Chapter 110: Sniper Showdown, Hunter and Prey

Chapter 110: Sniper Showdown, Hunter and Prey

"How many people accompanied Lin Zeyu?"

As they drove, Lu Heng began asking some crucial questions.

"Wang Xiangfeng went with him. The boss said it was just to pick up something, and it didn't require many people," the company manager's voice replied through the communication channel.

Lu Heng continued, "Why pick up something so late? It's obviously past working hours at this time."

It was already past nine in the evening, and normally, one shouldn't be picking up things at this hour.

"The accounts were only finalized shortly before closing. Zhizhen was supposed to hand over the item tomorrow. However, the boss was in a hurry and insisted on getting it tonight to avoid any potential issues," the manager explained.

Lu Heng pondered for a moment and asked, "How many people know he's going to pick something up, and what it is?"

Throughout the conversation, Lu Heng never mentioned the words 'team contract.'

From the brief exchange, he had gathered a crucial piece of information.

Lin Zeyu had decided on a whim to pick up something tonight, meaning it wasn't a premeditated trap but a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Furthermore, very few people could pose a threat to Lin Zeyu at this stage, especially with Wang Xiangfeng by his side.

This meant that the attackers were likely an organization or a powerful force.

And this force knew that Lin Zeyu was going to retrieve the team contract.

Lin Zeyu had decided to get it tonight on a whim.

From this, one could deduce that someone within the Universe Corporation was leaking information to the attackers.

It wasn't unusual for one or two employees out of the over a thousand in the Universe Corporation to be bought by other financial groups or forces.

Now, the question was how many people knew that Lin Zeyu was going to retrieve the team contract tonight.

"Well... When the boss called Wang Xiangfeng, many people in the company saw it, but he didn't say what he was going to pick up. Whether anyone guessed it, I can't say for sure," the manager replied uncertainly.

After hearing this, Lu Heng knew that catching the insider was not a priority right now. The urgent task was to find Lin Zeyu, and there would be plenty of time later to deal with the insider.

Lu Heng thought for a moment and asked, "Since Lin Zeyu could send a distress signal, does he have a locator on him?"

Manager: "Yes, I'm in the company's server room monitoring it. The boss's location is in Jiangbin Park, near the View River Pavilion."

Lu Heng continued, "Is the location moving?"

Manager: "No movement. It hasn't moved for several minutes now."

Lu Heng then asked, "Muyu, has the Scout Eagle arrived?"

Su Muyu: "Almost there. Jiangbin Park is already within sight. I spotted Lin Zeyu's car crashed into the guardrail on the Embankment Road. There's no one in the car."

The Scout Eagle had enhanced vision, equivalent to having an 8x scope, so while flying in the sky, it could observe ground conditions from a distance of three to four kilometers.

Lu Heng started assigning tasks, "Good. Check near the View River Pavilion in Jiangbin Park and look for any signal devices used for location tracking."

Su Muyu: "I can't see anything too small, but I spotted three people near the pavilion. They're psychics, searching for something."

Lu Heng frowned and asked, "Are they from the Universe Corporation?"

Manager: "No, our people haven't arrived yet."

Lu Heng's frown deepened, "There's an insider in the server room. Cut off communication access for everyone except me and Su Muyu. Keep Lin Zeyu and Wang Xiangfeng's communication access, and if they contact us, I need to know immediately."

If the psychics searching at the View River Pavilion weren't from the Universe Corporation, they were likely the attackers.

And since Lin Zeyu's location was at the View River Pavilion, which only those in the server room knew, there must be an insider there.

Manager: "Okay. Quick! Do as Mr. Lu says. Everyone in the server room, hand over all communication devices, and no one is allowed to leave this room!" The manager immediately began making arrangements.

Lu Heng considered for a moment and said, "Inform Ironblood. With such a commotion in the city, they'll definitely get involved."

Manager: "Okay. I'll notify the Ironblood Investigation Bureau right away."

After a while,

Su Muyu's voice came through, "The Scout Eagle has reached the View River Pavilion in Jiangbin Park. Those three people found something in the bushes—it's a communication device. They're about to leave. Should I stop them?"

