Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 34
The fire blazed up into the sky, with Zhou Qian standing with his back to the direction of the flames. After glancing around, he climbed up the tree he had used earlier for cover. Fortunately, it was night, which greatly facilitated the players’ stealthy movements.
Zhou Qian had also purchased a high-magnification binocular in the game. Now he took it out again, aiming it at the high-rise building on the second main road.
He knew the sniper was inside the building but didn’t know his exact location.
The little dragon had been killed about two hundred meters away from the main entrance. It was a fairly smooth street with street lights. The sniper rifle should have a wide range, but from his previous observations, Zhou Qian realized that the little dragon was only spotted by the sniper when it entered the area illuminated by the light and was subsequently killed.
Before moving in the dark, the little dragon hadn’t attracted the sniper’s attention.
From this, Zhou Qian deduced one thing: as long as they stay out of the light, players should be safe for now.
At this moment, Zhou Qian wasn’t using the binoculars to find the exact location of the sniper but rather to observe the environment around the building. He was looking for something specific.
After a while, Zhou Qian found what he was looking for.
Illuminated by the streetlights, he could clearly see many yellow talismans scattered along the street. In many places, the street was stained a dark color, as if splashed with paint or perhaps… dog blood.
In this game scenario, the story involving dog blood and talismans indeed had a deeper meaning.
All the city’s inhabitants had perished under the gunfire of the S Army. All the ghosts harbored deep resentment towards the S Army.
That was why the S Army had hesitated to enter the city: they feared these vengeful spirits. They left behind two children from Cypress City, Da Shou and Xiao Pang, who were unlikely to raise suspicions. On one hand, they hoped the children would lure out the hidden Falcon Squadron and instigate internal strife. On the other hand, they needed these children, who weren’t targeted by the ghosts, to seal the spirits using talismans and dog blood. Only when all the ghosts were sealed would they dare enter the city boldly.
Zhou Qian had previously speculated that there were probably no S Army soldiers in the city. He was wrong, but not entirely off the mark. After witnessing the little dragon’s death and the talismans, he made a more accurate assumption: The bulk of the S Army was still on the city’s outskirts. The number of S Army soldiers in the city center must be very limited. Furthermore, their hideouts would be surrounded by dense talismans and dog blood to ensure their safety from vengeful spirits.
From this, it could be inferred that areas with talismans and dog blood might be ambush spots. If a building was almost entirely surrounded by these items, especially if it was a high-rise ideal for ambushing, it was highly likely that one or two snipers were inside. Conversely, if there were no such signs around a building, it was safe.
After observing the high-rise on the second main road, Zhou Qian started scanning the nearby buildings with his binoculars. Moments later, a series of explosions echoed. Zhou Qian recognized the sound as the detonation of the outermost “safe zone”.
Looking back, at first glance, Zhou Qian could see smoke enveloping the entire main road. But upon closer inspection, the S Army hadn’t destroyed all the buildings. If the entire street was on fire, they would have difficulty passing through in a short time.
They targeted large structures. After the bomb blasts, there were numerous gunshots, as they methodically searched each house to ensure no one escaped.
It would take some time for the S Army to clear the entire street and surrounding shops and houses. This gave the players ample time to head towards the second main road.
Zhou Qian turned his attention to the nearest building. It was a typical Chinese architectural compound with courtyards and pavilions, resembling a theater.
After confirming there were no talismans at the entrance, he descended from the tree, avoiding illuminated areas, and approached in the dark. He didn’t enter immediately but circled the theater for a thorough check.
After a while, sure of its safety, Zhou Qian entered. Once inside the courtyard, he hid in the shadows and listened intently. Hearing nothing and seeing no lights, he sent a message to his three teammates with his location and advised them to avoid talismans, dog blood, and light on their way.
After standing quietly in the darkness for a while, Zhou Qian summoned the third little dragon.
Throwing a scale on the ground, the third little dragon appeared. He bent down to embrace it and whispered instructions to it.
