Chapter Twenty-Three: D-Series Sniper

Chang Le paused briefly before finally speaking, “You did the right thing. That’s most likely a trap. For now, find a small hill nearby—something low—and hide at the base. The rest, wait until I arrive.”

Li Yao was momentarily stunned, then frowned in hesitation. “But won’t that keep me from observing his position?”

“You’ve been lying in wait for over three hours, and your opponent hasn’t left. That means he’s determined to get the Gale Tiger. He won’t leave until he finds you, or until he manages to shoot you. You need to trust a professional sniper’s patience. There’s no point in observing him—for now, he won’t dare approach the Gale Tiger’s corpse unless he’s certain about your location.”

Chang Le’s voice was calm and measured, radiating a quiet confidence.

“From what you’ve said, it’s clear the enemy is a formidable sniper. Marksmanship aside, he also possesses an impressive grasp of sniper tactics. As for Wang Cheng—though I know him to be somewhat arrogant—he’s still a capable sniper.”

“When Li Tao was killed and Wang Cheng switched firing positions, not much time passed. And the enemy couldn’t have known about the move. Yet, he managed to pinpoint Wang Cheng’s exact location in an incredibly short time and then executed a follow-up shot. That shows he had an overwhelming tactical advantage over Wang Cheng.”

“In the face of such an opponent, seeking a vantage point for observation would only get you spotted sooner. So, going against the norm is actually the smarter move.”

“He doesn’t know you have reinforcements; he assumes you’re alone. As long as you stay hidden, he’ll remain patient. Interesting…”

“Alright, just wait calmly. I’ll pick up the pace—should be there in about an hour.”

After saying this and a few more words, Chang Le ended the call.

Li Yao exhaled deeply.

Chang Le’s relaxed, steady tone eased the invisible pressure that had weighed on him.

Indeed, certain things are best left to professionals.

Wang Cheng, with his half-baked skills, was never reliable…

Now that Chang Le had spoken, Li Yao decided to follow his advice and find a low hill to hide behind.

Once Chang Le arrived…

With the skills of an ace sniper on his side, taking down the opponent should be no problem. When the time comes, I’ll have him break the enemy’s hands and feet. I want to see just what kind of monster you really are!

A cruel glimmer flashed in Li Yao’s gloomy eyes. Without further thought, he ran off…

…

Fang Mu had no idea about Li Yao’s inner turmoil. He was racing against time.

After just over ten minutes, Fang Mu reached the summit and stood beside the second sniper’s corpse.

The body had been horribly burned; most of the skull was missing, and blood and brain matter had burst forth—though after more than three hours, it was now dried and sticky, grotesque to behold.

From a distance, it was nothing, but up close, the sight made Fang Mu pause, his breath catching for a moment and his footsteps halting.

He quickly exhaled, steadying his gaze.

“We had no grudge between us, but you tried to kill me. I only defended myself. Blame yourself.”

The man died with eyes wide open—or rather, the eyelids and skin had been burned away by the ‘inferno.’ The muddy eyes bulged, nearly popping from their sockets, making for a repulsive image.

Suppressing any unease, Fang Mu stepped forward and, first and foremost, took the sniper rifle from the corpse.

As soon as it was in his hands, his eyes lit up.

“A D-series? And the classic D-785?”

He hadn’t seen clearly through the scope before, but now, delight surged through him.

Fang Mu knew everything about the D-785. For someone who dreamed of a career as a gunfighter, not knowing such a classic sniper rifle was unthinkable.

The D-785, manufactured by the Federation military in the year 785 of the Federation calendar, forged with D-series alloy. It measured 116.84 centimeters, weighed 21 kilograms, had an effective kill range of 4,000 meters and a maximum of 8,000 meters. Renowned for its power, range, accuracy, and stability.

Ordinary sniper rifles could only kill at up to 1,500 meters, with maximum ranges barely over 2,000. The D-785’s effective range exceeded 4,000 meters, with a terrifying maximum of 8,000!

And that was just with standard ammunition.

Combine it with gunfighting techniques to extend range, and the official thirty-two-times magnification scope…

Its maximum reach could even surpass ten thousand, twenty thousand meters!

Though not quite on par with C-series or genetic firearms, it utterly outclassed Fang Mu’s secondhand G-301.

Compared to the D-785, his G-301 was nothing but a glorified fire poker.

Only sniper rifles like the D-785, with ranges over 4,000 meters, deserved the title ‘heavy sniper.’

For a long time, Fang Mu had dreamed of owning a D-785.

But D-series guns were exorbitant.

They cost upwards of a million.

The price was daunting.

If he remembered correctly, the last time he checked, a brand-new D-785 sniper rifle cost 3,888,888 star credits.

Three million, eight hundred eighty-eight thousand.

He never expected to acquire one now.

Fang Mu caressed the cold body of the D-785, admiring its sleek, austere lines, reluctant to let go.

He had no idea that, for most bronze-ranked gunfighters, the D-785 was beyond their means. Wang Cheng had nearly exhausted his fortune to buy it.

He bought it because he was about to advance to bronze rank.

He intended to use this rifle as an entry ticket to join a silver-ranked team. The better the firearm, the greater the power. For instance, if Fang Mu had used the D-785 to shoot the Gale Tiger earlier, a single ‘Inferno’ shot would have sufficed.

Its penetration was stronger; the bullet would have passed straight through the tiger’s skull.

Once creatures reach silver rank, their bones and muscles grow monstrously tough. Ordinary G-series and F-series rifles, unless using ‘armor-piercing,’ rarely inflict fatal wounds on silver creatures.

But with D-series, it’s different. Its terrifying penetration can deal deadly damage even without ‘armor-piercing.’

Thus, for someone without ‘armor-piercing,’ a D-series heavy sniper is the entry pass into a silver team.

Ironically, Wang Cheng had only owned this heavy sniper for less than a week…

And now, it had fallen into Fang Mu’s hands.