Hardly had the words left his mouth when "Ghost," the sniper positioned farther out, suddenly lurched forward, collapsing face-first. A white-feathered arrow trembled violently from the back of her neck, its diamond-shaped tip having cleanly pierced her throat.
"Ninja," the close-quarters combat specialist, felt his obsidian-like pupils constrict sharply.
A terrifying realization hit him—neither the arrow he'd blocked earlier nor the one that had killed "Ghost" had given off even the faintest hint of murderous intent.
This meant the mysterious archer, still unseen, clearly possessed a method to completely suppress their killing aura.
"Ninja."
Years of battle-hardenedtacit agreement meant "Wolf Mom" didn't need to elaborate. "Ninja" instantly understood, moving swiftly to stand back-to-back with her.
"This situation just got a lot more complicated," Wolf Mom muttered. "I originally thought there was just one mutated monster with a weapon, but I never expected another archer, possibly a survivor... And I have a feeling, this monster might very well be under the control of that mysterious archer. Otherwise, their coordination wouldn't be this flawless."
"Ninja" wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, grunting in agreement with Wolf Mom's assessment.
"Also, haven't you noticed a pattern? The archer and the invisible monster never act at the same time. So, I suspect that when the archer is controlling the monster, they probably can't fire arrows." Captain "Wolf Mom" explained as she and "Ninja" covered each other, edging toward the edge of the shopping street.
"You mean we should go attack the archer directly?"
"Not we. You." Captain Wolf Mom pressed her back against a wall, risked a glance at the motionless fountain, and let out a small breath of relief. She pointed upward, her voice low. "When you make your move, they'll definitely realize our intent. They'll send that invisible monster after you again. I need to stay here and buy you time."
"But... Wolf Mom, have you considered what if your guess is wrong?" "Ninja" wrapped bandages around his bloodied right hand, securing the short blade, and turned to look at his captain with undisguised worry.
Wolf Mom smiled, the corners of her no-longer-young eyes creasing into deep crow's feet. She didn't answer his question, instead countering with one of her own: "Do you think they're going to give us a chance to retreat?"
"Ninja" was silent for a long moment, then suddenly stood, sprinting forward to grasp the iron frame of a sign outside a lingerie store.
Splash!
Just as Wolf Mom had predicted, the moment "Ninja" showed intent to climb to the second floor, the previously calm pool erupted. A water-dripping, transparent humanoid surged from the fountain, charging straight for "Ninja." Within a few steps, it had faded to little more than a faint outline.
"Go—! Go take out that archer!"
Relying on memory and instinct, Wolf Mom emptied a burst of gunfire toward where the invisible figure should be. Some bullets suddenly slowed visibly in mid-air before clattering无力地 to the ground—clear hits, passing straight through. She knew such attacks seemed ineffective against the invisible monster, but they might at least slow its advance.
Meanwhile, under Wolf Mom's cover, "Ninja" had already scaled the second-floor stainless steel railing.
Rounding a corner pillar, he finally spotted the mysterious archer.
It was an Asianyouth in a security guard uniform, his young face etched with panic. The kid seemed caught off guard by how quickly he'd climbed. In a fluster, he loosed a wild arrow before turning to run.
"Ninja" easily batted aside the ill-aimed projectile. Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Wolf Mom below; the invisible monster seemed to have stopped moving, allowing him a momentary reprieve. He fired several shots at the fleeing back.
One round seemed to hit the kid's calf. The security guard stumbled and fell, his totem-carved Indian hunting bow flying from his grasp, skitteringMore than ten meters away.
"W-wait a second!" The security guard frantically raised his hands, as if surrendering.
But even without the four USS lives already lost, "Ninja" wouldn't let such a dangerous individual live. Without hesitation, he pressed the gun to the security guard's forehead and pulled the trigger.
The guard's eyes went wide with terror as he fell backward, red and white matter splattering across the ground in an abstract pattern.
Still, "Ninja" didn't dare relax. He emptied several more rounds into the corpse's chest before finally letting out a shaky breath.
He turned, leaning out from the now glassless stainless steel railing, and made an "OK" gesture to Wolf Mom below.
Wolf Mom visibly relaxed, lowering her assault rifle and giving him a thumbs-up.
Yet at that very instant, "Ninja" noticed something—a crumpled newspaper on the ground beside Wolf Mom suddenly folded up at a corner, unprovoked.
"Look out!"
But his warning came too late.
There it was again—that broad-backed blade, that ghostly flash of steel. Wolf Mom's head, still wearing a faint smile, tumbled from her shoulders. Her body remained standing, still giving the thumbs-up, before finally collapsing.
What the hell?
He'd killed the controller. Why was the monster still moving?
"Ninja" gripped the stainless steel railing so tightly his gums nearly bled.
Then, his acute sixth sense screamed a warning.
Instinct alone made him twist his body. A narrow katana blade sliced past his ribs. Even though he'd fully evaded the edge, an invisible blade wind easily cut through his combat suit, leaving a cold, bleeding gash.
No time to wonder where the enemy had come from, "Ninja" contorted his body into an unnatural angle, his short blade stabbing backward with lightning speed.
Squelch!
The sound of steel piercing flesh. Blood sprayed, soaking "Ninja" from head to face.
"H-how... is it you?!"
Only then did he see his attacker—the Asianyouth he'd just shot in the head!
"Surprised? Unexpected? Wanna try something even more exciting?"
Luo Jie grinned, revealing a gruesome, bloodied smile.
He forced himself forward, driving the blade deeper into his abdomen, one hand clamping down on "Ninja's" wrist, the other gripping a grenade with its pin already pulled.
"BAKA! You crazy bastard!"