Chapter 590: Target One Has Appeared

"Target One has reached the outer city, expected to leave the safe zone from the west wall. Squad Three snipers, move immediately to West Zone Forest Four. Squad Five and Squad Three artillery, hold position and prepare."

Squad Five was made up of close-combat experts, Squad Three of artillery and snipers. Xia Qing received the order and immediately raced at full speed toward West Zone Forest Four.

Before she even entered Forest Four, the radio crackled with a situation report: "Target has climbed over the safe zone wall, confirmed as a guilty flight, may be killed. Squad Three artillery, Gunner One, fire."

The instant the commander's order fell, the cannon roared.

Judging by the sound, the shells landed at least 3.5 kilometers from Xia Qing — she still had time. Sniper Xia Qing reached West Zone Evolution Forest Four, quickly found the best sniping position, and rapidly locked down several other firing spots. After reporting her operating range to the Squad Three captain, she raised her sniper rifle and took aim.

One explosion after another drew closer to Xia Qing. When she could also make out the members of the Sufeng Squad fleeing at top speed, her brow furrowed.

The person shielded in the center of the Sufeng Squad, clad in a black protective suit — though his build and height looked very much like Tang Zhengsu, and his movement speed marked him as a speed evolver too — was not Tang Zhengsu at all. Xia Qing was absolutely certain of this, because she had watched this father-killing enemy in secret for five years, and she knew him far too well.

This squad had been sent out by Tang Zhengsu to probe the situation!

Just as Xia Qing was about to press the trigger, the radio cut in with an announcement: "Target One is not in the squad under bombardment. Gunners, keep firing. Half of Squad Five, sortie. Squad Three snipers, begin sniping. Night Heron, hold."

The other half of Squad Five and Squad Three's Night Heron had been held in reserve specifically to deal with Tang Zhengsu.

"Copy." Xia Qing replied, calmly observing the approaching Sufeng Squad through her night-vision scope and recognizing several of them. Trading blows with Squad Five's experts, these men gave no ground — for the moment, neither side could prevail.

This was the combat power of Hui Three's number-one battle squad.

Where was Tang Zhengsu? Was he planning a feint, or had he sent these men as an advance party, with himself to follow?

Two minutes later, the commander issued another order: "Fifteen people have scaled the east wall and fled the safe zone, moving fast eastward. Squad Two, prepare to sortie. Squad Four snipers, cover."

"Squad One, send out recon birds. Monitor the east and west evolution forests for hidden helicopters."

He went east?

Damn!

While Xia Qing was cursing under her breath, she heard a sound from heaven:

"Another twenty people carrying heavy weapons have scaled the west wall and fled the safe zone. Gunners, relocate immediately. Squad Three snipers, cover."

The enemy carried heavy weapons — meaning they also had grenade-launcher-type weapons capable of firing shells. The previous bombardment had already exposed Squad Three's gunner positions; if they didn't move, they would become living targets.

Soon, both sides were trading artillery fire.

In the firelight, Xia Qing spotted Tang Zhengsu — wearing a full Level-4 field protective suit, mixed in among the fifteen-man squad — and her eyes lit up.

The radio crackled with an order: "In the fifteen-man squad, sixth from the left, confirmed as Target One. Squad Three Night Heron, begin sniping."

"Night Heron copies."

Xia Qing lowered her head, leaned into the rifle, and took aim.

The instant Tang Zhengsu stepped into her range, Xia Qing's first bullet of the night left the chamber and streaked straight for his protective visor.

After firing, Xia Qing immediately leapt down from the four-meter-plus tree, rolled once, and rose to her feet. As she ran toward her second chosen firing point, a shell exploded and snapped the tree she had just been hiding in.

Just as she'd expected, the Sufeng ranks included sniping experts and gunners.

Xia Qing lay prone behind a rock and took aim with her rifle again. Even while moving fast, the Sufeng team members kept Tang Zhengsu tightly shielded in their center — but there were still gaps.

Second shot!

After firing, Xia Qing immediately ran to the next firing point.

The bullet grazed his visor and flew past. Tang Zhengsu burst out cursing, "Luo Pei! I'm going to wreck your whole damn family! Mato, go kill that bastard for me!"

"Yes." Mato, a Level-6 speed-and-stamina evolver of the Sufeng battle squad, unfolded his collapsible body shield and charged forward under covering fire from his teammates.

"Brother Su, Luo Pei is in the inner city — that guy definitely isn't Luo Pei. This is bad!" Another Sufeng squad member was panicking. The military and Green Dragon's main force had all been trapped in the inner city by their schemes. So who was that deadly sniper in the western evolution forest? And where had these terrifying gunners come from?

Tang Zhengsu only suspected it, and also felt it couldn't possibly be Luo Pei. "Doesn't matter if he is or isn't — kill him first."

Watching the build of the Sufeng squad member charging toward her last hiding spot through the artillery fire, Xia Qing recognized his identity: Sufeng's Mato, Hui Three's scum.

Perfect timing!

Mato advanced rapidly under cover from Sufeng's snipers and gunners, and pulled out a grenade.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Bang!"

Sufeng's artillery fire and Mato's thrown grenades exploded almost simultaneously, and at the same moment Squad Three and Squad Five launched a fierce attack.

But in Xia Qing's sector, she was the only one.

She was not in the least flustered. As the enemy rapidly bounded forward and pulled out a fourth grenade to throw at her, Xia Qing hurled the bundle of clothes she had prepared around a rock.

Mato took the bait. The instant he turned and threw his grenade at the fleeing shadow, Xia Qing squeezed the trigger.

Bang!

The bullet struck Mato's visor just below the ear — a clean headshot.

Then Xia Qing rolled several times in quick succession and hurried to her next hiding spot.

"Luo Pei!"

"It's Luo Pei!"

"Luo Pei's here!"

Watching Mato get dropped by a single headshot, the Sufeng squad members dodging artillery and bullets alike trembled as they shouted.

Luo Pei — Hui Three's top sniper, the reaper of long-range kills — he was supposed to be locked down tight in the inner city. How could he have appeared in the evolution forest ahead of them?

If Luo Pei was here, then top speedster Yang Jin must be here too!

Should they change direction and flee? But if they did, what about the supplies and weapons they had hidden in the forest ahead?

Xia Qing's single shot shattered the Sufeng squad's morale.

"Azheng, Old Hong, come with me to kill him. The rest of you, don't break formation — keep pushing forward." The man who had been cursing a moment ago was now perfectly calm as he sprinted toward the evolution forest ahead.

Unless they killed Luo Pei and Yang Jin, none of them would escape whole!

Once Tang Zhengsu started running, his speed was well beyond Level Seven — and the two men beside him were also terrifyingly fast. They had probably taken Yi Element Stimulant!

There was no time to flee. Xia Qing calmly raised her rifle and took aim at Tang Zhengsu.

Just then, a familiar and calm voice came through Xia Qing's walkie-talkie: "Heron, retreat quickly toward three o'clock. All gunners, shift fire to the western fifth evolutionary forest. Begin bombardment based on the laser-designated coordinates."

It was Xie Yu's voice—the Green Dragon's people had finally arrived!

Without a moment's hesitation, Xia Qing abandoned her sniping position and sprinted desperately toward three o'clock.

But her speed was far inferior to that of Tang Zhengsu and the other two. By the time she could clearly hear the footsteps of the pursuers behind her and on both flanks, an even more familiar voice rang in her ear:

"Heron, drop."