Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Battle
As Bena drew closer, the combatants finally noticed the uninvited guests on the edge of the battlefield.
When they saw the three humans, the two loners didn’t call for aid. There was no sign of pleasant surprise in their eyes, only a heightened sense of caution.
They unconsciously moved much closer together, positioning themselves to provide immediate backup for each other.
In this perilous Wasteland World, when you weren’t facing an immediate threat, other people became the greatest threat of all.
The two loners exchanged a glance and nodded in silent understanding.
The mutated lizard, which had been about to launch its next attack, also froze. It took two cautious steps back, its massive vertical pupils filled with wariness and confusion.
As a former Scavenger Team member, Bena naturally understood their mentality.
So before he even got close to the battlefield, Bena shouted:
"We mean no harm! We’re here to help you."
"We were already over by that wall before the storm hit. You don’t have to worry about us ambushing you during the fight."
"If we really had that in mind, we could have just stayed hidden."
"You’re no match for that mutated lizard."
"We could have easily waited for you to wear each other down, or for one side to be killed, before showing ourselves."
Bena’s words were brutally direct.
Hearing Bena’s explanation, the two were stunned for a moment, and then the wariness on their faces receded slightly.
It was true. Just as Bena said, the mutated lizard was far stronger than they had anticipated.
Even if they used their trump cards, they were no match for this mutated lizard. If the newcomers really wanted to kill them, there was no need to go to all this trouble.
Bena could see they were still hesitant, so he played his trump card:
"We’ve already taken a huge risk by showing ourselves."
"If you don’t want to trust us, we can leave right now."
Hearing this, one of them immediately shouted:
"Friend, we’ll trust you!"
"Tell us your plan!"
Seeing that they had finally relented, Bena breathed a small sigh of relief.
"We’re not nearly as strong as you. We can provide support and harass it from the flanks to create openings for you. As for the loot, we can divide it after the battle."
This time, their response was much more decisive:
"Alright, you have a deal!"
Their conversation was extremely fast. They finished their discussion before the mutated lizard’s patience ran out.
Once they reached an agreement, Bena quickly relayed the tactical plan to No. 1 and No. 2.
The three of them began to spread out, forming a triangular encirclement as they slowly closed in on the mutated lizard.
Seeing this, the two loners also readjusted their combat stances, preparing to coordinate with Bena’s group.
The battle reignited. Although the mutated lizard wasn’t highly intelligent, it was still a creature that ambushed its enemies from the shadows. Its combat instincts were not weak, and it immediately recognized the new threat.
Its once-fierce attacks became hesitant.
In the instant the mutated lizard hesitated, the two loners drew the machetes at their waists and attacked its left and right flanks simultaneously.
Facing the ferocious assault, the mutated lizard instinctively counterattacked the loner closest to it.
However, the next moment—BANG! BANG!—two gunshots rang out at once.
Although the two shots weren’t very powerful, they succeeded in drawing the mutated lizard’s attention.
Its counterattack was delayed by just half a second, but in battle, half a second can be the difference between life and death.
A silvery flash of a blade sliced through the air, and a spray of blood erupted from the mutated lizard’s eye.
The immense pain sent the mutated lizard into a frenzy, and it swung its sharp claws wildly, trying to attack the enemy before it.
However, the loner who had landed the blow didn’t get greedy. After the successful strike, he immediately shot back seven or eight meters.
No one had expected their coordination, which wasn’t even particularly smooth, to yield results so quickly.
Watching the mutated lizard roar where it stood, the barrier between the two groups seemed to have diminished considerably.
After that first success, the rest of the fight went much more smoothly.
No. 1 and No. 2 provided support, continuously harassing the lizard from a distance with their BB guns. If the mutated lizard tried to get close, they would immediately pull back.
The two loners acted as the main attackers. They were already partners, so their attacks were perfectly synchronized.
Bena, meanwhile, took on a free role, constantly weaving around the battlefield.
Sometimes he would feint an attack to draw the mutated lizard’s attention; other times, he would appear by the side of No. 1 and No. 2 to provide them with adequate protection.
The five of them had a tacit understanding: they had no intention of fighting the mutated lizard head-on.
The five-person battle formation constantly circled the mutated lizard, inflicting wounds, large and small, whenever an opportunity arose.
As time went on, the number of wounds on the mutated lizard’s body grew.
The once-black mutated lizard was soon stained red with its own blood, and its blistering pace slowed visibly.
Furthermore, the continuous attacks had caused extensive damage to its once-tough hide.
Without the protection of this hard, leather-like skin, the mutated lizard’s Defense Power dropped significantly.
Seeing the increasingly weak mutated lizard, Bena was eager to land the finishing blow.
After all, according to the traditions of the wasteland, when multiple parties were involved in hunting a mutated creature, the person who delivered the final blow would get a larger share of the loot.
However, just as Bena was about to approach the mutated lizard’s flank to launch his attack, one of the loners shouted a warning.
"Be careful! This type of mutated lizard is known to play dead! Don’t let your guard down. It looks like it’s about to die, but it’s probably just trying to lure you in."
Bena’s heart skipped a beat when he heard the warning. In an instant, his back was drenched in cold sweat.
He had been working in a Scavenger Team since he was ten; he was considered a wasteland veteran.
’To think that at such a critical moment, I was almost blinded by greed.’
’The loot is tempting, sure, but in the wasteland, one careless mistake can cost you your life.’
Seeing the mutated lizard panting on the ground, the two loners also kept their distance. Instead of approaching, they pulled back, drew the pistols at their waists, and began firing at it from afar.
Bullet after bullet struck the mutated lizard. Normally, such an attack would have barely tickled it, but its strongest defense was already in tatters. Now, each bullet caused a fresh spray of blood to erupt from its body.
The mutated lizard, which had been playing dead on the ground, never expected that instead of luring in its prey, it would attract a hail of bullets. It let out a piercing shriek.
The mutated lizard wasn’t smart, but it understood that this time, it was probably going to die.
A look of despair appeared in its eyes. It didn’t continue attacking the two loners.
After fighting for so long, it knew that in its current state, it had no hope of killing its two strongest enemies.
It spun around and lunged at No. 1.
