Chapter 96: Hunting the Bonebird, Walking on Water

Chapter 96: Hunting the Bonebird, Walking on Water

A crimson shadow suddenly appeared, a humanoid figure with a sheep's head, clad in scarlet armor. Its hair seemed to be solidified blood, each strand clearly visible.

In its claws, it held a scarlet longsword, standing on the sea surface without sinking.

This crimson demon slashed with one strike, severing the armed boat of the wolf pack.

The armed speedboat was 36 meters long and 7 meters wide.

Such a large vessel was split in two by a single sword strike, revealing the terrifying power of the crimson demon.

After the boat's hull cracked, seawater rushed into the cabins, causing the deck to tilt and showing signs of sinking.

However, the armed speedboat had watertight compartments, and even if it continued to sink, it could stay afloat for several hours.

Black Wolf had intended to salvage the boat's hull, but the break was too fast, and it couldn't hold up.

He shouted, "Don't panic! Grab your weapons and take out the enemy first! Help will arrive soon!"

The crew on the boat were all Empowered, and even if the boat sank, they could stay afloat in the sea with life jackets until rescue arrived.

Upon hearing Black Wolf's command, his men calmed down and aimed their guns at the crimson demon on the sea surface.

Rat-a-tat-tat...

The crimson demon raised its hand and unleashed a shield, deflecting all the bullets with a series of pings.

Seeing this, Black Wolf's expression turned grave.

With the demon's sudden appearance, it was impossible for a rocket launcher to hit it.

He knew he was facing a formidable opponent, causing a thin layer of sweat to form on his forehead.

After blocking the bullets, the crimson demon charged forward, leaped onto the front half of the armed speedboat, and killed the Empowered holding a gun with a single sword strike.

The surrounding Empowered, upon witnessing this, screamed in terror and turned to flee.

Black Wolf realized the gravity of the situation; if they couldn't withstand the demon's assault, the entire team would perish.

He shouted and drew a large sword, charging towards the crimson demon.

Clang!

The sword and the demon's blade clashed twice, and the crimson demon kicked Black Wolf, sending him flying.

Black Wolf crashed into the cabin wall, and the kick to his abdomen nearly caused his stomach to burst out.

He clearly felt he was no match for the demon, and his expression turned fearful. Recalling Lu Heng's earlier proposal for cooperation, he shouted, "Quick! Contact Lin Zeyu for help, fast!"

At the brink of life and death, pride no longer mattered.

Earlier, he had taunted Lin Zeyu arrogantly, confident in his ability to handle any opponent.

Now, he couldn't withstand the crimson demon, and the first thought that came to mind was Lu Heng's cooperation proposal.

He didn't believe Lu Heng's group could defeat the crimson demon, but they could buy him time to escape with his men.

...

Five kilometers away, the Universe Yacht floated on the sea surface.

Su Muyu provided real-time updates on the battlefield: "A sheep-headed, crimson demon has appeared, its body as red as blood. This demon is incredibly powerful; with a single sword strike, it severed the hull of the wolf pack's boat, and the ship is sinking."

Lin Zeyu observed the battlefield through a telescope and saw the wolf pack's boat being sunk.

When he witnessed the boat splitting apart, he felt a momentary sense of satisfaction, but soon worried that his yacht might not withstand a strike from the demon.

Lu Heng took the telescope and glanced at the battlefield, confirming the information in his memory.

As expected, the Bonebird did not appear alone.

Whenever a Bonebird appeared, a crimson demon with a sheep's head would follow.

This sheep-headed, crimson demon was a Bloodline Blade Demon.

The Swordsman's Source Skill was carried by the demon, and the sword strike that severed the armed speedboat's hull was the Swordsman's Source Skill, Rift Slash.

At that moment, Wang Xiangfeng rushed up from the cabin and said, "The wolf pack has sent a distress signal, and in their broadcast, they specifically requested our assistance."

"Save them? A boat over thirty meters long, and that thing sliced it in half with one sword strike. How can humans deal with this?" Lin Zeyu felt they couldn't handle the demon and was ready to retreat.

However, he still asked Lu Heng, "Should we go to their rescue?"

"It's too late to save them. If they had agreed to cooperate from the start, we could have discussed tactics. But now, there's no point in trying to salvage the situation." Lu Heng shook his head.

People must take responsibility for their choices.

Ten minutes ago, Black Wolf made the decision to seize the Bonebird, leading to this outcome.

"So, what do we do now? Should we retreat?" Lin Zeyu asked anxiously.

"Full speed ahead, let's chase after the Bonebird and take it down first," Lu Heng ordered with a stern tone.

The appearance of the wolf pack's armed boat being sliced in half had instilled fear in the Empowered on the Universe Yacht.

However, Lu Heng had given the order, and they had to execute it.

The Universe Yacht accelerated, pursuing the Bonebird.

The Bonebird retreated to the vicinity of the whale shark's corpse and began devouring flesh and blood, healing its wounds.

Moreover, the Bonebird's recovery speed was incredibly fast, as some minor wounds had already closed, leaving only the larger injuries visible.

As the Universe Yacht approached within a 1000-meter range, Lu Heng shouted, "Infuse the bullets with healing reduction energy and shoot to prevent its recovery!"

Wang Xiangfeng quickly applied his enhanced Weapon Empowerment: Healing Reduction skill to empower Lin Zeyu's sniper rifle bullets.

