Chapter 21: Encirclement

Alonna tossed a pump-action injector to John.[Drug: Combat Stimulant]

John pressed it against his body, the valve instantly released pressure, and the drug shot into his body with a hiss.

"Oh, shit."

John’s vision blurred for a brief half-second.

Then every color became exceptionally vivid, and the fatigue from driving all night completely vanished, even his prosthetics felt full of power.

Damascus Camp was indeed generous.

They even issued drugs to combat personnel, which also indicated the exceptional importance of this transaction.

"They’re coming."

Alonna gripped her gun tightly.

A sharply contoured truck drove into the valley, two rows of sixteen wheels, the cargo hold larger than an ocean freight container.

John noticed the logo of Jingke Heavy Industry on it.

He originally thought Nando was doing business with the company, but the two escort vehicles were full of mercenaries.

That made the source of the supplies very suspicious.

Nando led people to meet them below, but the distance was too far to hear what they were discussing.

"Hmm?"

John suddenly sensed a strange vibration.

Around the hill, a dozen cars full of gunmen suddenly charged out, the Exiles roared, kicking up clouds of dust.

"Damn it, they’re really here, let’s go!"

"Saraki’s lapdogs."

...

The earpieces were already in chaos, gunshots erupted instantly.

Bang, bang, bang!

Alonna had already started shooting, the terrible recoil left pale scars on the rocks surrounding the cliff.

An energy sniper with an extended barrel.

Each shot was earth-shattering.

The high-precision armor-piercing rounds had a tiny entry wound yet could directly destroy internal structures.

John peeked out and saw the front of an Exile vehicle blow up.

Alonna’s cobalt-blue prosthetic eye was scanning targets.

She seemed to catch some information, suddenly turned, and placed the gun on the hood to shoot at thin air behind her.

A colorful motorcycle charged up.

The rider was killed in mid-air, chest pierced through, arms and torso falling to the ground, unable to utter a sound.

"We’ve got someone at the back, how are you?"

"They’re everywhere, Exiles came prepared, damn it!"

"We’ve been set up, this damn place is an ambush zone, some rat must have leaked info, they’re all waiting for us."

"Bitch, RPG, find cover!"

...

A sharp roar came through the earpieces.

John and Alonna turned to the distance at the same time, three trails of smoke with tails suddenly shot out from the opposite mountain.

[Weapon: K-39 Surface-to-Surface Missile]

[Status: Activated, No Hacking Module]

His prosthetic eye continuously focused, scanning several times to clearly see the missiles streaking through the sky, the information loaded in a flash.

[Type: Anti-Vehicle Weapon]

[Manufacturer: Kanmehr]

The missiles shot into the sky, two plunged into the valley, another flew towards the dense cluster of camp vehicles at the rear.

Rumble~

A massive explosion echoed across the wilderness.

The shockwave, laced with heatwaves, rushed up the slope, causing a brief disconnect in the earpieces, there was no stable ground underfoot.

John was less than sixty meters from the nearest blast point.

The thick armored vehicle absorbed most of the damage, but just barely regained rhythm when the Exiles swarmed like locusts.

A barrage of gunfire erupted from the rear of the camp.

"Die, you non-mainstream ugly bastards!"

"Doug is injured, but the position is held."

"Those dog-sons-of-bitches blew up my car."

"Nando’s still alive, surrounded by fire, the insulation material is about to melt, we need to think of a way to clear the battlefield!"

...

John turned down the channel volume.

He had experienced many heists at Tiebang Logistics, didn’t panic, found his balance and started firing back.

The alligator spat a burst of lethal bullets.

Exile blood splattered in the flames.

John’s scanner marked the outlines, and he could see the enemy’s appearance clearly.

This group of lunatics like to wear sunglasses to show off, mimicking gangsters by placing goggles on their foreheads. Their skin is covered with tattoos of insects and bones, and the colors of their hair are more varied than neon lights.

