The Wastelander

by Tipsy Wanderer

  Slyfox stared unblinkingly at his opponent. All others in the surrounding area seemed to completely vanish as he concentrated every iota of his energy and attention on his foe. Slyfox watched his movements, his breathing, his every minor motion. After taking all factors and possible responses into consideration…

  Crack! A tongue of flame flicked out from the barrel of his right pistol.

  A sharp light flashed through the mysterious man’s eyes. Not only had this gunner perfectly calculated his movements and all potential variables, the gunner had even taken into account his reaction speed and the speed at which his hands were able to move. This shot virtually sealed his fate. What a truly formidable gunner!

  The mysterious man suddenly struck out his knife, moving 30% faster than before. Clang! A few sparks appeared in midair as the bullet was once more chopped apart.

  Slyfox’s face turned completely ashen. “Damn.”

  The mysterious man didn’t pause for even a second. He was like a hungry wolf that spotted its prey and he sent one of his death-bringing knives straight towards his enemy’s throat at an incredible speed.

  The knife moved closer and closer to Slyfox, a harbinger of doom that quickly grew in size and filled more and more of his field of vision. At last, a look of fear appeared in Slyfox’s eyes and his face turned as pale as a corpse. Slyfox looked just like a man facing his own imminent and inescapable doom.

  Without question, this knife was going to take his life!

  This ending was what the mysterious man expected as he put all of his effort into this strike. As soon as that sharp knife landed, the chubby neck would be split open and the fat head would go flying like a dandelion in the wind.

  Swish! The knife flashed with cold light as it swept past Slyfox’s neck, spots of smeared blood on its blade!

  26 Life and Death in the Balance

  The knife merely nicked Slyfox in the neck; it didn’t actually sever his head from the rest of his body. This occurred because, right at the critical moment, the mysterious man’s acute hearing picked up an incredibly soft, whistling sound. He was completely unprepared for the two cold knives that whistled through the air as they shot straight towards him.

  The projectiles were a pair of long, slender, and sharp scalpels. One of the scalpels shot towards the man’s chest, while the other one was aimed directly at his forehead. There were absolutely no flaws in the speed, timing, or execution of this attack. The most terrifying thing of all was that it seemed as though the two scalpels had appeared out of nowhere! Even someone as incredibly perceptive as the mysterious man was completely unable to identify who had launched this attack at him.

  If the mysterious man had stubbornly persisted in his attempt to decapitate the gunner, there would have been no way for him to escape these two strikes. It might’ve been possible for him to make slight adjustments to ensure that the scalpels didn’t hit him in any vital areas, but when he saw the glistening, slick blue light covering the blades, he immediately abandoned this notion.

  This attack was absolutely deadly… and from start to finish, the man still had no clue as to who had launched it. The mysterious man had held thirty percent of his power in reserve in this battle, which was the correct decision. That way, if something unexpected happened, he would have enough power left to keep himself safe. However, the lethal strike he had aimed at the gunner was with all the speed and power he could muster.

  In other words, the mysterious man himself was in an extremely vulnerable situation for a short instant. Although the moment was brief… an old, experienced, and deadly assassin would always be ready for the perfect moment to strike. And how could such a deadly assassin possibly forego using poison for such a critical strike?

  Both scalpels had been smeared with powerful nerve-numbing agents. Even if they didn’t strike a fatal wound, the slightest nick from them would be enough to ensure that he would instantly lose the majority of his combat strength. This was far too dangerous. He simply couldn’t afford to take the risk!

  And so the mysterious man suddenly halted his advance, his long knives nicking Slyfox on the neck as they swung back to block the scalpels. The mysterious man’s sea-dark eyes once more began to turn… but he still had no idea where the assassin was hiding.

  Swoosh! Swoosh! Another pair of sharp scalpels came flying towards him. This time, however, even Cloudhawk saw a figure moving at high speed when launching the attack, to say nothing of the mysterious man. When Cloudhawk saw who it was, his eyes bulged out of their sockets.

