Nightfire Like Blood

The rebel soldiers guarding the camp were somewhat distracted.

Their gazes kept drifting unconsciously toward the direction of the artillery fire.

That was where General Janning's camp was stationed.

Every rebel knew perfectly well what was happening there.

Likewise, deep down, they harbored a faint hope.

They hoped that their commander, Saruka, would win this battle. Only then could they continue living instead of becoming bargaining chips at the negotiating table.

Saruka's acting had simply been too convincing.

So convincing that none of these rebel soldiers had suspected a thing.

While the rebel soldiers were distracted, they failed to notice a black shadow darting back and forth through the three-story building and across its rooftop.

Until—

Bang!

The machine gunner in the watchtower was shot in the head.

The headless corpse fell from the ten-meter-high watchtower, bones shattered and tendons torn.

"Enemy attack!"

The patrolling rebel soldiers shouted.

At that moment, Qin Ran fired two more shots, taking out the heavy machine gunner behind the barricade.

Beginner-level [Gunpowder Weapons: Light Weapons] made consecutive sniping much easier for Qin Ran.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Only after Qin Ran eliminated the three most threatening machine-gun positions did the rebel soldiers below truly react and return fire at him.

Qin Ran answered them with the [H-20]'s rapid fire.

After rolling away from his original sniping position, Qin Ran raised the [H-20].

The [H-20], capable of firing over a hundred rounds per minute, instantly spewed flames, dropping four or five rebel patrolmen below.

"Take cover! Take cover!"

The captain of the rebel patrol shouted.

However, when a rocket trailing fire and white smoke shot down from the rooftop, the patrol captain fell into despair.

Watching the fiery streak cut across the night sky, the captain could not help closing his eyes.

Boom!

A rocket's explosion far surpassed a grenade's.

Whether in power or range.

Especially the latter, which meant novice Qin Ran did not need to aim with true precision. A rough estimate was enough.

Several rebels hiding behind the barracks were blown to pieces, and the barracks were sent flying with them.

[Explosion: Deals 100 HP damage to the opponent. Opponent dead...]

[Explosion: Deals 100 HP damage to the opponent. Opponent dead...]

[Explosion: Deals 100 HP damage to the opponent. Opponent dead...]

...

Combat notifications like those flooded Qin Ran's vision.

But this was only the beginning!

Now that Qin Ran had an armory, how could he possibly be stingy in battle?

The next moment, he hoisted another loaded rocket launcher onto his shoulder.

"Go repent in hell!"

Qin Ran growled and pulled the trigger.

Boom!

The rocket once again unleashed its tremendous power.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Immediately afterward, Qin Ran fired three rockets in succession.

The entire camp was engulfed in flames, and the rebel soldiers guarding it were nearly wiped out!

Nearly!

Because two rebel soldiers, due to where they had been standing, escaped Qin Ran's attack.

Lowering the [Panzerfaust-II] from his shoulder, Qin Ran lifted another loaded [Panzerfaust-II] and aimed it at the iron door leading to the rooftop.

One locked door could not stop two armed rebel soldiers.

Not if they truly wanted to come up.

The next instant, Qin Ran heard frantic footsteps.

In his mind, he pictured the two rebel soldiers rushing desperately up the stairs.

Bang!

A gunshot rang out.

It was the sound of the lock being shot apart.

At the same time, Qin Ran pulled the trigger.

The rocket flew straight ahead.

Boom!

The blast wave and raging flames instantly blew the two rebels to pieces.

[Explosion: Deals 100 HP damage to the opponent. Opponent dead...]

[Explosion: Deals 100 HP damage to the opponent. Opponent dead...]

After glancing at the combat notifications, Qin Ran began gathering the weapons and equipment on the rooftop.

Naturally, he could not carry away every weapon and piece of equipment from Saruka's armory, but he knew enough to take the best ones.

A large tactical backpack found inside the camp became Qin Ran's means of hauling them away.

Rocket launchers, light machine guns, grenades, ammunition, and more.

Qin Ran stuffed as much as possible into the tactical backpack.

He moved quickly and finished everything in two minutes.

However, when Qin Ran hoisted the tactical backpack onto his back, his entire body involuntarily sank.

Even with his Strength raised by one level, the weight was still a little too much for him.

But that did not stop Qin Ran from carrying the weapons and equipment back.

After all, this was his loot!

Qin Ran struggled out of the three-story building and headed toward the edge of the camp.

He knew how conspicuous the explosions and flames here were.

Those survivors and thugs certainly would not dare approach this place.

However, if the rebel soldiers currently fighting noticed something was wrong, the rebels belonging to Saruka's side would definitely return at great speed.

Just thinking about the terrifying human-wave tactics and the tanks that made his scalp tingle made Qin Ran unconsciously quicken his pace.

However, the craters blasted out by the rockets along the way gave Qin Ran a hard time.

