Act.⑨ New Age · New Era

[Part 1: Profile of the God of Slaughter]

At that moment, the students in another entrance tunnel were startled by the loud explosion.

According to the message sent back by Jiang Bailu, it seems that three outposts have been set up in the mountains and forests outside the tunnel, with more than twenty enemy troops patrolling and on duty.

There used to be vicious hunting dogs infected with the Vita Imprint patrolling, but the hunters called these beasts back, and in their place came three Lao Gan Ma—2.7mm M2 heavy machine guns.

These antique weapons are incredibly powerful, capable of shooting down planes and bunkers. With Bailu's thin armor, there was no chance of her escaping.

They were trapped in an impenetrable fortress, and the enemy, as if receiving orders, executed a policy of trapping without killing. Whenever Bailu made a move further along the roadside, tracer rounds were immediately fired in a show of force, designed to compel the troublemakers back to the vicinity of the cave tunnel and prevent them from advancing any further.

However, the explosion had made the twenty-odd brothers in the machine gun squad slightly complacent, as they had to keep an eye on the market camp behind them and call on a few idle shift hunters to scout for information.

Bailu's eyes lit up. "There's an opportunity!"

Hasben keenly sensed an opportunity and retrieved the Big Sister's stick and sapphire.

After the Sage's Cup tournament ended, the Berloberg Greatsword remained with Hasben, and he hadn't had a chance to return it to the gunsmith yet; the [Radiant Stone Laurel] was also in his possession.

At this moment, Hasben Madison was the strongest fighter among the students, and like Jiang Bailu, he seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"There are fewer patrolmen now, give me a knife!" Bailu asked Tang Ning for a knife.

Little Robert seemed a little resentful; the gunsmith had said that both students had personality flaws.

Hasben has not experienced major setbacks, and if he suffers a defeat against a powerful enemy, he could very well be devastated.

Robert Tang Ning's character flaws are similar to those of the earliest Xue Ming; he is born with an indomitable stubbornness, not only towards enemies but also towards friends. He is a competitive and aggressive person who is easily blinded by vanity.

Although A Xing also likes to show off, A Xing's different; he enjoys verbal sparring with his enemies and is very generous to his friends.

As for Bailu, she's more like the Big Sister, or rather, she was meant to be the Big Sister.

In Xue Ming's eyes, this younger sister had a better future. She was full of vitality, quick-witted, and extremely cunning—far more shrewd and cruel than her older brother.

Bailu turned around and stared intently at Tang Ning: "Give me the knife, little brother."

A strong sense of oppression forced Tang Ning to take out a survival knife from his backpack and hand it to Bailu. It wasn't spiritual energy or spiritual pressure; in layman's terms from online novels, it was simply a "tremor of the tiger's body, revealing an aura of dominance," a very cliché thing.

It's like parents threatening and coercing their children by shouting "three, two, one!" as a countdown.

Bailu's fierce gaze and indomitable spirit completely intimidated Tang Ning, leaving him no choice but to obey.

He found it hard to imagine that the gentle and refined gunsmith teacher would have such a shrewish and ruthless younger sister— Jiang Bailu, who was usually a playful and mischievous person.

But at this critical moment, Bailu completely disregarded Robert, offering no advice on combat tactics or strategies, treating him as an outsider and a burden, and simply snatched the knife from him.

"Whether we get caught or not, whether we live or die," Jiang Bailu told Uncle Weiqiang, "Once we hear the sounds of fighting, follow the route we've taken, paying attention to the direction in which the vegetation has collapsed. Don't let our efforts be in vain."

The little girl explained earnestly, pointing out the most fatal element.

"There are likely traps hidden in these low bushes. I've observed carefully; even hunting dogs wouldn't go to these areas. It's either poisonous snakes or wild beasts, or it could be steel-trap mines—be careful."

"And you, Tang Ning."

Bailu took a knife and cut off her hair. The pear-shaped hairstyle that had been with her for several years was now turned into short, choppy hair.

"You seem quite resentful?"

Tang Ning pursed his lips and looked away.

--He came from a family of naval officers and was destined to become a naval aviator, a rising star serving in an aircraft carrier battle group. Although he didn't say it, he certainly couldn't convince himself.

