Han Xiao stored all his larger equipment in Fabian Company’s warehouse to be transported by air. This time, he paid 50,000 dollars to use Fabian Company’s aero-transport service again. He reckoned no one would spend money as extravagantly as him.
…
The Western Capital was the capital city of Stardragon, and Seagull City was an important city in East Stardragon. It had a large area, and historically, it encountered a beast tide and suffered a great loss as a result. However, it had the aid of the entire nation, which allowed it to rebuild into an important city in the East today.
A monument tens of meters high stood tall in the city center. It was engraved with the names of all those sacrificed in the battle against the beast tide.
In the battle of the Old Age, when Seagull City was met with numerous large-scale terrorist assaults by the Germinal Organization, it received assistance from everywhere again, which made it into an even more prosperous city. The phenomenon was rather peculiar; numerous misfortunes actually allowed the city to develop more rapidly. People in Stardragon believed it was a good omen because it meant that even if Stardragon faced setbacks, it would only bounce back stronger. ‘The Seagull Spirit’ was repeatedly mentioned in every year’s national meetings and nationwide news.
The plane soon landed at the city’s airport. Anyone going in and out of each city in Stardragon had to go through the respective checkpoint. Similarly, landing from air required a permission from the air-control tower in advance. Fabian Company’s planes had private parking spots in the airports of the various cities in Stardragon, and thus, they were authorized to land in these airports. Players could also purchase such spots when their camp reputation was high enough.
“So, why did you follow me this time?” Han Xiao turned around and looked at Antonio at his side.
Antonio inhaled a puff of his cigar and chuckled. “Unfortunately, Fabian Company does not have any assets in Seagull City. We have no choice but to provide the cargo plane as your temporary workshop and warehouse.”
“I see.” Han Xiao understood. Suddenly, he became frustrated because he realized it meant that Fabian Company had no cars for him to borrow. He was tens of kilometers away from the River Valley Manor. Unless I should resort to some old tricks… Puh, do I really have to do the immoral and forbidden act of stealing cars?
He still had his Thorns, but if he drove the car on the streets, a few dozen police cars and special-ops vehicles would follow him in less than ten minutes.
As the old saying goes, when you have a problem, look to the public for a solution.
Han Xiao soon ‘borrowed’ a car from a benevolent member of the public. After he passed through the checkpoint and left the city, he headed straight toward the manor.
It was a small forest with a river twenty kilometers north of Seagull City. Only mid to small size gentle wild animals resided in this forest, so it was not particularly dangerous. Han Xiao located the manor on his map. River Valley Manor was situated in the forest by a river.
It was afternoon when the car drove into the forest. The lazy afternoon sun shone its light through the gaps between the trees, painting the forest with a peaceful ambience. The engine sound scared away a few spotted deer that were asleep.
Han Xiao suddenly snorted through his nose. He detected a light pungent smell. After quickly filtering away the scents of decomposition and bird droppings in his memory, he arrived at his memory of a similar scent.
A light flashed in Han Xiao’s eyes. This is the scent of gun powders. A battle occurred here not long ago.
To avoid a misunderstanding, Han Xiao parked his car and got out his equipment before he started walking toward the manor.
He appeared to be a depressed musician who was carrying a guitar case and wandering around, but in reality, his guitar case was storing his folded sniper rifle and lightweight mechanical arm. His Berserk Eagles and magazines were hidden inside his clothes, his magnetic-controlled armor around his body, his foldable machete under his shirt, the inactive thermo-electrical incisor gloves on his hands, and the silver Electromagnetic Hover-boots on his feet.
The boots looked like an ordinary pair of boots with its leather exterior—one would not discover the metal parts inside without pressing it with one’s hand.
Although he was seemed armed to the teeth, he did not bring along his Wind-slicing blade, Thorns, or the second-generation Rover.
After walking for a while, obvious signs of battle appeared in Han Xiao’s surroundings. There were explosion marks, empty cartridges, tire tracks, and even ashes of more than one burnt vehicle on the ground. It had been a devastating battle. Han Xiao could already see the manor.
Just as Han Xiao was ready to walk over, he suddenly halted.
At the next moment, a bullet hole appeared on the ground in front of him—it was made by a sniper rifle. If he had stepped forward before this, it would have shot his legs.
It was a warning shot.
The shot had come from the direction of the manor.
Chapter 107 - A Strange Protection Assignment
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Han Xiao bent down to dig out the bullet shell from the ground. It was an armor-piercing round.
The people in River Valley Manor were probably all friendlies, so this was just a warning shot. Otherwise, the sniper would have aimed for his vitals. As Han Xiao finished this thought, he took out an old brown coin, raised it, and waved it in the air. The sniper in the manor could definitely see it through their scope.
The coin had been passed to him by Antonio before he departed. He had said that it could be used to vouch for his identity.
After waiting for a minute or so, Han Xiao stepped forward again. Indeed, no one was firing at him this time around. He then successfully arrived at the gate of the manor and realized that the manor’s outer defense had been greatly reinforced. The outer wall had many metal plates, which tightly shielded the inside of the manor. There were marks of previous explosions on those metal plates.
