Chapter 16: The Hunt

Gao Gong was hidden amidst a sea of flowers, each nearly a meter tall, vivid and colorful, reflecting metallic hues under the light.

Rather than calling it a sea of flowers, it was more like a testing ground for an electric loudspeaker, seemingly silent yet always disturbed by low-frequency noise.

The blooming metal flowers emitted low-frequency noise, while the unopened buds gave off infrasound.

The sound range that humans can tolerate is between 20~20000Hz, and below 20Hz it becomes infrasound, which can stimulate the human brain, causing tension, unease, and panic. It can even resonate with human internal organs, leading to ruptured blood vessels and death.

Amidst this, though Gao Gong felt a strong discomfort, he endured it silently.

The reason why the Classical Stream Mechanical Hunters don’t install implants is largely because the Radiation Beasts are adept at detecting sound and signals. Once discovered, the hunt cannot be completed.

And this field of metal flowers could mask the sound of the engines inside Gao Gong’s body.

At this point, Gao Gong could only rely on the original host’s hunting experience to make judgments.

Prey and hunter, the transformation sometimes only takes a split second.

Soon, Gao Gong heard footsteps and — the dog’s miserable cries!

The maximum speed of the Human-headed Dog was set at 23 km/h, not because they didn’t want to speed up, but because if they did, the garbage parts from the scrap yard would explode.

Thus, each Human-headed Dog was accompanied by more than a dozen Machine Ants. Inside the Machine Ants was a detonator, which worked simply by connecting two metal plates to the circuit, which then connected to an electric detonating cap, below which lay a small bottle of Energy Ore Extraction Liquid.

This extraction liquid was highly unstable and would explode once stimulated. Although the power wasn’t great, only a tenth of a hand grenade’s explosive force, it was enough to buy the Human-headed Dog time to escape.

Sure enough, as the footsteps drew nearer, the explosion sound erupted continuously.

It must be a four-legged beast, as two Machine Ants self-destructed simultaneously just now.

"Aw woo aw woo aw woo aw woo..."

As expected, amidst the needle-like grass emerged a metal dog with a human head, leaping high, followed by a gigantic Black Shadow, from afar, one could see the heat visibly rising.

’Not a Mechanical Bio-Beast, it’s a Radiation Beast, so it’s it—’

The Black Shadow behind similarly leapt high, landing with an immense impact.

Behind the Human-headed Dog was a proper dog’s head, two fist-sized bloodshot eyes, glaring fiercely at the Human-headed Dog.

This was a giant dog as large as an adult bull, its bones vaguely visible, thumb-thick blood vessels pulsating rhythmically on its skin, its mouth full of metalized teeth, its four dog legs thicker than a normal person’s thighs, with visible bright light in its breathing, emitting smoke from its mouth.

Name: Giant Radiation Dog

Radiation Level: E+

Life Value: 280/300

Physical Strength Value: 195/200

Biological Energy: 312

Biological Attributes: Power 22 Agility 10 Endurance 26 Intelligence 3 Perception 7

Skills: Frenzied Bite lv6, Steel Claw lv7, High-Temperature Smoke lv4, Berserk lv7

Note: This is a good dog, much more normal than yours

Although the metal head of the Human-headed Dog couldn’t show expressions, its trembling mechanical legs showed how frightened it was.

Despite having its memory erased on the surgical table, as the basic combat unit of the Knight Order, it didn’t lack combat intelligence, quickly making its decision after jumping out of the grass, heading straight for the flower field, and even taking time to bark ’aw woo aw woo’ a few provocative words back.

The Radiation Dog hesitated a moment but, with only 3 intelligence, its nervous system processed information slowly. Provoked by the barking, it immediately went berserk, charging like a bull straight towards the flower field.

Semi-metallic petals scattered, the low-frequency noise environment making it more irritable, while the calm hunter watched coldly, with the micro motors in all four joints working at their limit.

In the next moment, the silhouette exploded forwards, the Red Unicorn flashed a dazzling light, and the heavy blade, akin to an electric saw, stabbed straight into the other’s abdomen.

Its target was that glowing part of the abdomen, the Radiation Organ, the energy source.

Gao Gong had tested it on scrap metal before; the resistance when cutting metal with the Red Unicorn was like cutting an apple with a fruit knife. But when the blade pierced the Radiation Dog’s abdomen, it felt like cutting pork with a fruit knife, showing that the hardness of the Radiation Dog’s muscles could withstand ordinary bullets.

But ’Red Unicorn’ was precisely prepared by Gao Gong for this moment. Few knew anymore that Aunt Xiang’s deceased boyfriend was a Classical Stream Mechanical Hunter, and all his weapons were personally sharpened by Aunt Xiang back in the day.

Gao Gong tightened his grip, yelling while plunging the blade, twisting the handle end above the glowing part.

It was visibly obvious when the Radiation Organ dropped, the violence in the dog’s eyes faded by ninety percent, plunging into a post-conflict confusion.