Whether in the underworld or the mortal world, we call this kind of thing an inner demon.

It is so powerful that ordinary people simply cannot fight against it.

"Come on, hit me." Bailu stuck her survival knife into the sleeper at the crossroads.

Hasben hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "There's no need to waste time, Ge Jiang Bailu."

He almost mistook this domineering woman for Big Sister, because she looked so much like one.

Their ways of handling problems, their scorching gazes like the blazing sun—they're so alike.

Bailu: "You hit me, weren't you just being stubborn? After I deal with you, I'll still have the energy to deal with the hunting dogs and hunters outside."

Tang Ning: "I don't hit women."

Before the words had even finished --

--Bai Bailu's palm strike had already landed on Tang Ning's face!

In the darkness, only two figures could be seen moving back and forth on the narrow, cramped railway track.

Fists and palms protect the defenses, but fierce kicks are the key.

Tang Ning used all the skills he learned from the gunsmith teacher here. He was forced to retreat step by step by Jiang Bailu's fierce combination punches, which was completely different from the gunsmith teacher's gentle teaching of boxing routines.

Bailu also uses Sanshou from mixed martial arts, but her physical coordination is probably far superior to that of her instructor, Gunsmith. That's an extraordinary talent; her joints and ligaments are flexible enough to unleash such vicious punches.

Gunsmith used a left-left-center-left-right combo to fight Tang Ning. It was the most basic offensive setup. He would use two lead punches to establish distance, then use a right leg or right kick to break the defense, and finally confirm with a left punch and deliver a heavy blow with a right punch.

This is the most basic fighting style. The gunsmith is a very steady person. Even if it is changed to any combination of routines, the teacher's fists always give people a sense of "reassurance". Even if he loses, Tang Ning knows why he lost, at which point he lost, at which punch caused the imbalance and damage, at which move he suffered pain and spasms and his body could not hold on. All of this is so rational and precise.

But when Bailu's desperate punch, weighing over 350 pounds, came flying, Tang Ning's face turned ashen. She couldn't understand what her sister was thinking at all—it seemed she really wanted to take down the enemy in one round! It seemed she really had the confidence to do so!

Because of this woman's physical flexibility, her breathing rhythm, and her ability to coordinate her muscles, she far surpasses Tang Ning!

From the very first round, Bailu's legs were like ruthless iron maces, incredibly fast, but she only gained a slight advantage before immediately unleashing an aggressive and fiery offensive.

Tang Ning instinctively took a step back as his opponent launched a series of attacks with shoulders, elbows, fists, and knees! He was immediately overpowered and chased down with whip kicks, weakening his fighting ability.

When he came to his senses and tried to raise his fist to exchange blows, he only felt a numbness and weakness in the main power unit of his right leg, no longer as effective as in the first round! He had been weakened! In just one distracting thought, in just one instant, he was at a disadvantage!

He wanted to crouch down and hug Bailu, using his weight advantage to bully his opponent, but he didn't want to leave the railway track, because the straight track was a fighting arena. He instinctively felt that whoever left the track sleepers was voluntarily running away and admitting defeat!

But the next second, he collapsed, blood spurting from his lips and teeth. Bailu's knee and elbow strikes, delivered from an even lower position, damaged his mouth, nose, shoulders, and back—how could he possibly compete with a woman in terms of the flexibility of a sudden dive?

Bailu seemed to have finished warming up. She pointed in a direction, telling Hasben to go to one side while she went to the other. Before leaving, she asked her classmates for a few school uniforms, which she wrapped around their arms for basic protection.

Tang Ning's underling stood frozen in place, trembling with pain, his fighting spirit instantly shattered.

Bailu stepped forward, helped Tang Ning up, and patted her younger brother's face.

"Do me a favor, stay alert. I'm going to be your vanguard. Uncle Weiqiang will follow behind Hasben, and you stay behind me. Don't try to steal my first line of fire. If I get wounded and about to die, you'll have to decide whether to save me or extend our advantage and secure the victory, understand?"

Tang Ning was still drooling, blood and saliva dripping down her face. She was in too much pain to speak, and her eyes were filled with resentment and jealousy.

Bailu chuckled as she played with the knife, then said, "Yeah, you're not convinced, are you? Come on, follow me! Follow behind me!"

