“It’s also a battlefield there . ” The old man scoffed . “None of your people can survive . ”
“How many people do you have on the other side of the mountain?”
“Six . ” The old man didn’t keep it from him .
Xia Lei let out a breath of relief . ‘So there are only six . I don’t need to worry then,’ he thought to himself .
Although he wasn’t sure of the power of the Knights Hospitaller, they were no match for the Zodiac Team if there were only six killers .
The old man raised a trembling hand . “Give… the letter to me . ”
“You didn’t answer my question yet,” said Xia Lei . “Why did you set an ambush here? What do you guys want from me?”
“The Alloy of God . ” The old man moved his gaze to Xia Lei’s backpack . There was an excited glint in his eyes . “You got it, right?”
Xia Lei shook his head . “I didn’t obtain any Alloy of God . I am an atheist . I don’t believe that there are any gods or ghosts in the world . ”
“People without beliefs are the most pitiful ones . You won’t be saved . ” The old man didn’t seem to believe Xia Lei’s words . He stared at Xia Lei’s backpack, but he didn’t have X-Ray vision eyes like him, or he would’ve seen the piece of alloy lying in his backpack .
“Why do you guys want it? Is it very important? Does it have any significance?”
“I don’t know . ”
Xia Lei stared coldly at the old man .
“I don’t know . Even if you kill me, I don’t know . ” The old man wasn’t afraid .
“Okay . Tell me why you guys were setting up an ambush here then,” said Xia Lei .
The old man sighed . “We’re just responsible for cutting off your way out . ”
Xia Lei understood . There were six people on the other side of the mountain but only three here . The Knights Hospitaller didn’t know the way out of the maze, or they would’ve entered already . Although they didn’t know the exact exit, they had some understanding of the maze . That was why they had set an ambush here .
“Besides you nine, who else is there?” Xia Lei continued asking .
“No one else . Cough, cough, cough…” The old man coughed violently and his breathing became short, but he tried his best to lift his hand . “G, give me the letter . ”
“I am a man of my word . ” Xia Lei placed the letter in the old man’s hands .
The old man smiled a faint smile and he tried to open the letter . However, his hand fell just after he opened it . Then, he opened his mouth wide, trying to breathe but there was only air coming out and none going in .
“Uh, sorry . I held you up for too long,” said Xia Lei apologetically .
There was a gurgle from the throat of the old man, and he breathed no more .
Reading the letter left by his ancestor was the old man’s final wish, but Xia Lei was not responsible for satisfying his wish .
Ring ring ring, ring ring ring . . .
His phone rang when he walked out of the church doors .
Xia Lei answered his phone . “It’s me . Are you guys okay?”
“You know what happened already?” There was surprise in Yelena’s voice .
“I just finished my battle here,” said Xia Lei .
Yelena was quiet for a moment . “We also had a battle . Alessio was injured but it’s not fatal,” said Yelena .
“It’s good that he’s ok . ” Xia Lei sighed in relief . He then suddenly thought of something . “How many people did you guys get rid of?”
“Five,” said Yelena .
Xia Lei wrinkled his eyebrows . “I got rid of three and left one alive . He said that there are six people over on your side . ”
“It’s not possible! If there was, he must’ve not participated in the battle then . He wouldn’t have managed to escape otherwise,” said Yelena .
The possibility was there . All the members of the Zodiac Team had been provided with XL2500 sniper rifle and gust assault rifles . They had ample firepower and great firing range . How was it possible that the Zodiac Team had let an enemy escape with their strength? That was almost impossible . If a situation like this occurred, it might be what Yelena had suggested — that person had not participated in the battle from the beginning and kept himself hidden .
Xia Lei was struck by a thought . ‘Could the person who’d escaped been an important figure in the Knights Hospitaller?’
“Boss? Where are you?” It was Yelena .
“I’m on the other side of the mountain . You guys don’t need to worry about me . Leave immediately and head for the safe place . I will meet up with you guys soon,” said Xia Lei .
“Roger . Be careful . ” Yelena hung up .
Xia Lei returned to the church and picked up the sniper rifle once he ended the call with Yelena .
One of the enemy had escaped and there was no guarantee that he would not go through the valley . He won’t have to worry with a sniper rifle gun in his hands .
Xia Lei walked out of the church again, and looked back . The three elderly people’s corpses lay quietly on the ground . The blood flowed silently out from their bodies, dyeing the dusty ground red . The Jesus on the cross looked at him with pity in his eyes .
Xia Lei hesitated before he drew a cross in front of his chest just like what a Christian would do . “Sorry . Please forgive me . My hand was forced,” he said .
If Jesus could move, he might’ve flown down from the cross and kicked this young man in the face .
