99: Chapter 99 Total Annihilation

The speed of the Electromagnetic Kinetic Sniper Rifle was too fast; "Monkey" didn't see what caused his drone to crash at all. He stared at the static on his handheld display, his mind a complete blank.

"Boss, the drone was shot down. We've run into a tough nut to crack this time."

"Monkey" tossed the display aside, his voice trembling slightly. Fox Shadow was about to scold him when the sound of an attack helicopter's engine drifted over from not far away.

"Grab the gear, quick! Hide in the woods first; we can't stay here."

Fox Shadow finished speaking, grabbed a backpack, and performed a tactical roll, hiding behind a large tree.

In an instant, the attack helicopter hovered in the air not far from them.

"Final warning. You have brought heavy weapons here without authorization, which seriously threatens China's borders and territorial security. You are now required to drop your weapons and surrender immediately; otherwise, we will use force."

"Final warning. You have brought heavy weapons here without authorization, which seriously threatens China's borders and territorial security. You are now required to drop your weapons and surrender immediately; otherwise, we will use force."

The warning came through the attack helicopter's loudspeaker in English.

"What should we do, Boss? I don't think they're joking."

"Lone Wolf" craned his neck, staring at the distant attack helicopter with a face full of tension. Fox Shadow didn't answer him directly, but instead adjusted his headset.

"Big Guy, did you find anything just now?"

"Captain, the target is behind a slope about 1,500 meters ahead on the path. I saw the footage of them taking out the drone through my sniper scope. It's just... it didn't feel like an anti-aircraft missile or anything like that."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"I don't know. It flashed by too fast. Normal anti-aircraft missiles aren't that quick, and it didn't have a tail flame, so I judged it wasn't a standard anti-aircraft weapon."

"Alright, I see. 1,500 meters? That's already beyond your sniper rifle's range. How can this be? I don't remember Chinese sniper rifles having such a long range. Could it be an Anti-materiel Sniper Rifle?"

Fox Shadow was getting nervous. He rarely encountered a situation where he was being beaten so passively. Their current situation was looking grim.

Fox Shadow tilted his head and squinted at the distant attack helicopter, his gaze turning sharp.

"Since it's come to this, there's no need to hesitate. You all know the fate of mercenaries who surrender. So, brothers, let's give it our all!"

"Monkey, use the MANPADS to take down their helicopter first. Even if we die, we'll show them what we're made of."

Fox Shadow made up his mind. If they took down that Big Guy and things got chaotic, they might still have a chance. At worst, it would be a fight to the death.

"Monkey" nodded solemnly, unzipped a long camouflage bag, skillfully loaded the ammunition, powered it on, then hoisted it onto his right shoulder. He checked the helicopter's position and the surroundings.

He ran to a spot with a better view and aimed at the helicopter overhead.

Inside the cockpit of the WZ-10, a lock-on warning suddenly blared.

"Damn, they're doing this the hard way! 02, lock onto his signal and give him a round. I'm preparing to deploy Flares to evade."

"Copy that. Don't worry, I've been ready."

"Monkey" heard the lock-on tone and pulled the trigger hard. The anti-aircraft missile roared out. At the same time, the attack helicopter fired two missiles in quick succession. Both sides acted almost simultaneously.

Wang Xuedong saw it clearly through his sniper scope. After firing the missiles, the attack helicopter banked sharply to the side while releasing a large number of Flares. The Flares seemed to contain magnesium or some other combustible, burning intensely in the air like spectacular white blossoms.

The anti-aircraft missile grazed past the edge of the flames; the attack helicopter had narrowly escaped.

"Old Wang, tell them to recall the helicopter. It's overkill. We don't need them for these small fry. One more mishap and the losses would be too great."

Wang Xuedong watched with his heart in his throat. That anti-aircraft missile was no toy. If the pilot hadn't evaded just now, the outcome would have been uncertain.

"Alright, I'll contact them immediately."

"Also, ask the base if we're cleared for free fire. I don't care anymore. You guys wanted to take them alive? Forget that. You can't talk ethics with these desperadoes."

Wang Xuedong added as he watched Battalion Commander Wang on the comms. He didn't care anymore and started charging the Electromagnetic Kinetic Sniper Rifle.

On the other side, the smoke cleared.

Fox Shadow looked at the dying "Monkey" with a face full of sorrow. The attack helicopter's missiles had accurately pinpointed "Monkey's" position. After two explosions, even Fox Shadow and the others, who were quite far from "Monkey," were affected.

The shockwave from the explosions knocked them all to the ground. It took a long time for him and "Lone Wolf" to crawl back up and stagger over to find "Monkey."

"Monkey" seemed to be holding on to his last breath. Seeing his boss, he moved his fingers and tried to say something. Blood bubbles flowed out as his mouth opened and closed. Fox Shadow leaned in close.

"B-Boss, go... quick... We... we really shouldn't have... this time..."

"Monkey" died before he could finish. Fox Shadow slowly closed his eyes.

"Monkey, go on ahead. I know what you wanted to say, but... it's too late to turn back now."

Beside him, "Lone Wolf" clutched his stomach and slumped down. Fox Shadow glanced over.

"Are you hurt?"

"Lone Wolf" looked at the blood on his hands and shook his head with a smile.

"Shrapnel cut my abdominal artery. Haha, Fox Shadow, is this the fate of mercenaries like us?"

Fox Shadow watched as the light faded from "Lone Wolf's" eyes. He didn't answer, just sat there on the ground.

"Boss! Boss! How are you guys?"

Big Guy and the other man ran over. He supported Fox Shadow with both hands. Xiao Ge Zi went over to check on "Monkey" and "Lone Wolf," then shook his head at Big Guy.

Just then...

With a "boom," the gray business van not far from them suddenly exploded. In an instant, the vehicle was blasted into a pile of parts, while the main body flew off to who knows where. A deep black gouge was revealed on the ground.

Big Guy hurriedly raised his M24 Sniper Rifle, searching for targets.

"You two run. They've started their assault. I'll hold them off and buy you some time."

Fox Shadow pulled himself together and spoke with determination, his eyes occasionally glancing at "Monkey" on the ground.

"Boss, let's go together! We'll carve out a path!"

"Big Guy, we underestimated China's military strength. We're at a disadvantage in every way now—even our rifle range can't match theirs. We can't all leave together. I'll cover you. Quick, that's an order!"

The two snipers looked at each other and nodded helplessly. After one last look at their boss, they vanished into the depths of the nearby woods.

A few minutes later, Fox Shadow watched Wang Xuedong and the others advancing through his sniper scope. He didn't fire; he was gambling.

Thud, thud. Several consecutive bullets slammed into the tree in front of him. The powerful energy even made the entire tree tremble.

The shooting didn't stop. Fox Shadow knew he had no chance. Seeing the trunk being whittled away bit by bit, he leaped toward the cover of a nearby tree.

Thud, thud. While still in mid-air, he was forced backward by a powerful force. Thump. Fox Shadow fell heavily to the ground. He forced himself to sit up, leaning against a tree, gasping for breath and firing wildly.

...

By the time Wang Xuedong and the others caught up, Fox Shadow was in his final moments. His eyes flickered toward the Electromagnetic Kinetic Sniper Rifle in Wang Xuedong's hands, and his dimming gaze suddenly brightened. He slowly raised his right hand, only for it to fall back down limply.

The renowned Fox Shadow of the mercenary world stopped breathing. His eyes remained focused on Wang Xuedong's Electromagnetic Kinetic Sniper Rifle, just staring...