The slug from Mogansha tore through the American soldier’s facial bone, burrowing into the base of his brain before blasting through the rear of his skull. The sheer kinetic energy attached to the bullet ripped his entire back of his head clean off.

Viewed from the front, the man’s expression was a mask of horrific contortion, but circling behind him revealed a deep, bowl-sized black void, and a tree trunk smeared brutally with blood and brain matter!

Erlos’s gaze turned icy, and he immediately recalled another American grunt. While cannon fodder existed to be sacrificed, utterly senseless sacrifices were intolerable.

This was a man acutely aware of his own weaknesses and strengths.

After a moment’s thought, he surprisingly abandoned the pursuit of Mogansha and turned to retreat, widening the distance between them. In any case, the superior advantage currently lay with him; once time expired, victory would naturally be his.

This was a classic feint, a tactical retreat!

More importantly, this battle was not a private duel between him and this AK; it was tied to the success of the hidden objective for their temporary faction! If he could face the next opponent in his current peak condition, the path ahead would be significantly smoother.

But just as the distance between the two stretched sufficiently, Mogansha suddenly stood up again, revealing himself. A collective gasp, a drawn-out “Hwaaah!” rippled through the onlookers. He had holstered the Golden AK. Clutched in his hands now was a massive handgun equipped with a high-precision scope. This scope was quite large itself, giving the weapon the appearance of having two parallel barrels! (See the free chapters of this book for visual reference.)

This was the very ‘culprit’ that had driven Mogansha to reach his breaking point and undergo a complete metamorphosis!

The SN-9 Wasp Pistol (SN-9 Wasp).

Its debut was destined to command universal attention, brilliant and dazzling!

(When a Contractor's basic ranged combat skill reaches W7, there is a chance to draw an extra weapon slot for a ranged weapon +1. In Mogansha's case, his primary weapon slot held the Spartan Silver Javelin, while his left and right ranged slots were equipped with the Golden AK and the Wasp Pistol, respectively. Regarding the equipment slots, the system is essentially identical to World of Warcraft.)

Mogansha and Erlos were now over three hundred meters apart, but Mogansha’s finger tightened on the trigger! Erlos, far in the distance, instantly felt an indescribable heat and threat. If one had to find a comparison, it was like an ordinary person tied down and unable to move, while a vicious, giant hornet buzzed inches from his face—a hornet crafted from red-hot metal...

The invisible hexagonal shield rotating around him instantly materialized, but the faint beam of light that shot forth cleanly shattered that invisible shield and pierced directly into Erlos’s arm.

Erlos immediately felt an almost indescribable stinging pain!

This strike was the special effect of the weapon Mogansha wielded: Wasp Sting. Upon attack, there is a 33% chance to ignore 50% of the target’s defense and inflict piercing damage, with this effect taking priority!

At this moment, Erlos’s expression finally changed, as he realized the situation had completely slipped beyond his control! An unlikely, unpredictable event had occurred: his opponent, though incapable of wielding a proper sniper rifle, possessed a large handgun with incredibly rare sniping capabilities!

In that instant, Erlos recognized his miscalculation. He let out a low growl from his throat and suddenly lunged forward to close the distance with Mogansha. But Mogansha, possessing rich combat experience, immediately spun around and fled.

That wasn't all; as Mogansha turned to flee, he didn't slow down but instead fired two shots back toward Erlos.

One shot was wildly off-target, flying as a streak of light that grazed nearby foliage before snapping a tall, seven or eight-meter-high purple fern with a loud crack. The fern crashed down, sending leaves and branches flying everywhere. The other shot, however, pierced directly through the invisible hexagonal shield encircling Erlos, grazing past his face with a sharp swoosh, leaving a painful crimson scratch!

Recalling Mogansha’s opening performance against Romontsov, the faces of the Stalkers immediately grew grave! Because they knew clearly... that the distance at which Juros could unleash his greatest power was certainly not beyond three hundred meters, but rather within one hundred meters!

And the weapon currently in the enemy’s hand clearly possessed penetration properties—which meant...

Ordinary cover might be of little use! Erlos’s only option was to charge forward and shorten the distance between them. If the enemy dared to counterattack, he would have to pay the price of being closely engaged. However, if this Golden AK possessed the capability for firing while moving, the situation would become extremely difficult...

