Chapter 93: Ambush
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
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Fusion
Success!
Congratulations, you have discovered [Electromagnetic Combat Scanning Visor]!
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Oh?
Han Xiao raised his eyebrows. The product from the fusion was not what he had anticipated. However, the visor was of great use to a sniper since it offered greater accuracy compared to using the thermo-scope. The new visor enabled vision through the internal compartment of concrete walls. If it was mounted onto the scope, it would allow for more accurate shots through the concrete walls at the stipulated target.
Let me try it again.
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...
This fusion will cost you 30,000 EXP!
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Fusion
Success!
Congratulations, you have discovered [Electromagnetic Pulse Interference Machine]!
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That’s the one. Han Xiao nodded.
The EMP Interference Machine was a common blueprint. It was very likely to appear, and other than the EMP Interference Machine, there were a couple of other machinery blueprints that could meet his expectations. In fact, he had actually set aside sufficient EXP for a third fusion. However, he was no longer required to use the additional EXP and could save it for future tasks.
The powers of the EMP Interference Machine were known far and wide.
There was no shortage of vehicles available in the desert. However, since Han Xiao was a sniper, maintaining the distance between the target was of the utmost importance, and he needed to have some distractions for vehicles if they approached.
He was still short of some highly destructive explosives, mines, and traps.
He touched his chin, and his eyes suddenly lit up. He had a new idea.
I guess I can try creating the items and skip the fusion process!
Previously, the players could hardly utilize self-creation skills. However, they were able to absorb the knowledge from the other blueprints and fuse their knowledge and the information from the other blueprints together to create new ones. They were able use their knowledge gained to add on to the details of their concepts. Through self-creation, they were able to skip the arduous research and development process of the new machinery, and they could even create powerful new machinery ahead of the expected progression.
The core concept behind the highly explosive rounds was flammable gas. By compressing flammable gas into a container, its power would be escalated to an extent that was no lesser than the Mines of Shattering Shards.
Since he needed to create an explosive mine, he needed additional gunpowder and ball bearings. He started to consider the use of flammable gas.
He decided to split the explosive round into different sections. The flammable gas became less reactive upon coming into contact with the atmospheric gases, and they were sealed up. There was a switch in the round that also acted as a timer. Once the time was up, the switch would click, and as the flammable gases came into contact with the gunpowder, an explosion would be triggered.
Since he was going to utilize his prototyping skills, Han Xiao felt that it was a good opportunity to increase the power of his product by equipping it with additional effects. Therefore, he decided to incorporate the theory behind the Hayme bullet into his new creation.
Han Xiao quickly finalized the blueprint in his mind and started crafting the new equipment with his hands. A prototype was required to be tested in order to determine whether the new creation was a success or not. Most players employed the creation process—they merely set the blueprint and selected the materials and tools required. They did not participate in the manufacturing process, and the success of the creation depended a lot on luck.
However, Han Xiao was involved in every phase of the production process, including the hands-on manufacturing. Hence, he was able to fine tune the steps in each stage of the production, and that greatly increased the success rate of his creation.
After a while, a circular mine with a thirty-millimeter diameter emerged from Han Xiao’s production. He operated the interface and did an automatic scan to determine if his creation was successful.
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Scanning to determine success of product...
Failure!
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It failed? Han Xiao raised his brows and frowned.
The reason behind the failure had to be due to the fact that the mechanical components were unable to attain the projected effects, or there were some obvious loopholes.
He found a spot to test out the power of his new creation, and he discovered that the ignition process involving the highly flammable gas, gunpowder, and the poisonous gas was awry. Although an explosion still took place, the damage caused was far below what was projected, and modifications were required.
The gases were very hard to control. A slight mistake meant that the entire process had to be repeated and modifications of the mechanical parts had to be made. The weapons-testing area of the Fabian Organization’s camp was completed charred, and venomous gases were everywhere. Han Xiao had to vacate the ground, else he would suffer continuous deductions of his HP.
Finally, after thirteen failures, an angelic line emerged on the interface.
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Success!
You have successfully created a new prototype blueprint!
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A new explosive’s blueprint emerged in his mind, and the interface recorded all the theories behind the machinery. After witnessing the effects of this new weapon, Han Xiao whispered, “It’s too conventional to call the explosive the Highly-Flammable, Poisonous, Delayed-Explosion Mine. I shall call the mine ‘Flaming Poison’.”
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The naming is successful.
You have gained the blueprint of the new creation [Flaming Poison Mine]!
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After the newly-created blueprint was recognized by the interface, the usage of the explosive became a skill, and EXP could be utilized to increase the level of the explosive. Furthermore, the various requirements to create the explosive were also recorded on the interface, and by referring to the interface during the creation process, the manufacturing of the explosive could take place at a faster rate.
Han Xiao’s eyes lit up brightly. Indeed, just as I expected, the self-creation blueprints can meet my needs for adaptable weapons during battle situations, and there is a huge potential in this area that has yet to be unraveled.
The next step will be to create a sufficient inventory of explosives.
...
Night soon fell.
Han Xiao drove his jeep into an empty and spacious sector. He then arranged rows of fireworks on the ground and put them on delayed ignition. After that, he prepared the Flaming Venoms and EMP Interference Machine along the path that Rose Militant had to take in order to reach the specified sector.
How did Han Xiao predict the route that Rose Militant would take?
It was based on the shortest distance between the two points.
