by <unknown>
Antonio took a puff and said calmly, “Rose Militant is funded by the Ordifina Organization. The organization controls various political lobbying groups. It also manages secret facilities to train mercenaries and assassins. It is headquartered in the Western Continent, which is relatively less powerful in the Southern Continent. However, it is definitely not a small organization to be trifled with.”
Han Xiao had a sudden realization. No wonder all the Dark Net assassins sent to kill the militants did not return. Rose Militant had a powerful supporter that provided them with reinforcements.
“What’s so special about Felonia? How can it draw the attention of so many different forces?” Han Xiao felt that the mystery of Felonia had something to do with the rewards of his assassination mission.
Since a large number of reinforcements was expected to arrive, Han Xiao had to plan out his next steps carefully.
At first, Han Xiao had two ideas in mind. The first was to wait for the target to arrive at his doorstep, and the second was to lure the enemies out of their camp. Both methods required Rose Militant to leave their base. The reinforcements sent by the enemies were bound work out the tactics he was going to employ. Therefore, it was highly likely that they had ordered the Rose Militants to move out of their base to lure Han Xiao out and eventually ambush him.
What shall I do? Perhaps take an unexpected path?
Han Xiao massaged his temples as he contemplated his options. What if he set up a trap somewhere then acted as if he did not know about the enemy ambush? Once contacted, Han Xiao would lure the enemies into his trap and turn the situation around to his advantage.
I will need more weapons.
…
Ghostly Fox took her team out for their third patrol. They were wandering aimlessly in the desert. She felt a tinge of frustration and asked through the communication line, “Why is the assassin not appearing? Is he afraid or what?”
From the other side of the line, Code 3 replied, “Assassins are meticulous individuals. The successful ambush means that he will wait to observe your movements before making the next move.”
…
It was night again. Recently, Han Xiao had often been busy at night.
He hauled the new equipment that he had created into the jeep before he drove out of the camp to the site where he would set up his tap.
The jeep moved out of the gates of the camp. The light emitted by the jeep dimmed as the vehicle moved deeper into the desert.
…
At the same time, there was a telescope that could be seen far away from the scene.
On the sand dune a kilometer away, Code 9, who was clad in yellow cloth, was observing the movement of the jeep with his telescope. He broke into a cold grin.
“The target has left the camp. He is heading north. I suppose he wants to set up his trap. He has probably discovered our existence and wants to employ reverse psychology to lure us into his trap instead.”
Since they knew that Han Xiao was hiding in Fabian Organization’s camp, they were naturally spying on him.
“The enemy is pretty amateur.” Code 3 looked confident. He expected the upcoming mission to be an easy one since everything was under their control.
…
At dawn, Han Xiao back to the base and went to look for Antonio.
“You want me to help you drive?” Antonio looked shocked.
“Yes, I need you to drive since my hands will be tied up with firing the shots.”
“Wait… This is your mission; how does it concern me? Why must I help you?” Antonio was puzzled.
“It is rare for you venture out, so how can you just stay here and do nothing? Come out with me and experience the beauty of nature.”
Antonio pointed to the barren desert and asked, “What nature is there to see here?”
“This is all just on the surface. Maybe we will see a magnificent mirage? Maybe there will be hidden mountains and rivers? The desert is very big; I am sure these sights can be discovered if you explore the area with a devout heart.”
“I don’t think we are close enough to travel together,” Antonio replied in an awkward manner.
“Then give me a chance to be friends with you.” Han Xiao laughed out loud.
“… Did anyone ever tell you that you are very thick-skinned?”
Han Xiao touched his face mask. He was obviously thick-skinned. His mask alone was two layers thick.
Although Antonio looked obese, Han Xiao could sense the immense combat power that he possessed. Han Xiao had selected Antonio to be his driver as he knew that Antonio would be unlikely to commit any screw-ups or die so easily.
If it was an ordinary driver, the driver would die almost instantly upon contact with the enemy, and he would be left to fend for himself.
