Predators are a race born for battle, possessing incredibly formidable combat experience and innate talent, whether fighting solo or in coordination!

After repeatedly encountering obstruction from humans, it was clear the Arbiter realized the situation on Planet Eplos was slipping out of its control. Thus, the order was issued without hesitation: three sub-vessels were ejected to accelerate their voyage ahead of the main force.

Due to their smaller size, these three sub-vessels could traverse smaller and unstable wormholes, effectively functioning as shortcuts. Of course, this also entailed immense risk, so the Predators aboard were not high-ranking individuals. Each sub-vessel carried fifteen personnel: twelve dedicated to combat reconnaissance and three reserved for scientific research, tasked with activating the defense line around the Eplos asteroid belt to prevent human fleets from forcing a direct breakthrough.

During the traversal of the unstable wormholes, two of the three sub-vessels met with disaster; only one managed to arrive at Planet Eplos ahead of schedule.

As the first wave to reach Planet Eplos, their primary mission was reconnaissance and stabilizing the immediate situation. Upon discovering that humanity had no intention of launching an invasion with a large fleet, their most pressing concern was momentarily eased.

Once contact was established with the main vessel, the innate pride of the Predators overruled caution. They commenced independent operations, intending to sweep away the "parasites" on the planet first. Although these initial arriving Predators were merely baseline soldiers, they believed that pooling their strength to deal with this human-created nuisance would present no significant challenge.

And so, this raid was launched.

Evidently, the Predators regarded all humans as enemies. Therefore, in their battle plan, this was conceived as a fight of the few against the many, relying on two crucial elements: First, decapitation strikes to shatter enemy morale.

Second, creating maximum chaos! Much like cavalry breaking ranks in the age of cold steel, scattering fleeing soldiers into the main battle formation—once the situation devolved into utter disorder and the enemy could no longer mount an effective resistance, the battle would be considered won.

Consequently, these Predators executed their plan meticulously: first, focusing fire to eliminate the strongest individual on the field; next, throwing the corpses of slain, flayed sentinels into the fray to sow confusion; finally, leaving half their contingent at a distance to use shoulder-mounted lasers to disperse crowds, while the other half cloaked and charged into close-quarters combat with melee weapons to kill and instill terror...

Strictly speaking, the plan was flawless, without a discernible loophole. However, the Predator raid ultimately managed only to inflict a significant degree of panic upon the native humans.

The most critical factor preventing complete success lay with Fang Senyan and his group.

While Fang Senyan was locked in combat with Skull-Face Tom, the rest of the team maintained heightened vigilance, standing at full alert. Having already acknowledged the strength of these ten test subjects opposing them, they were extremely wary of any sudden betrayal.

These veterans present had witnessed scenarios where surprise attacks by the enemy turned the tide more than once. Therefore, even though not a single person knew about the Predator raid beforehand, it was, in a sense, anticipated—they simply hadn't guessed the identity of the attackers. Under these circumstances, it was only natural that the situation began to slowly swing back in their favor as time progressed.

Five minutes and seventeen seconds into the battle, Fang Senyan and Ronnie jointly killed the first Predator. Before dying, the creature desperately tried to activate another standard-issue device: a small hydrogen core energy bomb mounted on its right forearm, but Ronnie managed to sever the limb completely.

At seven minutes and eleven seconds, the second Predator was killed by Paul and Pokan working together. This one successfully detonated before death, sending a mushroom cloud soaring upward. The resulting searing flash illuminated the ground, sweeping across an area fifty meters in radius. That unfortunate Traveler test subject was caught in the blast and perished.

At nine minutes and eight seconds, Dardanian, with the coordinated support of the group, used his Root-Man form to capture a Predator alive.

By this point, although the indigenous humans had suffered heavy casualties, Fang Senyan's group only lost an arm for Paul; the rest, though battered, were only wounded, not killed. The Predators' initial surprise attack was completely thwarted.

These powerful beings clearly had no intention of fighting to the death. The moment they realized the tide had turned, they swiftly dispersed into the forest and retreated. Despite losing four comrades, their cloaking devices proved invaluable, making pursuit virtually impossible. That these were merely basic Predator soldiers—striking once and then vanishing immediately—was truly astonishing.

When the fighting finally subsided, Fang Senyan took a deep breath, sensing an overwhelming sense of danger. There is a saying: If winter comes, can spring be far behind? For Fang Senyan, the arrival of the advance guard meant one thing: the main force could not be far behind...

