Chapter 982: 'Waiting by the Pig for the Rabbit'

Chapter 982: "Guarding the Pig, Waiting for the Rabbit"

Rolling red sand churned on the horizon, and within the clamorous dust, a dead city could faintly be seen.

Towering skyscrapers were snapped in half at their midsections, with a fragment of what seemed to be a space elevator embedded in the broken edge.

Remnants of glass curtain walls reflected a faint glimmer in the wind and sand, illuminating the empty, dilapidated alleyways below.

Unknown dangers lurked behind shattered shop windows, and mutated hyenas with sharp teeth and vicious maws prowled beneath rusted billboards.

A woman in a cloak stood on a nearby dune, raising a telescope to gaze toward the skyscraper.

After a moment, a brown-feathered, mottled mutant eagle owl flapped its wings and flew over, landing on her shoulder.

She met its sharp gaze for a moment, then reached out to stroke its feathers before tossing it into the sky.

"Kraa—"

The owl let out a long cry and vanished into the rolling dust.

And the cloaked woman disappeared from the dune as well.

Soon, the wind and sand erased her footprints, as if no one had ever been there.

This was the Great Wasteland.

If the Luoxia Province was a forbidden zone for life, then this was a forbidden zone for civilization.

No one could leave any trace here.

Nor would anyone remember the name of this street or this district—and even if they did, it would mean nothing.

It wasn’t just the nomadic tribes of the Great Wasteland that migrated with the wind and sand, but also the layered dunes themselves.

A landmark exposed on the surface today might become the entrance to the "underground world" tomorrow. A towering building standing yesterday might collapse into rubble in a few days.

The only way to mark this area was a special string of characters containing latitude and longitude coordinates.

Though there were no orbital satellite navigation systems, the people living on the wasteland always found alternatives...

[G1178, A2249]

A dark green floating-point number flickered on the off-road vehicle’s central control screen, jolting along with the bumpy ride.

The man in the driver’s seat double-checked that the coordinates were correct, stepped on the brake, grabbed the assault rifle hanging from the inside of the door, pushed open the heavy door, and got out.

Steel plates covered his entire body, and his thick armor left two deep pits in the sandy ground.

"All units, attention. We are approaching the coordinate area... Execute the plan."

"Roger."

At the same moment the man got out of the off-road vehicle, other desert-camouflaged off-road vehicles also arrived at their respective positions.

Doors slammed open with a bang, and heavily armed figures quickly disembarked.

They wore desert-camouflaged exoskeletons, carried streamlined rifles, and bore armbands identifying their unit.

The armband depicted a scorpion with a sharp stinger, and on the scorpion’s back was the emblem of the Enlightenment Society.

Their name was "Desert Scorpions."

They were both the sharp blade in the hands of the Enlightenment Society and a fearsome presence that made countless wastelanders tremble in this desert.

After all, this was a forbidden zone for civilization—a basement beneath the floorboards.

The wastelanders active in this area couldn’t even scrape together a few decent rifles, let alone exoskeletons, and their only protective gear was a few mismatched sets of unpowered armor.

But the Enlightenment Society not only had exoskeletons and heavy and light weapons produced from black boxes, but had also recently absorbed the military technology and tactical thinking of the Southern Legion.

This stuff was far more useful than Awakening.

Whether it was legitimate or illegitimate wastelanders or mutant organizations, they all got beaten down when they ran into these guys.

Perhaps sensing the murderous intent beneath the dust, even the mutants hiding in the ruins instinctively shrank back, hiding their claws and fangs in fear of these heavily armed human soldiers.

About a hundred and twenty soldiers split into three groups, silently surrounding the half-collapsed skyscraper in the center of the district. Then, covering each other in turns, they advanced and methodically tightened the encirclement.

Standing on a nearby dune, Malik, the captain of the Desert Scorpions, held a telescope in his hand, expressionlessly watching the building that had been snapped in half, quietly waiting for something.

Before long, his subordinate’s voice came through the communication channel.

"...Found the signal transmitter. It’s on top of the ruins, about a hundred meters above the ground."

Not surprised by the report, Malik said calmly, "Enter the ruins."

"Yes, sir!"

The squad leader operating the drone acknowledged, then looked at the soldiers crouching nearby, clenched his right fist, and waved it forward decisively.

Ten soldiers in exoskeletons immediately received the order and, under the cover of their teammates, hugged the wall and advanced rapidly.

At the same time, two attack drones with gun mounts silently flanked the team, moving alongside them as they charged toward the skyscraper ruins.

