Infinite Hunter

There were at least twenty bodies hanging upside down inside, already highly decomposed in this temperature. Cheng Yijiu stood outside, observing. The stench was so intense that he might have been poisoned. How long had they been dead? According to intelligence, it was only two days at most. These bodies had no skin; everything had been peeled off. And what was certain was that all of them were male, and they were definitely enemies.

Because there are residual hairs that are not black.

Some of the corpses not only had no skin, but also their heads and spines, as if they had been taken away by someone.

"This feels so damn familiar! Damn it!" Cheng Yijiu cursed inwardly. Now he knew the situation was serious. He just hoped that the monster didn't go to other places, otherwise his teammates would be unable to handle it. "A despicable race of villains in the universe, trash who rely on invisibility to survive, and still claim to be primitive bravery, bah."

Cheng Yijiu hadn't expected a Predator to appear. In Vietnam...was he about to see Arnold Schwarzenegger? He glanced at Li Yuanchao and said, "This guy is so unlucky! If I were to face a Predator, I might not be able to keep him safe." Cheng Yijiu was troubled.

"People here have been massacred. It may not be done by humans - otherwise it would be too perverted, skinning and bone removal." Cheng Yijiu said, "You rest here, we will go to the other two points ourselves." He decided to let these guerrillas stay here, clean up the bodies and rest, otherwise their injuries would not heal.

The two of them quickly left the area with a map and a compass. The Predator was probably still lingering nearby, and Cheng Yijiu was looking for the American special forces team. It was likely that the Predator had targeted this team, and Cheng Yijiu didn't mind catching them along with the Predator.

Looking at the endless green jungle, Cheng Yijiu murmured to himself, "This is very dangerous. It's an invisible monster. I don't know if throwing mud will work, but covering myself with mud will work - at least that's how it is in the movies." Cheng Yijiu felt that as long as he didn't have a shoulder cannon, he was not very afraid of this predator.

"Cold weapons made of alien materials are also good stuff." Cheng Yijiu was a little tempted. The knife in his hand was also made of cold iron. He wondered if it could withstand the opponent's weapons. The telescopic spear was pretty cool. Cheng Yijiu really wanted to get this trophy.

About twenty kilometers away from them, the US special forces team had already penetrated deep into the jungle. Their target was the second stronghold that Cheng Yijiu and his team were planning to go to - there were US intelligence officers and South Vietnamese soldiers stationed there. They had recently lost contact, so the special forces team had to make a trip there.

Chapter 43

The composition of the special forces team seemed similar to that in the movie—if Cheng Yijiu had seen them, they would still be a six-man team. There were black men, white men, and an Indian among them, all armed with M16s. There was a big, strong man wearing a boonie hat, carrying a barrel-shaped ammunition bag, and holding an M60 general-purpose machine gun—but no XM214 Mini-Gatling machine gun.

They were practically strolling through the jungle, looking quite relaxed. It seemed they had carried out numerous missions in the Vietnamese jungle—their fate would be the same as John Rambo's. Cheng Yijiu and Li Yuanchao also quickened their pace. "Wait a minute..." Cheng Yijiu pulled Li Yuanchao aside, "What's going on?... Follow me closely, let's change direction!"

Cheng Yijiu had a somewhat ominous premonition—the damn predator had infrared vision, coupled with its stealth capabilities, making it difficult to find it as it moved between branches. This guy also liked to launch sneak attacks, so if it found an opportunity to attack him, it would be a truly unjust death.

The guerrillas were already exchanging fire with the American special forces. Clearly outmatched by the special forces, the guerrillas quickly retreated after being killed. The special forces finally found the pilots, awaiting rescue—hanging upside down from a tree branch, their skin stripped away. Both pilots were like this, seemingly brutally murdered.

Cheng Yijiu and his men heard gunshots and changed direction again. "I have a bad feeling about this place, be careful." Cheng Yijiu kept muttering, and Li Yuanchao never understood what he was saying. He could only think that this guy was a little bit crazy.

On the other side, if you look closely, you can spot a slightly distorted transparent figure moving on a thick branch, hanging just behind the special forces team. When stationary, the figure is almost impossible to detect; only when moving does the edges blur and distort. Of course, if the background is relatively simple, even if you look closely at rest, you can still see the distorted edges, like ripples...

