99. Ankylosaurus vs Ankylosaurus
They resumed mining.
The eight Pioneers worked together around the Vanadium Vein until the entire mineral vein was depleted. After making sure the resources had been added to their respective inventories, they continued their journey.
After walking for a while, Rangga looked back at the Mechanical Ankylosaurus that was still following them.
"Just ride it."
Fajar turned toward him.
"Why?"
"I'm tired of walking."
Fajar nodded.
"Fair enough."
They climbed onto the Ankylosaurus's back again and continued their journey. The creature's massive body made crossing the savannah much easier than traveling on foot.
Fajar, sitting toward the back, watched the Ankylosaurus for a while.
"Bang."
Rangga turned around.
"What?"
"Can we bring this thing to our private island?"
Rangga looked over the Ankylosaurus's enormous body.
"How would I know?"
Fajar pointed toward the distant sea.
"We can take it on the ship."
Rangga shook his head.
"I'm not sure our ship is big enough to carry this thing."
Deri joined the conversation.
"What if it isn't?"
Rangga shrugged.
"Guess we'll see."
Fajar nodded, though he still looked curious.
"It'd be a shame if we couldn't bring it."
Rangga turned back toward the front.
"Just enjoy it while we can."
The Ankylosaurus continued walking, carrying them across the savannah.
Some time later, they crossed paths with a group of Pioneers from another nation. The group immediately stopped when they saw them.
Rangga simply raised one hand.
"Hi."
He waved casually. Meanwhile, the Pioneers they passed by became much more excited.
"HEY!"
"THAT'S AN ANKYLOSAURUS!"
"THEY'RE RIDING A MONSTER!"
One of them immediately opened global chat.
Pioneer: "I JUST SAW GARUDA PIONEERS RIDING AN ANKYLOSAURUS."
Replies immediately appeared.
Another Pioneer: "What?"
Pioneer: "Seriously."
Another Pioneer: "No way."
Pioneer: "I SAW IT MYSELF!"
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Another Pioneer: "You're definitely joking."
Pioneer: "I SWEAR."
Another Pioneer: "Isn't that monster practically impossible to fight?"
Pioneer: "THAT'S WHY I'M TELLING YOU THEY WERE RIDING IT."
An argument immediately filled the global chat.
Meanwhile, Rangga and his group didn't stop. They continued traversing the savannah on the Ankylosaurus while the group they had passed was still busy convincing the other Pioneers that what they had seen was real.
They continued their journey back. After a while, Rangga suddenly looked at the Ankylosaurus they were riding.
"Hey."
Fajar turned around.
"What is it, Bang?"
Rangga pointed at the creature carrying them.
"Can this thing fight?"
Deri also turned toward him.
"What do you mean?"
"If we run into another Ankylosaurus guarding vanadium, let's just let this one fight it."
Rangga thought for a moment.
"That way, Major and Fajar won't have to hold it off from the front."
Fajar immediately looked excited.
"Seriously?"
Rangga nodded.
"Yeah. Let's see what it can do."
Fajar immediately leaned back comfortably.
"Well, in that case, I'm in."
Deri smiled faintly.
"Could be worth trying. As long as we keep an eye on things."
The other Pioneers also nodded and Rangga turned back toward the front.
"If we find vanadium and there's an Ankylosaurus guarding it, we'll give it a try."
They continued their journey.
They passed through several areas of the savannah. Occasionally, they got down to inspect resources they found along the way, then climbed back onto the Ankylosaurus and ventured farther into the island.
After moving between several locations, they finally found what they were looking for.
Among the rocks ahead, they spotted a dark-colored mineral vein with a distinctive metallic glimmer.
Rangga immediately recognized it.
"Vanadium."
The Ankylosaurus they were riding stopped not far away. They all began preparing to dismount.
Rangga got off the Ankylosaurus first. The other Pioneers followed and took positions behind him.
Rangga patted the side of the mechanical creature.
"Go."
The Ankylosaurus immediately moved forward, and Major Deri quickly took command.
"Get ready."
He pointed toward several positions.
"Don't get too close. Let's see how they fight first."
Rangga's Ankylosaurus continued walking toward the Vanadium Vein.
Not far away, another Ankylosaurus was standing among the rocks. The moment it saw its counterpart approaching, its head immediately rose.
Its body lowered, its feet dug firmly into the ground, and its metal club tail lifted to the side.
Rangga noticed the change in its behavior.
"It thinks we're a threat."
Rangga's Ankylosaurus also began lowering its body and Deri immediately gave the order.
"Everyone stay where you are."
The two mechanical creatures moved closer, and then—
BRAAAK!
The wild Ankylosaurus's clubbed tail slammed into the side of Rangga's Ankylosaurus.
The creature's body was pushed sideways, but it immediately retaliated.
BRAK!
Its own tail slammed into the wild Ankylosaurus's body, and the two creatures backed away from each other again. For several seconds, they simply faced one another before charging again.
BRAAAK!
Tail met body.
BRAK!
A counterattack came from the opposite direction.
As Rangga watched the battle, he began to notice something.
"Their armor..."
One of the next impacts caused the protective armor on the wild Ankylosaurus's side to crack.
KRAK!
A piece of armor broke off, and Fajar's eyes widened.
"It's damaged?"
Deri nodded.
"That means their attacks can damage the armor."
The wild Ankylosaurus struck its opponent again.
BRAK!
This time, a section of Rangga's Ankylosaurus's armor was damaged as well.
Rangga immediately noticed the exposed gap.
"Whoa... That's crazy..."
Deri quickly made a decision.
"Don't attack the intact sections."
He pointed toward the Pioneers.
"Focus on the damaged gaps in its armor!"
The Pioneers immediately moved.
"Yes!"
They began attacking from a safe distance. Arrows flew toward the exposed gaps in the wild Ankylosaurus's armor.
Twang!
TANG!
One arrow pierced the opening, and another Pioneer threw his javelin.
JLEB!
The next attack struck the same spot again, but the wild Ankylosaurus immediately retaliated.
BRAAAK!
Its clubbed tail slammed into Rangga's Ankylosaurus, forcing it backward.
Rangga immediately shouted.
"Don't hit ours!"
Deri raised his sword.
"Keep attacking the gap!"
The Pioneers attacked again.
Twang!
Jleb!
Twang!
Their attacks struck the damaged section of armor one after another.
The wild Ankylosaurus roared and stepped backward several paces. However, Rangga's Ankylosaurus had also suffered damage along its side.
Fajar noticed it.
"Bang, ours got hit too!"
Rangga nodded.
"Leave it..."
He watched as the two creatures faced each other again.
"As long as it doesn't go down."
The wild Ankylosaurus charged again, and Rangga's Ankylosaurus moved forward to meet it.
BRAK!
The clubs collided again, forcing both creatures backward before they charged once more.
BRAK!
BRAAAK!
With every collision, their armor cracked further. Several pieces of protective plating began breaking away from the bodies of both Ankylosauruses.
Deri continued watching carefully.
"Don't rush!"
"As soon as an opening appears, attack!"
Rangga drew his bow.
He waited until the wild Ankylosaurus lost its balance again after taking another hit.
"Now!"
The Pioneers released their attacks simultaneously.
Twang!
Twang!
JLEB!
The attacks struck deep into the exposed gap in its armor.
The wild Ankylosaurus staggered backward several steps. However, Rangga's Ankylosaurus also retreated, with one section of its armor already badly damaged.
Rangga stared at the two creatures as the battle remained unfinished. But now they had learned something far more important.
Ankylosaurus armor was indeed extremely strong against ordinary attacks, but impacts from another Ankylosaurus could open gaps that could then be exploited.