Ying's Gift

Bai Ye looked around and found that all the Wastelanders were dead. More than thirty soldiers had died as well, reducing the once-massive convoy to just over sixty people.

The good news was that there were no wounded, because anyone bitten by a black snake had been poisoned to death.

At that moment, many of the soldiers came back to their senses and looked at Bai Ye nervously.

Bai Ye sneered. "What? Have you all forgotten how Ying died?"

A chill ran through the soldiers' hearts as they recalled Ying's miserable, wide-eyed death.

The officer, desperate to survive, hurriedly shouted, "Put down your weapons! Anyone who dares defy Lord Bai Ye will be dealt with under military law!"

Bai Ye immediately began soothing them. "As long as you escort me to Black Mountain, I'll let you go."

He was lying again. Once they reached Black Mountain... everyone would die!

If even one of these people made it back to Dawn City alive, he would have to face Dawn City's army and the retaliation of that damned Zodiac.

After a simple display of both carrots and sticks, the surviving convoy set off once more.

To prevent the soldiers from running away, Bai Ye took their weapons and blew out all the tires. He kept only one troop carrier for himself to drive, while the soldiers jogged in front of it.

Their positions had been reversed.

Before, Bai Ye had run on the ground while the soldiers rode in vehicles. Now it was the other way around.

Inside the troop carrier, Bai Ye drove while Li You held the officer hostage.

"Brother Ye, what's in this box?" Li You curiously examined the silver-white metal case beside his seat.

This was Ying's gift.

"Why don't you open it and see?" Bai Ye brushed him off casually. In truth, he had already known what was inside: the Black Flood Dragon M300 sniper rifle.

Click.

Li You opened the metal case. A cold metallic scent mixed with machine oil rushed toward him, while eight precision components lay on black foam padding, gleaming with a muted sheen.

The barrel lay curled in the center like a sleeping black python.

"Th-This is a sniper rifle?!"

Li You stared at the Black Flood Dragon M300 in delight. Though he knew nothing about sniper rifles, anyone could tell from its precise appearance alone that it was extraordinarily valuable.

"That is Ying's Black Flood Dragon M300, one of the finest sniper rifles in existence. Its power can even rival a Flood Dragon-class Taboo Object," the officer said quietly from the side.

The situation was stronger than he was. If he wanted to live, he naturally had to behave himself.

Bai Ye raised an eyebrow as he drove. "A Flood Dragon-class Taboo Object?"

When Ying had seen [Breath of Bones] earlier, he had mentioned a Snake-Level Taboo Object. Now there was a Flood Dragon-class one too. Could these be the ranks of Taboo Objects?

The officer seemed to notice Bai Ye's confusion and quickly explained, "Taboo Objects are divided into three ranks: Snake, Flood Dragon, and Dragon. Your revolver is a Snake-Level Taboo Object. Ying's Black Flood Dragon M300 isn't a Taboo Object, but in terms of power and rarity, it is not far inferior to a Flood Dragon-class Taboo Object. That is why it was named Black Flood Dragon."

"Then this sniper rifle must be worth a fortune, right?" Li You's eyes immediately lit up.

"The value of the Black Flood Dragon M300 is difficult to measure in money, because it is not a product of this era. It was passed down from the Civilized Era, cannot be mass-produced, and is a discontinued model. It was only restored after numerous repair processes."

"Modern technology simply cannot manufacture a sniper rifle with this level of precision. Sniper rifles of the current era only have an effective range of eight hundred to one thousand meters, while the Black Flood Dragon has a terrifying effective range of four thousand meters. With specialized supersonic ammunition, it can penetrate any bulletproof protection."

"You talk too much. Just tell me how much it's worth," Li You said. He had no interest in hearing any of that. He only cared about money.

The officer paused. "If it were sold on the black market, it could fetch at least tens of millions."

"How much?!" Li You's shriek nearly pierced Bai Ye's eardrums.

"Keep it down! Look at you, acting like you've never seen the world. It's only a few tens of millions," Bai Ye said, rubbing his ears in annoyance.

Li You's face flushed with excitement. He had never even heard of that much money in his life.

"Brother Ye, that's tens of millions! If we sell the Black Flood Dragon M300, we won't have to worry for the rest of our lives!"

"Wrong. I won't have to worry for the rest of my life."

Li You's face immediately fell. He hurriedly wheedled, "Brother Ye~, considering how we've been through life and death together, give your little brother a share."

"Not even a little."

Li You's excitement was doused like a fire under a bucket of cold water. He stared lifelessly at the Black Flood Dragon M300, his eyes filled with resentment.

Bai Ye kept his eyes on the road and said blandly, "But I wasn't planning to sell it."

"You weren't planning to sell it?! Brother Ye, this gun is worth tens of millions! Why not sell it?"

"Because it's too conspicuous. There aren't many sniper rifles like this in the entire world. If you sell it, wouldn't you be telling the whole world that you killed Ying?"

Li You froze. "But if we don't sell it, what's the difference between it and scrap metal?"

Bai Ye shot him a sidelong glance. "Who said it was scrap metal? Can't I keep it for myself?"

"You?!" Li You recalled Bai Ye's heroic feat of firing three shots before hitting the connection point of the mechanical arm. His eyes were filled with deep suspicion, without a shred of trust.

Bai Ye's face darkened as he snapped, "That was because the Cockroach Protein Bar upset my stomach. I just didn't perform well for a moment."

"Come on, Brother Ye. It's fine to fool other people, but don't fool yourself too."

"You bastard! Get out of the vehicle and run a thousand meters away. Let's see if I can shoot off that stupid cowlick of yours in one shot!"

Li You instinctively touched the unruly tuft of hair on his head and hurriedly smoothed it down. But the moment he removed his hand, it sprang upright again.

He quickly changed the subject, afraid that Bai Ye, that lunatic who had eaten poisonous mushrooms, would really use him for target practice.

"Brother Ye, the Black Flood Dragon M300 really has incredible range. Thinking back on it now still scares me. Luckily, you dealt with Ying directly back then. Otherwise, against a sniper a thousand meters away, we probably wouldn't even know how we died."

Bai Ye understood that very well. His Time Stop was not omnipotent. Snipers countered him to some extent, because it was difficult for him to detect bullets fired from a thousand meters away. If he failed to react in time, his head would be blown open on the spot.

That was why he wanted to keep the Black Flood Dragon M300 and train himself into a sniper as well. Only by knowing himself and his enemy could he deal with them better.

Li You continued, "Enemies like snipers, hiding somewhere far away where you can't see them, are the most terrifying. Brother Ye, tell me, if a sniper wanted to kill me, should I run in a straight line or in an S-pattern?"

"Neither a straight line nor an S-pattern would work."

"Huh?"

"My advice is to stand still and wait for his conscience to kick in."

Li You: "???"