Cheng Yijiu drew closer and closer to the special forces squad until he caught a whiff of something foul on the wind—the body odor of a hairy human. "Ah... don't move, someone's approaching," Cheng Yijiu whispered. "Have you got the insulation? Time to use it." It was a shame there weren't any cheap, bulky aluminum foil sheets available for insulation. If they were, draping them over their bodies would have effectively shielded the Iron Blood Warrior's eyes.

This heat-insulating mat was for camping. Cheng Yijiu and Li Yuanchao each carried one. "The Americans might have infrared goggles, so we'd better be careful." Li Yuanchao was puzzled. Isn't this a vehicle-mounted device? Did the Americans already have one for individual soldiers? Anyway, Li Yuanchao took out the mat, and Cheng Yijiu joined two of them together to create a hiding spot in the bushes. The back of the mat had a camouflage pattern—the color was actually due to the fallen leaves and dirt.

Only a tiny gap allowed for observation, and the ventilation holes allowed for heat to escape, making it less stuffy. "Will we be discovered?" Cheng Yijiu wasn't sure. He focused his attention on the thick branches. It was already afternoon, and night would fall in an hour and a half at most. The American soldiers had been spotted two minutes ago. Cheng Yijiu spotted them first, followed by Li Yuanchao.

"You're quite capable. Look at this formation." Li Yuanchao was ultimately the stronger military officer. He pointed out the six men's formation to Cheng Yijiu. It was a search-and-advance formation, flowing smoothly and marching at a rapid pace. They were covering all sides, with the only weak spot being directly above. Cheng Yijiu glanced around, noticed Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn't there, and then stopped paying attention to them. While he wasn't there, there was one with similar muscle mass and aura.

The green jungle never ceased. Cheng Yijiu had no idea which direction his target would come from. He simply observed diligently, hoping his luck would be good enough. By dusk, the soldiers had been gone for about half an hour and were probably already setting up camp somewhere. Finally, in the slanting sunlight, Cheng Yijiu could vaguely see a figure, a transparent figure with only a few traces of something like heated air.

He patted Li Yuanchao and pointed gently, "Do you see anything?"

The boy stared at it for a long time. "I can't tell. Is that a ghost? Why is it so shapeless? It's just a transparent glass-like figure. Is this thing a ghost?" As a revolutionary soldier, Li Yuanchao didn't feel embarrassed when he said the word "ghost". This is pragmatism.

"This isn't a ghost... This is the most dangerous monster," Cheng Yijiu whispered. He adjusted the direction of his rifle slightly, preparing to fire, but the movement of branches and the sudden disappearance of the last remaining sunlight caused him to lose sight of his target. "Damn it!" he cursed inwardly. "We're setting up camp too!" Two single-person triangular tents were covered in mud. Cheng Yijiu smeared ointment on his body, while Li Yuanchao applied cooling oil—but he couldn't apply too much, otherwise it would be disastrous.

Cheng Yijiu took a careful look and, through his binoculars, spotted the camp's fire. The American special forces team was less than 500 meters away, but the terrain was complex and the rainforest was dense, so it would normally take half an hour to reach them. "I think the Iron Blood Warriors are probably observing nearby, but I don't know when they'll attack." Cheng Yijiu and Li Yuanchao both had a good night's rest.

They had risen earlier than the American soldiers, and judging by their route, they were also heading for the second target point. So the two men simply abandoned their tents and blankets—they were covered in mud and no longer suitable for sleeping. It didn't matter if they were discarded, nature would break down the garbage in a short time. There was no need to check the third point, as Cheng Yijiu had already discovered the target. Li Yuanchao, after hearing what Cheng Yijiu said—regardless of how he had determined that the blurry, transparent figure was the culprit behind all this, he knew Cheng Yijiu was quite capable.

Then just listen to him. Besides, Li Yuanchao himself has seen that thing. It is no different from a ghost that can kill people - and this ghost is obviously following the US special forces team. It has 100% bad intentions. Otherwise, is he still planning to immigrate to the US?