Obviously, one could not eliminate the possibility that the enemy would take a longer path instead of the predicted one. However, it was not much of a worry as there was always another opportunity to ambush the enemy.
The EMP Interference Machine was a circular piece of equipment with a base. Han Xiao had created a portable version with a height of merely one meter and a radiation radius of 300 meters that released high frequency wave signals. The machine could interfere with the abilities of other precision electronics such as communication devices, remotely-controlled electronics, and search radars. It was especially effective against vehicles and could paralyze their communications, signal receptors, controllers, and even their movements.
Although Han Xiao did not expect the vehicles operated by the Rose Militants to be equipped with anti-interference machines, he adjusted the interference machinery to a frequency that had the highest likelihood for success. As long as there was a slight opening in the vehicle that was not equipped with anti-interference metal, the vehicle would succumb to the effects of the interference.
The drawback of such a method was that it was very draining on the battery of the machine. However, it was not much of an issue as the machine was not required to release constant interference. As long as there was one successful penetration, the vehicle would be paralyzed.
After setting up the trap, Han Xiao parked his jeep at a sand dune that was around four hundred meters away from the ambush. He then silently lay prone on ground and looked through his scope like a patient hunter waiting for his kill.
At night, the temperature of the desert plunged, and the cold gusts of wind blew the sand into the air. Han Xiao was wearing a windbreaker and had thick leather gloves on his hands to prevent the freezing cold from immobilizing his hands and thus his accuracy.
Boom!
The fireworks shot up into the sky in the marked-out sector. The fireworks were especially glaring in the dark of the night. They could be seen clearly from even tens of kilometers away.
...
“There’s a problem!”
In the base of the Rose Militants, the sentry guards saw the booming fireworks in the sky and immediately reported the situation to Luo Qing.
“Dorothy, take your troops and check out the situations. Be careful of the other militias around and request for reinforcements immediately if you guys engage enemies,” Luo Qing quickly ordered.
Dorothy nodded. She selected twenty troops. They suited up, equipping themselves with a plethora of magazine cartridges and grenades. They then rode out in four desert jeeps.
In the Coutonian base-camp, Couton, who was the chief, also saw the fireworks and ordered his men, “Bring your troops and check out the situation. A fight is likely to take place.”
A couple of the armed jeeps drove out of the Couton base-camp into the wild.
The same scene also played out in a couple of other militant-camps.
...
The jeeps of Rose Militant were speeding through the desert. The rotating tires threw the sand into the air, and a long ‘dragon’ of dust trailed behind the vehicles.
“Dorothy, is this the appearance of Felonia?” a female trooper asked Dorothy.
Dorothy had a ferocious look. When she squeezed her lips, she looked like a black tigress that devoured anything in her way. She replied coldly, “If Felonia could be discovered so easily, I wouldn’t have wasted two years here. This is probably some smokescreen created by others. Everyone, stay on high alert. This is probably another trap the Coutonians planted!”
Hum––
Once Dorothy’s sentence ended, an eerie sound of electricity could be heard in the air. Dorothy and five other troops could sense that there was a special wave that originated from somewhere not far away.
Simultaneously, all the meters on the cars cracked, and the four Jeeps instantly lost control and collided into one another like drunkards. No matter how much the drivers stepped on the pedals, the jeeps were still out of their control.
“Enemy ambush!” Dorothy was shocked and started to scan the surroundings alertly.
What was the cause of the paralysis of the vehicles? Could it have been an EMP‽
The troops searched around, and they could only see the yellowish sand in the darkness. There was nothing strange.
The desert was spacious, and stars of the galaxy could also be seen in the night sky. The cold wind of the night howled.
The troops could feel the goosebumps on their arms. It was as if they were being choked by a gigantic hand and could hardly breathe.
Boom!
A Rose Militant was flung into the air by a large shockwave and landed hard onto the sand. She no longer had any breath, and there was a bloody hole in her body that looked ghastly.
“There’s a sniper. Hide behind the vehicle!” Dorothy was shocked and angry. She immediately gathered her teammates to move behind the vehicle and requested for reinforcements by shooting the flare into the air.
Rose Militant felt a small sense of security as their base was relatively close to their current position. Within fifteen minutes, their reinforcements would arrive!
Han Xiao, who was lying prone on the sand, saw the flare and muttered to himself, “This arrow into the clouds will bring tens of thousands of enemy troops.”
He then changed to the highly flammable magazine and fired a shot at the trap lined with the Flaming Poison Mines. Fire started burning at the point the bullet landed and ignited the Faming Poison Mines.
Boom!
After a thunderous sound, a sea of flames emerged, and it resulted in a chain reaction that lit up the other mines, causing continuous explosions!
The merciless flames swallowed four jeeps, and the poisonous gas was released everywhere. The damage to the enemies caused by the poison and burns appeared on the interface.
The Hayme Bullet was a poisonous bullet also known as ‘The Bullet of Justice’. The effect of the damage was much greater when the theory behind the Hayme Bullet was applied to the Flaming Poison Mines.
Coughs were heard everywhere. Dorothy felt nauseous, and her teammates looked as if they were suffering worse. Their heads were spinning, and they were vomiting uncontrollably.
If all of them continued to remain at their current position, they were bound to die from either the flames or the poisonous gas.
What a sly bastard! Dorothy tired hard to overcome the nauseating sensation in her chest and yelled, “Charge toward the sniper and kill him. That’s the only way we can survive!”