Humanity Forbidden Island [Full Text] - 12

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Chapter 165: The Silent Howl of Hell

Two yachts, a hundred meters apart, glided side-by-side across the murky river like a pair of sharp ice skates, splashing white spray. Since both yachts appeared simultaneously, whichever one destroyed the radio first would give the other time to report the attack to the mother ship, revealing our presence.

I quietly observed and waited. Since the enemy had launched a search mission, it was unlikely they would always be running side-by-side. There were many tributaries leading from the main river to the mountain stream. Both yachts stopped at the forks, dividing their search areas and deciding on a final rendezvous point.

Seeing this, a flicker of relief crossed my anxious heart. If we could seize the opportunity, we might be able to defeat the scattered enemy one by one. The entire forest was divided in two by the river. One yacht headed towards the vanished Ghost Monkey tribe, while the other followed the first yacht's route towards the mountain stream.

He tore open a piece of chewing gum, popped it into his mouth, and slowly chewed to relax. His eye, pressed against the sniper scope, focused on the yacht that was circling closer. The five men on board were still in their Special Forces uniforms—three in dark green camouflage and two in khaki.

Except for the driver, the other four were poised to fire at any moment. A light drizzle, like silken threads falling from the sky, blurred the impending carnage. On either side of the Barrett sniper rifle, vibrant green branches dripped water, seeping into the gaps in the fresh grass tied to the barrel, as if afraid of witnessing the bloody hunt and eager to disappear.

The T-shaped sight in the scope pointed to the approaching boat, and behind the bright windshield in front of the bridge, the same radio equipment extended to the roof. "Merciful Lord, the evil soul is about to fall into your trap, becoming your eternal servant." A silent prayer escaped his lips as his index finger tightened on the trigger. "Bang!" A scorching bullet shot from the barrel, carrying a sacred mission, piercing through the fine rain, tracing a white line towards its target.

The metal antenna, resembling a yacht's antenna, leaped into the river like a frog suddenly burned by a cigarette. "Bang!" Another bullet followed, aimed at the plump, white-skinned driver. The windshield shattered, and a gush of crimson blood erupted. Before the man's face could even fall back down, the bullet had already pierced his waterlogged, fleshy neck, embedding itself in the right-side bulkhead, emitting a plume of smoke.

The small boat, already at high speed, was lurched by the heavy, dead man's weight, causing it to veer wildly, like a mad bull, hurtling straight towards the dense forest bank. "Boom... Clang!" Black smoke billowed, emitting a red glow, like a balloon bursting in the claws of death. The lives lost on board should have been lost as well, but these were highly trained pirates, and they all abandoned ship and jumped into the river immediately.

My high vantage point allowed me to easily spot them with my sniper rifle. If any one of the four pirates surfaced for air, a bullet would send him to his eternal slumber at the bottom of the river.

"Come out and breathe, breathe, oxygen is the chain around your neck..." I murmured to myself, my T-shaped crosshair scanning the shimmering river surface like a small net scoop for goldfish. The four men in the water, knowing they were under sniper fire, held their breath and swam underwater, afraid to surface for air.

Even with a deadly sniper rifle overhead, swimming across the two-hundred-meter-wide tributary in one breath was virtually impossible. My eyes pressed lightly against the scope, intently watching the river surface pattering like beans in the drizzle. I had to kill these four pirates quickly and accurately to buy time for the other yacht.

More than a minute passed, and still none of the four creatures surfaced to breathe. My heart sank. I guessed they had breathing tubes in their mouths, specifically prepared for this situation. If they scattered and fled, climbing to the towering peak, the advantage of being in the light would be reversed.

A spray of water erupted, followed by a struggle with their limbs in the air. The pirate in khaki camouflage had no breathing tube; he floated quietly on his back, his nose above the water like a lotus seedpod just emerging from the pond. In the gloomy weather and the turbid, shimmering river, it was difficult to spot such a submerged object with the naked eye. Unless they surfaced their heads, the size of a ball, the stalemate would continue.

The pirate's corpse, which I had chopped up with a dagger and thrown into the river yesterday, must have attracted a large number of crocodiles. Before they could disperse back to their territories, fresh human flesh would float to the surface, becoming a tempting feast. The other three, hearing their companion's heart-wrenching screams as the crocodile tore at them, realized their turn was next. They abandoned their stealthy surfacing and frantically swam towards the forest ashore.

They then realized they were caught in the middle of the food chain, with crocodiles beneath them and snipers on the surface; survival seemed impossible. A whistling bullet flew towards the pirate with the strongest backstroke, piercing his abdomen without resistance. The ferocious crocodiles were exceptionally sensitive to the smell of blood; they didn't care if their prey was injured, like a john not caring about a prostitute's chastity—the stronger the taste, the better.

The other two backstroke pirates immediately flipped over, switching to a dog-paddle and frantically swimming. Perched atop the high peak, they couldn't hear any commotion at the target location, but through the sniper scope, a silent yet audible world unfolded. As they paddled, their faces contorted in extreme panic, they cried out, probably pleading for mercy and help—"Don't shoot, help me!"

"Bang, bang." Two high-speed bullets decisively shattered their skulls, easily ending their lives from fear and the agony of being bitten. The splattered brain matter and blood were soothed by the heavy, persistent rain, returning to the origin of life. I pulled back

my sniper rifle, crawled back a few meters, crouched, and ran back the way I came. The raindrops were denser than before, and much of the green smeared on my face was washed away during the rapid movement. I grabbed some water-soaked grass, chewed it, and repaired my camouflage.

The other yacht should have reached the monkey tribe; I had to ambush them on the opposite peak before they reached the ravine entrance. I ran to a suitable spot to climb down the cliff, took out the grappling hook again, and steadily and efficiently lowered myself down.

At the stone steps of the stream, the top of the small waterfall was slightly flooded, and several large rocks that I had stepped on were now half a meter above the water. Switching weapons on my back, I held an AK-47 rifle in my left hand and a broadsword tightly in my right, and began to cross the stream from memory.

The churning water reached my knees, completely obscuring the large rocks beneath. Each jump filled me with trepidation, as if I were walking on water. One wrong step, and I would tumble into the deep creek.

Chapter 166: Changing Enemies to the Sniper Rifle

The swift current had already swept away those stubborn, dull mountain trout down the waterfall. They were at most startled, but for my massive body, it would be a serious injury or even death.

My rigorously trained memory could capture what I saw like a camera and store it in my brain. When sniping each other, I could detect the opponent's disguise by comparing changes in their features. The large rocks at the top of the small waterfall hadn't moved, matching my memory; when they moved to the middle of the stream, the tension increased.

The crocodiles' aggressiveness had been a great help earlier, but now that both my calves are submerged in water, if a lurking crocodile approaches, I could easily be bitten and dragged down by its sharp jaws. I can't hesitate any longer. The enemy's small yacht is too fast; if they rush into the creek before I reach the summit and fire my sniper, it will inevitably expose the location of the disguised large ship.

Even if Luya and Yiliang each fire a shot, it will only slightly hinder the enemy, creating the illusion of a sniper formation and increasing their fear. At such a high vantage point, even with Luya's exceptional talent, she can't possibly hit the target with a Barrett like I could. More importantly, the creek is narrow and steep, making vertical sniping difficult and exposing too much of myself. Therefore, if I miss the first shot, I can't fire a second, and I'll easily be sniped by the enemy.

The rain had been falling for an unknown period, perhaps a prelude to a downpour. The anchor chains at both ends of the large boat were unusually heavy, unable to be dragged to the foot of the mountainside and firmly tied to the trees. Currently, only a few thick ropes were used to secure the bow and stern to the bank, to prevent the large boat from floating towards the main river and being exposed in the middle of the forest if the water level rose rapidly.

Luck favors the cautious; I safely jumped across the strongest current in the middle, only ten meters from the rocky bank. Just as I was about to leap across to the other side, I heard a baby crying from a pile of rocks under a tree ahead. This sound startled me; on this primitive and wild island, besides Chi Chun's baby, there was no other like it.

I abruptly raised my AK-47 rifle, the thought of an ambush flashing through my mind, and my heart trembled: "Oh no, I'm going to be shot." However, the bullet didn't strike because of my defensive posture. If the enemy was lying in ambush here, I was doomed, but that wasn't certain. I had no choice but to grit my teeth and jump forward; keeping my legs in the stream was too dangerous.

Until I reached the rocks on the opposite bank, and there were still no bullets fired from behind the pile of boulders, I knew I hadn't been ambushed, and my heart, which had been pounding, immediately relaxed. Holding my fully loaded rifle, I went to investigate. If it really was Chi Chun's children, then they were in danger.

A large, reddish-brown salamander, nearly two meters long, had a small python's tail flicking in its wide mouth. Its small, beady eyes stared blankly at me. Its flat limbs, clinging to the rocks, moved weakly a few times, unable to run.

The salamander had struggled greatly to catch its prey; the large, struggling python was stuck in its throat and wouldn't go down. My appearance had worried the salamander, like a fisherman suddenly appearing during a fight between a clam and a heron.

We had a plentiful supply of food and had no time to concern ourselves with this wild animal squabble. I slung my rifle over my shoulder, put my broadsword back on my waist, and ran along the rushing stream bank. If the enemy's small boat were to swim over, the large rocks at the top of that small waterfall would surely cause them to run aground. However, the gaps between the rocks were large enough that they might be able to swim across if they were lucky.

Reaching the mountainside, which resembled a pregnant woman's belly, I swung the grappling hooks already wrapped around my hands and climbed as fast as I could. According to my calculations, the small boat should have left the area of the Ghost Monkey tribe and was now six kilometers from the ravine.

However, this time I completely miscalculated. When I was thirty meters from the summit, the arrogant roar of the engine came from the deep ravine below. I quickly pressed myself against the rock face, motionless, like a bat with its wings folded. A wolf skin covered in green strips and vines wrapped around my head camouflaged me well as moss or a clump of small trees.

On a small boat in the stream below, a gunner with a Barrett sniper rifle and an observer with binoculars looking up at the mountainside were searching the steep cliffs on both sides. I was intimately familiar with their professional methods of targeting, and despite the excruciating pain in my arms from the grappling hooks, I dared not move an inch.

At that moment, even the slightest movement—kicking off a small stone or bumping into a branch—would send a scorching bullet hurtling towards my back. Their accuracy was beyond question. The small white boat quickly glided past, and once I was certain the enemy was far away, I swiftly climbed the mountaintop, treading the verdant mountain ridge to catch up with the enemy who had outpaced me.

The pirates on that small boat were experienced sailors; given the steepness of the ravine, they anticipated the possibility of running aground or hitting a reef, and thus slowed their speed. Or perhaps they were waiting for another yacht that had already collided and exploded. This group of enemies may have heard the faint sound of the rising tide, but unsure, which was why they rushed here, hoping to rendezvous with their teammates within the allotted time.

The enemy yacht's slowdown allowed me to quickly catch up. I dared not peer down, not only to alert them but also to risk being shot myself. I gathered some brick-sized stones and threw them down the ravine to attract the attention of the slowly advancing enemy.

If the enemy was still carrying German G22 sniper rifles, those ranged weapons would only frighten Luya and Yiliang, who were lying in ambush, but wouldn't harm their delicate bodies. However, I hadn't expected that the second wave of pirates searching for their comrades would be carrying Barrett sniper rifles. For the two girls, the possibility of being shot had arisen.