Antonio thought for a moment and said, “If you want me to participate in the mission, I want a share of your earnings.”
“How about five percent?”
“No way! That’s too little.” Antonio shook his head.
“Don’t argue with me. You are just going with me to drive the vehicle. Five percent is already a generous offer.”
“If we meet any enemies, the driver will surely be the first target. At least twenty percent.”
Han Xiao widened his eyes in disbelief. “Why don’t you just go and rob someone?”
“That’s precisely what I’m doing now.” There was a hint of cheekiness in Antonio’s tiny eyes.
After arguing for quite some time, Han Xiao finally decided to appease Antonio with $20,000. Paying Antonio with hard cash was more reliable that just making a verbal contract. The collaboration between the two became an employment contract. $20,000 for a one-time driver was no doubt an extravagant spend.
Antonio squeezed his fat body into the driver’s seat while Han Xiao sat at the back of the jeep. He then handed the radar coordinates to Antonio and briefed him on the plan.
Antonio chuckled after he heard the plan.
“Interesting.”
…
It was late in the morning. The sun was scorching, and mirages started forming under the intense heat of the desert.
The team that Ghostly Fox was leading only operated two jeeps. They were wandering around the desert and searching the surroundings.
“A jeep is approaching!” a trooper exclaimed.
An armored jeep appeared at the sand dune not far from their position. The jeep was travelling in parallel to their jeeps. It was the jeep with Han Xiao and Antonio.
“Enemy is approaching!” Ghostly Fox was delighted.
An eerie voice sounded from the communication device. The voice was cold and had the vibes of a killer. “The prey is finally in the trap!”
Chapter 96. Surprised and Shocked |
Han Xiao stuck his rifle barrel out of the car window. A high-explosive bullet spun out of the chamber and reached accurately on one of Rose Militant’s jeeps. The bullet exploded, engulfing the car in massive flames.
However, all these desert jeeps had a specially-made protective exterior that offered protection against the high heat. The destruction caused by the high-explosive bullet was limited. Han Xiao assessed the situation before he decisively changed to the penetration bullets and fired them at the bullet-proof windows of those vehicles, causing numerous cracks.
“Surround it!” Ghostly Fox’s team turned around immediately, and two other vehicles followed to encircle the place.
“Where is the ambush?”
Since Han Xiao was undeterred by the dangers ahead, he was naturally vigilant about his situation. All of a sudden, he covered his face with his magnetic armor, and it deflected a sniper round that was aimed at his forehead. He raised his eyes and saw a new enemy jeep charging toward him from the side. On the back of the vehicle, a foreign enemy was operating a sniper rifle. A person who could fire such an accurate round on a fast-moving vehicle had the thirty percent chance of being a Mechanic or a sixty percent chance of being a sniper-type assassin. The last
ten percent accounted for the possibility of it being sheer luck.
The shot had come from Code 3. He was slightly surprised by the fact that he did not succeed. “The target has a special protective method—could be an Esper power or machinery,” he uttered in a low voice.
Han Xiao believed that there were more to this ambush. He slapped on the back of the front chair and said, “Go faster, don’t slow down. Drive to our destination.”
Antonio skillfully changed gear and stomped on the accelerator. The car drifted before it changed direction and sped to escape.
All of a sudden, another jeep, as if it had been waiting in place for days, appeared right in the direction of their new escape route. This time, it was driven by Code 5. He fired his bazooka at them.
The anti-tank war head, driven by the flaming rocket propeller, approached them rapidly.
Antonio’s face slightly paled, and he immediately turned the steering wheel forcefully to make a sharp turn. The rocket brushed past the rear end of the car and landed on the sandy ground.
A loud blast was heard, and sand was flying all over the air.
The shockwave smashed onto the back of the vehicle, tilting it thirty degrees upward before it fell hard onto the ground. Han Xiao, who was sitting on the backseats, was bumped up and down heavily. His butt was in great pain as a result.
“Eh. They dodged it.” Code 3 squinted and said, “Code 9 is waiting for them in front on Thorns.”