  No wonder he hadn’t seen Mantis this entire time!

  Cloudhawk had thought that Mantis was not taking part in the fight. As it turned out, Mantis had been concealing himself amongst the other mercenaries! When he was incognito, not even Cloudhawk had the slightest inkling that he was present; in fact, Cloudhawk hadn’t even noticed that they numbered one more person than usual. And… the entire reason why Mantis hid himself in the area around Slyfox in a shadow-like manner was precisely so that he could deal with a situation like this!

  As Mantis threw out two more flying scalpels at high speed and the mysterious man began pulling back, he suddenly somersaulted to the other side with incredible speed. A dark blue dagger gleamed with cold light as it pierced towards the mysterious man! It was a fast, steady, and merciless attack!

  The speed Mantis had just displayed was every bit as fast as that of the already-deceased Wulf. He was in full control of the tempo of this fight and this strike was pitch-perfect as well. Not even a heartbeat had passed since the mysterious man had knocked the second pair of scalpels aside, but now a deadly, envenomed blue dagger was right before his very eyes.

  This new assailant was incredibly dangerous! The mysterious man had been battling for quite some time, but for the first time, he felt as though he were being stalked by a viper. If this dagger nicked him even slightly, it would unquestionably deliver a mortal, death-dealing blow. The mysterious man sent the edge of his long knife scraping against the dagger, causing a line of sparks to erupt in midair, and spun the other way as he delivered a whirling slash towards Mantis. However, Mantis didn’t hesitate at all as he leapt backwards with incredible speed and agility, borrowing the momentum of the clash.

  An assassin’s paramount rule was to succeed in killing the target with one attack. If you failed, your goal would be to immediately retreat safely. This was an assassin’s fundamental rule!

  The mysterious man’s attack missed, but before he had a chance to recover, a cold, sinister, murderous look flashed through Slyfox’s eyes. In truth, this entire sequence had been a plot! The gunner had intentionally let the mysterious man draw close, allowing the assassin to launch a series of deadly strikes. Now that the mysterious man’s offensive rhythm was completely disrupted, flaws in his movements were revealed.

  It actually wasn’t the assassin’s responsibility to actually kill this man. Slyfox had been waiting for the perfect moment this entire time… and now, he still had one bullet left. Given the situation and given how close they were, how could he possibly miss?

  The process might sound complicated, but it happened incredibly fast. Mantis had thrown out four scalpels, catching the mysterious man completely off-guard and disrupting his rhythm before launching a deadly strike that forced the man to reveal a fatal flaw in his defenses. This entire process had taken less than two seconds! It was more than enough time for Slyfox to fire the perfect shot.

  Crack!

  The final bullet burst forth with a tendril of flame from the barrel of the revolver. The mysterious man had to admit that these people were tough. Very tough. They could definitely be described as some of the top experts in the wastelands. However… it wasn’t enough. The man’s body suddenly seemed to expand in size, almost as though all of his muscles had instantly become many times larger than before. He instantly unleashed 120% of his full power!

  As soon as Slyfox fired his gun, the mysterious man leapt into the air, used one long knife to block the bullet
before once more stabbing out with the other one towards Slyfox, sending that cold blade directly towards his heart!

  Everyone was stunned by this feat. Not only was he able to block the attack, he was even able to counter-attack in midair?

  Slyfox was out of bullets. Mantis wasn’t in a position to stop the attack.

  A hint of a mocking smile appeared on the mysterious man’s face as his cold knife inched closer and closer to Slyfox’s chest. He was about to finally kill this dangerous gunner, once and for all… but right at this moment, something happened which caught him completely off-guard. A skinny, unprepossessing little figure suddenly popped out from behind Slyfox. The kid was clutching a shotgun in his hands, with the black barrel pointed straight at the mysterious man.

  Slyfox let out a fierce shout. “SHOOT HIM!”

