Chapter 39: The First Battle, The Wild Cowboy

Bai Feng was the first to act. He crept up, deliberately alerting the giant rat, then turned and fled. The giant rat lunged, instantly giving chase. Wen Lei, lying in ambush on the flank, let out a roar and charged forward, shoulder braced behind his massive shield like a tank. The giant rat immediately shifted its focus, abandoning Bai Feng to pursue Wen Lei instead. In the distance, Zheng Tian launched a smoke grenade with a timed detonation, clouding the rat’s vision. Its assault slowed.

Ren Zhong, clad in a first-level exoskeleton, seized the moment and sprang from the side. The armor’s feedback system propelled him forward in long, swift strides. Memories of his sparring sessions with AI robots flashed through his mind. Under the influence of bioelectric deception, his control over the “muscles” and “bones” added to his body had reached a level nearly indistinguishable from his own.

This was his volunteered first battle—the culmination of relentless, gifted training since stepping into this world. Failure was not an option.

He took a deep breath, twisted his waist, and swung his right arm forward. The exoskeleton and his own body moved in perfect harmony. His throw rivaled the precision of a Major League pitcher.

Bang!

A bowling-ball-sized incendiary grenade streaked three meters through the air, landing squarely beneath the crystalline-armored long-tailed rat’s tail. The grenade shattered violently on impact. Sticky, flammable pitch splattered, transforming into the maw of an abyssal serpent that “bit” the rat’s hindquarters from behind. The delayed fuse ignited, embedded precisely in the rat’s rear.

A blaze erupted at its hind end, then spread forward like wildfire. The rat, suddenly engulfed in flames, emitted shrill, terrified squeals and whirled around to attack Ren Zhong, its perceived nemesis. The others watched in alarm.

Zheng Tian fired a second shot, hoping to divert the rat’s attention and cover Ren Zhong, but a crisp clang rang out—the bullet was effortlessly deflected.

Wen Lei tried to intervene, but the giant rat, a level-two beast with a strength index above 70, excelled at explosive, short-range attacks. He couldn’t keep up. Bai Feng, at full speed, could match the rat but not close the distance to save Ren Zhong.

Yet Ren Zhong remained calm. After throwing the grenade, he had already drawn the battle blade from his back, gripping it through exoskeleton gloves. He crouched low, waist bent, legs flexed. His left foot planted behind his right, toes pressing the ground; his right foot forward, turned outward. The 1.5-meter alloy blade angled down at forty-five degrees.

He resembled a coiled spring, strikingly similar to the starting stance of Yu Chenghui, the famed twentieth-century two-handed swordmaster. Ren Zhong fixed his gaze on the charging rat, his eyes ablaze with fervor and tension.

In his mind, all variables—the 0.1-second delay of the exoskeleton, its strength boost, the rat’s weight and speed, its attack pattern—merged into a vision of the next 0.5 seconds.

In that instant, he applied the rigorous logic honed through years of scientific research, exploding into action as a warrior.

Closer.

Ren Zhong suddenly powered up his right leg, propelling himself forward like a taut rubber band. His left foot stepped ahead. Both hands gripped the blade and thrust diagonally downward—not at the rat’s mouth, but at the underside of its jaw. Both arms twisted, torso rotating sharply, the blade spinning upward in a fierce sweep. His biceps tensed in advance; the exoskeleton responded flawlessly, outputting 15.2 kilowatts in a burst.

The blade swept up from below, striking the rat’s chin dead-on.

Boom!

With a thunderous crash, the fierce rat’s head snapped upward, launching it skyward. Ren Zhong’s strike hurled it three meters into the air.

This was his formal declaration to the world—his first sword strike!

In ancient times, Ban Chao cast aside his writing brush to join the army; now, Ren Zhong led with intellect before force.

But it was not over.

As the rat soared through the air, Ren Zhong stepped back, gripped his sword, and spun in place a full three hundred sixty degrees.

A horizontal slash!

The heavy blade, driven by powerful centrifugal force, struck the rat’s waist squarely.

