Star Hunter.

Chapter 280

Since Hua Li has left her safe zone to seek help here, then those RB13s that were released must be able to break through the sturdy materials outside the safe zone. (Tiantian Chinese)

Shortly after Hua Li arrived, large boxes began falling from the sky over many parts of the planet. These boxes were made of special materials and had a combination lock on the outside. When they fell from the sky, parachutes opened on top of the boxes.

In the wooded area, several ferocious beasts that were foraging for food saw a box falling from the sky. Intrigued, they slowly approached the box after it landed. They sniffed around it but couldn't detect anything. The box was too tightly sealed; no scent could escape. The outside of the box had also been treated. The beasts didn't sense anything unusual as they walked around it. (Chapter 20)

The sudden noise from the box startled the surrounding beasts, who retreated a few steps. After a moment, the beasts curiously approached again.

Thump! Another loud noise, this time even louder, as if something inside the box was hitting something, and the box moved.

Bang!Bang!Bang!

The sounds grew increasingly urgent. The beasts, accustomed to the noise, did not retreat as they had the first time, but instead remained circling about three meters away from the box.

Di-

The combination lock on the outside of the box clicked, and the box opened with a click.

Its fur, the same color as the snow, peeked out, making it look harmless. This was the RB13 Neo had mentioned; it looked like a white rat, only a larger one. At just over a meter tall, it was much smaller than the surrounding ferocious beasts.

The white mice looked around with their ruby-like eyes. Despite the low temperature, they didn't seem to feel cold. They sniffed around and then fixed their gaze on the several ferocious beasts walking around them.

Upon seeing this creature emerge from the box, the ferocious beasts lost their fear and treated the white rat like food. They opened their mouths, revealing sharp teeth, and glared menacingly at the rat.

One of the ferocious beasts pounced. The others, fearing they'd fall behind in Chapter Two and miss out on the meal, also hurriedly pounced...

A series of piercing screams echoed through the woods. Then came the faint sounds of chewing and tearing flesh.

A short while later, only an empty box remained, along with the remaining flesh and skin gradually being covered by the snow.

The combination lock on the box lit up, then the parachute straps on the box snapped, and the box gradually shrank, its opening closing. It lay there quietly, buried by the heavy snow.

Inside Neo's safe zone, in the living room, several people were gathered watching a video feed. It was a hidden camera Neo had placed in the woods. Because the camera's transmitted images could be detected by some bio-soldiers and ferocious beasts within a small area, it had never been activated. But now, Neo didn't care about that. Besides, in this weather, bio-soldiers and ferocious beasts weren't very active. The chances of being discovered were slim.

The footage showed a novice bio-soldier fighting a ferocious beast, which attracted a white rat. Both the beast and the bio-soldier were injured but remained spirited. Upon seeing the newcomer, they glanced at each other but didn't pay much attention. However, the beast disliked having a stranger attacking from behind during a fight. So, the beast closest to the white rat let out a threatening roar, but before it could finish, a white blur flashed, and the beast's neck was snapped.

The white rat tossed the dead beast aside and then looked at the bio-soldier. The bio-soldier, unaware of fear or the need to flee, charged towards the white rat instead.

The brown splatter contrasted sharply against the snow, and the bio-soldier was instantly dismembered.

A white mouse against a white background, yet this pure color combination is chilling.

"Such speed!" Gu Xin exclaimed.

"And its claws are very sharp." Erti looked at the white figure in the image that was walking further and further away, and then looked at the patch of brown flesh on the snow that looked like it had been hacked to pieces. In just a moment, this white rat was able to tear the bio-soldier to pieces like that. Not only was it fast, but its claws were also sharp enough that they didn't stop even when they cut into the bone.

Hua Li didn't say anything, but just touched his long box.

"They still have room to grow," Neo added. "If every white mouse sent over is like this one, then these mice are only in a primary growth stage. They have a large appetite, a fast metabolism, and can grow a lot every day."

"What? Those things can grow? Will they become even more powerful after they grow?" Erti asked.

