67. Guiding the Lightning
Fajar kept staring at the mechanical Shantungosaurus standing calmly at the edge of the oasis. Its size—far larger than them—made him swallow hard.
“So… what’s the plan, Ngga?”
Rangga observed the creature for a few more seconds before answering.
“Simple. Same as before. You take the front, I stay behind. I’ll attack first so it focuses on us. Then you try to hold it.”
Fajar turned to him with an uncertain expression.
“You serious? That thing’s huge. I could die.”
“Nah, relax,” Rangga replied with a faint smile. “I trust you, Jar.”
Fajar just stared at him blankly. His expression clearly showed that those words didn’t make him feel any better.
“Fine,” he said, letting out a breath. “I’ll go first. But you attack first, got it?”
“Got it.”
Rangga immediately took his bow off his back and nocked an explosive arrow.
“Move.”
Fajar nodded and began walking toward the oasis. The closer he got, the more intimidating the Shantungosaurus felt. Its legs alone were nearly as tall as a human.
When Fajar reached a safe distance, he glanced back. At that exact moment, Rangga released his arrow.
Siuuut!
The arrow shot straight toward the Shantungosaurus’s neck.
BOOM!
The explosion hit its mark—but just before it touched the surface, a layer of electrical energy suddenly formed around the creature’s neck.
Zrrttt…!
Sparks spread, blocking the explosion. The smoke slowly cleared—there wasn’t even a scratch.
The Shantungosaurus raised its head, letting out a heavy mechanical roar.
Its eyes locked onto Rangga. Along its back, conductor lines began to glow.
Zrrtt…
Zrrrtttt…
Rangga’s eyes widened.
“Get ready, Jar!”
Fajar saw the lightning building across the creature’s back and instinctively raised his shield.
Seconds later, dozens of small lightning bolts shot out in all directions.
ZAAAP!
ZRTTT!
CRAAKK!
Fajar immediately leapt aside to dodge the first strike.
“Ngga! I can’t block this! It shocks!”
Rangga had already rolled behind a small rock to avoid another strike.
“I know!”
Lightning kept striking the sand around them, leaving scorched marks with every hit.
There was no other choice.
Rangga and Fajar could only run around the Shantungosaurus, constantly dodging the barrage while waiting for it to stop.
The creature continued releasing electricity in all directions. They kept circling the oasis, occasionally rolling to avoid bolts crashing into the sand behind them. Several strikes nearly hit them, but gradually, the intensity began to drop. The glow along its back dimmed until it finally disappeared.
Rangga, who had been watching closely, noticed it immediately.
“Now!”
He drew his bow fully.
Swiiit!
An explosive arrow shot straight into the Shantungosaurus’s chest.
BOOM!
This time, no electric layer appeared. The explosion struck directly, sending metal fragments flying.
Rangga shouted.
“Jar! Hit its legs! Make it fall!”
Fajar nodded firmly.
“Got it!”
He sprinted toward the Shantungosaurus. A few steps before reaching it, he spun his body to build momentum. The hammer in his hand followed the motion.
“WOOOII!”
DUUUANG!
The hammer slammed into one of the creature’s front legs.
A loud cracking sound rang out. The leg dented, and some joints broke—but the massive body still stood.
“Not down yet!” Fajar shouted.
“Move!”
Rangga had already drawn three arrows at once, aiming at the other front leg.
Swiit! Swiit! Swiit!
All three explosive arrows hit almost simultaneously.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The consecutive blasts destroyed the other leg’s joints.
The Shantungosaurus lost its balance.
Its massive body tilted—
BRUUUK!
—and crashed to the ground, sending sand and dust flying everywhere.
“Now! Go!” Rangga shouted.
Without giving it any chance to recover, they charged.
Rangga kept firing explosive arrows at its body and neck.
Meanwhile, Fajar ran around the fallen giant, smashing its legs and head repeatedly with his hammer.
Explosions and heavy impacts echoed throughout the oasis.
The Shantungosaurus twitched a few times, but its energy system hadn’t recovered yet. It could no longer release electricity to defend itself.
Moments later, the massive mechanical body finally stopped moving.
A golden glow slowly covered it before turning into particles of light that drifted away with the desert wind.
On the sand, several materials dropped one by one:
Heat Regulator, Conductive Coil, and Capacitor Module.
Fajar wiped the sweat from his forehead while staring at the loot.
“Damn… finally went down.”
Rangga grinned in satisfaction.
“Nice… finally got what I was looking for.”
Fajar was still observing the materials when Rangga finished storing them.
“Jar,” Rangga called, patting his shoulder. “Let’s hunt this thing again.”
Fajar turned.
“For what?”
“The drops are important.”
Rangga pointed at the Heat Regulator.
“This’ll definitely be useful for upgrades. We’ll take turns with the loot. That one was mine, next one’s yours.”
Fajar raised an eyebrow.
“You seriously want to hunt that again?”
“Yeah.” Rangga nodded confidently. “I’ve got another idea.”
Fajar shook his head.
“What now? Don’t tell me I have to go first again. That lightning can’t be blocked.”
Rangga just smiled without answering. Then he gestured.
“Come on. Follow me.”
They walked along the edge of the oasis, searching for another Shantungosaurus. A creature that big wasn’t hard to find. Within minutes, another massive silhouette stood in the distance, absorbing sunlight in the open desert.
Rangga stopped at a safe distance.
He opened his inventory and took out five javelins and ten regular arrows.
One by one, he stuck them into the sand in irregular positions, forming a small area in front of them.
Fajar watched with a confused expression.
“What are you doing?”
Rangga planted the last javelin, then stood up, brushing sand off his hands.
“We’re testing my idea.” He turned with a grin. “Ready?”
Fajar looked at the scattered javelins and arrows, then at the Shantungosaurus.
He shook his head firmly.
“No.”
Rangga took a regular arrow and nocked it.
“Watch closely.”
He released it.
Swiit!
The arrow hit the creature’s body without doing any real damage—but it was enough to get its attention.
A mechanical roar echoed again.
GROOOONK…
The conductor lines along its back lit up.
Zrrtt…
Zrrrtttt…
Rangga immediately pulled Fajar back a few steps.
“Ready. Run!”
The next second, lightning shot toward them—but this time, something changed.
The bolt that had been heading straight for Rangga suddenly veered off.
ZRAAK!
It struck one of the javelins stuck in the sand.
From there, the electricity flowed into a nearby metal arrow.
Zrrtt!
Then jumped to the next javelin.
Rangga kept running around the area, deliberately positioning himself so the lightning would always pass through the metal objects he had planted.
The electricity kept jumping from one piece of metal to another before finally dispersing into the sand.
Rangga burst out laughing.
“There! It works, right?!”
Fajar, still running, grinned.
“Yeah! Just like real lightning!”
They continued circling the area. This time, they weren’t fully trying to avoid the strikes.
Instead, they deliberately guided the attack paths so the lightning would hit the planted metal objects.
Each time it struck metal, the electricity was redirected into the ground, reducing its destructive power before it could reach them.
Fajar glanced at Rangga while running.
“Damn… how did you even think of that?”
Rangga chuckled.
“Middle school science finally paid off.”