216: Chapter 216: The Mammoth's Frenzied Counterattack

The wind stopped, and the sunlight reflecting off the snow was blinding. Shen Xiaochuan lay behind an ice ridge, his left hand gripping the terminal tightly as he stared at the eight red dots on the thermal map. A young Mammoth lay on the ground, its left hind leg snagged by a steel cable and its right leg wrapped in iron chains, rendering it immobile. Seven adult Mammoths turned their heads simultaneously, trunks raised, ears flapping, and hooves incessantly pawing at the snow.

No one dared to speak.

[Beep—Target locked, steel cable stable.]

[Beep—Shock Hammer hit effective, joint damage confirmed.]

Two faint notification pings came through the communicator.

"All units, pay attention," Shen Xiaochuan said in a low voice. "Phase one complete, preparing to enter phase two. Everyone stay hidden and wait for the next command."

Just as he finished speaking, the largest Mammoth suddenly threw its head back and let out a roar. The sound was deafening, making people's ears ache. It raised its front hooves and stomped them violently onto the ground—

Boom!

The snow exploded, sending a shockwave in all directions. The two closest Believers were knocked off their feet, rolling several meters before coming to a stop.

"Get down!" Shen Xiaochuan shouted, diving into a snow pit.

In the next second, six Mammoths charged forward simultaneously. Instead of trying to save the young Mammoth, they charged directly toward where the team was hiding. Their trunks were raised high, snapping through the air with a loud crack.

The Lure Team was still banging metal plates, but it was already too late to retreat.

One Mammoth crashed into the crowd, its trunk sweeping across and sending a gun-wielding Believer flying. The man slammed into an ice rock and lay motionless as he slid down. Another Mammoth used its shoulder to overturn a Mechanical Puppet; its tracks snapped, and black smoke began to billow out.

"Fall back! Stay low against the ice ridge! Everyone, retreat twenty meters immediately!" Shen Xiaochuan roared into the communicator, his voice raspy.

The team began to retreat. Some tripped, others were buried in snow, and those who scrambled back up had faces covered in blood. The remote control console for Auroras Edge flashed red twice before the signal cut out. The North Latitude 43° Watchman hid behind a snow mound, clutching his head, too afraid to move.

Shen Xiaochuan grit his teeth, his fingers squeezing the terminal hard. He knew he couldn't wait any longer; these people were simply no match for the Mammoths' assault. Ordinary weapons were useless against them—bullets got stuck in their thick hides, and explosives failed to cause internal damage. The tactics they had just used were only effective against normal beasts; against such powerful exotic beasts, they were shattered in seconds.

He looked down at his right hand. The place where the bone had broken still throbbed with pain, and the effects of the repair fluid were wearing off. But he couldn't worry about that now.

"Can't delay any longer," he whispered, reaching for his chest.

The copper gear pendant was cold. He gripped it and closed his eyes.

"Sum—mon—"

It felt as if a string inside his body was being pulled taut, and a surge of heat rushed up his spine. Glowing patterns emerged on his skin, lighting up one by one. The air vibrated slightly, and the falling snowflakes parted around him.

[Divine Sense Resonance: Activated]

The neigh of a horse echoed in his mind.

Then, a tall figure appeared in his consciousness: clad in heavy armor, wielding a long halberd, with large eyes and hair and beard standing on end.

"This one is here."

Those words fell with a heavy weight.

Shen Xiaochuan opened his eyes, his pupils turning a faint gold. He drew the halberd from his back with a sharp metallic ring.

"Now."

He leaped up, kicking off the ice ridge and launching himself toward the Mammoth Leader that was about to swing its trunk.

The wind whistled in his ears.

The Mammoth spotted him, turning its head and snorting white steam from its nostrils. It raised its front hooves and stomped heavily, then swept its trunk toward him like a hammer.

Shen Xiaochuan couldn't dodge in mid-air. He gripped the halberd with both hands, holding it horizontally in front of him.

"Clang—!!!"

The massive force collided with him, splitting the webbing between his thumb and forefinger. Blood flowed down the shaft of the halberd. He was sent flying, crashing into a snowdrift and sliding seven or eight meters before stopping.

He coughed, the taste of blood in his mouth. But he couldn't stop.

The Mammoth turned and charged, its four hooves pounding the ground like a drum.

Shen Xiaochuan tried to stand, but his left arm gave way, and he fell to his knees. He grit his teeth, using the halberd to prop himself up, forcing himself to stand. 'Again.' He looked at the Mammoth, his gaze unwavering.

Just as the Mammoth was about to collide with him, he suddenly rolled to the left. Unable to stop, the Mammoth's front half slammed into the ice ridge, causing rocks to crumble and fall.

Shen Xiaochuan seized the opportunity to jump onto the Mammoth's back. He knelt on its thick fur, one hand grabbing its shoulder blade and the other raising the halberd.

The Mammoth shook its body frantically, trying to throw him off. But its back was too wide, and Shen Xiaochuan held on tight, as if he were nailed down.

"So you have thick skin, do you?" Shen Xiaochuan panted. "Then I'll hit the parts you aren't protecting."

He ducked low to avoid a sudden lurch, his eyes fixed on the Mammoth's head.

The right eye.

After that last blow, that eye was blinking slower than the other. There was also an old scar at the corner of the eye, covered in a black scab.

"An old injury... it protects its right eye when its movements are erratic," he realized. "The weakness is here."

He no longer hesitated.

Seizing the moment the Mammoth lowered its head to ram the ice rock, he kicked off forcefully, using his legs to lunge forward. The halberd in his hand traced an upward arc.

