Woof—woof woof—whimper—
Amid the fierce battlefield sketched out by bullets, flames, and gunfire, a strange scene unfolded.
In the middle of a fairly wide road, a black Labrador wagged its tail and licked the completely cold, rigid face of the blind Mike with its warm tongue. Then it barked twice, as if calling to him, and nudged his corpse with its head, whimpering.
It was clearly confused. Why was its usually kind owner ignoring it now? No matter how much it barked, its owner just lay there motionless, no longer wearing the gentle smile he always had.
Perhaps even the cleverest guide dog couldn't understand the meaning of death. It might never know that the owner who had treated it so well and often taken it for walks beneath the setting sun had left it forever, gone to a very, very distant place...
No one paid any attention to the Labrador, still longing for its owner.
They were moving forward along the road that belonged to them.
Bang!!
A strange gunshot rang out. A dark figure's head jerked, then the figure slowly collapsed.
"Another 100 points. Ha, I've already earned 200. Even if I die now, it'll have been worth it. At least I've made back my investment." Li Shuangmu gave a bitter laugh from behind the tire.
He had removed the silencer from his Desert Eagle. Honestly, if he weren't afraid the gunshots would draw a horde of Zombies, he never would have fitted the damn thing with a silencer.
He preferred the Desert Eagle's bold, rough roar!
Although Li Shuangmu had killed two "elite mercenaries" and earned 200 Study Points, he hadn't come through unscathed. His left hand was soaked in blood. It had taken two rolls of Hemostatic Bandage just to stop the bleeding. At least for this "Entrance Exam," his left hand was already out of commission.
Besides the gunshot wound in his left hand, his elbows, knees, and other parts of his body were scraped up, and blood ran from the injuries. A bullet had also carved a bloody line across his handsome face. He cared a lot about his looks, but staying alive was already a blessing.
"As long as I make it back alive, what's a little pain?" Li Shuangmu reassured himself.
"Hm? What's that...?"
Suddenly, in the dark night sky, Li Shuangmu spotted a tiny red light flash from what looked like one of the floors of a building. It appeared and vanished in an instant. Others might have thought their eyes were playing tricks on them, but Li Shuangmu didn't think so.
"Could it be...?"
***********************************
"Arthur! Have you found the enemy sniper yet?"
A low, resonant voice came through an earpiece in a very secluded spot. The earpiece lay on the ground, and in the darkness, where visibility extended only a few feet, it suddenly crackled to life.
A slender, pale hand reached out of the darkness and picked up the radio earpiece. "Boss, the target's very slippery. There hasn't been a peep from him."
It was a woman's voice, not particularly pleasant, even a little rough.
"...Kill him as soon as possible! Asen's dead. We can't keep dragging this out."
"...Understood, boss." The death of another comrade made Arthur, usually as calm as still water, grow agitated. "Asen... I'll avenge you with my bullets!"
The pale hand reached out of the darkness again and tossed the radio earpiece to the ground.
"Handsome Oriental boy, I'd love to see the beauty that blooms when your face bursts apart, but first I have to deal with your slippery companion. Still, I promise my next bullet will kiss your forehead... and make you pay for my Asen..."
Then everything fell silent.
"Heh heh! Let's see if you take the bait!"
Zeng Fei propped a Zombie's corpse against the window and secured it with a sofa he'd dragged over. Then he fetched a broom, wedged one end beneath the corpse's arm, and leaned the other against the window. He wrapped a dark piece of cloth around it. With that disguise, it looked just like a sniper lying in wait at the window—as long as you didn't look too closely.
Zeng Fei still had no idea where the Umbrella Corporation sniper was, but he intended to lure him out with the decoy. As for what to do once the enemy spotted "his" position, Zeng Fei had already worked out a plan.
He quickly pulled Qian Qianqian down from the rooftop and into the room. Then he drew a Type 54 Pistol and placed it in her hand. He took her watch to check the time and said, "Keep your eyes on the watch. In three minutes, fire one shot out the window. Don't aim at anything. Just stick your hand out and fire once, then pull it back immediately. Got it?"
Qian Qianqian stared blankly at the gun in her hand, unsure what to do.
"Hey! Did you understand?" Zeng Fei snapped. "It's simple. You don't have to do anything else. Just stick your hand out and fire once."
"Huh? Oh, oh..."
Zeng Fei slapped his forehead. "You're going to be the death of me. Listen, that one shot could affect whether Li Shuangmu and the others live or die. They're in serious danger; they could die at any moment. But until we take out the enemy sniper, I can't fire to cover them. I don't want to die either. Listen, woman: if you want them to die, stay right here and do nothing!"
Zeng Fei sneered and left the room with his sniper rifle. All he could do now was hope she'd pull herself together. Otherwise... he could only sigh in vain.
As far as he was concerned, there was no way to fight this battle without taking out the enemy sniper. They were bound to lose. Better than throwing away ten years of his life for nothing... At least I tried. If you won't cooperate, you can't blame me. Zeng Fei followed military principles, but he wasn't a fool. When something was clearly impossible, charging ahead anyway was just asking to die.
One sniper waited quietly in the dark; the other had already set a trap.
Beneath the dark canopy of night, two snipers began their contest.
Zeng Fei knew he couldn't match the enemy sniper in marksmanship, experience, or composure. But he had his own advantages.
He believed he still had a chance to win.
He hurried to another room with its door wide open and its lights blazing. Having learned his lesson, Zeng Fei quickly checked the entire room. Only after confirming there were no Zombies did he go to the window and set up his sniper rifle.
The contrast between a bright place and a dark one could easily distort one's vision and create errors. Even the slightest error would be enough. That was why Zeng Fei had chosen a brightly lit room.
Once everything was ready, he lay on the floor and checked his watch. "One minute left... That's enough time to get everything in order."
Then he began to breathe deeply...
Although he wasn't looking at his watch, he silently counted the seconds in his head.
"One, two, three, four..."
"Qian Qianqian, don't let me look down on you... Forty-five, forty-six... fifty-five..."
Zeng Fei grew tense, but he had no choice but to calm himself.
He had to focus completely, gather all his concentration, and not let his attention slip for even an instant.
The scope showed nothing but darkness...
Just then...
Bang...
A gunshot rang out! It was the Type 54's report! Qian Qianqian had finally fired.
The sudden gunshot rang out from above and quickly spread through the night. Even "Black Snake" and Li Shuangmu, fighting on the ground, couldn't help looking toward its source.
Li Shuangmu's first thought when he heard the gunshot was: Damn it, Zeng Fei! You finally fired your pistol!
"The sniper fired? No! That wasn't a sniper rifle..." Nicholas's face changed as he exclaimed in alarm. "Arthur... Arthur..."
But...
BOOM!!
The familiar report of a Barrett M82A1 .50-caliber sniper rifle—the "CF cannon"—reached Nicholas's ears. Its cannon-like roar thundered through the darkness, rumbling like a distant storm.
"It's over..." Nicholas murmured.
"There!"
A flash of brilliance lit up Zeng Fei's eyes. His hands moved with his thoughts as he adjusted the barrel, like a seasoned veteran on the battlefield. His gift for shooting showed itself to the fullest.
"Precision Strike!"
"Fly, my bullet!"
Fortune smiled on him once again. The effect that boosted his shooting accuracy by 10% activated once more!
Bang!!
The Explosive Bullet, purchased for 25 Study Points, shot from the barrel and vanished into the night, speeding toward some spot across the way.
Pfft—
Crackle—
Nicholas heard a strange sound come through the earpiece, as if something had burst.
Then came a crackling hiss.
"All units: provide crossfire cover. Fall back!!"
Before you continue