Chapter 44

The predator hadn't spotted Cheng Yijiu and his group because the tent was covered in mud and was made of insulating fabric. Furthermore, the predator's attention was focused on the special forces soldiers, allowing Cheng Yijiu and Li Yuanchao to steal the chicken. The two of them didn't dare get too close, relying on their binoculars and Cheng Yijiu's tracking ability to keep a distance.

The attack began that morning. Invisible monsters descended from the sky and dragged away the bespectacled special forces soldier—all of this was witnessed by Cheng Yijiu, and of course Li Yuanchao saw it all too, though he held back his words. The special forces soldiers were thrown to the ground by the surprise attack, but fortunately, their well-trained nature kept them from opening fire, otherwise they would have been decimated.

Even though he couldn't hear, Cheng Yijiu could see that their mouths were all "fa" and "xie". He also saw the blurry, transparent figure, its outline still distorted. The leaves of the tropical plants moved erratically, and it was obvious that a large man had run over and dragged the unlucky guy away.

The killing took place on a thick branch not far away. Cheng Yijiu saw the struggling soldier suddenly pierced through, the blood outlining the shape of two claw knives. "Shit! If only I had an M14!" Cheng Yijiu's competitor's barrel was not long enough, and he didn't have such accurate long-range shooting capabilities.

The poor creature had been skinned and hung upside down from a high branch. "Fuck, a skinning ghost!" Li Yuanchao looked terrified, having never encountered anything like this before. Cheng Yijiu just cursed, "This thing can't be a ghost. I think it's probably an alien or something. Look, it can use tools."

"He has to rely on stealth and a surprise attack to kill people. This guy is afraid of bullets." Cheng Yijiu encouraged Li Yuanchao, "When the time comes, I'll kill him."

Cheng Yijiu stared at the monster as it disappeared into the jungle again. Even though it was a transparent humanoid figure with outlines, it was easy for Cheng Yijiu to lose sight of it in the jungle. This guy was very mobile, at least much more mobile than the average person. Cheng Yijiu recalled the guy's face in the movie, "This thing is more like an evolution of some kind of archosaur. Its strength and physical fitness are far superior to humans."

But the idea of ​​them being so advanced is bullshit. Their social structure and daily activities are in stark contrast to the technology they possess. Cheng Yijiu absolutely doesn't believe the Predators developed their own technology. This intimidating invisibility doesn't seem waterproof, but the material is incredibly difficult to explain—that cold weapon doesn't look like metal, but it's incredibly sharp, and there's also that magical medical kit.

Burn some ordinary wall paint with fire, then add some kind of chemical to it to create a glowing paint. And what would that do if you applied it to a wound? Would it stop the bleeding? It seemed like the movie I saw back then said this thing could promote tissue regeneration? In other words, grow an arm? Cheng Yi pondered this for a while, and he became intrigued by the technology that could blow a bloody skull into a processed, degreased white skeleton with a jet of white air.

The peeled skin is also tanned by blowing white air. This technology seems magical to Cheng Yijiu.

"Actually, I'd really like to collect an Iron Blood Skull. I remember it being quite nice," Cheng Yijiu thought. He smeared the ointment on his body, insulating it from the heat and humidity while also preventing insect bites. This was the only use of the sacred ointment he received from Apollo in this world. Unfortunately, the ointment wasn't likely to block infrared radiation, so it couldn't block predators' vision.

Li Yuanchao was also a problem; he'd probably be covered in mud by then. Cheng Yijiu couldn't understand why the Predator's vision was so poor. It was all supplemented by that mask. Even so, they didn't have full color vision in visible light. Not to mention infrared and ultraviolet light, the Iron Blood's vision wasn't as sharp as a human's.

Cheng Yijiu and Li Yuanchao continued to follow the American soldiers from a distance, watching them retreat into their camp—another clearing cleared in the jungle, also deserted. All the humans had died or fled, leaving neither side with new troops to take over. The American soldiers could occupy this area to defend it while also being able to call in helicopters for a quick evacuation.

Cheng Yijiu and his men were several kilometers behind, moving cautiously. Even Cheng Yijiu couldn't say for sure if he'd been spotted. Even with his rather unrefined invisibility, it still worked wonders in this jungle. If you weren't careful, you'd miss this bastard. Fortunately, he had his intuition. Cheng Yijiu had mastered the human intuition of "who's watching me?"

