Star Rank Hunter

d skill they displayed could only be described as stunning.

Every member in the Eleventh Squad was a star in their own right, with Cillin being the greatest of them all.
Hua Xi knew from the second Cillin took his first shot that she could call off the duel, assuming that they both survived this mission.
Forget winning, the chasm between them was so wide that she couldn’t see any hope in catching up to him right now.

Cillin and Tang Qiuqiu were known by the crew as the best human shooters in the entire Eleventh Squadron.
Why human? That was because the two non-humans in the squad, Moon and Sigma, believed that they were the duo’s equal or better if they went all out.
Czedow most likely qualified as well, although there was very few data to support this assumption because the robot rarely used guns.

While the group was pushing forward, the horde of creatures behind them had finally entered into view.

Moon was ready for this and shut the second hatch before the parasites and mutated hosts could come through.
Their backs were safe for now, but they also had nowhere left to go.
Now, the only way left for them was forward where the fourth entry point was.

As a side note, Cillin didn’t ask Xi Kai to send in his robots.
He took three with him just in case, but that was all.
He didn’t even allow them to disengage their invisibility mode and help.

Originally, Cillin was planning to deploy them for this rescue mission, but he changed his mind after realizing who was the creator of these parasites.
Xi Kai’s robots were a hidden trump card that should only be used when the time was right, least of all in front of the people of Sector M.
GAL wasn’t without its own robotic empire, and the Robert Family was famous throughout the galaxy.
Considering that Xi Kai’s robots were very different from theirs, it would cause a whole host of problems if they were found out, not to mention that the new technology they were testing as of late wasn’t yet mature, the research wasn’t yet finished and more.

Lastly, his crew could use the experience.
In any combat situation, a hunter’s best friend was their teammates and themselves, and the only way to hone both things—skill and teamwork—was through actual combat.

The mutated hosts were a lot easier to kill than the parasites despite their greater speed and strength.
It was because the parasites were tiny, fast, and could potentially transform an ally into an enemy if given the opportunity.

Sometimes there would be a lull in between the battle, and the group took the opportunity to inject themselves with the second syringe of antibodies.
At this point, some of them were injured, and practically everyone was covered in some gray goo.
Even if they weren’t, the air must be choke full of all sorts of potentially dangerous germs.
If they didn’t take the second injection when they could, there was a high chance they would start changing even before they exited the passage.

“Cillin, the specialized antibody will be complete in another half an hour at most, so there’s no need to take a third injection,” Tico said to Cillin through his earpiece.

“Got it!” Cillin checked the time before urging everyone, “Move faster!”

Hua Xi’s team couldn’t understand his urgency.
No matter how massive the horde behind the second hatch was, they knew it would hold for at least a short amount of time.
That being said, they didn’t let it stop them from quickening their pace.
Some people even removed their protective suits because it restricted their movement, and the amount of oxygen they were inhaling through their breathing mask was nowhere enough to satisfy the amount of “exercise” they were doing right now.
Plus, everyone in the Eleventh Squad had removed their protective suits the second their commander gave the order.
They couldn’t show weakness now, could they?

More importantly, the number of mutated hosts and even parasites had decreased drastically since the start of the battle, so the better option here was to finish the battle ASAP.

It wasn’t like the protective suits were completely detrimental though.
They weren’t made of metal, but they could buy them some time if the parasites did slip through their defense.
Without one, it would take a fist-sized, adult parasite only half a second to burrow into their bodies, and a smaller, infant parasite less than a-fourth of a second to perform the same feat.
The reason for this discrepancy was size.
It was far easier for a smaller object to burrow through the human skin, and it was a lot less noticeable.

When a mutated host dropped dead, a couple of bumps immediately appeared on their grayish skin.
One of them was fist-sized, and the rest were a lot smaller.
A few seconds later, they—an adult parasite and several infant parasites—burst out of the host’s body and continued chasing after the group.

What insane reproduction speed! As expected of a bioweapon!

Even as Hua Xi and her ring of bodyguards ran past a section, parasites were growing, pushing their way out of bodies, and rushing them almost right next to their feet.
Already, the security team Hua Xi brought with her had lost much of their numbers.

A bodyguard defending the rear shot an adult parasite that was pouncing toward him, but he didn’t see the infant parasite right behind the adult, and he wasn’t so lucky that his bullet penetrated both creatures at once.

The newborn parasite was as hungry as a wolf who hadn’t seen fresh meat for a very, very long time.
The bodyguard felt a sudden, sharp pain in his abdomen, and for an instant he saw a vision of himself joining the parasites and chasing down the very people he was supposed to protect.
He was prepared to face his fate though.
He was a bodyguard.
It was his natural responsibility to die in place of his subject when necessary, and he knew that the possibility was very real from the moment he learned of this mission.