Han Xiao walked in after the gate opened. The layout of the manor was presented before his eyes—it occupied a very large space and was divided into inner and outer layers. The outer layer consisted of all sorts of defense structures, and armed mercenaries were busy patrolling around the area. They talked and gossiped loudly and fervently, unlike regular soldiers who were mostly silent. They were clearly lacking in discipline.
The inner layer was just the center of the manor—a mansion with a garden and a fountain. Black railings surrounded the mansion, clearly demarcating the areas between the inner and outer layers. One could see, through the railings, that no one was in the mansion or garden; it was as if no one lived there.
“Newcomer? You are an assassin, right?”
A buff black man yelled over to Han Xiao from the side. It was the person who had opened the door for him.
Without waiting for Han Xiao to reply, the black man shouted into his walkie talkie, “Chen Li, there is a new assassin here. Quickly come and pick him up.”
“Wait for me. I’ll be there in a minute.” A person was swearing on the other side of the walkie talkie.
The mercenary named Chen Li soon arrived before the gate. He gave the black man a finger before he looked at Han Xiao to size him up. “Come, follow me.”
Han Xiao followed Chen Li to the south-east side of the manor. He got a brief explanation of the manor’s defense structure from Chen Li during this walk. The manor had three sides facing land, and the west side faced the river. Assailants could potentially attack using speedboats, but they would become easy targets if they appeared on the river. So, the river front was the easiest side to defend.
The other two sides of defense were at the South-east and North-east sides. The whole defense structure was triangular. Chen Li oversaw all the mercenaries stationed in the south-east side.
“What kind of assassin are you?” Chen Li asked.
“Sniper.”
“Th
at’s good. We need a long-range attacker. Previously, an assassin who only knew how to sneak attack from close-range was sent here. He could not be more useless.”
Han Xiao turned around and glanced at the mansion in the center before he asked three key questions in his mind. “Who exactly are we protecting? How long will we defend here? Who are our enemies?”
Perhaps every newcomer asked the same questions; Chen Li answered quickly and smoothly. “Our boss did not say how long more we have to defend. In any case, if we cannot defend anymore, I will be the first to evacuate. I don’t care how much they pay me, I will not be cannon-fodder. I am not sure who the enemies are. Sometimes, we will get attacked in the day, other times, at night; we get attacked every few days. There will always be new enemies attacking us.
“And as for who we are protecting, heheheh…”
Chen Li suddenly laughed coldly before he continued.
“I heard that the target hides in the mansion, but they have never appeared before. The assignment forbids us from entering the mansion. It could very well be that the mansion is just an empty shell, and we are protecting no one. Humph! Whatever the motives of the employer, as long as he pays me, I’m fine.”
An empty mansion, protecting someone who had never appeared before, an ambiguous group call-up, enemies from unknown sources. All these factors, linked together, gave Han Xiao a strange feeling that could not be expressed in words. He felt a dense fog covering this whole situation.
“By the way, which level of assassin are you? Dark or Ghost?” Chen Li asked thoughtlessly.
“Mr. Black. Scorpion-level.”
Chen Li jolted his head around and looked rather surprised. “Scorpion? Why would you be here? Only Dark-level assassins and above would receive the call-up. You are not qualified, right?”
“I’m already here. My level is not important anymore.” Han Xiao had no interest in explaining himself to some mercenary. I can do whatever I want and need not explain myself to you. Basically, act like you own it.
“Although you are only scorpion-level, you are a sniper that we can make do with. As long as you can hit enemies with your sniper rifle, we are fine.”
Chen Li then frowned as he pointed to an area in the distance and said, “Can you see three fortresses there? You will go to the middle one. The Hornet Brothers will make arrangements for you.”
Han Xiao looked at the area. The three fortresses were at the intersection point of the south-east and north-east defense lines, and they were at the top point of the triangle defense structure. This position helped snipers maximize their field of vision and, therefore, sniping range. But the disadvantage was that the position was too conspicuous. When the enemy attacked, they would try to take down the sniper first. Fortunately, the walls of the fortresses were armed with numerous machine guns and rocket launchers; they were the most well-defended place.
Han Xiao did not object to the arrangement. Before he triggered any quest on his interface, he was quite indifferent to the whole thing.
Han Xiao walked to the middle fortress and climbed to the top floor. He then spotted two men who were carrying sniper rifles in their hands and snoozing by the wall. As they heard Han Xiao’s footsteps, they quickly open their eyes and looked over. One could tell that they were assassins from their ice-cold disposition.
One of them was tall while the other was short, and their faces looked similar. They seemed to be the Hornet Brothers as mentioned by Chen Li.
“Newcomer?” The tall one spoke nonchalantly. “Code Name, level, ability.”
Han Xiao’s brow furrowed. “Mr. Black, Scorpion, Sniper.”