"That's for sure. And because they are bio-engineered beasts, born from experimental subjects, their stability is very low and their mutation rate is high. They may be mutating and evolving at any moment. Therefore, the growth of each experimental subject has no fixed direction. Perhaps one is an armored type that focuses on defense, while another is a strong offensive type. You never know. That's why I said that RB13 is a rather unsuccessful experimental subject." Even though RB13 is very threatening, Neo still looks down on them. From the perspective of an experimenter, RB13 is a failure in Neo's eyes.

"Really? I wonder if you'll become the excrement of this failure in a few days," Erti said sarcastically.

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"Do you think I'm an idiot? Why would I go out and mess with those losers? You're the ones who should go out." Neo wasn't worried about his life.

Hua Li wiped the gun barrel on his hand. "Idiot!"

Neo was preparing to retaliate when Sirin tugged at him. "Will the toxins from the tricolor beans work?"

Neo's attention was drawn to Sirin's words: "I don't know about that. We can give it a try, but we'll have to change the gun. If we keep using the old gun, it won't even be able to break through the RB13's skin."

Xilin nodded and walked into the place where Neo kept his weapons.

Not long after, Xilin came out and said, "Neo, can I borrow a few parts from your lab?"

"No!" Neo rushed into the lab, raising his arm to block them. "If you touch anything in my lab, you'll be killing my corpse!"

Erti, Guxin, and Huali all looked at Neo. Guxin twirled the gun in his hand, Erti played with a small knife, and Huali simply raised the sniper rifle that he had just assembled.

Neo: "..."

After a minute of stalemate, Neo twisted his neck and shouted, "I'd rather die than submit! This is my place; letting you in was already an act of mercy!"

"If you're alone, you'll die sooner or later if you encounter those things. You know, the safe zone can't stop them at all, even if you have an isolation pod. But with your weak constitution, can you survive for ten days in an isolation pod?" Hua Li bluntly criticized.

Neo fell silent. Relying entirely on nutrient solutions was unbearable. His body was inherently averse to them, and Neo firmly believed that hibernation affected his intelligence. Therefore, he had always been resistant to both methods. Hua Li's words were like a knife to Neo's heart.

Hua Li didn't like being passive. So, upon learning that RB13 was to be placed on a planet, she immediately chose to find a partner. It would be very difficult for her alone; she couldn't stay on the eagle's back all day. Besides, often the most dangerous creatures weren't the beasts, but people. Before coming here, Hua Li knew that many strangers had arrived in this area; these people were likely the prospective recruits the organization had mentioned last time.

Ashou wasn't the only one whose safe zone had been occupied; Huali knew of three other locations. However, she didn't know whether the occupation was threatening or cooperative. Huali was unaware that there were outsiders on Neo's side. Huali simply felt that Neo's location was advantageous and contained some highly promising experimental equipment.

Neo has very high standards for experiments, which is well known to many organizations, and many of the advanced features on the equipment can be used as weapons. This is why Hua Li came here. However, after seeing Xi Lin and the other two, Hua Li felt more at ease; having three helpers provided more security.

Neo's face scrunched up like a steamed bun. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Then... we can only use some selectively. You must tell me which instruments you need! Otherwise, they won't activate without my command."

"certainly."

After entering Neo's laboratory, Xilin stopped familiarly in front of a lab bench. Several instruments were placed on the bench. After Neo input the commands, Xilin deftly disassembled some parts of the instruments, making Neo, who was watching nearby, exclaim in surprise, fearing that Xilin would break the instruments.

When Gu Xin and Er Ti saw that Xilin had dismantled several of Neo's precision instruments with just a palm-shaped composite knife, they were both surprised. They hadn't expected this guy to have such a skill!

Gu Xin and Er Ti knew nothing about Xi Lin, and had never even heard of him. If Gu Xin were still in the army, he could definitely find out a lot by investigating Xi Lin, but the problem is that he is not in the army now.