The human encampment, once like a boiling pot, gradually settled down as time passed. Fang Senyan and his companions did not leave immediately; they remained behind temporarily to analyze and assess the battlefield, aiming to compile basic intelligence and combat data on the Predators.

Placed upon a flat slab of rock lay the dissected and organized corpse of one Predator, prepared by Android Unit One.

Nearby, a fire burned fiercely, illuminating the body in stark detail, leaving no blind spots. Uncongealed blood seeped from the large stone, forming great patches of jade-green carnage beneath it.

Android Unit One, holding a twig, began detailing the Predator’s physiology: This was a humanoid creature, sharing 50% similarity with humans, with another 30% derived from insects and 20% from beasts. Their yellowish-tan skin was four times thicker than human skin and three times tougher. The surface was covered in resilient netting, designed to hold various external equipment.

Their average height approached two meters, their heads approximately 1.5 times that of a human. Their cranial capacity was large, but their skulls were significantly more resilient than human ones; however, the head could still be confirmed as one of their vital areas.

Their abdominal cavity housed organs entirely different from human viscera. The Predator's lymphatic and circulatory systems were merged; they lacked a heart, intestines, and other organs familiar to humans. The abdomen typically contained five fist-sized glands, categorized functionally into three main types: digestive, reproductive, and immune. Of these, only the immune gland, situated below the sternum, posed a fatal risk if severely damaged, so it was not recommended to expend excessive effort attacking the abdomen.

The bone strength of a Predator was roughly 4.7 times that of a human, and their muscle density was 6.4 times greater. This meant direct physical confrontation would require significantly more energy expenditure.

It was strongly advised that during the initial assault, targets should be concentrated on the Predator's ankles. This area was poorly defended and represented the weakest point on their entire body. Success here would reduce their mobility by 60%.

After detailing this information, Android Unit One reached toward a nearby pile of stones, which held an array of bizarre and dazzling items: As of now, the Predators who attacked us possessed the following standard equipment, which could be broadly categorized into two classes based on function: weaponry and auxiliary gear.

Standard auxiliary equipment included: Mask: The mask worn by the Predator provided various spectrum scans, as well as functions like image magnification and X-ray vision. A red-dot automatic targeting system was located on the right side of the eye. It could record sound and translate the languages of other species.

This apparatus was a formidable tool for Predators tracking prey and understanding adversaries. The mask was connected to the trachea; removing it required pulling out the tube, as Predators acquired necessary life-sustaining gases through the mask. The mask also symbolized a Predator's status; different masks denoted different ranks, specialized roles, or honors.

Wrist Computer: Mounted on the Predator's left forearm, this complex device controlled most of the creature's heat-based weaponry and high-tech gear, such as the spectral scanner and the cloaking system, and could also perform biological analysis. It was equipped with a laser projector to assist in analyzing relevant data. In essence, it also functioned as a micro-detonator for the Wrist Blades.

Combat gear included: Wrist Blades, High-Energy Laser Shoulder Cannon: Comparable in power to the main cannon of a modern main battle tank.

Hunting Net: Used to ensnare prey and strip them of their freedom. Extremely sharp, it could also kill physically weaker enemies outright.

Smart Disc (Fire Disc): A very keen ranged melee weapon, sometimes ejected via a mechanism on the arm, or simply thrown by hand.

Everyone listened intently to Android Unit One’s explanation, committing every detail to memory, as this information could undoubtedly save lives at a critical juncture. Android Unit One continued: "Based on my offline database analysis, these Predators are analogous to the lowest-tier scouts, and their mission was purely reconnaissance. It is likely due to overconfidence that they gathered together and initiated this raid." He paused. "Furthermore, the living Predator we captured appears to be akin to a medic within their military structure, as their armament only included a shoulder cannon and wrist blades, but they carried an extra portable medical repair kit."

"This is crucial logistical support equipment for the Predators, oval-shaped and collapsible, activated by touch. It can hold various medical instruments, weapons, or tools, including what appears to be a syringe (likely for injecting adrenaline-like stimulants), a scalpel, application tools, and a folding crucible."

"A special mention must be made of a certain blue substance within, capable of dissolving inorganic materials like glass and lime, forming a blue, gelatinous medical coagulant used to treat wounds, even cauterizing severed limbs." (To be continued)