Cutting Bullets

Li Qi had once been surrounded by an enemy squad on the front lines, nearly failing to break out alive.

At the time, he wasn't yet a Squad Leader, only a First Class Soldier.

His magic power level had only been Third Rank, the same as the Squad Leader of the unit he was assigned to.

Four people, surrounded by more than a dozen Falor soldiers.

Although Li Qi and the others had guns, the Falor soldiers had more. Back then, Li Qi had truly thought he wouldn't survive.

But in the end, Li Qi still made it out alive.

And the secret to surviving was simple: risk your life—be even more reckless with it than those Falor soldiers!

Ignore everyone else, ignore what was happening outside. Grab one person and beat them to death first; once one was dead, move on to the next.

Don't care about getting hurt, and don't care whether you might die. Kill one and you break even; kill two and you've made a profit!

Of course, saying that didn't mean charging in and fighting blindly without any plan.

Back then, his Squad Leader had told him to charge toward places where the enemy had clustered together and couldn't easily fire.

That way, they would worry about hitting their own men and wouldn't dare shoot casually.

If you had absolute confidence in your own strength, you could even try dodging bullets.

After all, at such close range, as long as you calculated where the opponent's muzzle was aimed, a knight's physical abilities made it easy to evade enemy bullets.

That Squad Leader had done exactly that.

Unfortunately, though he had dodged several shots, he hadn't escaped the enemy's volley.

Li Qi was now recreating that same approach: first, rush into places where the others couldn't fire easily, swiftly take out several enemies to relieve the pressure.

Then deal with the remaining easier targets, leaving the toughest bones for last.

Compared with the dangerous situation he had faced on the battlefield, this was no different from a picnic to Li Qi.

Back then, Li Qi's magic power level had only been Third Rank, and the enemies he faced had been soldiers of an enemy nation.

But now, Li Qi's magic power level was Strategic Rank, while the enemies before him... seemed to be nothing more than a rabble with little training.

Even if there were High-Level Mage Masters among them, even if every one of them had a gun, they simply couldn't make Li Qi feel any pressure.

Fifteen enemies—eleven Ordinary People—were all dealt with by Li Qi in less than a minute, either with their throats slit or holes blasted through their heads.

Golden lightning burst from his Legs as he slaughtered them at a speed beyond human limits.

The Knight Skill Thunderclap that he had learned from Beru had originally only been usable on the hands and the blade.

But during this period, by drawing parallels between various Knight Skills, Li Qi had also become able to apply it to his Legs.

By strengthening and stimulating his Legs, Li Qi could erupt with an extreme speed of nearly twenty meters per second for a short time!

At close range, that speed was almost no different from Teleportation.

Even Mage Masters with magic power couldn't react to Li Qi's speed, much less those Ordinary People without magic power.

"Str... Strategic Rank!! She... she's Strategic Rank!!!"

Once they realized that all their companions were dead, the two remaining Third Rank Mage Masters facing Li Qi immediately understood his strength.

There was no other possibility—only a Strategic Rank could have dealt with those Ordinary People in such a short time!

Amy actually had a Strategic Rank guard by her side?!

The intelligence hadn't mentioned this at all!!

The two Mage Masters were nearly breaking down, and even the two Tactical Ranks suppressing Amy were shaken when they heard their cries.

They instinctively glanced at Li Qi.

Though Li Qi was currently disguised as a young girl, looking no different from a somewhat shorter adult woman.

His face, however, had barely been disguised.

The youthful air that rushed at them made it clear that he wasn't very old.

How could there possibly be such a young Strategic Rank!!?

The remaining Mage Masters found it unbelievable.

But Li Qi gave them no time to continue being shocked. After dealing with that group of Ordinary People, he swiftly targeted his next opponent.

It was one of the two Third Rank Mage Masters.

Li Qi's method of dealing with him was simple as well. He raised his Right Hand holding the revolver and emptied the last remaining bullet inside.

Bang!!

