Chapter 369: Deterrence!
The helicoradian is a part-plant-part-animal life form; because it couldn't move freely on its own, it possesses ridiculously swift reaction which protects it from danger. Moreover, other creatures inside the forest relied on the helicoradian to warn them about nearby dangers! If any small animal were to fall into their leaves, it would swiftly retract; trapping the small animal inside and digesting it for additional nutrients.
Of course when Na'vi clans required garments or sacks, they utilized the leaves of the helicoradian as an absolutely excellent raw material. If they wanted to weave ornate ceremonial robes or garments, they would kill off a hexapede*, and bury it beneath the roots of the helicoradian; it then would require only a week for the leaves to wither up.
(TN:* A hexapede (Na'vi name: yerik) is a land herbivore that resides in the various biomes of Pandora, including rainforests, savanna, subarctic tundra, and mountainous regions.)
As for the withered and scattered leaves, it exhibited a rather gorgeous and exquisite appearance; as though it was commemorating its own death. This was the resultant material used to weave garments. Moreover, it was said that the Na'vi in Avatar utilizes the orange pigments of the helicoradian as paint.
Hence, the sight of Helicoradians was akin to viewing the farmland of a farm, and could be confirmed that the na'vi folks were almost within reach. At the very least, the contestants had now arrived within their scope of activity.
38 seconds had lapsed since Makaji's warning. This temporary squad suffered an ambush!
The victim was no one else, but Makji himself.
Actually to be more precise, it was Makaji's 'AMP Suit' that was assaulted; to be even more accurate, it was the Polycarbonate fiber plastic glass window. In theory, this window was able to guard against consecutive shots of 14.5 mm bullets.
A genuine and literal long arrow had very precisely drilled against his window, before directly rebounding off. However, its solid arrowhead had left a thumb sized regiment of cracks on the window, where just 8 cm beneath the cracks, was Makaji's left eye.
Within 7 seconds after the arrow plunged into the ground, Lille immediately picked it up. Examining it for further for 13 seconds, he then transferred it to Reef.
The arrow was two metres long. The arrowhead was disintegrated, but it could be vaguely identified to be forged with volcanic glass.
Actually to humans, shooting such a long arrow was virtually close to impossible.
Yet to a Na'vi whose built was 3 metres, and had strength 4 times that of the average human, drawing a 2 metre long arrow with their longbows crafted from Hometree branches was akin to eating or sleeping. It was exactly like how a butcher could skillfully dice away at raw pork. Because to the Na'vi warriors, shooting arrows was simply a life and death matter - truly a fate resulting in life or death.
That was the fate of dying to hunger.
Many a time, people would describe their passion as their second life. For example; Edison Chen and acting, Michael Jordan and basketball, Juan Tu (The author) and writing, a baby and a lollipop, a monk and chanting. As for the Na'vi warriors, their life was raised alongside their archery techniques.......this was the terrifying extent of a Na'vi's arrow.
Perhaps the contestants on scene had already thought of this, but reality would always deviate greatly from imagination. When a real live example was exhibited in front of everyone, it was convincingly clear as the curves of a stripper. In such a circumstance, everyone felt a sense of confusion; having no room to advance or retreat.
"They are afraid and worried. If not, their first arrow should've been against you guys and not me." The victim Makaji was the first to break the silence.
"A dog will bark louder towards a tougher enemy, a cobra will inflate their necks uprightly to frighten an enemy it deems hard to prevail against; that is the logic behind this. This is just a deterrence, a stern warning. Have you seen a dog barking menacingly at a bone before? If it had utmost confidence, why would a cobra swell up its neck to scare its prey? It would bluntly sink its fangs down without hesitation!"
No doubt, Makaji's words came at the right time. Just when their morale was declining, he slowly pulled it back up. In actual fact, anyone would be bustling with vigorous morale after knowing those four words - The enemy fears me.
After continuing advancing 70 - 80 metres forward, a panoramic view greeted their eyes, and the forest was distinctly turning sparser. Even the shrubs on the ground seemed to be revering and worshipping, as they leaned towards the ground.
Yet even more oddly, just like a fantasy, heavy rocks were currently hovering in midair. They were even floating with an aura of boldness and self-confidence. Brute force was meaningless against it, and massive clumps of soil, green moss and luscious shrubs sprouted from them. The scenery led them to unconsciously think of Nagrand, from the World of Warcraft.
