Chapter 294 - 203: The Deterrence of a Top-Tier Scout Martial Artist (Part 2)

Chapter 294: Chapter 203: The Deterrence of a Top-Tier Scout Martial Artist (Part 2)

The muscles and bones in his neck were instantly infused with a mysterious power, becoming more resilient and flexible. Looking inward, he saw that the tissue structure hadn’t changed at all; its function had simply been expanded.

The entire transformation took less than three minutes. The stronger Yu Fei became, the greater his body’s tolerance for new abilities.

Yu Fei let out a long sigh of relief. He had previously researched the principles behind how an owl—that assassin of the night—could rotate its head and discovered that its skeletal structure was completely different from a normal creature’s. He had been worried that installing the ability would make his own neck bizarre.

If a real structural change had occurred, Yu Fei had planned to just break down the ability; he figured he would be able to return to normal that way.

Having taken the risk just now, he realized he had been overthinking things. His neck was still his neck; its function had merely been extended.

While the enemy was still on their way, Yu Fei quickly rushed to the next Red Mist Wind Dew cache.

Atop a massive tree, he held a bullet in each hand, charging them with his power. He had 35 bullets left, but the Inner Qi he’d previously imbued in his ammunition had all expired.

Yu Fei casually tossed the empty Red Mist Wind Dew bottle aside and stood atop the tree, waiting silently.

He hadn’t cultivated a perception-type Secret Technique, but his Illusory Cicada Star Pupil could help him survey the entire area.

Its second effect, Illusory Cicada, allowed him to "see" faint vibrational trails. Combined with his enhanced sight, he could spot any fluctuations within a 10-kilometer radius, then use his Reversing Destiny Vision for confirmation.

He was the master of this battlefield!

In the darkness of the night, Yu Fei curiously rotated his head. He turned it to the left, then back to the center. To the right, and back again.

For a normal person, a 90-degree neck twist was the limit; any further and their whole body would have to turn. Yu Fei’s, on the other hand, was practically a steering wheel.

He tried twisting his head all the way to one side, then quickly swiveling it all the way to the other. After twenty-odd repetitions, he suddenly felt a little dizzy.

It was a good thing no one was around; that freakish scene would have scared plenty of people.

Human-shaped radar, online!

The night was still. Before long, tiny ripples appeared in the distance within Yu Fei’s vision. Among them, a red gemstone was faintly discernible, though not clearly, as it was too far away.

Yu Fei quietly activated his Illusory Sword Intent, leaped down from the great tree, and moved to a slightly elevated boulder.

Martial Artists were incredibly fast. In no time, he spotted three separate sources of ripples, each marked by the glint of a gemstone. These three had also cultivated a Stealth Secret Skill, making them invisible to the naked eye.

Yu Fei deployed the bipod of his rifle, the Soul Devourer, for support. The three targets were far apart, and he needed the stability.

Through his scope, Yu Fei centered the crosshairs about a foot below one of the gemstones—right where the target’s head would be.

"BOOM! BOOM-BOOM..."

Within Spirit Fox’s range of perception, three fleeting lines of fire suddenly erupted from a supposedly empty location, making her instantly tense up.

Yu Fei’s absurd level of stealth was a nightmare for all perception-type Martial Artists.

"Watch out!"

Spirit Fox shouted a warning to the seven scout-class Martial Artists. They didn’t know why, but they immediately dropped into tactical rolls. Unfortunately, it was too late; two of them were taken out with a single shot each.

The surviving scout-class Martial Artists couldn’t escape Yu Fei’s sights. With his fifteen-times-normal neural reaction speed, Yu Fei easily predicted their movements. Their flashy tactical evasions were completely useless.

The last two bullets in the magazine were fired almost simultaneously. Triple kill!

13-0

"Halt! Form a defensive perimeter!"

Kang Ming’s voice rang out, his mind reeling in disbelief. ’How did this lone wolf’s Inner Qi recover so fast? And our scouts were still stealthed! How in the world did he spot them?’

’The facts were plain to see. It now seemed this lone wolf also possessed formidable perception abilities!’

Kang Ming felt a sense of helplessness. Prodigious Martial Artists were expected to be versatile, but every Secret Technique took time and resources to master. Usually, one would specialize first, then work on their weaknesses later.

’How the hell does this guy train!?’

He had a bad feeling. The abilities the lone wolf had displayed so far perfectly matched the profile of a powerful scout-class Martial Artist.

’Stealth, perception, sniping, frontal assault capabilities... And the proficiency in each was off the charts. His stealth could fool Spirit Fox, his perception could spot our own scouts, and his sniping... that went without saying.’

