In the forest at night, during the pursuit, Locke's "Reconnaissance Drone Boat" seemed a bit out of its depth. Though it could ascend to high altitude and perform precise reconnaissance with its high-definition camera, it lacked night vision. Moreover, its movement speed was slow. Using it to track that dragon was quite difficult. Therefore, the task of tracking was handed over to White Tree.
White Tree was an Enhancer who enhanced his own observation abilities. Thus, even at night, he could faintly see the target in the darkness with his naked eyes. He could also determine the target's direction of travel by the faint scent remaining in the air and changes in wind direction. Combined with the "Reconnaissance Drone Boat" occasionally sent out, he could basically keep a close track of the target's whereabouts.
"The smell of blood is getting stronger; that guy's injuries are becoming more severe." White Tree said as he tracked, sniffing the air.
"That's good news," Sant couldn't help smiling. When they first discovered the target, he was already severely injured and had been lying on the dragon's back ever since. Though he didn't have to move himself, without effective treatment in this situation, his injuries would naturally worsen continuously. The more severe the injury, the weaker the opponent's ability to resist—naturally beneficial to them.
"He's been flying in a straight line. Can I speed up and cut off his route? Then follow his trajectory to find the hidden base," Locke couldn't help asking. From the start, the opponent had been flying in a straight line on the dragon, perhaps because of severe injuries, not considering the possibility of being tracked at all. If they cut him off in advance and prevented the enemy from meeting up at the base, it might reduce the possibility of unexpected events.
Begetto, at the back of the team, shook his head. "No. The opponent is definitely not stupid. To be safe, we should wait until he reaches the base before taking action. Time is on our side. The longer we drag it out, the greater our advantage, as long as he doesn't receive proper treatment."
Locke nodded and said no more. He was indeed not very good at outdoor tracking and battles between Nen users, which could be seen from his Nen ability. He always operated in cities and usually relied on sneak attacks. However, he did harbor a heart that yearned for battle.
Everyone continued like this until midnight. Their stamina was significantly depleted, and the dragon ahead finally began to change direction.
"He's changed direction; he should be close to his destination." Everyone immediately cheered up again. They followed the target, circling a bit, turning left, and flying for a while. Finally, the target reached the foot of an inconspicuous hillside.
At this moment, everyone heard a faint rumbling sound. Locke released his "Reconnaissance Drone Boat," letting it get a little closer to film. Only then did they discover that a crack had opened in a part of the small hillside, and cannons extended out from inside. The two sides seemed to have exchanged some information. The dragon lowered its altitude and hovered in the air to avoid leaving too many traces. The injured man jumped off the dragon and talked to the people inside at the small gate of the base that had opened.
Everyone exchanged glances in the dark night. This was a rare opportunity. Once the opponent entered the base, it would be difficult for them to find a way to follow, and there might even be more complications. Taking action now, the only risks they faced were the potential Nen users inside the base and that dragon.
Without the slightest hesitation, Kevin, who was standing in front, rushed out at an extremely fast speed, acting decisively.
Whoosh! Accompanied by the airflow, a dark figure suddenly darted out from the dark forest, startling the few people who were talking.
Bang! A bullet was fired. The injured Nen user had been vigilant, but he hadn't expected the attack to come from outside. He was tracked—but since when? The moment he sensed the abnormality, he directly extended his uninjured arm and forcefully dragged the soldier in front of him forward as a human shield.
The bullet fired by Begetto instantly penetrated the soldier's body, then hit the Nen user's thigh behind him. But the power was obviously weakened considerably, and coupled with the opponent's intentional defense, the damage caused was not severe.
At this time, Kevin, who had already rushed to everyone's side, didn't pay attention to them at all.
Boom! The immense force compressed the air, and the powerful impact directly deformed and twisted the iron gate where those few soldiers entered and exited the base. It seemed this door couldn't be closed.
Kevin activated [En] and used it as a probing rod to conduct a deep scan. "There are two more doors inside, both open, and five soldiers holding guns." After speaking, Kevin grabbed a soldier nearby and, while the soldier was terrified and unresponsive, threw him into the base.
At the same time, White Tree rushed into the smashed entrance, casually caught the soldier who was thrown in, and charged in using him as a human shield. Locke had already reached the hillside at this time. He controlled his "Bee Sting Shuttle" and followed White Tree closely, rushing into the opponent's base.
White Tree held up the human shield to attract fire. The shuttle flew in from under his arm in an invisible state and quickly hit all the soldiers. With a "thud," a soldier fell down without any warning. "Hey! You're—" Another soldier who was about to shout went black before his eyes and softly collapsed. The paralyzing invisible shuttle was simply the greatest weapon against these ordinary people. White Tree successfully rushed into the base, with a "Bee Sting Shuttle" hidden nearby assisting.
Outside the base, after Kevin broke the door, he threw a punch backward. The strong force compressed the air, forming a punch similar to an air cannon that blasted out. For Nen users, this move wouldn't cause substantial damage—at most it could push them back. But for these ordinary soldiers, the effect was very significant.