Starting from the rock face, Bailu and Hasben split into two groups, carefully crawling and meandering through the bushes.

Just ten meters away, Hasben dodged the animal traps hidden in the bushes, his heart pounding in his chest.

The reason is simple: these ruthless hunters don't set traps like they would when hunting.

The density of these animal traps was so high, with one layer after another, that they weren't even meant for hunting; they were meant to completely seal off the wilderness near the tunnel.

The same was true on Bailu's side. Many of the gaps in the traps had been overgrown with lush vegetation. They were only about 20 centimeters apart, and one could walk across them on tiptoe. For Bailu and Hasben, what was originally a creeping, serpentine advance had turned into a four-legged gecko-like crawl.

There were originally a few traps with human bones in them, and the mechanisms that had already been triggered were not a problem, as they provided a stable foothold. However, the closer we got to the market road and the closer we got to the hunting dogs' patrol route, the more traps and snares appeared.

Hasben accidentally pressed down on a limp poplar leaf, causing the soil to collapse and the surrounding rusty steel wires to tighten immediately, trying to close and bite his wrist as he pressed down.

He tensed up, using three points of leverage to pull his hand back, breaking out in a cold sweat. The wire had already left a bright red cut on his wrist, and the smell of blood attracted the hunting dogs.

[Part ② - Reserved Program]

The distant barking of hunting dogs alarmed the garrison personnel. They raised their guns, but couldn't find anyone on the central road, so they had to shout loudly.

"Stop struggling! Our hunting dogs have found you!"

"Hey! You little brats! Get back in your den right now!"

"Don't"

Before she finished speaking, Bailu had already climbed out of the ditch and bushes and sped towards the military post.

She launched herself into the bunker with a flying tackle, and before the patrolling soldiers at the first station could react, she drew her Type 92 and survival knife and charged into the enemy's arms.

The patrolman paused for a moment, then saw the short, weak girl charging towards him with a knife. He found it amusing, and his speed in drawing his gun was a fraction of a second too slow, causing his hand to fall to the ground.

He hadn't felt any pain yet, only a chill running down his chin and a burning sensation on his wrist. His body was pulled by a strong force, and his vision turned 180 degrees, from the empty road to his good friends at the military post.

Bailu held the gun to the patrolman's chin; there were no bullets in her Type 92. In her other hand, she held a knife, controlling the patrolman's intact arm.

Her voice was low and menacing, her teeth clenched. "Don't move! Don't do anything rash! Put down your weapons!"

"This is outrageous! This little bitch!" the hostage cursed fiercely.

In a mere second, the knife circled the hostage's intact arm, like a skilled butcher skillfully cutting and bleeding along the muscle fibers.

The patrolman immediately begged for mercy, "No, no, no, no! Grandma, Grandma, Grandma! Grandma, please don't kill me!"

The rest of the machine gun crew, except for the gunner standing guard in front of the machine gun, the ammunition handler, and the squad leader, immediately came over, all of them armed.

"Take one more step and I'll kill him!" Bailu, her eyes red, as she feigned ferocity against her enemies.

Her hands were trembling; this was the first time she had been in such a dangerous environment.

The well-trained Armadillo Hunters could sense the fear, and the squad leader raised his gun, his eyes carrying a hint of mockery and provocation.

"Who are you trying to fool? We're all men who risk our lives—do you think a bunch of brothers would be fooled by a kid like you?"

Bailu's heart is undergoing a test.

Please, my hands, stop shaking! Stop shaking! Stop fucking shaking!!

The hostage in her arms had Beretta 92F on her waist, but Bailu had never used this gun before. Unlike her Ming Ge Xue Ming, she hadn't read such a thick history of world small arms, nor had she ever handled so many different kinds of firearms.

The only thing she could rely on was her Type 92 rifle, but she had no bullets.

The 92F cartridge is compatible with the Type 92, but the magazine compatibility is very poor. You have to force it in; it takes a lot of force to get it to work. You only get one chance! You only get one chance!

The squad leader chuckled and said, "You're pretty skilled, managing to sneak out of the bushes—take my advice, put your gun down, we might even become comrades someday! Right, brothers?"

The machine gunner beside him shouted, "More than just colleagues! We'll share a bed! We'll be husband and wife! Hahahaha!"

