Chapter 39: Three Gunshots
The Brigade members totaled five: Nobunaga Hazama, an Enhancement-type Nen user, skilled with a blade, a master of iaijutsu, and a main combat member of the Brigade.
Shalnark, a Manipulation-type Nen user, skilled in intelligence analysis. By inserting antennas into an enemy's body, he can control their actions. He is a support member of the Brigade, but in critical moments, he can manipulate himself or his teammates. When manipulating himself, his combat power is extremely high, with instantaneous burst strength not inferior to Feitan, Nobunaga, and others.
Shizuku, a Conjuration-type Nen user, a support member of the Brigade.
Machi, a Transmutation-type Nen user. She can transform her Nen energy into thin threads for attack or treatment. She can perfectly suture blood vessels, bones, nerves, and muscles with 100% precision. She is a support member of the Brigade.
Uvogin, an Enhancement-type Nen user, extremely powerful in close combat, his body as tough as steel. He is a main combat member of the Brigade.
Among these five, there were two and a half main combat members (counting Shalnark as half), and two support members. However, these two support members also had combat capabilities; their support roles were only relative within the Brigade.
Su Xiao quickly recalled the information on the five in his mind and began to formulate a strategy.
First, his side had three members of the Shadow Beasts. These three could hold off one main combat member of the Brigade for a short time.
If Su Xiao could instantly kill one main combat member of the Brigade, the subsequent fight would be manageable. But if he faced a siege from several main combat members, Su Xiao would be utterly defeated.
"Bubu."
Hearing Su Xiao's call, Bubu Wang, who had been lazily lying in the back seat of the car, got up and left the vehicle.
"Hurry up. All you do every day is eat and sleep."
Watching Bubu Wang's unhurried pace, Su Xiao felt like giving him a kick.
Bubu Wang wagged his tail and trotted over happily, his big, watery eyes seeming to ask, "Master, do I need to go into battle too? Don't worry, leave that woman with glasses who looks the strongest to me (Shizuku, the weakest member of the Brigade present)."
"You don't need to fight. Just watch my back."
Su Xiao took out the Spider Empress sniper rifle. If he entered the fray directly, the other Brigade members would sense his aura and attack. Picking one off from a distance was the best strategy.
Realizing Su Xiao was about to set up his rifle, Bubu Wang immediately understood his intention. His lazy demeanor vanished. He sat down with his back to Su Xiao, his eyes alertly scanning the surroundings.
Taking the Spider Empress out of his storage space, the appearance of this deadly weapon immediately drew the attention of Kurapika and the others.
"This weapon... is a bit excessive."
Kurapika's first reaction upon seeing this weapon was that it was a small autocannon. But only after seeing its streamlined body did he realize it was a sniper cannon.
Given the Spider Empress's current weight and recoil, Su Xiao could fire a single shot while crouching. But for continuous fire, he had to mount the rifle on the ground.
He took out the bipod that came with the Spider Empress, stabilized the rifle, and lay down at the edge of the valley.
This position was good, slightly higher than where the Brigade members were.
He casually picked up a pebble and crushed it into powder. The powder drifted between his fingers as he tested the wind speed.
Due to the valley terrain and the fact that it was nighttime, the wind wasn't strong. However, it had rained a few days ago, so there was standing water in the valley, making the air humidity slightly higher. Su Xiao was about 700 meters from the Brigade members, so he didn't need to calculate the humidity too precisely.
He adjusted the scope to 8x magnification, switched the Spider Empress to burst-fire mode, opened the chamber to confirm the ten rounds were loaded correctly, and then inserted the massive magazine.
Su Xiao took a deep breath, put his eye to the scope, and suppressed his killing intent. The Brigade members had sharp senses; revealing his killing intent now would definitely be detected.
Through the scope, Su Xiao observed the five Brigade members.
Uvogin was in a fierce battle with the three Shadow Beasts. Worm, Disease Hound, and the others were covered in blood. Although Uvogin was also injured, this burly man was laughing maniacally. It wouldn't be long before the Shadow Beasts were wiped out.
Of course, Uvogin wasn't the target for a sniper kill. Su Xiao needed to instantly kill a Brigade member. Uvogin's defense was among the best in the Brigade; choosing him would be the stupidest move.
He shifted the rifle. The other four Brigade members on the valley ridge were playing poker. The sniper target had to be chosen between Nobunaga and Shalnark.
Under normal circumstances, Shalnark, who could both support and fight effectively on his own, would be the choice. But Su Xiao didn't choose Shalnark. Instead, he aligned the crosshairs on Nobunaga.
Within the Brigade, Nobunaga and Uvogin had a very close relationship. Both were Enhancement-type, with straightforward personalities. Although Uvogin preferred to fight alone, when he and Nobunaga fought together, their combat power skyrocketed.
Su Xiao slowly exhaled, steadying his breathing.
His finger slowly squeezed the trigger. Several hundred meters away, Nobunaga, who was playing cards with Shizuku and Machi, suddenly turned his head. Not only Nobunaga, but Uvogin, who was in the middle of his fight, also sensed something. Unfortunately, it was too late for both of them.
Su Xiao pulled the trigger.
Bang!
A deafening roar echoed through the valley. Fine cracks appeared in the rocks near Su Xiao, and an invisible shockwave spread outwards.
If the force of firing the gun was this intense, one could only imagine the power of that bullet.