"Ah!" With a scream, they were directly sent flying, scattered all over the ground, and their weapons also flew out of their hands.
The huge dragon, which had been in the air, saw this and immediately pounced toward the group. Accompanied by earth-shattering sounds, the surrounding trees and mud were sent flying. The scene was chaotic for a while; the destructive power brought by this behemoth was truly astonishing.
Taking advantage of the chaos, the Controller Nen user let the dragon's claw grab him, still holding the human shield in front of him. The dragon flapped its wings fiercely. The wind pressure, carrying mud and stones, scattered in all directions, obstructing everyone's view.
"Damn it, it's these dog Hunters again!" The Nen user, now injured on top of his existing injuries, cursed angrily, but he had no choice but to continue fleeing. He couldn't die here. As long as he was alive, there was still a glimmer of hope. He was completely unqualified to fight anyone right now. So his goal was clear.
Just as the dragon was taking off, he found that it was having trouble flying, as if something was dragging it down. Another shot was fired. However, the dragon's other claw timely protected him, and coupled with the human shield's obstruction, this shot penetrated the dragon's claw and the human shield but did not hit him. Facing the injured attack, this controlled dragon showed no sign of pain. Clearly, this guy's Nen ability's control over these creatures was absolute.
But the problem was, he had already lost the chance to escape.
The Nen user looked back, and his eyes instantly widened. "Monster! Let go!"
What did he see? He saw Kevin tightly gripping the tail of this giant beast with both hands, his clothes torn by his bulging muscles. His full power erupted, and the Nen on his body surged.
"Want to run?! Get down here!" Flying in the sky was very different from crawling on the ground. This dragon's genes were not originally from flying creatures; the main gene source was ground-crawling lizards. Its flying speed and climbing power were extremely limited—this was a conclusion everyone had reached through observation along the way. Therefore, trying to break free from Kevin's pull by flying was simply a pipe dream.
A strong force came, and Kevin pulled back fiercely. "Get down!" The immense force transmitted from the tail instantly pulled the dragon down, smashing it heavily onto the ground.
The moment the dragon was pulled down, a specially made net fell from the sky, cast by Sant, entangling most of this giant dragon's body, especially its pair of wings. After this special capture net fell, its wings were intricately tangled together. Trying to fly again was clearly impossible.
This was Sant's Nen ability—[Cannot Escape the Fishing Net]. It was a fishing net specifically used for capturing creatures in the wilderness. Whether it was a person or an object, once caught in the net, it was very difficult to break free.
The Nen user, similarly caught in the net, now had wide, angry eyes and clenched teeth. He realized he had no chance to escape at all. The flying dragon was his last hope. There might still be Charge Armor he could control in the base below, but the other side had clearly sent people in, and it was already in chaos inside. It was impossible for the Charge Armor to rush out and rescue him.
Though there was a powerful dragon outside the base, there were three Nen users in perfect condition on the other side. Especially that monstrous creature with infinite strength, who could actually forcibly drag the dragon down from the sky.
He was no novice; on the contrary, he was experienced. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to find an opportunity to escape from the Twelve Zodiacs, even with the help of spatial passages left by others. Being able to escape successfully was enough to prove his ability. But the problem now was that his condition was too poor, and he didn't even know how long the other party had been tracking him.
Or how much of his own information had been leaked. Now, he had already fallen into a desperate situation. Since that was the case, there was nothing he could do.
"Damn it, you dog Hunters, let's die together!" The Nen user activated [Genetic Rampage]. He poured out all of his Nen, instantly channeling it toward the dragon through his control.
"Roar!" The netted dragon let out a frantic roar, the piercing sound carrying powerful sound waves. Animals within dozens of kilometers were instantly startled, scrambling away in panic—this was the might from the top of the food chain. In the darkness, animals stampeded, flocks of birds scattered.
"This is troublesome," Begetto muttered to himself.
Just then, the Nen user was somehow thrown out and fainted on the ground. Sant casually threw out another net and tied him up, to prevent any accidents. Locke, who had been hiding on the hillside, controlled a shuttle and injected the other party with a dose.
At this moment, the three people outside the base were facing the enraged dragon. Though bound, the dragon couldn't fly, but it began to struggle wildly with its immense brute strength. Its scales opened up, emitting hot air; the silver-gray scales turned red in the heat, like glowing branding irons. Its eyes were like burning flames in the night. These scarlet pupils swept over everyone, the brutality in its eyes completely exposed.
"I'll take the lead! You assist me!" Kevin roared and charged forward without hesitation, meeting the raging dragon rushing straight at him.
Its huge throat made a swallowing motion. "Whoosh!" The dragon's tongue suddenly shot out, moving so fast it was impossible to see clearly. Fortunately, everyone was already prepared. Kevin sharply turned his head, and the tongue, swift as a spear, grazed past his cheek. He instantly reached out to grab the opponent's tongue but missed, because the tongue retracted even faster.
