Chapter 99
Her silhouette undulated in the dust and smoke, her full bust supporting her sleek black combat attire, yet devoid of any allure, exuding only an almost dangerous sense of oppression, like a lurking beast ready to tear apart the tranquility before her at any moment.
--Ines
Without a word, the Sarkaz mercenary silently slid a dagger gleaming with a cold light into his hand, holding it horizontally in front of him like a taut bowstring.
Ines's voice wasn't loud, but it pierced the noise like an icicle, clearly penetrating the air. "Who are you people?"
Han Fei raised his voice slightly and replied, "Mercenary, scavenger, special forces operative, Han Fei... use whichever title you think is more appropriate."
Before he could finish speaking, Texas's cool whisper rang in Han Fei's ear, "An acquaintance?"
She caught the fleeting look of surprise in Han Fei's eyes, followed by a complex and clear understanding.
This is definitely not how you would react to a stranger.
However, the woman's posture clearly revealed a sense of detachment and wariness as she scrutinized her prey.
"I know her, but she doesn't know me," Han Fei said softly.
Texas suddenly realized and said softly, "No wonder."
Han Fei's casual self-introduction caused Ines's long eyebrows to twitch almost imperceptibly. His tone carried a familiar air of shadow and bloodshed.
No, more accurately, like a blurry mirror, reflecting her own habitual posture.
But this was not enough to dissuade Ines, who shouted, "State your purpose!"
Han Fei shrugged and said truthfully, "A client asked me to come and retrieve a box, and that box is in there."
As he spoke, he pointed to the ruins behind Ines.
Ines didn't turn around, and said, "Those are our spoils. It's a pity you're too late."
"Is there no room for negotiation?" Han Fei frowned.
The reward for this mission isn't particularly generous, really; it's just 300,000 Haf Coins.
But for Han Fei now, 300,000 is still a lot of money!
With his current four-figure Haf Coins balance, he has no right to complain that 300,000 Haf Coins is too little.
What's more, this money doesn't take up any backpack space.
If you have high-quality blue and purple items, it's fine, but if you have low-quality blue and purple items, you might not even be able to collect 300,000 Haf Coins even with 30 slots!
"That's the rule in our line of work. Whoever gets it, keeps it. We came here and fought them to get this loot. Even if you need it, I can't just give it to you easily," Ines said seriously. "Since you call yourself a mercenary, you should understand this principle."
"Tsk, I get it."
Han Fei clicked his tongue, not finding it particularly strange.
In the state, even teammates in casual volleyball might not be willing to share the spoils with each other, let alone him and Ines, who weren't even considered casual volleyball teammates.
But Han Fei was also upset that he couldn't get it, since the mission was worth at least 300,000 Haf Coins!
"You really want that thing?"
Ines noticed Han Fei's hesitation and said, "I don't know which box you want, but I can take you to see it. If you can offer something of equal value, I can trade with you."
"Well..."
Han Fei was immediately embarrassed, thinking to himself, "What do I have to exchange?"
If there hadn't been a tactical relocation beforehand, it would have been fine; at least there would have been a cleanup phase. With such a high drop rate, even ordinary grunts would have gotten something.
But now, his backpack was empty, and he had nothing to exchange with Ines.
"Looks like there's nothing left?"
Ines raised her delicate, long eyebrows slightly. "Then there's nothing I can do. This is our spoils of war, and I can't just hand it over to someone else."
Volume 1: Chapter 134 Clash
Ines was clearly pragmatic; she didn't even give Han Fei a chance to speak again, and went straight to the point:
"Now, please leave immediately. This is not a dissuasion, it is a warning."
The next second, at her command, the Sarkaz mercenaries raised their weapons.
"Boss?"
Texas gripped the sword hilt with both hands, ready to deal with any unexpected situation.
Han Fei decisively began to assess the situation.
There's no reason to give up on this mission. The supply crate is a must, and there's no reason to turn down 300,000 Haf Coins. He's bankrupt to this extent, barely eating anything, and he'll really have to go back to selling big red potions.
But launching a direct attack would clearly be unwise.
He'd actually forgotten about Ines's storyline—it didn't seem like she had much of a story, and even less combat descriptions.
Unlike Rosmontis and similar herbs, whose actual combat effectiveness is irrelevant, the storyline focuses solely on top-tier combat power.
However, considering that Ines successfully escaped by faking her death several times, and that she is a top-tier six-star Vanguard, it shouldn't be a big problem to equate her with Texas the Omertosa.
In this situation, even if Texas can hold off Ines, Han Fei will still have to fight more than 30 Sarkaz mercenaries by himself.
Faced with the enemy's standard configuration of both long-range and close-range forces, Han Fei was genuinely unsure if he would encounter any mishaps.
After all, the Hive Doctor's needles have a limited number of uses, and Gale is not like Red Wolf, who can at least heal himself.
If the Angel sisters were still around, there would be room for maneuver, but with only him, there's very little room for maneuver, and there's a chance of failure—even elite GTI operators can be killed by regular soldiers!
After calmly assessing the situation, Han Fei gestured and said, "Let's retreat first."
"Good."
Texas didn't release her sword, and retreated with Han Fei. She didn't turn around, her gaze fixed on the Sarkaz, wary of any potential danger.
Fortunately, the Sarkaz mercenaries showed no signs of giving chase until they could no longer see each other.
