Chapter 162: One person's battle
Bai E suddenly stood up, "Depart!"
Having rested enough, no need for confused waiting, initiative was the eternal theme.
Without their combat boots, the noise everyone made was noticeably reduced. Bai E, holding his bow, with two arrows pinched in his right hand, walked alone at the forefront, vigilant.
Behind him followed a randomly selected soldier, responsible for carrying the extra quivers he couldn't carry without hindering his combat.
Bai E had shouldered two quivers himself before, and the rest were given to Miss Aryan to carry, which to his surprise, made his teammates feel astonished, wondering if it was necessary.
Making a scientific researcher, who needed protection, carry things was something only this lad would do, but since one was willing to endure and the other willing to impose, they kept their silence.
The heavy weight had previously made it difficult for the young lady to walk; now that Bai E had proven his ability, it was only logical to order another non-combatant soldier to take on the burden.
But it still raised some doubts.
"What should Brother B27 do?"
"Can we really rely solely on bows and arrows to kill those bioengineered soldiers?"
It wasn't that they didn't trust their good brother, but they all had firsthand experience: the bioengineered soldiers were fierce, and just a quick charge would render bows and arrows useless.
In their minds, arrows were no match for firearms, with limitations in speed and power. Could one person with a bow and arrows truly take down those wolf-like, tiger-like bioengineered soldiers?
"Shh~" Bai E, walking at the very front, suddenly turned his face toward the four remaining soldiers behind him and made a shushing gesture.
Steps and breathing ceased; Bai E lightly set two arrows onto the bowstring, his gaze sharply fixed on the corridor's bend ahead.
The bioengineered soldiers' patrol steps weren't deliberately hidden; this was their home turf.
Not to mention, Bai E had heard further details during their initial encounter—breathing.
The bioengineering gave them an unimaginably enhanced physique and lifespan compared to ordinary people, but it was clear they needed more oxygen when moving; their breathing, deep and heavy like bellows, would impose an unimaginable weight of pressure on those they chased, but it also made it easier to reveal their whereabouts.
"Creak~"
Bai E stood alone in the middle of the corridor, his bow held vertically in front of him, the bowstring slightly tensed.
Four comrades and two scientific researchers stood anxiously further behind.
"What's he doing?"
"At this distance, they could charge us..."
"Can it really work?"
"Should we back up a bit?"
With long-range weapons, naturally, one must maintain a distance to hold an advantage.
But even Bai E himself showed no intention of retreating, so their worries were also suppressed in their hearts.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for Bai E to fight a group battle all by himself.
Trust in the teammate, if things go south, they would all perish together.
It wasn't that they belittled themselves; after the previous battle, they indeed recognized the obvious gap, and with their current injured bodies, facing four more would certainly doom them all.
"If it really doesn't work, use the guns." Even though the final result hadn't been confirmed, Minister Likok's mind was already leaning toward his own guess.
Rather than facing the worst-case scenario, he would rather destroy this miracle that even the Golden Age could hardly replicate.
"Yes." The soldiers gripped their machine guns, ready to load at any moment.
"Whoosh!"
An unexpected sound erupted suddenly!
Before the target appeared around the corner, Bai E had already released the bowstring.
Two arrows shot out instantly, like swimming fish, heading towards the corridor's end...into thin air.
"Is he too nervous?"
"It hasn't appeared yet..."
No one spoke, afraid of pressuring Bai E, but internally they couldn't help but make their own guesses at first instance.
However, within their belated field of vision, two arrows near the end of the corridor made a huge turn, hugging the wall and curling sharply towards the opposite passage entrance!
"Ugh," a muted grunt echoed through the corridor just around the corner.
"Turn, turn, turn, turn... they turned!" A soldier's eyes bulged as he pointed at the unfolding scene, his lips trembling.
Bai E simply closed his eyes and used his ears to try and pinpoint the enemies that had not yet come into view.
Two more arrows were placed on the bowstring... Shoot!
"Whoosh!"
Shoot!
"Whoosh!"
The bioengineered soldier who cried out in pain was about to dodge to one side when the next arrow, like a shark scenting blood, followed suit and struck him directly in the head...
The faint sound of tearing wind rose within the narrow passage, but it wasn't even louder than the hurtful cries of those being hit.
A silent, frosty assassination...
The painful cries of the bioengineered soldiers when they were wounded made it clear that almost all of Bai E's attacks had been effective.
Standing alone at the forefront, issuing arrow after arrow, Bai E looked like the Grim Reaper harvesting lives, not even giving the enemies a chance to show themselves.
Six teammates stood frozen in place, feeling their worldview dramatically shaken.
There were people in the barracks who had practiced this, but obviously... none could achieve such a feat.
They had just been worried that the short straight distance of the corridor wasn't enough for archery, but now... the enemy couldn't even get past the turn.
Keep it up! Continue! A lying victory!
Uh... why did he stop?
Before everyone's eyes, Bai E ceased his attack and stood still.
Having created a huge advantage, he unexpectedly stopped attacking.
What was he waiting for? Death?
Without bow and arrow suppression, the remaining bioengineered soldiers who could still fight instantly crossed the corner and charged.
Three of them!
The charge of the towering bioengineered soldiers was mountainous, their momentum easily chilling to the core.
They weren't agile enough for small movements, but their speed in full-blown strikes matched anyone's.
"What are you waiting for!" The teammates, whose fate was in someone else's hands, sweated anxiously.
It really had come to the point where they had to shoot, even if they didn't want to.
And firing a gun in such a corridor would alert how many patrolling bioengineered soldiers!
Amidst their anxious gaze filled with anticipation, Bai E once again drew his bow and notched an arrow.
He had let those bioengineered soldiers get closer on purpose, the initial encounter had given him enough information.
If the bioengineered soldiers judged it impossible to take down the intruders, they would flee at the first opportunity.
And if the distance was too great without enough chasing space, they would inevitably let one or two escape.
To ensure no survivors and a clean sweep, he had to grant them enough confidence to believe they could handle the intruders on their own.
And now, the prey caught in the web had no escape!
Bai E's gaze was icy cold, like the eternal frost.
...
As the intruder pulled back the bowstring again, the rapidly advancing bioengineered soldier instinctively executed an S-shaped evasive maneuver.
Only, the arrow that seemed to have been fooled by his movement suddenly changed direction, and the shining sharp arrowhead rapidly expanded within his field of vision...