270: Dual-line sniping

Chen Wang's hand was still gripping the emergency power switch, his fingers clenched tight. A small dot was flashing in the bottom right corner of the radar; every blink seemed to follow Star Pupil's heartbeat. He stared at the screen without blinking once.

The snowstorm outside grew stronger. Suddenly, with a 'bang,' the front left tire exploded. The vehicle body lurched sharply to the left, and the tracks scraped against the ice, emitting a piercing sound. The wuling type 100 began to tilt.

Before the sound had even faded, Chen Wang was already moving. He heard a crackle of current from the kindling system's communication module—it was very faint, but he heard it. He hunched his shoulders, pulled the handbrake with his right hand, kicked the door open with his left foot, and leaned half his body out.

The cold wind blew in, feeling like knives cutting at his face. Before he could steady himself, the ground shook again. The second electromagnetic nail exploded, the right support frame deformed, and the vehicle was on the verge of flipping over.

Su Ling jumped out through the broken window on the passenger side, her movements swift. She swung out a climbing rope, looped it around Chen Wang's waist, and wrapped the other end around the turret base on the roof. With a strong pull, she hauled Chen Wang onto the roof.

'Don't look back,' she said. 'Look to the southeast.'

Chen Wang lay down and looked in the direction she pointed. On top of an ice hill three kilometers away, twelve red dots lit up. They weren't lasers; they were reflections from sniper scopes. Each dot was fixed in position, spaced about twenty meters apart, arranged in a fan shape.

He knew the opponents didn't want to hide. They were waiting for them to react.

The broadcast inside the vehicle suddenly sounded. The voice had been processed, but the rhythm was discernible—it was halting, like someone cutting an apple.

'Do you know why we can't catch up to you?' Yan Shiduo's voice came through. 'Because you... are still alive.'

Chen Wang didn't speak. He picked up a wrench from the side and tapped the roof armor three times: short, long, short. This was a signal indicating he was still conscious and able to fight.

Su Ling knelt beside him, a thin layer of snow covering her gun barrel. She used the warmth of her palm to melt the ice on the scope, her eyes fixed on the ice hill. She wasn't wearing headphones; she had already removed the communicator from her ear.

'They've changed tactics,' she said. 'They aren't approaching, they aren't moving, they're just watching.'

Chen Wang nodded. He took the compound bow she handed him. The bow was light, had no heat source, and wouldn't be detected by infrared. He pulled the bowstring halfway and squinted to gauge the distance and wind speed.

'They forgot,' he said. 'The vehicle name isn't just a car.'

He used the wrench to pry open the inspection hatch on the roof and pulled out a folding steel plate. This plate was originally meant to reinforce the antenna base, but now he mounted it in front of the bow to use as a shield. He angled the bow, letting the steel plate cover most of his body.

The red dots in the distance didn't move. In the snowstorm, those twelve points of light looked as if they were nailed to the ice hill.

He took a practice arrow from the quiver. The arrowhead was tied to a thin metal wire, the other end connected to the grounding port of the bow. He aimed in the direction of the nearest red dot and fired.

The arrow landed, and the metal wire pulled taut. This was a temporary ground wire used to test if there were any electromagnetic traps buried underground. If there were, this line would trigger first.

Ten seconds passed, and nothing happened. On the ground, there was only the metal wire shimmering faintly.

'Safe,' he said.

Su Ling nodded slightly. Her fingers rested on the bowstring, ready to shoot at any moment. Her eyes never left those red dots.

The broadcast sounded again: 'Every breath you take is providing energy for the black tide.'

This time, the sound didn't just come from the vehicle's speakers; Su Ling's internal communicator also beeped. She immediately threw the communicator into the snow.

Chen Wang took off the copper pocket watch from his wrist and pressed it against the speaker casing. The watch hands trembled slightly. He determined that the audio was running on an old frequency band and was unencrypted.

He whispered into the remaining microphone interface: 'General Yan, when you cut apples, do you also count the number of knife strokes?'