He didn't feel it now, so at least for now, the monster wasn't paying any special attention to them. However, as they approached the camp, they would almost certainly be drawn into a fight. It would be better to let the Predator deal with the American soldiers first. They hadn't come to Vietnam for any good reason anyway.

Cheng Yijiu told Li Yuanchao to hide while he climbed a tree and surveyed the camp from above. They'd lost a man that morning, and now, around 3 p.m., the predator was approaching again. This time, Cheng Yijiu spotted the predator first. Perhaps 300 meters away, on another large tree, Cheng Yijiu spotted a blurry outline and distorted branches and leaves.

The guy squatted on the branch and could see three red sights already locked on the burly special forces man in the camp, wearing a beanie and holding an M60 general-purpose machine gun. Through Cheng Yijiu's telescope, he could see the three red dots gradually moving, slowly moving towards the man's chest...

The plasma's path was visible to the naked eye. Cheng Yijiu watched as the tennis ball-sized object flew over and blew up the burly man—a fatal blow that completely punctured his chest. "Damn, that's despicable." Cheng Yijiu pulled out his pistol, adjusted the sights, and immediately took aim. With a flick of the trigger, a volley of bullets unleashed.

"Shit! I told you that the medium-power bullet wouldn't work. This dispersion should be able to hit the target, but the monster dodged it." Cheng Yijiu cursed loudly, then quickly jumped down from the tree and jumped into the small river next to him. He rolled around in the mud and got covered in it. By the way, he also pulled Li Yuanchao and asked him to get out as well.

What was certain was that the monster had definitely spotted him, and was most likely rushing towards him...

Chapter 45

The predator was calmer than expected. Cheng Yijiu quickly tumbled into the stream below, covered in mud, and waited patiently. He even closed his eyes, concentrating all his attention on his ears and nose. After waiting for twenty minutes, there was still no sound or breath of the monster. Although he hadn't smelled it yet, the smell of this alien monster must be different from that of Earth creatures.

"This cunning fellow," Cheng Yijiu cursed. He went looking for Li Yuanchao. He couldn't let this guy die so easily. If he really faced the Predator, Cheng Yijiu had no confidence in Li Yuanchao—it was too easy to lose his target. The American soldiers had previously failed to hit the transparent alien with automatic rifles, so he certainly didn't think Li Yuanchao would be a good candidate. Li Yuanchao's only chance of hitting the alien was when the alien got close and prepared to kill him...

If the other party throws darts, there will be nothing you can do.

Cheng Yijiu still had to protect Li Yuanchao, so he either had to escort him to a safe place or set some traps to protect him. "I wonder if a simple log, battering ram, and nail trap can trap this monster? According to the first movie, it can..."

At this moment, it was actually the American soldiers inside the target area who could no longer hold back. Two Niger soldiers, weapons drawn, were ready to charge out—they were just like that, impulsive and reckless. It was this action that caught the predator's attention.

Cheng Yijiu signaled Li Yuanchao to retreat to the first target point, and then return to the starting point from there and finally meet up with his teammates. He said, "I may be a few days later than you. After all, that 'ghost' still needs to be dealt with. I suspect this is the reason for the previous series of abnormalities that required us to come and check." He didn't say that Li Yuanchao was not strong enough, but Li Yuanchao could understand Cheng Yijiu's implication. The young man thought about it for a long time.

"I can't just go back like this," he said.

"But you have no way to deal with that guy. To put it bluntly, you are a burden to me. I have to consider your safety when fighting that monster." Although the words are unpleasant, this is Cheng Yijiu's true opinion. It's not that he is arrogant, it's just that the predator is really difficult to deal with. Half-baked invisibility is still invisibility. A missed opportunity means death. Li Yuanchao has not reached the level of a super soldier king yet. He still relies on vision to find the enemy.

This won't work. He's not the protagonist of the movie, and he will really die.

Even the protagonist of the movie almost died.

"This thing peels off people's skin and digs out their skulls. It's definitely not a good person. It can also become invisible. I saw a weapon with glowing light balls that can even blow a person's body apart from a distance. At close range, this guy also has invisible claws. If you want to hurt it, the only way is to kill you when it's at close range. My friend, this is very difficult. Rather than sacrifice yourself in vain, why don't you leave first so that I don't have to worry about it. My hearing and sense of smell are very sharp, and I can find it by relying on more than just my eyes."

