Chapter 279 - 150: Annihilation

Chapter 279: Chapter 150: Annihilation

After driving for a little over ten minutes, Xu Mo slowed the SUV to a stop, parking it behind the ruins of an abandoned farmhouse that were half-hidden by dense weeds.

Beyond this point, the terrain gradually transitioned from open wilderness to rolling low hills, and the vegetation grew denser.

Xu Mo turned off the engine but didn’t get out immediately. He sat in the driver’s seat, silently observing for about two minutes through the mottled windshield.

Although the young man claimed to have run at full speed for over twenty minutes to catch him, Xu Mo wasn’t naive enough to drive right up to the entrance of their camp. What took the man twenty minutes on foot might only take an SUV seven or eight minutes—or even less—over such complex terrain. Approaching rashly without reconnaissance, especially when the enemy might have sentries or early-warning systems, would likely alert them and could even lead him straight into an ambush.

’I’ll have to go the rest of the way on foot.’

Xu Mo began to gear up. He slung his Mountain-Cutting Saber diagonally at his waist for a quick draw, checked the pistol in its holster to make sure a round was chambered, and slung his AK-47 across his back, muzzle-down. Four spare magazines were tucked into his tactical vest. When his eyes fell on the Barrett, Xu Mo hesitated for a moment but decided against leaving it in the vehicle.

’The path ahead was unknown. You never knew when you might need it.’

Fully equipped, Xu Mo took a deep breath and began to advance rapidly toward his objective.

Despite the heavy weapons and equipment he carried, for Xu Mo, who had reached the Iron Bone Realm and possessed a physique far beyond that of an ordinary person, the extra weight was almost negligible. His steps were light yet steady as he moved through the wild grass, loose gravel, and dry gullies, as if taking a stroll through his own backyard.

More impressively, while maintaining a considerable pace, Xu Mo also kept his movements perfectly stealthy. He didn’t kick up any noticeable dust or snap any stray twigs. Concealed by the sparse trees and waist-high weeds, his figure flickered in and out of sight like a ghost gliding across the wasteland.

After running for seven or eight minutes, Xu Mo pushed through a patch of low shrubs. The terrain before him suddenly opened up, revealing a small, almost horseshoe-shaped hollow surrounded on three sides by gentle slopes.

And in the center of the hollow, on a relatively flat clearing, a camp had been set up.

Xu Mo immediately halted, ducking behind a thick clump of wild grass. He raised his binoculars and began to observe carefully.

The core of the camp consisted of four RVs arranged in an arc—and they weren’t the small, towable kind.

Parked next to the RVs was an SUV that made Xu Mo’s eyes narrow slightly.

It was a standard-issue vehicle from Jiang City, identical to the one Xu Mo was driving: same dark green paint, same modified front bumper guard, and even marks on the roof where a cargo rack had once been mounted.

’I wonder which Messenger’s vehicle that was...’ Xu Mo’s heart sank. Someone who shared his mission had once ridden in that SUV. Where were they now? Dead or alive? The answer was likely self-evident.

In addition to the vehicles, several mismatched tents of various sizes and colors were pitched at the edge of the camp—clearly a collection of scavenged loot. Everyday clutter was scattered around them: empty cans, water bottles, fuel barrels, a simple clothesline... all signs that the group had been holed up here for a while.

The most critical element was the people.

Xu Mo’s gaze swept across the camp. Two figures were moving about near the tents. One was burly and bare-chested, using a tattered cloth to wipe down a hefty-looking machete. The other, comparatively smaller, was squatting in front of a portable stove, seemingly cooking something as a thin plume of smoke curled upward. Both appeared relaxed, clearly unaware of the impending danger.

It was impossible to tell if there was anyone else in the other RVs and tents. But according to the young man’s intel—a group of seven, including himself—that meant there should be six people currently in the camp.

He could see two of them, which meant at least four more were hidden inside the vehicles or tents.

Xu Mo lowered his binoculars and quickly assessed the situation.

’One against six. They have the terrain advantage and know the surroundings far better than I do. If I launch a frontal assault, even if I ultimately win, I’ll likely pay an unnecessary price. It might even allow some of them to escape. That’s not the outcome I want.’

’I have to thin out their numbers first.’ Xu Mo’s eyes grew cold.

After studying the camp’s layout and the surrounding terrain, Xu Mo chose a flanking route from the side and rear. It was out of sight of the two active men and offered a good path toward the heart of the camp. He began his silent advance.

Fifty meters... Undetected.

Thirty meters... Still undetected.

Xu Mo crept to the camp’s perimeter, positioning himself behind the nearest RV. His right hand reached into his jacket, his fingers closing around a high-explosive grenade. He had used his two smoke grenades earlier, replacing them with two HE grenades that he’d tucked away.

The cold touch of the metal steadied him, making him even calmer.

He was close enough now. With his strength, it wouldn’t be difficult to accurately toss the grenade into any of the tents, or even through a half-open window into one of the RVs.

Xu Mo focused his hearing, pushing the enhanced senses granted by his Iron Bone Realm cultivation to their absolute limit.

From thirty meters away, an ordinary person would have only heard the wind and the distant chirp of insects, sounds that would easily mask any faint noises from within the camp. But for Xu Mo, it was as if all that background noise had been filtered away. He could faintly make out the sound of intermittent voices.