Erlos threw aside Prince Stallo’s Glock and instead pulled out a Bible, drawing a cross in the air. Immediately, a brilliant golden light enveloped his body. The man then stooped and chased after him. Mogansha, whose combat experience was extremely rich, certainly couldn't let him get close. He immediately turned to run, but while moving, he suddenly leaped up, executing a crisp forward somersault. With his head and arms perfectly aligned toward his rear, he fired two shots backward.

Again, one shot missed, but the other, accompanied by a buzzing keen, embedded itself in Erlos’s chest. In that moment, a phantom image of shattering ice appeared before Erlos’s torso, followed by blood seeping from his chest.

“Damn it! He actually mastered firing while running!” Nearly a fifth of the Contractors present were gun users, and they all knew how difficult it was to maintain accuracy against an equally skilled enemy while sprinting at high speed.

If Mogansha hitting Erlos the first time could be chalked up to sheer luck, anyone who thought the second hit was the same would be a complete fool. And now, this was the third time Mogansha had demonstrated such formidable skill!

Erlos’s pupils instantly contracted. He immediately dove behind a nearby large tree. But the moment Mogansha saw this, he unleashed his bestial instincts! “Pa-pa-pa.”

Three shots were fired in rapid succession. As these three rounds flew, they collided head-to-tail in mid-air; the third and second bullets acted as thrusters for the first one. With sharp clacks in the air, the first bullet pierced through like a streak of light accompanied by a piercing hum.

With a dull ’Bo’, it ripped through the tree Erlos was hiding behind.

The tree exploded apart! Amidst the grating sound of tearing wood, dust and debris billowed up like thick smoke.

Erlos immediately leaped aside, but blood was already spurting from his left calf!

Yet, even wounded, a look of disdain surfaced in Erlos’s eyes. He took a deep breath and plunged both hands violently into the earth. Erlos was clearly immobilized at this moment—a perfect opening for Mogansha to attack. But Mogansha could only watch helplessly.

Because during this short exchange, Erlos had discovered a fatal weakness in Mogansha’s current weapon: the magazine capacity was too small, only four rounds! The previous burst of three shots had emptied Mogansha’s magazine; he had to reload.

Of course, Mogansha had another option: switching to his AK for a spray of suppressive fire. However, the distance between them was still nearly three hundred meters, where the AK’s accuracy and power were significantly diminished.

More importantly, the bullets from the Golden AK lacked penetration. At best, they could shatter a few of the hexagonal shields surrounding Erlos. Even if dense bullets poured toward him, Erlos could likely withstand them for at least ten seconds.

Looking around now, the plant life across hundreds of square meters had withered. Even the moist, fertile soil beneath was instantly parched, cracked, and eventually turned to sand! The vibrant tropical rainforest had transformed into a desolate, arid wasteland.

At this point, Erlos let out a roar, pulling his hands from the ground. He held his palms facing downward toward the earth, then pulled up and grasped!

“By the power of Gaia!”

“Hasten forth!” Erlos commanded fiercely.

“Spear of the Sand Stream!”

With a sharp Shuala, a long spear formed from accumulated sand suddenly erupted from the newly formed sandy ground! The grains composing the spear seemed alive, swirling and revolving. Erlos leaned back, gathered his strength, and hurled this earthen spear toward Mogansha!

The spear traveled at high velocity for about one hundred and fifty meters before showing signs of stalling, threatening to plunge into the ground. But then, Erlos, far away, lifted his left hand, and the Bible returned to his grasp. He pressed his palm against the pages and solemnly declared again: “By Gaia’s might!” “Shape form!” As the sand spear fell, it coalesced. As if guided by an enormous hand in the air, it was sculpted and compressed, miraculously condensing into a sand figure less than half a meter tall. The face of this sand figure bore a striking resemblance to Erlos himself.

It tumbled to the ground, immediately rolling and surging toward Mogansha. Its running speed was astonishing. At this moment, Erlos was in a state of continuous spellcasting, unable to move, but Mogansha was still reloading his weapon and couldn't spare a hand to attack him!!