Chapter 522: Splitting the Team
"Bang!" A bullet blasted a large crater in the ground.
Zhuo Wangsun, who was standing right next to Xu Huo, glanced at him in surprise, then quickly said, "Let's scatter and run. There's only one of them. This way, we might have a chance to survive!"
There was no other choice—they were at a severe disadvantage. The enemy was sniping them from over a kilometer away in the open Gobi Desert, with no cover whatsoever. Unless they lay flat on the ground and didn't move, they were sitting ducks. But they still had a mission to complete, and sooner or later, they had to leave the Gobi zone.
"No!" Wan Xiao was the first to object. "You're players—your survival rate is definitely higher than ours. As long as the enemy isn't stupid, they'll target us! And you're using the weapons we prepared!"
But the players showed no sense of obligation for taking the equipment. Kang Yongjie said, "Just some gear. We'll return it to you after clearing the instance, no big deal."
Wan Xiao was speechless with anger. Just then, Zhuo Wangsun reminded them, "It looks like they've stopped shooting."
"Maybe we should all lie down for now," the female player suggested. "Let's figure out a plan before getting back up. Standing here is just asking to be a target."
Everyone crouched down on the spot. To be safe, most of them lay flat, using their brought items as shields on the side to protect their heads.
Zhuo Wangsun looked at the shooting marks not far away and frowned. "Don't you think it's a bit strange? Judging by the angles of the five shots, they don't seem to come from the same place."
"What's so strange about that? The enemy just moved after each shot," the female player said.
"It is a bit odd," Siming agreed. "Think about it carefully. If they were using a sniper rifle, whether standing or lying down, missing us wouldn't land the bullet that close to us. Trace the bullet's trajectory backward..."
He paused. He hadn't noticed which direction the bullet had come from.
"It was Old Five," the female player reminded him. "That bullet almost hit him, but he dodged it."
Everyone looked at Xu Huo in surprise. After a moment, Siming added, "Then based on where we were standing, the bullet should have come from diagonally above!"
"How could it be from diagonally above?" one of Yi Mao's men instinctively looked up. "There's no one in the sky. Besides, the Cleanup Zone doesn't allow large machinery or aircraft to enter..."
Before he could finish, a burst of shots tore through his back!
Amidst the smoke from the gunfire, the people lying on the ground scrambled to their feet and fled in panic, running in whatever direction they could.
Yi Mao and Wan Xiao originally had ten people, then Xu Huo's group of four joined, followed by Kang Yongjie and Hao Mei, making sixteen in total. But in just those few minutes, five had been killed. Now there were eleven left, and they had split into three groups.
Zhuo Wangsun, Siming, and the female player chose the same direction and took one of Yi Mao's team members with them. It wasn't exactly honorable, but if someone was really using items or traits to kill, sticking together was just waiting to die. It was better to split the enemy's fire.
Kang Yongjie and Hao Mei's primary target was Yi Mao, and they even clashed with the two players protecting him. But before they could settle the fight, they were scattered by the next round of gunfire. Liang Song took the chance to whip out a skateboard item, scooping up the two of them and flinging them over ten meters away!
Realizing they couldn't get back to grab Yi Mao, the pair turned and chased after Zhuo Wangsun's group of four.
Yi Mao's original team had suffered heavy losses—five dead, one taken hostage, leaving just four including him.
Xu Huo followed behind them, noticing that the bullets kept chasing their footsteps. He glanced at the sky behind them and said, "It sounds like there's something up there. Could it be some kind of invisible device?"
Liang Song, who was protecting Yi Mao up front, turned around and leaped into the air. Pushing his palms forward—each with a metal piece attached—a bolt of lightning shot out. He had clearly heard the sound getting closer too.
But just then, a strong wind swept across the Gobi, and a massive cloud of yellow sand surged toward them, instantly blinding everyone!
Bracing against the wind, the group saw the heavy sandstorm rolling in and abandoned any thought of figuring out where the bullets were coming from. They just ran as fast as they could.
Yi Mao and Wan Xiao couldn't keep up with the players' speed and stamina, so Liang Song and Yue Weiping had to carry them on their backs. Liang Song glanced back at Xu Huo and saw he had fallen behind. As the sandstorm intensified, his figure grew even more blurred.
"Forget it, he can't keep up," Yue Weiping said. "Let's hurry. If the sandstorm gets worse, we might all get buried here."
"I knew those players couldn't be trusted! Not only did they run off on their own, but they even kidnapped Xiao Qi!" Wan Xiao complained. Then he added, "But the Cleanup Zone is huge. Without a map, they can't even get out of the swamp zone!"
The four didn't waste any more time. They sped away from the storm's center before the sandstorm grew even larger.
Xu Huo was right behind them. Watching them disappear into the distance, he shook the line in his hand and pulled down whatever was tangled above.
The faint mechanical sound became clearer, and the line grew tauter. One end was in his hand, while the other swayed in empty air—definitely an invisible weapon. But before he could grab it, a crackle of electricity came from the device. From just two or three meters away, it self-destructed!
Using a defense item to block the flying debris, Xu Huo turned to look at the object on the ground. It was unrecognizable now, the remaining parts charred black, with a twisted gun barrel lying beside it.
He casually poked through the wreckage and found a small serial number tag, probably the weapon's model.
The sandstorm was getting worse. Xu Huo packed the debris, tied it to his waist, activated "Oxygen Supply," and went after Yi Mao's group.
After running at full speed for over ten minutes, he spotted their figures in the distance. They were about to leave the sandstorm's range. Yi Mao and the others were surprised to see him. Liang Song said, "We thought you got lost in the sandstorm."
"Not quite," Xu Huo replied, looking ahead. "How far are we from the swamp zone?"
"About two and a half hours. If we pick up the pace, maybe two hours." Yi Mao studied him warily. "You still plan to come with us?"
Xu Huo pretended not to notice. "What choice do I have? I don't have a map."
Yi Mao hesitated, then took the initiative to send him the map of the swamp zone. "Players should be able to complete the first two tasks in the swamp zone, but I've never heard any other player mention the third task."
Xu Huo smiled. "Thanks."
He thanked him but made no move to leave.
Yi Mao gave Liang Song a look, and the latter walked over and said, "Brother Old Five, if you're still willing, we can travel together. But let's make it clear upfront—no backstabbing. If anything like what happened with Kang Yongjie and Hao Mei happens again, I won't go easy on you!"
(Chapter End)