Chapter 9: Collision
The girl observed the battlefield through her scope. Seeing that the missile hadn't killed Su Xiao, she pouted.
Click, click...
The sound of a ticking clock came from nearby. A pink timer sat not far from the girl, counting down: 3 minutes, 23 seconds.
Glancing at the timer, the girl pressed the earpiece on her ear.
"Jester, time's almost up."
The red clown, who was heading toward Su Xiao's vicinity, paused mid-step.
"That fast?"
"Three minutes left. Want to renew? If not, I'm pulling out in three minutes. Only by recharging can you get stronger. 60,000 Paradise Coins for 10 minutes of combat—that was the agreed price."
Hearing the girl's words, the red clown kept a smile on his face, but inwardly, he felt a pang of reluctance.
"Renew. Another 10 minutes!"
After receiving 60,000 Paradise Coins, the girl's eyes curved into crescent moons.
"Thanks for your patronage."
The girl pulled the bolt, ejecting a still-hot shell casing.
Holding her breath, she pulled the trigger.
Bang, bang, bang...
Gunpowder smoke spread as the girl emptied a magazine in an instant. With a wave of her left hand, without any visible reloading motion, an empty magazine fell at her feet, and a new one was already inserted.
Dozens of magazines stood around her, waiting for her to use.
At the other end of the battlefield, Su Xiao stood still. The energy shield in front of him roared as large-caliber bullets were deflected one after another.
He couldn't move at the moment. Barely holding his ground without being pushed back was his limit. Charging forward was impossible.
Despite being in a tight spot, Su Xiao remained calm. He also used sniper rifles, so he knew bullets of this caliber weren't cheap. He didn't believe the enemy had an infinite supply.
Whoosh~
A bullet grazed the energy shield and flew off, letting out a terrifying whistle.
"Mr. Hunter, we meet again."
Amid the 'rain of bullets,' Su Xiao vaguely heard someone speaking.
Turning his head, he saw two men and one woman walking slowly toward him. The trio was led by the red clown.
The red clown smiled politely but didn't attack immediately.
"What ridiculous firepower. To maintain this level of fire for 20 minutes, I spent 120,000 Paradise Coins."
As the red clown spoke, cracks appeared on the energy shield in front of Su Xiao.
Crack, crack.
The cracks grew denser. Within a minute, the bullets would shatter the energy shield.
"Rhino."
The red clown signaled to Rhino beside him. The horned, burly man nodded and quickly charged toward the area behind Su Xiao.
"Seductive Demon, wait for an opportunity."
"Got it, boss."
Seductive Demon's body gradually faded, seemingly entering stealth, but it was a higher-level ability than mere invisibility.
She vanished into thin air, disappearing from everyone's perception.
Noticing this, Su Xiao's heart tightened. The enemy's ability was troublesome.
"Horn Charge!"
A whoosh came from behind Su Xiao.
Whoosh~
In an instant, the burly man Rhino appeared behind Su Xiao.
Su Xiao formed a 200-point strength energy shield behind him. The front was under a barrage of bullets, and he couldn't move now.
Boom!
Mud splattered beneath Su Xiao's feet, as if a bomb had detonated.
An irresistible force struck from behind, and Su Xiao was sent flying.
After knocking Su Xiao away, Rhino collapsed to the ground, severely exhausted. The red clown instantly appeared beside Rhino, placing one hand on his back.
A surge of purple energy flowed into Rhino's body, and the already exhausted Rhino stood up.
The red clown tilted his head.
"Continue."
"Mm."
Rhino took a deep breath, stomped the ground, and shot forward like a cannonball.
Su Xiao hadn't landed yet. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and a hole had appeared in the energy shield behind him—the result of the burly black man's charge. That guy was like a black rhinoceros.
Though Su Xiao was midair, the bullets flying toward him didn't stop. Due to the momentum, he was continuously pushed backward, flying diagonally.
Just as Su Xiao was about to land, Rhino arrived!
Same move as before—charging with his horn.
Boom!
A shockwave spread. The energy shield behind Su Xiao shattered. His internal organs seemed to shift, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Just as everyone thought Su Xiao would be sent flying again, he paused midair for a moment.
Not only did Su Xiao stop, but Rhino's body suddenly lurched forward.
A barely noticeable metal wire was wrapped around Rhino's horn. Instead of knocking Su Xiao away, he stumbled forward a few steps.
Twang!
The Realm Severing Thread couldn't withstand the force, and a small section at the front snapped. Su Xiao rolled a few times on the ground. Though disheveled, he wasn't thrown away.
Sizzle~
The Realm Severing Thread coiled around Rhino's neck. Just as Su Xiao was about to sever Rhino's head, a sharp pain shot through his chest.
Pfft.
An invisible blade pierced Su Xiao's chest—it was Seductive Demon, who had been hiding in the shadows.
The distance was too close, and Su Xiao was in a sitting position. Counterattacking with his blade was impossible.
"Seductive Demon, get back!"
Rhino roared. Behind him stood the red clown, still wearing a smile.
Rhino's 'Horn Charge' skill was extremely powerful. Such a high-level ability shouldn't be usable consecutively.
[Horn Charge (Innate Skill, Active)]
Skill Effect: Use all your strength to charge forward. When charge speed reaches maximum, concentrate all power into the savage horn to ram the enemy. Ram damage equals 300 + Strength × 12 + 50% Horn Attack Power.
Tip: Horn Charge (Active) consumes 20% of health.
Tip: Horn Charge (Active) cooldown is 2 natural days.
Tip: After using Horn Charge, you will be exhausted for 5 minutes.
LV.10 Additional Effect: Powerful Knockback.
LV.20 Additional Effect: Charge Acceleration.
...
Undoubtedly, if Horn Charge hit a contractor with a thinner build, it could kill in one hit.
Rhino's other abilities were mediocre, but he had specialized in this move. Countless contractors had died to it.
Under normal circumstances, Rhino could only use Horn Charge once per battle. But so far, he had used it twice and was about to use it a third time.
No cooldown, no exhaustion effect—this must be related to the red clown.
At Rhino's roar, Seductive Demon, who had stabbed Su Xiao with a dagger, flipped back. Su Xiao's hand grabbed at empty air.
Leaping up from the ground, Su Xiao had barely steadied himself when a bullet hit the energy shield, making him stagger a few steps.
Whoosh—Rhino charged in front of Su Xiao. His eyes held only one conviction: to ram Su Xiao to death.
Su Xiao endured the third impact. Just a second before the charge hit, a long blade swung toward Rhino.
Clang!
A brilliant blade aura flew out, leaving a gash on Rhino's shoulder. The wound extended to his chest, blood gushing out.
Boom!
Rhino slammed into the energy shield in front of Su Xiao. The shield, which had withstood hundreds of bullets, finally couldn't hold and shattered.
An immense force surged forward. Just as the sharp horn was about to strike Su Xiao's chest, a layer of golden light enveloped him.
The impact force had been mostly absorbed by the energy shield. The appearance of the secondary invincibility shield rendered Rhino's third charge ineffective.
Su Xiao's legs sank deep into the mud. Dirt flew behind him as he held his ground, refusing to be thrown back.
Eyes locked on Rhino, Su Xiao grinned.
"My turn."
The long blade slashed down. Su Xiao ignored the sound of wind behind him and the glow in the red clown's hand in the distance.
He had to kill this guy. Compared to the turret in the distance, this one was a greater threat.