Chapter 45: Chapter 45: New Talent—Black Gate
"That Superpower User is dead."
Qin Tian’s voice was very soft. The night was quite friendly to certain Beastmen, like Shadow Cats, Shadow Felids, and the current Snake-men.
The Superpower User had hidden very well, hardly detectable by the naked eye, but the heat he emitted was like a bright beacon in the night to the Snake-men.
Conversely, the majority of the special operations forces didn’t have night vision, and the infrared detection equipment they wore was significantly less effective against the Snake-men.
In terms of visibility, the human side was clearly at a disadvantage, outmaneuvered while exposed.
The big operation to lure the snakes out of their den tonight might not go as smoothly as anticipated.
"Dead?"
Xiao Yunlong and the others’ expressions changed slightly. Who could have thought that the Superpower User, who had just dealt a crucial blow to the Snake-man, would suddenly fall?
Although they didn’t know each other, they were all Special Forces Soldiers of the Empire, and the news of a comrade’s death still brought a tinge of heaviness.
Ding ding ding~~
The battle below was nearing its conclusion.
After being hit by a surprise bomb attack, the Snake-man was seriously injured and could no longer withstand the onslaught of three Spiritualists, his Steel Saber growing heavier with each swing, wounds increasing.
The Snake-man knew that if this continued, he wouldn’t escape death, so he immediately made a decision.
"Ha~~~"
The Snake-man opened his mouth, spurting out a dense green poison gas that spread in all directions.
The terror of snake venom was known to all.
The three Spiritualists quickly dodged, holding their breaths, fearing even the slightest contact with the gas.
Seeing this, the Snake-man decisively identified the weakest direction and used his snake tail to frantically flee.
As he fled, he desperately squeezed the toxins in his venom pouch, constantly releasing poison gas, forcing the three Spiritualists not to get close.
Seeing the catch about to slip away, the three Spiritualists became both anxious and angry, yet they dared not recklessly pursue due to the snake venom.
Just when they thought the Snake-man would escape, suddenly, his tail exploded, severing in two.
"Ah~~"
A horrendous scream, sharp and intense, as the Snake-man rolled in agony.
"There’s a sniper!"
The three Spiritualists were startled and immediately looked back.
On a mountain wall, four figures stood side by side, their appearances blurred by the night, but the gesture of one slowly lowering a gun was clearly captured by them.
"That brother is quite decent,"
one of the crew-cut men chuckled. Judging from the break in the tail, if the shot had aimed for the heart or head, it could have been a fatal hit.
But the sniper only shot the snake tail, then retracted the gun, indicating no intention of stealing the kill.
"Not bad, we should get acquainted later; he did help us out."
The three quickly advanced and chopped off the Snake-man’s head with a blade while it gazed in terror and despair.
This scene was captured by the recorder on their chests. After the war, it would be evaluated by the battlefield Sky Eye, eventually granting military merit points to the combatants.
Swish swish swish~
The three moved like agile monkeys, treading the cliff face, quickly arriving before the Earth Dragon Team.
"Brothers, we are the Baofeng Squad from Unit 158, thanks for earlier,"
Captain Huang Siwei said with a smile.
The Earth Dragon Team exchanged glances, their expressions somewhat complex.
The reaction from the Earth Dragon Team puzzled Huang Siwei and the others, who were about to speak, when Qin Tian spoke up.
"Your comrade has fallen."
What!
Huang Siwei and the other two were shocked, immediately calling out:
"Xu the Third, Xu the Third, do you copy?"
Their teammates’ voices never came through the combat headset, slowly sinking their hearts to rock bottom.
"Where is he?" Huang Siwei’s voice carried a tremor.
Qin Tian pointed to a distant tree and said, "Under that tree."
Huang Siwei and the others immediately dashed over, with the Earth Dragon Team following behind.
Soon, the group found the tree.
Two bodies lay beneath it.
One with a knife in the back, face down,
the other a Snake-man, its head blown apart, a mess of flesh and blood.
"Xu the Third, Xu the Third!!"
Huang Siwei hugged his comrade tightly, calling his name, his voice raspy and broken by overwhelming grief.
Two teammates stood aside, biting their lips, their bodies trembling slightly as tears streamed uncontrollably.
Qin Tian lowered his gaze, feeling exceptionally heavy-hearted.
This scene reminded him again of Dai Jun and Lin Chao, comrades and brothers who had died tragically before him; only soldiers might understand such pain and despair.
Dai Jun could have survived, living with a prosthetic and artificial eye, and, if acknowledged by the Empire, recovering through Life Spirit Liquid and other Treasure Materials.
However, Lin Chao’s death shattered his psychological defenses, and he blamed himself for Lin Chao’s death.
Thus, at that moment, the only thing he wanted was to die with his brothers.
Xiao Yunlong, Qin Dadi, and Liu Zhaozhao had red eyes, having experienced similar scenes, and the sacrifice of their former comrade Huang Xun remains a scar on their hearts to this day.
"My condolences."
Qin Dadi said, his voice low.
Upon hearing this, the few men couldn’t hold back and broke into loud sobs.
"Xu the Third, we said we’d go home together!"
"Bastard, I don’t allow it, who said you could leave first?"
The cries were like beasts’ wails, filled with endless pain and despair, echoing through the empty night, tugging at everyone’s hearts.
Qin Tian stood silently to the side, his senses heightened, becoming a human radar to scan the surroundings, ready in case any Snake-men tried to take advantage.
A few minutes later, their sobbing slowly subsided.
Huang Siwei laid his comrade’s body flat under the tree, stood up, faced Qin Tian, and bowed while choking up:
"Thank you, brother."
From the wounds, Huang Siwei could deduce the situation then.
The Snake-man ambushed Xu Yang from behind, stabbing him in the back, after which the sniper shot the Snake-man’s head.
Without this sniper, the Snake-man would have joined the one before, presenting a risk of their whole squad being wiped out.
It could be said that this sniper avenged Xu Yang and saved their entire team.
Qin Tian silently accepted the bow, feeling it inappropriate to say anything polite at this moment.
"Brother, which unit are you from?" Huang Siwei asked.
Qin Tian: "319 Legion, Earth Dragon Team."
"319 Legion, Earth Dragon Team."
Huang Siwei repeated, solemnly, "Alright, I’ll remember it. If we return alive, I’ll definitely treat you all to a drink."
"Mm, take care!"
Qin Tian nodded.
Huang Siwei took a deep breath, waved his hand, his tone filled with resolve and a murderous intent:
"Let’s go, kill the Snake-men, avenge Xu the Third!"
The two teammates beside him gripped their Battle Swords tightly, their eyes brimming with a killing aura.
The three nodded to the Earth Dragon Team, then chose a direction and continued forward, soon disappearing into the boundless night.
On the battlefield, they could only temporarily leave their comrades’ remains; after the war, they would take Xu Yang home.
"Let’s go too," Qin Dadi said.
"Alright!"
As the three turned around, Qin Tian lightly touched Xu Yang’s body with his foot, prompting a blue orb to fly out and into his chest.
[Name]Black Gate (Blue)
[Type]Active Talent
[Introduction]Open the Black Gate to connect two spaces.