As for Erti, he knew anyone with a bit of a reputation in the underworld, like Ovi, but he had never heard of Xilin.

Using parts salvaged from Neo's experimental equipment, Xilin assembled several simple devices that would allow him to modify the guns in the warehouse. Complex modifications were out of the question, but simple ones would certainly suffice.

An hour later, Xilin tossed a gun to Gu Xin and Er Ti each, then looked at Hua Li and tossed one to him as well, which Hua Li caught.

The bullets have also been improved; Neo had already synthesized a lot of toxins, so there are enough.

"Go try it first. If the poison doesn't work, look for other methods immediately," Xilin said after distributing the bullets.

Sitting idly by and waiting to die is not a good idea. Xilin prefers a well-prepared battle. To fight, one must have a better understanding of the enemy.

It was still snowing outside and the temperature was very low. After putting on a thin protective suit and breathing masks, Xilin and his three companions left Neo's safe zone.

The protective suits are white and also insulate against body heat, preventing the beasts from detecting them through heat. However, wearing the protective suits restricts movement, making them less agile than usual.

Although Neo claimed he wasn't interested in failed experimental subjects like RB13, which was essentially a secondary metabolite, he was still quite concerned about the effects of the toxin on RB13. After Xilin and the others left, Neo went into the laboratory's data processing room.

There are many RB13s, and they are widely distributed when they land. There are three in the area where Xilin is located. The one they are currently tracking is the one that Neo's monitor captured, and it is also the one closest to the safe zone in this forest area.

When the white dot appeared in their field of vision, the four members of Xilin held their breath in unison. The white rat had just finished dealing with a ferocious beast and was gnawing on its flesh.

According to the original plan, Hua Li and Er Ti were responsible for providing cover, while Xi Lin and Gu Xin were responsible for drugging the large white rat. Therefore, Hua Li and Er Ti were not currently armed with guns containing drugs, but rather with other bullets with higher penetrating power.

With the trees providing cover, Xilin and Gu Xin stealthily approached. Watching Xilin's silent, stealthy movement, Er Ti, who was providing cover behind them, had a flicker in his eyes. In terms of stealth ability alone, Xilin was no less capable than Gu Xin, perhaps even superior, yet they didn't recognize him. However, Xilin trusted him so much; one shouldn't easily entrust their back to another.

What Ertie didn't know was that if he pointed his gun at Sirin, he would probably be bitten to death by the gray cat next to him, who was yawning nonchalantly.

Xilin didn't completely trust Erti and Huali, which is why he left the gray cat by their side. If the two made any unusual moves, he would strike directly.

After stealthily reaching the intended location, Xilin gave Gu Xin a hand gesture, a gesture often used in the military. Gu Xin naturally understood what Xilin meant and returned a "ready" gesture.

The two men aimed their guns at the white rat. Xilin had originally aimed at the rat's ear holes, while Gu Xin aimed at its eyes. However, at the moment of firing, the white rat sensed the danger and quickly moved its body. In the end, both bullets hit its torso. However, because the bullets and guns had been reinforced, they broke the skin slightly, allowing the drugs to seep in.

After firing the shot, Xilin immediately left his spot without even looking at where he had hit the rat. The next moment, the rat, its skin torn in two places, darted towards Xilin.

Xilin didn't stop running. Sensing the movement behind him, Xilin dodged the white rat's outstretched claws by sidestepping, then flipped over and kicked the rat in the neck. A white rat's cervical spine is fragile, but that's only true for an ordinary white rat. RB13 is undoubtedly much stronger; Xilin's kick was enough to snap a tree as thick as a person, but the white rat only staggered a few meters to the side after taking the kick.

However, just as the white rat's movements slowed down after being kicked away by Xilin, Gu Xin, Hua Li, and Er Ti all fired shots at the white rat.

Several red spots had appeared on the white rat's body, marks left by bullets piercing its skin. But the large white rat, hit by several bullets, remained ferocious, ignoring the gunmen behind it and relentlessly pursuing Xilin.

Does the poison have no effect?!

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