Xiao Han's sniper rifle barrel extended out of the car window. A high-explosive incendiary round spun out of the chamber and hit one of Rose Arms' off-road vehicles with precision. Flames erupted, engulfing the car. However, desert off-road vehicles were specially treated to withstand high temperatures, so the damage from the incendiary round was limited. After assessing the situation, Xiao Han switched to armour-piercing needle rounds and began methodically shooting at the bulletproof glass of the Rose Arms vehicles, leaving a web of cracks.
"Close in on him!" Ghost Fox's team immediately turned and moved to surround him.
"Where will the ambush come from?"
Knowing full well that there was a tiger in the mountains, Xiao Han was on high alert. He quickly activated his magnetic control armour to cover his face, blocking a sniper round aimed at his forehead from a distance. He looked up and saw a new enemy off-road vehicle in the distance. In the back seat sat an unfamiliar enemy holding a sniper rifle. For someone to fire such a precise shot from a moving vehicle, there was a thirty per cent chance he was also a mechanic, a sixty per cent chance he was a sniper-type killer, and a ten per cent chance he was just lucky.
That shot had come from E3. Seeing it had no effect, he was slightly surprised. "The target has a special defensive measure. Not sure if it's a psychic ability or some kind of machinery."
Xiao Han suspected there was more to the ambush. He patted the back of the front seat. "Step on it. Don't slow down. Head to the predetermined location."
Antonov skillfully shifted gears and hit the accelerator. The car drifted and sped off in another direction.
Suddenly, another off-road vehicle appeared from the direction they were fleeing, as if it had been waiting for them. This was E5, holding a rocket launcher. He fired a shot.
The rocket-propelled grenade sped toward them, trailing flames.
Antonov's expression changed slightly. He spun the steering wheel hard, and the car fishtailed ninety degrees. The grenade whizzed past the rear of the car and hit the sand.
The deafening explosion sent sand flying in all directions.
The shockwave hit the back of the car, lifting the rear thirty degrees before it slammed back down. Xiao Han bounced in the back seat, his backside stinging.
"Hmph. He dodged it." E5 was surprised by the driver's quick reflexes. He didn't stop and quickly reloaded.
Four off-road vehicles blocked three directions, forming a circle. Antonov could only head in the last direction, which happened to be where Xiao Han had set his traps.
"He has nowhere to run." E3 narrowed his eyes. "E9 is waiting for him in the Thorn."
The Thorn was an armoured combat vehicle modified by Su Li. It had heavy firepower, ample horsepower, and thick armour, combining the attack and defence of a tank with the speed of an off-road vehicle.
Last night, E9 had monitored Xiao Han's movements. The three killers had set up an ambush based on that. E9 was the final safeguard, driving the Thorn around the area where Xiao Han had originally set his traps. He had even confirmed the approximate range of those traps, making it impossible to fall for them. He deliberately waited in the direction Xiao Han was heading, ready to crush any hope Xiao Han might have.
"He's already dead," E3 thought to himself.
The chase was marked by sparks and explosions. Bullets and rockets chased Xiao Han's car. Xiao Han fired back frequently, barely hindering the pursuit of the four off-road vehicles. The attack power of the Red Falcon sniper rifle combined with the armour-piercing needle rounds posed a significant threat to the Rose Arms personnel, but his own vehicle was fleeing in a panic, and with E3 and E5 harassing him, his accuracy was greatly diminished.
"Vroom——"
A distinctive engine roar erupted, like the angry growl of a tiger.
Xiao Han's heart skipped a beat. He looked forward sharply.
A modified combat vehicle blocked the way. Its external armour was thick and covered in spikes, like a hedgehog. Several gun barrels protruded from each side of the front, clearly grenade launchers and small missile launchers based on their calibre. On the roof was a rotary four-barrel heavy machine gun—no, at that calibre, it should be called an autocannon, more than enough for an aircraft-borne weapon.
The Thorn!
This combat vehicle perfectly blocked the last direction, forming a tight encirclement with the other four vehicles. There was no escape!
"We can't withstand that thing's firepower!" Antonov's expression changed.
There were wolves in front and tigers behind. All directions were blocked. They seemed trapped.