The once-flat concrete ground had long become riddled with pits, with residual flames still flickering in many places.

Such ground was no less treacherous than the most ruined wasteland outside.

Qin Ran had no choice but to take a small detour.

As for the rebels' shattered, burning, or charred corpses beside the craters?

He had seen corpses far more miserable than those and was no longer afraid.

"So... habits really are the most terrifying thing!"

Qin Ran mocked himself with a smile and stepped over a charred corpse.

At that moment, the charred corpse actually moved!

The man was not dead!

Qin Ran reacted instantly and instinctively tried to Dodge, but the weight of the backpack made what should have been an easy movement extraordinarily difficult.

Meanwhile, the rebel soldier erupted with the last of his strength—

He wanted to drag Qin Ran down to death with him!

Beneath the night moon, flames flickered.

A dagger with a snow-bright edge thrust straight toward Qin Ran's lower abdomen.

Before it even touched his skin, Qin Ran felt a chill.

It was easy to imagine that if the dagger struck home, Qin Ran would surely be disemboweled. If his intestines and internal organs spilled out, even a player's data-based body would die!

Qin Ran gritted his teeth and twisted his body with all his might.

He did not want to die like this!

The Beginner Instance was about to end, and he was about to return laden with rewards.

At this moment, faced with death, intense unwillingness rose within Qin Ran.

That unwillingness was like sweet spring water in despair, allowing the trapped Qin Ran to twist his body slightly.

Yet the rebel soldier who had suddenly attacked did not alter his stance in the slightest because Qin Ran had shifted a little.

Instead, he charged forward even more fiercely.

Because as Qin Ran twisted his body, he had completely exposed one side of his waist to the rebel soldier.

Only a thin distance separated that spot from his kidney!

With the dagger in his hand, the rebel could absolutely pierce Qin Ran's kidney.

"Aah!"

A deathly growl burst from the rebel soldier's throat.

It was directed at both Qin Ran and himself.

He knew very well that his severe injuries meant he would not survive.

But if he could drag Qin Ran down with him... then everything would be worth it!

The last remaining thought in the rebel soldier's mind transformed into conviction, an imposing force rising from him and facing Qin Ran's unwillingness from afar.

Time itself seemed to freeze between them.

Clang!

A crisp sound came from where the dagger's tip met Qin Ran's waist.

Confusion flashed through the eyes of the rebel soldier delivering that desperate strike.

He did not know what had happened.

Why had his sharp dagger been blocked by flesh and blood?

The rebel soldier's gaze began to lose focus.

Having unleashed his final strike, the rebel soldier's flame of life was about to burn out.

"Roar!"

Amid a disappointed growl, the rebel soldier shifted his wrist slightly.

Pfft!

This time, after the dagger's tip moved a short distance, it easily pierced Qin Ran and sank into his flesh.

The rebel soldier's unfocused eyes abruptly sharpened, filled with joy.

But that did not change the final outcome—

Bang!

Freed from the backpack's restraint, Qin Ran sprang backward like a leopard. After evading the follow-up attack, he drove a vicious punch into the man's temple, completely extinguishing his life.

[Punch: Critical attack. Deals 6 HP damage to the opponent (3 Unarmed Combat (Basic) × 2). Opponent dead...]

[Thrust: Opponent deals 35 HP damage to you. You have entered a bleeding state...]

"Hiss!"

Only after confirming that the rebel soldier was truly dead did Qin Ran lift his shirt to inspect his wound.

The wound was a full ten centimeters long. It twisted with Qin Ran's movements as blood continuously flowed out.

Beneath the wound was an [M1905] pistol.

The pistol, which had originally looked brand-new, now bore a deep scratch.

That was right. The rebel soldier's desperate attack had struck this pistol.

When the rebel soldier suddenly attacked and Qin Ran could not truly evade, he had abruptly remembered the [M1905] at his waist. Though the [M1905] was a pistol, a weapon.

No one had ever said it could not serve as "armor"!

Especially when he had no other option.

Therefore, Qin Ran had twisted his body with all his strength.

His goal had been to make the [M1905] pistol into his shield.

In the end, the result was not bad. Even though Qin Ran had been injured.

Qin Ran had survived.

Qin Ran looked once more at the rebel soldier's corpse, wanting to remember him.

Because the man had taught him a lesson profound enough.

"Sure enough, getting carried away earns you a blow to the head. I hope Maggie is as good at bandaging wounds as she said she was!"

Qin Ran muttered to himself.

Then, after roughly bandaging the wound and lightening the backpack once more, he headed toward where Colin and Maggie were hiding.

Though reluctant, Qin Ran knew that with the backpack's original weight, his injured self could not possibly carry it.

At that point, not only would he lose this haul, he might even die on the way back.

Having just escaped death, Qin Ran absolutely did not want to face it again so soon.