As a last resort, I had to throw stones down to draw the enemy's guns to myself. I remained hidden on the summit, continuing to throw stones down. Although not the hundred-pound boulders that had killed the dwarf savages, these hard objects falling from such a height still produced a loud thud when they hit the enemy's small yacht, and could still seriously injure or kill them if they hit their heads.

The enemy below the ravine must be confused and bewildered; they couldn't determine what kind of opponent had appeared on the mountaintop. Perhaps it was just a few monkeys throwing a tantrum and retaliating with stones. If the enemy saw my face, the situation would completely change. They would immediately notify the mother ship, reporting an encounter with a ghost sniper.

Blue stones, falling vertically amidst the fine rain, did not force the enemy to panic and fire. Given their professionalism, they wouldn't fire randomly beneath the rocky cliffs surrounded by gunfire. Exposing their weapon characteristics and position would be the most fatal mistake.

Following the sound of the yacht's motor, I crouched down and followed them, picking up stones and throwing them forcefully in front of the sound source. This way, the falling hard objects might collide with the moving small yacht, scaring the pirates into crouching back into their cabins like turtles, greatly reducing their counterattack against Luya and Yiliang.

Chapter 167: The Reed Marsh Where Life and Death Are Stirred

"Bang." Reaching the open peak, Luya's sniper rifle suddenly fired. She didn't hit the enemy's radio device or sniper, only shattering the windshield of the enemy's small boat. "Bang." A counterattack sound came from the bottom of the ravine; it must be that Barrett sniper. My bloodshot eyes widened in utter terror as I stared at Luya, fearing she might stubbornly fire a second shot.

Luya, like a frightened mouse, hastily twisted her elbows and pulled back, burying her wolf-tail hat behind the rocky edge of the peak. A bullet struck the rock supporting her gun barrel, embedding itself in the branches on either side; the leaves were riddled with tiny holes from the debris, like caterpillars had crawled through them.

Across the misty, rain-shrouded mountain stream, I frantically gestured to Luya from the opposite peak, sternly warning her to retreat and take cover. The small boat continued its journey along the stream; its radio must have been reporting the sniper attack to the mother ship. Even if Luya didn't fire, and didn't disturb the enemy, they would still discover the disguised large ship and report its coordinates.

I continued running, managing to warn Yiliang to retreat just before she fired her first bullet. The small boat, like a startled bird, suddenly increased its speed as it traversed the stream. They knew that if they turned back, they would be sniped after reaching the mountain pass. So, the enemy had no choice but to go all in and rush towards the end of the stream.

"Bang." Yi Liang's sniper ambush fired, but she missed all five pirates, only startling the enemy. The enemy realized the second shot wasn't from the same person and mistakenly thought they were trapped in a narrow sniper formation. I stopped throwing stones and ran rapidly up the mountaintop, like chasing my prey.

The color and engine sound of this small boat were the same as the one I used to transport Chi Chun and the others to the basin valley. If the enemy rushed into the lake of the dwarf tribe, I had to kill them before they reached the shore.

The pirates below the stream, terrified by the sniper rifles on the mountaintop, kept increasing their speed across the water. The dense vegetation on the mountaintop severely hampered my running speed, and the engine sound under my feet gradually distanced itself from me. The five frightened pirates, as they passed the disguised large ship, picked up their radios again to report their coordinates to the mother ship, whose location was unknown.

I ran with all my might, and when I reached the summit of the large ship, the pirate boats were already far away. Luya and Yiliang were still hiding on the opposite peak, both carrying submachine guns. Apart from venomous scorpions and insects that were difficult to spot with the naked eye, other wild animals would have little chance of harming them. At such high altitudes, it was also unlikely that giant bears or leopards would appear.

The rain made the treetops overhead heavy, and the wolf pelt I was wearing rustled against the lower branches. Water droplets slid down like a market, soaking the small wolf hat wrapped around my head even more, but it kept me dry and warm inside, far from the discomfort I felt fighting on the high slopes of the forest.

When I reached the entrance to the stream and the valley depression, only a lone boat remained on the wide lake, shivering as if chilled by the fine raindrops. The five pirates were extremely cautious; as soon as they rushed out of the ravine, they abandoned their boat and plunged into the river, wary of the sniper rifles on the mountain pass.

Near the lake, lush reeds grew, stretching far from the shore. I lay prone on the mountain pass, a clump of wet branches obscuring my face, which was smeared with green sap. My murderous eyes peered through the gaps in the leaves at the vast expanse of green reeds waving in the drizzle.

It was here that we, Luya, and Yiliang had hidden, bombarding and sniping the remaining dwarf savages. The superior vantage point made it easy to spot the five pirates;

the rolling waves of green reeds meant that if any enemy dared to move within, the sniper bullets in my gun would immediately pounce.

Unlike typical pirates who panic and run away under the pressure of fear, these five men swam into the dense reeds and dove into the reed beds, like small fish on a coral reef—hard to spot as long as they remained camouflaged and still. A light drizzle fell, and the T-shaped crosshair in my sniper scope slowly probed for any clues.

The enemy had four American-made M16 assault rifles and one Barrett long-range sniper rifle, just like mine. My current position was on a lower slope, about 800 meters from the lake. If I exposed myself, the enemy would quickly form a sniper squad and flank me along the gentle slopes on either side. Hidden

in the reeds at the foot of the mountain directly ahead was a sniper rifle of similar range, a sight I greatly feared. Although I couldn't see the target, I knew that A-level marksman was undoubtedly peering down at the two small hills from among the swaying green reeds. I knew my situation well; a moment's carelessness would leave a hole in my cap, my brains spilling out.

Across the lake in the woods, Chi Chun and the half-naked women were crouching in a giant, suspended nest. Their food and water were still plentiful. Before I left, I instructed them to only confirm our presence by hearing one long and five short whistles. Otherwise, they were not to reveal themselves or presumptuously come out to greet me.

The five pirates had already informed the mother ship of everything they had seen, and the rest should have taken action. At least, they didn't know why they were being attacked. Even if Cang Gui wanted to double-cross them, he wouldn't act before seeing the treasure on the mother ship, prematurely revealing his murderous intent.

The longer time dragged on, the greater the chance of enemy reinforcements arriving. The five cunning men who had hidden themselves in the reeds made no move, giving me the slightest chance to shoot them. The enemy sniper rifles should be scanning back and forth between the two hilltops, picking up a leg-bone-shaped stone, taking out a small packet of fishing line from their back pockets, tying it up, and then quietly retreating.

I found a towering tree atop the mountain, aimed at its outstretched branches, swung a rock at it, and pulled the transparent fishing line to my original sniping position. After cautiously peeking out from behind the sniper rifle, I carefully surveyed the swaying reeds again, then began teasingly tugging the fishing line.

In the misty rain, the snipers at the foot of the mountain were also actively searching for targets, the branches tangled with rocks swaying like squirrel tails behind the dappled leaves. This unusual movement, imbued with life, was most sensitive to the sniper's scope.

The valley air was damp, the tall reeds swaying in the wind, and the sniper hidden within was lurking somewhere. He must be slowly surveying his target; we both wanted to pinpoint each other's location and take each other's lives.

"Bang, rat-a-tat-tat, tou-tou-tou..." With the sound of a sniper rifle, the five pirates scattered in the reeds revealed their positions. The nearly two-meter-high reeds were shattered by the bullets fired from below, their leaves flying everywhere.

The enemy's counterattack immediately exposed their angled ambush, with the sniper sandwiched between four pirates. Taking out the sniper with the first shot was nearly impossible; he fired and quickly changed position, barely managing to fire through the reeds, only exposing himself, his bullets unable to accurately strike.

Chapter 168: The Sudden Sniper Attack
. Four pirates, armed with M16 assault rifles, moved erratically, firing as they went, their green and khaki camouflage glimpsed through the reeds. A fishing line tugged at a branch, as if a sniper was climbing into the canopy. A dense hail of bullets flew from the foot of the hill, scattering leaves.

Unable to see the thin fishing line entangled in the branch, I cut it with my dagger, tied it to a rock, and tossed it onto another tree for camouflage, continuing to provoke the enemy and provoke them into firing.

The opportunity finally presented itself. A pirate dressed in khaki camouflage, his firing stance slightly elevated in a half-crouch position for easier aiming, was caught in a gust of wind that flattened the reeds around him. "Bang!" The bullet flew from the barrel the instant the T-shaped sights aligned with his ribs. The

scorching bullet traced a white line across the hilltop, pierced the dense reeds, smashed through the obstructing reeds, and embedded itself in the enemy's ribs below his arm. The automatic rifle immediately fell from his hand. The pirate suddenly seemed to drift off to sleep, his head bowed and he collapsed forward. The wind-pressurized reeds straightened, obscuring him once more. But his life, like a wild duck soaring into the sky, would never return.

The wind in the valley hollow, like a group of playful children running, whipped the reeds up and down, forcing enemies inside to panic and take cover, lest they be exposed from the vast green sea. After killing one pirate, I quickly retreated from my sniping position and ran towards the other side of the hill.

Using fishing line to pull on tree branches, I kept luring the enemy to fire, but the pirate I most wanted to shoot was still that sniper. "Bang." Another bullet flew from the barrel, hitting a pirate in green camouflage in the buttocks. I pulled the barrel of my Barrett from under the rocks and retreated quickly again, avoiding the sniper rifles in the reeds below.

Being hit by a Barrett at 800 meters, the bullet's impact force was considerable; the guy shot in the buttocks would have a hard time surviving. However, he wouldn't die immediately; the broken hip would make him scream in agony.

I ran back to the hilltop, reselected my sniping position, and aimed the scope at the reeds. The pirate, blood gushing from his buttocks, rolled back and forth like a turtle turning over, crushing countless reeds.

The T-shaped crosshair was still aimed at him, like when I sniped the female dwarf savage behind the tree, waiting for his companion to come and drag him down with him. The other three pirates, naturally aware of this trap, let the guy scream for a full ten minutes, his cries gradually fading until they disappeared, without a single one of them rushing to his aid.

I cut down a clump of low bushes behind me, tied the fishing line to it, then used a long wooden pole to lift it up to the treetop, before returning to my sniping position,

line in hand. The low treetop, like a sniper in camouflage, was crouching and twisting from branch to branch. This time, the two men with automatic rifles dared not recklessly fire using their semi-sights, instead placing their hopes on the sniper behind them. But the sniper behind the reeds hesitated to fire, and a cold sweat instantly broke out on my spine.

That guy was sniping from a distance, just like I had done in the woods. He carried a dagger, and must have sharpened a reed, holding it in his mouth to breathe, using the murky lake surface as cover to swim to the stream below the mountain pass, climb over the high mountain behind me, and shoot me.

At this moment, he should have been climbing to the mountainside to my right. I immediately got up and ran back along the ridge to the 1,500-meter summit. I climbed a tall tree and hid in its dense canopy. My wolfskin camouflage was soaked through, making the green stand out vividly, like leaves after a rainstorm. I gently extended the sniper rifle barrel, opened the black plastic cap on the scope, and waited for this sniper assassin to flank me.