The enemy info bar popped up below, all A-grade felonies, with equipment all uniform: bulletproof vests and subdermal armor.

The Exiles make a living outside the city, with all their possessions on them.

"Damn it, it’s filthy and tough!"

Someone in the headset echoed John’s own feelings.

Several heavy machine guns were set up in front, with Exiles crazily firing from behind burning vehicles and rocks.

John was used to such ambushes and wouldn’t expose his position like a rookie. Instead, he patiently adjusted his breathing...

Pulled the trigger, bullet discharged from the chamber.

All bullets shot into an Exile’s face.

His head shattered within view, and the gun in his hand fired wildly.

Another guy trying to pull out a grenade was locked by John’s cyber-eye...

He emptied the magazine directly.

This time he didn’t aim carefully, most bullets hit the cover, but the rifle chip automatically corrected, successfully killing the target.

The red grenade was caught by the scanner, rolling onto the ground, within view there seemed to be something like a countdown.

Bam!

Several enemies were blown into the air.

Blood and flesh mixed with gravel splattered everywhere.

Alonna had already emptied one heavy sniper magazine, during which no enemy vehicle could approach.

The drivers were shot to pieces or directly had their fuel tanks exploded.

John seized the moment between reloads to listen to the team chatter—the vehicle position was blown to smithereens by missiles, the team had already resumed their attack stance from the chaos.

Exiles are behind, exchanging fire.

The truck in the middle of the mountains was completely overturned, impossible to drive directly, breaking through to retreat meant losing both people and goods.

Another group of Exiles was coming from the front.

If they successfully arrive, they will encircle everyone and the casualty count would double.

"Retreat or fight?"

John asked Alonna.

He had to consult the employer’s opinion.

"I want to take on those coming from the front."

"It’s very risky, Alonna, are you sure?"

"The enemies here are suppressed, they’re just stalling for reinforcements, I need to get to the front quickly."

She seemed absolutely confident in killing.

John pondered for a few seconds, perhaps it was the stimulants, he chose to open the car door and sat in the driver’s seat.

Alonna tossed the gun bag into the back seat, grabbed the frame, and climbed in through the window.

At the bottom of the valley.

Nando carried a kinetic shotgun, roaring.

Wreckage was everywhere, burning cars blocked the way.

Suddenly!

There was the sound of rocks falling from above, the headset was full of exclamations, and a deputy emerged from the side and pressed him back into cover.

Everyone looked up.

The Beast MT450 charged off the cliff, its dark chassis with four sturdy wheels plummeting downwards.

It crashed on the slope, plowing through sand and sliding downward.

The rubble at the edge of the slope was churned up, an avalanche of dust and loose boulders rolled like an impending snowstorm!

The front of the vehicle hit some junk.

It lifted off, just as everyone feared, out of control, but it didn’t explode on impact. Instead, it carved a parabolic arc forward.

Everyone at Damascus Camp recognized the vehicle’s owner.

The headset was filled with terrified curses.

Nando thought he had seen his share of madmen, but when the MT450 landed, he instinctively held his breath.

The vehicle’s suspension was suppressed to the limit.

The tires struggled like wild horses.

The entire vehicle stabilized, even speeding up to leave the rolling dust and rubble behind.

Nando opened his mouth to speak...

The vehicle was still accelerating, heading toward them, and the mercenaries in the valley battle dodged just in time, with only two Exiles turned into pulp.

Its roaring accelerator sounded like a beast growling.

The entire vehicle charged into the fire, rolling over an overturned motorcycle, lifting its front end to race on the flaming wreckage before breaking the barricade on the road and taking off!

The approaching Exiles were all stunned.

A group of lunatics with bizarre hair colors and exposed mechanical limbs simultaneously looked up, watching as the expanding shadow descended.

Gunfire erupted, grenades exploded.

Nando listened to the noise coming from beyond the wall of fire...

He spread his hands, with a complex expression, opened his mouth, and didn’t know which curse to start with.

Finally, he pursed his lips and said, "F*ck!"