’Thirteen teammates have already fallen to his gun, and he even crushed Hengji in a head-on fight...’

A chill went down Kang Ming’s spine. ’How the hell are we supposed to fight this?’

’Why isn’t a guy like this on a real battlefield?’

A sufficiently powerful scout-class Martial Artist could harass a team to the point of collapse, picking them off one by one.

"Everyone, group up! Defensive Martial Artists on the perimeter! Feng Hua, you have the rear! Full sprint! If anyone falls, do not look back!"

Kang Ming’s mind was clearer than ever. They had to gamble on one thing: the enemy’s Body Technique!

Feng Hua was burning with fury, but there was nothing she could do. Her perception-type Secret Techniques were inferior to even Spirit Fox’s. If she charged out on her own, she wouldn’t find him, and it would only put her teammates in greater danger.

Yu Fei changed his sniping position again. He had just set up the Soul Devourer when he detected dense fluctuations in the distance. In his vision, a large cluster of shining gemstones gathered together and zipped past at incredible speed.

’This...’

A moment’s thought was all it took for him to understand their plan. ’But first,’ he thought, ’I’ll collect some interest.’

With so many of them bunched up together, it actually made aiming easier for him.

"BOOM!..."

The Soul Devourer roared. Yu Fei fired five shots, claiming three kills. The last two bullets were shattered by Feng Hua, who managed to react in time.

Yu Fei immediately swapped magazines and fired another five-shot burst. This time, he only brought down one person; Feng Hua blocked all the rest.

’I have to admit, that girl is a beast,’ he thought. ’I never imagined someone could track the trajectory of my extraordinary bullets, let alone shatter them.’

He immediately picked up the Soul Devourer and gave chase, but the enemy group was already far in the distance.

Under Kang Ming’s command, the Salted Fish Assault Team had all activated a Speed Burst Secret Skill. At the cost of four members, they had broken through Yu Fei’s kill zone. It had to be said, it was an excellent decision.

Right now, Yu Fei’s only weakness was speed. He hadn’t had time to cultivate the Burning Void Escape technique Ye Shuping had given him, and he was visibly falling behind.

Yu Fei immediately notified Jiang Nianwei via his personal terminal, then activated his Shrinking Earth Stepping Technique and continued the pursuit.

The Speed Burst Secret Skill had a time limit. Five minutes later, Kang Ming gave the order: "That’s enough! Resume normal travel speed!"

He mulled it over in his mind. ’Ever since we lost those four, he hasn’t sniped at us again.’

’It seems his weakness is speed. We have to defeat the other Yulin Army members quickly, capture the base, and secure supplies. Then, the lone wolf will be forced to attack our fortified position alone. That’s our only path to victory.’

"Objective: the military base! Straight-line march! Spirit Fox, use your full perception ahead of us and watch for ambushes!"

When Jiang Nianwei received Yu Fei’s message, a surge of excitement washed over her. Yu Fei had single-handedly eliminated 17 opponents, reducing the enemy team’s numbers by over thirty percent.

Now, it was up to them to intercept the enemy and form a pincer attack. Perhaps they could actually annihilate the upperclassmen, slamming their seniors into the dirt.

The moon was bright and the stars were sparse. A grim killing intent hung in the air.

Jiang Nianwei and her team lay in ambush on both sides of a mountain pass. She had positioned the Mixed Element Magnetic Cannon 15 kilometers behind them, aimed at the vast, open plain ahead—a place with no natural cover.

The unique property of the Shrinking Earth Stepping Technique was that, over time, the Martial Artist would gradually sync with the world’s magnetic field, allowing their speed to continuously increase. Kang Ming thought he had lost Yu Fei, but against all odds, Yu Fei had caught up.

The Salted Fish Assault Team’s group speed was limited by its slowest member. Leveraging the late-stage acceleration of his Shrinking Earth Stepping Technique, Yu Fei had caught up. He didn’t open fire immediately, however.

He was audacious. Boosted by his silent steps and the Illusory Sword Intent, he crept up to the rear of the Salted Fish Assault Team’s formation. His plan was to find the team’s key player: the support-class Martial Artist.

Just because Yu Fei could evade detection didn’t mean the rest of the Yulin Army could hide as effectively. If his allies were discovered prematurely, the whole ambush would become a farce.

According to Ye Shuping, the support-class Martial Artist was the soul of any team. Yu Fei wanted to take out the enemy’s "eyes" to ensure Jiang Nianwei’s ambush would succeed.

Feng Hua kept glancing back. For some reason, a faint sense of unease was growing inside her.

’Next time,’ she vowed, ’I will master a perception Secret Technique!’