A man clad in sniper camouflage, braving the heavy rain, carrying a Barrett sniper rifle, was running laboriously and quickly towards the summit. He had put on the camouflage before jumping into the water; no wonder it was difficult to discern his figure and position in the vast reed marshes.

He had a grimy face, a short, bridgeless nose, and large nostrils that resembled quicksand pits, making his features appear constricted towards the center of his face. Fortunately, he was white; if he had been a glossy black man, he would have looked like a gorilla carrying a gun running.

This sniper was physically imposing. Using my prone sniping position as a center, he circled around me from a radius of 300 meters. He intended to run to the ridge, climb a tall tree, count the number of snipers at the summit, and then shoot them one by one.

"Bang!" The bullet whizzed from the muzzle, and a surge of exhilaration welled up inside me. I hadn't felt this way when I killed the two snipers on the Canggui ship. From killing the first bandit in the red vest who landed on the island to this sniper kill, countless opponents had fallen to my ghostly cold fire. The blood-stained scene through the sniper scope seemed to guide an amnesiac back to their true nature.

This grimy-faced man, like a clumsy mountain bear, had just slung his sniper rifle over his shoulder and gripped the tree trunk to climb when a bullet pierced the back of his head. Like a repentant prisoner, he knelt on the ground, clinging to the tree, his broad right shoulder ultimately unable to support his upper body, and he collapsed to the ground beneath the tree.

Rain poured down on him, as if trying to bury the corpse. Thick blood quickly saturated the rags wrapped around the back of his head, seeping onto the cold, damp rocks. Eliminating the enemy sniper made dealing with the remaining two pirates much easier. Carefully observing the mountain walls on either side, and seeing no other pirates following, I slid down a wet tree and ran quickly towards the man with the smeared face I'd shot.

The back of his head, like a hole cut open to check the ripeness of a watermelon, revealed a hideous red flesh. I grabbed a handful of grass and forcefully stuffed it into the wound in his skull, then smeared mud, blood, and brain matter on his ugly face, obliterating his original appearance.

Two fleshy hooks pierced the corpse's collarbone, and I dragged him to the vicinity of the hilltop, placing him behind a clump of grass, making him hug his assigned sniper rifle in an ambush position. With everything arranged, I pulled the fishing line again, tearing aside the clump of branches blocking the corpse sniper's path, revealing his reddish-black face.

This exposure, like a live insect bait, deeply attracted the greedy bird. The two pirates hidden in the reeds could clearly see this easily killed sniper using their semi-automatic rifles.

They had only two options: either split into two groups, approaching in a V-formation, stealthily getting close to the foot of the mountain and suddenly firing to blow the target's head off, or remain motionless in the reeds, waiting for the mother ship to send reinforcements.

The mountain wind constantly blew across my body, and the small blades protruding from the sniper rifle barrel, like trembling tails, rose and fell in front of the scope. I took a deep breath of the cool air, quietly observing the enemy's movements. Once they were lurking near the foot of the mountain, lured by the corpse sniper, there was no way they could escape back into the reeds alive.

Chapter 169:

The two pirates crawling towards the remaining blades behind them, perhaps waiting for the sniper who had flanked them to the mountaintop to help eliminate the sniper's pursuit from above, ultimately dared not take the risk. Lu Ya and Yi Liang were still hidden on the other side of the peak, their safety unknown. Continuing the standoff with two enemies armed with automatic rifles was pointless.

I had considered finding a wooden pole, threading it through the buttocks of the corpse with the sticky face, propping him up at the edge of the mountaintop, and then using a fishing line to tether the corpse's arm to lure his accomplices out of the reeds, so I could shoot them from the right side of the mountain wall.

However, the enemy's rifles were equipped with semi-sight systems, making this scheme easy to see through. Moreover, once the enemy knew that the flanking sniper was dead, they would retreat even further into the reeds. I pulled the fishing line a few times to make the camouflaged branch in front of the sniper corpse swing more widely, drawing the enemy's attention from the reeds.

I slowly retrieved the sniper rifle hidden under the grass, retreated ten meters, and crouched down before running towards the right side of the mountainside. Taking advantage of the mountaintop sniping position to kill them was impossible; they understood the differences in formation and weaponry, unlike those ignorant dwarfs who would try to outshoot bullets with their outdated short bows.

The raindrops were no longer falling in a straight line; the mountain wind blew like boulders rolling downhill, making the bushes beside me falter, like a little girl covering her face and weeping. The rapid drop in temperature would make my arms tremble, hindering my sniping. I bent over, carrying my sniper rifle, and found some lush slopes to use as camouflage.

The reed beds were vast, almost extending to the foot of the mountain. As the vegetation thinned, it became increasingly difficult to find lush slopes to run downhill. I drew my broadsword from my waist, chopped down a short shrub two meters high and one meter wide, using it as cover to hop forward, pausing every ten meters to camouflage myself. After twenty minutes, I disappeared into the sea of green reeds.

Each reed, like a mature woman awaiting marriage, shyly lowered her pretty face, swaying in the wind. Countless purple stems supporting the reed flowers cut through the line of sight, making it impossible to see clearly.

The two pirates were probably still crouching in the reeds ahead, cautiously observing the exposed sniper corpse on the mountaintop, hoping their sniper team could break through the predicament. Hugging the edge of the reeds, I sprinted forward, lunging into the green sea.

The howling mountain wind and the pattering raindrops created a constant cacophony. Occasionally, a few wild mandarin ducks huddled together for warmth were startled by my green face as I passed by, and they flew away. Seeing my bloodshot eyes, even across species, they could sense the intense, fierce killing intent emanating from me.

The soft mud beneath my feet was unusually slippery, exposed by the rapidly receding lake level. I grabbed my AK-47 rifle from behind, held it level with my chest, and cautiously moved forward. Whenever the long, dense reeds entangled me, preventing me from advancing, I drew the dagger from my right calf and cut the soft aquatic plants.

Reaching the far end of the reed bed, I chopped off a handful of reed stems, cutting them into chopstick-length pieces, and held them horizontally in my mouth. This served several purposes: to reduce the sound of my breathing, to protect my cheek from the cuts, and, more importantly, to disrupt the enemy's initial thought process, causing a delay in their reaction.

I secured one dagger to the barrel of my rifle, keeping the other tucked to my right calf for immediate use in close combat. I raised my bayonet-equipped rifle, crouching low, and searched the reed bed ahead. Approaching a concealed enemy in a straight line would not only risk missing them but also expose myself.

The reed bed was over two hundred meters wide. I advanced in a zigzag pattern, avoiding the enemy while protecting myself effectively. The rain now felt like fine needles, seeping into the long, supple reeds. I kept my body low to the ground to avoid being hit by bullets flying from the reeds at waist height, a net of defensive fire.

Advancing and searching was extremely dangerous, requiring utmost caution, so my pace was much slower. After half an hour, I was just approaching the center of the reed bed. Suddenly, a strong mountain wind blew from the depths of the reeds, like an invisible hand caressing an animal's fur, bending all the slender reeds almost to the point of collapse.

The green strips of cloth on the wolfskin's back trembled in the wind, and the wolf-hat was pressed tightly against the back of my head. I quickly crouched forward, not caring whether my feet were in mud or water. The green reeds ahead, like a bowing hue, leaned collectively towards the hillside. Forty meters ahead, two pirates in camouflage were crouching in the reeds, holding automatic rifles.

They maintained a parallel stance, fifty meters apart, allowing for timely and effective coordination in both attack and retreat. After the mountain wind subsided, the reeds in front of them grew taller again, obscuring their view until only a dense expanse of emerald green reeds remained.

Both men, constantly worried about bullets flying from above and hitting them in the head, focused all their attention on the hilltop, especially on the dead sniper. I bit down on the reed stalk across my lip, crawling like a green-furred crocodile towards the enemy crouching on the right flank.

I didn't know if the enemy on the left flank had changed position, but the guy on the right seemed terrified of sniper rifles, afraid to move. The pirate who had been sniped in the buttocks must have died ten meters ahead of him. The screams and gushing blood before his death had severely frightened him. Sometimes, killing and death aren't the most terrifying things; the most devastating place on the battlefield is the line between life and death.

The lush, grassy lakeshore offered easy cover for escape. The two pirates had no idea how many snipers were on the hilltop; they also didn't know if they could be spotted by a sniper while running through the reeds. This situation naturally caused them great inner conflict. The sniper, who had moved to encircle them, remained silent, leaving them unable to determine their teammate's fate. Such circumstances were detrimental to their mental state during combat.

My limbs, lying prone in the mud, shifted their speed according to the wind and the slowing of the rain, inching closer to the khaki-clad pirate. When I was four meters behind him, I stopped, my bloodshot eyes fixed on my prey.

This guy's attention was still on the distant mountaintop, unaware of the possibility of being flanked. Now, all I had to do was aim at the back of his hunched head and gently pull the trigger of my AK-47 rifle, sending his skull flying.

There was one possibility I had to consider: the pirate on the right flank, upon hearing the gunfire, would immediately realize he was being surrounded by AK-47s. He might fire wildly in my direction or flee to another location, both disadvantageous to me.

I curled my knees in the mud, quietly crouching down, drawing the dagger tucked into my calf with my right hand, and slowly approached the man whose back was to me. He still held his automatic rifle aloft, occasionally glancing through the scope to see if the sniper on the hilltop had his gun pointed at his forehead.

Chapter 170:

The wind rustled the reeds, blurring the sound of my body rubbing against the grass, until I was a meter away from this guy. Suddenly, he froze, as if feeling an invisible pressure approaching his back.

Before he could twist his neck, I pushed off the muddy ground with all my might, and the left wall, like a suddenly attacking python, coiled around his throat. My rough hand covered his mouth, and my right hand, gripping the dagger tightly, plunged it into the neck muscle below his right ear.

The enemy, bound in my arms, shuddered violently, about to let out a piercing scream, when I slashed downwards with the dagger in my right hand, severing his vocal cords and cutting off any signal from his comrades.

Because my hand was covering the pirate's mouth, the blood that was gushing out couldn't come out; it could only spurt from his nostrils, slowly dripping down my fingers, falling onto the emerald green reeds, and splashing into the muddy water.

The pirate beneath me was whimpering, his breathing becoming labored and labored. The damp, cool air, carried by the mountain wind, rushed into his exposed trachea after his Adam's apple was severed, forcing the black, dark blood to gush out even more, gradually draining the life sealed within his flesh. At

the site of our struggle, some reeds were trampled down, and several river crabs, unable to withstand the torment, emerged frantically from the damp mud and grass, brandishing their bluish-black pincers, and scurried away. The guy in green camouflage had a very muscular body; without a sneak attack, it would be difficult to damage his physique.

His blood was rich and unusually viscous, carrying his warm body temperature and a strong fishy smell, staining the black mud reddish-brown. Even the loaches that burrowed deep beneath the mud were brought to the surface, their yellowish-brown eyes wide open, their black tails twisting as they searched for their new burrows.

The creatures here, growing and developing in a completely natural environment, were mostly much larger than the same species I had seen before. After the enemy was completely dead, I picked up his M16 automatic rifle, estimated the location of the other pirate hiding, and began a net-like firing.

Because the previous ambush had gone slightly wrong, the moment I covered the enemy's mouth, his finger on the trigger twitched due to tension, and a bullet was fired. The other guy must have heard the gunshot, but he couldn't be sure whether his teammate was returning fire towards the mountaintop or defending himself when attacked.