"Open—up!"

A flash of cold light.

The tip of the halberd pierced accurately into the Mammoth's right eye, driving straight into its brain.

"Aow—!!!"

The Mammoth let out a pained cry, its four legs kicking wildly as its body convulsed violently. It shook its head desperately, trying to escape the agony, but the halberd had already been driven too deep.

Shen Xiaochuan was thrown off, rolling several times on the ground before stopping. He lay on the ground, gasping for air, using his left hand to push off the snow as he slowly stood up.

The Mammoth stumbled a few steps, its front legs buckling as it crashed to the ground. Its head buried in the snow, it twitched a few times and then went still.

The entire field fell silent.

The wind picked up, and grains of snow hissed as they pelted the corpse.

The remaining six Mammoths gathered around, circling their fallen leader, nudging its body with their trunks and making low sounds. They neither attacked nor fled, simply standing their ground.

Shen Xiaochuan leaned on his halberd, standing by the corpse, his breathing heavy. The glowing patterns remained on his skin, and his golden eyes had not changed. He didn't move or speak, just watched the other Mammoths.

A slightly smaller Mammoth raised its head, its trunk reaching toward him and snorting a breath of air.

Shen Xiaochuan did not back down.

He slowly raised the blood-stained halberd, holding it across his body with the tip pointed at the Mammoth's eye. Killing Intent permeated the air. The Mammoth paused, its ears twitching, and slowly took a step back.

The second one retreated as well.

The third one turned and walked toward the depths of the snow valley.

One by one, the six Mammoths left the battlefield, disappearing into the wind and snow.

Only then did Shen Xiaochuan breathe a sigh of relief.

His legs buckled, and he nearly collapsed, quickly using the halberd to steady himself. His left arm was shaking, and the pain at the fracture site flared up again. The repair fluid was gone; he was relying entirely on willpower to stay upright.

He looked down at the Mammoth's corpse. Dark blood mixed with brain matter flowed from the right eye socket, seeping into the snow. Half of the halberd was embedded in the head, while the other half was covered in blood, glinting coldly in the sunlight.

"Done," he whispered.

[North Latitude 43° Watchman]: You're still alive?

Shen Xiaochuan didn't reply.

[Hemlock Forest Sentry]: This... what was that just now? Where did you get that halberd? And those Light Patterns...

No one answered.

Shen Xiaochuan raised his left hand and wiped the snow and sweat from his face. He gazed in the direction the Mammoths had gone, knowing the battle wasn't over. They had only retreated temporarily; as long as he remained standing, they wouldn't approach again.

But he couldn't pursue them either.

His stamina was almost depleted, his injuries were worsening, his teammates were scattered, and communication was unstable. The best choice now was to stay and rest, wait for reinforcements, and not push himself too hard.

He pulled the halberd out of the Mammoth's head and flicked away the blood. The metal gave a low hum in the air.

Then he turned and looked toward where his teammates were hiding.

"Those still alive, sound off," he said.

The channel was silent for a few seconds.

[Eye of the White Cliff]: "...I'm here. Left leg is broken, but I can walk."

[Auroras Edge]: "Puppet No. 1 is broken, No. 2 can still move, control restored to sixty percent."

[North Latitude 43° Watchman]: "Two Believers are seriously injured, one is unconscious, and the other... might not make it."

Shen Xiaochuan nodded. "Save the people first. Gather the wounded toward the Observation Station and find cover. I'll take the rear."

With that, he leaned on his halberd and started walking back, step by step.

With every step, his footprints were stained with blood. Snow clung to the soles of his boots, making a crunching sound. The wind picked up again, ruffling his hair and tugging at the copper gear pendant.

He didn't reach for it.

Halfway there, he stopped and looked back.

The Mammoth Leader's corpse lay in the snow like a collapsed hill. The sunlight hit it, making its fur shimmer with a grayish-white light.

In the distance, the six Mammoths stood on the high ground of the snow valley, silently watching.

Shen Xiaochuan raised his halberd and lightly tapped the ground.

The movement was small, but the meaning was clear: don't come any closer.

The Mammoths didn't move.

One of them slowly lowered its head and used its trunk to dig at the snow, as if searching for something.

Shen Xiaochuan narrowed his eyes.

He didn't move or shout, just stood there watching.

The Mammoth dug a few times and then suddenly looked up, meeting his gaze directly.

Man and beast, separated by three hundred meters of snow, locked eyes for two seconds.

Then the Mammoth turned and followed its companions.

Shen Xiaochuan withdrew his gaze.

He continued forward, his pace slow but steady. His left hand gripped the halberd's shaft while his right hung down, blood still dripping from his fingertips.

The wind grew stronger.

He walked past the first Believer's body without stopping. He passed the collapsed Puppet and didn't stop either. Not until he saw the Eye of the White Cliff emerge from behind a snow mound, leaning on a wooden stick and limping toward him.

"You're crazy," the person said. "Charging in alone to fight something like that."

Shen Xiaochuan smiled, his voice very raspy. "If I didn't, you'd all be dead."

"And you? Will you live?"

"I'm doing fine right now," he said, switching the halberd to his left hand and freeing his right to grab the other's arm. "Let's go, back first."

Supporting each other, they walked step by step toward the Observation Station.

Behind them, another blizzard was brewing, and the sky was gradually darkening.

On the path where the Mammoths had departed, a trail of deep footprints was left in the snow, leading into the depths of the valley.

Beside one of the footprints, a half-broken tusk was covered by snow, with only a small tip exposed, glinting faintly in the wind.