The Third Rank Mage Master fell in response, not even letting out a scream.

Just as the remaining Mage Master was about to react, he saw a silver object flying straight at his face!

His pupils contracted as he swiftly dodged. Only after the silver object flew past the side of his face did the remaining Mage Master see the true form of the "hidden weapon" that had attacked him.

It was a handgun!

The other party had thrown the handgun as a hidden weapon!!

The Mage Master was still wondering why Li Qi had thrown out his weapon when a peal of thunder sounded beside his ear.

Crackle—!

"!!!"

The thunder sounded like the wind raised by a swinging Death Scythe, making every hair stand on end.

The Third Rank Mage Master instinctively raised his arms in front of himself, trying to ward off Li Qi's attack. But just as he lifted his hand, the dagger in Li Qi's left hand had already sunk into his throat!

Strategic Rank against Third Rank—and Li Qi had even used a Knight Skill. There was simply no way this Mage Master could survive at Li Qi's hands.

All the "small fry" Li Qi had dealt with were now dead by his hand.

Of the original fifteen bandits, only two Tactical Rank fighters remained.

But just as Li Qi was about to turn and deal with the remaining two Tactical Rank fighters, a sense of danger came from his side, accompanied by Amy's loud warning:

"Watch out!!!!"

Li Qi instinctively turned his head and saw a gun barrel pointed straight at him.

It was one of the two Tactical Rank fighters. He held a revolver, its muzzle aimed at Li Qi, and the instant Li Qi noticed it, he pulled the trigger.

The man's movements had been extremely covert. At the very least, Li Qi had not seen when he had switched the long gun in his hand for a handgun.

And his timing had been exquisite—precisely when Li Qi had just dealt with his final opponent, when his old strength had ebbed and his new strength had yet to rise.

There was no time to form a Magic Shield, nor was there time to dodge the bullet.

Just as the bullet was about to strike Li Qi, he felt as though everything before his eyes had slowed down.

Almost instinctively, he poured every ounce of strength in his body into activating the Knight Skill Thunderclap. Electric light burst from both hands, and the dagger wrapped in black magic power slashed forward in an instant!

Clang—!

A crisp impact rang out, and sparks from clashing metal burst from the dagger Li Qi held aloft.

The bullet had been cleaved in two midair!

"That's impossible!!!!"

The Tactical Rank fighter holding the handgun cried out, practically roaring the words.

He stared at Li Qi and the dagger in his hand in utter disbelief, his eyes filled with the shock of someone unable to accept reality.

Impossible.

How could this be possible?

How could anyone in this world split a bullet apart with a dagger? Even Strategic Rank fighters would die beneath the bullets of firearms—was that not everyone's common understanding?

Then what was this scene unfolding before his eyes?

A revolver bullet, with even greater power, had actually been blocked by a little girl's dagger?

The gun-wielding Tactical Rank fighter's mind was in turmoil, and he stood there in a daze.

But while he was dazed, Li Qi was not.

Taking advantage of the gun-wielding Tactical Rank fighter's stunned state, Li Qi activated Thunderclap once more and arrived before him in the blink of an eye.

Blue-black magic power burst from his right hand, and the Knight Skill Magic Entanglement wrapped it like the sharpest, hardest blade!

Then came a wet squelch. Li Qi's magic-wreathed right hand pierced straight through the man's chest and crushed his heart!

At the sight, both the Tactical Rank fighter entangled with Amy and Amy herself froze where they stood.

They watched, dumbfounded, as Li Qi calmly pulled his arm back out of the man's body.

His blood-smeared arm brought out fragments of organs as well, which splattered onto the ground.

Li Qi looked expressionlessly at the last remaining man.

The last man decisively threw down his weapon. His legs gave out, and with a bang, he dropped to his knees and kowtowed to Li Qi.

"I surrender!! I surrender!!!"

Li Qi's mouth twitched slightly at the sight.

How should he put it...

This guy had no backbone at all.