Cheng Yijiu spoke at length, ultimately convincing Li Yuanchao. After careful consideration, the young man determined he had no way of dealing with the "ghost," so he rushed back ahead, armed with the information Cheng Yijiu had compiled about the creature. Both of them were covered in mud, constantly replenishing their energy like wild boars, ensuring the ghost wouldn't notice them. This was also what Cheng Yijiu had said, "This thing's vision seems a bit strange. I suspect it uses infrared vision."

This is based on reasoning. Since this monster is "invisible" to visible light, can its eyes still receive visible light after being invisible? It is likely able to observe its prey through other means, either smell or hearing. If it is vision, it is probably invisible light. Considering that the most common is probably infrared, this creature is probably not infrared invisible. "What a pity! It would be much better if it had a passive infrared mirror." Cheng Yijiu sighed.

Li Yuanchao was warned by him to stay in a muddy state at all times and to travel quickly, as he would buy time for Li Yuanchao.

Cheng Yijiu also moved among the trees, occasionally raising his binoculars to observe. From his observation point No. 2, he noticed that two American soldiers were missing, and no predators were nearby. So he followed the latest footprints and scent. It must be said that unwashed foreigners stink just as much as wild animals, making them easier to track. This time, Cheng Yijiu finally detected an unusual scent.

His sense of smell was already nearly that of a tiger, but in his daily life, he mostly ignored it, maintaining it at an ordinary level—otherwise, he couldn't get by. Therefore, in the jungle, after fully unleashing his sense of smell, he could distinguish the scents of almost any wild animal. One of these scents brought back a distant memory—the time when he was transformed into a giant python as part of a punishment mission.

When he strangled a predator, his snake tongue had naturally picked up the scent of its body and blood. Now, it was merely a memory being awakened—olfactory memory is far more profound than visual memory. Once he recalled it, the scent became distinct, almost like that of a lizard, yet different, quite unique. This scent was similar to the foreigner's body odor, and the fate of those two Nigs was now clear.

Cheng Yijiu moved quickly, finding the scene of the massacre—blood splattered all over the leaves and fallen bullet casings on the ground. His nose twitched, and his gaze slowly moved upwards—he saw the body stuck high up in the branches, its blackened skin missing its head, its back cut open. "What a bad habit! I'm not that crazy."

One Nig was already dead, so Cheng Yijiu was certain that two people had come out. The other one was probably trying to escape back. The question was, "You're running in the wrong direction? Are you being chased? Or are you being driven in a specific direction?" Cheng Yijiu looked at the surrounding terrain. The sweltering jungle was hotter than in the past few decades. "It seems this guy has his own favorite hunting ground... He drives his prey into the hunting ground and hunts it there."

This wasn't surprising. Carnivores had their own territories, and human hunters had their own preferred ambush areas. It was perfectly normal for predators to have their own preferred hunting grounds. Cheng Yijiu decided to go over and see the hunting grounds. Of course, he might even finish off the predator there.

Chapter 46

Cheng Yijiu half-bent over, using his hands and feet to zip through the jungle like parkour—cats aren't as agile, lacking such flexible shoulder joints and the most nimble hands in the animal kingdom. This kind of hopping and running with both hands and feet is something only humans can pull off. Cheng Yijiu raced through the jungle, tracking with his nose and ears. The scents in the air told him the direction to go, and the sounds warned him of danger.

Cheng Yijiu simultaneously tracked two scents, a three-dimensional map appearing in his mind. The two targets, each emitting a different scent, appeared as two bright spots. His distance and direction were clear, and even his possible movement trajectory could be simulated. This was a hunter's intuition. A predator who had always bullied the weak and used stealth to bully wild beasts could never have such a skill. This was the ability of a powerful person who had hunted demigod beasts.

Cheng Yijiu paused, calming his heartbeat while trying to lower his body temperature—to avoid being spotted by the nearby monster. Once again, Cheng Yijiu lamented why aluminum foil blankets weren't so common. Otherwise, wearing one would significantly reduce a predator's infrared vision.

