ctnovel Chapter 26 Cortia's First Battle
Chapter 26 Cortia's First Battle
After advancing a certain distance, Jiang Yong stopped halfway up the hill, deciding not to go any closer for the time being.
Generally speaking, an expert-level unit responsible for guarding the base would definitely be accompanied by a Pokémon skilled in detection, similar to the previous "Umbrella-Winged Hunter Bat." Moreover, this guy was clearly more militarily astute, refraining from casual conversation and revealing his private information on the radio, leaving Jiang Yong somewhat unsure of his true capabilities.
However, this is not difficult to deal with—although the repeater radio itself has such a high power that even a brick can't cover it, isn't it easy to bully those few small outposts that communicate with the radio?
Communication with the radio station can only be heard by the station itself; the sentry posts cannot communicate directly with each other. This is the disadvantage of the repeater radio mode.
So he held his breath and listened intently to the messages on the channel, silently counting down the moments when the opportunity would arise.
"...No abnormalities at sentry post number two."
"No abnormalities found at sentry post number three"
"This is the radio station, no issues reported."
"Number four..."
It's now!
The simultaneous transmission of interference from multiple frequency bands instantly isolated this relay station, turning it into an information island!
"...No abnormalities at post number four."
"No abnormalities reported at post number five."
……
Apart from the slightly louder hissing noise at the bottom, everything else remained unchanged.
So, there are about three minutes left before the next radio report on his status. Jiang Yong silently set a countdown.
Success or failure hinges on this!
"...An anomaly detected at sentry post number three. A group of people is rapidly approaching; their numbers and identities are unknown. They show no intention of stopping. Requesting instructions!"
Jiang Yong was unaware of the standard format of their conversation, so this instruction was not standard and was likely to arouse suspicion, but that was not important.
Importantly, the radio station was located between Jiangyong and the No. 3 outpost. This means that if the radio operators intended to observe that location, they would inevitably have to spend a short period of time with their backs to Jiangyong!
To be on the safe side, Jiang Yong went on to describe a whole host of unclear and ambiguous information. He simply couldn't believe that the expert monitoring the radio wouldn't switch the detection route!
The instant Jiang Yong clicked to send the message on the interstellar terminal, he suddenly accelerated, rushing straight towards the radio station, sacrificing some stealth in his attempt to close the distance as quickly as possible. At the same time, Kotia's figure quietly materialized beside him, her internal energy circulation beginning to operate frantically!
"Energy overload!" "Energy overload!" "Energy overload!"
Double attack power stacks up like crazy!
With a physical enhancement of nearly forty points, he traversed a hundred meters in just a few seconds, and through the gaps in the mountain forest, he could vaguely see the situation on the other end of the radio station.
A flat area had been cleared from the trees and bushes on the mountaintop to set up the heavy equipment. Of the two people shown in the scan, one was squatting under a towering antenna, adjusting something, while the other stood on the mountainside with his back to Jiang Yong, his body radiating a blazing aura, and a huge spirit resembling a python coiled around him.
This is the expert-level person in charge of detection.
Now that the goal is confirmed, the rest is easy!
Attack +4, Special Attack +4
"Prediction"!
The burning flames on Jiang Yong's body surged into the stabilizer in his left arm, transforming into a nearly solidified white pillar of fire that flowed into Cortia's body, causing it to instantly glow crimson, the heat emanating from its crevices distorting the air. Simultaneously, guided by "prediction," everything before Jiang Yong became crystal clear. Every detail of the target—every sway of a strand of hair, every movement of a corner—became fragments of information, instantly piecing together a complete trajectory in his mind.
[You used the skill "Prediction"! Checking... Check successful!]
Your next attack will be guaranteed to hit!
"Burning rays!"
A thick, blazing red beam of light shot straight forward. The expert seemed to sense something, his aura surging as if he wanted to do something, but it was too late.
Amplified by the stabilizer, inheriting 40% of Jiang Yong's attributes, and with a guaranteed hit effect, the scorching ray instantly tore through the air and struck the python-shaped spirit's head before anyone could react!
-296!
The python spirit instantly vanished in a flash of white light!
"Wow, that's so tall?"
Jiang Yong was startled by the damage he had dealt. The stabilizer was undeniably effective; his very first battle after equipping it broke his previous record for highest damage output, and he was only using a level 15 Cortia!
He wasn't surprised to achieve a one-hit kill, since the battle panel showed that the expert-level strength was only equivalent to 1.2 to 1.5 shopkeepers, which was no challenge for Jiang Yong, who was level 15. Moreover, he had stacked four layers of enhancement beforehand to launch a sneak attack.
"But speaking of which, why have I been getting one-shotted in my last few battles, even though everyone's skill level was about the same in the previous ones..."
A slight surprise did not affect his actions. The instant the attack hit the enemy Pokémon, Jiang Yong abruptly manipulated Cortia to turn its direction, allowing the incredibly powerful scorching ray to sweep across like a laser blade before dissipating, severing the radio's antenna without hindrance and causing the entire radio station to be melted and pierced through by a terrifying hole.
A single, scorching ray can eliminate two targets simultaneously.
You have defeated the level 17 "Tracking Rattlesnake" and gained 1030 experience points!
In the distance, the expert-level expert, severely injured by the death of the fused spirit, had blood trickling from the corner of his mouth; the person who had been adjusting the antenna collapsed to the ground. The two seemed to only then realize what had attacked them, looking in horror towards the direction from which the deadly red light had originated—
A figure enveloped in white flames slowly approached, his face covered by a haphazard band of rough strips of cloth, revealing only a pair of cold, sharp eyes through the gaps. The mere sight of his gaze sent chills down one's spine, making it impossible to imagine what terrifying face lay hidden beneath those strips of cloth.
Jiang Yong was worried about being exposed and didn't want to show his face, so he just took a piece of cloth from his belt and wrapped it around his neck a few times.
"I ask, you answer."
A muffled voice came through the strip of cloth: "Don't try anything funny. If you want to live."
……
A moment later, Jiang Yong knocked the two men unconscious with two karate chops, managing to spare their lives as promised. Killing them wouldn't yield much experience, so it was better to accumulate credits, making it easier to interrogate people from Tiandu City later.
He thought the previous image with the white cloth wrapped around his face was quite good and memorable, so he could continue using it in the future. Perhaps using it enough times would even earn him some faction reputation in Tiandu City.
But I feel like I've forgotten something again, oh well, it probably isn't important.
While processing the information gleaned from the interrogation, Jiang Yong took out his interstellar terminal and checked the countdown he had set earlier—just a few dozen seconds left. The previous battle, including the interrogation, had taken a little over two minutes in total.
He stood there, silently waiting for the countdown to end, and then turned on his communication device.
"...This is the radio station, no abnormalities reported."