The Highest Bounty

Chapter 50: A 1 Versus 5 Game

A 100 point Cell Index was normally the limit of a Rank 3 Gene Body or the minimum standard of a Rank 4 Gene Body.

The five virus-infected beasts that wandered around in the staging area of the space dock were all comparable to the physique of a Peak Rank 4 Gene Body martial arts practitioner, with some of them having a 300 point Cell Index. Infected with the virus, they had lost most of their sanity. Once they started fighting, they would completely enter a state of madness, and although this state slightly improved their combat power, it only increased it to a certain point. One might even say they entered a frenzied killing state rather than a battling one. In this state, they would ignore their injuries and focus more on attacking their enemies. From this perspective, it seemed that Gu Ding had an advantage over them.

Gu Ding brought Liliath out of the spaceship where they had been hiding and summoned his Combat Armor. Right after this, he charged straight toward the five giant beasts. On the other hand, Liliath hid under a nearby spaceship and watched the battle from afar as Gu Ding attracted the attention of the five giant beasts. From her position, she would be out of harm’s way, far from the fight, but close enough to use her Pupillary Abilities to help Gu Ding at the drop of a hat.

When the five giant beasts saw Gu Ding charging over, all of them frantically rushed over to him with excited roars since it was the first enemy invasion they had met with after a really long time. Although Gu Ding looked thin and weak, they were not fussy about a meager snack. After all, it was better than nothing.

When he saw the five giant beasts frantically closing in on him, Gu Ding grinned.

His speed had greatly improved compared with his previous self, and he stepped forward with his Silent Step. He easily escaped the claws of the giant beasts as Gu Ding figure leaped high. He gave a violent Phantom Kick at the head of a giant beast and saw it drop heavily to the ground. The dust flew up from the impact of its head against the ground. After a second, it shook its head dizzily and tried to stand up again.

Right after this, Gu Ding used his level three Ultimate Arts moves with full force. Steel Fist, Phantom Kick, Lightning Elbow, Flaming Knee, Terminating Finger… Every attack hit their bodies violently. Those big guys were punching bags for Gu Ding since they only knew how to attack without having any ability to dodge.

Meanwhile, Gu Ding quickly started to get familiarized with his new body.

Gu Ding had gotten a lot of practice battles with a 100 point Cell Index in the Virtual Arena. Therefore, when his real-life Cell Index finally reached 100 points, he had no problem getting used to it.

In the five minutes of battle, the five giant beasts never got a chance to hit Gu Ding even once. However, they let out a painful wail every single time they were hit by Gu Ding. Gu Ding had finally mastered his new body fully and could feel his veins coursing with strength.

With the help of the Combat Armor and his level three Ultimate Arts, Gu Ding’s attack power was comparable to a 300 point Cell Index martial arts practitioner. Even so, his damage to the five giant beasts was limited. Although each blow inflicted pain onto them, there was no way to cause substantial damage to them due to their strong defense.

“It seems that, in order to kill them, at least level four Ultimate Arts is required.” Gu Ding stopped his assault as the five giant beasts frantically surrounded him. It seemed that their combat power was still the same as before, or perhaps the pain inflicted on them caused them to become even more frenzied.

When Liliath saw that Gu Ding was no longer attacking but instead starting to hide, worry stirred in her as she watched from afar. She saw how the situation was progressing with her own eyes, with Gu Ding’s full force attacks essentially useless against the monsters.

She began to prepare her pupillary power secretly in case Gu Ding needed a chance to escape.

On the other hand, Neptune knew very well why Gu Ding stopped attacking. “Although the fourth level of Ultimate Arts will take a toll on your body and you won’t be able to sustain it for too long, it shouldn’t be a major problem.”

“When I was testing their defense power, I got the sense that the fourth level of Ultimate Arts may not even be enough to kill them.” After Gu Ding’s brief test, he gathered that the defense power of those five giant beasts was probably comparable to a 400 points Cell Index martial arts practitioner.

“Yes, their defense may be strong, but don’t forget that you’re a martial arts practitioner. A martial arts practitioner always finds his opponent’s weak spot and focuses on attacking that area. A martial arts practitioner that only relies on his own strength to subdue his opponent isn’t any good,” Neptune said in a matter-of-fact tone. After his words, Neptune knew that Gu Ding would make the right decision.

“Attack their weak spot…” Gu Ding’s eyes lit up when he heard what Neptune said.

It was not that he did not know where their weak spot was. When he previously battled in the Virtual Arena, Gu Ding encountered his fair share of tough opponents. Although most of the time he pinned them down through sheer force, he was also able to identify his opponent’s weak spots and attack them as well.

“My opponent’s weak spot…” Gu Ding stared the several giant beasts up and down to think about this while he simultaneously dodged their strikes. Suddenly, his eyes fell on the eyes of one of the giant beasts. He remembered the effect Liliath’s sniper rifle previously had on the giant beast’s eyes.

“Of course! Their eyes!” When Gu Ding remembered the incident and took action immediately. He stepped out with his Silent Step once more as his figure leaped up. He appeared on one of the heads of those giant beasts, then used the fourth level of Ultimate Arts and instantly pointed three Terminating Finger moves straight at the giant beast’s three eyes.

“Roar…” The giant beast wailed and began to frantically attack everything around it after losing its eyesight completely. The beast did not stop and continued to attack madly even after hitting the two beasts next to it.

The two giant beasts that were attacked immediately became irritated. Those brainless chumps fought back aggressively as the scene soon descended into chaos.

Gu Ding grinned, “It seems like my tactic is working.”

Within the next two minutes, Gu Ding used Terminating Finger on the eyes of all four of the other giant beasts in succession. Thus, all five monsters lost their vision and could no longer chase Gu Ding.

When Liliath saw the scene from afar, she knew that Gu Ding was no longer in any danger.

Gu Ding weaved himself between the five giant beasts and was not hit even once by the frenzied attacks as he made use of his Silent Step within the combat area. However, he knew that it was not the end of the battle yet. He still had to find the fatal weakness of the five giant beasts to slay them properly.

While roaming around, he realized that the giant beasts that were in a frenzied state would occasionally defend themselves with their left arm instead of wildly attacking.

“It seems like they’re…” After his careful observation, he came to a pleasant conclusion, “They’re protecting their hearts! When they still had their vision, they could see their opponent’s actions and were able to defend in time. However, after losing their eyesight, they instinctively protect their vital parts in case of any sneak attacks.

“You finally found it…” Neptune’s voice replied. “In any battle, the most important step is to find your opponent’s weak spot. Slowly, you’ll get better at it.”

After Gu Ding found the fatal weakness of the five giant beasts, his subsequent job became much simpler. He broke out his fourth level Ultimate Arts and appeared in front of the five giant beasts one by one. With five violent Steel Fists, he attacked them one after another on the left side of their chests. Soon, all five of the giant beasts dropped to the ground in succession, after which, not a single one of them tried to get up.

When Liliath saw Gu Ding’s victory, she quickly popped up beside him. Before she could speak, Neptune suddenly shouted, “Go now! The guy in the space dock is coming!”

Gu Ding made a split-second decision and grabbed Liliath’s wrist. “Let’s go!”

Liliath was temporarily stunned. She only had the slightest moment to add the giant beast carcass nearest to her to her Inventory before she was pulled away by Gu Ding.

The two of them zoomed back toward the shielded spaceship they were previously hiding in and quickly ducked inside. When they were inside, Neptune turned on the spaceship’s shielding system.

At that moment, Gu Ding saw a figure rushing out of the space dock gate via Neptune’s fire control room monitor.