This must be the predator's favorite hunting ground—there are low mountains covered with tropical rainforest trees, a flowing river, a relatively open riverbed, and of course, the terrain of the col, which highlights the ruggedness. Cheng Yijiu turned around and said, "This terrain is very similar to the movies." He buried his body in the stream—the ointment applied to his body may not block infrared rays, but it can repel water and insects, and those leeches cannot attach to it.

In the water, Cheng Yijiu first spotted Nig, the prey. He had lost his nerve, tumbling and scrambling without a second thought, yet he hadn't dropped his rifle. He fired frantically, firing in all directions until he had emptied his magazines. He roared as he did, though Cheng Yijiu couldn't quite make out what he was yelling. But then, through the water, he saw the moving, distorted, transparent figure.

The figure then moved to a branch of a large tree near the half-mad man. If the man were not crazy, he would have heard the creaking sound of the branch being bent under the pressure. Cheng Yijiu had already poked his face out of the water. It would take a while for the temperature to rise, so he was not afraid of being seen. The predator dropped from the sky—it seemed to particularly enjoy this method of attack, directly impaling the unfortunate Nig with its retractable spear.

Cheng Yijiu watched as the man's mouth spurted blood, his hands clawing at the spear point protruding from his chest—this despicable predator had attacked from behind. The next moment, the black man expired, his hands drooping limply, and the predator seemed ready to dismember its prey, retrieving its prized trophy—either human skin or a skull. At that moment, Cheng Yijiu suddenly exerted force from underwater and leaped to his feet.

When it comes to wild fights, you can't overthink things. Once you get the feeling, you have to act immediately. Overthinking and rethinking won't lead to good results. So Cheng Yijiu leaped up, grabbed his five or six rifles, and pulled the trigger at the transparent mass. The two sides were less than twenty meters apart, and the enemy was truly careless and arrogant to the extreme. He fired a volley of bullets in seconds. His powerful arm strength controlled his leap, and the monster's reaction speed was also extremely fast, twisting and falling flat on its back.

Did only two or three of the rounds hit? Cheng Yijiu wasn't sure, but his concentration allowed him to tell that the monster had rolled over after it fell flat on its face, which was why at most three of the rounds had hit it. Could that seriously injure the monster? Of course, as long as it was still mortal, it would definitely injure it—this was an intermediate-power round. If it really hit at this distance, the destructive power would be significant.

The gun was discarded, and Cheng Yijiu had already crossed the distance like the wind, lunging at the phantom with his sword drawn. The predator revealed itself, and the water Cheng Yijiu had swung over it, combined with his own fluorescent blood, caused its invisibility cloak to short-circuit. The creature had three wounds on its legs, buttocks, and shoulder, significantly weakening its combat effectiveness.

Cheng Yijiu was about to stab the creature to death, but unexpectedly, a spherical object fell from the monster's hand. A flash of light and a blast swept everything away. Cheng Yijiu's reaction was extremely fast. He immediately closed his eyes, covered his eyelids, opened his mouth, and rolled backwards. He remembered clearly that there was a source of water behind him. His vision and hearing recovered very quickly, almost as if he was shaking his head - this was already exaggerated. Not surprisingly, the predator also ran away. "It can't get far!" Cheng Yijiu muttered to himself.

The fluorescent blood would give him a clue of direction, and the smell was particularly strong, making it impossible to lose him. Cheng Yijiu retrieved his gun, changed the magazine, kicked the unfortunate Nig's body aside, and covered it with some leaves. The American people in Vietnam were not good people, and now they covered him up out of a little sympathy for the humans who died at the hands of aliens.

Elsewhere, the Predator hid behind a large tree—a large hollow within it, the alien's temporary home. The alien produced a box and, pressing on the edge, a small shelf popped out. He then produced a small, semicircular object, pressed it, and six appendages sprouted from it, deftly clinging to the Predator's webbed clothing and climbing.

It reached the shoulder wound, extended its appendage into the wound, and extracted the bullet. The monster howled, and Cheng Yijiu naturally heard it. The wounds were beyond the Predator's reach, so it used a robot. After extracting the bullets from the three wounds, it picked up a pistol-shaped syringe and injected the liquid inside. Then, it grabbed some fragments of something unknown and scattered them among a small, unfurled parabolic antenna.

