Rapidly Increasing Strength

Two factors supported Qu Jianlei's decision to strike back.

The first was, of course, his lack of Mental Clarity, but the second was even more important: poverty!

The reason he could afford his current equipment and continue cultivating was not because he had been using Mr. Sai as a front.

In the end, he had fought several battles, and killing people to seize their goods was the real secret to getting rich! So this battle had to be fought—not only for Mental Clarity, but more importantly, to earn money for cultivation.

With that thought, he accelerated again and ran toward where he had hidden the motorcycle, only stopping when he was more than a hundred meters away.

He had placed the motorcycle and supplies in a shallow pit, covered with a dirt-colored tattered cloth.

Unless passersby looked carefully, they normally would not notice it.

Then he turned around, raised his binoculars, and looked into the distance behind him.

How many people did they have? He murmured softly, "When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes into you."

And that was indeed the case. He was observing them, and they were observing him as well.

The Wasteland's air was poor, and visibility was low, but visibility was not constant.

Like now. He could vaguely make out two motorcycles speeding toward him from about two kilometers away.

Dong Ge sat on the back seat of one motorcycle, binoculars in hand, and he spotted him as well.

"He's up ahead. This kid really isn't slow... Huh, he noticed us?"

Qu Jianlei memorized their position, then moved directly behind a rock and raised his gun in a kneeling stance.

Theoretically, if binoculars could see them, then the naked eye could see them too.

But at a distance of two kilometers, human figures were just tiny black dots, difficult even to aim at.

What was infuriating was that Gauss Automatic Rifles in the Wasteland basically did not come with scopes.

Considering the range and power of Gauss Guns, not having scopes was truly unreasonable.

Qu Jianlei could only assume that the Doomsday environment was too harsh, making scopes unnecessary.

After all, when it came to firearms, convenience mattered as much as range and power.

But trying to aim and fire was a little difficult for him. This was not an issue with his marksmanship.

His marksmanship used to be poor, but once he got his hands on a Gauss Gun, he improved after only a few practice sessions.

Without bragging, Qu Jianlei believed he picked up skills like shooting very quickly.

Back on Blue Star, he simply had not been interested, and firearms were not easy to access, so he had never looked into them.

After all, there were so many other things worth studying. If he wanted to get access to guns, he would have needed to deal with people—why bother?

He felt that his aim was not bad, but he could not see clearly... What should he do? The next moment, he channeled his inner energy into his eyes again. Damn, it really works.

The targets did not become larger, but their clarity suddenly increased. It felt as though the resolution had instantly risen by several levels.

So what I was seeing just now was... cavalry? But immediately afterward, his vision went black, and an aching pressure surged from his eyeballs.

Damn it! I used too much force... Qu Jianlei hurriedly withdrew some of the energy.

He was somewhat relieved that the first time he had sent inner energy through his body, he had used it on his legs. Otherwise, his eyeballs... might not have survived! He definitely needed to do more related testing in the future. Otherwise, blindly trying things at the last minute could easily lead to trouble.

To conduct tests, financial resources were a major limiting factor. So this time... he had to earn more.

By the time his vision recovered, they had advanced nearly another four hundred meters. He quickly focused and aimed.

Through his binoculars, Dong Ge saw his every movement clearly and could not help sneering.

"He actually wants to resist? Does he think he's Shadowless Gun?"

Shadowless Gun was the most famous sniper in this region. His farthest confirmed kill had been from over ten kilometers away.

But that man had used a Laser Sniper Rifle with a scope. How could a Gauss Automatic Rifle compare?

Still, Dong Ge was not careless. "Make the bike sway a little."

It was already difficult to aim from such a distance. If the motorcycle's movement varied slightly, it would be absolutely difficult for the other side to hit them.

Then he added, "Move another three hundred meters. If he dares fire, suppress him with firepower!"

Flower Arm held a single-person Gauss Machine Gun. At a range of fifteen hundred meters, it was enough for fire suppression.

But he hesitated before saying, "Dong Ge, suppressing fire from a motorcycle... wastes too much ammunition."

A moving motorcycle bounced and swayed; it was not a stable platform for sustained firepower.

And while the Gauss Machine Gun had tremendous firepower, it consumed ammunition at an alarming rate. He was worried this fight would end up costing more than it was worth.

Dong Ge merely snorted. "That depends on whether he even dares shoot at us."

In the Wasteland, having more people was a huge advantage. Two motorcycles, four people—would a lone traveler dare make a move?

The Wasteland did not lack ruthless people, but picking a fight with four people for no reason was basically impossible.

Take a look at your own circumstances, then look at ours—you do not even have a motorcycle!

Of course, his reasoning rested on one assumption: the other party could not possibly hit a moving target more than a thousand meters away!

Hitting a target over a kilometer away was already impressive, let alone one that was not only moving but swaying from side to side.

He believed the most likely scenario was that the other side would pretend to aim, then fire a warning shot.

Unfortunately, Qu Jianlei had absolutely no intention of firing a warning shot first.

