The Battle with the Werewolf Ken

From the very beginning, Meng Shan had never expected his ambush to inflict significant damage on Ken the Werewolf. His primary goal was to test Ken’s defensive capabilities, reaction speed, and regenerative power.

The results of the test were not particularly encouraging. Only autocannon fire with a caliber of over 20mm, equipped with specialized armor-piercing (AP) rounds, could consistently wound him.

His regenerative ability was even more formidable; calculations suggested his sheer recovery speed could rival that of Ran Jiu’yi.

The good news was that while Ken’s reaction speed was incredibly fast, he seemed unable—likely due to his recent acquisition of power—to manipulate his body into optimal evasive maneuvers the instant he sensed an attack, unlike Ran Jiu’yi.

Meng Shan was certain of this. The moment he fired his first shot, Ken had noticed the ambush and attempted to dodge. However, due to a lack of total bodily control, he failed to coordinate his entire strength into the movement. Had he been more proficient, Meng Shan’s shots would never have all hit their mark.

Furthermore, while Ken’s senses were sharp, they hadn’t reached the level of Ran Jiu’yi’s, which could see through illusions directly. As long as they stayed within the range of the Butterfly Realm, they were relatively safe.

Having preliminarily confirmed Ken’s data, Meng Shan switched his armor from Stealth Mode to Flight Mode. Using the illusion as cover, he relocated to his next position at top speed.

During the move, he remotely operated various weapon systems pre-installed throughout the factory district days prior, unleashing a saturation bombardment on Ken’s position.

A torrent of firepower surged from all directions, completely engulfing the werewolf.

Upon closer inspection, however, one would notice that while the assault was fierce, the vast majority consisted of small-caliber rounds incapable of actually harming him. Only a few heavy machine guns equipped with special AP rounds managed to open shallow wounds on Ken’s body.

Under the influence of Ken’s powerful regeneration, these wounds closed automatically in less than twenty seconds.

Logically, Ken could have ignored these attacks. Ammunition is finite, and the damage was negligible; the best strategy would have been to wait patiently for his opponents’ next move.

But Ken, currently consumed by rage and intoxicated by his new power, didn’t care for logic. He lunged blindly toward every active firing point, destroying half of Meng Shan’s remote turrets in a matter of moments.

Perfect. This provided Meng Shan with even more data.

Ken’s attack priority followed a pattern of proximity—attacking from nearest to farthest—rather than prioritizing the high-threat turrets capable of wounding him.

This indicated a lack of tactical judgment and discernment; he couldn’t immediately identify which firing points were actually effective.

Furthermore, his continuous reliance on melee combat confirmed that Ken lacked long-range options. Based on current intel, the evolved Ken was a “Melee Specialist” type superhuman.

With enough information gathered, Meng Shan arrived at his next sniping point. By observing the sequence in which the turrets were being destroyed, he predicted exactly which one Ken would strike last.

Switching back to Stealth Mode, Meng Shan rapidly deployed his electromagnetic sniper rifle, aiming the barrel at that final turret.

Of all the armaments he possessed, the B-42 Electromagnetic Sniper Rifle—developed by the Institute specifically for ultra-long-range heavy targets—was the weapon most likely to deal a lethal blow.

His other weapons were either too slow in projectile speed and fire rate, making them easy to dodge, or simply lacked the power to breach Ken’s defense. This rifle was also Meng Shan’s most-used weapon during the war; at least a dozen superhumans had fallen to its barrel.

The only problem was that Ken’s defensive and regenerative stats ranked in the top five among all superhumans Meng Shan had ever fought. Experience told him that a single shot might not be enough for a “One-Hit Kill.”

The moment the last turret was pulverized, Ken’s silhouette appeared in Meng Shan’s crosshairs.

Without hesitation, Meng Shan squeezed the trigger. The AP round instantly bored through Ken’s right arm, leaving a gaping ten-centimeter hole in his flesh.

However, such an injury meant little to Ken. Within seconds, the bleeding stopped. The massive wound began to knit together at a pace visible to the naked eye; it would likely be fully restored within minutes.

(I aimed for his head, but hit his arm. He dodged… but not completely…)

Meng Shan wasn’t surprised. It would have been stranger to hit a vital spot so easily against an opponent of this caliber. Right now, he had a more pressing concern: ammunition and power.

The B-42’s standard charge could easily punch through the frontal armor of a main battle tank. The reason the New Common Federation hadn’t mass-purchased such a powerful weapon—aside from the high price tag, complex maintenance, and sheer weight—was the astronomical cost of a single shot.

