Chapter 57 Trapped in War 8

Chapter 57: War Entrapment - Part 8

Others could only catch the scent but were denied the taste, watching eagerly with hearts yearning with desire.

Someone boldly asked, "If we successfully hunt prey in the next shooting drill, will there be rewards too?"

Su Han answered without hesitation, "Of course there will."

The group erupted in cheers, brimming with excitement, eagerly awaiting the next practical exercise.

Returning to her companions, Su Han muttered, "Thankfully, there are only 13 NPCs."

If there were more, the pressure would be even greater.

Zhong Rui didn't mind, "We can survive a few more days by consuming all the crops we've planted."

"The NPCs are unaware that the instance is set to conclude in 15 days, so they're pinching pennies, planning for the future. But the players know—there is no so-called future,"

"Besides, in desperate situations, there are other ways to generate income."

Su Han glanced sideways, "Like what?"

"Taking from the corrupt, or as some might say, ridding the community of pests." Zhong Rui said indifferently, "There's a group nearby that specializes in robbing the vulnerable. If necessary, we can clean up the streets and take over their stock."

Su Han showed no sign of surprise.

"What's for dinner?" Zhong Rui casually asked.

Su Han replied, "Pork Floss Cream Bread, and maybe some snacks if we're still hungry." Since her Innate Ability reached the top level, she had never lacked food.

"You've got it made," Zhong Rui said with certainty.

"Same here," Su Han remained unmoved.

While chatting, someone came to report, "Most of the steel pellets have been recovered, but a few are missing and can't be located."

Su Han had expected this and didn't mind, casually asking, "What's the attrition rate?"

The person made a rough estimate and concluded, "Approximately six percent."

Su Han gave a nod of acknowledgment, "No worries. We've got enough ammo to last."

After all, the instance is wrapping up in just a few days.

Seeing that she wasn't blamed, the person breathed a sigh of relief and happily walked away.

Zhong Rui watched the whole scene, thinking something seemed off. It was clearly his subordinate, why were they reporting to Su Han? Before he could interject, the person left, beaming with the satisfaction of a job well done...

"She's quite the charmer," Zhong Rui murmured softly, his voice almost inaudible.

Su Han was lost in thought, oblivious to the exchange.

**

Day 8, white supply crate count 8/50. Training, hunting, foraging, trading—everyone was bustling with activity and in high spirits.

Day 9, white supply crate count 5/50.

Zhong Rui decided to lead his team out for a field exercise and also clean up the streets.

Qian Jun raised concerns, "Would hastily moving against a group stir up trouble with the others?"

Zhong Rui spoke with a straight face, "Here's an idea: you go and make the trade alone first. You're alone and a stranger, they're bound to get greedy and take you hostage."

"Once they've got you, we'll swoop in to save you. That way, we've got a solid reason to step in."

"Whether you make it out alive, well, that's up to fate."

Qian Jun, "..."

He quickly backtracked, "Some folks are just plain bad, everyone knows it. Let's just go in guns blazing, no need for fancy plans."

Zhong Rui glanced around and inquired, "What do you all think?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, "Let's just go in guns blazing! Taking out the trash, everyone will get it."

"The nearby residents all know they're not good people and won't say anything. Getting rid of them means we can all sleep easier at night."

"They nearly got me killed once; I've been itching for payback ever since."

So, with everyone's unanimous agreement, a dozen of us geared up and headed out, while Su Han and a couple of the less robust stayed back to hold down the fort.

Soon, the group arrived at their destination—a small café.

Beside them, Qian Jun filled us in, "There's eight of them, all young and tough—not gonna be a walk in the park."

"What's the plan of attack?" Yuan Qing sought the boss's opinion.

Zhong Rui waved his hand, "Lay low. The moment they step out, we all open fire and take 'em down in one fell swoop."

The rest gave a grim nod.

After waiting for about half an hour, three guys strolled out of the café, all buddy-buddy and grinning. They whispered to each other, seemingly discussing something happy.

In a heartbeat, Zhong Rui signaled with a sharp gesture and barked, "Hit 'em!"

A hail of steel balls zipped out, knocking the trio for a loop.

A couple of jittery fingers missed their mark. Zhong Rui didn't bat an eye, cool as a cucumber, "Keep it up. Reload and fire!"

This time, the hit rate was much higher.

"Again," Zhong Rui commanded in an unquestionable tone.

The third volley of steel balls rained down.

Among the three targets, one was unlucky, hit multiple times by stray bullets, his energy tanking fast. Coincidentally, a steel ball shot towards his neck at an astonishing speed.

His eyes went wide, ready to duck, but poof—he was gone in a flash of light.

The other two weren't much better, their stamina plummeting below 20%.

