For some reason, upon hearing the words “master sniper,” Fang Senyan was suddenly reminded of that Contractor who had downed a Tier Two Legendary Creature with a single shot!

The moment this thought struck him, Fang Senyan suddenly understood everything; if it were that person, then it was no wonder Prince Stallo had assumed such a grave, defensive posture!

In truth, for anyone, simply being aimed at and fixed upon by such an individual and a single gun was a truly unnerving experience, like having thorns digging into one’s back. To have this hanging over Stallo while he was still expected to engage in a duel with a Contractor was even worse!

Although both sides had signed a formal Duel Contract, the remote sniper evidently hadn't signed anything. If that sniper performed well, there was nothing surprising about immediately putting Prince Stallo into a near-death state. In that scenario, Stallo wouldn't benefit from any invulnerability time whatsoever. Besides, who could possibly know if there was one hidden sniper or two waiting in ambush?

One shot to drop him into critical condition, and then another sniper could casually follow up with a clean kill, allowing them to move straight into the phase of collecting the key. Though Prince Stallo always projected an air of overwhelming dominance, at this moment, he dared not, nor could he afford to, gamble with his life.

After listening to Airos, Zi glanced at him but ignored him, speaking seriously to Prince Stallo: “Since you were able to arrange for a Hunter to be present on the sidelines to supplement your mental power, why is it strange for me to have someone lining up a shot across the battlefield? Your justification is that as long as no one nearby directly interferes with the battle, it’s permissible. Then, doing this is hardly against the rules, is it?”

At Zi’s words, Prince Stallo was momentarily left without a rebuttal. Honestly speaking, while Prince Stallo certainly possessed the capacity to take on seventeen opponents, his mental reserves certainly couldn't withstand such massive depletion. He needed to remember that his opponents were Contractors, elites selected meticulously by the Space itself—they weren't seventeen pigs waiting to be slaughtered!

In Stallo's strategy, Airos, who could utilize the thirty seconds of the Duel Rule to replenish his mental power, was a crucial piece. He had even considered the possibility of sneak attacks from others, but the remaining twelve Hunters he brought were no slouches either and could offer support... The only oversight was that Zi had arranged for a sniper powerful enough to threaten his very life as a contingency plan.

The two sides fell back into a stalemate. However, the passage of time was undoubtedly beneficial to the defending side. More importantly, with such a terrifyingly powerful remote monster lurking in the shadows, even the Hunters could only bring about eighty percent of their full strength to bear, feeling as if thorns were constantly pricking their backs.

Prince Stallo took a deep breath and let it out slowly: “Fine! Zi, for Zeus’s sake, I’ll yield to you this once today. But we can't return empty-handed if our thirteen-man hidden objective isn't completed.”

Zi readily agreed: “Agreed! Each person here will contribute three thousand Universal Points and three Potential Points to cover your losses.”

There were still about seventy or eighty remaining defending Contractors, all having survived the brutal culling, so although the terms offered by Zi would cause a slight financial pinch, they wouldn't be crippling. More significantly, the main defensive mission would soon be completed. Setting aside everything else, completing the main mission on the battlefield alone guaranteed at least two Merit Points, which already exceeded the value of three thousand Universal Points and three Potential Points, not to mention the subsequent mission rewards.

For Prince Stallo and his crew, receiving over two hundred thousand Universal Points and more than two hundred Potential Points to divide was a welcome bonus. Otherwise, if they had escalated the conflict, facing those seventy or eighty Contractors while having that terrifying sniper hidden away meant the defending side would suffer heavy casualties—but Stallo’s group of thirteen would likely all be slain there!

Therefore, this powerful, uninvited contingent ultimately chose to compromise and retreated dejectedly. Fortunately, they were only forfeiting a hidden objective, not the main one; otherwise, they likely wouldn't have let the matter rest so easily.

Following such a disruptive incident, all the defending Contractors remained inside the downed Valkyrie transport, unwilling to venture out. Firstly, they needed to be ready in case others came to cause trouble, and secondly, for their own personal safety. Setting aside whether those thirteen Hunters might return for vengeance, the sniper alone posed an extreme threat to the vast majority of them if he decided to start picking targets. Thankfully, that individual seemed to operate alone, never joining any team, which relieved many people.