“What is a Scorpion-level newbie doing here?” The tall guy frowned, and he became impatient. “Go to the left fortress and be the assistant sniper—you will be responsible for taking down all the small fries that escape our shots. Can you handle a simple task like this?”
“Sure.” Han Xiao nodded.
The short guy only gave him a glance before he went back to snooze. It seemed that he was prideful and not interested in talking to him.
It was only a dozen minutes in the manor, and Han Xiao had moved to three different locations. He had no choice but to walk toward the left fortress. This was the area he was in charge of, which meant that his job was to assist the Hornet Brothers.
There was already a person in the left fortress—an assassin with a large beard. He looked Han Xiao up and down, and after Han Xiao introduced himself, he cut to the chase. “Scorpion-level? You will take the left side while I take the right side.”
The left side had the most limited field of vision, and therefore, it was the easiest job. The bearded assassin did not trust his ability, which was normal. Han Xiao did not give it a second thought. He was fine with taking care of his own area.
_____________________
You triggered a chain quest, [Call-up (Protection)].
Quest Summary: “First, do not probe for the identity of the protection target; second, do not leave your post; third, do not let enemies infiltrate the manor; forth, try your best to become useful.”
Hint: This is a chain quest—please act according to instructions.
First Round: Beat off the first wave of enemies.
First Round Reward: 20,000 EXP
Other Causes for Quest Failure: 1. Unauthorized entry to the mansion; 2. Leaving the manor for more than two hours.
——————————————————————
Chain quest? Interesting, Han Xiao thought to himself.
A chain quest was the type of quest where the player had to complete the previous quest requirement before they would receive the next requirement. The difficulty and reward would get higher and higher with each round. Upon completing all the rounds in the chain, the player would receive an extra reward. Chain quests were usually a lot more tedious than normal quests.
I will see the reward for the next round of the quest before I decide to continue or not. If it isn’t great, I will just retreat from here, Han Xiao thought. He did not feel that he had to complete the quest no matter what; he would only continue if the rewards were substantially high.
After wandering around the manor for a few hours, he deciphered the manpower allocation in the place. The mercenaries were armed with heavy firearms and vehicles. There were also Superhumans around. Mechanics were in charge of repairing the equipment, providing ammunition, and rectify defense structures; assassins were the more elite force.
By casually chatting with the people there, Han Xiao learned that they had been stationed there for more than ten days. More capable personnel, such as the Hornet Bothers, Chen Li, Volcano, and Moonlight, had already made their reputation known in the place.
…
The sky slowly darkened. Leaves were gently swept by the night wind in the evening forest, making shushing sounds. Perennial water streams flowed in the river. The whole scene was rather peaceful.
An imminently-approaching engine sound broke the serenity in the forest.
Ohmmm!
Stationed at the fortress’s sniper position, Han Xiao looked through his scope. There were many headlights in the distant forest quickly approaching the manor. The mercenaries started to shout, prompting each other to quickly go back to their posts to get ready for the upcoming battle. The concentrated footsteps sounded like peas being fried.
Han Xiao stretched out his arm, and a crisp cocking sound was heard on his rifle. He was preparing himself, too.
“Here comes the first wave.”
Chapter 108 - Round Three
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Just by looking at the headlights, Han Xiao figured out the enemies’ military composition—all armored vehicles, and they were fast-approaching. Troops armed with heavy firepower were running close behind.
The next moment, the mercenaries in the manor began firing. Heavy machine guns were blasting and roaring continuously. Flashes of flames on muzzles became an attention-grab
bing source of light among the darkness of the night. Han Xiao glanced over for a moment, and soon, his mind was put at ease. The enemy had limited numbers and average firepower, so they would not be able to penetrate the curtain of machine gun rounds made by the mercenaries.
Pong!
Sniper shots were heard from the central fortress; they came from the Hornet Brothers. The two shots were extremely accurate, hitting right on the targets.
Han Xiao looked over at his area and realized that it had a limited range of vision and tough angles. Most likely, only those enemies who slipped through the net would accidentally barge into this area. However, it just so happened that a small team of enemies had infiltrated this place. He raised his Red-Falcon before he aimed through the scope and fired. The shot pierced through multiple enemies’ necks at once, pumping out masses of blood fog.
Big beard guy was initially skeptical of Han Xiao’s ability, but after taking a few looks at him when he was not occupied, he was secretly shocked and knew that he no longer had to worry about this Mr. Black… because Han Xiao had made every single shot. Therefore, he stopped turning around to supervise Han Xiao and left that area entirely to him in comfort.
The battle only lasted for half an hour, and the enemies suffered great losses. They did not even manage to get within two hundred meters of the manor. Han Xiao managed to take down nine enemies in total.
_____________________
First round completed. You gained 20,000 EXP.
Change in Quest Requirement
Second Round Requirement: Defend the River Valley Manor.
Duration: 3 Days
Reward: 80,000 EXP
——————————————————————
The first wave was too simple, and the EXP rewarded seems to be very little. But the increase for the second round is not too bad.
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