Weapon empowerment skills required empowering the bullets rather than the firearm itself.

Lin Zeyu aimed at the Bonebird and fired.

Bang!

The bullet pierced through the Bonebird's exoskeleton, drilling into its flesh. The healing reduction ability took effect, instantly halting the creature's regenerative abilities.

Its wound healing slowed significantly, almost stopping.

The two heavy machine guns fired simultaneously, unleashing a barrage of bullets with a rapid-fire sound.

At a distance of 1000 meters, the maximum effective range of the heavy machine guns, hitting a target would be extremely challenging in normal circumstances.

However, the Bonebird's body length of 30 meters made it an easy target for the sweeping gunfire.

The Bonebird let out a piercing shriek as it was attacked again.

Attacking the Bonebird required a swift and decisive approach; otherwise, the Bloodline Blade Demon would come to its rescue.

Therefore, Lu Heng immediately shouted, "High-explosive bombs, quick!"

The crew member in charge of ammunition coordination had already prepared the high-explosive bombs. Lu Heng turned to Su Muyu and said, "Go!"

Su Muyu nodded and controlled the Scout Eagle to enter stealth mode. She grabbed a bundle of high-explosive bombs and flew towards the Bonebird.

In stealth mode, the Scout Eagle used the Aerodynamic Acceleration skill, increasing its speed by 50%. It then ascended to a higher altitude before diving towards the Bonebird.

At the end of the dive, its speed surged to 380 kilometers per hour, and it plunged directly into the Bonebird's wound.

Su Muyu's palm quickly clenched into a fist, altering the energy nature of the Scout Eagle, transforming its energy into that of the Flame Elemental Arrow.

The Flame Arrows scattered within the Bonebird's body, detonating the high-explosive bombs.

Boom! Boom! Boom...

A series of explosions erupted from within the Bonebird, tearing through its body and creating several three-meter-long gaping holes.

"One more!" Lu Heng commanded.

Su Muyu released the second Scout Eagle, grabbed another bundle of high-explosive bombs, and charged towards the Bonebird.

Boom! Boom! Boom...

The second round of explosions directly shattered the Bonebird's body, almost breaking it apart.

Lu Heng leaped into the sea, activated Gale Step, and sprinted across the water's surface, running on top of the waves.

The crew on the boat were astonished to see Lu Heng running on water, their faces filled with disbelief.

"How... How is this possible?" Lin Zeyu exclaimed, unable to believe his eyes.

Su Muyu was initially surprised as well, but she quickly recalled an article she had read, immediately understanding the reason behind Lu Heng's feat.

"In nature, there are creatures capable of running on water, like the snake lizard.

"I read an article about scientists using snake lizard models to calculate their running on water.

"For an adult to run on water, they need to reach a speed of 110 kilometers per hour to sprint without sinking.

"His speed meets this requirement, and with the skill of striking the water's surface, he can indeed run on water."

The article did exist.

However, the 110 kilometers per hour requirement was the minimum.

For humans to run stably on water, aside from speed, a certain level of running technique is also necessary.

In nature, when snake lizards run on water, they slap the water's surface with their palms, providing upward force to avoid sinking.

Humans also need to use leg strength to strike the water's surface and generate upward lift to run on water.

Therefore, running on water requires the skill of continuously striking the water's surface.

And Lu Heng had mastered this technique in his previous life.

Lu Heng's current level was 20, and his attributes were Strength 40, Agility 50, and Constitution 40.

After activating Gale Step, his running speed soared to 70 meters per second, equivalent to 252 kilometers per hour, rivaling the straight-line sprint speed of a race car.

With such incredible speed and his proficient wave-running technique, he could indeed run on water.

Lu Heng sprinted across the waves towards the Bonebird, leaped, and with a single slash, severed the Bonebird's neck, beheading it.

[Bonebird killed. Absorb 500 points of Demon Energy.]



[Source Energy level increased to 21. All attributes +3, Agility attribute +0.9]



At level 20 and above, each level-up grants more attributes, increasing from +2 to +3 for all attributes. The [Agile as Dragon] talent further enhances Agility, granting an additional +0.9 per level, almost an extra point of Agility with each level-up.

This talent becomes more powerful in the later stages for this very reason.

Upon its death, the Bonebird yielded three crystal cores, one of which was a Skill Crystal Core [Exoskeleton Armor], and the other two were High-Rank Energy Crystal Cores.

Seeing the High-Rank Energy Crystal Cores, Lu Heng's eyes lit up.

The probability of obtaining such high-rank cores is low, and only high-rank demons have a chance to yield them.

This Bonebird produced two of them.

Lu Heng directly crushed one of the High-Rank Energy Crystal Cores, absorbing its energy.

[Absorbing the "High-Rank Energy Crystal Core" enhances the Source Energy level.]



[Source Energy level increased to 22. All attributes +3, Agility attribute +0.9]



With two consecutive level-ups, Lu Heng's body surged with a tidal wave of energy, a volcanic force yearning to erupt.

Lu Heng quickly glanced at his attributes, which had risen to Strength 46, Agility 58, Constitution 46, Spirit 47, and Perception 46.

His combat power had increased significantly.

Initially, Lu Heng was concerned about facing the Bloodline Blade Demon, but with this boost in power, he felt more confident.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end