"Quack, quack, quack..." The dense reeds only allowed visibility of about four meters. The call of wild ducks came from my nine o'clock position. When I crept in, I kept an eye on the waterbirds in the area, but didn't spot any wild ducks or their feathers. The other guy hiding was probably using sound imitation to probe my position, hoping for a response from my teammates to confirm everything was normal.

I quietly retreated, offering no response, and reached a position parallel to eight o'clock. "Quack, quack..." The last pirate, not hearing a response from his teammates, assumed the wind and rain were interfering with communication and let out two more calls, unwilling to give up.

"Click," I pulled the safety, switched my M16 assault rifle to burst fire, aimed at the approximate direction of the duck's call, and the bullets whizzed through the reeds, snapping through countless blades of reed, like sperm breaking through layers of protective membranes, pursuing their prey.

"Ah!" A scream revealed that the enemy had been shot. I didn't stop firing, using my ample ammunition to increase the enemy's chances of death and protect myself and the women.

If the last pirate had already been hit and fallen, parallel fire would be unlikely to hit him again. Turning away to find Luya and Yiliang before confirming the enemy's death was too dangerous. A deadly sniper bullet could strike at any moment. I've caused countless tragedies like this due to carelessness or overconfidence.

Fighting in the dense, swaying reeds, one cannot rashly approach an enemy they believe to be dead or seriously wounded. If the enemy plays a trick, they will pay the heaviest price. The mother ship, having been notified, is coming to the rescue with an unknown strategy. If the remaining fighting isn't ended before their arrival, I can't confidently plan the next operation.

After hiding and dodging, I ultimately couldn't avoid the Sea Demon. This pirate ship is notorious on the high seas; they openly admit to robbing large shipments and individuals involved in high-profile attacks, demonstrating their arrogance.

Now, I can no longer circle back to the mountaintop to peer at the screaming pirate and see if he was truly hit by the chaotic attack or was deliberately creating a false impression to mislead me. As the lake receded, many withered branches lay stranded in the reeds. I picked up a thick stick, planted it vertically in the muddy water, and then stretched a fishing line along it, laying it fifty meters behind me.

Whenever the mountain wind blew, the reeds, flattened by the air currents, would bend slightly, making that cluster of extra, upright withered branches particularly conspicuous. I knelt in the reeds, rapidly pulling the fishing line, causing the withered branches to shake violently.

Just five minutes later, the sound of gunfire erupted. The pirate in khaki camouflage had indeed been struck in the left shoulder by a bullet; the hole in his clothing was soaked with blood. His earlier scream was no charade. This guy, like a crocodile, slowly crawled towards the shaking branches, intending to shoot the enemy below.

"Rat-a-tat-tat, rat-a-tat-tat..." Before his bullets could even reach the tenth round fired into the branches, I, sniper rifle in hand, rapidly shifted to the left flank. The taut fishing line in my hand acted like a comb, parting the fifty-meter-long reeds ahead, revealing the prone enemy through my scope.

"Bang." Just as the wounded pirate felt the reeds concealing him inexplicably tilt to his right, exposing him, a swift sniper bullet struck him squarely in the face he had just turned.

Though his face was filled with terror, it received no mercy from the bullet; his entire nasal bone was shattered, leaving a dark, bloody hole. I slung my sniper rifle over my shoulder, removed the bayonet from my Aka rifle, turning it back into a dagger, and rushed towards the enemy I had killed.

The fierce sniper bullet had disfigured the man's face, making it unrecognizable. I stripped him and the other slain pirates naked, obtaining some chocolate and beef jerky. It had been a long time since I'd had this special flavor of field rations. I wanted to devour it all, but I saved some for Luya and Yiliang.

I trampled the two naked corpses into the mud with my soaking boots. I found two more pirates I'd sniped in the reeds, getting a few small packets of beef jerky and chocolate. After dealing with all the bodies, I grabbed my sniper rifle and ran back up the mountain.

The sniper's corpse, used for camouflage, was buried under a pile of rocks, while his Barrett sniper rifle and camouflage uniform were hidden elsewhere. The sky had been overcast since morning; on a normal day, it would be difficult to tell the time. I glanced down at my left wrist at my spoils: a brand-new waterproof sniper's watch, showing four o'clock in the afternoon.

Chapter 171: The Wheels of the Storm

Thick clouds still clung to the sky, and the warm air mass blowing in from the sea made breathing difficult. At this moment, war was officially declared with the Sea Demon. Earlier, they were forced to kill one of their small boats, and now they had destroyed two more, which was enough to turn the pirates' greed into revenge.

The trees on the mountaintop began to sway in the wind. I ran along the mountainside, pondering my next move. The two little girls must be cold and scared without me by their side. I furrowed my hood, braving the increasingly fierce mountain wind, and ran faster, head bowed.

The Sea Demon wouldn't send out any more small boats; the terrain greatly shielded them from attack. The stream at the bottom of the mountain had risen noticeably; our large ship would soon be afloat.

In such terrible weather, it would be wonderful to be able to warm myself by the fire in the ship's main hall and eat roasted meat. The temperature inside the den where Chi Chun and the others were hiding had also dropped considerably; the scantily clad women could only huddle together, their soft, jade-like bodies enduring the night by snuggling.

The gurgling stream surged rapidly, so fast that even reaching the stone steps of the small waterfall, it was impossible to cross. Reaching the peak symmetrical to Yi Liang's, I climbed a large tree. Through the dim light of my binoculars, I observed the river's distant estuary and the crisscrossing waterways. Seeing no sign of the mother ship deploying small groups of troops, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Standing in the tree canopy, one hand on the rough, cold bark, the other cupped to my beak, I let out a sharp, hawk-like cry towards Yi Liang's hiding place a hundred meters behind. "Ugh, ugh, ugh-ugh..." This mournful cry of a raptor before a storm was sharp and desolate, like a mother bird searching for her chicks to return to the nest.

Yi Liang recognized this frequency and tone. Back when the large ship was anchored in the middle of the forest river, while teaching the two girls to snipe, I also trained them to listen for the coded messages used by their sniper partners. A short while later, from the misty, rain-swept opposite peak, a girl draped in animal skin and wearing a small wolf-hat ran towards my cry.

Yi Liang clutched her sniper rifle, her hair soaked through, water droplets constantly dripping from the willow branches. Seeing the girl safe and sound, my tense heart immediately calmed down. I slid down from the dense canopy, running to the edge of the peak, so she could see me—a strong man still alive, a man who had come from purgatory and was slowly falling into it again.

I stretched out my strong arm and waved to her in the rain, signaling her to keep running parallel to me. The rain, which had been so gentle, poured down harder and harder. Yi Liang covered her small wolf-hat with one hand to prevent it from being blown off by the mountain wind, while the other gripped the rifle strap on her sling.

Neither of us spoke, we ran forward with all our might. Lu Ya, hidden in the sniper position in the middle of the mountain

, must have been extremely anxious and frightened to tears when she saw the wind and rain suddenly intensify. "Hurricane." My heart sank, and I couldn't help but exclaim inwardly. A hurricane, like a giant dragon standing upright, swirled and rushed down the ravine, the rocks and branches on both sides of the peak being devoured by a vacuum cleaner, rushing into the abyss with a clatter. "Yi Liang, get out of the woods a hundred meters away, grab onto tree roots and lie down, quickly get out of the hurricane, hurry, hurry!" The heavy rain severely hampered my shouts. I stopped and waved my arms frantically, urging her to do as I said.

Seeing the huge column of wind rushing towards us like billowing clouds, Yi Liang was stunned and couldn't move. Her little wolf hat seemed to have been suddenly ripped off from behind, revealing her long, black hair and cute little head.

I pulled the AK-47 rifle off my back and fired at a boulder ten meters in front of Yi Liang. "Get back into the woods, run deeper, grab onto tree roots and lie down, or I'll shoot you dead!" A hysterical roar came from my chest, my bloodshot eyes almost bursting.

Only then did Yi Liang regain her senses, turn sharply and run into the depths of the woods. Only when I could no longer see her back did I care about my own escape. The hurricane was fierce, moving so fast it seemed to be deliberately capturing us. I leaped and bounded, barely making it twenty meters into the woods, when a powerful suction force arose from behind, pulling me down into the ravine. I

pulled out the rope from my waist and swung it fiercely at a large tree trunk to my right, trying to stop the hurricane's tentacle-like grip. The rope around my waist immediately tightened, constricting my spine painfully through the thick wolfskin.

To divert the pain, I threw out another rope with all my might, wrapping it around an adjacent tree trunk to distribute the force from both sides. With the second rope fighting the hurricane's suction, I could then throw out a third rope to further alleviate the pain in my back.

My body felt as if it were being constantly twisted by a pair of pliers with wire; my bones creaked and groaned, the discomfort worse than being strangled by a anaconda. The surrounding trees suffered the same torment, branches snapping and falling, swept away by the hurricane into the ravine. "Crunch, crunch..." If plants could express emotions, I think this would be their groans and cries.

I wonder if Luya, this girl, can be as strong when she's alone as she is when she's with me. A hurricane is like nature's roaring arm, its destructive power astonishing. The already dim light instantly turned pitch black.

The wind must have reached behind me; my lips could no longer close, the blowing was incredibly painful, like countless fingers digging into my mouth, tearing at me. The violent air rushed into my gut, my cheeks bulged like I was holding two steamed buns, my respiratory system's power frozen by the hurricane's destructive force, suffocating me to the point of near fainting.

Two full minutes passed before the raging wind finally subsided, my limbs completely exhausted in a very short time. I knelt in the woods, hands on the ground, my vision blurring, a wave of nausea washing over me, vomiting up streams of acidic fluid mixed with dust and leaves.

"I'm here, where are you?" Yi Liang's melodious voice, tinged with the impending tears of a young girl, called out to me urgently. Recalling years of wandering and fighting, living a life of being used and manipulated, Yi Liang's need for me was like a mountain spring filled with love, washing over my very being, nourishing my heart and cleansing my lungs.

I raised a hand, wiped the saliva from the corner of my mouth, grabbed my rifle, stood up, untied the ropes binding me, and jogged to the edge of the peak. When Yi Liang saw me alive through the blurry rain, tears welled in her eyes and streamed down her pretty face, mingling with the raindrops and sliding into the grass, seeping into the hard rocks.

My little wolf hat, blown askew by the hurricane, was hanging askew on my head, and my long hair was already soaked with raindrops. I shook off the water, put my little wolf hat back on, waved to Yi Liang, and we ran side by side again towards Lu Ya, whose fate remained unknown.

Chapter 172: On the desolate, tearful cliffs

at the edge of the peaks, the trees growing outwards, along with the large rocks that had broken and detached from the mountainside, were all swept into the deep ravine by the recent hurricane. Looking straight ahead, the vegetation I remembered looked like it had been trampled by tanks.

Now, as I ran, the obstacles were much fewer. Whenever a fallen tree appeared, its pale wood exposed, its countless thorns blocking the way, I would leap up, my legs tucked in mid-air, swishing past the leaves with a "whoosh," knocking away countless drops of water. After landing, I would continue running without stopping.

