Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“Summon all the NPCs to the cabin,” Red Queen demanded calmly.
She had put on an energy shield that was semi-transparent and had flares of fireballs spinning in the middle. This fire energy shield was marked as an Expert-level item. It wouldn’t break easily even if a Sniper managed to strike her. But the NPC crews were different. They were the key to controlling the ship. If they were dead, it would be impossible to continue the mission.
******
After providing Feng Luo with his gains, White Crescent proceeded to the top level under the cover of Neutron Star to restore Black Panther’s health.
Once Feng Luo regained full health, the first thing he did before leaving Big Pineapple’s shield was to replace his gun magazine with something more lethal: the double armor-piercing rounds.
The pirates’ second in command had a very high Sniper attack. Feng Luo needed to take him down first. Otherwise, he would risk being killed by a Sniper himself. The previous shot had revealed his approximate position. Feng Luo wondered if the AI of this Pirate Lieutenant would use the technique of switching positions after each shot?
Once he changed the bullets, Feng Luo waited for a moment before stooping behind the alloy shield and revealing his head. He raised the M110 to pretend that he was going to shoot. It was a fake move. A second later, he quickly retreated behind the shield again.
Pow!
A 7.62mm armor-piercing bullet flew by Big Pineapple’s alloy shield and pierced a hole in the ship behind them.
“He must still be in the same position!”
By comparing the pathway of the two armor-piercing bullets, Feng Luo was sure that the Pirate Sniper did not move but had maintained his position.
This was both good and bad. The good thing was it was easier to take him down. The bad thing was that the opponent already had his eyes locked on Feng Luo. The muzzle of the sniper rifle was likely aiming directly at his position, so any movement might be lethal. This meant that by the time Feng Luo found the opponent’s precise position, the opponent would have had the chance to fire two or even three shots.
One shot wasn’t a big deal. The second shot was when things started to get dangerous. And the third shot… Even if the hit rate wasn’t high—since both parties were on ships—it wasn’t worth the risk. So…
“Black Panther!” Feng Luo called into the group channel.
“What is it?” Black Panther’s voice was low. He had just gotten shot in the head. Luckily, his helmet had a high defense coefficient, so the bullet didn’t go through, and not much health was lost. There was nowhere to hide on the top level, so now was not the time to go up. He needed to change positions.
“Let’s join forces and take care of that Sniper!” Feng Luo suggested.
Two Snipers joining forces was a common tactic used by hired mercenaries. During missions, two Snipers would focus on one target—one as the main Sniper, the other as the spotter and a second Sniper. That way, the second Sniper could help out when the first Sniper missed a shot.
Of course, there was no need to have a primary and secondary Sniper while facing this Pirate Sniper. All they need was one person to distract him while the other took him down.
“Okay!” Black Panther agreed.
There was still animosity between the two, but under these circumstances, this was undoubtedly the best way to go.
“Why don’t you get ready then?” Feng Luo said.
“Done. I’ve moved to a new position!” Black Panther replied through the group channel a few seconds later.
“All right then. I’ll be the bait.”
This wasn’t an act of generosity by Feng Luo in volunteering to take on the role of bait. It was mainly because Big Pineapple was right next to him. In case he got hit, he could quickly retreat behind Big Pineapple. Meanwhile, Black Panther could be protected by Neutron Star, although the small shield of a Light Armor Warrior wouldn’t be enough to shield his whole body.
“One… two… three!”
After confirming their plan, Feng Luo counted through the group channel. Once he said ‘three,” he immediately lifted the M110 and left cover, half kneeling on the ground, one eye aiming through the scope toward the opponent’s estimated position. His finger was on the trigger, but he didn’t pull it.
At that moment, the sun floated above the sea surface. It wasn’t a glare that was strong enough to affect one’s vision. But in his magnified vision, Feng Luo noticed a scope flare from the pirate ship across the way.
Pow!
An armor-piercing bullet grazed past him next to his ear. He could even smell the gunpowder in the air.
Even an NPC Sniper couldn’t always have the perfect shot. The Pirate Sniper had missed!
More importantly, Feng Luo had discovered the opponent’s exact position. Hiding behind the cannons on the pirate ship, a sniper rifle and half of the Pirate Sniper’s body were visible. Furthermore, he daringly was not wearing a helmet. Wearing only a red bandana, he opted for the headgear typical of a desperado.
Pow!
A gunshot was fired from the right side of the boat by Black Panther.
A bullet with faint blue lights flew out and hit the top of the Pirate Sniper’s forehead. Although it wasn’t a kill shot from Black Panther, his headshot prevented the pirate from getting up and escaping. It had bought them only a little bit of time, but that was enough.
Pow!
The M110 fired with a thud, and a double armor-piercing round burst out of the barrel.
−3849
Red lethal damage!
The distance between the two boats was now approximately 700 meters. With the additional skill of a limited hit, the damage by Feng Luo’s shot was not affected. The double armor-piercing round would cause extreme damage to armor below grade D, so it pierced directly into the pirate’s forehead.
Killed Pirate Lieutenant “Venomous Snake” (Level 47 Elite). Contribution: 85%. Experience gained: 850. Terminated an E-rank federal wanted criminal. Reward: 5,000 credits, 1 medal point. Please proceed to the Hunters Guild to collect your credits.
“So it’s the Hunters Guild. Huh…”
Feng Luo didn’t find this strange. The tasks available through the Hunters Guild weren’t limited to red-name wanted players. Being one of the two largest federal associations, they accepted all bounties, including those against the NPCs and certain special monsters.
It was recently rumored that the Hunters Guild had become the main competitor of the Mercenary Guild because they had started up a bodyguard business. Letting a group of killers become bodyguards wasn’t such a bad idea. Since they were expert killers themselves, naturally they’d know how to protect their employers from being killed.
Feng Luo and Black Panther had joined forces to eliminate the most dangerous Sniper. But now, the situation was getting worse!
Presently, the pirate ship was only 700 meters away from the ship. If they got any closer, they would be within range of the Machine Gunners. Yes, there were Machine Gunners among the pirates—and not just one. In fact, even their leader was a Level-49 Elite Machine Gunner. There were also multiple railguns. On the front of the pirate ship, three six-barreled railguns, which were longer than two meters, were mounted. This definitely represented one of the biggest threats to the players.
The best way to avoid situations like this was to take down the Gunners. Of all the pirates, the leader was the one who had to be killed as quickly as possible.
Since the beginning of the battle, the captain—who wore a soldier’s uniform and a general’s hat and was also known as the One-Eyed Dragon—had never gone to hide in the ship. He had remained standing steadily on the deck.
Standing in front of him was a bulky, sinewy man known as Scarface. The pirates’ third in command held a large, heavy alloy shield covering both of them. Accordingly, Feng Luo and Black Panther gave up on the thought of killing him by sniping.
Nevertheless, they had to face this situation. Otherwise, even if the pirates didn’t use weapons like the torpedos or guided missile, the three six-barreled railguns would be enough to suppress them for good.