He left the church and followed a muddy road which led to the entrance of the valley . The road was filled with grooves left by what looked like carriage wheels, and several other tracks . The fields on both sides of the road were originally arable land, but it became land for weeds after it was abandoned . All sorts of wild grasses grew in the mud and it looked like a wheat field in the spring .
‘Why was such a good place like this abandoned?’ Xia Lei thought it was strange .
He followed the muddy road towards the entrance of the valley . He went slowly, and while walking, he used his left eye to observe things in the distance, about 4,000 metres or so . His left eye was like a spy satellite — nothing could escape his observation .
The way there was peaceful and there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary .
Half an hour later, Xia Lei approached the entrance of the valley .
The entrance of the valley was like the opening of a bottle . Dense forest gew on both sides of the hillside . Even with his left eye, Xia Lei was unable to see through all the trees .
Chirp chirp . . .
A flock of birds suddenly flew out from the left side of the forest .
He didn’t see any targets but Xia Lei grew tense . He dropped down into the underbrush in the next second .
The wild grasses concealed his body but blocked his line of sight at the same time . He was vulnerable, but he didn’t have a choice . He was in a low position where the opponent could easily see him, yet it was difficult for him to see the other party . If the enemy had a sniper rifle, it was very dangerous to be exposed to the enemy’s field of vision .
The flock of frightened birds flew far away in the blink of an eye . The forest was back to its normal state . There were no movements for the next few minutes .
‘Could it just be a flock of birds flying? Am I just too nervous?’ Xia Lei thought .
Although those were his thoughts, Xia Lei didn’t dare to get to his feet . Everyone could make mistakes like this but just one mistake could cost him his life right then .
Xia Lei slowly crawled forward a few minutes later .
There was still no movement from the forest .
But just then, a flock of birds flew from the left side of the forest . The chirping of the birds echoed in the valley .
Xia Lei adjusted his position to face the left side of the forest . He carefully tilted his head up from the underbrush but didn’t look up high . Instead, he used his X-ray vision to ‘filter’ the underbrush that concealed his field of vision .
A few minutes later, a tall, golden-haired old man ran out from the forest . He looked haggard and was running towards the wastelands, looking back as he ran, afraid that someone would catch him . He had a sniper rifle in his hands .
Xia Lei’s left eye focused on the sniper rifle, and the information of this rifle appeared in his head . It was a L11583 sniper rifle, and was also called the ‘super sniper rifle’ . England's Accuracy International had produced this new sniper rifle . Its firing range reached about 1600 metres and was an effective weapon for hitting targets in cities and in forests . It could easily penetrate tree trunks and walls, and can kill targets hidden behind objects . Due to its great attributes, it had become England’s Special Forces soldiers’ first choice of sniper rifles .
Yet, it didn’t amount to anything much in front of the XL2500 sniper rifle .
Xia Lei confirmed the old man’s identity the moment he came into his field of vision . This old man was the one who had not participated in the battle and had run away by himself .
‘He’s carrying the sniper rifle but not participating in the battle . Why?’ Xia Lei was full of guesses . ‘Could he be a coward? This isn’t so probable, since he is part of the Knights Hospitaller . Don’t they value the honour of a knight? But if he isn’t a coward, why would he leave his companions and escape by himself?’
No matter the reason, Xia Lei quietly grabbed his M82A1 sniper rifle and slowly came out of hiding . He ignored the M82A1 sniper rifle’s scope and used his left eye to lock on to the target .
The tall, golden-haired old man was getting closer and closer .
‘1200 metres . ’ Xia Lei’s brain gave him a number . If he had the XL2500 sniper rifle, he would’ve already shot at this distance . Yet, the M82A1 sniper rifle’s effective firing range was only about 1000 meters or so . Once he took his shot, he would need to depend on luck for it to hit the target . That was why, although the rifle was locked on to the target, he chose to hide, waiting for his target to come closer .
The old man ran another 100 metres before stopping . He leaned the butt of the sniper rifle on the ground and panted heavily . He looked behind himself again, anxiously .
The corners of Xia Lei’s lips curled up . ‘Damn, would it kill you to run another 100 metres?’ His finger was on the trigger, silently waiting for the old man to approach him .
The old man rested for a bit and picked up the sniper rifle . He walked on . As he walked, he took out his phone and called someone .
Xia Lei was struck by a thought . His finger left the trigger and his left eye focused on the old man’s lips .
“I’m in the valley . Come and pick me up immediately!” The old man talked quickly . “The holy item is probably in their hands . We can’t let them escape from here . We need to find them even if we raze Bobbio to the ground!”
This tone!
Could he be an important figure in the Knights Hospitaller?
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