He had already decided to kill them, so what was there to warn them about? As for the possibility of a misunderstanding... maybe they had simply chosen the same route? Sorry, Qu Jianlei had never believed in misunderstandings.

People in the Wasteland were ruthless by nature, and he himself was stubborn.

When he fled, he could completely disregard pride and reasons. When he attacked, he would not bother with rules either.

The Wasteland was so vast, yet they had followed behind him for so long. Did they want to claim they had no ill intentions? Sorry, he would not even give them a chance to explain. He would not consider the possibility of a "coincidence" at all.

Qu Jianlei held his breath. Three seconds later, he decisively pulled the trigger.

He had a good grasp of lead time, and even a zigzagging path was not entirely without patterns.

After the shot rang out, the motorcycle carrying Flower Arm immediately crashed to the ground.

Flower Arm, clutching the Gauss Machine Gun, flew off the bike and rolled several times. "Fuck... what the hell was that?"

There was a bloody hole in the rider's chest. He was clearly beyond saving.

Dong Ge was horrified. That single shot overturned all his plans.

First, the other party was a master marksman, using a scopeless Gauss Gun to hit a moving target over a thousand meters away.

Second, the other party was vicious, killing without the slightest hesitation.

One look was enough to tell that this was a seasoned killer who lived with blood on the blade, a brutal opponent nobody wanted to encounter.

His rider was also an experienced adventurer. Seeing this, he immediately slowed down and made several wide turns to avoid being hit.

The next moment, another gunshot rang out. Flower Arm had just gotten to his feet after being thrown senselessly about, when a bloody hole appeared in his chest.

He had not even had time to raise the muzzle of his Gauss Machine Gun.

Qu Jianlei saw things clearly. Among the four of them, this man's weapon was the strongest.

So his first shot took out Flower Arm's rider, and his second killed Flower Arm.

As for the other motorcycle, it seemed far less dangerous. There was no need to deal with it yet.

But Dong Ge's rider was anxious. "Should we run?"

Dong Ge flew into a rage. "Of course we run! Are we supposed to wait here to die?"

The rider sharply turned the handlebars, made a wide turn, and was about to speed away.

But at that moment, another shot rang out, and Dong Ge on the back seat was unfortunately the target.

Because the rider's movement had been too drastic, Qu Jianlei's shot was not ideal this time. He only hit Dong Ge's left shoulder.

But the kinetic force of a Gauss Gun was no joke.

The bullet struck, Dong Ge's body jerked slightly, and everything below his left shoulder instantly vanished.

And that was not all. The bullet passed through Dong Ge's shoulder, tearing away a large chunk of flesh from the rider's left shoulder.

The rider was so tense that he did not even notice that a large piece of his own flesh was missing.

"Dong Ge, hold on tight. It's time to show you my real driving skills..."

Before he could finish, there was a dull thud. Half of Dong Ge's left arm was gone, and he was flung directly from the motorcycle.

"Fuck..." The rider was dumbfounded. "Dong Ge?"

He wanted to run. It was obvious they could not win—they had hit an iron wall.

If Dong Ge had not been his First One, he would have fled immediately. The Wasteland's rule was survival of the fittest! But this was Dong Ge. Even if he escaped, his life would not be easy afterward.

Dong Ge was dizzy from the fall, but he still knew what he needed to do. "Go! He's the real target!"

He was already certain that this was the person Hong Character Main Settlement was looking for—otherwise, he could not possess such strength! Instinctively, he believed he would not escape death, so he wanted to get this information out.

You dare kill me, then I will not let you have an easy time either!

At that moment, he was simply acting out of a desperate, self-destructive mindset.

"Take care, Dong Ge!" the rider screamed heartbreakingly.

Then he twisted the handlebars and prepared to leave. "I'll get the message out... Huh, why can't I put strength into my left hand?"

The next moment, both man and motorcycle crashed heavily to the ground.

There were people in the Wasteland who could ride motorcycles one-handed, but he was clearly not one of them, especially with how sudden this was.

The motorcycle flipped twice, while he rolled seven or eight times in succession.

The physical constitution of Survivors truly was no exaggeration. Even with his left hand crippled, he could still reach for his gun with his right.

Another gunshot rang out, and the bullet severed his right arm.

Qu Jianlei stood up, gun in hand, and slowly walked over.

When he reached around five hundred meters away, he aimed at Dong Ge's right arm again.

"I surrender!" Dong Ge raised his right hand on his own initiative, showing that he held no weapon.

Fighting through the dizziness caused by blood loss, he shouted loudly, "This is a misunderstanding! I'm willing to compensate you!"

Even he did not believe those words, but he had to say them. Otherwise, there would be no chance left at all.

What puzzled him was that the other party actually raised his gun and leisurely walked over.

Qu Jianlei's steps were very light and somewhat erratic. He was clearly still on guard.

Only when he came close did he raise his gun again, aim at the other man's head, and ask expressionlessly.

"Why were you following me?"