Yi Liang's body was weak and delicate, lacking the same jumping power and resilience as mine. When we encountered similar obstacles, I had to stop running, anxiously and patiently watching her. This girl hesitated for a while in front of the fallen tree, unable to find a way out, before carefully trying to climb up from either side, then cautiously climbing down from either side, and continuing to run with me.

The hurricane swept through like God driving a chariot, its massive wheels crushing the dense rain, causing the raindrops to no longer evaporate in a regular, straight line, but to tremble and swirl wildly like a nervous spasm. Running with Yi Liang to Lu Ya's location, I gestured for Yi Liang on the opposite peak to lie down and not rush to search for Lu Ya to avoid accidental injury.

I climbed a tall tree, standing in the outer canopy, and called out towards the direction where Lu Ya was hiding. The dark weather, the mountain wind carrying heavy rain, was like a conductor's small orchestra, surging and fluctuating with the turbulent tide of emotions. I stood on a rough branch, swaying up and down, left and right, like a turbulent wave.

I called out more and more urgently, my voice mournful and plaintive, but I saw no sign of a little girl with a gun running out from the opposite peak. If Lu Ya were still alive, she would surely hear the coded signal, but all I heard was the rustling of damp trees and the occasional rumble of thunder in the distance.

Recalling Lu Ya's innocent voice in my mind, but finding no response, I anxiously slid down the tree and gestured to Yi Liang across the wind and rain, telling her to lie down and hide while I climbed down the rock face to the other side.

I pulled out a few pieces of catfish meat cooked by Chi Chun, chewed them finely, and swallowed them to convert them into kinetic energy and warmth. In this terrible weather, descending the mountain was much more strenuous than usual, definitely consuming a lot of energy; otherwise, a moment of weakness or shivering from the cold could easily lead to a fatal fall.

The hook line was difficult to aim at in the wind and rain. Many trees on the cliff face, swept away by the hurricane's brutal force, were mostly broken or snapped. If the hook line wasn't careful and got tangled in these things, the consequences were unimaginable. Therefore, after each cast, I had to pull the hook line a few times to test the sturdiness of the attachment point.

There wasn't a single animal in the trees on the cliff face, like a fishpond that had just been scooped up by a fine net; where fish used to throng, now only still, rippling water remained.

Many lizards, lolis, and macaques crawling on the branches, along with bird nests in the twigs, were swept down into the ravine by the recent hurricane. Only those creatures that had nestled their nests in the crevices of the rocks seemed to gloat, continuing to sleep in their dry nests, oblivious to the raging storm outside.

Reaching the stream bank at the foot of the ravine, the water roared and gurgled, the heavy current like countless tiny hands pushing round boulders downstream. The small waterfall on the stone steps I had previously leaped across was now two meters high, impassable.

My heart, like the boulder battered by the current, ached with worry for Luya. I pulled out the small raft crammed onto my back, found a flat rock, and began inflating it to cross the stream.

To avoid hidden reefs and to prevent puncturing the fragile vessel, I ran upstream with the inflated raft, found a wide opening, and plunged into the water, clutching the raft. With a loud splash, high waves erupted, and my body felt like it had been thrown from an airbag, a strange, indescribable discomfort coursing through my body.

I quickly curled my limbs into the middle of the raft. The rushing stream had already carried me far ahead. I pulled out the grappling hook from my back, and as the raft veered downstream, whenever it got close to trees on the opposite bank, I swung the hook with all my might, like catching a galloping horse, firmly lassoing my target, crouching down, and twisting my body to pull myself to the other side.

The rain poured down, filling the raft quickly. As soon as I reached the other side, my bottom felt like it was sitting in a basin full of water. Stepping on the slippery marble surface, I quickly released the gas from my gear, folded it back onto my back, and picked up the hook again to climb.

The branches overhead, leaning precariously, held back the sharp raindrops, focusing their drenching on my head. To improve visibility, I pulled the wolf-hat on my camouflage suit back, squinting and straining to see the climbing route.

The process was incredibly difficult; the rain-soaked rocks and twigs scattered everywhere, threatening to injure my eyes if I wasn't careful. Pulling at the grappling hook with both hands, trying to rub out any foreign objects under my eyelids was a huge risk. Unfortunately, the captured glasses were dark, making the darkness even worse, so I had to hold my breath and climb slowly.

That girl, Luya, probably wasn't hiding in place; in this storm, she couldn't possibly be asleep and unable to hear her teammates' signals. The surrounding light was dropping rapidly, like a total solar eclipse in broad daylight. Right now, there was no need to worry about reinforcements from the Sea Demon. The harsh weather acted as a referee in battle, a single command halting the fighting, giving me ample time to prepare.

As I climbed to the summit, I could only see the outline of Yi Liang running towards me. Unless I used a moving light source to illuminate her pretty face, even the most beautiful features would be blurred in the darkness. Looking at my sniper watch, I realized it was almost night.

Just as I lifted my wet cheeks, Yi Liang suddenly threw herself into my arms, letting out a muffled sob. I pressed her little wolf hat tighter to prevent rain from getting into her neck, hugged her tightly, offered some comfort, and then took her delicate little hand, crouching behind some rocks in a grassy ditch.

"Try to avoid big trees, watch out for lightning. I'll go into the woods to look for Lu Ya. Be patient and wait for me, don't be afraid. I'll take you back to the big ship soon." After giving Yi Liang, whose eyes were red from crying, I turned and ran, but not too fast, afraid that I wouldn't see Lu Ya when I got there. If I lost this girl, in the vast, rainy forest, even if I shouted until my throat was hoarse, I wouldn't find her.

I climbed another large tree, straining to call out to the surroundings, letting out the mournful cry of a hawk. "Ugh, ugh, ugh..." The swaying trees around me seemed to have seen the little girl I was desperately calling for, but unable to speak, frantically tossing their hair and beards.

"Crack!" A bolt of lightning struck, like a white blade, slicing a large tree a hundred meters away in half. The sparks were quickly extinguished by the rain. "Waaah, waaah, I'm here, I'm scared, waaah..."

Chapter 174: The Cold-Blooded

Mountain Walls that Absorb Temperature and Every Plant on Them Wet with Rain. My rough, strong hands bore an excessive weight. Whether digging into the rock face or grabbing at branches, I had to exert twice the strength and be 100% cautious. If I slipped and fell, both girls would become innocent casualties.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..." Not long after we started climbing down from the summit, my wolf-hat was blown off my head, and jets of water poured down my neck, down my muscular back, and all the way to the heels inside my boots, sucking at my skin like leeches.

In the darkness, as soon as the fierce mountain wind showed any sign of approaching, Yi Liang and I stopped climbing, clinging tightly to thick tree branches. The feeling of being tossed and turned was like a frog clinging to the leg of a giant elephant.

"Crack, crack." The lightning on the summit was like a whip driving us down the rock face, lashing more and more intensified. Some of the large trees near the edge of the summit, already battered by the hurricane, were struck by the raging lightning and plunged into the ravine without hesitation, dragging rocks and broken branches down with them.

Seeing this, my anxiety intensified. The rock face I was gripping with my fingers was already slippery from the rain; my palms pressed against it felt piercingly cold, and the cold wind felt like it was stripping away my body heat even more.

Luya's little head, hidden behind her wolf-hat, kept rubbing against my chin. Her warm breath brushed against my cold, damp neck, making me feel the warmth of the outside world against the dark, chilly cliff.

Reaching the middle of this section of the cliff, I clearly felt the pull of gravity increasing. In the darkness, unable to see the path down, I might have strayed into a concave rock face. Yiliang was to my lower right. Several times, her body was suspended in mid-air, causing the rope connecting our waists to tighten suddenly. With a sharp pain, I broke out in a cold sweat. Only when her swaying body came to a stop and she clung to the rock face again did I dare to continue climbing.

This process required two people, one still and one moving, to climb down in opposite directions; if two people climbed down at the same time, the risk was extremely high. After more than two hours of arduous climbing, we finally reached the bottom of the ravine, where the rushing water surged downstream.

I untied Luya from my arms, and after a short rest, I carried her on my back, supporting her soft bottom with one hand and holding Yiliang's small hand with the other, running upstream towards the large boat.

The water level was rising rapidly. When we reached the large boat, which was covered with branches, the giant vessel began to sway. Fortunately, the ropes attached to the shore prevented it from drifting downstream.

I pulled out the raft hidden under the grass on the bank, pried it into the stream with a stick, picked up the now-sob Luya, and carried Yiliang onto the large boat. As soon as I opened the cabin door, I tore off the red gauze covering the moving light source, signaling to Yiliang behind me, and carefully crossed the intricate network of fishing lines to enter the main hall.

I lit the firewood in the stove, and the firelight shone on the two young girls. Their wet hair and fair, delicate faces were flushed slightly by the mountain breeze. "Take off all your clothes and hurry up and dry yourselves. I'll take you two to Chi Chun's place in a bit."

Lu Ya and Yi Liang shivered, their teeth chattering, as they quickly stripped off their wolf skins and the cloth clothes underneath. I added more firewood to the stove to increase the heat of the fire. The darkness and windy weather outside effectively concealed our smoke and fire. I also stripped naked, and the three of us, naked, huddled around the fire, drawing heat from it like cold-blooded animals.

Suddenly, I remembered something, quickly picked up my damp backpack, pulled out a few packets of beef jerky, and handed them to Luya and Yiliang. Under the orange-red flames, the beautifully packaged snacks gleamed, and the two little girls held them, their pretty eyes instantly sparkling with curiosity.

Luya, her nose red from crying, had slightly pink eyelids, and her crystal-clear lips curled up slightly with each sob. The way she carefully examined the snacks was both amusing and endearing.

The flames danced on the two girls' fair, smooth bodies, their four tender pink nipples clinging to the ends of their loose hair. Below their flat stomachs, the sparse and thick pubic hair remained as alluring as ever. The

warm firelight felt comfortable on their flesh, quickly drying their damp hair. The two girls' hair, like tiny hands loosening their grip on nipples, curled back up to their bulging breasts, as if reflecting on their actions.

Below their delicate little feet lay strips of torn food bags. I chewed heartily on catfish, setting up a rack over the fire to dry the clothes of the three of us. A circular bloodstain appeared in Yi Liang's pants; judging from its location in the crotch area, the girl was menstruating and couldn't run around in the damp, cold mountains with a wild man like me anymore.

I asked her if she was feeling unwell. Yi Liang, who was squatting naked, stopped chewing, momentarily confused by my question. "She had a stomachache the day before yesterday, and she bled when she urinated," Lu Ya answered for Yi Liang, munching on beef jerky with relish. This sudden explanation caught Yi Liang off guard; her cheeks flushed instantly, and she quickly buried her cute face in her knees, refusing to let anyone see it.

Most of the medical supplies on the ship were with Chi Chun; my backpack only contained a small emergency supply. I pulled a dagger from my boot, cut the makeshift bandage and splinter on Lu Ya's ankle, cleaned the cut with iodine, re-bandaged it with medical gauze, and found two smooth planks to clamp her ankle after she put on her pants.

Lu Ya was very close to me, but she didn't yet understand the reserve a girl should have in front of a man. While I was cleaning her wound, she was only concerned with sticking her slender fingers into the bag to scoop out beef, completely oblivious to the tender flesh between her legs that always revealed itself with a cry of pain.

