How could this be?!
Abu had always been very confident in his marksmanship, never expecting to miss his target twice in just three days. At this point, his confidence was greatly shaken.
Soon, he managed to calm down and properly figure out the problem.
Glass!
Earlier, he faintly felt that there was something wrong. The glass on the warehouse was too clean. Obviously, it did not match the dilapidated warehouse, looking to have been replaced only recently. This glass had a higher refractive index than ordinary glass, the reason why his previous shot did not land on his target.
Instead, the opponent feigned death and defeated an ambush.
However, the guy’s good luck ended here. Now that the problem had been discovered, a good sniper wouldn’t fall for the same trap twice.
Abu immediately laid on the ground again, calculating the glass’s refractive index from the previous bullet hole and adjusting his sights to the new trajectory.
A few seconds later, the sniper’s sixth sense saved his life.
Abu sensed something wasn’t right, decisively giving up on shooting as he rolled to his side with the sniper rifle in hand. That very moment, a bullet landed on where he laid earlier, splashing mud on his face. If he had not moved, his brain matter would have splattered everywhere instead of mud. Abu knew the precariousness of the situation he was in. Estimating his opponent’s position based on the shot, he rolled on the ground several times and ended up behind a small tree.
JIt appeared that just like him, his opponent was an elite sniper as well!
With only one shot, Abu managed to figure out where his opponent was hiding. Being the experienced sharpshooter that he was, he was actually excited instead of panicking. As long as his opponent human and not a demon, there was no reason to fear. He was also grandly proud of his skills, especially in the field of sniping. Abu never thought there would be a rival to his talents.
Many marveled at his talents when he played video games, where his lightning-fast reflexes and instant responses came naturally as drinking water. There was no need for any practice—he would get the highest kill count in the game. His only trouble was that he kept getting reported to the officials that he was a cheat, and the game’s management frequently banned his account by mistake.
Unceremonious as it may sound, it might be the only way ordinary players could beat him.
Things were different now that he was holding the real sniper rifle. No one could ban him anymore since this was the real world. He had become unbridled, unfazed in the sights of another sniper that matched his unopposed skills.
Abu closed his eyes and allowed himself to be one with his surroundings. He attempted to capture and filter out certain sounds that could point him in the right direction, hopefully gaining better insight into who he was fighting and eventually getting an advantage. Judging from the opponent’s position, he was now in a safe spot. If the opponent wanted to attack again, he would need to change his position.
And as long he moved, he would make a sound. It might be no different from the wind blowing over grass or the rustling of fallen leaves to the ordinary person. Still, Abu was one who could distinguish insignificant details often ignored by everyone else. Judging by the previous shot, Abu could tell that he and the opponent weren’t too far apart. All he needed was a little movement, and he would be able to pinpoint the enemy’s exact position accurately.
And Abu firmly believed that his opponent would make a move eventually. It wasn’t because he was more patient than the enemy, but rather basing his judgments on what was happening beneath the manor right now. Although the warehouse guy succeeded in carrying out a surprise attack, eventually eliminating three Black Nest agents, another two members were still fighting back. Not to mention Mr. Coffee, who started cursing incessantly at everybody after getting shot in the calf.
Besides, two powerful assault team members were still in the wine cellar. After hearing what had happened through the communicator, they had instantly rushed over to the scene. In other words, those in the warehouse were still at a disadvantage. As of now, they had unleashed their trump card, and if Black Nest got serious, they would be in some serious trouble.
By this time, Abu had basically figured out the combat plan of the other party. While he was thinking about killing his target in the warehouse, his enemy was thinking about how to kill him as well. No one liked the fact that a sniper was lurking in the shadows somewhere, ready to extinguish the life of whoever that came across his sights.
This only exacerbated the bad situation of those in the warehouse. The opponents didn’t randomly choose this location for the final battle—the topography of the warehouse and the high-refractive glass had been intentionally placed. It was a trick for him to expose his position first. Abu knew very well that he did not need to worry at all. His enemy should be the one to worry about the current situation. Just as he expected, his opponent took the first step after staying silent for half a minute. Abu instinctively picked up his rifle, rolled out from behind the tree, and fired a shot.
It was a pity that the scope wasn’t used, seeing how he failed to hit the target. Abu was in no hurry, though. He hid behind a large rock and waited for his enemy to act again. On the other hand, the storm had been brewing for a while, and it would soon hit landfall with a fury. A heavy downpour would severely inhibit vision, but the good news was that the rain would affect both sides. It was still fair play. In fact, Abu was confident that he would perform better than the other sniper in such unfavorable weather.
The enemy must be anxious now, Abu thought. The enemy wouldn’t have been expecting the sudden rain, and it would surely ruin whatever plan he had in mind.
…right?
Did the heavy rain disrupt Zhang Heng’s plan?
Well, Zhang Heng did not think so, since he too, was expecting the heavy rain. To be precise, he was actually the one who summoned the downpour with his Weather Marbles.
Abu had to be the most formidable sniper he’d met after Simon.
Zhang Heng’s shooting skills increased to Lv. 2 in the Mannerheim dungeon. Being his teacher, Simon’s shooting skills were obviously a tad higher, at Lv.3, and possibly approaching Lv.4. As for Abu, although not as skillful as Simon, there was a high probability he had Lv.3 shooting skills.
Of course, a duel between snipers wasn’t entirely determined by skills alone, where factors such as strategy and environment would influence the outcome. Abu was right
-Zhang Heng had always been a meticulous opponent, wanting to make sure that his enemy was completely decimated.
Unfortunately, Abu had miraculously dodged Zhang Heng’s most confident shot. Despite the miss, Zhang Heng didn’t flinch, waiting patiently… waiting for the rain to fall. As the storm blurred the surroundings with an impenetrable mist of water, he took out the Filter Lens from his pocket.
This meant the horrible weather would only affect one side in this battle.