Texas relaxed slightly, removed her hand from the hilt of her sword, and asked, "What's the next step?"
"It's risky for the two of us to launch a direct attack. Let's regroup first."
Han Fei glanced at his watch; it showed only 11 o'clock, plenty of time, and there was still room for maneuver.
"After we regroup, if nothing unexpected happens, we'll come back. Whether it's negotiations or a full-scale assault, we need to get that supply crate; 300,000 Haf Coins are still too valuable."
"Yes, we must get that thing back."
Texas is well aware of her family's predicament; they only have a few thousand dollars left, and they can't even afford a Coke, let alone anything else!
Although she herself didn't mind the salary issue—in fact, she had never mentioned salary to Han Fei.
Bankruptcy is never a good thing. After bankruptcy, what will happen to the equipment for the next field mission? We won't even be able to buy supplies.
This shows Texas's lack of experience; she doesn't yet understand what the "Standard Dam running knife" process is.
Without further hesitation, the two spent some time returning to the pit via the same route.
At the same time, as Han Fei and his companion disappeared from sight, Ines lowered her weapon and turned to her companion, ordering, "These two are after our spoils. They might come back. Send out some sentries. If they do return, open fire as needed."
Hearing the noise, Lemuen cautiously raised her gun, but upon recognizing the figures, she exclaimed with delight, "Oh, you're back!"
In contrast Lemuen was still the same gentle and virtuous woman, her hands clasped over her lower abdomen as she softly said, "Welcome back."
Han Fei responded and walked up to the two of them, saying, "Hmm, nothing happened, right?"
"It's quiet here. Looking at the Sarkaz, they haven't chased us to this area."
Lemuen calmly offered her analysis, then glanced back and forth between Texas and Han Fei, saying softly, "But you two don't seem to be doing very well. I see the blue icon on the map; it seems you're still stuck in the same place."
"Indeed, something unexpected happened."
Han Fei shrugged and recounted the whole story.
After hearing Han Fei's description, Lemuen immediately raised her K416 and said aggressively, "Then what are we waiting for?! Take it back right now!"
"That's right."
Lemuen nodded in agreement and said, "The best solution is to get the items before any more unexpected things happen."
These two sisters are Sankta, so they have no sentimentality towards the Sarkaz, especially wild Sarkaz mercenary squads like this. Lemuen herself has lost count of how many of them she has wiped out.
--Who told these guys to keep sneaking around Laterano to freeload?
"Let's see how things go. If we can get them to keep the items for us, we can exchange them for something else later."
Han Fei had no objections and said, "The main reason is that I wasn't sure if these guys would resell those things after they got them, so I came back to you immediately."
"No matter what, we need to get there as soon as possible," Texas said calmly.
"Shall we set off now?" Lemuen asked.
"Let's leave now, lest they move and things get complicated," Han Fei said.
"Good."
Lemuen nodded slightly.
Since they had nothing to pack, the group set off immediately.
Before long, the outline of the ruins came into clear view.
Just then, Lemuen suddenly raised her hand, alert, and said, "We've been discovered."
The words had barely left his lips when a crossbow bolt flew almost silently toward Lemuen's head.
"Sister, be careful!" Lemuen shouted immediately.
Han Fei, who was suffering from Shut-in Helmet, didn't hear anything at all, but the moment he heard Lemuen call out, almost instinctively, he pulled Lemuen into his arms.
The next second, a sharp pain shot through him, and Han Fei's health dropped by half, with a red head icon appearing in his status bar.
"Boss!"
"Han Fei!"
Two almost piercing calls rang out from the left and right.
Texas, usually so cold and composed, now showed a rare hint of panic on her face. She instinctively stepped forward, reaching out to support Han Fei's swaying body, her voice trembling with barely perceptible tension. "How are you?"
"I'm fine."
Han Fei gave himself an injection, and with the added pain relief, his dizziness and blurred vision finally subsided.
Even so, he still habitually shook his head.
The moment his gaze focused, he met a pair of eyes—eyes like the still surface of a stormy sea, calm on the surface but brimming with destructive power about to erupt.
It's no exaggeration to say that this was the first time Han Fei had ever seen murderous intent in Lemuen's eyes.
Even when she almost broke her leg, her eyes were filled with tenderness and compassion.
But at this moment, concern and anger intertwined, burning into a cold flame that completely consumed that tenderness.
"I'll get it back for you."
Lemuen's voice was extremely soft, as calm as frozen ice, devoid of any of her usual gentleness.
However, everyone present clearly sensed the intense, all-consuming rage beneath that calm voice, compressed to its absolute limit.
The words had barely left his lips when the cold AWM fell from her shoulder into the girl's steady hands.
Raise arm, rest gun, shoulder, aim --
Bang--!
A deafening gunshot, like tearing fabric, instantly shattered the long-suppressed silence of the entire wilderness!
There were no screams, no muffled thuds of corpses falling to the ground.
Only the howling wind swept through the dust once more.
But Lemuen had already slowly lowered the muzzle of her gun, her gaze still calmly fixed on the ruins, her tone carrying an unquestionable, as if stating an established fact:
He's dead.
A gentle breeze ruffled the hair on her forehead, and on her still beautiful but sculpted face, there was only a frozen murderous intent.
"This is just the beginning."
The next second, it was another round of aiming and zooming.
Bang--
Another Sarkaz mercenary sentry he had planted outside has died.