Chapter 26: Just Short of Enough

Lu Mingfei was wrong just now when he told Nono that they were not being watched from the top of the church.

As the saying goes, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

Su Xi was secretly observing the situation from the rooftop.

The seven remaining members of the Red Team were pinned down, unable to even lift their heads. The leaders of both sides were locked in fierce combat, and Caesar’s defeat was becoming inevitable. The only variable lay elsewhere: the snipers of both teams.

Whoever could eliminate the opposing sniper would win.

Su Xi’s opponent was her roommate and best friend, Chen Motong. That girl had always been erratic and never played by the rules. Just moments ago, she had taken out four members of the opposing team in quick succession, yet now she was showing no reaction at all. It was unclear what she was planning.

The sniping range was limited; the snipers could not hit each other from their current positions. Perhaps that crazy girl had already left the church and was hiding somewhere, waiting to strike first.

Su Xi steeled herself, picked up her sniper rifle, and exited the small building, silently praying that the seven Red Team members wouldn't spot her movements.

She moved cautiously, scouting every few steps. Even after she found a new vantage point and scanned several suitable sniping positions through her scope, she still couldn’t find any sign of Nono.

A thought struck her, and she adjusted the scope to focus on the top of the church.

What was that?

Su Xi rubbed her eyes. That "ghost" who had just appeared on the battlefield—was he messing around with Nono?

No, no, that was an eyesore.

Su Xi wasn't one for gossip. Channeling the typical ruthless style of the Lionheart Society, she aimed at the redhead’s back and pulled the trigger.

...

At the top of the church, Nono was smiling radiantly, using her gun to tease Lu Mingfei:

"Let me shoot you, come on, hurry up."

Lu Mingfei hunched his shoulders and raised his hands to play along:

"Go ahead, shoot."

It was always hard to refuse a beautiful and lovely long-legged girl, but "letting you shoot" didn't mean "I won't dodge."

Nono smiled triumphantly and was about to pull the trigger when a long-awaited gunshot, sounding like a muffled thunderclap, rang out from the distance first. She lurched forward and collapsed face-first onto the ground, a cloud of red mist from Frigga bullets erupting behind her back.

Lu Mingfei frowned, his guard instantly rising.

A sniper? Someone was watching? How long had he been under surveillance?

Although he looked down on these wealthy "earthbound" locals both in speech and in heart, his wings were not yet fully fledged, and he was being targeted by that great and treacherous Outer God. It was better to avoid unnecessary trouble.

After completing the "registering" process three or four more times, he would let these losers know how boring it was to just play in the mud on Earth.

Suddenly, a stinging sensation flared at the center of Lu Mingfei’s brow. Without a second thought, he side-stepped, and a large-caliber bullet smashed a deep hole into the wall behind him.

Huh, after taking out Nono, that sniper had actually set her sights on him.

Lu Mingfei didn't dodge again. Instead, he straightened his posture and beckoned to the distance, the message clear:

Come on, let me take your shot.

Su Xi, the Black Team’s sniper, showed no mercy. Muffled thunder roared as large-caliber bullets were fired one after another at the "ghost" in her scope.

But it was useless.

In human society, few things could pose a threat to a user of "Time Zero." The strongest user, Anjou, could even easily deflect heavy machine-gun fire head-on with cold weapons.

On this small open space atop the church, Lu Mingfei seemed to turn into a true phantom. He barely moved, yet every bullet passed right through him, striking the wall behind.

The rate of fire increased, but even though Lu Mingfei couldn't see who was shooting, he could feel the shooter’s mounting frustration.

*Heh, getting impatient, are we?*

On the other side, the seven remaining members of the Red Team were true elites; they naturally couldn't miss the sound of the gunfire.

In fact, from the moment the sniper rifle first rang out, they had detected the change in the sniper’s position and begun to react.

The sniper’s continuous firing into thin air was an insult to their intelligence.

Two of them provided cover fire, while the other five charged toward Su Xi’s position.

By the time Su Xi realized that her impulsiveness had ruined everything, it was already too late.

The moment she poked her head out, the opposing gunner let loose a burst of fire, and she could only watch helplessly as the Red Team charged in.

If this were a game of chess, the outcome would have already been decided once they reached this point.

Chu Zihang had only a command saber in his hand and couldn't quickly finish off Caesar, who was determined to stall him. Meanwhile, Su Xi had been pinned down and could no longer provide support.

Su Xi managed to take out two before being sent out of the game by a burst of fire from the charging Red Team members. Chu Zihang, fighting a losing battle, fell after taking two shots to the back.

Now, Caesar only needed to enter the Black Team’s headquarters with his remaining members to celebrate his victory.

But from the very beginning, this was never a fair game. There was a piece on the board that hadn't been painted any color, crashing through everything; any piece that crossed its path could only count itself unlucky.

After laying Nono down in a peaceful sleeping position, Lu Mingfei appeared on the battlefield again, calm and composed, wanting to see who exactly the sniper that had been spying on him was.

His first two moves had been a bit indiscreet; if he had been seen by too many people, he would have to resort to memory-wiping.

Caesar saw Lu Mingfei’s slender figure appear silently on the battlefield once more, his brows furrowing in frustration.

He had been too occupied with his duel against Chu Zihang to pay attention to that elusive fellow. Now, thinking back, how did he do it?

Suddenly disappearing from his field of vision—was that something a human could do?

If not human, then what? A Spirit?

But the entire Cassel Academy was suppressed by the Vice Principal’s "戒律" (Precepts). How could anyone use a Spirit?

Either he was a pure-blooded dragon disguised as a human, or a hybrid with a bloodline higher than the Vice Principal...

If it were a pure-blooded dragon, it would have attacked directly. So, a hybrid?

But since when did the academy have anyone with a bloodline higher than the Vice Principal?

That "S-class" freshman Nono had mentioned?

Caesar couldn't figure out Lu Mingfei’s identity. He frowned, his guard rising, and he raised his "Diktator," asking coldly:

"Who are you? The new 'S-class' freshman?"

Lu Mingfei didn't know what to say to the aggrieved party. He stared at Caesar’s brilliant golden hair, trying to see if there was a hint of green on it. As for Caesar’s question, he replied casually:

"That's right."

With his guess confirmed, Caesar’s brow relaxed slightly:

"Since you aren't participating in this game, please leave."

"No."

A look of confusion flickered across Caesar’s Greek-sculpture-like face:

"What?"

Lu Mingfei repeated:

"I said, no."

Caesar realized something and was about to react when, suddenly, five red mists bloomed around him simultaneously, followed by the sound of five bodies hitting the ground.

Lu Mingfei examined the massive silver Desert Eagle in his hand, its grip inlaid with carved ebony and ivory.

He praised it sincerely:

"Your gun is really beautiful."

Caesar’s pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks, a bead of cold sweat rolling down his forehead.

"It’s a pity the owner of the gun is a bit lacking."