Through the binoculars and the armored vehicle's windows, Hong Fei could clearly see Tony chatting and laughing with the soldiers inside.
Seeing the convoy draw ever closer to the armed militants' ambush point, Hong Fei lowered the binoculars and raised his sniper rifle instead.
Frank, who was operating the Mortar, saw Hong Fei lying prone with his rifle and could not help asking, "Are you sure you actually know how to snipe?"
"Of course. I'm a famous sharpshooter for miles around!"
Hong Fei's supremely confident look nearly made Frank doubt his own judgment. His eyes flickered as he asked again, "What's the wind direction? Wind speed?"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Frank's face immediately darkened.
Hong Fei stared through the scope. "Quit talking nonsense. Hurry up, they're almost here."
On the road, three Armored Vehicles advanced at intervals, with Tony seated in the second vehicle in the middle.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion rolled across the plains. The first vehicle was instantly swallowed by erupting flames, and the violent blast wave flipped the armored vehicle into the air, sending fragments flying in all directions.
Only after Tony's vehicle passed through the intense flames ahead did it come to a rapid stop.
For a moment, gunfire erupted everywhere.
From Hong Fei's vantage point, the armed militants hidden along one side of the road either pulled out rifles or set up machine guns and fired wildly. At the same time, others continuously hurled grenades at the remaining two vehicles.
The machine gunner atop the armored vehicle was killed immediately. The US military soldiers who rushed out, preparing to hold their ground and return fire, were shot full of holes before they could run more than a few steps. The less fortunate ones were blown apart by fragmentation grenades.
Soon, Hong Fei saw Tony push open the door and crouch-run behind a rock for cover.
Missiles in the distance had already begun launching. At their points of impact, both vehicles and corpses were instantly obliterated. The scene was exceptionally gruesome.
"Frank, get ready. Take out that missile vehicle first."
"Don't worry."
The fewer than ten US military soldiers were wiped out by the militants in the blink of an eye. Tony hid behind the rock, gasping for breath as he frantically pressed his phone.
Whoosh!
A shriek tore through the air as a missile descended beside Tony. After spotting his own side's insignia, he had just stood up to flee when the missile exploded instantly, its fragments and blast wave hurling him through the air.
From the mountaintop, Hong Fei spoke at the same moment. "Fire!"
Boom!
The 120mm heavy Mortar shell flew from the barrel. With a maximum range of over seven thousand meters, hitting a target just over a thousand meters away was effortless.
Through the scope, the missile vehicle was instantly engulfed in flames, with blazing fire shooting dozens of meters into the sky.
This sudden change immediately put the militants hidden by the roadside on alert. They shouted in a language Hong Fei could not understand while swiftly rushing toward the surrounding flames and smoke, intending to use them to evade the enemy's sight.
But Frank was not about to stand by and watch.
Another blast sounded. After the second shell was fired, it accurately arrived above a group of militants.
In an instant, aside from the still-thunderous explosion, the shell detonating in midair released billowing white smoke. Countless tiny white sparks scattered in every direction, and the moment they landed, they began to burn. Whether grass or solid rock, everything was swallowed by raging flames in the blink of an eye.
At the same time, figures engulfed in fire ran frantically away from the explosion's center. Even from several hundred meters away, Hong Fei could hear their horrific, overlapping screams.
"Why was that shell different?" Hong Fei was somewhat shocked.
Frank picked up the sniper rifle and aimed as he said, "White Phosphorus Shell. It can cling to the surface of anything and keep burning, and it's very hard to put out. If it lands on someone's body, it burns through their skin and can even reduce their bones to ash."
Hong Fei sucked in a cold breath. "Isn't that a bit too..."
"Boss, this is war," Frank said coldly.
Then, aiming at his target, he added, "There are six lucky ones left. I'll take the four on the left, and you take the two on the right. If you can't handle it, say so in time."
Bang!
The moment he finished speaking, he pulled the trigger. A man in the distance dropped in response.
Hong Fei quickly composed himself, red light gleaming in his eyes.
At once, the five fleeing militants began performing absurdly comical movements in his vision. As his crosshairs swept across their heads, scarlet X-shaped marks were left behind.
The five were marked in an instant, and Hong Fei immediately pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The semi-automatic sniper rifle fired five consecutive shots. The gunfire was unbroken, and Hong Fei did not even appear to adjust his aim.
The five bullets ripped through the air. Before the gunshots faded over the wasteland, all five men fell almost simultaneously.
At the same time, Hong Fei could clearly feel five streams of energy entering his body in succession.
Frank, who was aiming at the second man, watched helplessly as his target suddenly fell.
The consecutive gunshots beside his ear startled him. Turning his head, he saw Hong Fei smile at him. "You're welcome!"
Frank raised his rifle again in disbelief and observed the scene.
After a long while, he lowered the gun, unable to hide the shock in his eyes.
"How did you do that?"
"Raise the gun, aim, pull the trigger. One smooth motion, every shot a hit. I told you already, I'm a famous sharpshooter for miles around!"
The Shinigami Eye was simply perfect for long-range sniping.
No matter how far away the target was, as long as it could be marked and there were no obstacles in between, the bullet would inevitably cross the vast distance and strike the marked point directly.
Don't talk to me about wind direction, wind speed, or humidity. And don't lecture me about gravity, ballistics, or calculations.
In short, raise the gun and fire!
For Hong Fei, sniping was far easier than Kung Fu.
Frank's expression was exceedingly complicated.
Hong Fei stood up and slung his rifle over his back. "Let's go. Time to withdraw. If we wait any longer, the US military will be here."
Frank came back to himself and said in a low voice, "You go down first. I'll pack up the Mortar."
"That thing's so heavy. Let me help."
But Frank politely declined. "No need. Once you get down there, find two gas masks in the vehicle and bring them over. If we're any later, the target might get poisoned to death."
"Huh?"
"I forgot to mention it earlier. The smoke produced by a White Phosphorus Shell's explosion and burning is highly toxic."
Hong Fei took off running.
Half an hour later, Hong Fei drove as he asked, "How is he? He didn't get poisoned to death, did he?"
The unconscious Tony lay in the back seat. His whole body was nearly dyed red with blood, and his pale face looked somewhat frightening.
Frank administered first aid as he said, "He wasn't poisoned. The wind happened to blow the toxic smoke the other way. Otherwise, he would have died long ago."
Hong Fei breathed a sigh of relief, then said, "Use fewer White Phosphorus Shells in the future."
"Are you scared?" Frank did not hide his mockery.
Hong Fei was certainly not afraid. He merely felt that such a method of killing was unnecessary.
But before he could speak, Frank continued, "Do you know what these people have done? They use blunt knives to slowly cut off their enemies' heads. They massacre entire villages. They even post those videos online to flaunt their power. Do you think they don't know what they're doing? I can tell you clearly that they even enjoy inflicting violence on others."
Hong Fei said, "They can be used, but there should be some restraint. Avoid abusing them."
The effects of a White Phosphorus Shell were simply too brutal. If that shell had landed in a town, city, or any other densely populated place, the scene would surely have been more than ten times crueler than an ordinary bomb explosion.
Frank shook his head. "Don't worry. You probably won't be able to use them again even if you want to. The power of White Phosphorus Shells causes physical and psychological trauma to both sides in a war, so hardly anyone produces them now. That was the only White Phosphorus Shell you managed to buy. I'm guessing it was old stock the other side practically threw in for free."
"You were the one who gave me the supplier's contact information."
"I only know that he sells goods in the Middle East. We've only communicated remotely, and I haven't met him yet."
"I'm guessing he's not a good person."
Before you continue