79. I Just Shot a Person
It didn't take long for the three of them to find another Mechanical Baryonyx.
This time, they weren't surprised when the massive creature emerged from behind the trees and charged straight through the shallow pools of swamp water.
Mayor Deri immediately took the lead.
“Mas Rangga!”
“Ready, Mayor!”
Rangga moved wide to the side while drawing his bow, while Andre immediately kept his distance behind them and raised his crossbow.
The Baryonyx charged at Deri with its long snout.
CLANG!
Deri angled his shield as he absorbed the impact. His body was pushed backward across the mud, but the attack was successfully deflected to the side.
“Now!”
Thwip! Thwip!
Two of Rangga's arrows struck the Baryonyx, provoking one of its hooked claws into motion.
Andre immediately took aim, but his hands were still trembling slightly.
Thak!
His first bolt missed and struck the water.
“Damn it!”
“Just reload!” Rangga shouted. “Don't rush!”
Andre immediately loaded another bolt.
Meanwhile, the Baryonyx attacked again. Its massive claw swung toward Mayor Deri, but this time Deri already knew what to do. He raised his shield to receive the hook, then immediately backed away when the mechanism was slow to return.
Rangga released another arrow.
Thwip!
The arrow struck the joint of its arm.
“Ndre! Right!”
Andre raised his crossbow.
Thak!
Another miss.
“AH, DAMMIT!”
The Baryonyx went berserk and charged at Rangga. Rangga ran around a tree, causing the creature's long snout to slam into the trunk.
CRASH!
“Now, Mayor!”
Mayor Deri moved in from the side and slashed at the joint of its leg.
CLANG!
The Baryonyx spun wildly, and Andre took aim again. This time, he didn't freeze.
Although his breathing was still heavy and his aim wasn't steady yet, his eyes remained locked on the creature's movements.
“Hold still for once, damn it...”
He waited until the Baryonyx moved its claw to deflect another of Rangga's arrows.
The mechanism opened.
Thak!
The bolt flew.
CRACK!
This time, it struck the arm joint.
“THERE!”
Andre immediately grinned, and Rangga glanced at him.
“See? You can do it!”
The battle continued.
Most of Andre's shots still missed or merely struck the Baryonyx's outer armor, but he no longer stood frozen like before. After every shot, he immediately reloaded his crossbow and searched for the next opening.
Little by little, both of the Baryonyx's arms were damaged. Its chest plates opened again.
“The core!”
Rangga immediately drew an explosive arrow, and Andre raised his crossbow as well. Both fired almost simultaneously.
Thwip!
Thak!
Andre's bolt struck the side of its chest, while Rangga's arrow flew straight into the exposed core.
BOOM!
The Baryonyx convulsed violently before its massive body collapsed into the swamp.
A few seconds later, the creature transformed into light and left several pieces of loot floating among the muddy water.
Rangga immediately let out a relieved breath.
“Now that's more like it.”
Andre lowered his crossbow.
“I still missed a lot, Bang.”
“The important thing is that you actually shot.”
Rangga walked over to collect the loot.
“Better than just standing there staring blankly like before.”
Andre gave an embarrassed grin.
“It was my first time, Bang.”
Mayor Deri wiped the mud from his shield.
“At least you understand its attack pattern now.”
“Yeah, Mayor.”
Andre nodded.
“If we run into another one, I should be better prepared.”
Not far away, David was still watching. The second battle only strengthened his conclusion.
They were adapting.
The man with the crossbow clearly had little experience fighting something as large as a Baryonyx, but his two companions hadn't abandoned him or simply ordered him to stay hidden.
Instead, they deliberately gave him room to fight and learn. David watched the archer collect the loot. He wanted to hear their conversation.
From this distance, only their shouts during battle could be heard clearly. Their normal conversation was too faint to understand, while approaching any closer in his current position risked exposing himself.
David lowered his gaze toward the muddy water beneath his feet.
An idea came to him.
He crouched down and scooped up some swamp mud, then smeared it over his clothes, arms, and other exposed areas of his body.
The previously conspicuous color of his clothing gradually blended with the wet earth, tree trunks, and surrounding swamp.
Old habits kicked in automatically.
Reduce his silhouette. Use the vegetation. Don't move when the target is looking in his direction.
David then began moving slowly, going from one tree trunk to another.
He always waited whenever one of the three men turned around, then moved again when their attention was elsewhere.
The distance of several dozen meters slowly decreased.
David finally stopped behind the massive roots of a fallen tree. He lowered his body among the swamp vegetation, leaving only a small gap through which he could observe the three men.
Now he could see their equipment much more clearly.
Armor. Weapons. Even the way they divided their loot. More importantly, from this distance, he could finally hear their conversation without revealing his presence.
David remained motionless in his camouflage.
He wanted to find out who they were first before deciding whether to make contact.
