Back then, Zero Point of the Central Continent team, despite not having unlocked the Gene Lock, possessed an attack power that far surpassed anyone he encountered once he acquired the Gauss Sniper Rifle, provided the distance and timing were right. This even included himself. During the engagement with the India Continent team, it was Zero Point’s explosive power that kept them suppressed until the entire India team was annihilated. It can be said that the combat effectiveness of a sniper absolutely transcends that of the other members of a team.

However, snipers are equally fragile. Once engaged in close quarters, Zhao Yingkong and he himself would only need one strike to finish any sniper, even Zero Point, who possessed some melee capability. A sniper is a living paradox: supremely strong and utterly weak.

But he didn't have this constraint. Melee prowess was already his strongest asset, and his talent for sniping originated entirely from unlocking the third stage of the Gene Lock. Though unsustainable, his sniping skill allowed him to simulate Zero Point's one-hit kill potential! "Zhang Heng, can you see my position?" Zheng Zha inquired through consciousness.

Zhang Heng nodded in reply, "No problem, I can see your vicinity, but you seem to be prone, so I can't pinpoint your exact location. What's up?" Zheng Zha let out a breath. "Zhang Heng, how many arrows do you have left? Specifically the Enchanted +3 Sharpened Arrows."

"Zhang Heng counted his quiver: "Thirty-seven remaining. That’s more than enough, even if I keep using Explosive Arrows. I can fire over ten Explosive Arrows. Aren’t there ten enemies? I think these thirty-seven arrows are plenty. What about you?" Zheng Zha said, "I will attack using the Equipment Sniper Rifle. If possible, I'll support you too. What worries me isn't your archery or the damage of the Explosive Arrows; I’m worried you won’t be able to use your powers normally."

"You are an archer, the ranged warrior of this group. If you can’t use your arrows to attack, that's practically the moment you die. Your temperament is genuinely concerning."

Zhang Heng chuckled. "Relax. Mind Concentration is incredibly effective. Every time I use it, I feel myself becoming significantly stronger. And even if my core personality hasn't changed much, once Mind Concentration is active, I genuinely cease to fear anything. Put your mind at ease on that front." Zheng Zha sighed. "I can only hope that’s the case. Just be careful. Remember, you are our strongest source of ranged combat power. If even you fall, my lone Equipment Sniper Rifle might not be enough to suppress them."

Zhang Heng nodded without further comment. Zheng Zha then addressed Zhao Yingkong: "Zhao Yingkong, what about you? Can you see us from your current position?" Zhao Yingkong remained silent for a long moment before replying, "No, I can't see you, but I can see the people on the ground nearby." Zheng Zha smiled. "Then the ground engagement is entrusted to you. Remember, our objective isn't to fight to the death, but to buy enough time for the others to escape. As long as they reach the checkpoint ahead of the enemy, we might also be able to withdraw from here at any moment. In short, everyone, protect yourselves first, and engage only while ensuring your own safety. Remember that!" As the words fell, all three looked strangely toward a specific spot on the distant horizon. Through the mental scans they "saw," ten figures were flying rapidly towards them. Though tens of kilometers away, given their speed, their arrival would take mere moments. Meanwhile, Zhan Lan and the others on the other side were still moving sluggishly, still over ten kilometers from the checkpoint. Compared to them, those ten people would only need about twenty minutes to catch up. By then, Zhan Lan’s group would still be several kilometers short of the checkpoint—there simply wasn't enough time! Zheng Zha felt anxiety surge. He urgently sent a mental call to Zhan Lan: "Zhan Lan! Completely reveal our location! Stop masking where we are! Hurry up, let them attack us!" Zhan Lan’s voice paused for a long moment before she murmured back, "That won't do. You need the element of surprise with your sniping. If your location is revealed, you’ll be directly exposed under their sights. They seemed to expend a great deal of mental energy controlling the helicopter crash earlier; they can’t break through my mental barrier now. So stop asking to reveal your position." Zheng Zha’s anxiety deepened. He roared, "Damn it, if I tell you to reveal it, then reveal it! Why so much talk? If they chase you while flying, then our efforts, the three of us running out to meet the enemy, will be completely pointless! Hurry up and expose our location! Let them all come attack us!" Zhan Lan was silent again for a long time before she replied, "If they intend to wipe us out completely, exposing your location won't stop it anyway. It's better to let you hide there and give them a surprise, don't you think?" Or perhaps, by eliminating a few of the Gene Lock users from the Devil's Reincarnation Squad first, even if they were killed, Zheng Zha wouldn't be erased due to his reward points turning negative—this last thought Zhan Lan kept unspoken.