Lu Heng made a quick decision, "You can try, but you don't have to stop them. Just injure one of them."

By capturing an injured attacker and interrogating them, they could obtain more useful information.

Currently, they didn't even know who their opponent was, and everything was a guess, putting them in a very passive position.

Lin Zeyu's communication device was in the bushes, discarded after sending the distress signal.

This indicated that he had realized there was an insider in the company, so he threw away the device, as it could reveal his location.

By discarding the device, he prevented the chaos, likely finding a hiding spot.

Just then,

A voice joined the communication channel, "Hello... Can you hear me? It's Wang Xiangfeng. I hijacked a car and am now on the lower interchange of Coastal Bridge Three. Three cars are chasing me, and there's a sniper! Be careful of the sniper!"

Lu Heng quickly asked, "Is Lin Zeyu in the car?"

Wang Xiangfeng, panting, replied, "No."

Lu Heng: "Where is he? The communication channel is empty, only Su Muyu and I are left."

re

Wang Xiangfeng: "I don't know. The boss said there might be an insider in the company, so he threw away the communication device. He was hit in the leg by a stray bullet and might not have gone far. I had to hijack a car to lead the attackers away."

Lu Heng lowered his head in thought.

A few minutes ago, the attackers were searching for the locator at the View River Pavilion, indicating they hadn't found Lin Zeyu yet.

Three vehicles were now in pursuit of Wang Xiangfeng, indicating that the attackers were unaware of Lin Zeyu's location and could only target Wang first.

Moreover, there was a crucial detail: What was the attackers' ultimate goal? Lu Heng immediately asked, "Is the contract in the car?"

Wang Xiangfeng remained silent for two seconds before answering, "It's here, in the briefcase on the passenger seat."

"I understand," Lu Heng replied, grasping the situation. He ordered the psychic bodyguard in the car, "Inform everyone, at the East Interchange of the Third Bridge, support Wang Xiangfeng. The opponents have a sniper."

The communication access of the Universe bodyguard in the car was cut off, but there were other ways to relay the message, and the order was quickly passed down.

Lu Heng cut off these people's communication access to prevent the mole from obtaining firsthand information.

Su Muyu asked, "What about me? Where should I go?"

Lu Heng instructed, "Come to the Third Bridge as well. Have the Scout Eagle search around the park for any signs of Lin Zeyu, and be cautious of invisibility."

All Universe vehicles changed course and headed towards the eastern interchange bridge. As they approached, they saw three vehicles chasing one, speeding down from the interchange bridge.

The leading silver SUV was incredibly fast, overtaking other cars on the road, causing them to honk their horns in alarm.

The three pursuing vehicles were not far behind, racing down from the interchange bridge with lightning speed.

At this speed, the slightest mistake could cause them to crash through the guardrails.

Just as the silver SUV descended from the interchange bridge, a black sedan suddenly emerged from a junction and collided with the rear door of the SUV, making a loud bang.

The SUV instantly flipped sideways, rolling several times before coming to a stop in the greenery.

All the safety devices in the SUV activated, and airbags filled the entire driver's seat.

The vehicle was severely deformed, but fortunately, the impact was at the rear door. The A-pillar on the driver's side was bent but not completely broken.

Bang! The car door was struck from the inside, and Wang Xiangfeng, covered in blood, tumbled out, his eyes dazed, clearly disoriented from the violent collision.

The front of the black sedan was also deformed, but it hadn't flipped over.

A psychic wearing a demon mask emerged from the car, walked over to the SUV, and dragged the briefcase from the passenger seat, only to find it empty.

The psychic with the demon mask, upon seeing the empty briefcase, became furious. He grabbed Wang Xiangfeng by the collar and lifted him, demanding, "Where are the items?"

Since the communication channel had been open the entire time, Lu Heng could hear this voice.

He had also heard the sound of the collision.

The voice asking the question had a peculiar accent, clearly not from the Xia Country.

Wang Xiangfeng, already disoriented, smiled and said, "It's behind you."

