Full-Time Public Enemy

The indigenous creatures of this planet outdid themselves in setting up ambushes for these off-worlders, deploying all kinds of unimaginable traps.

And after these indigenous creatures ambushed the off-worlders, they were in a well-fed and satisfied, Sage-like state, turning a blind eye to Chen Gu and his companions intruding into their territory. This allowed them to run wildly for hundreds of miles, and they were now far enough to see the tail end of the off-worlder group ahead.

Everyone was about to press on to catch up, but Chen Gu suddenly stopped, breaking into a cold sweat as he yelled, "Wait a minute!"

The rest were baffled. Only Chen Gu himself howled inwardly, It's over, I've screwed up!

He crouched down, hugging a large rock beside him, just as Isabella Wu had hugged the toilet in days gone by.

"It hurts so much!"

An intense abdominal pain struck, and Chen Gu was in unspeakable torment, all the while complaining inwardly, Not now...

Gong Shuxu was the first to realize what was happening and felt a wave of relief. Is the annoying Brain Domain Hacker finally getting his comeuppance?

He said with a grin, "Young man, you really shouldn't eat just anything."

Chen Gu was past speaking. The others showed dawning understanding as Chen Gu struggled to move further away. "I... I need to go over there. Don't come near..."

After moving two steps, he could barely walk anymore.

Gong Shuxu "considerately" asked, "Do you need us to step away for a bit? You seem to be somewhat inconvenienced?"

The situation was incredibly embarrassing, but all Chen Gu could do was nod vigorously.

Gong Shuxu chuckled, leading the others away smoothly.

The doll-like Lisa was still confused. "Why do we need to leave? Chen Gu is in pain. As teammates, shouldn't we stay and take care of him?"

Ma Shuwen whispered a few words in her ear. Lisa's expression turned to shock, then her pale face blushed beet-red. She secretly scoffed in Chen Gu's direction and followed Ma Shuwen, fleeing as if on the run.

After relieving himself mightily, Chen Gu felt much better. He then buried his "achievements" and rose to rejoin his team when, unexpectedly, as soon as he stood up, that terrible abdominal pain returned.

He yelped "OUCH!" and crouched back down.

...

Gong Shuxu and a few others found a concealed spot to wait, watching helplessly as the off-worlder group vanished from sight, inevitably letting out quiet sighs.

Elton checked the time. It had been over an hour. Chao Wanghou, growing impatient, complained, "How can it take so long? With a professional's constitution, even if you have a bad stomach, you should be able to recover quickly."

Gong Shuxu said coolly, "That wasn't an ordinary thing he ate. Nobody knows what exactly it was."

Chao Wanghou shook his head repeatedly. "Too undisciplined. We're all professionals, but our military would never be like this. One person dragging down the whole squad..."

Gong Shuxu shot him an annoyed look. Chao Wanghou realized he had included this Sixth Energy Level great master in his rebuke and fell sullenly silent.

"He saved your life," Gong Shuxu reminded him.

Chao Wanghou, now reluctant, insisted on clarifying with Gong Shuxu, "Sir, this is a battlefield. We are all soldiers. Once the battle starts, today you save me, tomorrow it might be me saving you.

"We don't go around talking about who saved whom all day, because once we start a mission, everyone's fate is bound together—we live and die as one.

"Don't think I'm ungrateful. The reality is that in many units, warriors can no longer keep track of how many times they have saved each other."

Gong Shuxu found himself unable to refute. Out of respect for his own status, he didn't want to use his Energy Level to forcefully suppress the other party into submission, so he remained silent with a cold face for the moment.

But everyone had to wait another hour or more before they saw Chen Gu staggering over.

However, unlike others who would be completely drained after a bout of vomiting and diarrhea, Chen Gu actually looked bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, appearing much more capable than before.

"Let's go," Ma Shuwen quickly said.

The group started sprinting again, trying to catch up with the off-world species. Along the way, the situation was similar to before, with indigenous creatures setting traps at every turn. Although there was a large number of the off-world Energy Gathering Mechanical Species, it was uncertain how many would actually make it through to their destination.

The tragic scenes along the way made Ma Shuwen and the others even more curious about what could make the off-world species so desperately reckless.

In the meantime, Chen Gu was observing. Apart from the majority of Energy Gathering Mechanical Species, this planet's native beings included the special "plant-like" vine branches they had seen earlier, as well as a small number of steam-powered mechanical species.

Near a cliff over a hundred kilometers back, he had discovered some huge stones blackened by smoke expelled by the steam-powered mechanical species, and huge claw marks left on the ground. From this, he deduced that the Energy Gathering Mechanical Species there could very well be thirty to forty meters tall!

Suddenly, a strange clicking sound came from up ahead. The group stopped in their tracks, facing a cliff.

They approached quietly and saw a vast open area beyond the cliff, which led down to a sand sea, a rarity on this planet.

At that moment, the sand sea was filled with countless off-world mechanical species trapped within it.

They were inexplicably immobilized, slowly being dragged into the sands. The off-world species had just left the area, and from their vantage point on the cliff, Chen Gu and the others could still see the tail end of the fleeing group in the distance.

"What is that?" Lisa asked in horror. The sand sea below was too eerie. If it were quicksand, so many Energy Gathering Mechanical Species wouldn't just remain motionless, waiting to sink.

Without replying, Chen Gu stopped observing and quietly walked to one side. Ma Shuwen asked, "Where are you going?"

"Going around this sand sea," Chen Gu replied. "Whatever is under this sand sea, I have no desire to find out. Taking a detour and not provoking it is the wisest move right now."

Everyone nodded in agreement, deeming it a prudent move.

The group of professionals didn't want their curiosity to lead to their demise, so they all followed Chen Gu, preparing to take a detour.

The area covered by this sand sea was vast, requiring them to take a long detour, but safety was paramount. They circled around the cliff to one side. However, not far into their detour, they heard a crunching sound. While it seemed to be at a distance, no one dared to take it lightly, and they proceeded with caution. On this side of the cliff, a slope led down to several peaks, creating a valley with complex terrain.

The crunching sounds were emanating from those valleys.

Chen Gu peeked over and quickly drew back, telling everyone, "This road is blocked. We need to find another way."

Everyone took turns peeking. Then, their expressions unchanged, they nodded in agreement with Chen Gu. "We'll go down the other side," they decided.

In the valley, the hills were covered with mechanical ants, each about the size of a small pig. Dozens of them were working together to drag a prey, an off-world mechanical species, towards a cave at the base of the mountain.

The crunching sounds were made while they dragged their catch.