Hit

The rebel machine gunner and his assistant gunner clearly understood their situation as well.

Facing a sniper hidden somewhere, their position was simply too dangerous. After all, their firing point had only been temporarily built from the ruins; it was not a real defensive fortification like a bunker.

Without any communication, the machine gunner and assistant gunner chose the same course as the other rebel soldiers: take cover!

But they were obviously too slow!

Bang!

Another gunshot rang out. The machine gunner, who had just raised the light machine gun, had his head blown apart. The machine gun immediately fell to the ground, while the assistant gunner completely shrank into the ruins and did not dare show his head again.

Compared to staying alive, what did cowardice matter?

No one would blame the assistant gunner, even if they despised him inwardly.

As the captain, Hank had even less time to spare for his subordinate. The instant the gunshot rang out, he judged the general direction, and the assault rifle in his hands began to spit fire.

Bang bang bang!

The surrounding soldiers joined in as well, and bullets immediately sent stone chips flying from that section of ruins.

After firing, Qin Ran rolled again to dodge the incoming bullets.

The skill [Gunpowder Weapons (Light Firearms) (Basic)] not only strengthened Qin Ran's body, but also gave him knowledge about firearms. Besides letting him clearly understand how to use guns, it also taught him the characteristics of firearms.

For example: sniper rifles!

Although it was merely an assembled sniper rifle, that did not stop Qin Ran from considering himself a sniper.

And a sniper's greatest rule was to never let the enemy know his position!

That was even more important than killing with a single shot!

Holding the sniper rifle, Qin Ran rolled into a hiding place among the ruins that he had selected beforehand.

Then, he lowered his head and looked at the wound on his left calf.

[Shooting: Graze, opponent dealt 5 points of HP damage to you...]

Just as the combat record described, it was merely a bullet graze, but that graze reminded Qin Ran of how formidable his opponent was.

He had chosen terrain extremely favorable to himself beforehand and launched a surprise attack, yet he had been injured on only the third exchange.

Strictly speaking, this was the first time Qin Ran had been injured since entering this Beginner Instance.

Rip!

Qin Ran tore open his lining, ripped it into strips, and tied them around his left calf.

"I should have learned how to bandage wounds from Maggie before starting!"

Feeling the pain coming from his calf, Qin Ran mocked himself.

Then, Qin Ran had no choice but to move again.

Qin Ran knew that if he remained here even a moment longer, he would be surrounded. Those rebel soldiers could absolutely determine his approximate current position based on where he had fired from earlier.

Qin Ran had no doubt about that.

His injured calf made his movements sluggish. Especially after entering [Stealth], his already slow speed became even slower.

It took Qin Ran five minutes to completely leave that area.

When he hid in a new hiding place and looked toward the original area, seven rebel soldiers responsible for searching had already surrounded it.

Three in front and four behind. The three soldiers advanced cautiously, while the other four remained where they were and aimed ahead.

If Qin Ran had still been there, he would never have escaped.

Even if he took out one or two soldiers, the remaining men would have been enough to turn him into a beehive.

But things were different now!

Having left that area, Qin Ran could snipe them without restraint.

Bang!

One of the soldiers responsible for searching fell into a pool of blood.

[Shooting: Vital strike, dealt 100 HP damage to opponent (50 Gunpowder Weapons (Light Firearms) (Basic) × 2),

Opponent died...]

The combat notification indicated the enemy's death.

Immediately afterward, Qin Ran began relocating again.

Listening to the sound of bullets striking behind him, Qin Ran was immensely glad that he had chosen terrain so favorable to himself.

"Damn it!"

The death of another subordinate made Hank curse under his breath.

He wanted nothing more than to drag out that damned sniper and tear him to pieces, but he understood even more clearly that anger would not solve the problem before him.

If he did not come up with something soon, his entire squad would be left here.

Hank swept his gaze around, but layer upon layer of ruins blocked his view.

More importantly, aside from the sniper's initial shooting position, there was not a single true high point in the surrounding area that could overlook the entire battlefield.

"He deliberately chose this place!"

A realization arose in Hank's heart.

At the same time, a sense of foreboding emerged.

This was definitely not some ordinary armed thug!

