42: Draw

The moonlight was like water, and the few people seemed to be immersed in it, the atmosphere thick and ambiguous.

The five women exhaled like orchids, releasing the wildness in their hearts.

In the High Molecular Compound Zone, they were high and mighty, they kept people at a distance, they needed to live up to the expectations 'perceived' by many.

'Parents' restrained them, telling them they must be excellent, to become leaders.

They had no choice but to comply, otherwise, they would lose all privileges and resources.

In large families, children are children.

But, children are also 'pawns' for the family to maintain its prosperity.

Excellent, obedient pawns, slowly maturing, can one day turn the tables.

From a pawn, to a player.

"I'm not participating in your bet," Xu Jingzhe said.

"No way, the atmosphere has been set. If you don't agree, we'll strip you naked right now and hang you from a tree," Dilisi threatened.

Xu Jingzhe took a deep breath, silently reminding himself that he was the weaker one.

This world is about the survival of the fittest, regardless of gender.

Five seconds later, he took his gun and found a sniping position.

"How do we compete?" Xu Jingzhe asked.

"Five shots, whoever has more kills wins," Dilisi said, also picking up the 98K beside her, lying prone on the high slope, her buttocks very shapely.

"Alright."

Xu Jingzhe collected his thoughts and searched for prey through the scope.

The moon was bright, and the moonlight spread out like water.

Trees, stones, dilapidated houses.

The damaged bricks were covered with a layer of greenish moss, and in the gaps of the vibrant green moss grew a few weeds, drooping their heads slightly, swaying in the wind, making the scene even more desolate.

"Found you," Xu Jingzhe murmured to himself, an aberrant in the shadow cast by trees three miles away, its pale eyeballs peeking over.

With a muffled thud, the aberrant was torn to pieces.

Immediately after, there was another gunshot, particularly piercing in the night.

An aberrant fell from among the dense branches and leaves.

Xu Jingzhe turned his head and glanced at Dilisi; he had also scanned that area with his scope and found nothing amiss.

Dilisi's red lips were passionate, and her eyes held disdain.

With two aberrants dead, the other monitoring aberrants became agitated, scrambling to run, moving quickly and erratically, very ghostly, which greatly increased the difficulty of shooting.

Dilisi lowered her head again.

After four gunshots, the running aberrants fell to the ground.

Four shots, five aberrants.

Because with the last shot, two aberrants happened to be running in a straight line, and the bullet pierced through one aberrant's head, then blew up another's.

Xu Jingzhe's second shot.

Missed.

Yezi walked over nervously, wanting to cheer Xu Jingzhe on, but seeing his delicate profile, which was even more handsome than a woman's, she didn't speak.

"Your Little man is going to sleep with me first, you know," Dilisi said, having already put away her 98K and slung it behind her, looking very dashing.

"Bang!" The third shot, still a miss.

Without the system's help, Xu Jingzhe's current calculation and prediction abilities were far from enough.

"It's alright, washing my underwear isn't shameful; it's something many people long for," Lu Xiaoxiao teased.

"Hehehe... French kiss~" Autumn Cicada also said.

"Oh my, how embarrassing," Ming Xixi said, blushing, her eyes involuntarily darting towards Xu Jingzhe's butt.

Is a handsome man's... there... also very... handsome?

It wouldn't be as... ugly and scary as in the videos, would it?

"Don't be nervous, don't be nervous, I believe you will definitely win," Yezi couldn't help but say to comfort him.

"Thank you," Xu Jingzhe said.

After a long silence, the fourth shot was fired.

This time it was even more absurd; it didn't even graze anything, embedding itself in the earth.

The aberrants stopped running after a distance and looked back.

Under the moonlight, they looked like flickering sparks.

Xu Jingzhe wasn't disappointed; he had only been in the Pollution Zone for a little over two months, had not developed a pollution core, and had no special abilities.

Losing to a talent from the High Molecular Compound Zone was normal; it would be abnormal if he could win against her with just his own strength.

It's just that, regardless of winning or losing, he was just making a passive choice.

Shaking his head, he stood up and said, "No need to compete, I've lost."

"There's still one shot left," Dilisi said with a smile, "Or, how about I give you one shot, and you take six?"

"Finish it, just in case," Yezi persuaded Xu Jingzhe.

In her eyes, Xu Jingzhe glowed, and the scattered moonlight gained weight, falling on his hair, smooth beyond compare, then sliding onto his shoulders, draping him in a transparent, starlight-woven garment.

Perhaps, this is what they call 'beauty in the eye of the beholder.'

Even picking his nose looked handsome.

"That's right, five shots, not one less, be fair," Lu Xiaoxiao said.

Xu Jingzhe re-positioned his gun and aimed.

He really wanted to just fire this shot casually; how could he possibly win?

Six aberrants with one shot?

Are you kidding? He wasn't Bo Qing, who could get eight with one shot.

That's right, his mind suddenly cleared.

These were Zhang Manyue's specially made AWM bullets, incredibly lethal, so choosing the right shooting point might not be impossible.

He adjusted the 8x scope to its maximum, seeing the aberrants standing in groups of threes and twos, looking over here.

Their orders were to monitor this group of people.

Now, Xu Jingzhe was no longer in a hurry.

He was waiting.

The more aberrants stood together, the greater his chance.

One minute passed.

Two minutes passed.

Three minutes passed... "Are you asleep?" Dilisi said impatiently.

Men are all like this, so concerned with saving face that they suffer, stubbornly holding on in a losing battle.

Besides, was losing to her, Dilisi, that shameful?

She was the first-place winner of the Blue Star First Women's Academy shooting competition, super awesome, okay?

If any Tom, Dick, or Harry could beat her, she'd just ram her head into Yezi's big chest and suffocate herself.

"No," Xu Jingzhe replied simply and directly.

"Then why aren't you shooting? What are you waiting for?" Dilisi said.

"Whether I shoot, and when I shoot, do I need to consult you?"

"Isn't that interfering with your opponent?" Xu Jingzhe retorted.

Dilisi paused, clenching her small fist, wishing she could hit Xu Jingzhe.

"Wow~ So handsome," Ming Xixi's eyes sparkled, so he did have a temper.

Ten minutes later, the opportunity arose; seven or eight aberrants stood together.

"Bang!" The muffled sound proved the AWM's suppressor was very effective.

In the darkness, the bullet streaked across the sky like a meteor.

Lu Xiaoxiao, holding binoculars, saw it clearly.

After a brief moment of shock in her beautiful eyes, a smile appeared; he was a little trickster.

"1, 2, 3..."

"Five, five with one shot," she said.

"What?!" Dilisi couldn't believe it, five with one shot?

"It really is five, if you don't believe me, see for yourself." Lu Xiaoxiao handed the binoculars to Dilisi.

"You, you cheated!" Dilisi said angrily, stomping her foot in protest.

Xu Jingzhe rose with a smile and said, "We agreed to compare kill counts, five shots."

"You killed six, and I also killed six, so we're tied."

"But your bullets are special, very lethal. My bullets don't have area-of-effect damage; otherwise, I could kill ten with one shot," Dilisi said, clearly unconvinced.

Xu Jingzhe shrugged, relieved, and said triumphantly, "Now we're tied, everything we said before doesn't count, none of you guessed correctly."

Lu Xiaoxiao gave Xu Jingzhe a strange look, cursing under her breath, "Idiot."

Aside from Dilisi, who was still fixated on the tie, Yezi, Autumn Cicada, and Ming Xixi all unanimously believed that Xu Jingzhe had a screw loose.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have come to the Pollution Zone.

Serves him right!