Honkai Beasts are mutated animals infected by Honkai Energy. The largest can stand as tall as a building, while even the smallest are at least five meters tall. Compared to them, Dead Soldiers are laughably weak, unless they're high-level ones. But high-level Dead Soldiers aren't as common as cabbages—you don't just stumble upon them. Low-level Dead Soldiers, on the other hand, are truly as common as cabbages.
Of course, Honkai Beasts aren't just big. The Honkai Energy within them far surpasses that of even the most powerful low-level Dead Soldiers. If the Honkai Energy in a Dead Soldier is like a small cup of water, the Honkai Beast is like a whole thermos.
As the saying goes, "Man dies for wealth, birds die for food."
Ever since Li Xuan got his Rifled Flintlock, he'd become a total Spartan. One Dead Soldier? *BANG!* Down in one shot. Two Dead Soldiers? *BANG!* Down in one shot. Three Dead Soldiers? *BANG!* Down in one shot. Li Xuan had spent the morning collecting Crystals with incredible satisfaction. His hormones surging, he began to consider targeting Honkai Beasts.
*If I kill a Honkai Beast, can I summon it again?*
Li Xuan, brimming with anticipation for his new equipment, decided to hunt down a Honkai Beast to see how much Crystal he could obtain. Ideally, he wanted a "once-in-three-years, feast-for-three-years" haul. Whether it was the Goddess of Luck's favor or abandonment, within an hour of conceiving the idea, Li Xuan spotted a five-meter-tall juvenile Honkai Beast.
Li Xuan had always found the Honkai Beast's appearance rather peculiar. Where was the fearsome visage, the body covered in bone spikes, the saliva that could kill? In reality, it looked like a giant, round, fluffy Baymax, with two protrusions on its shoulders and its hands planted firmly on the ground. Aside from its mouth full of sharp teeth, it was almost... cute.
But aside from that, the Honkai Beast was ridiculously strong, capable of tearing down buildings with its bare hands as if it were child's play. Li Xuan watched in person as the beast, with its rear end in the air, devoured reinforced concrete with ferocious gusto, making his teeth ache inexplicably.
But as a certain great leader once said: Every enemy has a weakness!
After observing the Honkai Beast for half a day, Li Xuan concluded that the red stone in the center of its head, resembling an eye, must be its weak point. His reasoning was simple: everything else was either white or black, yet there was a single red spot. Logically speaking, if you weren't going to attack that, who would you attack?!
Li Xuan decided to act immediately. He picked up his Rifled Flintlock and charged straight at the Honkai Beast, ready for a head-on confrontation. There was no other choice—the ground was all reinforced concrete, making it impossible to dig a pit or set a trap. Ambush was out of the question; all that was left was to fight it head-on.
*If only I had a landmine...*
Li Xuan knelt behind a gap between buildings next to the Honkai Beast. He raised his Rifled Flintlock, aimed the muzzle at the beast's metallic back, and pulled the trigger.
"Bang!" Sparks flashed from the muzzle as the bullet struck the Honkai Beast's back with a metallic clang, dealing -1 damage.
Li Xuan squinted. Four small black holes had appeared on the beast's armor. *Damn, I can't even break its defense?!* No wonder it had grown up eating humans and stones.
*Time to scram!* Without a word, Li Xuan silently clutched his rifle and prepared for a hasty strategic retreat.
"Arooooo!" The Honkai Beast roared in fury. Though Li Xuan hadn't broken its defense, he had still hurt it. Its seemingly clumsy body turned with surprising agility and began chasing Li Xuan. As for the buildings in its path, they were no obstacle at all—a single swipe of its paw was enough to flatten them.
What was a casual pursuit for the Honkai Beast was a matter of life and death for Li Xuan. The Honkai Beast had been relentlessly chasing him, smashing buildings behind them with each swipe of its claws. Debris and dust filled the air, harmless to the Honkai Beast, but a single large stone could crush Li Xuan in an instant.
*This won't work. If I don't take it down, it'll catch me eventually,* Li Xuan thought, panting for breath. *Rather than exhausting myself running, I should conserve my energy for a fight.*
He quelled the rising fear in his heart and decisively turned to charge at the Honkai Beast.
"YAAAAAAH!" Li Xuan roared, raising his gun and charging towards the beast. The Honkai Beast seemed startled by his sudden attack, momentarily frozen in place. Li Xuan seized this opportunity, leaping into the air and pressing the gun barrel against the red stone embedded in the beast's head. Sparks erupted as the gun fired.
The silver bullet struck the red stone, vanishing instantly. The Honkai Beast's body froze in an unnatural stillness. Li Xuan seized the moment to leap off its back.
*Boom!* The Honkai Beast collapsed to the ground, its body stiffened. Li Xuan finally exhaled, slumping against the beast with his back to it. The encounter had been terrifying. Fear and excitement had drained most of his energy, and now, relaxed, he didn't want to move at all.
Just as he caught his breath, Li Xuan lowered his head and suddenly noticed a massive black shadow looming over him.
Swallowing hard, he turned to look up. The Honkai Beast was staring at him intently, its head—consisting only of a mouth and a single red eye—seeming to mock him. Its massive claws immediately slammed down. The shadow of death instantly enveloped Li Xuan.
*I'm definitely screwed.* He opened his mouth, but his parched throat produced no sound.
*Whirr! Slash!~* A razor-sharp blade sliced through the air, its snow-white edge emitting a faint hum. A slender figure materialized before him, pink hair fluttering in the wind, a red amulet swaying at her neck, and a blade at her waist shimmering with an alluring pink glow.
She was a woman as delicate as a cherry blossom, yet her long blade had cleaved the Honkai Beast in two with a single stroke.
Li Xuan gaped in awe, his nostrils catching a faint fragrance—a lingering scent of cherry blossoms he remembered from a trip to Japan, unforgettable and haunting.