Chapter 262 - 145: Ambush

Chapter 262: Chapter 145: Ambush

However, Xu Mo had overestimated the buffer that distance provided and underestimated the omnipresent dangers of the wasteland.

A true test often strikes without warning, just when you’ve let your guard down and think everything is under control.

Around two in the afternoon, the sun was scorching as Xu Mo drove through a hilly section of road, flanked by slightly elevated terrain covered in dense shrubs and scattered rocks.

The terrain was complex, partially obstructing his view. He instinctively slowed down, dropping from over sixty kilometers per hour to around forty, his eyes scanning both sides of the road with heightened vigilance.

Just as the vehicle was about to exit this stretch of hills and a relatively open riverbed wasteland appeared ahead—

An unprompted, bone-chilling cold, like the flick of a viper’s tongue, suddenly licked the back of Xu Mo’s neck!

It wasn’t a change in temperature but an instinctive warning of mortal danger! It was the soul-deep tremor of prey targeted by an apex predator!

’Danger!’

His brain didn’t even have time to process the information; his body reacted before his consciousness caught up. Every muscle in Xu Mo’s body tensed in an instant. His right foot instinctively slammed down on the accelerator as his hands wrenched the steering wheel hard to the right!

SCREEECH—GRIND!!

The high-performance SUV let out a piercing shriek of tires on asphalt. Its massive frame tilted violently from the inertia, roaring as it veered onto the soft shoulder to the right of the road!

In the very same instant the vehicle swerved from its original path—

BANG!!!

A sharp, sudden crack tore through the oppressive silence of the afternoon wasteland!

’A gunshot! And the bullet hit the vehicle!’

Xu Mo’s heart hammered against his ribs. Before the SUV had even come to a full stop, his left hand shot out to unbuckle his seatbelt while his right snatched the AK rifle resting on the passenger seat.

Instead of exiting from the more convenient driver’s side—which was likely facing the shooter—Xu Mo shoved open the passenger door. He executed a textbook tactical roll and dove into a shallow dirt hollow next to the SUV.

The moment he hit the ground, Xu Mo dropped into a prone position, pressing his body as flat as he could. He aimed the rifle toward the left side of the vehicle—the general direction of the gunshot.

The gunshot and the dull thud of the bullet striking metal still seemed to ring in his ears. Holding his breath, Xu Mo lifted his head slightly. His eyes, sharp as a hawk’s, swept over the driver’s side of the vehicle.

The bulletproof glass was intact, and the door showed no obvious signs of impact. His gaze then dropped to the front-left of the SUV.

There, on the sturdy steel bull bar, was a fresh indentation. Embedded in its center was a twisted, deformed slug, catching the sunlight with a dull glint.

’A sniper... or at least an expert with a long-barreled precision rifle,’ Xu Mo concluded instantly.

’They were aiming for the driver’s seat, going for a one-shot kill. Lucky for me, that near-prescient sense of danger and my quick reflexes had me turning the wheel just in time. The bullet meant for my window only hit the bull bar.’

’Son of a bitch!’

Even with his steady nerves, Xu Mo couldn’t help but curse internally. He was barely two hundred kilometers out of Jiang City and had already run into a premeditated ambush! His opponent was clearly a professional, having chosen a location with limited visibility that was perfect for both concealment and retreat.

A flash of anger flared through him, only to be instantly extinguished by an icy calm. This wasn’t the time for anger.

’My opponent knows I’m out of the car, and they know the ambush is blown. Now, it’s a battle of patience, experience, and willpower. The first one to lose their nerve and reveal their position is probably the first one to die.’

Maintaining his prone position, Xu Mo began to crawl backward toward a low-lying depression. He couldn’t stay by the SUV—it was too obvious a target. He had to move, find cover, and then seize the initiative.

Xu Mo slipped into a shallow hollow, partially enclosed by several weathered rocks and thick shrubs. From here, his field of view was relatively clear, allowing him to watch most of the area around the SUV and the road while he himself remained well-concealed.

He steadied his breathing, nestled the AK’s stock firmly into his shoulder, and fixed his gaze on the general direction of the gunshot: the higher, rock-strewn, shrub-covered slope to the left of the road.

The sun was blistering, heating the rocks until they were scorching to the touch, but Xu Mo paid it no mind.

The Iron Bone Realm had granted him more than just strength and defense; it also gave him endurance that far surpassed a normal person’s. The intense heat and the discomfort of holding a static position for a long time barely affected him.

Time trickled by in the silence. Half an hour passed. Other than the whisper of the wind and the occasional cry of a distant bird, there was no movement. An hour passed. The sun had begun its descent westward, but its rays remained just as punishing, and the heat radiating from the ground grew even more intense.

His opponent, it seemed, was also incredibly patient, lying in wait like a viper in the shadows—motionless, waiting for its prey to make a mistake or grow impatient and reveal itself.

Xu Mo’s heartbeat had long since settled back into a steady rhythm. His gaze remained sharp, his patience seemingly infinite.

’A battle of patience? I’ll see this through to the end.’

Another forty-or-so minutes went by. The sun, now past three in the afternoon, began to cast a golden tinge over the landscape.

Just as Xu Mo was starting to wonder if the sniper had already slipped away, a faint sound reached his ears—one that was utterly minuscule, but decidedly not the wind.

SHFF... RUSTLE...

It was the sound of someone—or something—in the bushes, shifting their body or adjusting their position with extreme care, the fabric of their clothes brushing against the foliage.