The Silent Lizard now has visual impairment, not knowing when it might recover. If it's not taken down while burdened with a bunch of negative statuses, does that mean waiting for it to recover and then get killed?
The vibrations of footsteps on the ground were dampened by the thick weeds. Even so, when Yan Luo dashed within five meters of the Silent Lizard, this Demon still sensed the tremor.
And, amidst the vibrations, there were certain subtle sounds of friction.
The boots brushing against the grass leaves, the movement at the exoskeleton joints, all emitted some slight sounds, and these just happened to be picked up by the Silent Lizard.
The Silent Lizard tilted its head back and roared in anger, immediately swinging its right claw toward the origin of the sound.
Yan Luo had anticipated this, lunging forward, sliding through the gap between the Silent Lizard's arm and the ground.
The sharp claw swept over Yan Luo's body, tearing his backpack apart, and the supplies scattered all over, with grenades and stun grenades stored inside being flung out.
Hearing the sound of Yan Luo's body hitting the ground, the Silent Lizard immediately stopped the horizontal slash of its right claw, raising its left claw and slamming down toward Yan Luo.
Fortunately, the Silent Lizard's claws weren't too large. Yan Luo exerted himself against the ground, shoving himself away from the spot.
The sharp claw smashed into the ground, causing rocks and soil to spray, nearly knocking down the just-risen Yan Luo.
Yan Luo stood tall, eyes fixed on the Silent Lizard as it swayed its head, suddenly smashing down.
In a flash, having just seen the Silent Lizard raise its head, Yan Luo grew wary and leaped aside.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Silent Lizard pursued Yan Luo's footsteps, using its head as a hammer, constantly smashing down. Yan Luo gritted his teeth, dodging desperately.
But just then, the Silent Lizard suddenly twisted its body, and a thick tail whipped from Yan Luo's left.
Yan Luo had no time to dodge and was struck in the chest by the tail. His eyes bulged, and his feet lost contact with the ground as he flew.
The backpack was torn by the Silent Lizard. Without the airbag, Yan Luo's body slammed into a tree, and the impact snapped his spine instantly.
The back of his head hit the hard trunk. If not for the helmet's protection, it might have burst open instantly.
The helmet absorbed the impact for Yan Luo, fulfilling its final duty.
Yan Luo, dizzy, landed on the ground like a ragdoll.
His whole body was in pain. This pain came from the marrow, the viscera, and the limbs.
All ribs were fractured, probably piercing into the organs. Even while breathing, Yan Luo could taste the metallic sweetness in his throat.
The information shown on the visor flickered, possibly broken.
"Activate... assisted motion mode..."
Yan Luo's breath was weak as he laboriously uttered this sentence.
The next second, the exoskeleton supported his body, helping Yan Luo stand up.
From now on, what supports this body is no longer Yan Luo's own bones and muscles, but his exoskeleton.
Yan Luo lifted his heavy eyelids and saw the Silent Lizard charging at him with its limbs, dragging its spilled entrails along.
Controlling the exoskeleton through the brain-machine interface, Yan Luo gripped the shotgun's handle tightly, standing silently without making any movement.
Two seconds later, the Silent Lizard rushed in front of Yan Luo, opening its bloodied mouth to bite him.
At this moment, Yan Luo suddenly raised the shotgun.
Bam!
Fiery rage burst from the barrel, like the roar of a giant dragon, filling the Silent Lizard's throat with deadly pellets. The untamed recoil was absorbed by the accumulator.
Firing was not enough. Yan Luo threw the shotgun into the Silent Lizard's mouth and simultaneously jumped to the left.
With the throat wounded, the Silent Lizard couldn't bear it. Out of control, it rammed into the tree behind where Yan Luo had stood.
Having jumped to the left of the Silent Lizard, Yan Luo drew the short-barreled shotgun from his back, aiming at the exposed ribs and fired three shots.
Not only did the Silent Lizard's ribs break, but a large hole appeared on its side.
The sudden surge of pain jolted the Silent Lizard awake from dizziness, and it immediately turned to bite Yan Luo once again.
But it never expected that Yan Luo would leap off the ground like a diver, diving into the wound on the Silent Lizard's left ribs.
