Infinity, The Arcade Age

The Dinosaur Forest was a vast stretch of land located next to the ruins of New York City. After the Great Flood receded, life returned to the area, turning it into a paradise for dinosaurs of all kinds.

However, what was once a paradise had now turned into a hell for dinosaurs due to the arrival of a poacher gang.

Amidst roars and stomping, a triceratops stumbled out of the forest, running for its life. Moments later, a group of burly men in green camouflage and headscarves burst through the underbrush, immediately raising their rifles and firing.

These poachers were experts, and with the dinosaur's massive size, it wasn't difficult to land every shot. After a volley of bullets, the triceratops collapsed, blood pouring from its wounds.

The poachers celebrated their success with high-fives, hoisting their rifles and approaching the downed dinosaur.

These were the main enemies of the second stage: professional poachers. Unlike the rabble under Vice-Terra in the first stage, this group was composed of hardened criminals with lethal skills and deadly weaponry.

The biggest difference between these poachers and the first-stage grunts was that these guys had guns.

As they approached the fallen dinosaur, a deafening roar suddenly came from the nearby forest. The poachers quickly raised their weapons, but it was too late.

With a thunderous crash, the underbrush exploded as a heavily modified Cadillac tore through the trees and plowed straight into the poachers.

Screams rang out as the poachers were sent flying, one of them crushed to death beneath the car's tires.

Before the remaining poachers could even stand, Qin Ming, seated on the makeshift chair at the back of the car, had already drawn his revolver and opened fire. With several sharp cracks of gunfire, the remaining poachers were gunned down before they could react.

Holstering his weapon, Qin Ming spun the revolver in his hand with a flourish and jumped down from the car.

Hannah rushed over to check on the fallen triceratops, while the others approached the only surviving poacher.

Realizing the threat, the poacher reached for his rifle, but before he could grab it, a large boot stomped down on the weapon.

He looked up to see Qin Ming standing over him, the barrel of a gun pressed against his forehead.

"Go on, try moving again. See if you're faster than my bullet," Qin Ming snarled.

Sensing the danger, the poacher wisely let go of the rifle, and in the next moment, Mays yanked him up by his collar and began shaking him violently.

"Where's your boss?!" Mays roared.

"H-he's at the base… to the left," the poacher stammered.

"Take us there!"

"Y-yes!"

Forcing the poacher to lead the way, the group ventured deeper into the forest.

As they moved, Qin Ming silently adjusted his Dinosaur Goggles, scanning the group's attributes with curiosity.

Name: Poacher (Dinosaur Forest, Stage 2)

Strength: 5

Endurance: 5

Agility: 10

Spirit: 2

Description: A member of the poacher organization, skilled in firearms and competent in close combat.

Seeing the poachers' stats, Qin Ming was surprised—not because they were too high, but because they were lower than expected.

Even the thugs from the first stage had similar stats, with agility being the only real difference.

Considering the second stage was supposed to be much harder, Qin Ming had expected more. But then he remembered the rifles the poachers were carrying.

Low stats didn't matter much when a single well-placed shot could take you down.

The protagonist group, on the other hand, had much higher attributes. Each member had their own strengths: Mays was high in strength and endurance, Mustafa excelled in agility and strength, and Hannah was highly agile and possessed strong mental attributes.

As for Jack, he was well-rounded, with no weaknesses but no outstanding strengths either.

To put things in perspective, the protagonists' main attributes were all around 35 points, and even their weakest stats were above 15. Jack himself had 25 points in all categories.

Compared to their 35-point stats, Qin Ming's own attributes, even with the beginner-level bonus, didn't come close.

As they ventured deeper into the forest, Qin Ming contemplated how best to maximize his gains from the upcoming battle. Suddenly, the poacher leading them came to a halt.

Before Qin Ming could react, the man made a desperate dash into the trees.

But Qin Ming was quick—grabbing the poacher by the collar and yanking him back before he could escape.

Using the struggling poacher as a shield, Qin Ming braced himself as several poachers suddenly appeared from the underbrush, raising their rifles.

"Wait! Don't shoot!" the poacher in Qin Ming's grasp screamed.

But his warning came too late. Gunfire erupted, and the poacher was riddled with bullets.

As the protagonist group took cover, dodging the hail of bullets, Qin Ming raised his revolver and returned fire, using the poacher's corpse as cover.

With a few precise shots, Qin Ming downed two of the enemy poachers. The rest, panicked, ducked behind cover to reload their rifles.

These poachers were using bolt-action rifles, which meant they had to manually reload after each shot. Qin Ming, with his faster revolver, quickly suppressed their fire.

Of course, Qin Ming wasn't fighting alone.

With a loud roar, Mays and the others burst from the underbrush, Hannah leading the charge with a flying kick that sent one poacher flying. The rest of the group followed, quickly dismantling the enemy formation.

Seeing the opportunity, Qin Ming pushed aside the corpse he'd been using as a shield, raised his revolver, and charged in, ready for close-quarters combat.

(Chapter End)