The dusty glass curtain walls reflected the silhouettes of figures steeped in murderous intent.

A man with a thick beard walked up to Malik, hooked his finger under his collar to loosen his scarf, and squinted toward the direction of the building’s remains.

"An unpopulated area, a radio signal containing encrypted coordinates. After decoding, the coordinates point to the signal source itself... What do you think that guy’s purpose is in doing something so pointless?"

His name was Valen, the deputy captain of the Desert Scorpions and Malik’s long-time partner.

"I don’t know," Malik replied casually, still staring at the distant building. "But if I had to guess, he’s trying to make contact with our opponents... Following that logic, this guy probably isn’t from the Alliance—most likely a dog kept by the Alliance."

Though the Eastern Empire was also a suspect, those Wilantians weren’t really all that interested in the Enlightenment Society’s affairs.

Compared to the distant future and the benefits of a high civilization, that usurper-like emperor cared more about immediate interests.

Only the Alliance wanted everything.

In any case, there were only a few factions near the Great Wasteland—enough to narrow it down by elimination.

Valen raised an eyebrow.

"Who do you think that dog is?"

Malik smirked coldly.

"I’d guess it’s an old friend—at least someone who knows us. But who knows?"

The Enlightenment Society didn’t have just one enemy in the Alliance; it could be said the whole world was their enemy.

In such a situation, it was perfectly reasonable for some faction outside the Great Wasteland to foster a secret organization within the wasteland to oppose the Enlightenment Society.

For instance, in the past couple of years, an organization called the "Watchers" had emerged, opposing them at every turn and often ruining their plans.

Instinct told Malik that the signal tower deployed here was probably the work of the Watchers.

Or at least someone connected to them.

Thinking this, a cruel smile curled at the corner of Malik’s mouth.

Time to settle old scores.

In less than a minute, the ten-man squad that had taken the lead quickly occupied the building’s entrance, and under the cover of the two drones, secured the emergency stairwell and advanced upward along the stairs.

Soon, the squad leader’s voice came through the communication channel.

"This is Team One. We've secured the signal transmitter... The facility is powered by mobile power supply units. No sign of the sender!"

"Those rats!" Valen, standing beside Malik, cursed under his breath.

Malik's expression darkened slightly, though he wasn't particularly surprised.

Mobile power supply, remote activation of the transmitter... These were just basic operations.

If he were in the same position, he would have done the same.

"Look on the bright side—at least the communication equipment and power source are still here. That means their rendezvous didn't succeed."

After a pause, Malik continued.

"At least we're ahead of the Alliance. Maybe we can use this chance to give them a taste of their own medicine."

Hearing Malik's idea, a sinister grin spread across Valen's face.

"Not a bad idea!"

When the Alliance follows the trail here, they'll walk right into their guns.

That way, not only would the Alliance suffer a silent loss, but they might even stir up infighting between the Alliance and their own lapdogs.

Malik gave a faint smile, showing no modesty, and instead began deploying his men.

His force of over 120 soldiers was divided into twelve squads and three groups.

While sending three additional squads into the building, he ordered the other two groups to silently take cover on the east and west sides of the target skyscraper, ready to support at any moment.

A net was cast silently, waiting for the prey to walk right in.

As for the radio signal terminal, Malik pondered for a moment and ultimately decided not to disturb it. He only arranged for an off-road vehicle equipped with electronic surveillance gear to monitor its transmissions, just in case.

All preparations were complete.

Malik and Valen turned and climbed back into the off-road vehicle, driving it into the abandoned district ahead, hiding it inside the window display of a street-side shop.

Now came the waiting.

Malik believed that the Alliance, with its relentless pursuit of the Enlightened Society, would never let this clue slip by.

Once the bait was cast, catching a fish was certain—the only question was whether it would be a big one or a small one.

For that, he didn't mind spending a few days waiting. As long as a fish took the hook, it would all be worth it.

Shutting off the engine of the off-road vehicle, Malik stepped out. Just then, a deafening roar passed overhead.

"Plane! Flying from south to north—should be coming from the Lavenca Industrial Zone!"

Valen poked his head out of the shop window to look, his face a mix of shock and relief.

It seemed they were a step ahead, but not by much compared to the Alliance.

Still, even a single step counted.

Their men were already hidden in the ruins; the plane probably hadn't spotted anything.

"Probably just scouting ahead... Their people should be arriving soon." Pulling back from the broken window, Valen turned to look at Malik standing nearby.

The latter clearly thought the same, nodding with a serious expression before pressing a finger to the side of his helmet.

