"Ahem, ahem..." A weak cough came from nearby. Han Xiao walked over and saw that Hu Fei, who had been shot five or six times, was not quite dead. His breathing was faint, and it was clear he could not be saved.
Han Xiao saw the Type 73 Wasp in Hu Fei's hand and understood everything. His emotions were mixed. "I told you it was dangerous. Why wouldn't you listen?"
Hu Fei reached out with a trembling hand and clutched Han Xiao's pant leg, weeping bitterly and crying his heart out:
"I shouldn't have been greedy! I... I regret it so much! I was wrong... I was really wrong..."
Hu Fei pointed shakily at Kailo. "Don't trust him... He sold out my uncle, Hu Hongjun..." As he spoke, he coughed up another mouthful of blood.
"You can't be saved. All I can do is ease your pain." Han Xiao shook his head, reached out, and snapped Hu Fei's neck.
"Don't listen to his non-" Kailo hurried to defend himself, but Han Xiao suddenly stood up, drew his gun, and fired. The bullet pierced Kailo's head.
Kailo dropped to his knees in shock, dying with his eyes open.
"Everyone else is dead. Go down and join them."
Han Xiao lowered his eyes.
Ever since discovering the tragedy at the settlement, Han Xiao's killing intent had continued to swell, but his icy reason held it back like a cage imprisoning a tiger. The more agitated he felt, the calmer he became.
Han Xiao went to Hu Hongjun's body and looked in the direction he was pointing. It was the direction the Test Subject Squad had taken in pursuit, with tire tracks leading deep into the forest.
It was the exact opposite of the direction Han Xiao had taken!
Hu Hongjun had not sold him out.
Han Xiao's heart gave a sudden, sharp pang, as though a nail had been driven into it.
Even at the very end, Hu Hongjun had never sold him out, an outsider... Had it been worth it?
〔You have triggered the E-rank mission [Revenge]〕 〔Mission objective: Kill the Test Subject Squad〕 〔Mission reward: 15,000 experience〕
Han Xiao looked away from Hu Hongjun and An's bodies and entered the tent. He brought out the old Saber Rifle that Hu Hongjun had treasured. A flash of black light passed over its surface, though he could not tell if it was an illusion.
"You really want revenge for your old friend, don't you?"
His expression tense, Han Xiao took every gun out of his backpack and dismantled them along with the Saber Rifle, scattering parts across the ground. Using the Saber Rifle as the main body, he gradually modified it with the other parts.
Both [Basic Repair] and [Basic Enhancement Modification] had reached level ten. Their names might sound lame, but they were core early-game Mechanic skills, and their max-level effects were outstanding. Modifying basic firearms came easily to Han Xiao.
〔Saber Rifle (Sniper Modification)〕 〔Quality: White〕 〔Basic attributes: Attack 66-69, rate of fire 1.1 rounds/s, magazine capacity 10 rounds, effective range 450 meters, output energy level 37〕 〔Attribute bonus: Dexterity +2〕 〔Length: 0.86 meters〕 〔Weight: 8.3 pounds〕 〔Additional effect: Accuracy - stable trajectory, minimally affected by wind〕 〔Additional effect: Penetration - specially modified to use sniper-caliber rounds, granting greater penetrating power〕 〔Note: It thirsts for revenge.〕
He counted his ammunition. He had only twenty-five sniper rounds, all taken from Silver Blade. Four tire tracks marked the ground, meaning the pursuers had two vehicles and no more than twelve people.
Han Xiao slung the rifle over his back and headed in the direction the pursuers had gone, his figure disappearing into the woods.
Traveling on foot, he naturally could not outrun a vehicle. Han Xiao had no intention of catching up with them.
Hu Hongjun had sent them the wrong way. Once the pursuers failed to find any trace of him, there was an eighty percent chance they would return the way they had come. Han Xiao intended to ambush them along that route.
Granted, if Han Xiao turned around and continued fleeing now, the enemy would never find him. But a voice inside him told him that if he did not vent his nearly uncontrollable rage with their blood, he would regret it.
Even without the mission, he would have made the same choice.
"Germinal!"
He gritted his teeth, killing intent chilling the air.