The "Demon Mask" turned to look, and saw a person rushing towards him at a speed beyond human comprehension, drawing a long sword that emitted a faint blue glow as he ran.

It was Lu Heng, who had jumped out of the car as it approached, activating the Gale Step's second-level acceleration, moving faster than a motorcycle.

The "Demon Mask" scoffed, threw Wang Xiangfeng aside, and drew a gleaming katana, holding it horizontally in front of him, ready for combat.

Lu Heng took a swift step forward, using the Seven Segment Sword Step's "Piercing Cloud Style," thrusting his sword towards the "Demon Mask's" throat.

The "Demon Mask" deflected the Aurora Blade with his katana, lifting it upwards to block the attack.

When Lu Heng used the "Piercing Cloud Style," he didn't exert his full strength, but reserved some power. In the instant their weapons clashed, he suddenly changed his move.

Reaching the Intentional Level in the Seven Segment Sword Step, or the near-Intentional Level, allows for the attempt of subsequent move changes.

Move changes require a level of control beyond the Intentional Level, as well as faster speed.

Lu Heng's swordsmanship had reached the latter half of the Intentional Level, and with his past life's experience, he could now attempt terminal move changes.

At the moment their weapons met, Lu Heng executed the exquisite move change, "Swallow Turn."

The Aurora Blade's sword light suddenly shifted, grazing the side of the katana, creating sparks, and then, with a flash, it pierced the "Demon Mask's" neck.

Blood spurted out, and the sword light sealed the throat. The "Demon Mask" spun and fell.

Lu Heng crouched down to check on Wang Xiangfeng, "Are you alright?"

"Sniper..." Wang Xiangfeng managed to say with his last bit of strength.

Lu Heng pulled him into the greenery, away from the sniper's possible line of fire.

Then, he walked back, severed the "Demon Mask's" head, held it up, and turned to face the direction from which the vehicles were approaching.

The Universe vehicles had also arrived, and a gunfight broke out between them and the pursuers in the three cars, with intense gunfire.

If the opponents had a sniper, the sniper would likely not be in the car.

Wang Xiangfeng had driven quite a distance, and it was unlikely for the sniper to catch up and get ahead of him. The sniper was probably somewhere along the route they had taken.

So, Lu Heng held up the "Demon Mask's" head, facing the direction they had come from, waiting for the sniper to take a shot, while saying in the communication channel, "Muyu, be alert for the sniper. He might be on one of the nearby buildings. He should be aiming for me."

The attackers were using katanas, and now that Lu Heng was holding up the "Demon Mask's" head as a show of defiance, the sniper would surely take a shot.

Lu Heng scanned the nearby buildings, waiting for the flash of the sniper rifle.

Time ticked by.

Lu Heng breathed heavily, nervous, although he had already thought of a countermeasure, facing a sniper rifle was still a dangerous affair.

If he didn't time it right, a sniper bullet could deal nearly 500 points of damage, and even with the distance, the bullet's power would still be around 300.

A single shot could be fatal, if not, it would still cause severe injury.

If the bullet hits the chest or head, not even divine intervention could save you.

Lu Heng's gaze was intense, fixated on the potential location of the sniper.

In the sky, an invisible reconnaissance eagle circled around, also searching for the sniper.

Huff... Huff...

Just as Lu Heng held up the head of the "Demon-Masked Man," standing in place for seven breaths.

In the middle floor of a building on the north side of an overpass, a spark of fire appeared.

It was the muzzle flash of a sniper rifle.

Sniper rifles fire supersonic bullets, typically with a muzzle velocity exceeding 800 meters per second.

In other words, if you wait to hear the gunshot before reacting, it's too late.

Because the bullet travels faster than the sound of the gunshot, by the time you hear the shot, the bullet has already hit its target.

However, light travels faster than the bullet, and by a significant margin.

Under the night sky, the flash of the sniper rifle was highly noticeable.

The moment Lu Heng saw the flash, he activated Shadow Traverse.

0.5 seconds later, the bullet broke through the wind and whizzed past, piercing through his chest and hitting the road behind him.