Another loud crash—the blazing rat shrieked, sent flying several meters to land beside Wen Lei.

The rest was simple. Wen Lei, Bai Feng, and Ren Zhong swarmed the rat, trapping it as the flames consumed its body. Two minutes later, the rat ceased struggling, collapsed, and lay motionless. The air was tinged with the faint aroma of roasted meat.

Its insides were thoroughly scorched, but this didn’t diminish the value of its corpse. Aside from the chips, the most valuable part of the crystalline-armored rat was its outer layer of scales, which remained intact.

Ren Zhong lowered his blade and gazed silently at the first soul he’d claimed by his own hand. He felt no pride. It was only the beginning.

…

“Wow, that was impressive. I can hardly believe this was your first time wearing an exoskeleton, Brother Ren,” Zheng Tian said as she approached, marveling aloud. Remembering her earlier baseless doubts and worries, her cheeks flushed.

Ren Zhong’s first two strikes were flawless—artful, like a masterpiece. An underdog overturning the odds, seizing the initiative.

Zheng Tian felt that, armed with incendiary grenades, Ren Zhong might have been able to wear down the level-two rat all by himself.

The others had merely added the finishing touches.

Ren Zhong finally allowed himself a slight smile. “I’m still far from where I need to be.”

Ou Youning stepped forward. “Don’t be so modest, Brother Ren. That upward sweep you just did—I'd wager over eighty percent of the first-level exoskeleton warriors in town couldn’t pull it off. That anticipation, your control of delay, your power management—astonishing.”

Praise flowed freely.

Ren Zhong continued to smile quietly, saying nothing more. In his eyes, he was still infinitely far from his goal.

Leaving aside the broader enemies, the only person he wanted to kill right now was the level-four gunner, Bei Lihui.

Ren Zhong lowered his gaze to the metallic sheen of his exoskeleton gauntlets.

Bang! He clenched both fists.

After this battle, he adjusted his mindset once more.

The facts proved: I can do it!

Not just with my mind—my fists can do it, too.

Resurrection, intellect, talent—

He possessed advantages unimaginable to most.

He would press those advantages to their utmost, leaving his mark on this wild land.

“Zheng Tian, the plan has changed. From now on, I’ll lead the way, but you’ll devise the operational tactics. You must factor my combat strength into your calculations. Remember, I’m a balanced exoskeleton warrior.”

Ren Zhong spoke decisively.

Zheng Tian, who had been watching Chen Hanyu dismantle the chip, paused in surprise before nodding. “Alright!”

Her spirits soared. At last, she was recognized by the enigmatic survey officer.

He wanted to mentor her!

Ren Zhong stopped hiding his strengths, shifted his strategy, and began searching for the “mines” from his memory with the goal of rapid wealth accumulation.

Targeted searching was worlds apart from aimless wandering.

Moreover, with Ren Zhong’s newfound combat prowess, some medium and large rat nests previously avoided were now added to the hit list.

Energized, Zheng Tian displayed the professionalism expected of a seasoned semi-pro captain. In no time, she skillfully integrated Ren Zhong’s strength into the squad’s tactics, like fitting together puzzle pieces.

The combination of gunner, demolition expert, bio-armored warrior, heavy exoskeleton warrior, and balanced exoskeleton warrior transformed their squad’s fighting power—not just a 25% boost from one extra fighter, but a surge of new possibilities, combinations, and deployment strategies.

It was not addition—it was multiplication.

Zheng Tian updated her tactical toolkit.

Ambush, raid, skirmish, enraged kiting—

She deployed all manner of tactics, whether self-devised or borrowed, with masterful precision.

The squad became wild west cowboys, galloping across the battlefield.

…

[PS: Recommendation rankings depend on follow-read data. Everyone knows I’m steady, and I’ll keep writing regardless of the rankings. But a strong start makes the writing even more enjoyable. Don’t just save the book—if you have time, please try to read each day. It’s a bit awkward—my style isn’t what’s trending now, so please give this slow-burn book and its pitiful author a little extra support. I beg you, just follow-read.]