Volume I: Planet of Ten Thousand Beasts Chapter 25: The Second Sniper

In other terrains, one could determine a sniper's hiding spot by identifying the optimal vantage point, but that strategy was useless in this environment. The forest offered far too many sniping positions. A second method would be to locate the enemy by the muzzle flash of their shots, but that, too, failed; the enemy sniper was cautious and had not fired a single round. Li Juxu was left with the most laborious approach: searching inch by inch. As for why he didn't scan the treetops, he was certain the enemy couldn't possibly be hiding there while draped in a snake carcass.

The enemy force outnumbered his own, and his side had initially been suppressed. However, after Li Juxu appeared and took out two men in quick succession, the enemy grew wary, their offensive slowed, and his side finally had a moment to breathe. The outcome remained uncertain, but as Li Juxu ceased firing, the enemy's firepower surged once more, raining bullets into the dense woods as if ammunition were free.

Bullets were not the real threat; it was the grenades. Thousands of steel ball bearings sprayed in every direction, impossible to defend against. Li Juxu felt fortunate that the tree he had chosen was thick enough, yet his heart still pounded; steel balls had no eyes and could strike from any angle. Fortunately, because the distance between the two sides was so short, neither dared to throw flashbangs, or else his advantage would have been lost.

Both sides were trading grenades and explosives. While the results were inconsistent, they were not without effect, as both parties suffered casualties. The enemy sniper remained incredibly cautious, refusing to fire. He must have realized that Li Juxu had spotted him, yet the one thing he could not have anticipated was Li Juxu’s night-vision eyes.

"Found you!" A faint smile curled on Li Juxu's lips. During his second sweep, he noticed a slight shift in the shape of a mound on the forest floor.

Snipers possess incredible endurance; the more elite they are, the more they can withstand, not even blinking if bitten by insects. But it was night, and even a vigilant sniper might let his guard down; after all, no one would see him stretch his cramped legs in the dark. Unfortunately for him, he had encountered someone who didn't play by the rules.

Li Juxu aimed at the enemy sniper but did not fire immediately. The moment a grenade detonated, he pulled the trigger. The mound on the ground gave a single shudder and went still. The explosion masked the sound of the gunshot; not even the enemy noticed their sniper had been taken out.

"Wait—" Just as Li Juxu was preparing to go on a rampage, he abruptly pulled back his rifle, pressing his body tightly against the tree. A cold sweat broke out on his back. There was more than one sniper; there was another.

The shockwave from the grenade blast had cleared away a patch of leaves, revealing a gun barrel. Li Juxu recognized it instantly as a Blaster-002B—the same model as his own.

"Careless, I was too careless!" Li Juxu breathed deeply to steady himself, warning himself never to be so reckless again. If he hadn't been cautious enough to time his shot with the explosion, the second sniper would surely have spotted him. Given the enemy's skill in camouflage, two seconds would have been enough to secure a target.

Once his heart rate returned to normal, Li Juxu peered out cautiously. The barrel was gone—whether re-hidden by leaves or moved, he couldn't tell. Snipers were hypersensitive to danger, and he suspected the enemy had sensed something and relocated. Not wanting to risk it, he carefully shifted to a different tree.

If a sniper is determined to hide and refuses to fire, the chances of anyone—even his own comrades—finding him are slim to none. Although Li Juxu’s vision was unimpeded, he had completely lost the sniper's trail. He didn't give up, checking every conceivable hiding spot, but to no avail. He frowned in thought, then his eyes lit up. He had an idea.

He tossed several grenades, aiming for the canopy.

Boom—
Boom—
Boom—

Exploding in the air, the grenades were ineffective against an enemy who knew how to hide, but that wasn't Li Juxu's goal. He was targeting the Grey-Spotted Crown Spiders.

At night, the spiders emerged to hunt, clinging to branches and leaves. The explosions shook them loose, and thousands of them rained down like a downpour. The enemy soldiers hiding beneath the trees were in for a miserable time; they scrambled and screamed, frantically brushing the spiders off their bodies. Several men scrambled up from their cover, and Li Juxu’s side, not missing the opportunity, unleashed a hail of gunfire, turning them into sieves.

The remaining enemies were stuck; if they stayed down, they were covered in spiders, but if they stood up, they became targets. The enemy squad leader signaled the sniper to provide covering fire, or they would be bitten to death by the spiders before the enemy could even reach them. Li Juxu was waiting for this exact moment. As the flash of light erupted in the darkness, he adjusted his aim, locked onto the sniper preparing to relocate, and pulled the trigger.

Bang—

The bullet struck the sniper square in the chest. The body was thrown back over a meter, twitched once, and went silent. With the sniper's suppression gone, Li Juxu let loose. From his elevated position, he picked off the enemies one by one as they struggled to relocate to avoid the spiders. While others fired with luck as a major factor, his shots were precision-aimed. It was good to have sharp eyes.

In less than two minutes, eight enemies had fallen. The enemy squad leader realized the situation was dire and signaled a retreat.

Bang—

Another headshot. Li Juxu slid down from the tree and began the pursuit. Among the enemy ranks, he had spotted a woman. Female hunters were not rare—Wang Xiaoxin was one—but he could tell at a glance that this woman was unusual. It wasn't just her exceptionally high-end gear, but her demeanor; she possessed a unique aura. He had a premonition that she was a big player, someone on par with Pu Shaoyun.

The female hunter moved with the agility of a civet cat through the dense forest. Had it not been for his superior vision, Li Juxu would have lost her in the blink of an eye. Sensing she was being tracked, she stopped and set a trap—a pressure-triggered mine.

From stopping to resuming her sprint, only six seconds had passed. Li Juxu marveled; he had set such mines himself, and it took him two and a half minutes. There was no comparison. Ahead, a massive tree nearly four meters in diameter blocked her path. To the left lay a wall of thorns; she had no choice but to turn right. Just then, a bullet grazed the tip of her nose and buried itself into the trunk of the giant tree.

"I surrender!" The female hunter was decisive, immediately raising her hands. Her voice was melodious. Li Juxu, finger poised on the trigger, held his fire.