NOVEL NEXT Chapter 280 - Two Shots
Did they miss? Huo Qi thought.
No, that’s not right. Given that person’s ability, they would never make such a redundant move. That shot is suspicious.
He eased off the attack and slightly diverted his attention toward that position.
“Uh…” A voice was suppressed in the throat, and everyone looked toward the source of the sound.
“…” The person had tried to hide but ended up falling instead.
Due to the extraordinary abilities of Huan Xian, almost no one other than Huo Qi could be of any use. Mu Kun had only managed to succeed earlier by taking advantage of Huo Qi’s cover.
Probably seeking revenge for that shot, Clarens relentlessly pursued her, seemingly abandoning the idea of facing Huo Qi directly. Instead, he turned to attack the weak points of the R256 squad. After that, the others found no more opportunities to act. Just trying to avoid the frenzied Clarens was difficult enough.
Moreover, they all knew that this was the crucial moment in the final battle between Huo Qi and the enemy. The best help they could provide now was to minimize their presence. It was an undeniable fact, and despite their reluctance, they had to accept it.
Even though they hid as deeply and carefully as possible, the distance between the two sides was ultimately still too close. The enemy’s random barrage often led to some stray bullets coming their way, and while trying to suppress their mental energy and movements, it was naturally much more difficult for them to avoid the shots than usual.
One of their teammates wasn’t particularly lucky. In an attempt to dodge a stray bullet, their movement became somewhat exaggerated. On closer inspection, it seemed that the position they had just dodged from was where Huo Qi had first suspected the enemy shot had gone astray. Looking at the trajectory, it seemed to match.
If the teammate hadn’t dodged in time, that bullet might have hit them. At that point, even Huo Qi’s skill wouldn’t be able to continue the match. Thinking about it, the others couldn’t help but feel a sense of fear, and no wonder their teammate let out a cry.
Huo Qi furrowed his brow as he glanced at the bullet crater in the soil, then withdrew his gaze, making a gesture with his hands to signal the others to spread out slightly.
The enemy was too good at seizing opportunities, finding the smallest openings, and their abilities were almost flawless, effectively shutting down the entire squad’s firing power. Only Huo Qi was able to make some moves, so they had no choice but to be extra cautious.
On the other side, however, there was complete silence—
The young man calmly aimed his gun, his eyes never wavering as he focused on a specific direction. Meanwhile, the other two teammates, who had been caught up in the skirmish earlier, received a signal and descended to the bottom of the trench. They looked at the person in front of them with solemn expressions as the individual slowly tightened his fingers.
Everything was in place; only the final push was needed.
At the same time, the girl in the distance had her focus completely sharpened, and without hesitation, she pulled the trigger.
The small bullet carried the tacit understanding between the two of them, heading toward the pre-determined direction and target.
Even though there was nothing at that spot at the moment, the girl knew that her teammate, far away on the other side, would deliver the prey to the right spot, bringing an end to this battle.
She believed Huan Xian could do it, and she herself had to succeed as well.
Jiang Hui was slightly stunned as she set down the now useless periscope sniper rifle, feeling the weight in her arms.
—
Huo Qi retreated sharply, nearly losing his grip on his gun. That last shot from the enemy felt different from the previous ones—it seemed to carry a subtle mental pressure.
He thought he could avoid the enemy’s gunfire. However, when it came to the domain of mental power, lower-ranked Awakened individuals would instinctively try to evade the mental power of higher-ranked ones. When he sensed that the person on the other side might use mental power to attack him, his body instinctively reacted to avoid it.
The next moment, a shot carrying mental energy came straight for his face.
The boy sneered inwardly. This person hadn’t learned his lesson and still tried to take him down using the same method. Had he forgotten how he countered last time? He slightly tilted his body to dodge, then silently attached to the mental force, ready to reflect the shot back using the force from the opponent.
Suddenly, a sharp aura attacked him from behind. Although it seemed to have traveled a long distance and had lost some of its sharpness and speed, it still came as a surprise, almost silently, to those who were facing a crisis, including Huo Qi.
It landed precisely on Huo Qi’s back, who had tilted slightly to dodge. The entire event happened in the blink of an eye, and time seemed to freeze.
Before Huo Qi could pull the trigger to counter Huan Xian, those behind him, unable to believe what had just happened, saw the bullet that had passed over them and appeared right behind Huo Qi. Their faces froze in disbelief.
With the locking mechanism of the simulated body armor, there were a few dull thuds as they fell to the ground.
The R256 team was eliminated.
Huan Xian slowly lowered his firearm and, along with his two teammates, looked up at the total score leaderboard.
It was now the third-to-last update of the competition.
The avatars representing all the members of the R256 team darkened. The individual scores of the participants were refreshed again.
First place: Jiang Hui, with 584 points, just 5 more than her previous 579. She earned only five points in the last hour, but those five points made it clear that Huo Qi and the others had been defeated by Jiang Hui and Huan Xian.
Second place, Huo Qi, with 395 points, has been eliminated.
Third place, Clarens, with 362 points.
At present, there are 62 participants remaining in the competition, with three star hours left.
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There was absolute silence in the teacher’s seating area. This atmosphere had lasted for two or three star hours. From when Jiang Hui set up her periscope rifle and aimed at Huo Qi and the others, to the battle between Huo Qi and Huan Xian, and finally to Jiang Hui’s fatal shot at Huo Qi, each move was meticulous, tightly interconnected.
The situation changed rapidly.
It was not the stalemate everyone had imagined, nor was it the grand, intense battle they had expected. The R256 team was suddenly and quietly eliminated, and R186 and the others emerged victorious.
However, upon closer thought, everything had its signs.
Jiang Hui’s lengthy preparation, Huan Xian’s precise calculations, and the silent participation of the other three team members in this covert operation—each of their actions was done without direct communication, yet every step was in perfect sync.
No words were needed, no excessive thinking, just mutual trust, and in the end, they worked together to complete this sniper operation.
R186 and the others showed that even freshmen without formal training could possess the kind of tacit understanding found in soldiers fighting side by side on the battlefield.
It was hard to believe that this was a competition initiated within the school for freshmen.
Stark silently released his hand from behind his back, relaxing his shoulders slightly, just like usual.
Captain Lin Qi let out a long breath, as if witnessing the end of a grand performance, his expression still lingering in satisfaction. “…It’s over.”
It’s over.