Sky-cracking Rider-Chapter 360: Section 356 - Occupying the Volcano

The Mobile Base Vehicle approached the Dead Volcano’s mouth, and its continuous Railgun fire had taken down more than thirty Scorpion Mutants.

"Charge! Take them all down!"

The A-Class Metal Ability User Kiterley, donning shimmering full-coverage Armor and wielding a long spear, was the first to rush out.

"Wipe them all out, charge!"

Releasing countless tiny electric sparks of Battle Qi and shouldering a Great Sword, the Thunder Series Warrior Apu followed closely behind.

Immediately after, a figure flashed at the vehicle door; Bassan, dragging his Single-toothed Long Halberd, leaped several times and actually rushed to the very front.

This Clan Leader of the Neanderthal tribe had always been very silent in Team 04, quite inconspicuous.

"Let’s go, kick their butts!"

Twin Blades Sister Mouri Misono vanished like a breeze outside the Mobile Base Vehicle’s door.

The B-Level Ice Ability User Susanna Jean Piault, discovering her shoelaces had come loose, tied them furiously while shouting, "Hey! Wait for me!"

"Let’s roll!"

The Old Tree Boundary Ape, leaning on a Withered Vine Staff, climbed down from the vehicle and walked step by step up the mountain, not rushing up the mountain like the others, but rather unhurriedly.

The Earth Mage Ruan Tiankai, of Human Order Ninth Rank, shook his head and followed him off the vehicle.

There were only that many Mutants, half of which had been used for Railgun target practice; the remaining ones might not be enough to go around. Rushing wouldn’t help, so he might as well walk together with Lulu’an, providing mutual support.

"I’m coming too!"

Chen Fei flicked his hand, and the White Steel Crowbar, most handy for dealing with Mutants, appeared in his palm.

After prying off thousands of heads, he was definitely a skilled worker.

"Hold on, you stay on the vehicle, don’t go anywhere!"

Adrian quickly reached out to stop him.

If Chen Fei ran off, nobody could move the Mobile Base Vehicle; if anything went wrong, the most powerful weapon of Team 04 would be rendered useless. It was better for him to stay and guard the vehicle, ready to provide support and remote firepower at a moment’s notice.

The power of the vehicle-mounted Railgun was there for all to see.

Chen Fei reluctantly lowered the crowbar, dispiritedly saying, "Ah? But that’s too boring!"

"There’s no need for so many people, the few of them are enough!"

Adrian waved his hand, he had no intention of joining in the fray either.

Suddenly, the top of the Dead Volcano lit up, resembling a miniature sun slowly rising and nearly illuminating the entire mountain.

Countless rocks burst and flew, as if a small-scale landslide had occurred.

"Holy Light... Judgment!"

Boom!~

The voice followed closely afterward.

The Holy Knight and his mount, the Blue Scaled Colt Mini, had raced up the volcano’s mouth before the Mobile Base Vehicle even reached the foot of the volcano, and were already clashing with the Mutants emerging one after the other.

The extremely dazzling Sword Qi swept over several bodies of Scorpion Mutant SS-0792, tearing through their sandy Armor and exoskeletons as if they were rotten wood, slashing them to ribbons.

Seeing this scene, the First Rank Fire Mage Adrian Benjamin touched his buzz-cut white hair and said, "That’s a big move!"

As a mage of his standing, he, too, could produce the same lethal effect.

"Hey! Sam, save some for us!"

The fast-approaching big black fellow Apu bellowed out.

"Squeak! Squeak!"

From the rock crevices, the Lava Cave Entrance widened by Sword Qi, more Mutants emerged.

Clearly, the presence of humans had startled these territorial creatures. The Scorpion Mutants SS-0792, having just taken over this nest within the Dead Volcano’s mouth, were at their most defensive and hesitated not a moment to swarm out.

In the blink of an eye, the rugged slopes near the Dead Volcano’s mouth were crawling with these giant Scorpion Monsters, their numbers far exceeding Team 04’s estimate.

The Single-toothed Long Halberd, with unstoppable momentum, charged into the center of the Mutant swarm, aiming directly for the largest individual with the sturdiest pincers.

Without a doubt, that big brute was either a king or a general, carrying a significant status among these Mutants.

The Neanderthal Clan Leader Bassan roared.

"Secret Technique: Mountain Splitting! Kill!"

The red tattoos on his body suddenly brightened, and his charge speed instantly more than doubled. He became like a Fire Meteor, appearing behind the big brute in the blink of an eye.

The body of the frozen Mutant trembled slightly, and it was split neatly in two from head to tail.

"I’m here!"

The Level Two Thunder Series Warrior Apu, dragging his hefty Great Sword, swung it forcefully; a strip of intense, dazzling Lightning struck several Mutants, and they exploded one after another, their internal sparks flying chaotically, already a complete mess.

"Mutant detected, identified as SS-0792, number 41."

"Adam" used the mobile base vehicle’s detection equipment to lock onto every mutant. It seemed like they all emerged en masse, but their numbers ceased to grow. Instead, they diminished rapidly as members of Team 04 joined the battle in succession.