Once he finished instructing, Zhou Qian emphasized again, “Did you understand? First, find your older brother. Although I’ve told him to avoid the light, I’ve now found places with talisman papers and dog’s blood, which may not be safe. Both of you should follow my instructions but avoid the lights and high buildings. Only act in other places as I’ve directed. If there’s danger, relocate immediately. Later, meet up with me in the city center. Can you sense my presence and find me?”
The scales on the third little dragon seemed lighter, but other than that, it looked no different from the first dragon. It obediently nodded at Zhou Qian, then opened the door and peeked out both ways. After waving goodbye to Zhou Qian, it hopped away, searching for the presence of the first dragon to meet up.
……
About five minutes later, Situ Qing, Yun Xiangrong, and He Xiaowei all arrived at the theater and met with Zhou Qian. After Zhou Qian briefed them on the situation he deduced, they began the second phase of their plan.
“Our task now is to deal with the sniper in the second safety zone,” Zhou Qian began. “From here to the second main road, there are two main routes, north and south. First, we’ll split into two groups, one going south and the other north, with the aim of checking which high-rises along the way have talisman papers and dog’s blood. Remember to stay in the shadows and never expose yourself to light. In fifteen minutes, we’ll regroup here and then discuss the safest route to approach the buildings that might have snipers. After that, I’ll inform you of the next step.”
With that, Zhou Qian quickly took action with the group. He went north with He Xiaowei, while Situ Qing and Yun Xiangrong headed south.
Throughout their journey, there were very few places not illuminated by streetlights, so both teams used methods like climbing trees and looking from balconies to scout. They essentially sketched a 3D map in their minds.
Fifteen minutes later, both teams reconvened at the theater, sharing their observations. After extensive discussion, they found a relatively safe route.
Five minutes later, the four of them were slowly approaching a tall building via this route.
From their observations, there were three tall buildings surrounded by obvious talisman papers and dog’s blood. The tallest one, where the sniper shot the dragon, was labeled by Zhou Qian as Point A.
To its east and north, roughly a kilometer away, there were two other tall buildings, labeled as Points B and C. Expectedly, snipers were hiding in all three buildings. These points roughly formed an equilateral triangle, covering three directions.
For the S Army, this layout protected against enemies from the east, west, and north. The only direction they missed was the south.
Zhou Qian decided to approach the three buildings from the south and defeat them one by one. The four stealthily moved to the city’s southern part, deciding to head north and first deal with the sniper in Building A.
However, before proceeding, Zhou Qian stopped them. “Unlike other directions that are filled with buildings and alleys, the southern area is all barren. Aside from a not-so-tall fruit orchard, it appears to be a cemetery with hardly any buildings, making it hard to hide. The snipers from the S Army must have assumed that the Falcon Squadron would never walk this route openly, as it’d be too easy to expose. That’s why they didn’t set up an ambush in the building facing this direction.”
“However, we still need to be cautious. If there are landmines here, the consequences would be dire. So—”
“I’ve bought three ‘Flying Ropes’ for you guys. We can swing across using the nearby fruit trees. These things have gotten expensive lately—200 gold coins each. I’ll sell them to you for 150—a discount.”
Everyone: “…”
Without even looking at the expressions of the other three, Zhou Qian took out a rope and said, “For the S army, the undead should corrupt them. So, we will stop 200 meters away from Building A, in a place not illuminated by the lights. The first thing we need to do is to destroy the talisman paper on the ground and wash away the dog blood on the surrounding streets.”
“For this, I think the skills of He Xiaowei and Situ Qing should be combined.”
“Buildings A, B, and C are quite far from each other, making it easier for us to defeat them one by one.”
“So, we start from Point A—let’s move now!”
In about five minutes, in a desolate area resembling a graveyard in the south, the four of them quietly approached Building A using flying ropes and stopped 200 meters away from it.
The little dragon from before was instantly killed as soon as it stepped into the light-covered area.
The four found a small grove to conceal themselves and simultaneously looked at Building A.