At that moment, Bailu recalled the basic introductory course on gun mastery taught by Galahad—

--Before using a firearm, pray to the all-knowing and all-powerful Gun Jesus, and all uncertainties such as jams, bullet obstruction, misfires, water ingress, breech malfunctions, feeding mechanism malfunctions, bolt mechanism malfunctions, rifling damage, etc., will disappear!

She lowered the muzzle of her gun, swiftly slit the hostage's throat, dropped the knife, and simultaneously grabbed the magazine from her 92F rifle. She then shoved the magazine into the grip of her beloved gun, almost holding the dazed and bloodless hostage, using the patrolman as a human shield to complete the action.

As she pulled the sleeve, she gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, hoping the locking action would be smoother!

With a click, the bullet was pushed into the chamber and the locking action was completed. This magic weapon that had accompanied Bailu through 100,000 bullets and had undergone more than 20 barrel replacements was more obedient and powerful than she had imagined!

Bailu opened fire, the first shot shattering the squad leader's weapon-wielding arm, followed by a swift and precise blow to his skull!

Blood splattered far away, landing on Bailu's slightly chubby cheeks. For a fleeting moment, a subtle, unnatural smile curved her lips; she barely even heard it herself.

"Laugh"

Seven bullets instantly took six lives! Until the god of guns finally left Bailu! Until blood flowed all over the ground, the machine gun squad was instantly wiped out! He took a big side shot, and his head exploded with the sound of gunfire!

The magazine's feeding mechanism finally broke down, and the bullets refused to go into the Type 92 rifle's chamber.

The moment the gun malfunctioned, Bailu lunged forward, lay down beside the dead machine gunner, and desperately pulled on the muzzle of Lao Gan Ma's gun.

The second and third groups finally came to their senses. Don't blame them for being slow to react; when they were about to face Bailu from the side, it was impossible to aim their guns at their teammates in front of them. Besides, she was just too fast. That kind of iaido technique was a skill honed through countless trials and tribulations, a technique honed through hundreds of thousands of shots.

Bailu tried to pick up Lao Gan Ma, but the heavy machine gun's field of fire couldn't cover the other two machine gun squads at all. However, she couldn't overpower the lifeless corpse. The enemy was approaching! The hunting dogs were coming too!

Robert Tang Ning caught up, his body almost entirely covered in wounds, a trap slung over his left arm, and multiple lacerations on his right leg. He had just reached the front lines, eager to be a hero, when he heard Bailu cursing and swearing.

"Idiot! Run the fuck forward! You're going to get smashed to pieces!"

Gunfire erupted from the third machine gun's firing arc. Robert struggled to run forward, trying to reach the rear of the outpost, but he was struck in the waist by a machine gun bullet and collapsed weakly to the ground.

Hasben immediately attacked from the other side. The third group could hit the bushes in front of the first group, but it was difficult to immediately change angle to deal with the breakouts who were close at hand. This was his opportunity, and also the opportunity created by Tang Ning using himself as a shield.

Berloberg was like a heavy flying axe, responding to Hasben and the immense power contained within the warrior's body. It spun and flew horizontally through the air, the radiant greatsword striking the barracks and taking two lives.

Hasben was frantic, unarmed. All he knew was that Tang Ning had been nearly torn in two by Lao Gan Ma. How many enemies did he have left? Seven? Or eight?

Strong Bro and Hasben rushed out of the treacherous bushes almost simultaneously, only to be immediately attacked by hunting dogs.

Three giant dogs, each resembling a lion, pounced, almost trapping the two men in the middle. Hasben's wrist had just bled, and the hounds, being closest to them, were their primary targets.

"Go! Quick!" Strong Bro grabbed Hasben immediately and hugged Hasben's legs.

Without uttering a single extra word, Hasben stepped on Strong Bro's thighs and shoulders. Seeing the hunting dogs already upon him, the young man grabbed one of the large dogs that lunged at him and crashed into the third group of machine gunners.

So much happened at that moment--

--They arrived simultaneously, ready to erupt at any moment.

The middle squad members were simultaneously suppressing Jiang Bailu with fire, while giving orders to the hunting dogs. These crazed monsters infected with the Vita Imprint were likely to attack any target indiscriminately without strong commands. The remaining two were dealing with Hasben, who had fallen from the sky, and the giant dog that Hasben was holding, which weighed over 400 pounds.

