Chapter 531: Fish and Net II
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
In the large and empty manor, Kristen and Sha Ya found themselves at a loss. They exchanged a sympathetic look before following Ye Chong from behind. Ye Chong ignored them both. He took his time going through every corner of the manor. When the tour was over, he already knew what to do. Building a stronghold was not a difficult task for him.
Even so, the operation would be quite extensive, and had to be done step by step. This place was much larger than his little courtyard. He could plan larger scale defences, but it would require much more work.
Sha Ya suddenly looked up, alert. "Someone's here." She was looking at the top a hill.
Ye Chong followed her gaze and saw three figures on the hill. They were very far away, making them hard to make them out. The figures seemed to be watching them. "A Level 8 shooter is so sensitive," Ye Chong thought to himself, impressed.
"Do you know them?" Du Feng asked Ren San. He would not want to lose an excellent practice site for nothing. In fact, a military establishment like theirs did not lack funding to build their own training ground. However, Du Feng noticed that his soldiers, be it freshies or veterans, were always more alert and enthusiastic when they entered the manor. All the simulation grounds that they had built never quite had this effect. Du Feng was generously funded, but buying the manor would never be approved by his superiors. In any case, even he thought it was not really justified.
Ren San picked up his binoculars and watched for a long moment. Finally, he shook his head decisively and said, "Never seen them before. They're all unfamiliar faces."
"Could they be nobles from somewhere else?" Li Gui asked warily.
Ren San rejected his suggestion confidently, "Don't seem like it. They're clothes are too casual. No noble will dress like that. Besides, look at the way they walk, there's no grace. If any noble dared to walk like that, they'd surely be dragged back to etiquette class."
"So you're saying they're not any kind of noble or councillor?" Du Feng was feeling better already.
"Definitely not!" Ren San declared.
Du Feng and Li Gui exchanged smiles.
They did not see the moment when Sha Ya looked up and right at them. If they saw this, they would never have acted so carelessly. If the woman could sense them from so far away, she was surely …
…
"You're in charge of security," Ye Chong said to Sha Ya. Perhaps only someone like Ye Chong would ask a Level 8 shooter to protect his living quarters. However, Ye Chong thought it was his best option. A shooter was much more effective than holographic scanning in relatively short distances.
"Yes sir," Sha Ya acknowledged solemnly. Now that Ye Chong was her master, she must carry out all his orders with absolute dedication. Besids, Sha Ya's experience told her that those three figures must be planning something for them.
Ye Chong and Kristen began to clean up the manor, while Sha Ya took up her gun and patrolled the land.
The previous owner did not stay here long. This was obvious from the simple and shabby furniture. This made Ye Chong's life easier, however, since he did not have to spend much time cleaning up the place.
Kristen looked at Ye Chong, flabbergasted. She had never seen anyone lift something that was hundreds of kilograms with one hand, carry it outside the house and easily flinging it more than 50 meters away.
Was this guy even human? Kristen looked a little discomfited.
Ye Chong worked like a machine, fast and efficient. Soon, he had emptied the building closest to him. Almost all the furniture were thrown out, leaving an empty house.
Kristen could not understand what Ye Chong was up to. Those were still serviceable furniture. Kristen's heart ached whenever Ye Chong threw one out, smashing it into pieces.
This was a retro style building. Green creepers covered the outer walls of the house, giving the structure a touch of classical elegance. There were about 20 to 30 buildings like this on the manor's land. This particular building was situated closest to the centre. Since the servants rarely came here, the place was covered with dust in every corner.
The building was a little fancy to his liking, and not sturdy enough, but Ye Chong was satisfied with is location. The building had its back facing the precipitous cliffs. He decided to make this his control centre.
However, all of the work will have to wait till tomorrow. Right now, he had no materials to build his weapons. All the equipment and items in Celest's ring were too sensitive to bring out, since they were lightyears ahead of local technology. Without proper defences in place, he would not take them out.
Night came. The manor was far from the city, away from the electric lights and urban noise. Here, insects sang in the gentle breeze, bringing peace to the land.
Up on the hilltop, Du Feng said to Li Gui happily, "Hehe, looks like we got lucky. The newcomer's not some untouchable person. We'll just proceed as usual. Hehe, let's welcome them with real action."
Li Gui looked concerned, but seemed hesitant to speak up.
Du Feng noticed his expression. He patted Li Gui's shoulder and said nonchalantly, "Don't worry, even if they're really some noble or other, nothing's gonna happen. Do you think His Highness, no, His Majesty now, will really kill us all? We'll just be forced to apologize or something, as long as we don't go overboard. We can also take this opportunity to see if the new owner's a toughy or some loser."
