by <unknown>
I still have 77 bullets and 5 custom grenades.
Han Xiao reevaluated his inventory before peeking out from the corner for just an instant. Bullets were fired almost instantly.
Twelve guards. Three N9 submachine guns, Nine 73-WASP handguns. I’m outclassed in firepower.
Han Xiao’s mind raced. It had been a minute since he set the laboratory on fire. Team B would arrive within three minutes, so he did not have much time left. Han Xiao knew all of this because he had been eavesdropping on a stolen intercom.
Everything had happened so suddenly that the guards did not stop to consider this possibility.
Han Xiao tossed out a grenade, causing the Team C guards to frantically jump for cover.
Bang!
Han Xiao used the smoke of the blast to sneak up onto the nearest guard. He gave him a mecha punch in the stomach, crippling him.
“Shoot! Quickly! Shoot!”
The other guards resumed shooting. Han Xiao yanked the poor guard up to use as a shield, and while this did not stop them from shooting, Han Xiao was able to close the distance, and he swiftly dispatched of another three guards.
The remaining Team C guards scattered further back to pull apart from him. Han Xiao rolled and ducked as he closed in on them. The mecha arm’s durability plummeted as bullets rained upon it. As Han Xiao evaded, he pulled out his handgun to return fire and scored three more kills.
Suddenly, Han Xiao grimaced.
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You have been shot in your right arm by a 73-WASP! 17 damage taken!
You have been inflicted with a gun wound! You are now bleeding (light), and will lose 1 HP every second for 15 seconds. Quickly bandage your wound!
You have been shot in your left leg by an N9-SMG! 21 damage taken!
You have been inflicted with a gun wound! You are now bleeding (light), and will lose 1 HP every second for 15 seconds. Quickly bandage your wound!
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If not for Baltar’s ‘training’, he would definitely not be able to endure the pain.
Han Xiao grit his teeth and threw out another grenade.
Bang!
The blast of the grenade caused Han Xiao’s ears to ring in pain. He growled it off and proceeded with his onslaught.
One minute later, Team C no longer existed. Han Xiao proceeded to bandage his wounds. He had lost 110 HP – more than a third of his max HP.
“A head-on assault is too costly. If only I had active skills…”
“Team C, Team C, please respond. What’s the situation?” asked a guard over the intercom.
Han Xiao pinched his throat and replied, “Cough, cough. Team C has suffered heavy losses. We have trapped the target inside the lab. The target has been shot. Please send reinforcements quickly!”
He then picked a submachine gun on the floor and casually sprayed it to create the illusion of a fierce battle.
“Roger that. Please hold on. Team B is on the way!”
The guard did not doubt him at all. As Han Xiao’s silent act was deeply ingrained in their minds, the idea that he could employ such tactics simply did not occur to them.
Han Xiao proceeded to tie his three remaining hand grenades together and hung them on the door of the laboratory. He then hid behind a desk and loaded three submachine guns before firing his handgun multiple times to create the illusion of a crossfire.
Footsteps approached and the door was kicked opened.
Kaboom!
As soon as the guards began to scream, Han Xiao rushed forward under the cover of the smoke and stuck two SMGs out of the door to open fire onto either side. Although vision was limited, Han Xiao could hear his shots landing, and when he had emptied his clip, the guards were no longer making any sound.
The standard tactic to attack a room was for one person to kick the door while the others hid on either side. As the guards in the base were not an elite squad, Han Xiao had known that they would employ this tactic. Although most of Team B had been lucky to survive the first round of grenades, they were unable to hide from the ensuing storm of bullets.
His interface lit up like crazy.
When the smoke cleared, Han Xiao saw that three guards remained. When they saw Han Xiao emerge from the room, their eyes grew wide with shock and fear.
Is this really that dim-witted Zero‽
Han Xiao fired three consecutive shots to finish them off.
“What was that explosion? What’s going on‽” Team A’s leader shouted through the intercom.
Han Xiao randomly picked up several scattered guns and fired them around casually.
“Team B is under ambush! We are engaged with the enemy in the experiment lab. Requesting assistance! Requesting assistance!”
“Team A is coming right now!” Something seemed off about the entire situation to him, but he could not figure out what.
It was only when they reached basement 3 did the Team A leader finally realize what was bothering him, and he hurriedly ordered, “All guards, listen up. Zero might have infiltrated our comms. From now on, only take orders from me!”
It suddenly became apparent that Zero could be baiting them. After all, they hadn’t heard of any other Team B member speaking since then.
An unbelievable notion occurred to the Team A leader; did Zero already wipe out both Team B and Team C?
The notion caused him to shiver.
If that was what had happened, it would mean that Zero had wiped out over half of the entire base’s guards alone! Although he was unwilling to believe the idea, everything pointed to the fact that it indeed what had happened!
Was Zero baiting them? Or was he trying to divide them while he made a run for the main gate?
“Team D, any abnormalities at the main gate?” he asked through the intercom.
“None yet.”
The Team A leader sighed a breath of relief. He couldn’t let Zero play them for a fool any longer. The situation at present was already extremely bad. He knew that hoping to kill Zero now was no longer realistic, and that he had to inform Hila ASAP.
