Chapter 25: Unerring Strategies, Mastery Over Fate, The Bearing of a True Sage

The rate of fire of the machine gun was set to its highest, reaching sixty rounds per second—twice that of the MG42, the so-called "Marshal's Chainsaw," famed as the fastest single-barrel machine gun of World War II. In just two seconds of continuous fire, Ren Zhong unleashed a total of one hundred twenty bullets. Yet, his pre-aimed sweep failed to inflict any effective damage on the Blade Mantis; every shot was deflected by its outer layer, an alloyed chitin armor tough as steel. The creature’s charge was only mildly slowed, barely perceptible—a mere itch through a boot. But Ren Zhong’s efforts were not in vain. He had not only weakened the impact of the Blade Mantis’s assault but also gained Wen Lei precious seconds to raise his shield. That slight delay, though measured in fractions, was enough to change the outcome entirely.

At last, the emerald shadow arrived within a meter of Wen Lei. In a sudden flash of blue light, the Blade Mantis’s two scythe arms traced twin arcs in the air and struck downward. With a metallic clang and a tooth-grinding screech of friction, Wen Lei was thrown back, his massive alloy shield splitting into three sections at the top, as if cleaved by a butcher’s knife. Two gruesome gashes marked the heavy armor on Wen Lei’s chest, the wounds raw and bleeding, flesh torn open. Yet, he survived.

After inflicting this grievous injury, the Blade Mantis sprang again, skittering across the ground in a diagonal line, heading straight toward Bai Feng. Boom! As the creature soared above a thicket, a violent explosion erupted beneath it. It was a grenade, primed beforehand by Ou You Ning and tossed from the slope above. Having received Ren Zhong’s instructions, Ou You Ning abandoned all hesitation, simply throwing the grenade without a second thought—resulting in this seamless convergence of events. The fuse delay was perfectly matched to the Blade Mantis’s movement pattern. A flawless detonation! The explosion's center was only 1.2 meters from the creature.

A cloud of dust tinged with a dark glow rapidly expanded—nano-grade neodymium iron boron magnetic powder. The cloud spread swiftly, covering an area with an eighteen-meter radius in seconds. This was much smaller than the thirty meters stated in the grenade’s manual, and its visibility-obstructing effect was likewise diminished, indicating the dust density was lower than expected.

But Ren Zhong had not purchased a counterfeit product. This was not a flaw; there was only one possible explanation: only part of the powder dispersed, while the majority successfully adhered to the Blade Mantis itself! Two whole seconds passed before the creature emerged from the dust cloud, battered and disoriented. Its once vibrant green sheen now dulled. A thin layer of magnetic dust coated its entire body, transforming its glossy shell and wings into a matte, rough texture. At every joint, piles of dust accumulated, wedged deep into the crevices. These various negative conditions significantly slowed its movements. If before the Blade Mantis had been a high-speed predator among third-tier ruins beasts, it now moved like a sedan among second-tier beasts.

Zheng Tian, the sharpshooter lying in ambush at the flank, finally saw her opportunity. Normally, given Zheng Tian’s skill, it would have been impossible to aim precisely at the creature's weak spot. But now, with her advantageous position, she could see the mantis’s rear brain clearly. Its slowed movements gave her a fifty percent chance, at least, to hit.

She raised her rifle, eyes locked onto the target, crosshairs in the scope aligned, muzzle shifting slightly to the left. Years of training sent calculations racing through her mind—bullet speed, the Blade Mantis’s movement pattern, wind speed, direction—every detail flashed like lightning in her thoughts.

Bang! A spark erupted. A high-velocity fluid sniper round shot from her rifle, slicing through over thirty meters in a blink, striking the mantis’s rear brain—the size of a fist—piercing through and exiting from the mouthparts at the front of its triangular head. This round, designed with ultra-low drag, exceptional accuracy, and extreme speed, had lower impact but tremendous penetration—perfect for exploiting the Blade Mantis’s vulnerable rear brain. Zheng Tian suppressed her elation and issued orders through her communicator: “Fall back! It’s been heavily wounded. Wait for it to die before approaching, to prevent any last attacks.”

Three minutes later, the Blade Mantis ceased its struggle, shivering twice on the ground before finally lying still.

“Whew! It’s done!” Zheng Tian wiped cold sweat from her brow, watching from afar. “That scared me. I really thought we were finished.” Wen Lei, still seriously wounded, nodded, “Yeah! I heard that last year, a squad of second-tier professionals was wiped out by a Blade Mantis. Who would’ve thought we could take one down ourselves?” Ou You Ning, who had thrown the grenade, was even more jubilant: “Our coordination was just perfect! This thing looked fierce, but really, it was trapped from start to finish—just a fish in a barrel, playing right into our hands.”

Chen Hanyu shook her head. “It’s not about coordination; it’s about preparation. It’s as if it walked right into the trap—you just had to follow the strategy exactly.” As she finished speaking, everyone, herself included, instinctively turned their gaze to the side.

Ren Zhong lay there, hands gripping the machine gun tightly, his eyes cold, calm, and utterly controlled, staring at the corpse of the Blade Mantis. Only now did the others have time to replay the battle in their minds. Each detail of the fight circled in their thoughts, finally converging into a complete sequence.

Hiss! They all drew sharp breaths.

Suddenly, a strange feeling crept over them. It was as if the Blade Mantis was not the true monster, but the man before them—so human in appearance and action—was the actual beast. The real terror was not the Blade Mantis, but this man, who seemed physically weak but possessed an intellect bordering on the supernatural, a mind that never missed a step, a strategist who could challenge fate itself.

What kind of mind did this Mr. Ren possess? How did he know there would be a Blade Mantis? How did he know it would come from that direction? How did he know…?

Countless questions and uncertainties surfaced in their hearts, and an inexplicable sense of fear toward Ren Zhong began to take root. This was human nature. When confronted with something far beyond their understanding, people’s first reaction was not curiosity, but fear.

The sensation of being watched prickled at Ren Zhong’s back, but he didn’t need to turn around; a glance from the corner of his eye told him exactly who they were watching and what they were thinking.

This display of talent and foresight was so extraordinary that doubt was unavoidable. Yet, he had anticipated this reaction before he ever acted. He already had a prepared explanation to conceal his “prophetic” abilities.

It was time for these inexperienced youths to witness what true sophistication and grace looked like!