The rain evaporated from our bodies and clothes, leaving a faint salty smell and the scent of young girls' genitals. I could clearly see that both girls' genitals were healthy and immune to vaginal discharge.

"Give me the medicine. Yi Liang's hand is bleeding too. I'll bandage it for her." I had just put back on my quickly dried clothes when Lu Ya, who had just finished eating beef jerky, said in surprise. I suddenly pulled my hand out from the sleeve of my green shirt and hurriedly pried open Yi Liang's small, clenched fist. Her pretty face still had a faint blush of peach blossom, but her soft palms and fingertips were covered with cuts, the blood already dried in the fine lines of her palms.

Chapter 175: Seven Soul-Binding Substitutes

took out the iodine from the small bottle and carefully cleaned it for her, asking her with a hint of anger if it hurt. "Was it when you grabbed a tree root to avoid the hurricane? Or when you cut yourself coming down the cliff?" Yi Liang didn't speak, still keeping her head down, silently enduring the man's reproach.

"If you get hurt in the future, tell me immediately, like Luya, who even if she gets bitten by an ant, she'll sit on the ground and cry her heart out." As soon as I finished speaking, Yi Liang burst out laughing, her shy expression disappearing completely from her pink cheeks.

"If an ant bites me in the future, I really will sit on the ground and cry, I won't get up no matter what." Luya retorted unhappily, stuffing the last piece of beef jerky from the food bag into her mouth and eating it with a victorious expression. "Yes, that's the right thing to do. If it's a poisonous insect sting, enduring the pain without speaking up will kill you." After wrapping Yi Liang's little hand with soft, hygienic gauze, I finally breathed a sigh of relief before slowly speaking to Luya.

I put on my raincoat and took a large amount of weapons and ammunition from the armory, loading them into the small boat tied to the stern. Although there were many weapons hidden on the mountain walls from the peak to the valley depression, I was still worried that this batch of weapons would fall into the hands of the Sea Demon. Their sniper was carrying a Barrett long-range shooting rifle, which was probably sold by Cang Gui.

Wrapping Luya's feet and Yiliang's hands in plastic, I carried the two girls onto the small boat and steered against the rushing stream towards the basin depression. Raindrops, like pebbles rolling down from the mountaintop, pounded against the boat's roof with a loud patter.

If I hadn't reacted quickly enough, I would have been a victim of that glued-faced rifle, and the two girls would have been trapped on the mountaintop, starving to death or being eaten by wild animals. No one in the world would have regretted losing these two innocent girls.

The roar of the engine echoed through the wind and rain. There was no need to worry about being spotted under the cover of darkness. The two girls, dressed in dry clothes and wrapped in tough, thick wolf skins, their stomachs full of high-calorie chocolate and beef jerky, were no longer shivering, having escaped the ravages of the wind and rain.

Reaching the large lake in the basin depression, the enemy's abandoned boat had long been washed away by the wind and rain to the reed marshes. I steered the small boat at its slowest speed, inching closer to the abandoned yacht that I had previously been unable to approach.

After killing the five men in the reeds during the day, I intended to conceal the enemy's watercraft, but swimming alone to the center of the lake to board the boat was too dangerous. Firstly, I was vulnerable to being bitten by water monsters, and secondly, I worried that if the pirate reinforcements arrived, I would be exposed, outnumbered, and the battle would be decided in a few shots.

Now, under the cover of night, I quickly hid the intact small boat, reserving it for a critical moment. Using the small boat's motor, I swung out two grappling hooks and quickly pulled the stranded boat out of the mud, bringing it back to the center of the lake.

After a few whistles towards the woods, two gunshots rang out. After exchanging information, I quickly disembarked and used a small raft to reach the forest bank. Carrying Yi Liang on my back and Lu Ya in my arms, with a portable light source covered by a red gauze around my waist, I ran towards the suspended nest where Chi Chun was hiding.

Although the dwarf savage's nest was simple, it provided excellent protection from the wind and rain. The women crouching inside were all dry, not a drop of water. I asked Chi Chun if she was cold, but she only hugged me tightly, pressing her soft breasts against my chest. I cupped her alluring face and gazed at her silently.

"The gunshots you heard during the day were me fighting with some invading pirates. Actually, the enemy's mothership hasn't appeared yet, but you can imagine their strength and power just from the small yachts they've sent out. If I unfortunately die, you must use the limited food to survive until the enemy leaves the island. Don't cry, let me finish."

I gently wiped away the tears from the corners of Chi Chun's eyes with my dry, hard thumb and continued to speak to her seriously, "Lu Ya and Yi Liang are both injured. You must take good care of these two little warriors. Even if I never come back, you will have a strong ability to survive. Do you understand what I mean?"

Chi Chun naturally understood the meaning of my words. She knew that before each battle, I would make preparations before throwing myself into the fight, becoming a killing machine without any burdens. "Let me go to the boat with you. I want you to love me again. I want you to possess me again." Chi Chun blinked her charming, tearful eyes and pleaded with me sweetly.

“Take good care of the two girls, make them brave and strong to survive, and don’t let them be captured and humiliated by the pirates. Remember, what those pirates take from women is far more than just sexual satisfaction. If it’s a critical moment, just shoot yourselves and enter heaven easily and holyly. Also, remember the code and be wary of the enemy’s information warfare.”

Chi Chun nodded hard at the head that was nestled in my arms, sobbing and falling silent. No one else heard our conversation. Lu Ya and Yi Liang had already climbed up to the warm giant nest and fallen into a deep sleep, exhausted.

After replenishing our medical supplies and ammunition, I promptly left Chi Chun and the others, actively preparing for battle under the cover of night. The small raft carried me close to the reeds, where I used my dagger to cut many thin, soft reed stalks. Back in the cabin, I quickly tied them into seven straw dolls, then put the camouflage clothing I had collected on them, creating soul-binding substitutes.

Dragging Lu Ya and Yi Liang up the mountaintop, all this trouble was to give the enemy a false impression, to give the mothership the wrong information, and to make them use the wrong tactics, so that I could profit from it. A sniper formation is an invisible fortress, which is the most troublesome for the enemy, forcing them to abandon the deal and no longer come rashly.

I glanced down at my watch; it was nearly five in the morning. I pulled a piece of catfish meat from my pocket, stuffed it into my mouth, and slowly chewed. Clutching my Barrett sniper rifle, laden with live ammunition, I crouched beneath a precipitous rock slab, my face painted a thick layer of green, my black eyes, yearning for battle, fixed on the darkness. The stream flowed hastily a hundred meters below me, as if unwilling to be seen.

Dawn was approaching; the thunder and lightning had lessened considerably, the downpour gradually weakening, returning to yesterday morning's conditions. If I was lucky, the enemy might not reappear, and we could live separate lives from now on.

The small boat that had come was still moored below the stern of the large ship. I had two fishing lines hooked onto the steering wheel on the cockpit; if the enemy rashly started the small boat and swerved, the grenades hidden in the bulkhead would immediately kill them.

Around six in the morning, braving the vertically pouring rain, I climbed to the summit early. The cool, damp air, mixed with wisps of white mist, instantly invigorated me. I began setting up the decoys. First, I found a large pine tree and placed the first decoy inside its dense canopy. Then, I extended an M25 sniper rifle (with its firing pin removed) out from the branches. I wrapped palm leaves around the decoy's face to lure and confuse the enemy.

By 9:37 AM, I had found a suitable position for the sixth decoy, disguising it as part of the sniper maze. Each trap I set also served as a hiding place for my weapons and ammunition. Even if the enemy stood right in front of the decoy, they wouldn't know that sophisticated weapons and bullets were hidden under piles of rocks or at the bottom of puddles within ten meters.

Decoys were placed on both sides of the peak. No matter which side the pirates from the mothership climbed up the mountain from, any sniper with observational skills could easily fire a shot at my decoys. At that point, I naturally knew how to shoot the enemy snipers.

Chapter 176: The Raindrops of Green

At 10:20, the rain became gentle and quiet. Occasionally, a mountain breeze would blow, shaking me a few times as I hid in the treetops, the leaves rustling and scattering indistinctly.

Pushing aside the vines hanging from the front of my wolf-hat hat, I peered through my binoculars at the crisscrossing waterways and the estuary. Through the vast rain, besides the damp, expansive forest and the churning, leaping river surface, I saw no trace of any small white boat.

The sea surrounding the island churned with waves, like an old dog watering his garden, singing a muffled, smug tune. In the distant basin behind me, in the undulating forest, lay the women I protected. The

towering peak, nearly two thousand meters high, meant that even with the long-range Barrett sniper rifle, my ambush range couldn't protect Yi Liang and the others. The distance was simply too great, almost nine kilometers.

I deliberately advanced such a large distance, waiting for any potential pirates. The enemy's numerical advantage could only be eroded through mobile warfare and continuous strategic depth. Without sufficient space, I'd likely have perished at the hands of Cang Gui and his gang, let alone fought the well-equipped Sea Demon.

At 12:07 PM, I pulled out some dried catfish meat and slowly chewed it. The weather was slightly better than that morning. Like a prisoner awaiting God's judgment, I anxiously searched for the pirates who might land on the island, fearing both not seeing them and fearing not seeing them at all.

By one o'clock, my mood had eased considerably. Perhaps it was the weather; the Sea Demon was unwilling to take unnecessary risks and suffer further losses. My greatest hope was that they would leave as soon as possible and never appear near us again.

Around four o'clock in the afternoon, as darkness began to fall, I ate the catfish meat again, and the tense muscles around my eyes relaxed considerably. The light drizzle didn't significantly hinder operations. If no forces from the Sea Demon mothership were seen for several days, there was only one positive conclusion: the enemy had abandoned the trade and left, or perhaps gone to other seas to plunder wealth and women.

However, the pirates' true movements were far beyond my expectations. Two dark dots appeared on the thin, overcast horizon, resembling a pair of flies in my binoculars, steadily approaching the summit.

The enemy was indeed cunning; they no longer entered the island forest through the waterway where the river and sea met. They avoided the passive tactic of being monitored from the beginning, employing aerial force, swooping down from the mudflats to the summit. It was like a game of chess, where they could place their pieces at will.

My heart nearly leaped out of my throat; my earlier hopes were utterly shattered by the approaching Apache helicopters. Gently parting a clump of dense foliage, I climbed a little higher along the rough trunk, squeezed my legs together, and straightened my upper body, watching the enemy helicopters intently without a moment's rest.

Now I understand everything; my initial thoughts were incredibly naive. The trading partner Cang Gui had so eagerly anticipated had even brought a helicopter, dubbed the "Airborne Hummer." Even a kind-hearted Buddha could see through their motives and wield a vengeful blade. The Sea Demon's mothership was deliberately concealed, a prelude to a surprise attack by Cang Gui, aiming to rob the expensive arms deal.

It seems the Sea Demon didn't take Cang Gui's henchmen seriously at all. That pirate captain must be wildly suspicious on the mothership, believing a spy had leaked information about the arms heist, leading to the annihilation of the small scout boats.

I hope that unseen figure will employ a "better safe than sorry" approach; the fiercer the infighting, the better. The enemy's automatic demise would be a great boon for me.