“Team A, listen up. Return to the main gate right now!”
He decided it would be better to gather all the remaining people to fortify the main gate. There, they could simply wait for reinforcements. This was the plan that appeared safest and surest to him.
No matter what Zero’s aim was, his fate would be sealed as long as he had nowhere to run!
Chapter 10. Night Owl |
Team A retraced their steps to join up with Team D at the main gate.
“Teams B and C have most likely been eliminated. I’m going to call for reinforcements. Guard the exit.”
The Team A leader glanced at the present members.
There were 31 of them. With 31 guns directed at the corridor, the second Zero appeared he would be torn to shreds.
However, he suddenly realized that something was off… Hold on a second, shouldn’t there only be 30 of us?
Beep beep!
The security panel flashed green as the gates suddenly opened.
As the guards turned back to look, their jaws dropped. There was a man who was wearing the same uniform as them at the gate. The man began to whistle as he pushed his cap up with a finger to reveal his face. It was none other than Han Xiao.
“Bye bye.” He waved before abruptly pulling the manual lever and rolling out as the gate clamped down.
The guards continued staring at the gate in disbelief.
The veins on Team A’s leader’s temples bulged.
“When did Zero blend in with us‽”
On the other side, Han Xiao rejoiced.
I’ve finally escaped!
Han Xiao stretched as he basked in the sunlight. The sight of the clear sky seemed to evaporate all his worries. It was roughly 4 or 5 in the afternoon, and Han Xiao could discern the silhouettes of several moons in the sky. Some of them were even close enough for their craters to
be observed!
Han Xiao took a deep breath. The crisp air was reinvigorating.
Since the start, Han Xiao had never planned on taking all the guards head-on. Even though the guards had already been weakened, it might not even matter if he were able to kill them all since they could put the entire facility in lockdown at any point!
Then, his expression would not be that much different from the guards on the other side of the gate.
After impersonating a Team B member to bait out Team A, Han Xiao had searched around for a relatively clean set of uniform to change into before concealing himself underneath the stairway.
The guards had failed to notice him joining their ranks as they had been panicking.
As such, Han Xiao was safely ‘escorted’ to the entrance where, while they let their guard down, he had crept towards the gate, and the rest is now history.
It had been a huge gamble. If anything had gone awry, he would have been torn to shreds by dozens of guns. Han Xiao would rather not have had to rely on this risky plan. However, Baltar had ruined his original plan, leaving him with no choice but to do so. It was a 50/50 all-in gamble, but there was no other choice.
Han Xiao found himself in the middle of an abandoned farm. He noticed the trails of several vehicles and traced them back to a garage where there were several all-terrain vehicles. Conveniently, their keys were all slotted in.
Reinforcements might appear any moment. I need to leave ASAP.
His escape was far from over. The Organization definitely would not let him off so easily.
Han Xiao threw his backpack into the passenger seat and got into the driver’s seat.
He ignited the engine and stepped on the gas pedal, intending to leave immediately. He ran the vehicle over the electric fence and headed into the forest.
As Han Xiao knew nothing about the geography of the area, he would have to bet it all on following one direction.
…
On the Black Harrier helicopter, Hila noticed her phone ringing.
“Who?” she answered, irritated.
“Commander Hila, there’s a situation. Zero has gone rogue. He’s killed Vice-commander Baltar, Professor Lin Wei Xian, and over 30 guards. He’s also destroyed all the Valkyrie records in the base…”
The Team A leader was dispirited. They were definitely going to be punished for having been useless—that went without saying. However, he still had to swallow the bitter pill and contact the commander as they were all trapped and needed someone to deactivate the lockdown.
Hila frowned.
“Are you kidding me? I personally conducted his brainwashing! How could he have survived the procedure? Has he been fooling even me?” she wondered.
Hila immediately contacted the boss to relay the news.
“Turn back right now and give chase,” ordered the boss, enraged.
“But my sister—” Hila began to argue.
“Shut up. You have no right to bargain with me.”
Hila glowered as she reluctantly ordered the pilot, “Return to base!”
“Commander Hila, the helicopter needs to land to refuel first.”
“Step on it.”
The Night Owl Squad had also received the order to return.
No. 1 was livid with rage at the guards’ pitiful appearances.
“There are sixty of you and you can’t even stop one person! Are there spies here‽”
He was unable to believe that Han Xiao could have escaped alone, not when it was impossible for himself.
The guards were terrified by his accusation. No one dared to betray the organization, and for good reason. However, they were demoralized and unable to talk back. They did secretly hope that Han Xiao could escape as it would help their case.
“That’s enough. The boss ordered us to hunt him down,” interrupted Silver Blade coldly.
“Hold on, the test subject team will follow,”
No. 1 was now rattled by Han Xiao’s combat prowess, and this frustrated him. He felt like he needed to defeat Han Xiao in order to prove his worth to the organization.
…
Night had fallen, and the night sky was decorated by numerous blue moons.