  When the mysterious man’s attention was focused on the two experts before him, the ordinary-looking Cloudhawk had seized the opportunity to hide himself directly behind Slyfox. Cloudhawk knew that if he wanted a chance to shoot and kill this man, the position he chose was the perfect position to be in. And now… his opportunity had come!

  The mysterious man’s body was still airborne. No warrior, no matter how powerful, would be able to find any leverage to dodge while midair. In addition, the two were extremely close to each other! The mysterious man’s knife was about to kiss Slyfox’s clothes, which meant that he had all but sent himself directly into the waiting barrel of the shotgun.

  Cloudhawk pulled the trigger.

  CRACK!

  Countless steel pellets blasted forth. A dispersed shotgun blast was difficult to dodge in any situation, much less in midair. The mysterious man’s black cloak was completely torn to shreds as he was knocked three or four meters backwards from the force of the blow. He tumbled to the ground, rolling a few times before he came to a halt face-down as streams of blood began to flow from his body.

  They had finished him! Everyone revealed looks of excitement and exhilaration!

  “Not bad, kid!”

  “Well done!”

  “Beautiful!”

  The mercenaries all called out in celebration, and even Woola let out a few congratulatory howls. As for the sweepers, strange looks appeared on their faces. They never would have expected anyone would be able to defeat their boss!

  In truth, less than a minute had passed since the cloaked figure had first started his charge towards Slyfox. It had all happened so quickly that there was no way ordinary people could even respond. As for the mercenaries, there was obviously no way that they could’ve planned this out in advance. It had all been possible purely due to a silent, instinctive rapport.

  If Mantis had been just a heartbeat slower, Slyfox would’ve been hacked to death. If Slyfox hadn’t left one final bullet for the very end or had hesitated for just half a second after Mantis launched his attack, then his shot wouldn’t have been able to force the man to jump into the air to dodge. And if Cloudhawk had been just slightly slower in firing his shotgun, all of that previous effort would have gone to waste.

  Thankfully, all of them had worked together with smooth, perfect coordination. In the end, they had finally dealt with that dangerous enemy.

  Cloudhawk was panting furiously, his frayed nerves finally calming down. He could hardly believe what had just happened. Had the shot that killed the sweeper leader really come from his hands?

  This feeling of life and death being separated by a thread… this feeling was fucking awesome!

  But Slyfox and Mantis were completely composed. “Mad Dog once praised your combat instincts as being excellent!” For once, Slyfox said a few words of praise towards Cloudhawk. “Seems like he was tellin’ the truth. I’m just happy you didn’t waste all of the hard work I put into training you.”

  Hard work training me? You sonufabitch!

  Cloudhawk was this close to cursing at the man. Still… now that the leader had been slain, the rest of the sweepers were nothing to worry about. The mercenaries and the elite guards were still ready to fight, and they held an overwhelming advantage in numbers. How could they possibly lose to freaks like this?

  “Not bad at all.”

  Just as everyone was celebrating, a casual, cold voice suddenly rang out from the ground. Countless astonished gazes were instantly drawn to the mysterious man’s “corpse”… which was slowly, unhurriedly rising to its feet. “But in the end, you didn’t quite get the job done.”

  The six remaining maneaters and dozens of thugs had already charged forwards, coming to a halt directly in front of their leader. As for the outpost forces, they withdrew as well. Both sides once more stared at each other separated by a short distance.

  This scene was absolutely bizarre. Cloudhawk had definitely hit the man head-on! The man hadn’t been wearing steel armor or other defensive equipment; otherwise, there was no way he could’ve moved with such speed and agility. How, then? How had he survived? Did he have an immortal body?

  The mysterious man rose to his feet, his tattered cloak just barely hanging from his body. His face had previously been as pale as paper, but now a great number of serpentine scales had appeared on its surface. Given that his strange eyes were completely pitch-black, he truly looked like an ominous creature.

