Chapter 83: Frontal Assault
Yellow sand flew through the air. In the border region of Jinbabuwei, the small town of Xizuan River stood.
Due to large-scale deforestation, the area around Xizuan River had experienced severe desertification.
Inside a rundown restaurant, Su Xiao sat at a greasy table with a dagger in hand. A leg of lamb lay before him.
He sliced off a piece of mutton with the dagger, and Bubu Wang, who had come closer, received the meat from Su Xiao.
He had been waiting here for half an hour. After spending 50,000 RMB, he finally managed to contact a guide.
Unlike Jinbabuwei, Xizuan River had two main currencies in wide circulation: first was the RMB, and second was the US dollar.
The reason RMB was so widely circulated was that 70% of the diamonds produced in Xizuan River were purchased by Chinese buyers. Over time, this led to widespread use of RMB in the region.
Not only was RMB in circulation, but the area was heavily Sinicized, both in terms of diet and culture.
A man dressed in a suit and leather shoes, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, walked into the restaurant.
The man had a kind expression and kept a smile on his face, but the bulge at his waist indicated he was no weakling—it was a pistol.
The man looked around the room and quickly noticed Su Xiao. He strode over.
"Hello, you must be Mr. Su. I'm Xiao Lei."
The newcomer was Chinese, so he spoke to Su Xiao in Mandarin.
"Hello. I have something to ask you."
Su Xiao set down his dagger and looked at Xiao Lei. When Xiao Lei met Su Xiao's gaze, his body trembled.
Xiao Lei had managed to survive in this lawless land on his own, which meant he had his own strengths. His greatest asset was his ability to read people.
At that moment, Su Xiao gave Xiao Lei an extremely dangerous feeling—far more dangerous than any warlord or general he had ever encountered, by dozens of times.
Xiao Lei silently speculated: *Just what kind of background does this guy have? Is he really from the homeland? When did the homeland produce someone this ruthless? After all, the homeland has strict gun control.*
"Mr. Su, please speak freely."
Though he said this, Xiao Lei was already planning how to get out of this situation.
"I'm looking for someone. His name is Samuel. He's an old friend I haven't seen in a long time. I lost my phone in Jinbabuwei, and with it his number, so I can't contact him."
Su Xiao picked up a bottle of baijiu and filled a glass in front of Xiao Lei. The glass was sizable, holding at least three or four liang.
"Thank you for the offer, Mr. Su, but I don't drink."
Xiao Lei made a dismissive gesture, already planning how to brush this off. He knew exactly who Samuel was—the local warlord, commanding several thousand troops with a full arsenal. Rumor had it the guy owned at least three tanks.
"Though I'd like to help you, Mr. Su, I've never heard of this Samuel."
Xiao Lei made as if to stand and leave, not mentioning the deposit he had already taken.
"Sit down."
Su Xiao's voice was not loud, but Xiao Lei froze mid-motion. After a moment's hesitation, he sat back down.
"Drink it."
Su Xiao pointed to the glass of baijiu. Xiao Lei lowered his head in thought.
"Two million. Two million, and I'll drink this 'wine.'"
Hearing Xiao Lei's words, a smile appeared on Su Xiao's face.
"We never met today. You've never heard of any Mr. Su. I'll give you three million—enough for you to return home and live comfortably."
Xiao Lei's breathing became noticeably heavier. After hesitating, he picked up the glass and downed it in one go.
Gulp, gulp, gulp—the baijiu was finished in a few swallows. Xiao Lei's expression remained unchanged; his earlier claim of not drinking was just an excuse.
"Here's three million. The password is six eights."
Su Xiao handed over a bank card. Xiao Lei made a phone call, reciting the card number and password to verify the balance.
"Mr. Su, follow me."
Xiao Lei stood up, and the two walked out of the restaurant into a nearby alley.
"Samuel, 67 years old, black, local warlord. More precisely, he's the biggest warlord in the area. His address is..."
Xiao Lei sketched a rough map by hand. After leaving the sketch, he hurried away, looking like he was preparing to return home. He had come here to make money, and with three million in hand, there was no need to stay any longer.
With the specific address in hand, Su Xiao and Bubu Wang headed straight for the target location.
...
An hour later, Su Xiao lay prone on a sandy slope, wearing a camouflage cloak that made him nearly invisible unless someone walked right up to him.
He held a pair of binoculars, observing a castle half a kilometer away.
Yes, a castle. Samuel's home had been built in the shape of a castle—this was an African tycoon.
Adjusting the binoculars' focus, Su Xiao spotted patrols of troops moving around the castle.
The castle was surrounded by a large courtyard, where over a thousand fully armed soldiers were on patrol. On a nearby tower, Su Xiao could see gun barrels protruding.
At least ten snipers, over 1,200 infantry—and that didn't count reinforcements that would arrive once fighting broke out.
These troops were uniformly equipped, not some ragtag militia. While their weapons weren't cutting-edge, they were far from obsolete.
Su Xiao had been observing here for a day and a night, looking for an opportunity to infiltrate.
But the conclusion was clear: unless he could turn invisible, infiltration was impossible. Disguising himself as someone else was also out of the question—the language barrier was a problem.
Su Xiao picked up a military-green, long cloth bag.
"Bubu, go to the other side and draw their attention."
Su Xiao pulled a bomb from the bag. Buying bombs or guns here was as easy as buying groceries.
"The red button is the detonator. Bite it, then run away immediately."
Bubu Wang picked up the bomb and quickly ran off. Five minutes later, an explosion echoed from the opposite direction.
Urgent shouts rang out from the troops near the castle. A small squad was dispatched to investigate, but the majority remained on alert.
Though Su Xiao had anticipated this, it still gave him a headache.
"Looks like I'll have to force my way in."
A sheathed longsword appeared in Su Xiao's hand—his family heirloom, Tang Hong.
He tucked Tang Hong into his belt, picked up the cloth bag, and crouched low as he charged toward the castle.
His equipment was sealed in his storage space and unusable in the real world, all bonuses nullified. He had to rely on his bare attributes and passive skills to fight.
Su Xiao's combat capabilities in the real world were as follows:
Strength: 38
Agility: 37
Stamina: 33
Intelligence: 36
Charm: 3
Passive skills included:
Blade Master: LV.18 (Passive Skill)
Absolute Magic Resistance: Lv.MAX (Passive Skill)
Mind's Eye: Lv.10 (Passive Skill)
Spirit Shadow Constitution: Lv.MAX (Passive Skill)
Demon Mark: Lv.2 (Passive Skill)
...
Even in the real world, Su Xiao was formidable. If not for the overwhelming number of troops, he would have charged in long ago.
Su Xiao sprinted forward, sand spraying from his feet. He quickly reached the courtyard's edge.
Bang!
A muffled gunshot rang out. Hearing that sound, Su Xiao's pupils contracted sharply.
That gunshot was distinctive. He had heard it before.
The Xm-109 sniper rifle—the most powerful sniper rifle in the world. Compared to it, the Barrett was just a toy.
Swoosh~.
The bullet whizzed past Su Xiao's ear, ruffling his short black hair.
Slap!
The oversized bullet slammed into the sand, blasting a basin-sized crater behind him.