"Go to hell!" screamed No. 1 as he stepped on the pedal, not noticing several grenades hanging from mid-air in their path.
The vehicle came to a sudden stop as it ran into the rope that Han Xiao had tied between two trees. The two trees were almost uprooted by the force of the crash, and, the agents in the vehicle were tossed around like rag dolls.
Immediately after, the grenades exploded, setting the night ablaze. The bulletproof windshield was heavily cracked by the shrapnel.
It was a simple, yet devastating trap.
Han Xiao tossed the night-vision goggles away as soon as the grenades exploded. The fire from the blast gave him all the vision that he needed. He began to fire. The rifle was so powerful that each shot caused Han Xiao's entire upper body to shudder in recoil.
Han Xiao was firing at the windscreen, and from the pattern that the windscreen cracked, it was clear that Han Xiao was aiming for the driver, No. 1.
No. 1 gritted his teeth and yanked the person next to him up to use as a shield. In the next instant, the windscreen shattered, and the poor guy's brains blew up in his face.
"Get out of the car!"
The remaining agents hastily jumped out of the car. In his rage, No. 1 began to spray wildly with a submachine gun. His teammates blindly followed suit.
Han Xiao ceased shooting to reload.
Bullets whizzed past in Han Xiao's surroundings, but Han Xiao knew that they did not know his exact location. They were simply panicking. He patiently waited for them to reload.
The agents soon realized that they had acted too rashly, but it was too late – Han Xiao now had the initiative.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
There was a strangely beautiful rhythm to Han Xiao's shots.
As his comrades began to fall one after another, No. 1 started to tremble. As he wildly fired, he screamed, "Who the hell are you! Show yourself!"
His confidence had been completely and utterly destroyed.
Click click click…
He ran out of ammo once more.
"Show yourself!"
Suddenly, Han Xiao walked out into the clearing.
No. 1's eyes widened in shock
"H-h-how can it be!"
Never in his wildest dreams would he have expected Han Xiao to counterattack. He had, in his hubris, thought for sure that Han Xiao was fleeing for dear life. Despite all the facts proving otherwise, he had stubbornly refused to believe that Han Xiao was better than him. Now, it finally dawned upon him.
Zero was way stronger than him.
His false sense of superiority was instantly replaced by jealousy.
"I am the better test subject! You are the failure! A failure!"
He pulled a handgun out and attempted to shoot, but Han Xiao was faster. A sniper bullet tore through No. 1's entire right arm.
As No. 1 slowly turned to look at the right side of his body in horror.
Han Xiao fired again, this time at No. 1's leg, causing him to collapse to the ground. He then took his time to reload before continuing to maim his remaining limbs.
No. 1 lay helplessly on the ground as he stared at Han Xiao hatefully.
"ZERO!" he screamed hoarsely, like a wounded beast.
"Keep quiet."
Han Xiao strode forward to No. 1 to give him a vicious kick in his jaw.
"Wanna know why I left you for last? Because I don't want you to enjoy a quick death."
No. 1 was writhing on the ground, unable to reply. Blood was continuously spurting out of his wounds.
Suddenly, the communication device on his severed arm lit up. A holograph of the leader appeared in mid-air.
"Zero, that's enough," he said.
Han Xiao frowned.
"I am the leader of the Germinal Organization," he introduced.
"Do you think you can truly escape from us? No matter where you go, the Germinal Organization will find you. However, I can give you a chance to live."
"How?" asked Han Xiao plainly.
"Return to the organization obediently. I will allow you to retain your memories. You will be given a position you deserve," answered the boss. He was truly fascinated by Han Xiao's strength.
No. 1's face grew livid at his leader's words. How could he treat Zero so well after all the men that he had killed?
Han Xiao glanced at No. 1 and replied tauntingly, "You want to rope me in even after I've killed so many of your people?"
"A bunch of failures. Their deaths are not worth mourning," the boss replied instantly.
No. 1 shuddered.
"What makes you think I want to work under you?"
"We are destined to accomplish greater things. Join us. What's there to hesitate? Oh, I know. Is it because you are still unhappy with how we treated you before? Don't be so petty, think of the bigger picture. Such things are trivial when compared to our ultimate goal."
Han Xiao replied coldly, "I have no interest whatsoever in your ideology. You killed my friends, so you are my enemy. That is all."
"If you refuse to join us, there will not be a place for you in this world!" threatened the boss.
"I will destroy you all," Han Xiao declared.
It was the only solution.
The boss burst out in laughter.
"Destroy us? What do you think you are? You are just a small, pitiful ant that we can squash whenever we want. Did killing a few lowly grunts make you think that you are invincible now? Childish!"
"Wait and see then. The world is bigger than you can imagine."
Han Xiao shook his head and raised his gun. He fired three shots aimed at No. 1's heart.
The test subject squad no longer existed!
The boss's mask could not conceal his fury.
"You'll regret this," he coldly warned before ending the transmission.
_____________________
You have killed the No. 1, the Valkyrie Experiment Test Subject, gaining 900 experience.
You have completed [Revenge], gaining 15,000 experience.
——————————————————————
Crack!
Suddenly, the bayonet rifle came apart.
The SWP sniper rifle that Han Xiao retrieved from the test subject squad had the prerequisite of the [Sniper] ability, so Han Xiao dismantled it to fix the bayonet rifle.
Han Xiao had gained a total of 20,000 experience tonight.
As the Germinal Organization would surely come for him, Han Xiao needed to find a hiding place. He was indeed still too weak to take them head-on. The wealth of information that he carried over from the game was his trump card.
In order to make good use of it, Han Xiao needed to seek the aid of a power as mighty as the Organization.
The Six Nations!
Stardragon, Maple, Theseus, Raylen, Hesla, and Ordina.
Since he was already in Stardragon, and they were the most peaceful of the six nations, there could be no better choice.