After speaking, he pressed the recording playback key. The sound was transmitted through the metal wire into the underground permafrost layer. Low-frequency signals could travel far along the geological structure, directly infiltrating the enemy's monitoring equipment.

Two of the red dots on the ice hill wavered. In less than half a second, they returned to their original positions.

'It's working,' Su Ling said.

'They are waiting for us to move,' Chen Wang said, watching the twelve dots. 'As long as we leave the roof or try to fix the vehicle, we'll enter their crossfire.'

'Then don't move,' Su Ling said.

The two lay down, letting the snowstorm cover their bodies. Ice formed on the surface of their clothes, but they didn't shiver. Only their eyes were exposed, staring toward the southeast.

It was quiet inside the vehicle. The kindling system was only maintaining basic functions. The navigation light was on, showing they were still on the slope. The engine was running at low power, ready to start at any moment.

But no one intended to drive. Two tires were blown, the support frame was deformed, and forcing it to move would only cause it to flip.

Chen Wang's wrench was placed beside him, within easy reach. The compound bow lay across his chest, an arrow already nocked. He no longer looked at the radar, nor did he touch the power switch.

Su Ling's breathing was very light. Her left hand pressed against the bow limb, her right hand resting on the string. She stared between the third and fourth red dots; that was likely the command position.

Seven minutes passed. The snowstorm didn't stop. The red dots on the ice hill were still lit.

The broadcast inside the vehicle sounded again. This time the sound glitched, as if the signal had been cut and then reconnected.

'Do you think this little trick can fool me?' Yan Shiduo said. 'You have no idea what you're up against.'

Chen Wang didn't respond. He tucked the pocket watch back into his sleeve and slowly adjusted his body, pressing his shoulders closer to the roof.

Su Ling suddenly raised her hand, making a 'stop' gesture. She was staring at the fifth red dot. That dot had shifted less than a degree just now, then immediately returned.

'Someone blinked,' she said.

Chen Wang looked in that direction. The reflection from the sniper scope at that position had indeed changed angle. Although it was only for an instant, in this weather, any small movement would be exposed.

He turned the bow toward that side but didn't draw it. He waited.

Ten seconds later, that red dot shifted again. This time it was more obvious.

'He's calibrating,' Su Ling said. 'He probably noticed we aren't moving and wants to confirm if we're dead.'

Chen Wang nodded. He raised the bow, aimed at that dot, and released.

The arrow flew out, dragging the metal wire across the snow surface. It didn't hit anyone, landing five meters in front of the sniper scope. The tail of the arrow embedded into the ice, connecting the bow back to the vehicle body via the ground wire.

The next second, a faint electric arc sparked from the tail of the arrow and traveled back along the metal wire. This was the residual static electricity from the vehicle name body, which had been amplified and transmitted along the wire.

On the ice hill, the fifth red dot flickered violently twice, then went out.

'Hit the equipment,' Su Ling said.

The other eleven red dots were still lit. But their positions had changed. Three moved outward, two moved inward, as if they were redeploying.

'They're adjusting their firepower grid,' Chen Wang said.

He pulled out a second arrow. This one didn't have a metal wire tied to it. The arrowhead was solid alloy, capable of penetration.

Su Ling glanced at him. He shook his head.

'Not yet,' he said. 'They're waiting for us to make a mistake.'

He slid the arrow back into the quiver and slowly lay lower. Snow piled on his back, and he didn't move. Su Ling did the same.

The red dots on the ice hill stabilized again. The twelve dots were once again arranged in a fan shape, more spread out than before.

The broadcast inside the vehicle fell silent. There was no sound for over ten seconds.

Chen Wang's hand rested on the bow. His eyes were fixed on the third red dot. It hadn't moved at all.

Su Ling suddenly raised her hand, pointing at that position.

'main control console,' she said.

Chen Wang nodded. He slowly drew the bowstring, aiming the arrowhead in that direction.

Wind speed was 3.2 meters per second, distance 2,900 meters, deflection angle 0.7 degrees. He calculated the impact point.

His fingers hooked on the string, not releasing.