173: Omega Team Flees in Panic

The blood-colored arrow whistled, trailing a long crimson tail. Energy raged, and wherever it passed, the waist-high grass was torn open in a long, abrupt gash.

Looking from afar, it appeared as if a massive, earthy-yellow serpent had been hidden in the grass, straight as an arrow and stretching for thousands of meters.

Behind Xu Jingzhe, the golden phantom of Yi vanished, dissipating into the air as invisible energy. At his current strength, the Yi he summoned could only fire a single arrow.

But this single arrow was enough.

"Boss!" "Boss!" The remaining three members of Omega Squad were terrified. Ignoring Xu Jingzhe and the others, they dashed straight toward Gardes.

At the end of the "serpent," Gardes lay on the ground. His chest was split open, and blood mixed with minced flesh flowed across the ground, a gruesome sight.

However, with his formidable strength, he did not die immediately. He held on until the Omega Squad members reached his side, where they injected various agents into his body—coagulants, Moon Soil Evolution Fluid Pure Liquid, and nutrient solutions—to sustain his failing heartbeat.

Xu Jingzhe panted heavily, a fine layer of sweat glistening on the tip of his high-bridged nose. The bangs on his forehead were matted with sweat, making him look slightly disheveled.

Looking at his youthful, sixteen-year-old face, it was hard to believe he possessed such immense power.

He pulled the Black Gold Long Saber from the ground and, without a word, charged toward the members of Omega Squad.

Tang Ruyi stared at the thousands-of-meters-long "serpent" in a daze for a second before following Xu Jingzhe.

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" Four bullets zipped in, skimming the waist-high weeds. They spun at high speed, almost blending into the grassland.

Especially when the wind blew, the bullets were impossible to track.

But how could they possibly escape Xu Jingzhe's keen eyes?

He swung his long saber, accurately slicing through the bullets.

"Bang!" The bullets exploded, emitting a deafening roar accompanied by thick white smoke.

The Omega Squad sniper had switched to the few high-explosive bullets he carried; as long as they were subjected to a certain amount of pressure, they would detonate.

The power was so great that even an armored vehicle would be destroyed.

Immediately after, the remaining three bullets also detonated.

The sniper, looking through his scope, held his breath with his index finger on the trigger, killing intent rippling in his pale blue pupils.

It was miserable!

He had seen clearly through the scope as the arrow struck Boss Gardes in the chest, the immense force dragging him along. His upper body had split open completely, like fragile porcelain that would shatter at the slightest touch. Whether he could survive depended entirely on whether the god of luck was on their side.

When the white smoke cleared, four craters, ten meters long and three meters deep, appeared.

A silver protective shield with flowing, water-like light surrounded Ye Ran's body; he was uninjured. Blood trickled from the corner of Tang Ruyi's mouth, and her clothes were in tatters, but she appeared to be otherwise unharmed. Only Ye Xin lay in a crater, half of his body blown apart, a bloody mess.

He let out painful groans.

As for that kid with the explosive combat power, he was nowhere to be seen in the craters; perhaps he had been buried alive!

He adjusted his scope, aiming at Ye Xin who lay in the crater, intending to finish him off.

Suddenly, he felt a chill go through him, and goosebumps rose all over his body.

His instinctual reaction was to draw his sidearm revolver, but it was already too late.

A chill ran across his neck, his vision went black, and his severed head fell into Xu Jingzhe's hands.

"Pah!" Xu Jingzhe spat out a mouthful of blood, stood up from the high vantage point, and held the head in one hand.

His body swayed, nearly collapsing from exhaustion. Having just used Ritual Arts to summon Yi and then activated Time Stop, he had drained eighty percent of the energy within his body.

At the moment the special bullets exploded, he had activated his ability, Time Stop, locking away most of the explosive energy. Even so, he had been struck by some of the blast, causing him to fall backward.

However, after falling, he had the system activate environmental simulation, allowing him to quickly sneak up on the Omega Squad sniper.

The Omega Squad sniper had been completely focused on the craters, ignoring his surroundings, and by the time he noticed anything unusual, it was too late.

Injuring Gardes first, then killing the Omega Squad sniper—this achievement, if spread, would surely cause a huge uproar.

Donald Mi saw the head in Xu Jingzhe's hand as he stood on the high ground, and his eyes nearly cracked from the strain of staring.

"Little, Little Four is dead," he whispered.

Gardes closed his eyes in pain and said weakly, "You go... leave them to me."

"No, if we leave, we leave together!"

"That's right, we are the proud Omega Squad; we do not abandon our teammates." Two lines of clear tears streamed down Derry's delicate face.

"It's, it's my fault... cough, cough... I was careless. I didn't activate my combat suit in time and suffered this fatal blow." Gardes's injured body was slowly healing.

However, it was already useless. The blood-colored arrow had pierced his heart, torn his internal organs, and shredded his cells; even with the most advanced agents, he could not be saved.

Gardes leaned against Donald Mi, his eyes nearly dead, his right wrist sporting several metal buttons.

He entered the password.

"Ding!" With a crisp sound, his mechanical legs separated from his body.

Parts rotated and mechanisms opened and closed as the two mechanical legs merged into one, revealing an automatic cannon-sniper. The pitch-black muzzle, gleaming with a cold, metallic light, was chilling to behold.

"Hurry and go! This is an M-22 bomb; the blast radius can reach five kilometers."

"Derry... don't, don't cry. The noble Omega Squad sheds blood, not tears."

Gardes lay calmly on the grass, looking at the gray, hazy sky of the Pollution Zone, while the words of the Eve City higher-ups echoed in his ears.

"If you encounter a powerful squad from Pangu City or Nüwa City and cannot defeat them, then... please make your final contribution to Eve City and perish with them."

"Eve City will grant you the highest honor and send banners to your families..."

His body grew very cold, and the world in his eyes turned from color to black and white.

It was over. Just like that, his life ended in such a hasty manner.

He silently counted time in his heart, estimating the distance Donald Mi and the others had traveled.

Xu Jingzhe stood on the high ground, watching the backs of the three fleeing members of Omega Squad, and sensed that something was wrong.

Last time he defeated the weakest squad from Adam City, Yakos had carried a bomb; he hadn't been prepared then and had almost died.

"Run!" He roared, handing control of his body over to the system.

Concentrating all his energy into his legs, Xu Jingzhe ran as fast as he could. Passing by the crater where Ye Xin lay, he didn't forget to take him along.

"Boom!" A gray mushroom cloud rose, and a visible shockwave swept in all directions, the terrifying energy raging past.

A five-mile radius became a "hell."