Driving the RV, Yun Shan was exhilarated—finally, he could prove his worth. With these Marine Corpsmen around, there was no real danger. After being cooped up for days, he was itching for action.
BY City was 150 kilometers from the mine. Normally, it would take just over an hour, but given the RV's weight, road obstacles, and potential mishaps, reaching BY City in three hours would already be impressive.
And sure enough, trouble arrived quickly. Just after passing Pi County and getting the heavy RV onto the highway, distant gunfire echoed toward them.
"Trouble!" Tai Long reacted fastest, leaping up at the sound of gunfire. He climbed through the sunroof onto the roof, pulling out binoculars to scan the area.
"Brother Bai! There's a firefight up ahead—about a dozen armed men on one side, five people with just one gun on the other. What do we do?" he shouted after spotting the conflict.
Bai Wen was also observing. The two sides were mismatched—one clearly consisted of fleeing civilians, the other of heavily armed militants.
"Wait!" Bai Wen suddenly saw one of the militants fly backward without being hit. What was going on?
"Commander, thermal scans detect an invisible unit!" a Marine Corpsman reported.
Through the thermal imaging system in his CMC Armor, Bai Wen spotted a human figure.
"An Invisibility user?" Bai Wen's eyes gleamed.
On the thermal screen, the Invisibility user moved with exceptional agility—her lithe figure dodging and weaving as she took down one militant after another.
But the militants weren't pushovers. They quickly adapted, and among them was a particularly ruthless one. Seeing a comrade under attack, he immediately fired several shots toward the area—"Bang! Bang! Bang!"—without caring whether he hit his own man.
"Thud! Thud!" Blood sprayed. Both the Invisibility user and the militant were hit—the latter fatally shot in the head, while the former was forced out of her invisibility.
"Damn Ability Users! And a chick too—what a waste!" The shooter cursed as he strode forward, stomping his boot on the woman's chest before spitting on her.
Seeing their companion captured, the five civilians hiding behind a car panicked. They wanted to help but were pinned down by gunfire, unable to even lift their heads.
Soon, they were surrounded. The middle-aged man holding a shotgun was instantly shot in the head.
The other four were beaten savagely, lying motionless on the ground in fear.
"Brother Bai, aren't we going to help?" Tai Long jumped down from the roof, eager for action.
After a brief silence, Bai Wen finally nodded. "Surround them. Leave none alive," he ordered the Marine Corpsmen.
"Brothers, charge!" The Marines acknowledged and swiftly moved in.
"Such a shame—an Invisibility user, and a girl at that. Eagle Lord would've loved her..." The big man sighed regretfully, shaking his head.
The Invisibility user clenched her silver teeth, unable to stop the blood surging up her throat. Her beautiful eyes were filled with unwillingness and despair.
The burly man's massive foot pressed insultingly against her chest, the immense force making it hard for her to breathe. Blood gushed continuously from her wounds—it was clear she wouldn't survive much longer.
"Little girl, stop struggling. Just go in peace. We'll live well on your behalf..." The man sneered, pressing the gun barrel against her forehead.
"Am I really going to die?" Despair filled her eyes. Though the world was cruel enough, she didn't want to die yet.
"Boss, isn't it a waste to just kill her? Even if she's injured, she's not dead yet—and she's still a woman, isn't she?" One of the armed men leered at her toned figure with a lascivious grin.
The burly man chuckled. "Didn't know you had such tastes! Fine, she's yours. Dispose of the body when you're done. I'll check on the others over there."
"Thanks, boss! Hahaha..."
The Invisibility user's eyes widened in terror as she let out a desperate scream. "Y-you... What are you doing?! Get away from me—!"
"Hey hey, little girl, you're still a virgin, aren't you? Wouldn't it be a shame to die like this? Never even tasted a man? Big bro here's gonna make sure you die without regrets!" The man had already started unbuckling his pants.
A terrified shriek escaped her lips. Weak from blood loss, she had no strength left to resist—she could only let him do as he pleased.
"So... death is the only escape now..." She shut her eyes in despair, wishing only for a swift end.
Suddenly, she heard a wet thud, followed by a warm liquid splashing all over her.
Her eyes snapped open in shock as she stared at the armed man before her.
His belt half undone, he gaped in disbelief at the gaping hole in his chest—blood gushing like a spring—before collapsing to the ground with a final, resentful thud.
Rat-tat-tat! The rapid gunfire and the sound of bullets tearing through metal left her dazed. She caught sight of the Metal Spike that had killed the man in front of her—now embedded halfway into the car's steel plating.
In mere moments, the gunfire ceased. These armed men, once ordinary civilians, stood no chance against the Marine Corpsmen, especially with such a disparity in firepower.
One after another, Depleted Uranium Armor-Piercing Bullets effortlessly pierced their cover and tore through their bodies. Only the boss remained, clutching a shattered leg as he wailed in agony.
Too weak to move, the Invisibility user lay on the ground, awaiting her fate. She didn't know what these newcomers would do—perhaps they'd think the same as the armed men. But she was already dying. She feared nothing now.
Hiss-clank... Hiss-clank... The rhythmic sound of mechanical movement was oddly soothing. Straining to lift her head, she saw two towering figures—giants clad in heavy crimson armor, wielding black rifles larger than her entire body. They moved like Humanoid Tanks.
"W-who... are you?" Her heart pounded violently. If these two intended to do anything to her, how could she endure? Their sheer weight alone would crush her!
"Commander, we've got a live one here!" a giant suddenly spoke up.
Bai Wen strode over. He was also wearing CMC Armor, though his stature was much smaller compared to the Marine Corpsmen, and his presence wasn't nearly as imposing.
"Who... who are you? What... what do you want?" she asked weakly.
Bai Wen examined her wounds and the pool of blood already formed on the ground. He knew she wouldn't last much longer without immediate surgery and a blood transfusion. Currently, he lacked the capability to perform such operations. Would this invisible Ability User really die so easily? What a waste!
(End of Chapter)