Sand Eagle's New Skill

Sand Eagle's sudden shout gave Xu Jiang a fright. He hurriedly asked, "What's wrong, Little Deagle? Why are you making such a fuss?"

"I'm sorry, General. I was too impulsive. I just figured something out, and I got a little excited."

"Oh? What did you figure out?"

"I realized that the best way to get rid of ice is to melt it with fire."

Xu Jiang: ...

He did not mind Sand Eagle becoming a philosopher.

But at least think about something profound! Fire melting ice? Wasn't that common knowledge even elementary school students knew?

"Little Deagle, please try thinking about middle-school-level knowledge from now on. This fire-melts-ice stuff is too childish..."

Congratulations. Major Sand Eagle has realized the secret of fire melting ice after deep contemplation. Skill acquired: *Explosive Shot Lv1*

*Explosive Shot Lv1*: Adds a fire attribute to bullets, creating a fiery explosion upon hitting a target.

"..."

"I spoke too loudly just now, Little Deagle. Don't take it to heart. You're the best."

This was truly rain after a long drought—though a deep well still needed a heavy hammer!

Realizing Explosive Shot at a critical moment... wasn't this practically letting him roast an entire ox?

His confidence soaring, Xu Jiang decided to make his move. No matter what, he had to secure the Spirit Seed fragment.

He quietly began circling around, preparing to find a good position to enter the battlefield.

He tried not to provoke those strange-looking masked people. His only target was the Frost Giant Bull.

Elsewhere, Pang Shi had already fallen into desperate straits.

His strength was by no means weak. Wielding a shortsword and moving nimbly, he was locked in combat with the Faceless Ones' leader and even held a faint advantage.

But even so, defeat was only a matter of time.

Before him stood a group of suicidal madmen, behind him were completely out-of-control Wild Beasts, and even worse, there was a traitor within his team. Who could guarantee there would not be a second?

The once-united team no longer dared to leave their backs to their companions. Fighting separately was nothing more than a final, desperate struggle.

The Faceless Ones' leader blocked Pang Shi's attack again, then easily leaped backward and disengaged from the fight.

His expression could not be seen behind the mask, but his voice dripped with mockery. "Young Master Pang, I advise you to surrender obediently. Take this poison pill, or it would be a shame if you lost an arm or a leg."

"Dream on! Even if I die, I will never let you threaten me!" Having grown up surrounded by such things, Pang Shi naturally knew how terrifying the Faceless Ones were.

Just as he was ready to fight to the death and drag an enemy down with him, the Faceless Ones' leader opposite him suddenly revealed a shocked look in his eyes.

"How... how is this possible?!"

Pang Shi snorted. "What? Starting with your schemes now? Trying to make me turn around and lose focus? I won't fall for—"

"So strong! Is that person a high-level Gunner?"

"Impossible. No one above Level 5 is allowed here. How did he do that?"

Discussion also rose behind him. Could reinforcements from a powerful expert have truly arrived?

A spark of hope for survival rose in Pang Shi's heart. He quickly leaped sideways, remaining wary of an attack from the Faceless Ones while glancing toward the battlefield behind him.

That single glance showed him a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.

Wearing the oldest model of Exoskeleton Mech and holding a beginner-issued Desert Eagle Pistol, an apparently ordinary Mech Warrior stood before the Frost Giant Bull and raised his gun to fire.

The bullet looked ordinary, but upon striking the ice shield, it produced a violent explosion. Intense flames spread out, instantly blasting a huge hole through the ice shield.

"Did he use incendiary bullets?"

"No, incendiary bullets don't have that much power. That has to be an Ammunition Expert's Explosive Shot."

"But he's wearing a mech! He should be a Mech Warrior, right? Could that be an innate skill?"

Xu Jiang's appearance shocked everyone.

Explosive Shot was not a beginner skill available at Level 5. At this stage, even Ammunition Experts could not possibly learn it, let alone a Mech Warrior.

The only explanation was that he had been born with the Explosive Shot skill after completing his class advancement.

Everyone envied Xu Jiang's talent, but who could have known that this Explosive Shot merely came from his Little Deagle graduating elementary school and learning that fire melted ice?

There was no need to switch to special ammunition. They were still ordinary 12.7mm rounds, yet the fired shots carried remarkably powerful fire damage.

The explosions covered a radius of about three meters and came with extremely potent burning damage.

The impact even halted the Frost Giant Bull's frenzied charge. It no longer dared to swing its weapon arrogantly, instead raising its shield and warily guarding against Xu Jiang.

But would being wary help?

Those two shots just now had merely been Xu Jiang testing the results. The power was indeed impressive, comparable to a small explosive grenade.

He glanced around. The terrified newcomers had all retreated far away. He had originally worried that stealing the monster would earn their resentment, but judging by this, they were probably grateful to him instead.

That was good. Next, he would unleash full firepower and deal with this big fellow.

"Hey! Stupid Ox, can you block this shot?!" Xu Jiang suddenly shifted his muzzle and fired at an empty spot.

Everyone froze. Was he firing a blank shot as a demonstration?

Why waste bullets for no reason? What was he doing?

"No! The bullet turned!"

A cry of alarm rang out. The bullet he had just fired actually trailed flames as it curved through the air.

Boom! The Explosive Shot struck the Frost Giant Bull solidly and exploded against its body.

With Telekinetic Bullet's support, as long as the distance was sufficient, how could there possibly be a missed shot?

Xu Jiang deliberately made the bullet trace a wide arc, forcibly curving around the shield's protection to hit the enemy.

Old Ox was dumbfounded. The powerful impact made him stagger. He glanced at his shield, then scratched his head with the blade of his axe in confusion.

That person seemed to have fired at him just now? But maybe he had not? Where had that bullet come from, and why could the shield not block it?

It was not just Old Ox who was dumbfounded. Everyone present, including the Faceless Ones, stared at Xu Jiang in shock.

"What kind of move was that?! Why did the bullet turn?"

"Gun Kata! That's the top-tier Gun Kata among A-Rank Talents!"

"Where did this person come from? Why have I never heard of such a rising star?"

Clearly, everyone around him had completely misunderstood Xu Jiang's talent.

Among A-Rank Talents, Gun Kata could indeed make bullets turn, but that was a shooting technique. It was completely different from the Telekinetic Bullet Little Deagle had realized.

It could only be said that each had its own advantages and disadvantages.

Gun Kata had greater killing power. After a bullet made a slight turn, its damage would not be reduced in any way.

Telekinetic Bullet, on the other hand, could turn at far more exaggerated angles, but the corresponding cost was a reduction in damage.

However, after acquiring Explosive Shot, that drawback had been perfectly resolved.

No matter how weak the bullet itself was, it would not affect the explosion after it hit its target. Even if Xu Jiang fired with his toes, the power of Explosive Shot would still be real.

Thus, Xu Jiang began showing off his gun-flicking.

One shot to the left, one shot to the right—he did not aim at all, yet the bullets constantly traced arcs and struck the enemy with precision. He looked incredibly cool and dashing, leaving everyone around him utterly stunned.