Chapter Ninety-Three: Every Shot Draws Blood

The second electronic signboard, located about five meters from the first, bore three large characters: "Gates of Hell!"

Feng Yixiao couldn't help but burst into laughter. "The people at Qimen Company are actually using tricks like this? How childish. Do they think they're so impressive? Making a living by trying to scare people?"

A line of text appeared on the third sign, but the font was so small that the male warrior had to lean in close to make it out. It read: "By the time you can read this, you are already a dead man."

The male warrior also couldn't help but laugh, clutching his stomach. "And here I thought Qimen Company was something special. Trash, just pure trash, hahahaha..."

Just then, a "bang" rang out.

It was the sound of a gunshot, but it seemed to come from far away. If one listened closely, it sounded like a thunderclap rolling across the desert—a deep, booming echo that made the head buzz.

"Splat." A red damage value appeared: "-6710"!

The male warrior's smile froze. His body shriveled, and he was sent flying backward off the steps, turning into a white light in mid-air while a rain of blood showered down.

"There's a sniper! Everyone, get down!" Snow Night Fairy shouted.

Only then did everyone snap out of their stupor and scramble to the ground.

But it was useless. The red light from the three electronic signs was too conspicuous; in the night, they stood out like streetlights, deliberately set up by Yuqing. Wu Hua knew that someone would inevitably be unable to resist coming forward to take a look, and that single act of curiosity would be their undoing.

High up on the hillside, the Black Eagle scope of the Finland Star was scanning downward. The crosshairs in the lens were simple and precise—a delicate cross made of two ultra-fine black lines with no red dot in the center. The intersection point was the aim.

Flowing green data shifted smoothly in the lower-left corner of the cross:

Distance: 1324 meters
Slope: 28 degrees
Wind: 0.7 units, South-Southwest
Temperature: 32 degrees
Thermal energy: +58
Fluid level: 4%
Gas sensitivity: 62%
Vacuum: 2%
Gravity: 72km

Correction angle: 1.42 degrees toward Northeast
Estimated time to target: 2.876 seconds
Firing effectiveness: Moderate-low

If the likes of Snow Night Fairy could see this precise data, they would surely be filled with awe.

However, Wu Hua was not satisfied. This was his first time using the Finland Star. He hadn't quite mastered the feel or the "temperament" of the gun, and his proficiency was still low. That last shot had only dealt a little over 6,000 damage, which was hardly anything to celebrate.

One had to realize that this was a high-end blue-tier piece of equipment; it should have shredded players wearing purple or red-tier gear like slicing through chicks.

This time, his left hand gently turned the adjustment knobs on the scope. Target locked. His finger decisively squeezed the trigger.

With a thunderous "bang," an extremely sharp flash of fire erupted from the muzzle. The entire rifle, and the man holding it, trembled. The mountainside lit up, and the roar of thunder echoed through the clouds.

A doctor girl crouching under an electronic sign burst into a shocking spray of blood as a hit landed on her back, followed by the appearance of a ghostly white light.

Red damage value: "-7074!"

Everyone from both companies was horrified. A single shot dealing 7,000 damage to a doctor? This sniper could no longer be called a sniper; he was a "one-shot killer."

The three red characters for "Gates of Hell" on the second sign were exceptionally eye-catching, but now, no one mocked it as childish. Instead, they felt that those "Gates of Hell" were truly the gates of hell itself, appearing blood-soaked in the night.

"Turn off the glow sticks and destroy the signs," said Moon Shadow Qiusha. She was a Metalist through and through, with a quick mind, and she realized the signs were a trap to lure them in.

After a few "rat-tat-tat" gunshots, the three signs sparked and exploded, plunging the area below into pitch darkness.

1860 lowered his binoculars and asked Lost Sunshine, "How much?"

"150 credits per sign. A 0.1% discount for all three, totaling 445 credits," Lost Sunshine replied.

1860 sneered, "Write it down. We'll get Boss Tie to reimburse us later."

Lost Sunshine actually took out a pocket calculator and started tapping away. If the people below could see this, they would likely be bursting with anger.

Seeing the red light of the signs extinguish, Wu Hua smiled. "You think that's useful?" He then used his left hand to flick the switch for the low-light night vision mode on the scope.

Master Monica had truly poured her heart into this rifle. This low-light night vision system was no mere trinket; as long as there was even the slightest bit of ambient light, it could amplify and focus it. Now, in Wu Hua's field of vision, black shadows were wriggling about.

"Bang—"

The sound of the Finland Star was truly overbearing. Every time it fired, even Yuqing standing nearby felt her heart jump.

The bullet whistled across the distance, followed by the "splat" of flesh being torn apart.

Someone else had died—a gunner. He was the one who had used his M4 to destroy the signs. He wasn't stupid; he knew that once the signs were gone, the enemy sniper wouldn't be able to see them. But the moment he stood up, a bullet caught him right in the stomach. The shot was vicious; his body shriveled, and he flew off the steps, landing headfirst on the roof of a Hummer military vehicle. The windshield shattered into pieces, and his blood stained the car a dark crimson before he expired.

A sense of terror rose in the hearts of everyone in the Blue Company. Everyone had seen that shot clearly.

Red damage value: "-8810!"

"What kind of sniper is this? Why does the damage get higher with every shot?" Han Mei Aoxue hid behind a rock, her voice filled with unmistakable doubt.

Snow Night Fairy had already set up her SVD sniper rifle, peering through it for a long while before putting it away.

Moon Shadow Qiusha asked, "Well?"

Snow Night Fairy frowned and shook her head. "No good. The distance is too great—over a thousand meters."

Feng Yixiao, standing nearby, gasped. "There really is a sniper rifle that can shoot over 1,000 meters?"

"It's definitely more advanced than an SVD," Snow Night Fairy said, looking despondent. To think someone had better equipment than her, and that this person's marksmanship was so exaggerated—hitting a target every time from over a kilometer away. It would be a lie to say she wasn't panicking.

These stairs led straight to the mountain peak and were the only way to reach Lingjueding. Now, the group could do nothing but stare through their binoculars, completely at a loss.

On the other side of the mountain, the muffled sounds of intense gunfire could be heard. It was likely that the two armies were locked in a fierce, indecisive battle. The main forces of both the Blue Company and the Wulin Radio Station were waiting for the arrival of elite reinforcements, but they could never have imagined that those reinforcements were being intercepted halfway.

Moon Shadow Qiusha’s receiver beeped. She picked it up to see a message from their leader, Azure Starry Sky:

"Intelligence from our mole: the five people on the hillside of Wind Forest Volcano are elite interception forces hired by the Old Man Tie. Eliminate them as quickly as possible; you must reach Lingjueding before 20:00."

Moon Shadow Qiusha finally felt confident. She shouted into the walkie-talkie, "Everyone, do not panic! There are only five of them up there. Chip Warriors, lead the way! Doctors, provide energy boosts! Once we hit the 300-meter mark, all Gene Warriors, charge!"

Following her order, over twenty people stepped forward, volunteering for the task.

Before they could even plant their feet firmly, Wu Hua's bullet arrived.

"Splat." This time, a headshot.

"-8988!"

A female warrior's face erupted in a terrifying spray of blood, and she spun 1080 degrees in the air before collapsing.

The twenty-plus warriors who had just stepped out immediately dove back to the ground.

"This won't work. Going up there is suicide," Snow Night Fairy cautioned.

Moon Shadow Qiusha checked her watch. It was already 19:43. She gritted her teeth and said, "Time is running out. Use the combined mechs to clear the path."