The pickaxe wound wasn't enough to kill the man outright. Twisting his face in agony, he swung his fist again, determined to murder the insolent boy who dared to challenge him!
Soren yanked the pickaxe out and swung it again. A sense of control flowed through his hands. Lowering his arm, he aimed the pickaxe directly at the man's incoming fist and brought it down hard.
"Crack—"
Metal met flesh in an instant. The pickaxe tore through the man's skin, exposing pale bone beneath before shattering it. Blood sprayed from the severed vessels in his arm.
"You're dead!"
The man's face contorted further with rage. He couldn't believe the boy he'd been toying with moments ago had now seriously wounded him twice. Refusing to accept defeat, he raised his remaining hand in a desperate last attempt.
The pickaxe swung again. Before the man's fist could reach Soren, the pickaxe had already connected with his other arm. The sound of the blade slicing through skin echoed in the air, followed by cracking bone and spurting blood. The second arm fell useless.
"I'll kill you!" The loss of both arms hadn't brought the man to his senses. With only six points of intelligence, all he could do was roar and charge forward again.
"Thud—"
"I—"
"Thud!"
The man's continuous roars were met only with Soren's mechanical attacks. After several more strikes, the man collapsed to the ground, and Soren's pickaxe dripped crimson.
[Target eliminated, gained 150 experience points]
[Host level increased, current level: 1]
[Gained 3 base points, available for random allocation]
[Gained 1 skill point]
The mechanical voice echoed in his mind, but Soren showed no reaction. He slumped to the ground, staring at the corpse in silence.
He hadn't intended to kill anyone, but the man's frenzy had forced his hand. That first strike with the pickaxe had been nothing more than desperate self-defense. The man had asked about his coal mining technique. What could he say? That it was a skill granted by the System? That was obviously not something he could share!
And if the man couldn't get what he wanted, Soren's only fate would have been another attack, possibly ending in his own death. Maybe not, but Soren wasn't willing to gamble. Between someone else's death and his own survival, Soren preferred the latter.
Having come to terms with this, Soren cast Prime Restoration, healing his injured body slightly. Rising from the ground, he dragged the man's body toward a river channel deeper in the cave. After disposing of the corpse in the water, he returned to the pit, exhausted.
…
Under the scorching sun, the beast-mule breathed heavily. Even this heat-resistant creature couldn't withstand the humid heat for long. By contrast, the group of people beside the beast-mule was much quieter. They wore identical black bodysuits and carried standard rifles, with some wielding homemade sniper rifles and shotguns.
"Sergeant, report the coordinates again."
At the front of the squad, the lieutenant stopped, his polished black boots barely touching the ground. A sergeant-looking man quickly stepped forward.
"One kilometer ahead, sir. Five minutes on foot."
"Then let's move. Traveling this far for one mission is hardly worth it." With an impatient grimace, the lieutenant's boots led the way forward.
"Sir, perhaps we should wait. Sergeant Lynch went ahead to scout. I think we should wait for his return before proceeding."
The sergeant's rugged face showed hesitation, clearly believing the lieutenant's approach was too impulsive.
"Wait for what? It's just an extraction zone with a handful of guards. I doubt there's even a single ability-enhanced person there." With a dismissive shake of his head, the lieutenant strode forward determinedly, his gleaming boots kicking up dust from the soil.
…
At Extraction Zone T1193, Harry paced impatiently across the plaza. His twitching eyelid warned him that today might bring trouble.
"Sir, there's a group outside the zone. They say they've lost something in our area and want to come in and look for it," a guard reported hastily, head bowed.
"Let them look then. Why are you bothering me with this?" Harry's impatience grew as he waved the guard away.
"But they're all armed, sir. And their weapons are much better than ours."
"Tell them this is our territory and we don't have whatever they're looking for."
"They're being very insistent, sir. They demand entry."
"Bang—"
The guard's words were cut short by the sound of a bullet leaving a barrel. Clearly, the group searching for their "lost item" had decided to take action.
"Get everyone from the mine shaft out here to defend!" Harry's face darkened as he spat on the ground, obviously displeased with the situation.
"Sir, you know those people in the pit only respond to food. They rarely listen to us," the guard replied, looking troubled.
"Give them food then. Tell them anyone who comes out gets two kilograms of canned food. Those who don't show up won't be allowed to work here anymore!" Harry snorted coldly. He had plenty of ways to deal with these wretches.
"Yes, sir."
With his instructions received, the guard ran quickly toward the front of the extraction zone.
Meanwhile, Harry sprinted in the opposite direction, toward the south side of the zone where a small cabin served as his quarters.
After receiving the guard's announcement, crowds from the extraction zone swarmed outside. The promise of two kilograms of food was enough to make them reckless.
At the front of the extraction zone, the lieutenant's squad faced off tensely with the zone's guards. The guard captain watched them coolly. The opposing force had tried to force their way in, and if he hadn't fired a warning shot, they would have already breached the perimeter.
"Two kilograms of food!"
"Two whole kilograms!"
While the standoff continued, hundreds of workers emerged from the extraction zone, chattering loudly, completely unaware of what awaited them. They had been lured out solely by the promise of food.
"Sir, I've assessed the situation. There are only ten guards in the extraction zone, and the person in charge is just some fat guy," the reconnaissance sergeant finally returned, quickly reporting his findings to the lieutenant.
"Only ten guards?"
"Yes, sir."
With the sergeant's confirmation, the lieutenant raised his rifle, released the safety, and pulled the trigger.
"Bang—"
The bullet burst from the chamber, hot air trailing behind it as it flew toward the extraction zone guard.