After emptying two magazines in a row, the burly man's anger subsided somewhat. He was also aware that the enemies were tucked away in crevices between the rocks; he couldn't hit them. The Type 38 couldn't penetrate thick rock. Unless he went down there, at this angle, he couldn't land a shot.
The weaselly man was down below, but he was wary of Cao Gang's stone-throwing skill and didn't dare get close. He wasn't sure what other tricks the remaining members might have. So, after shooting Hound Dog, he packed up the confiscated weapons and started climbing back up the cliff.
Their main objective was the loot. With that accomplished, killing everyone wasn't strictly necessary. Li Juxu and the others could only watch helplessly. Above them was the burly man with his Type 38, and there was still a sniper lurking in the shadows. Plus, no one could be certain if the enemy had more members yet to reveal themselves.
Drummer signaled Li Juxu with a hand gesture, indicating he should draw the enemy's attention while Li Juxu retrieved his backup weapon. Everyone except Wang Xiaoxin knew Li Juxu had two sniper rifles. The weaselly man had only taken one; Li Juxu had already hidden the spare.
Li Juxu hesitated for a moment, then nodded. This was their last chance to turn the tables. If they didn't try, the whole year's work would be for nothing. But he could sense the enemy sniper was formidable. He wasn't sure if Drummer could avoid getting hit. If Monkey were still alive, his chances of success would be much higher.
Drummer gave a signal, alerting the members. Almost simultaneously, Wild Boar and another member, Mouse, kicked upA large number of stonesand dust into the air to obscure the enemy's vision. They had no smoke grenades, so they had to make do with what was available. Cao Gang then hurled two rocks, one aimed at the burly man, the other at the weaselly man.
Drummer burst from behind the rock cover, sprinting in an S-pattern towards the weaselly man's direction. Bullets snapped at his heels, missing by a hair's breadth each time, but always just barely. Cao Gang's two thrown stones played a crucial role. The one aimed at the weaselly man missed as he swung on his rope to dodge. But the rock aimed at the burly man struck his Type 38. Apparently caught off guard by the rock's force, the burly man dropped the gun. It clattered to the ground. His reaction was quick—instead of bending to retrieve it, he lightning-fast drew his pistol and fired several shots, forcing Cao Gang to shrink back behind his rock, aborting his second round of stone throwing.
However, the burly man had made a critical error. He focused his attention on Cao Gang, not realizing the real threat was Li Juxu. The moment Drummer left cover, Li Juxu's attention was fixed on the opposite cliff face. The instant the sniper fired, he confirmed the location—just as he had deduced, in the grass. He moved like a fish through the gaps between the rocks. The rocks weren't too numerous, some tall, some short; some didn't provide full cover, but they were better than nothing. Snipers had strong sixth senses. Just as Li Juxu reached the spot where he had hidden the backup rifle, the enemy sniper seemed to sense the danger, shifting his target from Drummer to Li Juxu.
In an instant, Li Juxu felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss. The sensation of death washed over him like a tide. Every hair on his body stood on end. Stimulated by the intense crisis, his nerves became exceptionally Flexible ,his mind icily calm. In a fraction of a second, he judged that the enemy sniper was still aiming. He still had time. Retrieving the gun, chambering a round, aiming—all in one fluid motion. Never had his movements been so lightning-fast. At the moment he pulled the trigger, through his scope, he saw the sniper's eyes shift from calm to startled, then to terror—
Pop!
The sniper's head exploded, blood spraying. Hit square in the forehead, even the most skilled doctor couldn't save him now. That single shot seemed to drain all of Li Juxu's strength. He slumped down, the rifle suddenly feeling as heavy as a thousand jin, almost too heavy to hold. He knew it was the result of the intense mental and emotional rollercoaster. In that instant just now, his mind and body had been stretched to their Limit. After killing the enemy, the sudden release had left his muscles depleted. Though he longed to just lie there and rest, the fight wasn't over. His teammates were still under the enemy's guns.
He took a deep breath, regaining some strength. He held his breath, pricked up his ears. In the brief moment when the burly man emptied his pistol and was reloading, Li Juxu swiftly extended his rifle and fired at the weaselly man.
Thwack—
The bullet struck the rope precisely. The weaselly man let out a凄厉 scream. He had climbed to about forty meters, just shy of reaching the rock ledge, when he plummeted. With his skills, if the rope had simply broken, he might have clung to the cliff face to steady himself. But he was also laden with the confiscated weapons and gear, nearly four hundred jin of it. The weight dragged him straight down.
Bang—
The weaselly man crashed onto the rocks. His body twisted on impact; countless bones must have broken. It was a gruesome sight. He didn't die instantly, letting out pained groans, but the blood gushing from his mouth indicated he had only minutes left.
The burly man fired three shots at Li Juxu. Unfortunately for him, Li Juxu had already ducked back behind cover. The bullets struck the rock, sending fragments flying, but failed to harm him. After that, the burly man had no more time to target him. Wild Boar and Mouse were flanking, moving towards the weaselly man. They weren't going to check if he was alive—they were after the weapons. Cao Gang also took the opportunity to hurl stones, disrupting the burly man's aim.
The burly man, dealing with three opponents alone, began to panic. His marksmanship was indeed formidable; he soon wounded the slightly slower Wild Boar, crippling one of his arms. Seeing Mouse nearing the weaselly man—once Mouse got his hands on those weapons, he'd have no chance—the burly man tossed aside his empty pistol and quickly bent to retrieve the dropped Type 38. Just as he aimed at Mouse, a blossom of blood appeared on his forehead. The sheer force of the sniper round tore off half his skull. Without even a grunt, he toppled stiffly backward.
No further sounds emerged. The burly man's team had only four members in total. Thinking about it, four was a reasonable number. If they had more, they wouldn't have needed to resort to trickery; they could have set an ambush openly and wiped out their team. Lacking sufficient strength, they had to use cunning.
Mouse rushed over and snapped the neck of the still-groaning weaselly man. Even though he was incapacitated, only the dead were completely safe. Mouse wasn't leaving any loose ends.
Though they had won, no one could muster any joy. The losses were too great. Monkey and Hound Dog were dead. Drummer was shot in the abdomen. Wild Boar's left shoulder was hit. Mouse had a chunk of flesh grazed off his thigh. Even Cao Gang was wounded—a piece ofStone, kicked up by a bullet, had sheared off half his ear. It looked bloody and frightening, but thankfully wasn't life-threatening.
Counting everyone, the only ones unscathed were Li Juxu and Wang Xiaoxin. Li Juxu, exhausted from the exertion, leaned against a rock, breathing heavily, clutching his sniper rifle, never letting it leave his side. Wang Xiaoxin was simply traumatized, her face pale, her small fists clenched tightly, her delicate frame trembling slightly.