The forest was pitch-black at night, and a long wolf howl drifted from the far distance.
Han Xiao lay quietly among the trees, eyes half-closed, the Saber Rifle beside him. He had held this position for three hours, like a patient hunter waiting for his prey to step into a trap.
A rumble of engines rapidly approached. Han Xiao's eyes snapped open as four fast-moving headlights appeared within range.
"They're here." Han Xiao spoke as calmly as if he were welcoming guests into his home.
He put on the horizontal infrared night-vision goggles taken from the Night Owl Squad, and the orange-red outlines of two vehicles sprang into view.
Han Xiao worked the bolt, brought his target into the scope, and carefully adjusted the focus.
Holding his breath and concentrating, he aimed for a full eight seconds before pulling the trigger with a bang!
Amid the flash of the muzzle, a gleaming brass sniper round leaped from the barrel, passed through a gap in the trees, and crossed hundreds of meters in the blink of an eye, striking the tire of the speeding vehicle with precision.
"Pop!"
The tire blew!
The armored off-road vehicle in front slammed into a tree with a crash, forcing the one behind it to stop as well.
Number One climbed out, his head spinning, and cursed, "Can you drive or not?"
"Captain, the tire blew."
"How does a low-pressure tire blow?!"
A squad member crouched down and said in alarm, "There's a bullet lodged in it!"
"Enemy attack!" Number One's mind rang.
Just then, another shot rang out from hundreds of meters away. The squad member examining the wheel had his head blown apart right in front of Number One, spraying him with blood.
"It's a sniper!"
"Find the enemy's position, quick!"
"Everyone, stay alert! Get behind the vehicles!"
But this was the Test Subject Squad's first real battle. They scrambled for cover according to the battlefield theory they had learned, and during the scramble, the deadly gunshot rang out again. Another squad member was shot in the head.
Number One roared, "Get down!"
All the squad members hurriedly dropped prone. Only then did the gunfire cease, followed by a deadly silence. Everyone was terrified; only Number One managed to remain somewhat calm, hurriedly using his handheld terminal to call the organization for help.
A stalemate set in. No one dared get up and expose themselves to the sniper, as though a demon lurked in the darkness, waiting to reap their lives at any moment.
"Who's attacking us?"
"No idea!"
"It's so dark out here. They must have night vision!"
"What do we do now?"
"Stay down and wait for reinforcements."
Number One shouted, "Don't be stupid! Do you think the enemy won't escape? There's only one of them, yet we're hiding our heads in the dirt like a bunch of frightened ostriches. What will the organization think of a bunch of cowards like us?"
The Test Subject Squad members' expressions changed.
Number One said fiercely, "It's just one enemy. We have vehicles, guns, and numbers. Can't we beat them?"
"Right, we need to fight back."
"First, find the sniper's position!"
One squad member steeled himself, quickly stood up, and dropped prone again, hoping to draw the sniper's fire and expose their position. But a deadly bullet struck him in the chest almost instantly. Blood blossomed, and the impact sent him flying several meters. He lay silent when he hit the ground, immediately discouraging the others from trying the same thing.
A chill ran down Number One's back. With marksmanship that accurate, who was the enemy?!
The squad member had not died in vain. The Test Subject Squad saw a muzzle flash flicker in the darkness.
"Found them! Three hundred meters south!"
"Get in the vehicle and charge!"
Through his night-vision goggles, Han Xiao saw the huddled enemies stand up together and sprint toward the other, undamaged armored off-road vehicle. He immediately understood their plan: they intended to use the armored vehicle to charge him.
Thermal imaging showed seven enemies remained. Clearly, they were counting on the sniper's slow rate of fire and were prepared to sacrifice one or two people to get everyone aboard.
Han Xiao could not kill all seven in an instant. He calmly fired twice, killing two more enemies, but could only watch as the others got into the vehicle. Its engine roared, and the armored off-road vehicle charged rapidly toward him, barreling through everything in its path.
The Saber Rifle could not penetrate the thick armor, and he could not aim at the vehicle's wheel hubs from the front.
Alone, Han Xiao suddenly found himself in grave danger.
"The right tactic." Han Xiao's gaze was deep. "Too bad it was so easy to predict."