To satisfy the energy requirement of one shot, at least one specialized battery developed by the Institute was required. One of these batteries was worth half the price of a main battle tank.

Despite his old friend Lucas’s best efforts, he had only been able to secure 3 batteries and 5 rounds for Meng Shan. Now, after that first shot, Meng Shan was down to 2 batteries and 4 rounds.

This meant that every subsequent shot had to be a “vital hit.”

While relocating to his next sniping position, Meng Shan gave the order: “Continue according to Combat Plan No. 3. It’s your turn.”

With that command, the “Little Trio,” who had been waiting in the wings, finally sprang into action.

Mirroring their previous battle with Ran Jiu’yi, Bai He’an seized the high ground, reaching the optimal vantage point for fire support. However, unlike the last fight, Jiang Yunshu had increased the altitude of the illusion, and Bai He’an had lowered her hovering height. This time, Bai He’an remained within the safety of the illusion.

Summoning a combination of autocannons and laser cannons, Bai He’an unleashed a fierce barrage upon Ken.

Though her fire rate wasn’t high, Ken’s ability to dodge and block was nowhere near Ran Jiu’yi’s level. His massive five-meter stature made him an even easier target. He managed to evade the high-powered laser beams but couldn’t avoid the trailing autocannon shells. After a wave of explosions, several deep lacerations appeared on his body.

“You annoying little bug!”

Enraged by the constant bombardment, Ken attempted to leap into the sky to tear Bai He’an down.

At that exact moment, Jiang Yunshu launched her illusory attack. Multiple pink beams of light shot toward Ken from all directions.

Already struggling to dodge Bai He’an’s shells, Ken had no mental energy left to track these sudden rays. He took the full brunt of the beams.

Strange… why didn’t those hurt? Wait, they’re just distractions.

Realizing this, Ken simply stopped dodging the pink light, letting the beams wash over him harmlessly.

This was exactly what Jiang Yunshu wanted. Confirming that Ken had completely lowered his guard against the pink light, she began channeling magic in her hands, preparing her strongest strike.

Due to the massive mana consumption of charging this attack while simultaneously maintaining the district-wide illusion, Jiang Yunshu was forced to cease the distracting illusory beams.

To mask the mana fluctuations of her charge and to draw fire away from Bai He’an, Meng Shan reached his next sniping point and activated the remaining remote weapons.

Unlike the previous “pinprick” attacks, the remaining arsenal consisted almost entirely of heavy weaponry: grenade launchers, anti-tank rockets, and automatic cannons.

These weapons had already proven they could bypass Ken’s skin-deep defenses. While they only caused superficial wounds due to limited penetration, they were perfect for seizing his attention.

Through the observation and fire-control systems of his exoskeleton, Meng Shan coordinated all the heavy weapons, firing them at a steady pace that perfectly filled the gaps in Bai He’an’s fire cycles, keeping Ken under constant pressure.

Under the relentless hail of fire, Ken became increasingly agitated. He glared toward a specific direction in the sky. Even though he saw nothing but empty air, he could feel that the most effective fire was coming from that area.

Ken lunged upward toward that spot. With his immense mobility, a single leap propelled him out of the illusion’s height limit, revealing its effective boundary.

At that same moment, Meng Shan caught him.

Lacking the ability to fly, Ken could not change his trajectory in mid-air. For Meng Shan, this was the perfect window he had been waiting for.

The red dot of the scope was etched clearly onto Ken’s forehead. Meng Shan pulled the trigger without a hint of hesitation.

However, at the final microsecond before the AP round could connect, Ken’s enhanced instincts screamed a warning. In that tiny fragment of time, Ken jerked his right hand up to shield his skull.

The specialized round bored through his hand instantly, but the obstruction caused the trajectory to deviate. Ultimately, it only grazed Ken’s cheek.

Seizing the moment, Bai He’an left the cover of the illusion, flew directly above Ken, and unleashed her full firepower, hammering him back down into the misty factory district below.

(Missed the vitals again. I need a better opening.)

Meng Shan was down to his last battery and three rounds. While he could theoretically tap into the suit’s core power after the batteries were spent, he didn’t think Ken would give him that many chances.

There was another problem: lack of power.

Judging by the effect of the last shot, the AP round lost nearly all its kinetic energy after piercing Ken’s hand. If he were to hit Ken’s much denser skull, even the electromagnetic rifle might fail to penetrate.

(Regular shots aren’t enough. I need to use the Overload Firing Mode.)

(The next shot… will be the decider.)