Fluorescent powder was sprinkled on the parabolic antenna, igniting a blue flame that died out, leaving behind a blue fluorescent paste. Using a small spatula, the substance was applied to the wound, and the monster howled in pain again. Cheng Yijiu followed the sound and was already quite close.

However, the monster activated its invisibility cloak just in time, hiding itself again. Look closely: the bark is warped and deformed; that's the guy standing there. Cheng Yijiu, covered in mud, would be hard for a predator to spot, but Cheng Yijiu had already spotted him—the source of the smell had been determined.

Chapter 47

This predator, in later settings, appears to be one of the newly qualified members of the clan, essentially a new veteran who has passed the rookie stage. Having just finished treating his injuries, he naturally noticed Cheng Yijiu, who was standing nearby and looking up at him. The powerful human warrior simply stood there, his eyes fixed on the predator, whose invisibility had been lifted due to the treatment.

Cheng Yijiu's fingers were playing with the knife, he didn't use the gun - at this distance, the predator could use the thick tree trunk to avoid his shooting, and based on his superficial understanding of this race, at least at this time, the other party was likely to take off the long-range equipment and mask, and fight him to the death with cold weapons.

Even if he lost the bet, it wouldn't matter. At this distance, it would be difficult for the opponent to lock onto him with a long-range weapon. Even using invisibility would be useless, as the smell and sound would already lock him, and stealth movement also had flaws. If a close combat really came to this, Cheng Yijiu, as the Chosen One of the Gods of Light, didn't think he would lose.

Cheng Yijiu took long breaths, his muscles flexing as he braced himself for the fight. Warming up wasn't necessary, he'd already done it during the chase. He wasn't afraid at all. A mere alien, could it be more terrifying than the monsters he'd slain? Ultimately, they could be considered just two-meter-tall brown bears, armed with ultra-modern cold weapons.

As he expected, the metal-masked Predator faced him head-on, probably sizing him up. By this time, the mud on Cheng Yijiu's body had dried and begun to fall off, revealing an infrared humanoid figure. "This thing probably has a scan turned on," Cheng Yijiu thought, hoping this idiot still had some sense of honor.

Sure enough, the predator stood up straight, slowly reached for the mask, unplugged the breathing tube, and removed the mask, setting it aside, revealing its hideous face. "It looks like an insect's mouthparts. How ugly," Cheng Yijiu said. He removed a tube from his waist, flipped a switch, and it unfolded into a double-headed hunting spear with a click.

"Yo!" Cheng Yijiu didn't care. He had already figured out the Predator's reaction speed and movement capabilities from previous chases and observations. Its spear skills were probably just like those in the movies. The Predator leaped down and stood in front of Cheng Yijiu. The two of them exchanged glances and immediately rushed forward.

The spear thrust forward, but Cheng Yijiu half-sideways deflected it with the help of his cold iron hunting knife. "Excellent! The cold iron is just as good as the other party's synthetic metal!" Cheng Yijiu felt relieved. The Predator's power was indeed as he expected. "What a shame! I should have brought the cold iron greatsword on this mission... It's a shame this thing is probably a controlled weapon, not even allowed on the railway."

If he had the cold iron greatsword, the predator's head would have been blown off in the initial fight.

"After the first stab, since it's a double-headed spear, the next step is to sweep and cut with the back of the spear head." As a master of fighting, Cheng Yijiu instinctively knew the opponent's next move, so he took a step forward, stretched out his arm and directly hooked the predator, and used the force of his sweeping move to knock the monster to the ground.

Cheng Yijiu twisted his wrist, forcing him to abandon his spear to avoid the predator's blade. He quickly unleashed his wrist blade to engage Cheng Yijiu. The brief clash of blades confirmed that his cold iron blade's mechanical properties were indeed no less than those of the alien alloy. While the wrist blade was long and sharp, even having two of them, it wasn't as flexible when worn on the wrist.

This fight wasn't just any ordinary blade fight, but an extremely dangerous close-quarters dagger fight, even involving rolling on the ground. Fortunately, as a martial arts enthusiast, I'd actually studied this style of fighting—the way to open a tin can was to dismount, engage in close combat, and then stab the opponent with a knife after removing the mask.