Gao Gong placed the knife along his shoulder, plunging the blade to the hilt as his shoulder slammed hard onto the Radiation Dog’s waist, knocking it to the ground.

Taking advantage of the momentum, he drew his knife, and the tip once again plunged into the throat of the vicious dog.

Gao Gong drew the knife once more, the splattered blood like boiling water, splashing on Gao Gong’s coat, sizzling as it hit.

"No wonder Classical Stream Mechanical Hunters are called lunatics. This life-or-death feeling is really thrilling."

Gao Gong wiped the sweat from his forehead, shook the knife, the blade smoking red hot, as the Radiation Beast’s body temperature turned the entire blade into a scorching iron.

Hunting Radiation Beasts, cutting out their radiation organs is even more important than killing them because once the Radiation Beast dies, its life system stops operating, and the radiation organ, serving as an energy source, will self-destruct.

Although the E-level Radiation Beast’s level is not high, it’s been a long time since someone in Automobile City hunted a complete Giant Radiation Dog.

Skillfully skinned and cut the Radiation Dog, extracting valuable organs.

The meat of the Radiation Beast is inedible, but the dog skin, treated by special methods, can be turned into a jacket with defense stronger than ordinary bulletproof vests. The dog tail is excellent biochemical material, and Metal Fangs can be made into ornaments to sell to peers, while the Dog Penis is a necessity for big characters in Nightless City.

Gao Gong regretfully looked at the half-processed carcass of the giant dog. Actually, the bones of the Radiation Dog are decent weapon materials, at least stronger than steel bars, but he only managed to take a few long bones; the rest was beyond him.

"Let’s go, see how your other brothers are doing."

The Human-headed Dog, previously trembling in fear, nearly trembling out machine fluid, was now strutting again, jogging over to give the carcass a kick.

This is the advantage of choosing the ’Husky Template’; this Human-headed Husky always dances on the edge of danger and has a very short memory.

Not long after Gao Gong left, a small Scavenger discovered this still mostly intact giant dog carcass, immediately opening his mouth wide.

As it turns out, this hunting method is indeed quite effective. In just three hours, Gao Gong had hunted two more Radiation Giant Dogs and one Mechanical Biochemical Butterfly.

It’s unclear if he stumbled into a dog den or if the Human-headed Dog naturally attracted its kind with a taunting aura of +100, as out of four Radiation Beasts, three turned out to be Radiation Dogs.

The remaining Mechanical Biochemical Butterfly was pierced in a vital spot just before cracking the dog’s head, but this time Gao Gong was unlucky; the face-sized ’butterfly’ exploded, causing him 30 points of damage.

However, the consolation was that after taking down the mechanical butterfly, ’Fighting’ automatically leveled up.

Fighting lv9: You are an expert in brawling; when using bare hands, blunt weapons, and Metal Knives, Attack Power +16%, block damage reduction increased by 10%.

"Such a beautiful dog skin, almost undamaged, that’s impossible!"

Aunt Xiang looked up, scrutinizing Gao Gong with the eyes of someone meeting him for the first time, and only after a long while did she say, "Did you really go hunting?"

In her mind, the word ’hunting’ holds great significance, not just anyone can use it.

Gao Gong didn’t respond but instead turned his bag upside down behind him, and instantly, various precious fragmented organs cascaded down.

"Radiation Dog, Mechanical Butterfly, and... is this a Hand Grenade Fruit?"

Aunt Xiang held a dark, heavy fruit. This thing was called a Hand Grenade Fruit, resembling a pine cone on the outside, its surface covered with metallic fragments, internally secreting ammonia; when agitated, it explodes — but after being soaked in special potions, it can be used as a natural hand grenade.

"Picked up along the way, didn’t dare take too many, afraid they’d jolt and explode."

These Hand Grenade Fruits, before being soaked in potion, are extremely unstable and can explode with a slight jolt. He only picked six, holding two himself and letting the Human-headed Dog carry one each in their mouths.

Aunt Xiang, undeterred by the mess, rummaged through the scraps while her tone improved significantly.

"Didn’t expect you, this little rascal, to have some backbone after all."

"Or is it that you’ve given up on becoming a city dweller and just decided to throw everything away?"

Gao Gong smiled and said, "These things, selling them at your place, how much can I get?"

"Ignoring the rest, just this complete E-level Dog Liver alone, won’t go for less than eight hundred. The rest of the odds and ends, around four thousand, I suppose."

"I’ll give you an 80% discount."

"You’ve gone mad," Aunt Xiang muttered without looking up, "Go sell them to your sweetheart, mine is a weapon shop."

"Don’t be in a hurry, one of the dog skins turned into a jacket for me, keep three Hand Grenade Fruits for me, the remaining materials will be your deposit."

Aunt Xiang took the note, glanced at it, and finally raised her head in surprise, saying, "Are you really planning to go big this time!?"