Li Gui thought it over and felt comforted. He looked at Du Feng in surprise, "I never noticed that you've got so much brains in your head. That's some planning ahead there."
"Heh, I got that from you," Du Feng looked pleased, but he tried to brush it off. Li Gui wanted to laugh at his antics. However, Du Feng's next sentence quickly dissolved his good mood into bitter annoyance.
"However, if apology's really in order, you're the one who has to go. You're shameless, and you're smooth with words, who else better to represent us all?"
Soon, it was time to begin the drill session. Du Feng gathered himself and turned serious. He was always serious in carrying out their drill sessions. This was why he earned the trust of Sun Sieha.
"Begin!" Du Feng's command sounded like a threat to the enemy, marking the beginning of their training. He would be at the hilltop, observing the entire exercise.
In the darkness, Sha Ya came out of her meditative state. She opened her eyes that gleamed with killing intent. Like a slippery fox, she stood up silently and picked up the laser gun by her knees.
She pushed open the door slowly, but was interrupted by a male voice from a dark corner, "Someone's ambushing us." Sha Ya nearly jumped up in surprise. She turned to look to the source of the voice.
It was Ye Chong. She exhaled deeply, reverting back to calmness.
Both of them exchanged a look without a word, only nodding once to each other. Immediately after that, Sha Ya was surprised to find that the man had simply vanished out of sight.
She composed herself, calming her mind. Then, she reached out with her parapsychic waves.
…
This was Lin Dai's fifth nighttime drill session. By now, he knew his way around the manor, perhaps even better than the previous owner. He enjoyed training here. The thought of running around some noble's house was exciting. He knew that his comrades shared the sentiment. Every time after their training, they would come together and talk about how the owner had to silently endure their trespassing. If they were lucky, they could even catch the sight of a female servant taking a bath.
Who would not like this wonderful place?
There were many large trees planted on the manor's land. At night, the place was dark. The terrain was complicated due to the many buildings built on the land. They must stay alert at all times to avoid biting the dust. He was very experienced in this respect.
Lin Dai hid himself in the trees, his camouflage helping him blend into the surroundings. He had already spread out his parapsychic sense around him. If anyone entered his range, he would attack.
He was patient. In fact, all veterans were patient hunters, waiting for their prey.
Someone was coming!
An "enemy" entered his parapsychic sensing range. He drew his laser gun and fired without hesitation, hitting his target.
According to the rules, the soldier who was hit must leave the battleground immediately. The light beam from the gun was not harmful, but it would leave a mark where they were hit.
Lin Dai whistled quietly. Score! This meant that even if he were to be hit tonight, he would not lose any marks for tonight's drilling session.
Bending over his waist, he began to move between the trees. He knew that the attack had exposed his location. He must quickly move to a new location.
Suddenly, a hand appeared from behind him and covered his mouth.
He wanted to scream. This was against the rules! He tried to remove the hand with his own, but the attacker's hand did not budge. Before he could say anything, he felt a pain in his neck, and his vision went dark. He lost consciousness. The last thought in his mind was – who was this motherf*cker?
Ye Chong put the man down carefully. He did not look at the man again. That twist had broken the soldier's neck, definitely.
Ye Chong did not care to ask for their purpose of being here. The way he saw it, there were not many reasons that could lead a group of fully armed shooters into his manor. He looked around for his next target.
Sha Ya shared his perspective. However, unlike Ye Chong, she noticed that these men were actualy soldiers! What were the soldiers doing here? Regardless, there was no reason for them to be here. This was private property. She had the right to defend this place. Others might be intimidated by the military, but not Sha Ya – she was a Level 8 shooter, at the top of the shooter hierarchy. These Level 4 minions were not even worth the effort.
The military had many strong shooters of their own, but Level 8 shooters were still very rare. Most of the soldiers were Level 5 or 6. To qualify for Level 8 required not only hard work and talent, but also a bit of luck. The organized and stable lifestyle of a soldier did not encourage them to grow into Level 8 shooters. Most of the shooters who achieved Level 8 were independent and experienced.
No one would dare to disrespect a Level 8 shooter, not even Sun Sieha.
Sha Ya lifted the laser gun in her hand. Every Level 8 shooter had survived countless battles. Weaker minds would never achieve Level 8. To become a Level 8 shooter was not just a matter of skills.
A Level 8 shooter was so much stronger than a Level 4. Sha Ya handled the soldiers with ease. Every shot brought down another soldier. She did not have to hide herself, for her parapsychic sensing range was dozens of times larger than the soldiers. She moved fast, and fired smoothly, unlike these young soldiers.