The fractured ribs of the Silent Lizard cut a long, deep wound into Yan Luo's thigh, likely severing an artery, with blood gushing out.
But it didn't matter. The Silent Lizard's heart was within reach!
Drawing the hand axe from his thigh, Yan Luo panted heavily, commanding the exoskeleton for reckless overclocking, then using all the kinetic energy stored in the accumulator, channeling the last of his strength into the hand axe.
"Die!!!"
Yan Luo roared hysterically.
Inside the Silent Hunter Lizard, there was no light at all. He could only rely on his knowledge and use all his strength to swing the axe.
—Splat!
The axe hit a very tough substance, followed by a gushing of hot blood, the nauseating and foul-smelling liquid splattered onto Yan Luo's face, even flattening his nose.
Anger?
No, at this moment Yan Luo could only feel joy.
Only the blood from the heart and major arteries can have such high pressure!
Yan Luo opened his mouth, drinking the Silent Hunter Lizard's heart blood with relish, activating the exoskeleton. He groped for the heart's wound in the darkness and tore it forcefully.
The Silent Hunter Lizard howled and roared, its two front claws scratching at its chest, mangling its torso in an attempt to pull Yan Luo out from within.
But with its heart ruptured and blood gushing out, the Silent Hunter Lizard quickly lost strength and soon couldn't even tear open its own flesh.
Yan Luo felt the vibrations of the massive body, listened to the resonance of its roars, and let out a weak laugh.
"Hahahaha... haha..."
The laughter gradually faded and then disappeared.
......
A small palm opened, grasping at the sky.
Yan Luo, with big round, black eyes, stared blankly at the sky.
"Xiaoluo, what do you want to play next?"
A deep voice came from below. Yan Luo lowered his head, but only saw a head full of thick black hair.
Laughter echoed all around, and Yan Luo instinctively lifted his head, looking around.
The crowd was packed around him, young men and women arm in arm, and several children tugging at the hands of their parents and elders, clamoring to play some game under the helpless yet kind gaze of their guardians.
Players on the carousel were holding model guns, shooting at projections of Demons in the air. The giant Ferris wheel rotated slowly, and roller coasters around the venue skimmed by, releasing thrilling screams from above.
Yan Luo withdrew his gaze and pointed at an amusement attraction, "I want to play that one..."
"'Simulated Hunting,' is it?"
A clear female voice came from beside him, and she chuckled, "Xiaoluo, do you want to be a Hunter someday?"
Yan Luo blinked, a picture seemed to appear in his mind. After a few seconds, he answered slowly, "...Yes."
"Being a Hunter is tough. If you want to become one, you have to learn to walk on your own from now on." The deep male voice also laughed.
Yan Luo pouted, thumped the thick black-haired head, and shouted, "Put me down!"
Following that, Yan Luo felt a force under him, lifting him up and placing him on the ground.
Suddenly, a surge of energy filled Yan Luo. He plunged headlong through the crowd, running toward the simulated hunting venue.
When he reached the venue's entrance, he found those two hadn't followed, and turning around, he shouted, "Dad, Mom, come quickly!"
The two standing among the crowd shook their heads, gazing at Yan Luo with kind eyes, smiling.
"Xiaoluo, you go on. Mom and Dad can't accompany you any longer."
For reasons unknown, Yan Luo suddenly was overwhelmed with tears, shaking his head with a sobbing voice, "No! I want to be with Mom and Dad!"
Saying this, he started to run toward the two blurred figures.
"No, you must go back!" the deep male voice sternly halted him.
Then, the clear female voice gently said, "No matter where you are, Mom and Dad will always be watching you."
Memories surged like a flood rising rapidly, drowning Yan Luo in an instant.
He looked at the distant figures whose faces had become blurred, and suddenly, the world turned off its light, plunging into darkness.
Yan Luo abruptly opened his eyes, sitting upright from the ground, the sudden sweat dampening his hair, leaving him panting intensely from unspoken tension.
The crimson moonlight seeped through the treetops, quietly draping over Yan Luo.
He sat on the ground, blankly gazing around the dim forest.
"...I'm still alive?"