But right now, I feel no joy whatsoever. Two and a half kilometers ahead, on a peak, two Apache helicopters hovered vertically, a rope dropped from their bellies, followed by plumes of smoke. Five pirates, clad in bright green camouflage suits and carrying long cloth bags, swiftly and methodically slid down the rope

. They knelt together in a circle, their faces painted with camouflage paint, obscuring each other's skin color. Their bulging white eyes darted about as they whispered incoherently. I knew they were setting up tactics.

The Apache helicopters unloaded five snipers from each peak, then turned their high-speed rotors and headed back. As they passed, the dense trees below, recently battered by wind and rain, were blown about again, as if bound to the ground by rubber bands, unable to rise.

I had intended to take out a sniper as the enemy landed, but after observing the two helicopters, I had to abandon that opportunity. Each Apache helicopter was equipped with a ground-attack machine gun, a terrifying weapon that sends chills down one's spine. And there were two at once.

The Sea Demon's economic strength was already evident; if they were equipped with thermal imaging systems, even the densest branches and the best camouflage would be useless. Before the two Apaches even brushed past, they'd be riddled with bullets by their machine gunners, tumbling into the crevices of the rocks.

During World War II, in many large-scale war zones, it took an average of 40,000 to 50,000 rounds to hit a single enemy. A sniper's bullet, however, had an almost 1:1 kill ratio. The pirate captain on the Sea Demon was no ordinary man; he had indeed used the right tactics this time, minimizing losses and maximizing offensive output.

Knowing full well that a sniper position was set up on the summit, he still stubbornly deployed ten snipers; the allure of the weapons sold by Cang Gui was beyond measure. Perhaps that pirate captain possessed Nazi tendencies, insisting on trying a siege, seeking both spoils and psychological satisfaction.

In any case, he made the right move this time. Objectively, he outnumbered me ten to one in a ghost hunt. The ten snipers scattered across the summit were clearly highly skilled. The dawn of victory began to slant towards the Sea Demon. The two Apaches

gradually disappeared into the distance, once again becoming tiny black dots like flies on the horizon. If I still had the chance, I would have shot down one of the pirate snipers first; even if they called for air support from the two Apaches, it would be a distant solution.

But now, those ten guys had already scattered and vanished, like lice in a hair, waiting to be bited before I could hunt them down one by one.

The twilight, mixed with the overcast and rainy weather, rapidly shortened the field of vision through the sniper scope. The enemy's cunning lay in their precise timing; if the pirates had appeared in my sights in the morning, they would have lost at least one sniper before nightfall.

Chapter 177: The Bloodthirsty Men in the Cracks

Now, we could only wait until the next day, when there was sufficient light, to resume our hunt. By then, the ten snipers should have found suitable positions, forming a chain of firing points, like linked knights and cannons in Chinese chess—capturing any of them would likely cost them their lives.

I still carried one of the Soul-Binding dolls on my back; the other six remained camouflaged under tree canopies, in bushes, and among piles of rocks, having served no purpose today. Now, I could only silently pray that the wind and rain tonight would be gentle, not ruining my carefully constructed Soul-Binding formation.

If any of the dolls were to be exposed at an angle, not only would the enemy laugh their heads off, but it would also alert them. To avoid the lightning, after nightfall, I quietly climbed down the tree and ran towards a rocky crevice I had scouted out during the day.

It was a crevice in the rocks, with a section that slanted under dense grass. I rolled down several large stones, wedged them in the middle as stepping stones, then crouched down, using a large, rectangular stone to prop up my head. If the enemy passed by, they wouldn't notice these scattered stones lying haphazardly in the grass.

I took off my thick backpack, sat down, wrapped my wolfskin back tightly, and leaned against the cool stone wall. I brought my knees together, hugged my sniper rifle, and held a piece of dried catfish in my left hand, occasionally taking a bite.

I chewed slowly, not to savor the taste, but because my brain was thinking, recalling the terrain and slopes where the enemy would land, and considering the most likely ambush locations. If I didn't fully consider all the possibilities now, when the battle started and I was running, my mind wouldn't have time to think about so many things.

It was pitch black and damp all around, without a sound of insects or birdsong. If venomous snakes or scorpions were to crawl down and huddle with me for shelter, that would be far more dangerous than lying prone in the center of ten snipers' firing range.

Raindrops pattered from the stone slabs overhead, but there was no whooshing wind from the cracks in the rocks, which was somewhat reassuring; at least the chances of my disguise being destroyed were slim. At 1:10 AM, the rain subsided considerably. I wondered which side God favored—me or those ten pirate snipers.

To maintain peak combat readiness for tomorrow, I closed my eyes and began to sleep. I wished I were a hibernating animal, sleeping for three months until I awoke, by which time the pirates would be long gone.

But at the same time, our ship would be seized, cutting off our way home. If the Sea Demon acquired a large amount of weaponry and spent a month or two resting, hunting, and enjoying itself on the island, we would ultimately be the ones to suffer.

"Shoot me, shoot me, shoot me..." A little girl lay on the ground, a gunshot wound to her abdomen. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, and with all her might, her thin lips trembled as she managed to utter a weak sound. Her beautiful eyes gleamed with pity. Several pirates, standing around her, grinned maliciously as they stripped off their clothes, completely indifferent to the dying girl.

I carried a gun, my eyes constantly blocked by the pirates. I kept peering inside, but my body was firmly bound, unable to move an inch. Suddenly, I saw a face covered in blood—it was Lu Ya.

In the cold darkness, I jolted awake, gasping for breath, beads of sweat trickling down my forehead and nose. A faint mountain breeze rose above me, but it couldn't penetrate the oppressive darkness. This was the second time I'd had a nightmare before battle. I was familiar with this fear; it jolted every cell in my body awake, boiling my blood with a ferocious, murderous urge.

I'm obsessed with the feeling of bullets piercing human bodies, the feeling of a dagger slicing through an enemy's throat, like a hunting dog trapped in a dry well, barking in fear, using one kind of pain to numb another.

Wiping the sweat from my face, the clock on my left wrist struck four in the morning. I reached up and plucked a handful of grass, stuffed it into my mouth, chewed it fiercely, spitting out the sticky green pulp to repair and deepen the camouflage on my face. I pulled out two pieces of dried catfish meat, devoured them for breakfast, and then drank several mouthfuls of rainwater trickling down from the cracks in the rocks. I gently pushed the stone slab out of the grass pit.

Crouching low, close to the forest floor, I ran back to yesterday's ambush position. I had to climb that big tree before the enemy fired their shot. If I could find the location of a pirate sniper, I could follow the trail and deduce the enemy's formation.

The rain had become as fine as silk threads; when the wind blew, it only gently swayed the soft grass and fallen leaves, no longer as strong as before. I crouched on the dense canopy of a large tree. With each slight movement, raindrops cascaded down like quicksand, hitting the brim of my vine-covered hat and my shoulders.

I raised my binoculars, using the newly restored light to observe the enemy before they could. My six traps, arranged in an isosceles triangle on each side of the summit, were about 1,300 meters away.

I adjusted my sniping stance and quietly observed the six traps. The enemy should be advancing slowly in two groups, encircling the large ship. They dared not run recklessly or make any sudden movements. These ten pirate snipers were under immense pressure, constantly wary of the snipers already in ambush, and even more afraid of a swift ghost bullet piercing their skulls.

I kept observing the two furthest traps; they were still firmly tied to the trees, especially the cluster of palm leaves with protruding pine branches and the uncamouflaged black barrel of the M25 rifle, enough to lure the snipers hidden around them to fire.

Suddenly, the Soul-Binding Doll I was carefully observing trembled, and several palm leaves bounced and flew, falling from the tall pine tree along with the fine rain. In that instant, I sensed a tiny flash of light, about the size of a bean, on a large tree about 2,000 meters away, in the direction of 10:30.

Clearly, a sniper concealed in the canopy had accurately hit the face of the Soul-Binding Doll 700 meters away. I quickly adjusted my sniper scope, locking onto the target through the small circular hole.

A man covered in dark green strips of cloth, carrying a long sniper rifle, swiftly slid down the tree, taking the shortest straight line between two points, and ran towards the target. He was professional; he didn't run in an arc, which would easily enter the firing range of adjacent enemy snipers.

I kept a close eye on this locked-on man, knowing he was going to advance and take over the sniping position of the Soul-Binding Doll. The pirate sniper was unusually cautious, his center of gravity unusually low, his body moving more like a rapid crawl beneath the trees than a crawl through dense grass or low bushes.

At 700 meters, he was the first to hit the disguised Soul Reaper. I could clearly see that the weapon he carried as he ran was an M25 sniper rifle; his accuracy was undeniable. Like a stagehand, I fitted the circular scope onto the rapidly running pirate. If he entered firing range and paused long enough, I could take him down first.

This running man was focused, making no unnecessary movements, single-mindedly running towards the Soul Reaper he had hit. Due to the long range and the occasional swaying of the treetops, I had to be patient and cautious.

This green-faced man, his bulky body arched, reached the large pine tree where the Soul Reaper was placed, then immediately lay down. He resembled a frog with its eyes raised, raising his binoculars to observe the surrounding trees, wary of the Soul Reaper's scythe, fearing his name would be etched into the Book of Death.

The T-shaped crosshair swayed in front of his head, interspersed with a few thin blades of grass. I silently prayed, and my finger on the trigger began to pull.

Just as the guy's waving binoculars suddenly focused on my sniper rifle, a scorching bullet shot out of the barrel, smashing through countless dripping blades, and swiftly pierced the ping-pong ball-sized red lens.

With a sharp crack, shards of convex lens glass scattered into the grass, and a bloody black hole flashed behind the binoculars; the bullet had entered the bottom of the enemy's writhing brains. I slid down the tree with lightning speed, silently memorizing the numbers: four enemies on the left peak, five on the right.

Retreating 150 meters, I swiftly climbed the large tree I had previously scouted, extending the barrel of my gun, draped in green grass, to peer towards the Soul-Binding Stand on the opposite peak. The dense raindrops, numerous and fine, pattered against the branches, vines, and rocks, greatly masking the sound of my earlier firing.

Chapter 178: The Virtual Battlefield (Pupil Technique)
The peaks on both sides were vast, requiring enemies to spread out considerably to avoid being killed by the same sniper rifle. The light was still dim; I picked up my binoculars, my eyes fixed on the opposite peak.

The rain continued quietly, indicating no strong mountain winds that night. The enemies on each side resembled five horizontally arranged chess pieces, advancing in a wavy line, like a net, to prevent opponents from flanking them and firing from behind.

The pirate sniper I had just killed was probably the fastest in the assault; the sniper group on the left flank of the stream had lost their scout, so their advance would immediately slow. Now, I only need to keep an eye on the pirate sniper on the right peak.

Twenty minutes later, another of the foremost Soul-Binding clones was hit. This time, I didn't see the sniper hidden in the distance, and the sniper rifle that Soul-Binding was holding fell from the treetops. In other words, this clone's value was only used once.

There must have been a strong mountain wind there; hopefully, the other two Soul-Binding clones didn't get loose. The bullet that hit Soul-Binding came from the due north direction of the peak. That area is high up, and the dense grass is full of rocks, which must be concealing a pirate sniper. I took out my binoculars to check the distance. The enemy should have accurately hit the target at a range of 1,800 meters, so his weapon must be a super long-range Barrett sniper rifle, just like mine.

