Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

The other party clearly knew that they had been discovered, and as they neared, they slowed their steps, inching closer.

The corridor was so quiet that everyone could hear their breath.

Bai E reached out to protect the two behind him, his fingertips caressing the bow hanging at his waist.

Should they attack first?

How effective would their bows be against the combat prowess of the bioengineered soldiers in full alert, and would their attacks disrupt their teammates' arrangements?

Confidence comes from familiarity.

Facing an entirely unknown opponent, Bai E dared not act rashly.

However, these bioengineered soldiers were not about to give them much time to think; one of them somersaulted past the T-junction of the corridor, easily blocking two descending gunfire blades with a small shield in hand.

The three bioengineered soldiers that followed burst out and pounced on the others who were waiting to ambush, like wild beasts devoid of communication skills lunging at their prey—the most dangerous close-quarters combat immediately ensued.

The power of the gunfire blades was substantial, naturally the best close combat weapon for facing the Bug Race or orcs head-on in battle.

But against these likewise highly skilled elite soldiers, the heft of the gunfire blades was a limitation.

In the dizzying melee, Bai E tried to observe the enemy, attempting to gather more information about them—

[??? (Bioengineered Soldier) (Chaotic) — Using "Lucky Strike" to kill may drop: Certainly (Fresh Flesh*800, Bio Parts*60, Combat Experience 1500 points); High Probability (Mastery: Combat Specialization Layer +1, up to level 5, Mastery: Agility Weapon Specialization Layer +1, up to level 5); Possible (Trait: Bio Body (connected to "Trait: Three Mouths One Pig"), Trait: Death Aversion)]

Time had not destroyed these bioengineered soldiers from hundreds of years ago; the bodies under their thin combat suits were still brimming with explosive power.

Even after so many years of silence, these warriors had never ceased training their combat qualities; both their physical condition and combat skills appeared to exceed those of the teammates whose main roles were as fire support.

Bai E could not see the specific base attributes of the bioengineered soldiers, but he was somewhat familiar with the capabilities of his teammates.

Even the fire support personnel, who could operate the gunfire blade's rapid-fire mode for extended periods, had at least close to 15 points in stamina; however, in contests of strength alone, they were clearly at a disadvantage.

It wasn't a complete crushing defeat, yet they were still one or two-tenths weaker.

The lack of strength was secondary; what was even more crucial was the lack of specialized abilities.

When everyone's attributes were honed to the limit, a diversity of specialized abilities became the primary source of variation in combat strength.

In the presence of the same specialized abilities, having or lacking special attributes could significantly impact combat capability, not to mention that the melee specialization levels of these fire support soldiers were far inferior to those of the bioengineered soldiers before them.

If it weren't for the numerical disadvantage of four against six, the teammates probably couldn't have held on for long.

Equipment was certainly another disadvantage for the enemies; a dagger in every hand was the bioengineered soldiers' most significant weapon.

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But in such close-quarters combat, a dagger was actually the most effective weapon; the cumbersome nature of the gunfire blades limited their effectiveness, and astute teammates usually discarded their guns the moment they engaged, switching to military knives or daggers to fight back.

Whistling sounds of slicing through air emerged in the not too spacious corridor, with hardly any noise of weapons clashing; the close combat with knives was full of silent but deadly intent.

The real advantage on their side was the combat suits!

The pitch-black combat suits made of some unknown material effectively resisted slashes and stabs, and aside from hits to unprotected areas, the bioengineered soldiers' attacks hardly achieved the desired effect.

It was precisely this advantage that allowed the fire support soldiers to barely hold their ground against the bioengineered soldiers.

Still, painful grunts occasionally punctuated the air; the protective suits could fend off the dagger's sharpness, but not the force of fists or stabs.

Minister Likok, whom Bai E was protecting, watched the chaotic battle with tension and said to Bai E from behind, "Go up and help them! Don't worry about us."

Bai E gripped the unexpanded bow, hesitated for a moment, then decided to forgo ranged attacks; opportunities could vanish in the blink of an eye amidst such chaos, so he might as well join the fray directly.

"Be careful yourselves."

After a quick admonition, Bai E dashed forward.

Military knives and daggers fell under the category of Agility Weapon Specialization; these small, delicate weapons essentially extended the reach of fists and feet by just a short range, and their specialization levels could largely carry over from Combat Mastery, albeit slightly attenuated.

Unfortunately, Bai E's level of Combat Specialization was not particularly high either; his dagger and military knife probably packed less punch than his fists.

With the burst of "Overlimit Drive," Bai E felt he could create a miracle with brute force.

"Argh!"

A painful groan accompanied by the sound of cracking bones echoed nearby; a teammate's lower leg had been kicked and broken, causing them to lose their balance and fall.

Spotting the bioengineered soldier who had knocked down a comrade and was preparing to kick again to deliver a finishing blow, Bai E quickly stepped forward and twisted his body to exert force.

His robust strength transformed into an unimaginably terrifying force, following a transfer from leg to shoulder, he threw a punch filled with might, utterly unadorned.

The entanglement between his teammate and the bioengineered soldier provided him with the chance to ambush.

The soldier from hundreds of years ago was also a cream-of-the-crop chosen in his era; his seasoned battle experience allowed him to maintain awareness of his combat surroundings even as he aimed to deliver the coup de grâce.

Before the gust from Bai E's punch could impact his face, the bioengineered soldier had already pivoted his body.

The method of exerting force described by the instructor was almost universally applicable to humans, even if the opponent was bioengineered.