The first to act was Situ Qing.
Gazing at the building, following Zhou Qian’s instructions, she first gently shook her bell. Ensuring she hadn’t attracted the attention of the gunmen, she continued to use her skills. Soon, countless droplets of water formed out of thin air, solidifying into a layer of frost that quietly landed on the ground.
He Xiaowei played a few chords on his guqin. The soft sound waves, though small, had a significant force. The invisible waves rapidly surged forward towards the street in front of the building, instantly sweeping over the frost and accelerating its melting. He Xiaowei plucked once more, and another wave directed the melted water to wash over that part of the street.
All around the building, everything was refreshed. The dog blood and talisman papers were thoroughly destroyed.
Packing up their respective weapons and drawing their guns, Situ Qing and He Xiaowei both turned their gazes to Zhou Qian. In the darkness, Zhou Qian squinted at the tall building and signaled them to wait. The two did nothing for the moment.
Zhou Qian continued to gaze at the building, his profile looking especially stern and cold. A while later, he noticed the light of an apartment on the third floor turn on, revealing a little girl in a red dress on the balcony. She looked pale, clearly a ghost.
As if contagious, several other apartments also lit up, eventually illuminating half the building. The building then resounded with lively voices, as if many people had suddenly come alive.
Without the dog blood and talisman paper, the ghosts that had been sealed inside the building have indeed reappeared!
At that moment, a voice tinged with evident fear echoed from the building.
“You… you, don’t come here!”
This was followed by the sound of gunshots. It seemed that the gunman was trying to fend off the ghost with bullets. However, it was clearly in vain, as he soon let out even more terrified screams.
Indeed, the ghosts posed a significant threat to the S Army.
Only now did Zhou Qian turn to Situ Qing and He Xiaowei, nodding to them to prepare. The two almost simultaneously raised their guns, aiming at the exit of Building A.
About three minutes later, thanks to the lights illuminating the front of the building, the four players clearly saw two S Army snipers being forced out by the ghosts. As they ran, they spread talisman papers on the ground.
“Those kids used these talisman papers before, right?”
“Yes! I just used one, and the ghosts in my room disappeared immediately! They work!”
“Alright, let’s put the talisman papers around the building again. Once the ghosts disappear, we’ll go back to our sniping positions!”
But they never had a chance to return.
As the first man bent down to place a talisman, “Bang!” Situ Qing fired first, blowing his head off.
The second man, in terror, tried to run back into the building for cover, but another “Bang!”, this time from He Xiaowei, hit his thigh.
It was He Xiaowei’s first time shooting someone, especially the nefarious S Army. Thrilled, he shot again, hitting the man’s heart from the back, immobilizing him instantly.
After catching his breath, an exhilarated He Xiaowei walked up to Zhou Qian, seemingly seeking affirmation. Zhou Qian patted him on the shoulder. “Well done. Keep it up. Next—”
Squinting, Zhou Qian’s cold gaze shifted to another direction—their next target, Building B.
“Destroy the snipers in these three buildings, ABC, and this second safe zone is basically ours.”
“The thing we need to do next is first, claim the bullets and guns from the sniper corpses.”
“Second, set up an ambush in this second safe zone to deal with the S Army that will come later. The more we kill, the better.”
“Third, investigate the third zone in the same manner, which means the core area buildings of this city. After we annihilate all the snipers inside, we can look around to see if we can find any other useful weapons. Meanwhile, we should choose a strategic location to occupy as our sniper spot.
“Finally, we can hide in the sniper spot and wait for the S Army to bring Jiang Yuqing right to us.”
Zhou Qian’s words fired up He Xiaowei’s passion. “Damn, Qian’er, you’re so awesome. I’m so pumped right now! I feel like what we’re doing is so exhilarating!”
Turning to He Xiaowei, Zhou Qian smiled and said, “Don’t get ahead of yourself. When Jiang Yuqing shows up… that’s when my real plan is just beginning.”
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