I Became A Mech Soldier After Waking Up in The Future. - Chapter 75

There were many kinds of classification that could be used to distinguish Zergs and Predators, such as their size, their habitat, their diet, and so on and so forth.

But, the most common classification used in military operations was based on their lethality level and the numbers of troops needed to eliminate them. They were separated into, from the lowest to the highest, F, E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, and SSS.

F-Rank: the monster could easily kill a civilian, but any soldier with an exosuit and full arms could easily dispose of it.

E-Rank: posed a lethal threat to an individual soldier, but was easily handled by 5-man teams.

D-Rank: could destroy armored vehicles and would need at least a 10-man squadron to fight it.

C-Rank: Ordinary guns and artillery posed a little threat to the monster in this rank. At least a 50-man platoon and a mecha need to be deployed in the case of an encounter.

B-Rank: This monster or swarm possessed the ability to destroy small sentries. At least 2-3 mecha accompanied by several platoons were needed to eliminate this monster or swarms. Individual Furious Earth Dragons were classified in this class, but because they usually showed up in groups, their class actually went up one level.

A-Rank: This monster or swarms could easily slaughter a platoon in a single strike, leaving even a mecha vulnerable in front of this class of monster; many first-class predators, such as the arachnid-shaped predator Broodmother and Devil Mantis Youngling, fell into this category.

S-Rank known as outpost destroyer; SS-Rank known as a base disaster; and SSS-Rank known as city-state calamity.

If humanity encountered any monsters or swarms that exceeded these categories, we might experience another dark era.

The weakest Devil Mantis was classified as A-rank, while the strongest could reach SS-Rank.

They had well-developed muscles in their legs, giving them a strong explosive power when bouncing and running. The whole body was clad in a pitch-black hard exoskeleton, which could only be broken by an anti-tank bullet or a mecha’s high-vibration saber. It was one of the most eye-catching and terrifying predators that Keiko had seen so far.

Compared to any predators or zergs that Keiko had encountered so far, Devil Mantis was in a bit smaller scale, only around 4 meters high standing on two feet, a bit similar to a human whose arms have turned into scythes, with long forearms, a pair of diamond-shaped eyes on a pitch-black head that looks a bit like amethyst, and a pair of pincer teeth sticking out hideously from the mouthpiece below.

This monster had unparalleled neural reflexes, so bullets were generally ineffective against it, unless it was under heavy artillery fire; only then could it be maimed and disabled.

It has strong vitality; any non-lethal wound can be healed relatively quickly, so it takes a lot of effort if you want to kill it completely.

And its only weakness is fire.

“It weakness is fire? Are you fucking kidding me?”

Keiko wanted to curse so badly. Where was she going to get a fire now?

Looking at the Devil Mantis, who was sniggering in a taunting position like an MMA-champion belt holder looking at their challenger, Keiko didn’t have the confidence to beat it in a full head-on confrontation. This guy looked more like a martial artist than herself.

If only… if only she had been prepared and brought her weapon with her, Keiko gritted her teeth in regret right now. She should’ve known that, as a soldier had to be ready to battle in any kind of situation, she was really embarrassed herself for dropping her guard.

Time passed by minute by minute, and Keiko was still in a stalemate with the predator.

Although the temperature in the forest was as cold as late autumn and the clothes Keiko wore now were a bit thin, it didn’t prevent dense beads of sweat from occurring, seeping out of Keiko’s forehead, and a grave expression could be seen on her face right now.

She adjusted her breathing, figuring out how to fight this guy. The Devil Mantis usually took their prey slowly, as if toying around with them, giving them the taste of despair. So, the monster wasn’t in a hurry to attack Keiko, as it observed Keiko’s actions and, had it had a human face, it would have shown an amused expression.

Quite the opposite, Keiko wasn’t as leisurely as the devil; she couldn’t afford to waste her time right now. She needed to end this fight quickly as she was very worried about the situation at the gate of the city.

She suddenly rushed forward and came within the range of the scythe attack. The monster instantly reacted, slashing her scythe at Keiko.

Her body reflexively bent backward to dodge the attack. The sickle swept across only an inch away from Keiko’s head, which was currently breaking into cold sweat profusely, but Keiko’s face didn’t show any fear, only an unprecedented focus.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, just like in the movie matrix, except Keiko wasn’t dodging bullets but a two-meter scythed blade.

Seeing the sickle only cutting an air pocket, the Devil Mantis was slightly surprised, then became more excited. It immediately swung its left scythe at Keiko, this time at a lower position.

Keiko immediately rolled her body sideways, then her legs jumped up, causing her body to spin in the air with the passing sickle beneath her. Using this momentum, Keiko swung his body in the air, with an almost inhumanely roundhouse kick, striking the monster’s shoulder like a thunderbolt.

Keiko fell to the ground and crouched; his left foot was numb from the impact as if she was kicking a concrete wall.

The monster, while it didn’t seem to be injured, looked a little frightened by Keiko’s unpredictable yet, extremely fast movement, and didn’t launch another attack immediately.

‘Tsk, how should I fight this monster?’

After a short trial just now, Keiko had already assessed the ability of this monster. It was impossible for her to defeat this guy barehanded. The attack using only her hands and feet didn’t pose any lethal threat to this monster.

Keiko’s attention suddenly fell on the monster’s scythe and a crazy idea popped up in her mind: If she didn’t have the weapon just snatch the enemy weapon!

Keiko licked her dry lips, and a dangerous smile appeared on her face behind the visor.

She was going to make a high-stake gamble here. One wrong move she had to say goodbye to this strange world that she barely fitted in. Would she return to her own time if she died here?

A face of a girl with beautiful chestnut hair and captivating sky-blue eyes wearing a stubborn look on her face while challenging her limit flashed in her mind.

‘Will she feel sad if I’m not coming back?’

Keiko was taken back by her own thought.

‘Why did I suddenly think of her?’

Whether she recognized it or not, that woman who she kept her guard against was slowly but surely worming her way into her heart, searching for a special corner where she would root herself into.

‘Is this really, okay?’

Keiko shook her head helplessly and let out a wry smile.

She couldn’t afford such distraction if she want to defeat this terrifying monster!

She needed to focus all of her attention on the next move if she wanted to survive and came back alive.