(TN: Nagrand is a location in WOW, you can google it)
Undoubtedly, this was the mystical home for the unobtanium crystals. These precious ores could not only maintain its superconductor performance in extreme temperature, it even resonated with the planet's magnetic field, forming a permanent force field allowing it to suspend in midair. This signified that Sheyan and the squad had arrived at their destination, but to acquire those items, they still had to advance into this nucleus zone.
Pressing on for another 5 minutes in, the contestants could now see a towering colossal tree from afar, stretching out from the forest into the sky. The colossal tree had exuberant branches and leaves, its height reaching a hundred metres. The thickness of the tree would require at least 40 persons to wrap around it in unity. At the height of 40 metres, the branches there even had a diameter of 4 metres! Nearing its base roots, massive titanic board-shaped mangrove like roots burrowed deep into the ground. Its flexible yet solid bark had one distinct feature - following the thickness of the trunk, it had uniformly deep crevices that were as deep as half a metre!
Such a colossal tree; just gazing upon it would dawn a solemn and imposing sensation. Its appearance housed natural spirals formed by branches and limbs of the tree, and its bottom was decorated by numerous ornaments; probably the symbol of a Na'vi clan. Moreover, many huge entrances carved out from the bottom, indicating a hollow interior. Although they were still relatively far, everyone could sense the air of dignified prestige, and felt an extreme urge to prostrate in worship.
At this very instant, 3 incoming arrows shuttled down from the sky!
Sheyan and Reef remained relatively calm; they had the fortune of witnessing the ranged techniques Uruk-hai leader, Lurtz. Having crossed through such a vast ocean previously, these arrows felt merely like a hassle. More crucially, the 3 arrows weren't heading towards them. The assaults were all concentrated against the 'AMP Suit' that Makaji had expanded a huge amount of blood and money to purchase!
It was obvious, the 3 na'vi warriors who acted definitely fought with humankind before and had tasted agony from that 'AMP Suit'. Without exception, it became the number one target. It couldn't be said that they made the wrong choice, yet the cruel reality was this -
In the forest, the biggest threat wasn't a fully equipped 'AMP Suit'. Instead, It was the incredibly nimble and agile, close combat agility experts, with Lille at the forefront! During the instance of the enemy's attack, the vigilant contestants had all simultaneously reacted in two ways. First was to take cover, and the second was to retaliate. Once again, Uzel verified his worth. A clear 3D image was instantly transmitted through the nightmare imprint to everyone's eyes.
Na`vi (Ordinary)
Clan: Kiwatakin Clan
Height: 317 cm, weight: 142 Kg
Strength: 23 points
Agility: 38 points
Physique: 8 points
Perceptive sense: 24 points
Charm: 35 points
Intelligence: 7 points
Spirit: 10 points
'Basic Long-range Combat' lvl 7, 'Basic Footwork' lvl 7
Creature ability: Thunder-rock Embrace lvl 2 - Grants additional 3,000 HP.
Na`vi special ability (Passive): Archery arts - This is an essential survival ability of any Na'vi. Long range attack +50%, Utmost precision +15 cm (The arrow will adjust itself to precisely land on the target if it deviates within 15 cm). 15% additional chance of explosive strike for long range attacks.
Na`vi special ability (Passive): Fastened Limbs - Apart from water bodies, their movement will not be affected by any terrain.
Na`vi special ability (Passive): Deep-vision - Their large pupils allows more accumulation of light to provide night vision.
Keratin Skeletal (Passive) - A Na`vi's unique skeletal calcification structure and keratin formulation prevents their bones from easily breaking. Even in the event of fractures, their body shape would be preserved. Damage received from falling from high altitudes lowered by 80%.
Weakness: Neural queue - The Na`vi's hairs are actually grown out neural queues, which they utilize to communicate with Pandorian nature. Cutting it off will inflict tremendous agony to the Na`vi, causing horrifying perpetual damage.
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Although Makaji was an authentic biologist, he was also a genuinely capable contestant; one that could continue persisting within this realm war. This undoubtedly meant that he had definitely gone through sufficient ordeals and violence.
After 4 consecutive arrow shots, a palm sized cobweb of cracks had already appeared on the window glass of the 'AMP Suit'. Without a trace of courtesy, Makaji controlled this futuristic machine to raise its deadly 'Gau-90 30mm hip-fired auto cannon' and aimed over. Carrying a certain heartache and furious vengeance, he triggered it.
Generous streaks of scorching incendiary rounds volleyed forth, as gunfire rumblings pierced the air; forest leaves scattered wildly as smoke pervaded into the air!