The last person was the machine gunner, who maintained his excellent combat skills, looking towards the central road and standing ready to prevent students from running out and causing trouble.

This loyal machine gunner remained at his post, his eyes fixed straight ahead, not daring to slacken his efforts in the slightest.

This moment-

--A steel fork grew out of his head.

Specifically, it was a forklift; one of the two forks pierced through the back of his head, eventually penetrating his skull, fracturing his skull, and protruding from between his eyebrows.

The gunsmith jumped off the vehicle and, together with [Fragrant Dream], drew his gun and fired from both sides.

The moment the killing god descended, the Spanish hounds seemed to receive an extremely sinister nerve signal; they all opened their mouths and turned their heads in unison.

The enemy soldiers in the first reaction zone were instantly turned into mincemeat. The beasts further away ran and leaped, trying to cross those few meters to kill the gunsmith!

Xue Ming was covered in blood. He dropped his rifle, which was now empty of bullets, and, following the Hot Wind rushing towards him, threw a simple straight punch—[Fragrant Dream]'s coordinated attack struck first despite being delayed.

The core power of Soul Might exceeded three tons. This punch was equivalent to the power of three AE86s. The charging dog was like being hit by a truck. Its body was shaken by the strong shock wave in mid-air, paralyzed and fell to the ground. It finally stopped moving. Its head and spine were shifted backward a few points. A piece of broken bone exploded from the center of its tail, blinding one of its companions in one eye!

No sooner said than two more hunting dogs caught up. Xue Ming had no intention of fighting with his bare hands. The moment he killed the suicidal vanguard with his Soul Might, his eyes were fixed on M2 Lao Gan Ma.

"Brother!" Bailu screamed hoarsely, "Tang Ning is dying! Quick!"

Despite its reluctance, [Fragrant Dream], under Xue Ming's control, picked up a machine gun, turned it around, and began processing the dog meat.

The direct fire from the 12.7mm heavy machine gun was terrifying; these lion-shaped hounds were pulverized like butter sculptures on a cake.

Xue Ming tossed Bailu a pistol, Bailu to remember to finish her off with a headshot. He then tossed Hasben a bottle of Yakult-packaged White Lady products, instructing the students to go rescue Strong Bro.

He came to Tang Ning's side in person.

-- Beside the irrigation canal, the student lay on a stone platform, barely breathing and unable to speak clearly.

"Teacher, teacher"

Tang Ning had suffered hemorrhagic blindness, her pupils were dilated, and her arm was limp and powerless, still attached to the animal trap.

"Teacher, I want to... I want to die... to see... to see Masha."

"Teacher"

Xue Ming used the scorching hot barrel of the M2 gun to activate the medicinal properties of White Lady's product, then poured it into Tang Ning's large intestine along the barrel.

"Stop pretending! You're so determined to survive, but you just want to play the VR game 'Virtual Girlfriend,' right? We'll talk about that once you're alive!"

On the other side, Hasben found Weiqiang's older brother among the hound's carcasses.

The eldest brother's face was ashen. He was surrounded and being torn apart by Spanish mutated hounds. There wasn't a single patch of good flesh on his body. His neck was twisted to one side, as if it were broken, and blood was gushing out from his major blood vessels.

Hasben is preparing for medication treatment--

"--Take a photo. Take a photo"

Strong Bro kept talking, his eyes fixed on something.

"Post it on WeChat Moments. Quickly. She'll like it, she'll like it quickly."

Hasben took a deep breath; this was a method of pursuing a girl he had never even considered.

Bailu's injuries were relatively minor.

He was shot three times in the abdomen, all of which were minor fatal wounds.

She shot each of the corpses in the head before collapsing and slumping down in the trench.

She clutched her abdomen, which had a relatively shallow bullet hole, and Barry out some bloody foam. It seemed that her heart and lungs were not damaged, but her kidneys and stomach were not in good condition. Before receiving treatment and before fainting and going into shock, she was still making a peace sign and holding her head high with pride.

Here's a battle-damaged selfie from the front lines in Ukraine, ready to post it on Little Red.

"Yay!~"