"Head south. Don't worry about that vehicle's firepower. I'll deal with it," Xiao Han said calmly.
The enemy to the south was E3, who only had a sniper rifle. The least threatening.
Antonov had no choice but to trust Xiao Han. He quickly turned and charged toward E3.
"Too late."
E9's expression was grim. He was about to aim the Thorn's autocannon and blow Xiao Han's off-road vehicle sky-high when he saw Xiao Han turn and fire a shot in his direction. The bullet hit the glass and suddenly emitted a blinding flash.
E9's eyes were stung, tears streaming down his face. He instinctively closed them.
Blinding Light Rounds!
"Boom-boom-boom——" The Thorn's autocannon spewed thick fire and smoke, but the shots went wide, landing more than ten metres from Xiao Han's off-road vehicle.
"Damn it, why did E9 miss?!" E3's heart skipped a beat. He quickly shouted for the driver to block Xiao Han's car.
Antonov was fearless. He floored the accelerator and slammed into the side of E3's off-road vehicle.
Both vehicles shuddered. In the end, Antonov's better angle of impact forced a path open, breaking out of the encirclement.
"After them!"
Having come so close only to fail at the critical moment, E3 was frustrated. He glanced at the situation and then relaxed.
It did not matter. They still had the advantage. Xiao Han had veered away from his trap-laden direction and was fleeing in a panic. With the Thorn's power and firepower, it was only a matter of time before they caught up and blew his car to pieces.
Xiao Han looked out the rear window. The Rose Arms convoy was in hot pursuit, only two hundred metres behind. Both vehicles were now travelling at over one hundred and sixty kilometres per hour. The Thorn kept firing, kicking up plumes of sand behind his car. The effect of the Blinding Light Rounds on E9 had not faded quickly; his eyes were sore and swollen, his vision blurry, and he had almost no accuracy.
He glanced down at his coordinate radar. Xiao Han showed no sign of panic. "Antonov, activate the nitrous boost in forty-eight seconds."
"Forty-seven... thirty... sixteen... three, two, one!"
When the time came, Antonov immediately lifted the small cover next to the gear shift, revealing the nitrous button. He slammed it down.
Blue flames shot from the off-road vehicle's exhaust. The speed surged instantly, quickly widening the gap. The force of acceleration pinned the two men in their seats.
"A futile last struggle." E3 was unconcerned. The nitrous boost would end soon. It was merely delaying the inevitable. The Thorn would catch up, blanket them with fire, and blow them sky-high.
The distance quickly grew to four hundred metres. Then the nitrous boost wore off.
"They're slowing down."
E5 loaded a fresh rocket-propelled grenade, stood up through the sunroof, and took aim in the distance.
Just then, his vehicle braked hard. The sudden change in momentum sent E5 tumbling back into his seat.
"What the hell?!"
E5 roared, but he saw the driver sweating profusely, shifting gears frantically, while the vehicle did not respond. His heart sank. He turned to look out the window. All of Rose Arms' off-road vehicles had stopped. Even the Thorn had stopped. All had lost power.
"The vehicles are dead!"
"What's happening?"
Panic spread among the Rose Arms personnel. With their vehicles dead, they were lambs to the slaughter in the vast desert. Xiao Han's off-road vehicle had stopped in the distance.
Ghost Fox tried to call for reinforcements but found the communications equipment was dead. She cried out in alarm, "It's an EMP!"
"Impossible! This isn't even the direction where he set his traps!" E9 was horrified.
Remembering the scene of Dorothy's death, a chill ran down Ghost Fox's spine.
"Run!"
The next moment, a high-explosive incendiary sniper round flew in from a distance. Its target was clearly the sand at E3's feet. The landmine buried beneath erupted with a thunderous explosion. This time, it was not just toxic burst incendiary mines, but also proper anti-personnel mines taken from the Farian warehouse.
Deafening explosions echoed endlessly. Dazzling flames shot into the sky, leaving an incandescent orange-red afterimage on Xiao Han's retinas. Within a hundred-metre diameter of where the Rose Arms personnel stood, everything was consumed by fire and explosions. No figures could be seen.
Xiao Han shouldered his sniper rifle and grinned. "Surprised? Didn't see that coming, did you?"