Someone who could skillfully use a sniper rifle and choose such terrain had to be a qualified soldier!

"Could he be from the government forces?!"

The thought made Hank frown, followed by a moment of hesitation.

Although Hank was only an ordinary second lieutenant, as Saruka's confidant, he was fully aware of the situation in this war.

The rebels were doomed to lose!

Trapped in an isolated city with no outside support, their defeat was only a matter of time as supplies ran out.

And when that time came, there would be a reckoning!

Hank did not want to die in that reckoning!

That was why he had chosen to follow Saruka—because Saruka had guaranteed that Hank could safely get through the reckoning and live the rest of his life in comfort and prosperity.

But that guarantee was naturally based on Hank not killing large numbers of government soldiers, or any important figures among the government forces.

Otherwise, even Saruka would not be able to protect him.

"If the man in front of us really is a scout sent by the government forces, and I kill him... Forget it. This is the major's order! I stopped having a choice long ago!"

After hesitating, Hank finally gritted his teeth and immediately gave his orders.

"Mark, Johnny, go to the previous sniper position and seize the high ground!"

"Handel, go draw his attention!"

"The rest of you, keep an eye on that bastard's movements!"

Orders were issued one after another.

The rebels immediately sprang into action.

It once again showed the difference between rebels and armed thugs. If they had been armed thugs, they would certainly have pushed responsibility onto one another at a time like this. They might even have turned on each other outright.

But the rebels did not!

They carried out the tasks assigned by their captain.

The two soldiers heading for the sniper position and the soldier drawing Qin Ran's attention set out almost at the same time.

The remaining three soldiers, including Hank, scanned the surroundings for places where Qin Ran might appear.

Qin Ran immediately noticed the soldier being used as "bait."

The man's unhidden figure stood out glaringly amid the ruins.

Qin Ran instantly aimed at him!

But Qin Ran did not fire!

The rebel soldier's sudden behavior made the habitually cautious Qin Ran suspicious.

It completely failed to match their earlier professional performance!

They were not even as good as armed thugs!

"A trap?"

Qin Ran instinctively thought of that possibility.

After all, one of the best ways to deal with a sniper was to throw out bait.

Qin Ran removed his index finger from the trigger. Using the magnified field of view provided by the [Worker Bee Scope], he searched the area ahead.

Very quickly, Qin Ran made a discovery.

When he had familiarized himself with the entire ruined area earlier, Qin Ran had paid special attention to where people could hide and where was suitable for Stealth.

Based on the rebel soldiers' current positions, it was not difficult to find the target.

"Two people... They're heading to the previous sniper position!"

Looking at the rebel soldiers through the scope, Qin Ran instantly guessed what they intended to do.

That sniper position could be said to be the only place in this area that could restrain Qin Ran. After taking out the first sniper, Qin Ran would absolutely not allow a second or third sniper to appear.

Without hesitation, Qin Ran fired!

Bang!

One rebel soldier heading toward the sniper position was hit and fell to the ground.

The other rebel soldier did not hesitate at all. He decisively sprang up from the ground, changing directly from crawling forward to sprinting at full speed.

Qin Ran saw all of it!

But Qin Ran did not have the chance to fire continuously!

After the first shot, he once again relied on a rapid roll to evade the rebel soldiers' suppressing fire, but his position was exposed once more.

The rebel soldiers closed in again.

And worse still, he did not have enough time to use [Stealth] to circle out of this encirclement!

Because the sprinting rebel soldier was less than a hundred meters from the sniper position. At the speed he was showing now, it would take him only a dozen seconds to reach it.

"I'll risk it!"

Watching the man get closer and closer to the sniper position, Qin Ran gritted his teeth and raised the sniper rifle again.

Exposing himself while inside an encirclement was undoubtedly dangerous.

Qin Ran knew that perfectly well.

Calling it a near-death situation would not be an exaggeration.

But if that rebel soldier occupied the sniper position again, Qin Ran would have no chance of survival at all!

Bang!

Qin Ran fired. The sprinting rebel soldier was hit and fell to the ground.

And Qin Ran, who immediately began rolling after firing, was thrown off his original course by the tremendous impact of a bullet.

He had been hit!