Since the Living Dead was classified as a "Summoned Creature," it couldn’t be detected by drones, making it an excellent sentry. As soon as he heard its roar, he would know someone had entered.
Guan Tong didn’t take the stairs. He went straight to a second-floor window, leaped out, and fired a Hooked Claw into the outer wall. His body swung in an arc through the air before he landed lightly beside a first-floor window.
Peeking through the window, he saw a man with a crossbow approaching the stairs, completely unaware that his target was now outside the building.
’That crossbow...’
Guan Tong recognized the weapon. He immediately recalled the guy with glasses from the industrial park, the one who had attacked the Living Dead alongside the Curved Saber Man. That guy had been holding this exact crossbow.
’Could it be a coincidence?’
’Unlikely.’
Guan Tong could tell the man was here for him. He was hidden while his enemy was exposed; naturally, he wasn’t going to be courteous.
He aimed Silver Hunter and loaded a No. 2 slug.
BOOM!
The gun fired, and the bullet shot toward Jianming just as he was stepping onto the stairs. He seemed to hear the shot; sensing danger, he hastily threw something in front of him.
THUMP—
A rapidly materializing shield blocked his front. The No. 2 slug hit it and its energy seemed to dissipate, preventing it from exploding.
But in the next instant, the shield disintegrated, shattering all over the ground.
’A single-use defensive item?’
Seeing this, Guan Tong immediately switched to a No. 3 round and fired. At the same time, Jianming spotted Guan Tong aiming his gun from the window and instantly counterattacked with his crossbow.
FWOOSH FWOOSH FWOOSH— Several bolts condensed from Psychic Power shot toward him!
BOOM— Silver Hunter’s No. 3 High-Explosive Bomb landed at Jianming’s feet.
The attacks from both sides landed. As the explosive flames erupted around him, Jianming realized his opponent wasn’t firing a gun—it was practically a cannon!
He frantically tried to pull all the defensive items from his backpack, but it was too late. He only managed to grab a damage-reduction bracelet and slip it on before he was engulfed in flames.
As for the Psychic Power bolts flying toward Guan Tong, they were all caught and crushed by a large black hand when they were still more than a meter away. The hand then quickly dematerialized, slipping back into Guan Tong’s clothes.
It was Shadow. To be ready for a timely defense or offense, Guan Tong had it hide in his clothes in an intangible state whenever he entered a dangerous area. Since Shadow’s intangible form consumed far less Psychic Power than its solid form, this was a burden Guan Tong could sustain.
A figure emerged from the dust after the explosion.
Jianming, lying half-dead on the ground, stared in utter disbelief at the unscathed Guan Tong.
"You... how... my bolts..."
"A High-Explosive Bomb went off at your feet and you’re not dead? You’ve got a lot of defensive items," Guan Tong said, raising his gun and switching to a No. 1 round.
"Wait... wait!" Jianming yelled. "My teammates are nearby, you—"
BANG!
Guan Tong had no time for nonsense. He eliminated the guy with a Scatter Shot.
[+27 Points]
Guan Tong was surprised. ’This guy had already eliminated 26 people? Looks like I wasn’t mistaken; he really is from that "Official Team"... and his teammates are probably all still alive. Hmm... I guess it’s a small world for enemies, huh?’
To be honest, Guan Tong had been quite annoyed after their last confrontation, but he’d had no further contact with the squad since, so he’d let it go. Now that he’d run into them in the competition, however, he wouldn’t mind seeing them off if the opportunity arose.
He wasn’t particularly bothered by the others, but as for the captain with the curved saber, Guan Tong really wanted to eliminate him personally.
He took a reconnaissance drone from his backpack and sent it flying. The scan results showed four people dozens of meters away, rapidly heading in his direction!
’Besides those four, the scan didn’t pick up anyone else. They’ve probably cleared out all the nearby teams... So this is the power of an Official Team?’
’Looks like they got the notification that their teammate was eliminated. Now they’re all coming for revenge... I don’t want to risk a one-versus-four fight.’
Guan Tong’s mind was clear. ’This isn’t an ordinary squad I’m facing. It’s a heavily funded Official Team. Every single one of them is probably loaded with items.’
’The crossbow guy I just killed pulled out two defensive items, and who knows how many more he had that he didn’t get to use... Fighting them head-on would be foolish.’
’Besides, my target is the Holy Grail. I shouldn’t get bogged down here... I’ll make a move first. If they keep chasing me, I’ll just pick them off one by one.’
With that thought, Guan Tong left immediately. Not long after, Gu Fei and his three teammates arrived at the mud-brick building. Jianming was eliminated and the enemy was nowhere in sight, a fact that made Gu Fei’s anger almost impossible to contain.
"Jianming, that useless piece of trash. As my team’s secondary damage dealer, he lost a one-on-one..." Gu Fei’s face was grim. "Everyone, get your drones out. Keep scanning and give chase. Anyone who can take down Jianming has to be a pro, which means they must have a ton of points. I’m going to kill them myself and take every last one!"