After collecting the second Baryonyx's loot, the three continued their journey.
This time, Andre looked far more prepared. His crossbow remained in his hands, and every few steps he scanned the trees and the swamp surface around them.
It wasn't long before they found another Baryonyx near a deeper pool.
The battle began immediately.
“Mayor, left!”
Mayor Deri moved before the Baryonyx could complete its charge. His shield received the attack from the side and deflected it, while Rangga had already released an arrow toward one of the creature's arms.
Thwip!
The Baryonyx's hooked claw moved to deflect it.
“Ndre!”
Andre was ready.
Thak!
The bolt struck the arm joint.
“Whoa! I got it!”
“Don't celebrate yet. Reload!”
“Yeah, Bang!”
Andre immediately reloaded his crossbow. From his hiding place, David watched the entire battle closely.
The difference was obvious. They were much more organized than during the previous fight.
The man with the sword and shield controlled the Baryonyx's attention.
The man with the bow baited its defensive mechanism while giving instructions.
Meanwhile, the crossbow user waited for an opportunity to deliver a stronger attack.
There was no more panic. Even the man who had repeatedly missed was beginning to adjust the timing of his shots.
“Move its hand again!”
“I see it, Bang!”
Thak!
CRACK!
The bolt pierced the second arm joint.
The Baryonyx roared and attempted to charge Mayor Deri, but the attack was deflected by his shield.
Rangga immediately moved to the side and fired an explosive arrow at the part of its body that was beginning to open.
BOOM!
Its chest plate shifted.
“It’s open!”
Andre immediately raised his crossbow.
“Should I fire?”
“Go!”
Thak!
The bolt struck its chest, followed by Rangga's explosive arrow.
Thwip!
BOOM!
The Baryonyx convulsed before finally collapsing into the swamp and transforming into light.
Andre immediately raised his crossbow proudly.
“There!”
“How about that? I'm pretty good now.”
Rangga stared at him flatly.
“You've only fought it three times.”
“Three times is enough.”
Mayor Deri smiled faintly as he lowered his shield.
“At least you're much better.”
Andre immediately pointed at Mayor Deri.
“See? Even the Mayor said so.”
“He said you're much better, not that you're good.”
Rangga walked over to collect the loot.
“There's a difference.”
“Asshole.”
David heard everything.
From the small conversations he had overheard while following them, he was gathering more and more information.
The three clearly knew each other and were accustomed to working together.
The man with the bow seemed to have the most exploration experience, while the man with the shield had the most refined combat skills.
There was also the way they spoke. The language they used sounded unfamiliar to David. He couldn't fully understand it, but one particular title had been repeated several times.
Mayor.
David narrowed his eyes.
Military rank?
The information became even more interesting. After the loot was collected, the three continued moving. David waited for a while before following from a safe distance.
He moved behind the large roots of a tree, lowering his body among the mud and swamp vegetation.
Ahead, Rangga and Mayor Deri continued walking.
Andre remained at the rear. Andre, who was scanning the surface of the swamp, suddenly stopped.
His eyes caught something.
Among the roots of a tree several dozen meters behind them was a dark shape, partially covered in mud.
Low and motionless.
Andre narrowed his eyes.
“Eh...”
Rangga and Mayor Deri continued walking without noticing it. Andre looked at the shape again. He remembered their previous hunts.
Simosuchus.
The vegetarian crocodile that always hid by camouflaging its body in the swamp.
Andre immediately grinned.
“Got you.”
He slowly raised his crossbow. David had no idea he was being targeted. His attention remained focused on the two men ahead, who were talking.
Andre held his breath, aimed at the visible part of the body behind the roots, and pulled the trigger.
THAK!
The bolt flew.
CRACK!
“ARGH!”
A human scream echoed through the trees.
Rangga stopped, Mayor Deri turned around instantly and David rose from his hiding place while clutching his leg.
A bolt was embedded in the outside of his calf, piercing through his clothing as blood began to flow.
“FUCK!”
Andre froze, his crossbow still raised.
“Huh?”
Rangga immediately drew his bow.
Mayor Deri moved even faster. His shield came up and his sword was pointed directly toward the source of the sound.
“Ready!”
Rangga nocked an arrow while moving sideways to find a clear angle.
“What the hell is that?!”
David, grimacing in pain, raised his head. For the first time, their eyes met directly.
Rangga froze and Mayor Deri immediately realized something was wrong as well.
The muddy creature Andre had just shot was wearing clothes—and had just cursed in human language.
Andre slowly lowered his crossbow, his face turning pale.
“Damn...”
He hesitantly pointed toward David.
“Bang... I think...”
Rangga kept his bow trained on the stranger.
“You think what?”
Andre swallowed hard.
“I think... I just shot a person.”
David clutched his wounded leg while glaring at them. Rangga slowly turned toward Andre.
“YOU SAID YOU WERE GOOD NOW?!”