As some had feared, the worst had happened: there were more people than monsters; not enough for everyone to kill.

By the time Old Tree Boundary Ape Lulu’an and the Earth Mage Ruan Tiankai arrived at the scene, the battle had long ended. The members who had had the chance to fight were looking at the scattered and dismembered corpses of the mutants with a sense that the fight had been all too short. They hadn’t even exerted much effort before the mutants had been vanquished—a truly somber tale.

The Ability Users specifically recruited by the Blue Star Global United Defense Committee’s Bear Hunting Special Operations Division generally had the power to stand alone in battle. If they couldn’t handle even this minor skirmish, it would completely contradict the original intention of establishing this separate operation unit.

Holding a multi-scope in his hands, Adrian said, "Look, the battle’s over!"

He and Chen Fei could only play the part of bystanders, arriving too late even to find warm corpses.

"I wonder if there are any that slipped through the net inside the mountain."

Chen Fei surveyed the now silent Dead Volcano. Having eradicated the Scorpion Mutant SS-0792, their next task was to deal with the expelled Bee Mutant BF-1334 and sporadic attacks from other stray mutants.

Fortunately, the mutants did not possess intelligence, only instinct; otherwise, the difficulty of dealing with them would increase geometrically.

However, the "Water Bear" organization that covertly bred the mutants was truly abhorrent. Without it, the threat level of the mutants would greatly diminish.

"Don’t worry, we’ve got professionals!"

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Adrian put down the scope.

The last to arrive and not having joined the battle, the Earth Mage and the magical Tree Boundary Ape he had mentioned as experts had already entered the Lava Cave Entrance. They went to explore and search the interior of the Dead Volcano, quickly confirming the absence of any remaining Scorpion Mutants.

Half an hour later, the Earth Mage Ruan Tiankai, who returned to the surface of the mountain, waved at the mobile base vehicle at the foot of the mountain and spoke into his headset, "Adrian, Chen Fei, it’s secure now. There were just some eggs, all of which have become nourishment for Lulu’an’s saplings."

The Scorpion Mutant SS-0792, which had just taken over the Dead Volcano, probably hadn’t had the chance to hatch its offspring. Laying eggs was already their limit.

After some thought, Adrian replied, "Received, Ruan Tiankai. Fully inspect the caves and crevices inside the mountain to see if they can be utilized."

"Establishing a base, right?"

No one in Team 04 was a fool; Ruan Tiankai immediately guessed what the Fire Mage had in mind.

Adrian confirmed, "That’s right!"

"Leave it to me! I’ll get it done before dawn," Ruan Tiankai vowed before turning back into the Lava Cave.

Moments later, the entire Dead Volcano began to tremble ever so slightly, akin to a level one or two earthquake. The tremors continued until the sun leaped above the horizon, casting a golden light on the low-lying volcano surrounded by the vast desert.

Due to the erosion by wind and sand, only about a hundred meters of the volcano’s rim, exposed above the dunes, remained.

"It’s done!"

The exhausted Earth Mage staggered back to the mobile base vehicle at the base of the volcano like a zombie, not bothering to greet anyone. He found his bunk and collapsed onto it, staff in hand, without even taking off his shoes. Moments later, he was snoring.

Ding! The rice cooker announced the porridge was ready.

Ding! The automated bread machine had finished baking bread stuffed with bacon.

Having nothing else to do upon waking, Mouri Misono turned on her phone to watch a soap opera. Despite being adept with blades as the Twin Blades Sister, she had a sentimental heart and enjoyed melodramas of joy and sorrow.

"It’s done!"

Adrian, the Level One Fire Mage sitting at his desk, stretched and sighed deeply.

He too hadn’t slept all night, having tapped away on his keyboard with feverish speed, crafting an elaborate battle plan.

Being the team leader was no easy task. He had to worry whether his team members might oppose his orders or follow them only in appearance while dealing with the obdurate liaison officer, Rossi. A careless move could leave him caught between two fires.

He was about to rub his swollen eyes when the telephone suddenly rang. Seeing the caller ID, he knew it was the very person he had been dreading — old man Luo. He quickly picked up the call.

"Hello, this is Adrian."

"I’m Rossi. What’s the casualty report? Are you the only one left? Why didn’t you follow orders? Why?!!!" Rossi’s voice was livid with fury, likely thinking his bonus was gone, fueling his deep resentment.

"Boss, please look after my family! … Hey, hey, keep it together, you’ve got to stay strong, don’t leave me alone..." A voice came from the side, where Mouri Misono watched the heart-wrenching TV drama with tears streaming down her face.

"Are… are you the only one left?"

Rossi’s voice trembled as if it came from afar.

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Adrian: "..."

He hurriedly said, "No, we have no casualties, not a single one!"

In fact, they couldn’t even find a minor scratch on anyone.

"Don’t lie to me, who was that talking just now?"

Rossi still didn’t believe him. If Team 04 came through a terrible sandstorm intact and whole, he wouldn’t be surprised if they had been buried under the sand.

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