Each planet in Galaxy had a different kind of landscape and environment. In Han Xiao’s previous life, there existed players who specialized in galactic tourism. They would sell albums of beautiful scenery and landscape from across the universe.
Unfortunately, the thick canopy blocked out nearly all the moonlight, making it hard for Han Xiao to see, much less enjoy the night view.
Han Xiao drove carefully, fearful of crashing into a tree. The darkness was extremely disadvantageous for him. Not only was he unable to move quickly, the sound of his engine could also expose his location.
It’s really bad to drive at night. I’d better walk.
He stopped the car and turned off the engine, deciding to abandon it.
The silence in the forest began to set in, and he noticed that the shadows around him resembled ghostly figures.
_____________
You have obtained Combat Biscuit x5, Mineral Water x3.
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Han Xiao found some ration and water in the boot of the car. He stored them inside his bag and continued on foot. As he was unable to do anything about the trail that his car had left, he could only change his direction slightly to throw off any pursuers.
The night was his cloak.
Although Han Xiao was completely exhausted, and his stamina was almost depleted, he did not dare to stop for a break.
Suddenly, Han Xiao heard the sound of engines coming from behind. He instantly sought for shelter behind a tree before peeking out to see 3 sets of flickering headlights about 300 meters away.
He was about to creep towards a safer location when suddenly, a gunshot pierced the night.
Han Xiao’s danger sense tingled, and he threw himself onto the ground. Something grazed past his shoulder. He turned to see that the bullet had narrowly missed him to pierce a tree ten meters away.
The three vehicles stopped, and 6 men alighted. They were were none other than Night Owl Squad 3. The person who had fired was Silver Blade.
Six Cyclopes‽ Han Xiao was momentarily taken aback by their appearance. Those are night vision goggles!
Han Xiao cursed his luck.
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You have been grazed by an SWP sniper rifle! 18 damage taken!
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Holy cow. Even though it was just a graze, it did as much damage as a direct shot from a handgun!
_____________
You have entered combat and gained enemy information!
Night Owl Agent
Lv. 15
Classes: Lv. 10 Agent, Lv. 5 Elite Agent
Stats: 18 STR, 15 DEX, 25 END, 10 INT, 3 MYS, 8 CHA, 1 LUK
Energy: 0
Power Level: 40
Health: 350
Abilities:
Grinder: +100 Health
Pain Tolerance: Combat strength not affected by injury
Skills:
Lv. 4 Basic Combat
Lv. 5 Basic Shooting
Lv. 2 Precise Aim
Lv. 1 Sniper (Leader)
Equipment:
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SWP Sniper Rifle (High Caliber)
Grade: Common
Damage: 70-88
Fire Rate: 0.5/s
Ammo: 5 bullets per magazine
Power Level: 30
Prerequisite(s): Lv. 1 Sniper
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Thermal Night-vision Goggles
Grade: Common
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73-WASP Handgun
Grade: Common
Small Caliber Handgun
Damage: 28-35
Fire Ra
te: 1.1/s
Ammo: 10 bullets per magazine
Power Level: 13
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G-Grenade (3)
Deals 50-80 damage to all targets in a 20-meter radius. Has a chance to do bonus damage.
Power Level: 45
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Jackson Assault Rifle
Grade: Common
Assault Rifle
Damage: 36-42
Fire Rate (manual): 1.5/s
Fire Rate (continuous): 4/s
Maximum Fire Rate (burst): 10/s (3 seconds)
Ammo: 30 bullets per magazine
Power Level: 33
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Lightweight Kevlar Vest
Grade: Common
Defense: 10-12
Durability: 50
Metal Alloy Dagger
Grade: Common
Damage: 8-12
Length: 0.28m
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All six of them were elite agents, an advanced class. Although they were lower level than Han Xiao, they still had high stats, and were much better equipped.
Han Xiao’s face darkened.
Oh boy…
Chapter 11. Crunch Time |
All that Han Xiao had in his arsenal was the enhanced 73-WASP handgun, an N9 Colt Assault Rifle, 15 magazines of ammo, and the Lightweight Mecha Arm whose durability had been reduced to 130. He was essentially outmatched in terms of equipment.
Bang!
The sniper rifle was fired again. The bullet pierced through the tree he was hiding behind, narrowly missing him. Han Xiao groaned. While the enemy had night-vision, he could only attempt to make out their position from the muzzle flashes.
The sniper rifle was too powerful. With his current health, it would probably take only 3 shots to kill him. Han Xiao decided to put the 18 unassigned stat points at his disposal to use. He added 14 points into END for additional health and 4 into STR to bolster his STR advantage. Engaging in a shootout would only be disadvantageous, so even though close combat was risky, he had to take the chance. It was virtually impossible to run away since the enemy had night vision. The only way to make it out now was to kill them all!
With the +10 bonus from the Mechanical Arm on top of his 29 STR, Han Xiao had enough STR to ensure that his blows would proc ‘overwhelming blows’. With 36 points in END, he now had a max HP of 460. He had instantly gained 140 HP from adding END, which was crucial as Han Xiao was already low on health. His current HP was now close to 400, which was much more optimistic than before.
