Treating Injuries: One Bullet at a Time

This was a barren wasteland devoid of life.

The most dangerous thing, however, was people—the Random Blade Society.

The Random Blade Society was made up of bandits, criminals, and outcasts.

Exiled by the Nomad Tribes, they formed dangerous gangs that prowled the highways and outskirts of towns in search of prey.

The name "Random Blade Society" itself was a combination of several derogatory terms.

Among the Nomad Tribes, an elder would formally declare someone a member of the Random Blade Society during a ritual, permanently banishing the guilty party from the tribe.

Despite their large numbers, the Random Blade Society was not cohesive enough to be considered a family or tribe.

They simply fought on their own, like a gang on the move.

Every one of them was cold-blooded, highly destructive, and aggressive.

To most Night City residents who rarely encountered Nomads, the Random Blade Society was no different from any gang in the city.

Victims also frequently reported the robberies, ambushes, and attacks on towns and their outskirts carried out by the Random Blade Society as "Nomad attacks."

As a result, people's opinions of the Nomads as a whole plummeted.

Suddenly, the outline of a car appeared in his vision.

He froze for a moment, then quickly got to his feet.

One of the Nomads assigned to keep watch also sounded the alarm.

"A car's coming!"

The Nomads sitting around the campfire grabbed their guns and moved to the edge of the camp.

"It's one of ours."

"Why is only one car coming back?"

Paint had been splashed across the windshield, preventing everyone from seeing inside.

They had no idea how many people were inside or whether any of them were injured.

The sentry frantically waved signals.

But the driver seemed not to see them at all. The returning car did not slow down.

"Damn it, he's not slowing down!"

"Get out of the way! It's going to hit us!"

With a deafening crash, the off-road vehicle slammed into the barricade.

Only then did it finally stop.

"Damn it!"

"Send two people over to check the situation."

Two Nomads approached with their guns raised.

Su Xiao felt a warning stir in his heart, and suddenly had a terrible premonition.

He hurried toward his tent.

Only after the Nomads who had gone to investigate reached the vehicle did they see what was inside.

The driver had been tightly bound to the seat. His neck was empty, while his head was clutched tightly in someone's arms.

"Fuck! What the hell..."

Before he could finish, before he could even react,

a wave of flames surged toward him.

Boom!

The car exploded in an instant, engulfing both men who had approached it.

At the same time, a faint muzzle flash suddenly lit up several hundred meters away.

The sentry fell from his high perch. His head and neck had twisted into a bizarre angle, and a sniper-rifle round had blown a gaping hole through his chest, blood gushing merrily from the wound.

Only then did the crack of the sniper rifle ring out.

It seemed to serve as a signal. Gunfire erupted from all directions.

Chapter Four: Treating Injuries—One Bullet at a Time

Amid the continuous gunfire, Su Xiao sprinted back to his tent and dragged the case out from beneath his bed.

He opened the case, took out the Katana, and put the grenades inside into the backpack he had prepared earlier.

After that, he did not rush outside.

Instead, he pressed himself against the tent entrance and glanced outside.

The camp, which had been peaceful moments ago, was now in complete chaos.

Gunfights had broken out everywhere.

Gunshots rang out, and bullets flew in every direction.

Screams and furious roars echoed throughout the camp.

He had no idea how many enemies were attacking the camp.

He no longer hesitated.

Keeping his head down and his body low, he dashed toward the center of the camp—the Chieftain's Longhouse McCoy had mentioned earlier.

There was a tunnel hidden inside the Chieftain's Longhouse that led directly outside.

The enemies could not possibly know about the tunnel. Leaving through it was obviously safer.

Rat-tat-tat—

At that moment, a burst of bullets came from the side.

Su Xiao's body reacted instinctively.

He threw himself forward, then rolled and took cover behind a HESCO bastion.

A HESCO bastion was made from galvanized-steel mesh compartments and large polypropylene bags.

The thing was inexpensive and highly convenient to transport.

A single truck could haul a huge number of them. Once they reached the place where they were needed, the mesh compartments were unfolded and filled with whatever materials were available.

Sand, gravel, soil—anything could be packed inside.

Like sandbags, they could stop bullets, shrapnel, explosive shock waves, and more.

Because of all these advantages, they were highly favored by Nomads who made their homes wherever they went.

They were also extremely common in Nomad camps.

Bullets struck the HESCO bastion with a steady series of thuds, kicking up clouds of dust.

He cautiously poked his head out from behind the cover and saw two enemies standing not far away. They were firing at him while advancing.

A curtain of bullets as dense as a sudden rainstorm forced him back into cover.

Su Xiao took a Fragmentation Grenade from his backpack, pulled the pin, and threw it outside.

"Grenade!"

"Get down!"

Boom!

The rapid gunfire abruptly stopped.

Su Xiao leaped out from behind the cover and charged at the enemies.

Before they could get up, he drew his Katana and stabbed one of them as he lay on the ground.

The blade pierced through the back of his head, emerged from his face, and plunged straight into the ground.

The other enemy tried to raise his gun and aim, but Su Xiao was faster.

He kicked away the rifle the man had raised.

Then he pulled out his Katana and finished off the remaining enemy.

You killed two enemies and obtained 0.2 Potential Points.

He was slightly startled.

His earlier guess had been correct.

He really did have to kill people to obtain Potential Points.

However, each enemy only gave 0.1 Potential Points. That was far too little.

Complaining was one thing.

But Su Xiao's movements did not slow.

Knowing that the enemy had a sniper, he did not stay where he was.

Taking advantage of the sniper's failure to notice him, he continued sprinting, using the surrounding terrain as cover along the way.

He was getting closer and closer to the Chieftain's Longhouse where Charui lived. He only needed to turn the corner ahead and...

An enemy suddenly appeared in his field of vision.

Hearing the rapid footsteps, the man turned his head and spotted Su Xiao at the same time.

A metallic torrent poured from the gun's muzzle.

Su Xiao rolled behind cover, avoiding the bullets chasing him.

Only after the gunfire stopped did he charge out from behind the cover.

The enemy hurriedly dropped his rifle and drew a pistol.

But before he could aim, his vision suddenly dropped, and pain shot through his knee.

Su Xiao had slid to the enemy's feet and cut through his lower leg with a drawn blade.

Su Xiao pulled out a Fragmentation Grenade. While the man howled in pain, he stuffed it into the man's pants, then kicked him down the stairs.

Boom!

After the explosion, Su Xiao only glanced back once.

The scene was horrifying.

At that moment, Su Xiao's expression changed.

He hurriedly took cover behind a nearby barrier.

The radio playing Bobo Ji on top of the barrier was blasted into a pile of mangled scrap.

It was that sniper!

He had Su Xiao in his sights!

Su Xiao calmed himself, refusing to let panic overwhelm him.

He took a Smoke Grenade from his backpack and pulled the pin.

Then he threw it outside.

Then a second, and a third.

Smoke quickly curled and spread through the area.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, he burst out from behind the cover and charged straight toward the Chieftain's Longhouse, now within arm's reach.

As long as he could reach that place...

Bang!

Almost at the instant he heard the shot, he threw himself forward.

The bullet grazed his hair and shattered the ornaments hanging on the wall inside the room.