Becoming an Emperor Starting from the World of The Wandering Earth

Chapter 76 There's a Ghost Here

Although the marks were blurry, Wilson could still tell at a glance that they were tire tracks.

In addition, there were some human boot prints, which were facing in a somewhat disordered manner, but generally pointing northeast.

Wilson stared at the marks, his mind racing.

Murphy's orders were to investigate, establish a foothold, and assess the threat.

But the world before us is extremely harsh, and judging from the animal carcasses, there seem to be some unknown creatures still existing.

In his long military career, no creature had ever been able to cause such severe damage to the animal remains that had just appeared.

However, the immediate priority is to gather more intelligence and find a relatively safe temporary base.

"The drones continued to expand their reconnaissance range, focusing on scanning the northeast direction in search of possible shelters, water sources, or clearer traces of activity."

Wilson gave the order, adjusting his stance as he did so. "Everyone, check your equipment, especially the water tanks and radiation detectors. Carey, monitor the team's vital signs at all times."

"Understood," came the voice of team doctor and technician Carey Lee.

He is of Asian descent and used to work in the National Guard Medical Corps. He is a man of few words but highly skilled.

The wait for further reconnaissance results from the drone was exceptionally long.

Despite the exoskeleton having its own life support system and circulating air, everyone was still somewhat nervous.

A dozen minutes later, Cheng Hongtu spoke again: "Boss, we've made a discovery. About thirty kilometers to the northeast, in a sheltered mountain hollow, there's the outline of what appears to be a man-made structure. Also, on the path leading to the hollow, we found more fresh tire tracks and footprints, and this too."

He shared a zoomed-in image.

On the sand, next to several clear footprints, there were a few pale, unidentified fragments.

"It looks like something—a shell? Or a skin?" Kirk muttered.

Wilson didn't speak, he just stared at the picture.

After a long silence, Wilson finally gave the order to depart.

"Attention everyone, target: mountain pass to the northeast. Cheng Hongtu, advance with your drone for reconnaissance, maintaining a safe distance. The rest of you, follow in combat formation. Maintain communication silence; do not fire unless absolutely necessary."

"Understood, sir!" came a few short replies over the channel.

The weather in this godforsaken place is very strange. Just a short while ago, the sun was blazing, but when they arrived at the mountain valley that the drone had just filmed, the sun had suddenly set.

After ordering his team to use the supplies in the supply crates to build makeshift defensive fortifications, Wilson stared intently at the debris before him.

This thing is extremely strange, like it was peeled off from some kind of creature.

It's very light to hold, but extremely tough. Just now, Wilson stabbed it with his tactical knife and felt a slight obstruction.

Keep in mind that he was wearing an exoskeleton and using a tactical knife made of a special alloy that was incredibly sharp, yet he still experienced a feeling of obstruction.

I really don't know what kind of creature this skin came from.

Just as Wilson was pondering this, Kirk's voice suddenly came through the channel.

"Boss, we've made a discovery. There seems to be something about five kilometers to the southeast."

Upon hearing this, Wilson immediately looked up, put the fragments in his hand into his tactical bag, and then turned on the screen of his tactical helmet.

The footage transmitted back by the drone on patrol sent chills down everyone's spine.

It was a pile of rubble, and in its shadow, three “things” were huddled together.

They look somewhat like humans, but they are not human at all.

It has a slender build, large joints, walks on all fours, and has a high bulge on its back.

The skin was a deathly pale white, devoid of any color, and covered with fine wrinkles and mucus.

Its head is enormous, and it also has a disproportionately large mouth with rows of fine, sharp teeth.

At this moment, they were lying on all fours, surrounding the carcass of an animal that looked like a mutated lizard, its head buried deep inside.

Just then, a monster seemed to smell something and suddenly raised its head.

Although it had no eyes, everyone could sense that it was looking at the drone, or rather, at them.

"Boss, we've been discovered!" Cheng Hongtu said urgently.

Cheng Hongtu tried to lift the drone, but it was too late.

After the leading monster let out a sharp roar, the other two monsters also raised their heads at the same time.

The next second, three white figures, like ghosts, pounced on the team's hiding place at an astonishing speed!

Five kilometers is not a long distance for these strange creatures, but it was enough time for Wilson to set up his defenses.

When those monsters appeared within shooting range.

Flames suddenly ripped through the night sky, forming an impenetrable net of fire that poured onto the three pale figures that lunged at them.

However, the bullets did not tear the monster's tough skin apart instantly when they hit it, but instead produced a series of dull impact sounds.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

A monster charging at the forefront was hit in the chest by several 7.62mm rifle bullets, the impact halting its momentum.

However, the monster was extremely resilient and did not die immediately. Instead, it roared and struggled to attack again.

However, how could a severely wounded monster possibly be a match for the wolf pack members wearing exoskeletons?

The team member slid to the side to avoid the follow-up attack, and then used his heavy alloy right foot to kick the monster's relatively vulnerable waist joint.

"Snap!"

The monster was kicked and sent tumbling through the air before crashing onto the sand.

Without pausing, the team members pressed their rifles against their shoulders and fired wildly at the man's head.

On the other side, another monster darted out from the shadows on the flank, its target Cheng Hongtu, who was operating the drone.

Cheng Hongtu's face turned cold beneath his helmet visor. He released the controller and swiftly drew a large-caliber tactical pistol from his thigh holster with lightning speed.

The moment the monster lunged at him, he fired almost directly at its head, which was covered in tiny, sharp teeth.

"Bang!"

Deafening gunfire.

These monsters' heads were clearly not as hard as their bodies.

At such close range, the monster's head exploded like a smashed watermelon. The headless corpse took two more steps forward due to inertia before collapsing softly to the ground.

As for the last monster, it didn't escape either.

Although the first two attracted a lot of firepower, relatively little firepower was concentrated on it.

However, everyone present was a seasoned veteran.

Kirk, positioned in the path of the monster's charge, sank down and, using the immense force provided by his exoskeleton, punched the monster squarely in the middle of its spine.

"Bang! Crack!"

Another heart-stopping cracking sound of bone breaking.

The monster let out a mournful howl that sounded inhuman, but Kirk didn't stop.

With the exoskeleton fully powered, a swift knee strike sent the hard alloy knee slamming into the monster's soft belly, followed by a smooth series of mini-attacks.

Moments later, Kirk actually beat him to death.