Zhong Rui said indifferently, "Fourth wave, begin."

As soon as his hand fell, several steel balls hit the targets. Shock flashed across their faces before they vanished into thin air, one by one.

Eleven people shooting together, four waves of attacks, cleanly eliminating three people, the results were quite satisfying.

Xiao Gao's eyes showed ecstasy, as if he couldn't believe he had done it.

Zhong Rui timely reminded everyone, "We need to sharpen our aim—go for the joints and soft spots. Also, focus fire, prioritize taking out the enemy. Reload speed needs to be faster, preferably eliminating the targets in one go."

But the next second, he changed his tone. "But this is our first real battle, and you’ve done pretty well so far."

The boss’s praise got everyone pumped up.

Zhong Rui lowered his eyes. Though he didn’t fully understand the game’s mechanics, it was obvious that a group of subordinates didn’t react much after witnessing someone disappear. It was like... this was just common knowledge to them.

Suddenly, his expression turned serious, and he whispered a reminder. "Someone’s coming out again."

Steel balls clattered loudly against the door, floor, and windows, and of course, the people inside the café could hear it.

At that moment, two people came out to check the situation. "Wanzi, what the hell are you three up to?"

Taken by surprise, they didn’t think it was an enemy attack, assuming it was just the three who went out earlier causing trouble.

When the two walked onto the street and found their companions had disappeared, they were immediately stunned.

This time, without a word from Zhong Rui, the other eleven launched their attack.

With multiple uses of the slingshot, they gradually figured out their own attack methods. The quick ones fired rapidly, while the sharpshooters took precise shots. Some relied on their agility to attack nearby. As the distance between each other shortened, accuracy improved significantly.

Using their unique skills, the group made quick work of the two who’d just stepped out of the café. One of them, riddled with hits to critical spots, was knocked out instantly.

The other hurriedly ran back, shouting loudly. "We’re under attack! It’s bad!"

However, just as he finished shouting, his back was hit by five steel balls, and he immediately turned into a white light.

Zhong Rui nodded approvingly. "Nice work."

Qian Jun grinned but spoke with mock arrogance. "Hmph, just eight of them? Piece of cake!"

A few shot him looks—he hadn’t been so confident earlier.

Zhong Rui figured the last three wouldn’t be dumb enough to walk into a trap and was about to call everyone to go inside, but unexpectedly, they came out. But the leader had a knife pressed to a beautiful girl’s throat.

"I know why you’re here," the leader growled, his voice low.

Zhong Rui's eyes flickered, wondering who this was.

The girl spoke slowly, trying to play it cool. "I don’t know them."

The leader sneered. "Who are you trying to fool? You got caught at noon, and they show up tonight. No one’s buying it."

Then he looked at Zhong Rui, his words dripping with menace, his attitude very arrogant. "If you care about your girlfriend, tell your men to drop their weapons. Now."

Zhong Rui shrugged, waving his hand. "Go ahead, attack." He didn’t seem to care about the hostage's safety at all.

But his NPCs hesitated—what if they missed and hit the girl instead? Losing face in front of the boss was absolutely unacceptable!

So they all ignored the leader and focused fire on the other two.

"I’ll kill her!" the leader snarled, pressing the knife harder against her throat.

The girl gritted her teeth, determined. She shoved the knife aside with her hand and stomped down hard on the leader’s foot.

The leader yelped in pain.

The girl kicked back hard, then eagerly tried to escape.

The leader’s face twisted in rage. Ignoring the pain, he lunged forward and yanked her hair.

The pretty girl suddenly produced a dagger in her right hand and with a swift backhand, she sliced off her long hair.

At that moment, Zhong Rui stepped forward just in time to block the leader's next attack. He stepped in for the girl and clashed with the leader.

Soon, two subordinates fell, and the leader disintegrated into a flash of white light.

Without missing a beat, Zhong Rui gestured for his men to scour the house for loot.

The girl piped up, "Everything is hidden in the cabinet."

Everyone halted, awaiting the boss's next command.

"Search the cabinet first," Zhong Rui ordered, "then search the entire café—leave no stone unturned."

"Yes," everyone responded and immediately followed the orders.

The girl frowned and shot back, "Don't you trust me?"

Zhong Rui retorted, "I don't even know you, why should I trust you?"

The girl, "..."

Well, that’s fair.

"Alright, you've been rescued, go do whatever you need to do." With that, Zhong Rui headed inside to hunt for loot.

The girl stood alone outside, her cropped hair swaying in the breeze.

"He doesn’t seem like the hero type, yet he saved me?" The girl sighed almost imperceptibly, then pulled two bags of rice from her Portable Storage and placed them at the door before leaving.

At that moment, a cry of excitement erupted from inside the café, "So much food!!"