Sha Ya was like a bright spark in the dark. Her expression was cold and merciless. Her every shot was fired without hesitation. She fired shot after shot without stopping, never missing her targets.
The soldiers cried in pain, breaking the silence in the manor.
Up on the hilltop, Du Feng and Li Gui noticed that something was wrong. They realized that they had made a huge mistake, or more precisely, they had overlooked a simple matter. There was another kind of people, aside from nobles, that they should never mess with – strong shooters.
Du Feng spoke through gritted teeth, "All of you, with me." He led his soldiers running down the hill towards the manor. He could not just stand and watch his soldiers killed one by one.
The soldiers heard him, and quickly followed Du Feng, rushing down the mountain.
Li Gui looked pale. He turned around and said to his guard, "You, go back to camp and ask all the capable soldiers to come here, get all the Level 6's and above. Come with their fighters! Quick!"
The guard was surprised, but made a quick bow and retreated to their camp.
Du Feng was a strong man, so he led the charge down the hill. He was panicking inside. It was a massacre down there. The crazy lady, some high Level shooter, had dared to kill so many soldiers from the Royal Military. His eyes burned with rage.
When Du Feng arrived, Sha Ya had already cleared her immediate surroundings.
She kept her gun up and walked towards Du Feng. There was not a single person alive around her.
Du Feng felt pained. These were all soldiers that he raised and trained! Despite his emotions, Du Feng conducted himself professionally as a military leader should.
"Who are you?" Du Feng asked, barely containing his anger.
Sha Ya stared coldly at Du Feng and said, "I should be the one asking you that."
Du Feng's expression darkened dangerously, "I serve the Royal Military as Brigade Commander of the 1st Legion, 5th Brigade."
"Why do you allow your soldiers to enter my manor?" Sha Ya asked sternly. She was quietly surprised to find that they were from the 1st Legion. The 1st Legion was infamous in the entire country of Eastern Cloud. They served their duties with great commitment, and had been in the favour of every King that had ever ruled the country. Nevertheless, Sha Ya was not afraid of them. She was a Level 8 shooter, and had a master who was powerful enough to back her up.
"How dare you kill soldiers of the Royal Military?" Du Feng's eyes were red with anger. He glared fiercely at Sha Ya.
Sha Ya was unmoved by his feelings. "By the laws of Eastern Cloud, if anyone were to trespass a property while armed, the property owner has the right to defend themselves. I believed you know that, Brigade Commander."
The soldiers around Du Feng were outraged by her statement. They were proud men, not used to having their egos offended. The soldiers cried out in protest and readied their weapons.
"You dare?" Sha Ya lifted an eyebrow.
One of the soldiers ignored what common sense should tell him and raised his gun. Before Du Feng could stop him, a laser beam shot right into the centre of the soldier's forehead. The soldier opened his eyes wide in disbelief, and fell headfirst to the ground.
"Anyone moves, that happens," Sha Ya looked at the soldiers coldly. The killing intent in her eyes showed that the Level 8 shooter was very much p*ssed off.
Ye Chong was running in the dark. He had killed no less than a dozen men. Even so, he was less efficient than Sha Ya. The shooter's skills allowed her to decimate the enemies with terrifying efficacy.
In just a short while, all the soldiers who invaded the manor were killed. Now, Ye Chong saw both sides of the battle facing off each another.
The soldiers stared at Sha Ya, but none of them moved. Ye Chong did not expect that his decision to have a Level 8 shooter bodyguard would come in handy so quickly.
Hidden in the shades of the trees, Ye Chong considered the situation and made his decision. The trees provided him with good cover. He made his way quietly to the back of the soldiers.
"Fine! We'll remember this."
Du Feng was so furious inside. He wanted to just charge ahead and crush his enemy. However, he also knew that the difference in strength between them was too great. The shooter was good, unlike anyone he had ever encountered. They might have the advantage in numbers, but not enough to cover the disparity between them.
He would not let this matter rest like this, though. The military was not short of skilled shooters.
Du Feng grieved deeply for the soldiers he had lost, for he had watched them train and grow into fine young men. He regretted not bringing more capable soldiers with him, or their opponent would not have dared to challenge him so openly.
He decided to take revenge for those soldiers, even if it would cost him his job!
Just then, a swarm of black dots appeared in the sky, far away. A low humming sound came from that direction.
Sha Ya looked slightly perturbed, but Du Feng looked to kill.
Fighters! Those were fighters!