If those Soul-Binding clones are real snipers, the enemy has taken two lives, and I should be guarding the next level up. I can't shoot through the enemy's binoculars and shatter the assault sniper's eyeball. With my legs clamped tightly to the tree trunk, I dared not lower the binoculars from my eyes for a moment, keeping a close eye on any potential enemy advance.

In the distance, beneath the lush foliage, a dense green blur appeared, moving rapidly southward along the ridge, much like the shadow cast by a car roof, skimming the ground beneath the window. Such an unusual phenomenon immediately alerted me. I adjusted the binoculars, locking onto the target.

The green shadow beneath the leaves was indeed a pirate sniper clad in dark camouflage. He was usually an assault operative on the right-hand peak, like a sharp knife, infiltrating the enemy position ahead of time. But in reality, those Soul-Binding Grass puppets were neither me, nor Luya, nor Yiliang. Even if they were hit by seven or eight sniper bullets, I would suffer no loss. The

unsuspecting pirate sniper, however, mistook the Soul-Binding Grass puppets for the real enemy, shooting them first and then advancing straight towards the dead sniper's position, safely avoiding other snipers.

From the very beginning, the pirates attacked on the small boat reported to the mother ship that they had encountered a sniper frenzy, believing that the mountain peaks on both sides were teeming with ghostly snipers. These ten paratroopers, firmly believing in this false image, came to break the sniper's trap. And I, I became the third eye, the oriole stalking the mantis.

That dense green in the distance was getting closer and closer to the Soul-Stirring Zone. He carried his long, sturdy Barrett sniper rifle, and as he moved through a section of low bushes, he switched to a prone position, advancing at a remarkably fast pace, demonstrating his well-trained nature.

If I hadn't been able to anticipate his movements based on the bullet trajectory, it would have been extremely difficult to spot him in this dense forest where the foot of the mountain was invisible. Even a sudden gust of mountain wind, just enough to shake the crowded branches, would make one's eyes blurry, let alone spot him.

Back in the mercenary camp, we weren't trained like human beings. Of the more than a thousand recruits we enlisted, fewer than eighty survived the training. Especially for snipers, examples of blindness during intensive eye training are commonplace.

Yet, at this crucial moment, it becomes a vital skill for hunting down the enemy and protecting oneself. I angled my eyes to a certain point, peering at the enemy running through the dense forest, like an eagle spotting a swift green snake on the grass. Once I locked onto its shape, speed, and subtle color differences, it wouldn't escape my notice.

The pirate sniper carrying the Barrett rifle, after crossing the dense undergrowth, ran for a while under the thick canopy of trees until he was about a hundred meters away from the tall tree where his spear had fallen. He then crouched against the thick trunk, resting briefly while fiddling with something in his hand.

My Barrett sniper rifle, like the claw of a ghost, had its scope fixed on the figure whose shoulder was partially exposed. Shooting at this moment was risky; the opponent's constantly moving arms caused his body to undulate, making him an indistinct target that could easily tempt the sniper to fire carelessly.

In no time, the guy who looked like a mandrill rummaging through his fur suddenly rolled to the ground, a newly made camouflage net placed in front of his head. When I was sewing the wolf pelts, I'd made one for each of Luya and Yiliang, but they weren't nearly as professional as the one this guy in the scope was using.

Pirate snipers carry the framework of camouflage nets; they're mostly woven from thin wire. The enemy had been crouching behind the tree trunk, plucking grass of the same color as the surrounding area, patching it with the camouflage net, using it to conceal his body as he crawled across the open grass to approach the large tree.

Rather than saying this guy was overly cautious, it would be more accurate to say he was incredibly skilled. In the middle of that patch of over a meter-high green grass stood a tall tree; instead of rashly running to the isolated tree, he chose to crawl under it using the camouflage net. If I hadn't been watching him closely all the way here, it would have been incredibly difficult to spot such a cunning fellow.

The sniper scope showed the target was 1,600 meters away. This wasn't like shooting monkeys or dwarf savages, where a second shot could be fired if the first missed. The enemy I was facing wasn't armed with blowguns or short bows. The

T-shaped crosshair was constantly adjusted on the waist of the pirate sniper covered in green cloth strips. If I pulled the trigger now, I could only see the bullet disappear into the grass; where it would hit the enemy's body, and whether it would strike a vital spot, were all uncertain.

If the enemy feigned death or was only slightly wounded and still capable of retaliating, it would be a fatal mistake for me. I breathed quietly, my eyes pressed tightly against the scope. I had to finish this guy off with one shot. In this situation, every additional bullet fired doubled the risk of exposing myself.

The camouflage netting concealing the enemy's body had many slender, soft blades of grass growing along its edges. Whenever the mountain wind blew, they danced with the surrounding vegetation, making them indistinguishable from anything else.

My ambush position was at the enemy's 2:30 direction. From here, the camouflage netting covering the pirate sniper's head looked more like a pot-lid-shaped air defense radar, moving intermittently and slowly advancing towards the tall tree.

Chapter 179: The Soul Tied by the Trouser Leg

The pirate sniper, relying on his stealthy crawling, quickly reached the position where he had dropped his gun under the tall tree. He released the short wooden handle that was pushing the camouflage netting forward, freeing his hand to search for the fallen M25 sniper rifle.

Because he was camouflaged, he didn't dare to move too much, only giving the weapon a cursory inspection. A satisfied smile spread across his camouflage-painted face. I knew what this guy was thinking at that moment; he was smug, smug about appreciating the prey he had hit, smug about the precision of his shot.

Now I completely understand this guy's intentions. He painstakingly climbed to the foot of the tree not to admire his prey dying under his gun, but to climb that tall tree and look down at the next sniping area.

"The holy high pillar, yet another lost soul, about to be nailed there, looking up to the merciful God, receiving the grace of submission..." His lips silently chanted, and the finger pulling the trigger gradually increased its force.

This pirate sniper, curled up his bloated body covered in green strips, slowly changed into a crouching position, his arms tightly wrapped around the tree trunk, like a goat embracing its mate, struggling to climb up the lush canopy.

This gave me a perfect opportunity to shoot. I aimed my T-shaped sight at his back. Through the pale blue scope, he looked like he was nailed to a cross, his back to me. He struggled to climb, and my finger pulled the trigger further back. The bullet in the chamber was just a pinpoint to his rear end before it burst out and shattered his spine.

I intended to pin this pirate sniper to the tree trunk with my bullet, but as soon as he squeezed his legs together and climbed a meter higher, his bulging white eyes on his upturned green face looked like he'd seen a demon holding a summons banner. Terrified, his legs trembled like mud, and he landed on the ground with a thud.

In that instant, as a professional sniper, he knew he no longer needed to disguise himself, nor did he need to hide anymore. Because he saw the camouflage trouser leg lying diagonally across the branch, revealing a tuft of withered reeds.

At that moment, a high-speed bullet, tracing a ghastly white line, pierced through the vast mountain stream, through the rain curtain, and through countless mottled, wet leaves, already reaching me and my target. "Whoosh! Bang!" Just as the pirate sniper was about to climb the tree and turn his head to glance at my hiding place, the bullet forcefully pierced the target's neck, crushing him to the ground.

Now, I was absolutely certain that the guy wouldn't last five minutes. Even with the most optimistic estimate of his injuries, the ligaments and muscles on the left side of his skull would have been ruptured by the bullet, and at least half of his Adam's apple would have been broken. I clung tightly to the tree trunk, quickly sliding onto the grass, moving to my next sniping position.

Sometime during the day, the rain intensified again, the raindrops becoming denser, as if the heavens were washing away the wound from the man bleeding profusely from his neck. I didn't have time to examine the enemy's vital organs, because with every shot I fired, I risked being locked onto by the other eight pirate snipers.

I leaped into a trench-like, uneven rocky pit, arching my back like the letter "n," and using my calves to take quick, shallow steps, I raced through the water-drenched grass and branches. After running for eight minutes, a dense grove of low bushes appeared ahead. There was no other way; I had to cross it in a straight line, or I would have to go around it on the slightly higher stone embankments on either side, but I knew the potential cost of doing so.

I pulled out a short rope and tightly wrapped it around my head, biting the end of the rope into my teeth to give the wolf skin a good shield for my cheeks. Then I knelt down and began to burrow into the fur. Many thorny brambles, unable to pierce the thick hide, poked at my calves through my trousers.

I squinted, furrowed my brow, and bit down hard on the rope in my mouth, venting the unavoidable pain. Several times I considered drawing my broadsword to chop down these sharp plants, but considering that the pain of flesh and blood was far better than the taste of bullets, I could only continue crawling like a gecko scurrying across a peanut field, making small, frequent movements, gritting my teeth and pushing my way in.

After passing through the low bushes entwined with thorny vines, I didn't even have time to catch my breath before accelerating my crawl until I reached the dense grass, rolled over, and squeezed into the crevice where I had spent the night. I dragged a long, large stone over my head, and only then dared to exhale the pent-up breath

. I quickly turned on the portable light source hanging from my waist and shone it on my legs, which were rolled up in my trousers. Thick thorns, as thick as steel needles, were embedded in my flesh, some long, some short, and the oozing blood had already flowed in streaks and lines, like countless leeches clinging to them. Holding the portable light source in my mouth, I used my left hand to pull open the flesh and my right hand to pinch out the thorns. Each thorn had to be pulled out with extreme care; if it broke off and remained under the skin, it would inevitably cause infection or inflammation.

I removed the foreign objects from my legs, opened my backpack, and used iodine to clean and disinfect all the puncture wounds. Then I wrapped the bandages tightly and ate while resting. Now, I couldn't advance any further. The four pirate snipers on each side of the peak, once they realized the advance was going smoothly and lost contact with the sniper responsible for the assault at the highest point, would naturally anticipate a possible flanking maneuver from my flanks and rear.

Now, I had to wait for darkness, until the light available for reconnaissance or sniping disappeared, before crawling out of the crevice to implement the second step of my strategy. Only then could I deliver a fatal blow to the enemy after dawn.

At 9:25 PM, the rain outside stopped. The owls in the nearby branches, hooting every five or six seconds, made me feel like I was crouching in a grave—a strangely terrifying experience.

I gently pushed aside the heavy stone slabs, slowly peeking my head out of the grass. Several small animals that were nibbling on the shrubs scattered in fright and disappeared. Although a vast yellow moon had quietly climbed into the night sky, I still couldn't be sure whether it was a hare or a badger that had fled.

I braced myself against the two sides of the crevice in the stone, jumped out, and found myself surrounded by wet plants and cold rocks. Although I carried a portable light source, I would never turn on the light unless I wanted to die.

I squatted in the grass for a while, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the moonlight, before switching to the AK-47 rifle on my back. I gripped my broadsword tightly in my right hand and ran towards the corpse of the pirate sniper lying behind the binoculars. My socks inside my military boots were a little wet. If I could still hide in the cabin of the large ship and warm myself by the fire, like last night, it would be the most comfortable thing ever.

Many mountain birds, whose shapes I couldn't make out, were startled by my footsteps running under the trees and flew away, chirping and gurgling incoherently. To be more precise, the birds also frightened me. Several times, I heard the flapping of enormous wings, followed by a rapid disappearance into the darkness. I'm sure those things were two or three times larger than a dog-headed eagle. It would have been better to have a few wolves scare me; I'd feel more comfortable with a beast I knew well.

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