Chapter 129 Assassination in the Shadows
Chapter 129 Assassination in the Shadows
The woods were pitch black, with moonlight barely filtering through the dense foliage, casting sparse patches of light.
Without waiting for Sylvia's response, Lynch took a deep breath and turned to walk in the direction from which the gunshots came.
This was the first time he had ever used "murder" as the purpose of his actions, and frankly, he didn't like the feeling.
But in this truly life-or-death moment, the upcoming battle also genuinely excited him. His body's potential was once again unleashed, and the surge of adrenaline masked the pain from his wounds, making his mind clearer and his movements more agile.
...In order to survive, we must not lose!
Lin Qi gripped the hunting knife in his hand tightly.
However, despite having made up his mind, killing a man with a gun in the dark forest would not be an easy task.
Although he successfully shook off the person who was hiding in the woods and firing sniper shots, Lynch still couldn't pinpoint the other person's exact location.
Fortunately, the [Rat Sense] ability continuously provides feedback on the sense of danger, allowing Lin Qi to roughly determine the location of the other party.
Lin Qi proceeded cautiously in that direction.
Softly treading and holding his breath, Lin Qi carefully controlled every part of his body, making sure they didn't accidentally brush against the branches and leaves in the forest, and also controlling his steps so as not to step on the dead branches and fallen leaves on the ground.
In the dark woods, this task was extremely difficult, but he still focused all his energy on it. He knew that in this environment, any sound that was made could have fatal consequences.
Fortunately, through his cautious approach, Lynch successfully located the vicinity of the source of the danger.
Soon, he noticed a bright beam of light sweeping through the woods.
That's the gunman using a flashlight to search for their trail!
Lin Qi quickly hid behind a thick tree and began to observe quietly.
The flashlight beam illuminated the woods, allowing Lynch to make out the gunman's appearance. He was a middle-aged man dressed plainly, looking like an ordinary blue-collar worker, wearing the work clothes often worn by American workers, and clutching a large flashlight in his hand.
The middle-aged man carried a hunting rifle on his back, which was clearly the weapon he intended to use to kill Lynch and Sylvia.
Moreover, after careful observation, Lin Qi quickly noticed more noteworthy aspects of him.
The middle-aged man's work clothes even had a lotus flower pattern intersecting with bone embroidered on the shoulder!
...Sure enough, this man is a cult member! Everything the two of them encountered tonight was the work of that cult!
The moment he finally saw everything clearly, Lin Qi's heart suddenly raced, but he quickly calmed down.
...There was indeed only one person on the other end, and they hadn't noticed him yet. This was a golden opportunity!
If I could get behind him, I could take his life with just one slash!
Clutching his hunting knife, Lin Qi bypassed the area illuminated by the flashlight and, using the shadows of the trees as cover, stealthily approached the middle-aged man from the side and behind.
One step, two steps.
Lin Qi approached cautiously.
His footsteps made no sound; the forest was silent, and he could only hear his own heart pounding like a drum.
However, he eventually encountered the thing he least wanted to happen.
Although Lin Qi was being extra careful, the surroundings were too dark. When he was still five or six meters away from the cultist, his left foot was suddenly tripped by a tree root that protruded from the ground. He lost his balance and fell forward violently!
"Splash!"
With a sudden, unsteady feeling beneath his feet, Lin Qi stomped hard on the scattered fallen leaves around him. The sound of his footsteps crunching on the leaves wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet forest.
"Who is it!"
The cultist uncle was shocked and quickly turned around, shining the beam of his flashlight directly at Lin Qi's location!
Now that things had come to this, continuing his previous assassination plan was definitely impossible. Lin Qi simply used the momentum of his forward fall to charge forward, crashing straight into the middle-aged man.
The two of them fell to the ground together, rolling around in the fallen leaves and mud.
"Bang!"
Gunshots rang out.
The moment Lynch tackled him, the cultist uncle pulled the trigger without hesitation.
However, due to the suddenness of the incident and Lin Qi's swift tackle to the ground, his barely managed shot was completely inaccurate; the bullets flew everywhere but none hit Lin Qi.
Lin Qi reacted immediately and quickly grabbed the gun-wielding hand of the middle-aged cult member.
The cultist struggled desperately, trying to break free from Lynch's control, but the seemingly frail young Asian man in front of him unleashed unimaginable power, completely pinning him to the ground, leaving him no chance to fight back.
But at the same time, after using all his strength to control the cultist's gun-wielding hand, Lin Qi was unable to free his hand to draw his hunting knife, and the two remained locked in a stalemate.
The two became completely entangled, rolling around on the leaf-strewn ground. Lin Qi's wound on his left arm reopened, and blood stained his tattered clothes and the cultist's overalls, but neither of them relaxed even a fraction of their strength.
"...You wretched brat, just go and die!"
Trembling with anxiety, the cultist uncle launched into a tirade of curses.
Suddenly, he seized the opportunity and, taking advantage of the moment when Lin Qi was slightly exhausted, managed to turn the gun around and pull the trigger again!
"Bang!"
Another gunshot rang out.
Instantly, Lin Qi felt a burning pain in his ear.
Accompanied by the sound of gunfire beside him and the burning pain in his ears, a sudden, intense ringing in his ears struck him, but Lin Qi did not relax in the slightest because of the pain.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, he immediately and astutely noticed that in order to control the recoil of the shot, the cultist uncle's strength was momentarily dispersed!
Taking advantage of this precious opportunity, Lin Qi freed one hand, gripped the hunting knife tightly, and swung it down without hesitation, slashing hard at the cultist uncle's hand that was holding the hunting rifle!
In an instant, blood splattered everywhere.
A scream rang out in the woods as the cultist's wrist was almost severed at the root. Blood gushed out from the broken wrist like a broken faucet. The hunting rifle that was most deadly to Lin Qi also fell to the ground and was thrown not far away.
Under the intense pain, the cultist completely lost the ability to resist. Tears and snot gushed out, and he lost all his strength.
He clutched his wrist and howled in pain, but Lynch was not going to be merciful because of his miserable state.
Although the other party had lost the ability to resist, no one knew whether he had any way to report their whereabouts to his possible companions.
Faced with a life-or-death situation, Lin Qi did not hesitate at all. He raised his hunting knife high and brought it down with a swift stroke!
However, in the last second before the hunting knife fell, a strong sense of danger suddenly came from Lin Qi's side!
...Again?
Lin Qi had only experienced this level of danger once before, just a few minutes ago, when he was ambushed from behind by this cult gunman!
Lin Qi felt a chill run down his spine, and his hand holding the knife trembled in fear. In his panic, Lin Qi's knife missed the cultist's neck and landed only on his shoulder.
With a hasty slash, before Lin Qi could even react, a series of gunshots rang out from the woods.
Each sound was like the howl of death itself!
Oh no, armed cult members have arrived as reinforcements, and there's more than one!
For a fleeting moment, Lin Qi felt as if he had stepped onto a battlefield, the intense gunfire completely robbing him of any desire to resist.
Braving a hail of bullets, he grabbed a flashlight and a hunting rifle that were scattered on the ground, and then ran away!