Then, no matter how loudly Zheng Zha yelled, Zhan Lan offered no further reply. Several minutes passed this way. The ten figures were flying incredibly fast, gradually closing in on Zheng Zha’s trio. When they were only about twenty kilometers away, Zhan Lan's mental scan of them instantly vanished. All three could now only confirm the enemies' positions with the naked eye.

Zheng Zha stopped speaking. He began to calm his mind. Other than the Equipment Sniper Rifle in his hands, he deliberately put everything else out of thought, simply watching the sky. Even though anxiety still gnawed at him, as time slowly elapsed, his heart finally settled as still as a mirror.

Waiting silently like this, perhaps a few minutes later, several metal hoverboards zipped forward over the street, hovering about twenty meters above the ground. Simultaneously, Zheng Zha’s eyes gradually glazed over with a distant focus.

"Zhang Heng, see their boards? I'll shoot the first one; you shoot the third. Aim directly for the head. Don't move yet. Wait until they reach the middle section of this street before you fire. We have to wait a bit longer." "Attack!" Zheng Zha bellowed mentally, his movements becoming flawlessly precise. He single-eyed the large white man flying at the very front. Bang! With a tremendous sound, the Caucasian man cried out and plummeted, dropping straight toward the ground. His board tumbled, slamming against the wall of a civilian house before scraping along it for over ten meters. A blonde woman in the white man's arms also shrieked as she fell to the ground.

At the same time, Zhang Heng's Explosive Arrow struck with a flash, hitting the skull of the man immediately behind. However, this arrow failed to produce the expected result. The man, with an unnervingly swift motion, raised both hands, and a massive two-handed greatsword wreathed in black flames intercepted Zhang Heng's arrow. Although the man was slammed onto the ground by the sheer force of the arrow, it didn't negate the display of his power. After crashing down, this man slowly lifted himself into the air again, a pair of black, bat-like wings unfurling behind him.

Zheng Zha’s eyes widened, because through his scope, he recognized the man’s features. The face was an exact replica of his own, save for a hideous scar slashing across it. This person was essentially him.

The scarred Zheng Zha sneered coldly, swung his black-flame greatsword, and then addressed the white man on the ground: "Francois, how was that? That sniper round shouldn't have hurt you, right?" The white man on the ground shook his head. He stood up and looked at something. "Damn it, it's an Equipment Sniper Rifle. Powerful stuff. My energy dropped by eighty percent in one shot. I can't block another one."

The scarred Zheng Zha replied with a cold laugh, "It doesn't matter; the fight has begun. Chu Xuan, take them and continue hunting the rest of the Central Continent team. We have three people here. As previously assigned: Zhao Zhui Kong deals with your sister, Ming Yanwei goes after the archer, while I, Dechai, and Francois prepare for melee combat. Northard uses his Gauss Sniper to provide support for our three teams as needed." As the scarred Zheng Zha spoke, he pulled a thick, black-covered ancient book from his robes, loudly reciting the book's esoteric writings in the long-lost ancient Egyptian tongue, flying brazenly in mid-air using his fleshy wings.

Zheng Zha certainly wouldn't show mercy to his clone. He commanded Zhang Heng, "Free fire! Don't worry about anything else; use the Wind Arrow skill!" As he spoke, he aligned his scope onto his duplicate.

Bang! A gunshot rang out, but the scarred Zheng Zha suddenly dissolved into scattered bats, flying outwards. By the time he reformed, the ancient Egyptian chant issuing from his mouth was complete.

"Cage of Darkness!" He leapt toward...