Thorns was an armored battle vehicle modified by Su Li. It had extremely strong firepower, massive horsepower, and an ultra-thick armored exterior. It was the perfect fusion of a tank’s attack and defense capability and a jeep’s mobility.
Last night, Code 9 had discovered Han Xiao’s tracks, and they had set up the ambush with the three assassins. Code 9 was their final insurance. He drove Thorns in the direction that Han Xiao placed his trap. They had even discovered the rough coordinates of the trap, so it was impossible for them to fall into it. They then purposefully waited in the direction of Han Xiao’s escape to dash the little hope he had when he so desperately tried to escape!
“He is already dead,” Code 3 whispered.
The battle caused many explosions on the road; countless bullets and rockets were chasing Han Xiao’s vehicle wantonly. Han Xiao fired back as many times as he could, barely slowing the four jeeps’ pursuit. The Red-Falcon sniper rifle complemented the powerful spindle bullet, causing a substantial threat to the Rose Militant. But as his vehicle was now scrambling to escape from the scene, coupled with Code 3 and Code 5’s suppression, his shooting accuracy was undermined to a great extent.
Ohmmm…
A distinct engine sound thundered on the battlefield, like a tiger roaring in rage.
Han Xiao felt his heart tighten, and he quickly looked forward.
A modified battle jeep was blocking their way. Its armored exterior, thick and bulky, was covered with sharp spikes like a hedgehog.
Different kinds of large-caliber barrels were sticking out from the sides of the vehicle. Based on the sizes of the barrels, they were grenade launchers and small missile launchers. On the roof, there was a four-barreled rotating Gatling machine gun— oh wait, it must be a Gatling-type canon with that kind of caliber—powerful enough to be used on air fleets.
Thorns!
The battle jeep was right in front of their final path, circling them with the other four cars. They had no way to escape!
“We definitely cannot withstand the firepower from that damn thing.” Antonio had a grievous look.
They were blocked by the enemies from all sides and surrounded. They were on the brink of death.
“Drive south. You don’t have to worry about the firepower from that vehicle. I will handle it,” Han Xiao said solemnly.
There was only Code 3, armed with a sniper rifle, on the southern path. He was the lowest threat.
Antonio had no choice but to have faith in Han Xiao, and he quickly turned the steering wheel to run Code 3 down.
“Too late.”
Code 9’s expression was icy cold, and he was about to fire the canon on Thorns to blow Han Xiao’s jeep up in the air. Suddenly, Han Xiao turned around and fire a shot in his direction. The round hit the glass window and instantly flashed a blazing light.
Code 9’s eyes were blinded by the light and started tearing. He shut his eyes in the moment of pain.
Flash Bullet!
Hoommmmmm…
A massive volume of flames and smoke was coming out of the Gatling canon on Thorns, but it was fired in the wrong direction. The explosive rounds landed more than ten meters away from Han Xiao’s jeep.
“Crap. How did Code 9 flounder that shot‽” Code 3 was dumbfounded, and he quickly ordered the driver to block Han Xiao’s vehicle.
Antonio was fearless. He stomped on the accelerator, and the vehicle collided with the side of Code 3’s jeep front unyieldingly.
Both vehicles vibrated violently. However, Antonio chose an excellent angle of collision—he was able to force a path out, creating an opening for them to escape the encirclement.
“Pursue them!”
As they had fallen short of success at the last moment, Code 3 was infuriated. However, as he reassessed the situation, his mood eased up again.
They still had the upper hand in the current situation, so he had nothing to worry about. Although Han Xiao was running away frantically from the ambush that they had laid, they would soon catch up with him and blow his vehicle up with Thorns’ firepower and horsepower!
Han Xiao looked behind the vehicle through the glass window—the Rose Militant motorcade was chasing them relentlessly. They were merely two hundred meters apart, and both parties were driving more than a hundred miles an hour. Additionally, Thorns was firing nonstop, erupting waves and waves of sand behind his car. The aftereffect of the Flash Bullet was still being felt by Code 9. His eyes were red and sore, and his vision was blurred. As a result, his shots had zero accuracy.