"...All units, attention. The Alliance will be here soon. Stay hidden and don't let them spot you!"

"Wait until the prey is in the cage before striking!"

After issuing the command crisply, Malik waited for each unit's response. But the comm channel was eerily silent, broken only by faint crackling static.

Frowning slightly, a sudden sense of foreboding crept into Malik's heart.

Though communication in the Great Wasteland was notoriously unstable, with signals cutting in and out, at such close range, this shouldn't have happened.

"...This is Malik. All units, attention. Do you copy? Repeat: do you copy..."

Still no response!

The unease lingering in his heart had turned into a warning sign. At that same moment, crackling gunfire erupted, followed by a thunderous explosion.

"It's coming from the skyscraper!" Valen, crouched by the window, panic flickering in his eyes, hurriedly looked back at Malik.

The latter quickly ran to the window, but instead of looking at the skyscraper, he gazed up at the sky against the blinding light.

There, in the cloudless sky, floated a faint, barely noticeable white speck.

It was a small parachute!

Something seemed to be hanging beneath it!

Staring at that white speck through his helmet visor, Malik's pupils contracted sharply, and he roared a curse.

"Electromagnetic jamming! Damn it! They've already found us!"

No—

Wait!

Suddenly realizing something, Malik quickly turned his gaze to the skyscraper now echoing with gunfire. The anger in his eyes slowly shifted to shock and horror.

A cold sweat trickled down his forehead, dripping into his collar.

Those bastards had been there all along...

It wasn't that the Alliance had discovered them—it was that they had been waiting here, watching them take the bait!

No time to hesitate!

Malik grabbed Valen's shoulder, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at the bewildered face.

"We've been ambushed! Quick! Fire a flare! Signal the brothers in the ruins to retreat!"

"Alright, alright... What?! Retreat?!" Valen, loading a flare gun, froze, staring at his superior in disbelief, unable to understand what he was thinking.

And what did he mean by "ambushed"?

Weren't they the ones ambushing the Alliance?

Without time to explain, Malik snatched the flare gun from his hand, loaded a green flare, and without a word fired it into the sky.

A streak of green smoke shot upward, soon blooming into a dark green glow!

Not caring whether anyone else saw it, Malik dashed back to the off-road vehicle, yanked open the door, and dropped into the passenger seat.

Though he had no idea what had gotten into his boss, Valen followed him back into the car.

Hastily starting the engine, he turned to look at the man in the passenger seat, about to ask something, but before he could open his mouth, the latter urged him.

"Quick! Drive!"

Valen gripped the steering wheel tightly, stammering.

"To... where?"

Malik's face was grim, his voice a low growl.

"Anywhere! Just get us out of here first!"

The gunfire outside grew more urgent.

Realizing something was wrong, Valen didn't hesitate and immediately stomped on the accelerator.

The SUV's engine roared like a monster, the spinning wheels carrying the body through the shop window.

He yanked the steering wheel hard left, trying to return to the outskirts along the original path, but then he heard a sharp crack!

That was the sound of a bullet piercing the window, and also the last sound he would ever hear.

A mass round traveling several times the speed of sound shattered his helmet in an instant, even pulverizing half the seat!

Red and white sprayed out together, Valen's head splattering across half the cabin like a smashed watermelon.

The SUV crashed out of control into the roadside.

Malik, drenched in hot blood, felt his heart stop, his whole body going cold.

He instinctively shoved open the door and leaped out, scrambling and crawling into a nearby shop window before the second gunshot rang out, while shouting into the comm channel.

"Sniper!"

The comms jamming was still ongoing.

Naturally, no one could hear that voice.

Meanwhile, on a sand dune eight hundred meters away, a figure draped in desert camouflage netting, the "Desert Eagle," had a long, thick Gauss sniper rifle mounted before him.

The power of this shot would make even power armor steer clear, no matter what level of Awakened, they'd all kneel!

"Coward!" Watching the target flee into a street-side shop, he clicked his tongue softly, raising his index finger to deactivate the charging capacitor.

That guy probably wouldn't dare come out for a while.

But no matter.

The area was full of Desert Corps personnel; he had no chance of escaping!

On the other side, amidst the ruins of a skyscraper, fierce fighting continued!

Flashing tracer rounds darted wildly through the corridors, occasionally accompanied by the roar of explosions.

Soldiers with scorpions printed on their exoskeletons had terror written on their faces, frantically spraying fire into the nearby darkness while dragging wounded comrades toward the building's exit.

Chaos reigned.