Lu Heng exhaled and immediately burst into a five-fold speed, rushing towards the building where the sniper was located.

At the same time.

Su Muyun also reacted, controlling the reconnaissance eagle to dive towards the building.

Just as Lu Heng and the eagle started moving, in that instant, on the east side of the Coastal Bridge Three's main tower, a second sniper rifle flash appeared.

Were there two snipers?

Lu Heng's first thought was this, and he felt a bit worried, but soon he relaxed, knowing that in the state of Shadow Traverse, he was immune to all physical collisions, and even if there was a second sniper, he wouldn't be hit.

However, no one else was hit by a second bullet.

Moreover, the flash on the main tower of the third bridge was elongated.

If you were the target of a sniper, the flash you'd see would be a circular point, but if it's elongated, it means the shot was aimed elsewhere.

Soon, Su Muyun's voice came through the communication channel.

"The sniper has been shot."

Lu Heng confirmed his suspicion; the second shooter had targeted the first sniper.

The identity of the second shooter was now obvious.

The building where the first sniper was located was only 800 meters away from Lu Heng's original position.

With his five-fold speed, Lu Heng reached the first sniper's position in seconds, confirmed that the sniper was dead, and then spoke through the communication channel: "Go to the main tower of the third bridge and get Lin Zeyu. The second shot was probably his."

Universe's support had arrived, and this attack was already a failure for the forces behind it.

So, after a few minutes of fighting, the remaining attackers scattered and fled.

Some were intercepted by Universe's psychics, while others escaped into residential areas, making pursuit difficult.

The reconnaissance eagle carried Lin Zeyu down, and they met up with Lu Heng.

Lin Zeyu, carrying the sniper rifle and limping on one leg, grinned at Lu Heng, "Well? How was my performance for the team assessment? Did I pass?"

Although Lu Heng had the ability to deal with enemy snipers, it was due to the enemy's insufficient strength. If faced with a stronger opponent, someone capable of countering the enemy sniper would be necessary.

Therefore, Lu Heng had to admit that Lin Zeyu's performance tonight was indeed impressive.

From being shot in the leg, to hiding, and finally counter-hunting the sniper.

These were indeed the qualities of an excellent sniper, and his shooting skills were impressive, with a headshot on the first shot.

In fact, Lin Zeyu originally had a competitive spirit, and before entering the Evil God's Graveyard, he had always wanted to form a psychic warrior team led by himself.

However, when he met Lu Heng in the Evil God's Graveyard, he realized that his strength was insufficient to recruit Lu Heng.

The appearance of the Team Contract at the Zhizhen Auction was a great opportunity to team up with Lu Heng.

Nevertheless, if Lu Heng only reluctantly teamed up with him because of the Team Contract's effect, Lin Zeyu felt a bit disappointed.

He didn't expect attackers to appear that night, but when they did, his competitive spirit surged, and after discarding the communication device, he hid.

While he was in the car, he was shot in the leg by the attacker's sniper.

Fearing that his blood trail would be tracked, he jumped into the river, swam to the bottom of the third bridge, and then used the Energy Grappling Hook to climb up the third bridge and onto the east side of the main tower.

Then, he began his counter-hunting process.

The duel between snipers was like two hunters hidden in the shadows; the first to shoot would expose their position if they missed.

So, Wang Xiangfeng's escape by car was actually a planned move to lure out the attackers.

However, the attacker's sniper was very patient, and didn't shoot even when Wang Xiangfeng's car flipped over.

It was only when Lu Heng held up the head of the "Demon-Masked Man" in defiance that he was forced to shoot.

Since this sniper shot first, his position was exposed, and the outcome was naturally Lin Zeyu's headshot.

"Alright, stop showing off. Hurry up and get your leg treated at the hospital," Lu Heng helped him into the car and had someone take him to the hospital.

After getting into the car, Lu Heng curiously asked, "Where did you put the contract?"

"Hehe..."

Lin Zeyu chuckled and took out the Team Contract from his pants pocket, saying, "Such an important thing, even if I die, I wouldn't let go of it."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end