Chapter 10.1 – Sweep
This was a rugged and uneven ground, the hard surface covered with a thick layer of topsoil. From time to time, a gust of wind would blow past, blowing away a layer of accumulated dirt, yet bringing back even more dust. The pavement was scorching hot, yet the wind brought a bone-chilling coldness.
On the pavement, layer after layer of dirt were swept away, but they were immediately replaced with a new layer. Within these new layers of dirt, empty ammunition shells would appear from time to time. These ammunition shells were full of dirt, looking like they went through quite a bit.
Under the roaring winds, waves of clanking sounds rang through the air. An empty can rolled over from the pavement, occasionally even jumping about on uneven surfaces. In the end, it smashed into a wall of earth covered with traces of corrosion from wind and sand before finally stopping. Soon after, a pair of military boots landed heavily on the pavement, stirring up a blast of dirt. Just now, it was precisely this pair of boots that kicked the empty can.
A muffled bang gunshot sounded within the roaring winds. At the same time, a shining yellow, scalding ammunition case landed on the ground and rolled in front of those military boots, still releasing smoke so faint it was almost unseeable.
Then, a man staggered out of a dirt house on the side of the road, sprinting with unsteady steps. Several drops of blood quietly dripped down, leaving behind specks of bloody earth imprints on the pavement. However, he wasn’t able to take many steps before his cumbersome body suddenly collapsed, falling in front of those military boots. This was a thirty or so year old man with a face covered in dust, his thick beard still contaminated with a lot of food and crumbs. His eyes were widened, an expression of disbelief frozen on his face. Between his brows was a bullet, and from it seeped out a thin line of blood.
Su raised his leg, stepping past the corpse collapsed in front of him, and then he continued to walk towards the small town’s center. The electromagnetic rifle hung on his back, but the weapon he used was just the large caliber pistol in his hands.
This was a small town that had been battered by sand for many years. The edges and corners of the stone brick houses had long been worn down, the surface of the walls rough like sandpaper used to polish metal. The doors and windows were all nailed together by wooden boards. These houses were definitely not comfortable to live in, but they were steady enough. In alley fights, they were quite excellent forts. Based on the information Victor offered him, the little town was situated in a remote place, not within any major clashing powers. In addition, it didn’t have any valuable resources. The town’s greatest water source was a deep driven well left behind from the olden era. The bit of groundwater was barely enough for a hundred or so people to use.
Su walked through the center of this originally not very valuable city just like that, using the large caliber pistol that didn’t exude much technological finesse to turn what should have originally been a cruel alley fight into a single-sided slaughter. The electromagnetic rifle on his back simply didn’t have a turn to show of its power. This modified pistol fired assault rifle bullets, its bullet storage containing ten rounds. Its close range power was shocking, but that was all there was to it. This pistol that used olden era assault rifle bullets’ power was simply unable to compete with smaller caliber new era pistols. However, after leaving Dragon City, all new era weapons suffered the issue of ammunition scarcity, which was why Su had Kane put together a firearm that used olden era standard bullets. He didn’t need any special functions, only requiring stability, reliability, and ease of use.
Bang bang bang! Muffled gunshots continuously sounded within the small town. With every gunshot, a heavy body would collapse. Every shot was fatal, and those that were a bit stronger might have a chance to release a short miserable cry. No matter how these experienced, cunning, and cruel fighters hid, attacked, ambushed, or set up traps, none of these efforts were able to stop this devil who was casually walking inside the town!
From the outside, this small town looked like it should have been abandoned for many years, but in reality, it was Humphrey Malphas’ important base of operations. Su was originally puzzled why Malphas chose this place as his base of operations, but when he saw how ingeniously hidden this town was, as well as how well the deep driven well was protected, he finally understood the reason. It was because there was water here, and water was everything.
Malphas was one of the seventeen enemies Victor pointed out. He had close to two hundred people under him, sometimes gathered together, sometimes dispersed out. They came and left like the wind, mainly relying on plundering and extorting inhabited areas for survival. Their way of conduct were not much different than armed mobs. The only difference was their leader Malphas. Malphas was originally a high level supervisor of Steel Gate who later defected. Apart from being cunning and cruel, he also had four levels of power and six levels of speed. At the same time, he was quite an outstanding assassin. This was also why Steel Gate’s full power encirclement returned without accomplishing their goals.
After discovering the small town Malphas stayed at for some time, Su set up a defensive line outside, and then he entered the small town alone to unleash a massacre.
As for Malphas, Su didn’t attach much importance to him. Su could restrain all types of assassins that excelled at assault, speed, and hiding. Even though a small half of his power couldn’t be displayed due to his injuries, Malphas still didn’t have a chance.
Su walked along the alleys one after another. He then suddenly stopped, and the pistol’s muzzle stuck to a nearby dirt house’s walls. On the other side was a man with a gun in his hand. His body stuck tightly to the wall, his mouth wide open like a fish out of water as sweat rolled down his face. He could control his own breathing, but he couldn’t control his heart that was pounding faster and faster! His only wish was that the devil outside would quickly pass by outside, not detecting him in the process. After personally witnessing the various ways his companions died, he now no longer even had the bravery to fire his weapon!
Su pulled the trigger. The bullet passed through the dirt house and into the back of this man who was frantically praying.
