Chapter 128: Chapter 125: The Art of Hunting
Over the next two days, Allen beca a veritable ghost.
He remained in his temporary camp, almost completely still except for necessary bodily functions.
But his perception, channeled through five Demon Eyes suspended high in the sky, reached every corner of the volcanic region.
High-definition, multi-spectrum, real-ti footage was continuously transmitted back.
DSeek processed this information with terrifying efficiency, digitizing and tagging every detail about the Volcanic Fierce Ape clan.
On the second afternoon, a hunt unfolded on his "livestream."
Seven or eight adult Violent Apes charged out of their nest, their target a pack of passing Lava Lizards.
These Magical Beasts were agile, their gnarled, muscular limbs erupting with astonishing power as they ran and leaped across the rugged volcanic rock as if it were level ground.
A slower Lava Lizard was quickly overtaken.
Two Volcanic Fierce Apes seized it from either side, their muscles bulging as they yanked violently in opposite directions.
RRRIP—!
Blood and steaming entrails splattered across the ground in a gory, primitive display.
They reveled in this savage, close-quarters thod of tearing their prey in two.
But another Lava Lizard had managed to run nearly two hundred ters and was about to slip into a rock crevice.
An exceptionally burly Violent Ape halted. It didn’t give chase. Instead, it opened its gaping maw.
A blinding, orange-red beam erupted from its throat.
The beam instantly crossed the two hundred ters and struck the Lava Lizard with pinpoint accuracy.
The next second, the spot where the beam struck—the hard volcanic rock and the Lava Lizard with it—exploded!
A charred, black crater nearly a ter in diater was left behind, the rock at its edges molten.
The sheer power of it made even Allen, observing through his Demon Eyes, shift slightly in his seat.
"DSeek, analyze that energy beam."
Analysis complete. The beam is a high-concentration Fire Elental Energy Beam with an explosive effect on impact. The instantaneous peak Magic Power output is estimated to be 2.7 tis that of the "Verdict" in standard mode.
As expected.
The creature’s ranged attack was even more powerful than his own Alchemy Sniper Rifle, and it even had an explosive effect.
"These monkeys really are tough custors," Allen muttered to himself, watching the screen.
Two days passed quickly.
Just as Allen finished a nutrient al, DSeek’s analysis report was finally generated.
Volcanic Fierce Ape Clan: Behavioral Analysis Report
Clan Size: 13.
Composition: 1 Leader (adult male), 5 adult females, 3 adult males, 4 young. Adult individuals are the clan’s primary combat force. The young are heavily protected.
Activity Patterns: Hunts twice daily, 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM, and 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM.
Nest Structure: Three exits in total. Main exit usage rate: 91.3%. Two other concealed side exits are used only when facing major threats.
Defense Strategy: During hunts, three adult individuals (typically two females, one male) remain in the nest to ensure the safety of the young.
...
The report concluded with DSeek’s final assessnt.
Conclusion: Infiltrating the nest to perform internal sabotage has a success rate below 5%. Plan rejected. The forces left on guard are sufficient to repel a surprise attack from a squad of Advanced-Apprentice-level individuals.
’So sneaking into their ho base is out of the question.’
Allen closed the report and pulled up a virtual sand table.
’Since I can’t infiltrate, I’ll just have to eliminate their main combatants in one go, on a pre-selected battlefield, while they’re out hunting.’
As he ran his simulations, a few uninvited guests appeared on the Demon Eyes’ surveillance feed.
Three figures in the Advanced Apprentice Robes of a Witchcraft School were cautiously making their way through a field of rubble at the volcano’s base.
They scanned their surroundings warily as they walked, clearly on a mission of their own.
"’Are you sure this is the way? This hellhole is so hot I’m about to die of dehydration,’ one of them complained.
"’Shut up. The map shows that the area where the Fire Silk Flowers grow in abundance is just past here. Be careful not to draw out the Volcanic Fierce Apes,’ the young man in the lead hissed.
They conversed and complained, completely oblivious to the five "eyes" high above that were capturing their every move.
Allen could even use the Demon Eyes’ high-powered zoom to see exactly what gear they were wearing.
’A group of... passersby on a mission.’
Allen made his assessnt and paid them no further mind.
He zood in on the terrain model of the area around the Volcanic Fierce Ape nest on the virtual sand table in his camp.
Using all the data recorded over the past two days, DSeek began to run combat simulations.
Red blast radii lit up on the sand table, one after another, simulating the destructive potential of detonating "The Final Say" at various locations.
Each scenario took into account the terrain, the Violent Apes’ behavioral patterns, and the diffusion range of the explosion’s shockwave.
Finally, a red ’X’ was marked on the sand table.
It marked the detonation point with the highest probability of creating a maximum kill zone.
All that remained was to wait for the right mont.
...
Late that night, volcanic ash obscured the moon, plunging the land into pitch-black darkness.
The Volcanic Fierce Ape clan had finished its activities for the day and returned to the nest to rest.
This was when their guard was at its lowest. After a hearty al, most of the adult Violent Apes would gather near the entrance to doze, enjoying the rare breeze that swept through the volcanic landscape.
Allen donned his Stealth Cloak and lted into the darkness.
He slipped out of the camp alone and moved silently toward the marked area.
It was a path the Volcanic Fierce Apes always took when they went out to hunt.
Allen moved without making a sound.
He reached the first marked point. With a thought, his Craftsman’s Hand, ford from a force field, silently excavated the ground. He steadily placed the thirty-centiter-tall cylindrical tal canister into the half-ter-deep pit.
The "Final Say" High-Explosive Alchemy Bomb was deployed.
He then took ten flat tal discs from his Space Ring.
Directional Mines.
Following the coordinates planned by DSeek, he placed the weapons one by one in the surrounding bushes and rock crevices over a hundred-ter area.
The orientation of each mine was precisely calculated to ensure its shrapnel and shockwave would cover all possible escape routes.
Once finished, he carefully restored the ground’s surface, leaving no trace that it had been disturbed.
He then stealthily retreated, stopping a kiloter away behind a mountain ridge.
This was his sniping position.
Allen lay prone behind a warm rock and unhurriedly took the components of the "Verdict" from his Space Ring, assembling it with practiced ease.
CLICK.
The cool cheek rest pressed against his skin. His mind settled, and he beca exceptionally calm.
He mounted the "Verdict" and aid its crosshairs at the ambush site.
The cave entrance was a pitch-black maw, waiting to devour everything.
The data in his field of view was all normal.
His heartbeat was steady, his emotions flat.
All paraters were now set.
All he had to do was wait for the signal... and then press "Execute."
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