Chapter 54: Likes to Block Bridges?
Bang.
A burst of flame and smoke spewed from the Spider Queen's muzzle, the shockwave spreading along the barrel as a kinetic bullet left the chamber.
The bullet spun at high speed, its tip breaking through layers of air, leaving circular ripples in its wake until it drilled into a contractor's arm.
With a crackling sound, the contractor's entire shoulder was shattered by the powerful kinetic force, exploding into a cloud of blood mist. Within the mist, white bone fragments and a severed arm clutching a staff were faintly visible.
The mage contractor staggered back a few steps, nearly falling to the ground.
Turning his head to look at his now-empty shoulder, the mage contractor's mouth opened slightly, about to let out a scream, when his head followed the same fate as his shoulder, bursting into a spray of blood.
Warm blood and brain matter splattered onto the face of the main tank nearby. He instinctively ducked, raising his shield in front of him while roaring:
"Enemy attack!"
Bang. Bang.
Su Xiao fired two more shots, and another contractor fell.
Before the dozen or so contractors blocking the bridge had even spotted Su Xiao, they had already lost three members.
"He's on the other side of the bridge. Sniper, counterattack!"
"Kill him!"
"Where's the sniper? Fire!"
The contractors on the opposite side of the bridge weren't pushovers. Their first reaction to the ambush was to take cover, locate the enemy, and call for their own ranged firepower to retaliate.
A tall, thin man wielding a bow hid behind a rock. He knew clearly that aside from himself, there was no one else capable of precise shooting.
The sniper had died near him, shot in the head. If he hadn't reacted quickly, he'd be a corpse by now.
Just as the archer was about to peek out, the rock shielding him sent stone chips flying, and a whistling sound passed by his ear—a sound he knew all too well. It was the noise of bullets whizzing nearby.
"I've been marked."
Though he knew he was targeted, the archer had no way out.
"I can buy you a few seconds. Can you hit him?"
A gruff voice came from beside him. The archer turned to see the temporary squad leader.
The group blocking the bridge had formed an alliance on the airship. They had discovered a "secret" that had put the squad on edge, nearly causing internal strife, until they found this bridge. They had been blocking it for three days.
During that time, two groups of contractors had tried to cross. Without exception, those starving, exhausted contractors had died at their hands, yielding them considerable gains.
"A few seconds... I'll try."
No sooner had the archer spoken than he felt a pair of bloodshot eyes staring at him.
"Not 'try.' You *must* force the enemy back. Only at close range do we have a chance, or we'll be pinned down here."
The squad leader's face was grim, his triangular eyes filled with ruthlessness.
What the squad leader didn't know was that someone else had once thought the same way—a sniper, easy to take down up close, and then they'd be dead...
"No problem."
A green glow flickered over the archer, as if he had activated some skill.
The squad leader looked him over and finally nodded. Covering his head with both hands, he charged out from behind cover, sprinting toward the stone bridge.
"Follow me, or we'll all die here!"
The squad leader roared, lowering his head as he rushed onto the bridge.
The other contractors scrambled out of cover. By now, escape was impossible. With a sniper on the other side of the bridge, running would make them easy targets. Their only option was to charge forward and fight for their lives.
Su Xiao lay prone on a dirt slope across the bridge. Through his scope, he saw a crowd of figures. If he had trouble making decisions, he wouldn't know who to aim at.
But Su Xiao had no such problem. He chose to shoot the contractor charging at the front.
Bang.
As Su Xiao fired, a whistling sound came his way. He instinctively turned his head.
An arrow grazed past his cheek. If he hadn't dodged in time, it would have pierced his head.
Quickly aiming at the archer across the bridge, Su Xiao fired a precise three-round burst.
A scream came from the other side. The archer was silenced, severely wounded, rolling down from a high spot, his fate unknown.
With most of the ranged threats dealt with, Su Xiao ejected the magazine. The Spider Queen had eight bullets left—the last eight.
After inserting the magazine, Su Xiao tossed the Spider Queen to Bubu Wang and stood up from the slope.
The contractors on the other side had already reached the middle of the bridge. Su Xiao observed for a moment, then charged down from the slope.
"Woof."
Bubu Wang barked at Old Bal, then turned to look at the stone bridge, clearly asking, "Why aren't you going?"
"I can't act for now. Your master knows why."
Old Bal lay on the slope, not planning to intervene.
That was true. Old Bal couldn't act now. Yang's Daughter had given him a one-time ability, which would be immensely useful inside the Black Forest.
So, Su Xiao handled all the battles along the way. Once they delved deeper into the Black Forest, Old Bal would use that ability.
For now, even a body temperature above 80 degrees was dangerous for Old Bal. The ability inside him was too unstable.
"Your master is fighting. Aren't you going to help?"
Old Bal eyed Bubu Wang with interest, already aware of the dog's intelligence, far beyond that of a normal beast.
Bubu Wang crossed his front paws over his chest and gave Old Bal a look of canine disdain, as if to say: "This dog is a healer, delicate and precious. No melee combat for me."
Old Bal clearly didn't understand Bubu Wang's meaning. He could only grasp some simple gestures, like the earlier "Why aren't you going?"
Su Xiao quickly charged onto the stone bridge, blocking the path of the contractor squad.
The charging contractors were puzzled. Wasn't he a sniper? Why was he rushing in?
Su Xiao drew the Dragon-Slaying Flash from his waist and made a slashing motion in the air. Only then did the contractors on the bridge realize he wasn't a sniper at all.
Clang.
A pale blue blade aura shot out, howling as it flew toward the main tank at the front of the squad.
Bang.
The blade aura struck the shield. The main tank's hand gripping the shield went numb, and a deep gash appeared on the shield.
"Sword... sword aura?"
The main tank froze, his forward momentum halting.
After the blade aura appeared, all the contractors slammed on the brakes, their boots scraping against the bridge surface.
"This guy's not right. He's definitely not a sniper."
"Could he be a lone wolf?"
"Very possible."
A "lone wolf" referred to a solo contractor. Such contractors had no obvious weaknesses, usually excelling in one area while being competent in others to handle various situations.
"Doesn't matter what he is. Kill him, and we live. There's no room for negotiation."
The squad leader gritted his teeth. Blocking a bridge earned a lot of hatred, so the chances of a truce were slim.
Let Su Xiao cross? The squad leader shook his head. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but the other side wouldn't trust him. Not just the enemy—he wouldn't even trust himself.
The squad was positioned in the middle of the bridge, with Su Xiao at the head. That left only one escape route for the contractor squad.
And Su Xiao's earlier display of the blade aura had clearly intimidated these contractors.
Su Xiao walked forward slowly, his pace quickening, shifting from a walk to a jog, and finally to a full sprint.
The squad was a temporary team, so they had no real tactics. The melee fighters would swarm forward, while the ranged fighters stayed back.
It wasn't that the squad leader was brainless—he had no choice. This was a temporary team. If he kept barking orders and demanding others follow them, the squad would have disbanded long ago.