Immediately after, a gust of wind pressure came from the side. The dragon's long tail had already coiled around and was whipping toward everyone. However, a capture net covered its tail in time. Sant and Begetto were at opposite ends of the net, forcefully restraining the tail's whipping.
Facing the dragon that turned its head and roared, Begetto raised his hand and fired a shot, then both of them released the net together. This shot seemed different from the previous ones. The bullet hit the dragon's neck, causing an explosive effect, and some scales were directly blown off. It blocked the opponent's sight and shifted its head.
"Roar!" The dragon cried out in pain and became even more enraged.
"Bang! Shut up!" Taking advantage of this opportunity, Kevin had already reached below the dragon's head and forcefully delivered an upward punch.
The roaring instantly stopped. The dragon's entire head was lifted upward. A row of teeth from its lower jaw could be seen flying out, and a hexagonal indentation appeared on the scales of its chin, as if it had been stamped.
"This dragon can use Nen to protect itself." Before, the dragon wasn't actually terrifying except for its massive size and powerful strength, especially not for Kevin, who could unleash internal force. But the Control-type Nen user just now had used some kind of ability that enhanced the dragon's strength, giving it the ability to control Nen.
Though this control was still based on instinct—just like when people attack each other, the Nen stimulated its aura nodes—this dragon was also like that. Under such stimulation, its ferocity was completely ignited, and its Nen burst forth like a raging fire. This was a genuine monster; the Nen emanating from its body was like a burning flame of Nen. Though it could only instinctively control this Nen now, it was already threatening enough.
Another shot cut through the night sky. This bullet had extremely strong penetrating power and accurately shot into the side of the dragon's open mouth. The attack method was extremely clever, seemingly severing the ligaments responsible for the giant dragon's biting force. When its head was lifted by the punch and it came back to its senses, its mouth could no longer close, and it could only roar in anger.
"Whoosh!" The dragon flicked out its tongue again. But this time, it actually turned its target toward the other two people. It seemed to sense that Kevin in front of it wasn't that easy to deal with. And the target it locked onto was actually Sant.
Facing the extremely fast and powerful flick, Sant had no possibility or chance of dodging.
"Rip—Ah!" Sant screamed, her shoulder directly pierced through with a large hole. Begetto nearby immediately raised his hand and fired two shots.
One shot aimed at the dragon's head, and the other shot toward Sant. Accompanied by an explosion, the bullet fired at the dragon forced it to retract its tongue. And that healing bullet shot into Sant's body, but it could only temporarily stop the bleeding. The healing effect was not significant. This kind of bullet could only provide a little extra help.
Sant wanted to take out the medicine she carried. But Kevin had already quickly rushed over, holding a syringe in his hand, and directly inserted it into her body. The medicine was instantly injected.
"There's no danger for now, Locke!" Kevin shouted, and a drone had already flown over. Its mechanical arm clamped onto Sant and dragged her to the hillside. Fortunately, though Sant was injured and unable to fight, her Nen ability was still effective. The fishing net was still wrapped around the dragon, severely limiting its ability to fly, and that was enough.
Kevin and Begetto exchanged glances, then spread out to the sides. Kevin, enveloped in Nen, charged toward the dragon again.
The dragon rolled its eyes. Kevin rushing in front of it was too great a threat. The dragon launched another tongue flick attack. But this time, Kevin didn't dodge; instead, he raised his arm and took the hit head-on.
Clang! A sound like metal colliding rang out. The tongue hit a dense hexagonal shield made of Nen. When the tongue hit Sant just now, Kevin discovered that the opponent's tongue's retraction speed would greatly decrease after hitting a target—this was an opportunity. Therefore, he chose to take this blow head-on. Though he had [Iron Wall] to block, this blow still left his entire left arm numb from the impact.
Kevin blocked the attack with his left arm and fiercely grabbed forward with his right hand, the veins on his arm bulging. He firmly grabbed hold of the dragon's tongue.
"Hah!" The dragon, whose tongue was being pulled, could only pant, unable to let out a roar. Kevin tried to tear off its tongue. But this was not easy. As its main attack organ, the dragon's tongue had unimaginable toughness. Its snapping back force was also extremely exaggerated; the power transmitted from its tongue even exceeded that of its tail and claws.
His numb left arm felt a little better, and he also grabbed onto it. Kevin needed both hands to hold on tightly, leaving no hand free to launch an attack. However, he was not fighting alone.
Bang! A bullet burning with silver light, like a meteor, streaked across the night. At this moment, Begetto held the revolver with both hands, the Nen on the revolver burning fiercely. The bullet accurately hit the base of the tongue. The tough tongue was instantly pierced through, as if cut by a sharp blade. Most of the base of the entire tongue was destroyed, with only a small part still attached.
This was enough.
"You're finished, hah!" Kevin roared, suddenly turned with force, using his shoulder as the leverage point to drag and yank hard.
"Roar!!" Accompanied by tearing and screaming sounds, the tongue was forcibly ripped off.
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