Global Pioener: Earth Second Chance

They continued deeper into the Swamp Island. This time, there was no more discussion about David. Their focus returned to their main objective: collecting as many Bio Filtration Membranes as Rangga needed while gathering every resource they came across along the way.

Not long after, Major Deri, who was at the front, raised his hand.

“Rangga.”

Rangga immediately stopped.

“What is it, Major?”

Deri pointed toward a large pool between the trees.

“Is that what we’re looking for?”

The surface of the water rippled slowly. A Mechanical Baryonyx emerged from behind the trees, its massive body immediately coming into view.

Rangga grinned as he took out his bow.

“Well... Looks like dinner came to us.”

Andre immediately backed away a few steps and readied his crossbow.

“I’ll stay back.”

“Good. Finally, you’re learning.”

“Asshole.”

The Baryonyx let out a mechanical screech and charged immediately.

This time, the three of them were no longer as disorganized as they had been during their first encounter.

Major Deri drew the creature’s attention from the front. Rangga kept moving from the side, trying to bait its grappling mechanism, while Andre maintained his distance and waited for an opening.

“Move!”

Rangga’s arrow shot toward its arm, but the Baryonyx’s claw immediately knocked it aside.

“Dre!”

Thak!

The crossbow bolt struck its joint.

“THERE!”

Andre immediately reloaded.

“I hit it again!”

“Don’t celebrate, idiot! Reload!”

The battle was much shorter than the previous one. Once both mechanical arm mechanisms were destroyed and the Baryonyx’s chest plating opened, Rangga and Andre’s attacks struck its energy core, causing the creature to collapse and dissolve into light.

They collected the loot and continued onward.

Their journey was occasionally interrupted when they discovered other resources. Rangga found more Blood Moss growing at the bases of several trees, while Major Deri recognized cinchona trees along their route.

Andre had his own priorities.

“Rice!”

Rangga turned around, only to see Andre already veering off the path.

“Dre, we’re hunting Baryonyx!”

“Hang on, bro! There’s a lot here!”

“Seriously...”

Major Deri merely smiled as he watched Andre busy himself harvesting swamp rice, eventually waiting for him to finish.

They also found several Simosuchus hiding along the way.

After learning how the creatures behaved, hunting them no longer even felt like a fight.

“The one on the right, Dre.”

“Where?”

“That thing.”

Andre took aim.

“This one?”

“No, dumbass. That’s an actual log.”

Major Deri pointed at another object several meters away.

“I think it’s that one.”

Rangga watched for a moment.

“Yep, that’s it.”

Thak!

The Simosuchus immediately sprang up and tried to flee.

“THERE IT GOES!”

“I need to reload, bro!”

Rangga laughed as he chased it with his bow. The longer they remained in the swamp, the more naturally their teamwork developed.

When they encountered another Baryonyx, there was almost no need for lengthy instructions.

Major Deri immediately moved in. Rangga took the side. Andre backed away and found a position with a clear line of sight.

CLANG!

The first attack was deflected by the shield.

Thud!

The claws moved.

Thak!

The bolt struck the joint.

“Nice!”

The Baryonyx spun toward Rangga, but Major Deri stepped in again to draw its attention.

Andre waited, and the moment its chest opened—

Thak!

The bolt struck first, followed moments later by Rangga’s explosive arrow.

BOOM!

The creature dissolved into light.

The hunt continued, following an increasingly polished pattern. Not everything went perfectly. Andre still missed several shots, Rangga nearly slipped while dodging a charge, and Major Deri was once struck hard enough on his shield to be pushed several meters backward.

But no one was sent flying into a tree anymore. No one froze in fear.

With every battle, they understood the Baryonyx’s patterns better.

Then, after finishing another hunt, Rangga picked up the Bio Filtration Membrane that had dropped and opened his inventory.

He counted for a moment, then smiled broadly.

“That’s it.”

Major Deri, who was cleaning his sword, looked over.

“Enough?”

“Enough, Major.”

Rangga showed him the amount they had collected.

“Twenty.”