In fact, for Contractors who had reached that level of skill, remaining unaligned actually increased their chances of survival. While joining a team seemed safer due to potential protection, in some ways, it imposed greater limitations, almost completely stripping them of the "freedom" to choose the time and place of engagement. Furthermore, if a team battle erupted, familiar opponents would prioritize eliminating him at any cost!

Time ticked by, second by second. At this point, Zi’s prestige soared uncontested, having undeniably become the figurehead for the majority of the remaining Contractors. It was worth noting that Reef also earned significant respect, mainly due to the iron-clad will and unyielding tenacity he displayed in the earlier fighting, which genuinely impressed many. Fighting behind such a figure, the sheer aura he exuded imparted a palpable sense of intense security. Finally, the three-day mark was successfully reached, and everyone simultaneously let out a long sigh of relief. For many, successfully completing this initial side mission was satisfaction enough. Especially for those who profited greatly from the Beast Tide—gaining Silver Story-level equipment dropped by Legendary Creatures, securing vast amounts of Universal Points, and let’s not forget, even four units of the revival item: Unmodified Amniotic Fluid Tank (AMN***) were sold.

Based on the experience of most present, once a side mission in a Space Battlefield was completed, there would typically be penalties upon returning, perhaps deducting base attribute points. However, the restriction preventing them from taking out loot gained in that world would be lifted. For these individuals, this alone made the ordeal worthwhile.

Fang Senyan, too, marveled in secret; the difficulty of the Space Battlefield missions was truly extraordinary!

It was clear that his group had not followed the conventional path of waiting out the three days of the Beast Tide until the end. Instead, they had chosen to compromise with the beasts by killing RDA personnel. This approach naturally lowered the difficulty of the battlefield's side mission: Establishing a Foothold. Thus, while the natural disaster ended, man-made calamity was quick to follow!

The Space had responded by presenting a significantly stronger hidden objective, tasking those thirteen individuals to conflict with his own group. Only by passing this test could their mission be considered formally complete...

With this realization, Fang Senyan couldn’t help but recall the Golden Side Mission, whose specific rewards were still unknown! If the difficulty of the introductory side mission in a normal Space Battlefield was this shocking, just how terrifying must the difficulty of the Golden Side Mission be? And all of this was about to be formally unveiled before them!

“Come on,” Fang Senyan took a deep breath, then revealed an expectant expression: “I’m truly looking forward to it.”

“5” “4” “3” “2” “1” “Mission time concluded.” “Contractor ID 1018, within these three days, you and your team successfully protected the core engine of the Valkyrie transport.” “You have completed the Side Mission: Establishing a Foothold.” “You have been awarded 7 Merit Points. (Base reward 3 points, Silver Team Leader bonus +3 points, Legend Status bonus +1).” “You have been awarded 10,000 Universal Points and 5 Potential Points.” “Notification: You completed the battlefield side mission in a scenario exceeding your team’s power level. You contribute 5 Experience Points to the team! (2 base reward + 3 extra high-difficulty reward)!” “Wow!” Fang Senyan immediately felt a surge of pleasant surprise. He rushed to question Reef, only to find that Reef received 5 Merit Points, and as the leader of the Silver Team, he received an additional +2 bonus. Furthermore, the three of them each contributed 5 experience points toward team advancement.

This meant the conditions for team leveling had been met. However, Fang Senyan’s current rank of Second Lieutenant restricted the team’s growth. Fortunately, since Merit Points were highly versatile, the requirement for promotion to First Lieutenant wasn't too steep—only seventy Merit Points were needed. Fang Senyan currently possessed 61 Merit Points; if his plan went smoothly, he should be able to rank up before their return.

At this moment, the Space delivered a series of notifications via the Nightmare Imprint: “Cargo Carrier Starship ID 601-09, designated Star of Enterprise (IMTE***), is currently orbiting the atmosphere of Pandora. They have responded to the distress signal previously issued.” “In eight hours, another Valkyrie transport ship dispatched from the mothership will arrive to escort you to the Hell’s Gate Base. During this period, you are free to move about. Upon arrival at Hell’s Gate Base, the next subsequent side mission will automatically activate.” “Note: This world is a battlefield with an extremely high mortality rate. Therefore, while aboard the Valkyrie vessel (either one), you retain the privilege of escaping and returning to the Nightmare Space. The preparation time for returning to the Nightmare Space is five seconds, and this process will be interrupted if you sustain an attack during that time.”