After a standard burst of exertion, the bioengineered soldier threw a punch towards Bai E's chest.

An exchange of blows!

And since he was bigger and had a longer reach, even if they both landed their punches, the one who struck later would definitely lose more force.

He believed that this smaller man who did not seem particularly strong would surely be more severely injured than himself.

"Be careful!"

The fallen soldier, clutching his injured leg and dripping with cold sweat, watched the scene unfold before his eyes and couldn't help but voice a warning instinctively.

Although no one explicitly stated it, everyone was deliberately or unconsciously looking out for the newbie who had gotten in through "backdoor connections," assigning him to guard two scientific researchers who were unrelated to the combat.

Following the couple of unexpected incidents on the road earlier, no one harbored any misgivings about the relationship that got him in through the "backdoor."

But the fact remained clear, the judgments of the superiors definitely couldn't be wrong; the kid who needed to use connections to join this team surely had significant deficiencies in other areas.

Though skilled with firearms and driving, he wasn't selected... This only left the possibilities of poor physical fitness or abysmal close combat skills.

At this moment, facing bioengineered fighters non of them could contend with, it would be easy to let a punch break through the defense.

In the blink of an eye, as the reminders were still reverberating through the air, the dull sounds of flesh colliding had already echoed one after another—

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

He coughed up blood...

The terrifying force, akin to a car crash, sent the bioengineered warrior who had been directly punched in the chest flying back, as blood ceaselessly sprayed in midair. He crashed to the ground only after traveling at least a meter away.

Bai E took a small step back, holding his slightly stifling chest and gently rubbed it.

[It's just... like this.]

Observing from the side, the strength of these bioengineered fighters couldn't be ascertained without a concrete concept, but one had to personally engage to understand their true power.

Whether it was genuine attributes or the biomechanical structure inside their bodies, these bioengineered fighters were definitely demonstrating physical performances far surpassing the current human limit of 15 points in physical strength without having used the Gene Optimization Solution.

However, the excess wasn't significant, and coupled with his quick adaptability, their bodies didn't have enough charging time and didn't exhibit their full power.

Under these circumstances, facing his own punch powered by Overlimit Drive and charged with full force, it was normal for them to be blown away.

The enormous rebound impacted his own body as well, the overloading burst a test of his own physical fitness. Fortunately, a fast-recovering hidden specialization was always protecting his body. Bai E rotated his wrist, feeling the soreness dissipating significantly.

Stepping over a teammate lying on the ground unable to move, Bai E leapt forward, delivering another punch directly at the opponent who had not yet regained his balance.

Strike when the enemy is sick, for a certain adversary, Bai E would not show the slightest mercy.

Lying on the ground and watching the figure lightly leap over himself, the soldier with a fractured shinbone couldn't immerse himself in his pain, his mouth agape as he focused on Bai E with a look of utter bewilderment.

"Huh?"

The bioengineered fighter that used to pummel someone as if they were a child couldn't withstand this "backdoor" guy's punch?

What the hell kind of strength do you have to fall to the level where you need "backdoor connections" to join the team?

"Bang!"

A robust build usually meant the overall responses weren't as agile. The bioengineered fighter, struggling to get up from the ground, took another punch square in the face.

Carrying the momentum of a sprint, his perfectly executed punch with the enhancement from the Combat Specialization Layer was even more formidable than before; blood and teeth... instantly flowed and shattered.

Matching his steps with his fists, Bai E surged forward, smoothly drawing the dagger from his calf as he went.

Striking before the reeling bioengineered fighter could, he quickly reached behind the opponent and wrapped one arm around his throat.

"Schlick!"

The sound of the dagger penetrating flesh rose for the first time in the chaos of the narrow corridor.

With a slight twist of his wrist, the throat was severed.

Blood gushed from the severed artery in torrents, Bai E's eyelids instinctively flickered, and he promptly pulled back to distance himself.

The bioengineered fighter, having lost the support from behind, still attempted to launch an attack as he turned, but the biomechanical enhancements and their death-defying trait could only delay their inevitable death. Their powerless bodies fell forward less than a meter away from Bai E after only taking half a step.

Group combat differs from one-on-one; teammates' constraints provided Bai E with the greatest opportunities.

Seize the moment. Subdue your enemy instantly!

As the dust settled, the late battle information started to stream through the faint blue screen before his eyes, not obstructing the actual view—

[Using close-quarters combat to knock down the target, combat mastery experience +5.]

[Hit the target's vital points, inflicting 12 points of striking damage! Target falls into a brief "daze" state.]

[Using a dagger to hit the target's vital points, dexterity weapon mastery experience +8（+2）.] (Total experience is not shown until it exceeds inherited Combat Specialization mastery experience.)

[Inflicted 50 points of critical damage to the target! Target falls into a "heavy bleeding" state.]

Death was merely a matter of time.

The first bioengineered fighter to be killed had emerged!

Bai E's body appeared unhurriedly from behind the fallen bioengineered fighter, with the bloodthirsty dagger still dripping fresh red drops.

The teammate who witnessed the entire battle hugged his shin, completely forgetting the pain in his leg.

Swift. Precise. Ruthless.

Clean and decisive.

The burst of fighting prowess from the "backdoor soldier" was brutally terrifying.

This was truly the main pillar of the team!

And it wasn't just the teammates who recognized Bai E's victory. The remaining bioengineered fighters, continuously monitoring the situation, also identified this new, greater threat.

In the brief clash, they could easily determine that none of the other invaders were their match, except for this one who had killed one of their own—he was the sole threat.