  The mysterious man tossed aside his tattered cloak, fully revealing his entire upper body. Although he wasn’t as muscular as Mad Dog, his muscles were extremely toned and even, and seemed to possess explosive, panther-like power. His skin, however, was almost abnormally pale… and his pale skin was completely covered with those slender scales that looked like the scales of a snake.

  The shotgun pellets had blasted a large wound into his chest and dozens of those steel pellets had clearly bored deep into his body. And yet… although the wound was frightening to behold, it was actually nothing more than a superficial flesh wound. The muscles around the pellets flexed slightly, and one bloodstained pellet after another began to pop out and fall to the ground.

  Cloudhawk finally realized that this mutant’s scales served as a form of protection. He also had an extremely high-level control metapower and so had nearly perfect control over his power. As a result, as soon as the pellets blasted through his scales, he had immediately tightened the muscles locally around each pellet, ensuring that none of them were able to strike into his heart or other important organs.

  Cloudhawk had hit him with a perfect shot, but it was meaningless. A wound like this was no wound at all.

  The outpost defenders had rather unpleasant looks on their faces. How many strange powers did this mysterious fellow have?

  The mysterious man’s gaze remained as calm and settled as ever. “It would be a waste to kill you. I suggest you abandon Blackflag Outpost and work for me instead. The entire wastelands belong to us… and together, we can accomplish something grand!”

  By now, everyone could tell that he still had yet to use his full power, even now! There were still more than 150 sweepers; their main combat power had been preserved. The outpost, however, had suffered horrendous casualties and didn’t have much combat power left. The situation right now looked extremely grim.

  Fire another shot? Cloudhawk knew his own limits. They had managed to catch the man off-guard once; there was no way the man would let it happen again! But right at this moment, a voice that Cloudhawk had never heard before suddenly rang out from afar.

  “You want to poach guards from Blackflag Outpost? What makes you think I would agree to that?”

  27 The Bloodsoaked Queen

  The elite guards looked as though a heavy burden had been lifted off their shoulders, while Slyfox and Mad Dog revealed looks of extreme wariness. Had she finally come out? If so… then it was time for this battle to come to an end.

  The mysterious man’s gaze flickered slightly. He didn’t seem surprised, only cautious. He let out a chuckle and then said, “You really are quite composed, to be able to wait so long before coming out.”

  Cloudhawk had no idea why everyone had
such strange looks on their faces. Just as he was puzzling over this question… a figure suddenly, slowly emerged from the heart of the outpost.

  This figure wore a savage, demonic mask. Perfectly straight black hair cascaded across her back like a waterfall and her voice sounded sinister and hoarse, almost as though it were several different voices merged together, making it difficult for others to discern her gender from her voice alone. However, judging by her silhouette, she was definitely a woman, and one with a stupendous figure at that.

  Even though she was dressed in a long, loose cloak, everyone could still vaguely make out the form-fitting leather clothes she wore beneath the cloak. No one knew what type of leather it was, but it surely was no ordinary leather. The leather clothes covered virtually every part of her body, including her firm and rounded rear, her long slim legs, and her pert and ample bosom. It could be said that her form-fitting leather clothes put her perfect physique and feminine curves on full display.

  This woman did not carry any weapons, wielding neither sword, knife, axe, nor staff. Nor did she wield long-ranged weaponry such as guns or bows. However… she wore a pair of extremely exquisite gloves that looked like they were made from dark-gold silk. The gloves were studded with something that looked like gemstones. In addition, she also wore on her neck a snow-white cross that appeared to be a decorative necklace.

  Although no one could see what she looked like or how old she was, an aura of iciness, arrogance, and skill radiated out from her in waves. When she joined the ranks of the defenders, not a single person dared stand close to her, not even Slyfox and the other elites.

  Cloudhawk couldn’t help but ask, “Who is this?”

  “Shut it, kid! Don’t ask questions right now.” Slyfox gave him a hard glare. “Just be a good boy, sit back, and watch the show!”