The darkness echoed not just with gunfire and explosions, but also with cursing shouts.

"This is Squad One! We're under attack by unknown armed forces!"

"It's the Alliance!"

"Damn! Our comms are jammed!"

"Flare! A flare!"

"The captain ordered us to retreat!"

"Retreat?! Are you kidding me? They've got us surrounded! Without support, we'll all die here!"

Fear was etched on every face; every dark room made the Enlightenment Society soldiers present involuntarily tighten the strings in their minds.

Forced to fight individually, they didn't know how many enemies there were, or even how many of their own remained...

The squad that first entered the building took the heaviest casualties!

When the Alliance's aircraft swept overhead, they were scattered on the top floor of the ruined skyscraper, searching and setting up defenses, completely unaware that Alliance soldiers were lying in ambush right under their noses!

And hearing the roar of the fighter jet passing by, the Alliance soldiers lurking in the shadows immediately activated the fluorescent identification strips on their exoskeletons, revealing the weapons hidden in the darkness!

Led by the "Talan Raiders," about thirty players from the Desert Corps launched a surprise attack.

Taking advantage of the comms jamming and prior knowledge of the terrain, they worked in groups of three to pick off the nearly forty Enlightenment Society soldiers scattered throughout the building one by one!

And by the time that gunshot broke the silence, the squad on the top floor alone had already lost half its numbers!

The others, due to the comms jamming, were completely unaware until the shots rang out!

"I'll fight you to the death, ahhh!!!"

Finally, a lone "Desert Scorpion" could no longer hold back his fear. With a roar, he thrust his rifle out from cover and sprayed fire into the corridor flickering with muzzle flashes.

His index finger was practically welded to the trigger, the stream of bullets whipping like a storm toward that figure too fast to clearly see!

The flashing tracer rounds danced and leaped off the angular armor, fast as the wind, as he charged through the hail of bullets right up to his face.

The "Desert Scorpion's" pupils contracted sharply; his mind, thick as paste, held only one thought—

So fast!!!

He had barely registered the opponent's movement when the enemy was already in his face.

And it wasn't over!

A gleaming blade of light, like lightning, slashed vertically toward his face. Caught off guard, he instinctively raised his rifle to block.

"Thud—!"

The immense force jarred his hand painfully!

And in that momentary pause, he finally saw the cold gleam that could tear steel!

It was a blade that curved outward!

The arc of the edge was like a mantis's scythe!

His eyes were filled with terror.

But before he could react, the sharp cold light continued unabated, cleaving through his helmet, and with a "clang," pierced his skull.

"Three."

Having easily taken down a troublesome "super grunt," the player in power armor silently counted the kill, then kicked aside the lifeless corpse.

Watching the bloody scene, the Enlightenment Society soldiers crouching behind nearby cover all panicked one after another.

Fearing the same fate, they raised their weapons and fired indiscriminately at that ferocious figure.

The stream of tracer rounds striking the power armor was like a tickle; only armor-piercing rockets from launchers posed any threat.

But even those were easy to dodge.

Especially in these straight corridors and hallways.

"Is that all?"

Facing the rain of bullets, the "pro" grinned savagely, shook off the blood clinging to his mantis blade, and charged forward without dodging!

And at that moment, the "little scorpions" standing opposite him were scared out of their wits, their crumbling morale shattered completely, and they turned and fled for their lives!

The bloody slaughter continued.

Not just inside the building, but outside as well!

The "Desert Scorpions" lying in ambush on the east and west sides of the skyscraper ruins didn't get the prey they expected; instead, they became the turtles trapped in a cage, dying or fleeing under the storm-like assault of the Desert Corps!

A dozen or so SUVs scattered like startled birds toward the desert outside the city, but as soon as they reached the city's exit, they were blown up by pursuing anti-armor missiles.

The abandoned soldiers, seeing no hope of escape, faced with continuous casualties, finally threw down their weapons in despair and raised their hands in surrender.

Having never suffered losses in close-quarters firefights, this time they had kicked a steel plate!

And that second- or third-tier legion, which had been completely sidelined throughout the "Southern Barbarian Invasion" expansion pack, finally had its moment of glory!

Although it was thanks to the help of a few solo big shots that the battle went so splendidly, the vast majority of the fighting was done by the legion's own players.

Looking at the thirty-plus captives who had stripped off their equipment and were squatting in the corner with their heads in their hands, [Talan Raider] wore a delighted smile on his face.

"Haha! Damn, that felt good!"

After sitting on the bench for so long, it was finally my turn to strut my stuff!