Striking First

Taking out his mobile phone, Hozer stared intently at the four Gurongi, his fingers pressing the keys to call Ichijou Kaoru.

"Ichijou, tell Godai to get here. My luck seems to be good today."

His tone sounded relaxed, but it contained a hidden gravity. Ichijou Kaoru immediately realized that Hozer had encountered Gurongi, and moreover, an opponent he wasn't sure he could defeat.

Turning his head to look at where the newest police motorcycle, the TRCS-2000, had just been placed, Ichijou Kaoru's expression turned grim.

"Number 5 has appeared. Godai just rushed there."

On the other end of the line, Hozer froze. Watching the four Gurongi gradually surround him, he licked his dry lips.

"Then consider that I said nothing. Don't you come either; you'll die."

Before the words were finished, Hozer hung up, casually tossed the phone behind him, and took the lead by lunging at the Gurongi standing at the front of the four.

Among the four Gurongi, three had relatively slender builds that gave him a sense of danger no greater than the Spider and Bat monsters.

But the sturdy Gurongi leading them carried a much stronger sense of danger. Even so, if it were one-on-one, Hozer was confident he wouldn't lose.

But now it was a one-against-four situation. Hozer could only choose to strike first to seize the initiative.

What Hozer didn't expect was that, facing his attack, only one of the four Gurongi—a white-haired man still in human form—rushed forward.

Looking at his confident gaze, he clearly thought that using his human form was enough to easily deal with Hozer.

Discovering this, Hozer decisively reduced his strength by nearly ninety percent.

Fists collided, and a dull thud echoed in the narrow corridor. Hozer clutched his wrist, his face showing pain as he repeatedly backed away.

"Ha ha ha."

The white-haired Gurongi laughed disdainfully upon seeing this, a cruel smile appearing on his face as he lunged at Hozer again.

"No killing before the game begins."

At this moment, a Gurongi behind them shouted in the Gurongi language. The white-haired one responded, and the force in his hand also decreased slightly.

Hozer keenly noticed this change, and in his heart, he had already pronounced a death sentence for the white-haired Gurongi.

His entire body's muscles silently tensed, like a volcano a second before eruption.

The white-haired Gurongi sneered, throwing a punch aimed at Hozer's forehead, already imagining the scene of him spitting blood and flying backward.

But before the dream could come true, Hozer's figure suddenly blurred, his head tilting slightly to avoid the fist.

Immediately, Hozer's right hand shot out, grabbing the white-haired Gurongi's collar.

The white-haired Gurongi was startled, immediately realizing something was wrong, but it was too late.

First came a punch to the jaw, then following the momentum, an elbow strike to the exposed throat, while simultaneously a knee strike to his groin.

Then his left hand pulled him back, delivering a rapid succession of elbow and knee strikes, relentlessly attacking the throat and groin.

The truth proved that the white-haired Gurongi in human form had far less durability than in monster form. Three consecutive elbow strikes to the throat had already left him heavily injured.

Only then did the three Gurongi watching the show from behind react, roaring in anger as they charged.

But the short distance of a few meters was enough for Hozer to finish off the white-haired Gurongi.

Finally, a Double Peak Piercing the Ears strike hit both sides of his temples. The white-haired Gurongi's body crashed to the ground, his eyes wide, no longer breathing.

Seeing their companion's corpse fall before their eyes, the sturdy leader Gurongi was uncontrollably enraged, letting out a roar and transforming into his monster form—clearly a sturdy Rhino monster.

The Rhino monster charged at extreme speed, his head lowered slightly, the sharp horn on his forehead aimed straight at Hozer, lunging with an unstoppable momentum.

Hozer's expression changed. With quick hands and eyes, he gripped the rhino horn with both hands, but a massive force surged in, and his feet were immediately swept off the ground, sending him flying backward.

In the desperate situation, Hozer used all his strength to kick the Rhino monster's belly.

Fortunately, the distance of a few meters wasn't enough for the Rhino monster to build up full momentum for the charge, plus Hozer had absorbed the Spider monster's beast card, increasing his strength by a level.

This kick stopped the Rhino monster's charge, but the counter-shock also sent Hozer flying, slamming hard into the wall at the end of the corridor.

Bricks and stones crumbled and fell. In the cloud of dust, Hozer landed on one knee, his back still aching dully.

"Incredible strength, as expected of a rhino."

After the Rhino monster transformed, the other two Gurongi also revealed their monster forms—one shaped like a grasshopper, the other a kangaroo.

"Are you guys opening a zoo here?"

Although they didn't understand Hozer's words, the three Gurongi still heard the mocking tone.

The Grasshopper and Kangaroo monsters were about to charge at Hozer, but were stopped by the Rhino monster's hand and roughly pushed aside.

"He is mine."

The Grasshopper monster showed dissatisfaction, stepping forward to push the Rhino monster back.

Seeing the two sides about to clash, the Kangaroo monster timely pulled the Grasshopper monster away, persuading him.

Only then did the Rhino monster turn his head back to Hozer.

Thanks to this brief interval, Hozer had adjusted his body's state, ready for battle.

The Rhino monster again aimed the giant horn on his forehead at Hozer and launched a charge.

Hozer nimbly dodged, and the Rhino monster brushed past him, slamming his head straight into the wall.

In an explosion, the Rhino monster's entire head was buried deep inside.

His thick defense kept him unharmed. He pulled his head out, his hands intending to grab Hozer.

Having tested the Rhino monster's strength, Hozer naturally wouldn't face him head-on. He feigned an attack with both hands to draw the opponent's gaze, then delivered a lethal knee strike to the Rhino monster's belly.

The Rhino monster groaned in pain, his body hunching over. Hozer took the opportunity to lock his wrist, using a standard shoulder throw to slam him face-down, then delivered a heavy kick to his nape.

Then, Hozer grabbed the rhino horn again, pulled him up, and delivered a direct front kick to the belly, sending him flying five or six meters to land right in front of the Grasshopper and Kangaroo monsters.

Seeing this, the Grasshopper monster uttered a mockery in the Gurongi language, making the Rhino monster even more furious.

This situation made Hozer realize that the Gurongi tribe was not a united race.

Furthermore, except for the Gurongi with the rose mark he had met before, these guys all seemed to have extremely hot tempers.

Of course, this personality was extremely dangerous to ordinary people.

Seeing the Rhino monster tending to conflict with the Grasshopper monster again, Hozer's originally tense mood relaxed quite a bit.

Their companion's corpse was still on the ground, yet they were fighting among themselves right in front of the enemy.

In an instant, Hozer's evaluation of the Gurongi tribe dropped significantly.

Finally, under the Kangaroo Gurongi's persuasion, the Grasshopper and Rhino monsters temporarily reconciled. Immediately, all three Gurongi fixed their gazes on Hozer.

Hozer felt a slight chill in his heart, instinctively glancing at the corridor to the right. If he ran at full speed from here, he could reach the surface in about ten minutes.