The barrel of the Spider Queen’s gun spewed flames and smoke, the airwaves spreading along the muzzle, and a bullet full of kinetic energy left the gun. As it rotated in high-speed flight, the bullet’s tip tore through layers of airwaves, creating circular ripples in the air, until it penetrated the arm of a Contractor. With a crack, the Contractor’s entire shoulder was shattered by the powerful kinetic force, exploding into a mist of blood, amidst which the white bones and the remnants of an arm holding a magic wand could be vaguely seen. The Mage Contractor staggered back a few steps, nearly collapsing to the ground. Glancing at his bare shoulder, the Mage Contractor’s mouth slightly opened, just about to scream, when his head followed in the steps of his shoulder, bursting into a mist of blood. Warm blood and brain matter splattered onto the Main Tank’s face nearby. Instinctively, the Main Tank shrank back, raising his shield in front of him while roaring: Su Xiao fired two more shots, another Contractor fell to the ground. The dozen or so Contractors blocking the bridge hadn’t even realized that Su Xiao had already reduced their numbers by three. "Across the bridge, sniper counterattack." "Where’s the sniper, open fire!" Fresh chapters posted on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝔫𝔢𝔱 The Contractors on the other side of the bridge were not pushovers; their first reaction to the attack was to take cover, locate the enemy, and call for their own long-range firepower to counterattack. A tall, skinny man holding a bow hid behind a rock. He knew well that, apart from him, there was no one else capable of precise long-range shooting. The sniper had died near him, shot in the head. If it weren’t for his quick reaction, he would also have been a corpse by now. Just as the Archer was about to peek out, the stone chips from the rock he was hiding behind splattered, and there was a whooshing sound nearby. He knew that sound all too well—it was the sound of bullets flying past. "I’ve been targeted." Even though he knew he was being targeted, the Archer had no way to deal with it. "I can buy you a few seconds, can you hit him?" A coarse voice came, and the Archer looked to the side—it was the Leader of the temporary squad. The Contractors blocking the bridge had formed an alliance on the plane. This group of Contractors discovered a ’secret,’ a secret that made the squad precarious and almost led to internal strife, until they found this bridge. They had been blocking the Stone Bridge for three days. During this time, two groups of Contractors had tried to cross the bridge, without exception, all those who were starving to the point of exhaustion died at their hands, bringing them considerable benefits. "A few seconds... I’ll try." As soon as the Archer finished speaking, he felt a pair of bloodshot eyes staring at him. "It’s not about trying; you must force the enemy to retreat. Only in close combat do we stand a chance; otherwise, we’ll be pinned down here." The Leader of the squad had a sullen expression, with a ruthless look in his triangular eyes. What the Leader didn’t know was that someone had once thought the same as him, that a sniper was just a sniper, and once in close combat, the enemy would be finished... Green light flickered on the Archer’s body, as if activating some skill. The squad’s Leader looked the Archer up and down, finally nodding, then charged out from behind cover, heading quickly towards the Stone Bridge. "Charge with me, or we’ll all die here." The squad’s Leader roared, his head down as he charged towards the Stone Bridge. The other Contractors rushed out of cover one after another; it was impossible to escape now. There was a sniper on the other side of the bridge, and escaping would make them live targets—they could only charge forward and fight for their lives. Su Xiao lay prone on the dirt slope on the opposite side of the Stone Bridge, his scope filled with figures. If someone suffered from indecisiveness, they would surely be unsure of whom to aim at now. Su Xiao didn’t have such a problem; he chose to shoot at the Contractor charging at the forefront. As soon as Su Xiao fired a shot, he heard the sound of something breaking through the air and instinctively turned his head. An arrow flew past his cheek, and if he hadn’t dodged in time, it would have pierced his head. He quickly aimed at the Archer across the bridge, executing a precise three-shot burst. A scream came from the other side of the bridge, the Archer silenced, heavily injured, rolling down from a height, his fate unknown. Having dealt with most of the long-range threats, Su Xiao ejected the magazine. The Spider Queen had eight bullets left; these were the last eight. Inserting the magazine back in, the Spider Queen was tossed to Bubu Wang. Su Xiao rose from the slope. The Contractors across the bridge were already halfway across. After observing for a moment, Su Xiao rushed down from the slope. Bubu Wang barked at Old Bar, then turned to look at the Stone Bridge, clearly indicating, "Why aren’t you going?" "I can’t make a move for now; your master knows the reason." Old Bar stayed on the slope, not intending to take action. Indeed, Old Bar couldn’t act now; the Sun Woman had given Old Bar a one-time ability, one particularly useful in the Black Forest. Thus, all the battles along the way were handled by Su Xiao, and once deep into the Black Forest, Old Bar would use that ability. Currently, Old Bar’s body temperature was dangerously above 80 degrees; the ability within him was too unstable. "Your master is fighting; aren’t you going to help?" Old Bar, intrigued, looked at Bubu Wang, knowing well of Bubu Wang’s intelligence that exceeded that of wild beasts. Bubu Wang crossed his paws in front of his chest, giving Old Bar a contemptuous look that clearly said, "I’m a healer, too delicate for close combat." Old Bar clearly didn’t understand Bubu Wang’s meaning; he could only grasp some simple messages, like the previous "Why aren’t you going?" Su Xiao quickly charged onto the Stone Bridge, blocking the Contractors ahead of the team. The charging Contractors were puzzled. Wasn’t the enemy a sniper? Why was he charging up? Su Xiao drew the Dragon Slash from his waist, and with a swift slash in the air, the Contractors on the Stone Bridge realized he was not a sniper at all. A pale blue blade aura flew out, whistling as it headed toward the squad’s Main Tank at the front. The blade aura struck the shield, the Main Tank’s hand gripping the shield felt numb, and a deep notch appeared on the shield. The Main Tank was stunned, and his forward momentum halted. After the blade aura appeared, all the Contractors came to an abrupt stop, their soles scraping against the surface of the bridge. "This guy’s not right, definitely not a sniper." "Could it be a Lone Wolf?" The so-called Lone Wolf referred to a Lone Ranger, a type of Contractor with no obvious weaknesses, typically possessing one standout ability, although their other skills were not weak, allowing them to handle various sudden situations. "No matter what he is, kill him, or we die; there’s no room for negotiation." The squad’s Leader gritted his teeth. Blocking a bridge earned much hatred, so the chance for negotiation was slim. Let Su Xiao cross the bridge? The squad’s Leader shook his head. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to let him pass, but that the other party wouldn’t believe him. Not to mention the opponent; he himself wouldn’t believe it. The squad was positioned at the bridge’s midpoint, with Su Xiao at the bridgehead, leaving the Contractors only one escape route. The blade aura strike from Su Xiao earlier had clearly intimidated these Contractors. Su Xiao walked forward slowly, his pace quickened progressively until he transitioned from walking to running, finally breaking into a full-speed charge. Being a temporary team, the squad had no real tactics; it was just a melee rush at the front and the long-range fighters at the back. It wasn’t that the squad Leader was thoughtless; he had no choice. As a temporary team, if he had continually directed how others should act, the team would have disbanded.