Chapter 598: Forcible Suppression by Force
"Too arrogant!" A player from Brother Liang's side leaped onto the plank bridge leading to the lake center. Using a shield item to block the converging bullets, he charged through two-thirds of the distance in one breath, then hurled a metal pellet toward the lake center. When purple smoke sprayed out, the two robed gunmen blocking his front were knocked unconscious.
But just as he was about to step onto the lakeside clubhouse, two grenades flying in from a distance exploded directly on the plank bridge. The violent impact sent him and his item flying several meters away. Before he could land, another round of fierce gunfire erupted from the lakeside clubhouse!
"Dazzling Chaos!" Two players on the lakeshore rushed forward to rescue him. One threw out a flash sphere to confuse the others' vision, while the other caught the falling man and stomped his foot. The planks of the bridge quickly stood up, forming multiple shields in front of them, barely weathering the impact.
At the same time, several players from Brother Liang's side who arrived later ran into the First Association's rescue team for Tan Yang. The two groups launched an attack from the other side of the lake, instantly drawing away some of the enemy's firepower.
Once again, dense bullet barrages and powerful grenades cut the attacks from both sides short. They couldn't even reach the lakeside clubhouse, let alone rescue anyone!
"The firepower is too intense!" On Xu Huo's side, the three players managed to escape safely, with only the first one injured by shrapnel. But with his enhanced body and timely use of a Self-Healing Agent, the bleeding stopped and there was no major issue.
"How are we supposed to get across?" Huang Junjie had already spotted Tan Yang and Pu Kang. "Among those at the table, there should be Sima Xiao'er. No idea if they're dead or alive."
"Alive." Xu Huo stood behind a tree, observing the situation at the lakeside clubhouse.
The clubhouse was more than seventy meters from the shore, far beyond the effective range of ordinary items. To actually engage in combat, players on the shore would have to charge onto the clubhouse.
There were only four plank bridges around the clubhouse. Even though most players had evolved, they couldn't freely walk on water or in the air, so most had to use the bridges. The Twin Serpents players were suppressing them with heavy firepower without consuming their own traits or items. If this stalemate continued, casualties would soon appear.
Moreover, the Twin Serpents had more players than those on the shore. If they couldn't turn the tide quickly and instead let the gunfire drain the shore players' items and traits, even a safe retreat would be difficult.
"Is this all the First Association sent?" Over there, Xiao Zhang had finished a call with his companion and looked at Huang Junjie in disbelief. "The First Association is said to have hundreds of players!"
Huang Junjie's face was grim. "I have no real power in the association. I can't sway anyone."
Only the earliest group of players had gathered through the personal charisma of Tan Yang and a few others. When Tan Yang went to Flower City to recruit Xu Huo, that group was the core team—those who shared hardships with him. The later joiners mostly came for the reputation of the First Association. They had their own cliques. Even if they had some loyalty to the association, they wouldn't necessarily risk their lives to rescue someone. It was already good that they showed up.
To put it bluntly, if Tan Yang died, plenty of people were waiting to take over.
"Since things have come to this, there's no use talking about it anymore." Abel said, "Let's think practically. Either we break through, or we retreat. Otherwise, once our items run out, we won't even be able to escape."
The lakeside clubhouse paused its shooting, and the sound of reloading echoed continuously. The players lurking nearby saw another group of robed figures appear, dragging several boxes of ammunition... A good opportunity!
Simultaneously, several players attacked from different directions. A fireball plummeted from the sky, smashing toward the ammunition boxes. At the same time, a nearby robed figure suddenly turned and fired at the boxes, and the guns of several other robed figures beside him exploded!
Chaos erupted at the lakeside clubhouse. Seeing an opening, other players emerged from behind the trees one after another. But within just a few seconds, a gray-robed figure flashed to the side of the ammunition boxes. With a flick of his hands, a row of silver metal plates automatically surrounded the boxes. Then, raising his hand, the fireball burst into fireworks mid-air.
That wasn't the end. The gray-robed figure took a quick step to the lakeshore, hoisted a device like a water pump hose, and plunged it into the lake. With a loud rumble, waves surged more than ten meters away, as if a large fish was swimming underwater. But then the gray-robed figure lifted the hose—and a player was stuck in its nozzle!
That player's legs flailed outside for a moment before disappearing. The gray-robed figure put away the item and gave an order. The robed figures around the clubhouse resumed their frenzied shooting at the shore players. A few were taken down, but others quickly replaced them.
At that moment, a rumbling sound came from the distant sky—several armed helicopters!
Neither the First Association nor Brother Liang's side could afford such a display. The Twin Serpents' earlier lavish use of ammunition like stones had already shown their extraordinary background. There was no need to guess whose reinforcements these helicopters were!
"No wonder the Twin Serpents grew so fast without leaving a trace..." Tan Yang's heart sank. He looked at the smug Young Master Qiu. "Aren't you afraid the Special Defense Department will target you for slaughtering players like this? Players are the nation's most important asset right now."
Young Master Qiu slapped the table and laughed. "Our country has nothing else, but it has plenty of people. Killing a few players won't hurt anyone."
"Besides, these clueless fools dared to oppose the Twin Serpents and ruin my fun. They deserve to die."
He spoke of human lives as if they were nothing. Then he called out to the gray-robed figures outside, "Hurry up and finish this. I want to eat."
There were ten gray-robed figures in total at the lakeside clubhouse, all gathered around Young Master Qiu. Two had gone out earlier. Now, hearing his command, four more stepped out of the clubhouse. A total of six gray-robed figures, under the cover of the robed gunmen, advanced toward the lakeshore.
Huang Junjie watched the two gray-robed figures heading straight for them and retreated in fear. "They've definitely undergone rigorous training. They're experienced and well-equipped. We're no match!"
The players with him began to waver, but Xiao Zhang and his group showed no fear, charging straight out. Guan Zuhong pressed his hands to the ground, and the mud on the shore surged, sticking to the feet of the gray-robed figures who had just landed. Then Xiao Zhang threw out a white sphere. "Absolute Focus!"
The white sphere passed between the two gray-robed figures, and their gazes involuntarily followed it. Meanwhile, other players attacked from left and right, aiming for their backs!
But this coordinated assault failed. The gray-robed figures quickly broke free from the trait and item controls. One grabbed a fan and blew the nearby players into a dizzy mess, while the other drew his gun.
The players steadied themselves in the gale, ready to press the attack. But the gray-robed figure with the gun attached a strange item to it, and the bullets it fired had the power of bombs. Two players were immediately severely injured!
Seeing this, Guan Zuhong threw out ropes to bind the two and pull them back. But the gray-robed figures clearly had no intention of letting them go. They broke free from the mud and gave chase!
"Help!" Xiao Zhang shouted back. But the First Association players had already retreated far. Huang Junjie and Abel hadn't left, but they remained motionless, their attention partly on Xu Huo. Seeing him still not acting, they grew anxious. Just then, Xu Huo, who had been watching the distant helicopters, finally stepped out from behind the tree. "It's about time."
(Chapter End)