Andre immediately let out a relieved breath.

“Nice... I’m exhausted, bro...”

He lowered his crossbow.

“I thought you were going to say we needed to find forty while we were at it.”

Rangga thought for a moment.

“Actually, if we—”

“No.”

Andre immediately cut him off.

“We’re going home.”

Rangga laughed.

“Alright, alright.”

Major Deri looked around before checking their supplies. All three of their inventories were already quite full from the hunts and various swamp resources.

“We should head back.”

“Yeah, Major.”

Rangga looked toward the deeper parts of the swamp.

“We got what we came for.”

They finally turned around and headed toward the beach.

They still took advantage of the journey back to gather Blood Moss, cinchona bark, and swamp rice growing near their path, but the three of them no longer deliberately sought out fights. They still hunted any Simosuchus they happened to encounter, but anything requiring them to stray too far from the route was simply ignored.

After a long journey, the trees began to thin out and the muddy ground gradually gave way to sand.

The sea finally came into view.

“There’s the ship.”

Andre immediately quickened his pace.

“Damn, I’m so happy to see the beach.”

Rangga chuckled.

“It’s only been a day.”

“We spent a day getting chased by dinosaurs the size of houses, bro.”

Major Deri walked beside them.

“At least next time you encounter one, you won’t freeze.”

Andre fell silent for a moment.

“Hopefully, Major.”

Rangga immediately turned toward him.

“Why ‘hopefully’?”

The three of them laughed quietly as they walked toward their respective ships.

When they reached the beach, they stopped for a moment before parting ways. The day’s exploration had yielded more than enough. Rangga had obtained the twenty Bio Filtration Membranes he needed, while Deri and Andre were bringing home various loot, medicinal plants, rice, and materials from the Simosuchus.

“Well then, Major. Dre.”

Rangga pointed toward his ship.

“I’m heading back first.”

Major Deri nodded.

“Be careful on the way.”

Andre raised a hand.

“See you later, bro.”

They then headed toward their respective ships. One by one, the engines started up before the three vessels departed from Swamp Island ⭐⭐⭐ and headed toward their respective private islands.

The journey would still take some time, so Rangga opened the regional chat panel to check on Fajar’s group.

Rangga: Jar.

Rangga: I’m already on my way back.

Rangga: I’ll meet you at your island later.

Fajar’s reply appeared immediately.

Fajar: What? I finished ages ago LOL.

Fajar: Rian and Siska are already at my island too.

Rangga was slightly surprised when he read that.

Rangga: Damn, that was fast.

Fajar: We were fine.

Fajar: Nothing weird happened.

Fajar: They’re waiting for you now.

Rangga nodded to himself.

Rangga: Okay.

Rangga: I’ll head back to my island first.

Rangga: Then I’ll come over.

He then remembered that he still didn’t know what kind of weapons the two of them wanted.

Rangga: Oh, Rian, Siska.

Rangga: What kind of weapons do you guys want?

Rian replied first.

Rian: I want a long spear, bro.

Rian: And a throwing spear too, if possible.

Rangga read the request for a moment.

Rangga: Can do.

Not long after, Siska replied as well.

Siska: I’ll take a bow, bro.

Siska: So I can be like you hehe.

Rangga immediately grinned.

Rangga: LOL.

Rangga: Sure.

Rangga: You guys already prepared the materials, right?

Rian: All ready, bro.

Siska: Yep.

Rangga: Nice.

Rangga: I’ll make them and bring them over later.

Rangga: Be patient, okay?

Fajar: Hurry up.

Fajar: These two have been waiting for the traveling blacksmith this whole time.

Rangga immediately clicked his tongue.

Rangga: Shut up.

Rian: LOL

Siska: LOL

Rangga smiled faintly before closing the chat panel.

He leaned back casually, gazing out at the vast ocean before him. For the moment, there was nothing else he needed to do. The Bio Filtration Membranes he needed were complete, the new materials from the swamp were safely stored, and once he returned, he still had Rian and Siska’s equipment to craft.

The ship continued cutting through the ocean toward his private island.