Han Xiao was not at all flustered. He peeked at his coordinates on the radar and said with great composure, “Antonio, start the nitro boost in 48 seconds.”
“47… 30… 16… 3, 2, 1!”
When the moment arrived, Antonio opened a small cover beside the gearshift, which exposed the button for the nitro boost. He then pressed hard on the button.
Blue flames were gushing out of the exhaust pipe at the back of the jeep, and its speed soared, pulling their distance apart rapidly. The resultant force pushed the two in the vehicle into the back of their seat, restricting their movement.
“A futile struggle.” Code 3 thought nothing of it. He believed that the nitro boost would run out sooner or later. It was just a last-ditch effort to extend their lives. They would eventually be caught up by Thorns and be blown up.
The nitro boost was exhausted when the distance between the two parties extended to four hundred meters.
“They are slowing down.”
Code 5 loaded a new rocket, and he stood up through the roof window and aimed at Han Xiao’s jeep from a distance.
All of a sudden, his car braked at once. The sudden momentum threw Code 5 into the backseat.
“What the hell‽”
Code 5 was shouting when he saw the driver changing gears frantically. However, the vehicle was not responding at all. His heart sank, and he turned around and looked out the window. All their jeeps had stopped moving, including Thorns. They had all lost their driving power.
“All the cars are paralyzed!”
“What is happening?”
Everyone from Rose Militant was frightened. They were like lambs waiting to be slaughtered now that they had lost control of their vehicles. Han Xiao’s jeep parked a distance away.
Ghostly Fox wanted to contact the base for backup only to realize that their communication devices were malfunctioning.
“This is the effect of EMP!” she screamed.
Ghostly Fox felt a chill down her spine as she recalled how Dorothy had
died.
“Run!”
The next moment, a high-explosive sniper round flew over from a distance, targeting an area beneath Code 3’s feet. Then, the landmines buried underneath the ground exploded. This time, the explosives included not just the toxic explosive mines but also the good-quality ordinary landmines from Fabian Company’s warehouse.
The blaring sound of the blast was heard nonstop. Glaring flames shot up into the air, creating a dazzling mixture of orange, red, and white in Han Xiao’s eyes. Flames and explosions engulfed the whole hundred-meter radius of Rose Militant. There was not a single figure in sight.
Han Xiao lifted his sniper rifle on his shoulder and gave an evil chuckle. “Are you surprised? Are you shocked?”
Chapter 97. Swoop In |
Antonio alighted from his vehicle and stood beside Han Xiao as he watched the explosion. He lit a cigar and took a puff before he chuckled heartily. “It has been a while since I last saw such beautiful scenery. I almost forgot what an explosion looks like after sitting in the office for so long.”
“Go ahead and enjoy the scenery.”
Han Xiao stretched his neck to relieve some of the fatigue as a result of the pursuit.
The flames eventually diminished. Antonio and Han Xiao cautiously approached the scene of explosion. A pungent stench, created by the mixture of smells from burning bodies and toxic gas, blew toward them.
Crap. I forgot that there is some toxic gas remaining!
Han Xiao was dumbfounded as he watched his HP drop on the Interface. He had no choice but to retreat the place, and he could only go back to sweep the battlefield after the toxic gas dispersed.
“Ugh…” A faint moan was heard on the battlefield. It came from Code 3, who was already half-dead. His four limbs had been shattered in the explosion, and his body was covered in red and dark burn marks. He raised his head laboriously and leveled Han Xiao a deadly gaze.
“You… Why….”
Han Xiao gave him a glance and used his Berserk Eagle to silence him before he could even finish his sentence.
Good guys could win battles with their words, and bad guys would always lose and die because they talked too much. There were countless similar lessons in the past. Han Xiao had wanted to try and talk to Code 3, but he believed that he did not belong to the good-guy category, so he had killed Code 3 without saying a word.