Theoretically speaking, an infested host could be saved if the parasite was removed before it took over the body.
In reality, it was one of those “easier said than done” things.
Even if it took a long time for the parasite to control a host—which it most certainly wasn’t—how could anyone be expected to extract a parasite in the middle of a battle?

The bodyguard was about to say some brave and totally unoriginal last words, “Leave me! I’ll cover the rear! I’ll catch up to y’all later!” when he realized that someone was standing in front of him.
When he looked down, he saw a pair of finger stabbing into his abdomen about three centimeters above a bloody hole.

Maybe it was because he thought he was going to die, but he had no idea when the pair of fingers had pierced his abdomen.
He hadn’t even felt the pain until now.

When Czedow pulled the tiny parasite out of his flesh, the bodyguard felt as if he had been reborn.

“Solace!”

The bodyguard standing next to Solace saw the parasite and took it out in a hurry.
Then, he asked his comrade, “You okay?”

Solace was still a little pale, but he forced a small smile and said, “I’m fine now.”

Sure, there was now another hole in his abdomen, but at least he was alive, right? Between a bit of pain and being turned into a mindless monster, he would choose pain every time.

“Thank you!” Solace said to Czedow.
He was among those who were disgruntled by the hunters’ absence when they were clearing out the enemies before the first hatch, but that changed quickly when he realized just how strong they were.
Now, even his last bit of resentment had melted away into sheer gratitude.
Czedow had saved his life, and he appreciated that.

Czedow didn’t look back at the duo.
He kept his eyes trained on the new parasites crawling out of the dead bodies on the ground as he said, “The commander told me to cover our rear.
You guys are too slow.”

Solace: “…”

You could’ve not said that last bit, you know.

Czedow killed the enemies way faster than the bodyguards even though he was just using his bare hands.
Three parasites had tried to run past Czedow to kill Solace and two other bodyguards who stayed behind to cover the rear, only to be cut in half by a casual swing of the hand.
The guy never even looked at the parasites.
That wasn’t what really shocked the bodyguards into silence, however.
Yes, it was stunning that he fought like he had eyes behind his back, and yes, it was also stunning that his hands moved so fast that they could only see a blur, but seriously though, why weren’t the parasites attacking him in the first place?!

That’s right, the parasites weren’t targeting Czedow.
In fact, they acted as if he didn’t even exist, bounding past him in favor of the bodyguards at the back.

The bodyguards were confused, but there was no time to ponder about the mystery, much less question Czedow about it.
The group moved faster and made steady progress toward the fourth entry point.

“Cillin, your assumption is correct,” Moon said to Cillin on the way.

Moon’s scans revealed that all the depots carrying radioactive sources had all been opened.
One of these depots were located close to the fifth entry point, and all the parasites near that area had begun mutating.
In other words, these parasites absorbed radiation like food, and it wouldn’t be long before they evolved into stronger, far deadlier forms that they definitely didn’t want to face.

The parasites around the fourth entry point had no such depots, so they wouldn’t undergo an evolution.
It was one of the reasons Cillin chose to come here.

“The mutated parasite would replace the old parasite already occupying a body and make it stronger.
Already, some hosts are growing shells on their skins.
Worse, the first, second, third, fifth and sixth entry point have all been unsealed.
I’m sure the same thing would’ve happened to the fourth entry point if I hadn ’t secured it.
The new parasites and mutated hosts are currently climbing out of the entry points and crawling all over the surface of the transport ship.
These ‘things’ are capable of operating in space, and I’m sure they’ll hinder us when we try to escape to our ships later.”

Moon had learned to describe the parasites and mutated hosts as “things”.

Everything Moon told Cillin was something he had guessed might happen earlier.
It was why he wanted to get out of the transport ship as soon as possible.
The longer they stayed, and the more parasites and mutated hosts infesting the surface of the transport ship, the harder it would be for them to escape to safety.

Here’s a quick quiz: who is easier to best in combat, a C-rank human or an A-rank human? A C-rank human of course.
And Cillin had zero intentions of pitting his crew against an endless horde of A-rank parasites.

Cillin took a moment to discuss plans with Hua Xi’s group before contacting Udoze and Xi Kai.
Then, he waved for Moon to follow him before saying, “Moon, Wheeze and I will head out to clear a path.”

Then, the hunter pinched the ear of a certain cat who had been dozing atop Sigma’s head all this time and said, “Wake up, you lazy cat! It’s time to work!”