Cheng Yijiu's strength was no less than the Predator's, and this had now been proven. Using his flexible wrist to turn the blade was far more agile and nimble than using his elbow to control the wrist blade. Even the simple change of direction was incomparable. Holding the opponent's arm tightly with both hands, Cheng Yijiu twisted his wrist to hold the Predator's arm down, and as his fingers spun, the blade sliced ​​through the veins in the opponent's wrist.

Fluorescent blood almost gushed out, which should have cut off the opponent's arterial blood - if the circulatory system of this creature is similar to that of the creatures on Earth... Cheng Yijiu took advantage of the moment when the opponent relaxed a little due to bleeding, rolled over from that arm and suppressed the predator, and reached out to dig the wound on this guy's shoulder, tearing the wound that was originally sealed again.

The predator roared in pain, and Cheng Yijiu quickly thrust his left hand through its armpit and pressed it against its neck—now that he had the upper hand, behind the predator. The monster decisively leaped up, ready to slam its back against the tree, injuring Cheng Yijiu.

Cheng Yijiu, of course, displayed his divinely chosen strength, stomping on the tree trunk with such force that it nearly felled it. His legs went numb, but he ultimately pinned the predator down. Cheng Yijiu's right hand went under the predator's right arm and joined his left hand to press down on the back of the predator's head. "Is this hair or nerves? It looks like dreadlocks."

At this point, the victory was already secured, the opponent was still bleeding, and the wrist knife was useless - unless the opponent's shoulder was dislocated, it would be impossible to penetrate. If he had a hand-held knife, it would be easier, but the wrist knife's angle of movement was like that, and it was restricted by the elbow joint.

Cheng Yijiu began to exert force with his arms. He had already effectively controlled his opponent with the Nelson lock. If he wanted to, he could have cut his opponent's neck with the blade and killed him. Unfortunately, he was unlucky and the blade was facing outwards when he was holding the knife, making it difficult to adjust. So he would just use force to break the opponent's cervical vertebrae.

The Chosen One of Light was half-naked at the moment, and he was not unscathed in the previous fight - the sharp wrist knife had brushed against his flesh several times, leaving cuts of varying sizes, but these were only flesh wounds.

The muscles in Cheng Yijiu's arms bulged, the ridges on his face bulged, and his eyes were fierce. The predator's head lowered lower and lower. Although it struck him with all its might, Cheng Yijiu paid no heed, relying solely on his luck to resist, a form of hard qigong. With a snap, the predator's cervical vertebrae broke, its face coming into direct contact with his chest.

Cheng Yijiu's knife slashed across and cut directly into the broken cervical vertebrae. With a turn, he removed the monster's head, grabbed the fallen spear and the frisbee hanging at his waist, and Cheng Yijiu rolled into the water with the head and weapon, ready to leave this place quickly.

Chapter 48

It must have been about three minutes, at most, after Cheng Yijiu had run away. He tumbled down to the shadow of a small mound, his head covered in mud and fallen trees, when a white light flashed and a massive explosion occurred. "Just as I expected," Cheng Yijiu cursed, greeting the shockwave that followed—no effect, just a bit of wind and a few shakes in the ground. Sure enough, the bomb and the Predator's life were linked, and it could explode without any self-settings.

Cheng Yijiu wasn't confident he could defuse the bomb, so he might as well just let it explode. This time, Cheng Yijiu had actually saved the American soldier's life; at least the Indian-looking guy survived. However, the so-called female guerrilla they'd captured didn't exist, so there were still only two survivors. "Thankfully, the terrain here is varied and densely wooded, which greatly weakened the power of the light and shock waves." Cheng Yijiu happily looked at his severed head and the captured spear and flying disc.

It would be best if the flying disc was connected to the mask, so that the flight trajectory could be slightly corrected and easily recovered. Currently, it can only be used once, and then it can be retrieved. As for the spear, for Cheng Yijiu, it is a strange weapon, because the double-headed spear has no serious use in combat. On the contrary, there is a similar double-headed sword technique in traditional Chinese martial arts, but it is also a strange martial art.

Cheng Yijiu thought it would be better to design it into a one-way retractable spear, which would at least have the advantage of distance.