately familiar with it.

It was a human head.

A head whose hair and whiskers had been burned off, whose mouth was propped open with sticks, and which had been roasted dry.

The eyes and brain matter had been scooped out, leaving terrifying, black hollow sockets. The skin had shriveled from being dried by the fire, making the expression look as if it were frozen in a grotesque, twitching smile.

Strictly speaking, this method of preparation was identical to how humans cure dried salted duck, dried salted chicken, or dried salted pig heads.

From this, one could deduce that the meat hanging beside it was most likely a part of this person's body...

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