Highway 0058 Pursuit

Not far from the convoy, another group of vehicles approached. The lead Grizzly armored vehicle, its missile rack atop swiveling to lock onto its target once more, was ringed with anti-rocket barriers welded to every side. The Grizzly, inherently fearless, was about to aid the convoy by repeating its earlier tactic—using the absolute firepower of its missiles to eliminate the rocket launcher on the elves’ side. But then, from a patch of wild grass barely ten meters from the Grizzly, something stirred. A figure who had lain in wait since Blackwater’s breakout, unmoving until now, suddenly darted in from the side, closing in on the Grizzly at lightning speed.

“Take him out, take him out!” Major Kleisman, perched behind the Grizzly on a Humvee and ever vigilant, was the first to spot the approaching threat. His warning came too late for the Grizzly, but the Blackwater mercenary following on the Humvee reacted instantly, taking aim and firing a burst of bullets into the shadowy figure. Yet as that silhouette collapsed, a dark object was already being hurled toward the Grizzly.

Bang, bang, bang—Major Kleisman fired his pistol repeatedly at the airborne object, but his position inside the Humvee and the awkward angle meant he failed to hit it. With a wet slap, something that looked as slick as melted butter slipped through the Grizzly’s anti-barrier and stuck fast to the vehicle’s side. A thunderous explosion followed, blasting a deep, collapsed crater into the Grizzly’s flank; its thick armor was either blown clean away or left grotesquely deformed.

Despair settled over Major Kleisman as he let his pistol fall limp in his hand. That single blast, even if it hadn’t pierced the hull outright, was enough to kill everyone inside the Grizzly by concussion alone. Now, the convoy had lost its lead vehicle—the strongest shield it had.

“Major, what do we do? What do we do? Rat-tat-tat—” A Blackwater mercenary in the Humvee’s back seat shouted, firing wildly, but before any answer came, a sniper’s round punched a bloody hole through his prominent nose. As he died, his weapon continued firing, the sound of its rounds echoing.

“Keep moving,” Major Kleisman ordered, barely glancing back before resolutely tapping the driver’s shoulder. Yet as he turned, he discreetly picked up his walkie-talkie. “Now’s the time. You go as well. Remember—drive at maximum speed, straight to the airport. Do not stop for a single second.”

Following Kleisman’s command, the convoy that had waited in silence finally broke through a section of wall, surging forward. The last Grizzly armored vehicle led, followed closely by a Humvee, both bypassing the firefight entirely, bouncing wildly through the wasteland and ruins—a desperate flight for survival.

“They’re coming!” Shellcase, who had been waiting, suddenly perked up, slamming the accelerator as his vehicle roared out of the residential zone.

“Take out the Humvee first—it’s too fast. If it gets away, we won’t catch up.” Shellcase shouted to Hou Rui. At this point, the mission had no plans or fallback. The elves’ group had already sacrificed nearly everyone to create this opportunity—if Hou Rui and Shellcase failed to seize the target, everyone would just have to wait for their necks to be on the line.

“Understood.” Hou Rui rumbled his reply. With a swift motion, he swung the soft pouch hanging from his waist, bringing the scope into place and lining up the Humvee.

Bang, bang, bang, bang—the heavy machine gun, chambered for 14.5mm rounds nearly the length of a palm, spat its large, heavily charged bullets. Their penetration was unmatched. At a distance of 2,300 meters, Hou Rui fired just over thirty rounds, riddling the Humvee’s rear with bullet holes and forcing it to slow.

As Shellcase’s vehicle overtook the Humvee at high speed, he cautiously lobbed a grenade inside. Hou Rui glanced in and saw the two Blackwater mercenaries and four tightly packed Draven employees, all covered in blood and showing no signs of life.

Boom—a grenade exploded behind them. No one in the Humvee could have survived. Hou Rui pulled his focus back together, ready to deal with the remaining Grizzly.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, clang, clang—Hou Rui fired like there was no tomorrow, shredding the Grizzly’s rear. Yet the Grizzly, Blackwater’s self-developed multipurpose armored vehicle, proved its superior protection. Hou Rui could clearly see its paint stripped bare by the machine gun’s barrage, but not a single bullet penetrated the thick hull; the passengers inside remained safe.

Thump, thump—both the Grizzly and Shellcase’s vehicle bounced over the raised roadbed, finally reaching the makeshift highway.

Now, everyone’s speed soared, and the Grizzly’s superior mobility began to show, gradually widening the gap between itself and Hou Rui’s vehicle.

Bang, bang, bang, bang—the floor of Shellcase’s vehicle was already littered with huge spent casings, but Hou Rui kept firing relentlessly. If not for the Grizzly’s rugged armor, so many rounds would have surely chewed through the rear by now.

“I refuse to believe I can’t punch through you!” Hou Rui roared, jamming the trigger all the way down. The anti-aircraft machine gun’s four barrels flashed in turn, hammering round after round into the Grizzly’s rear.

Inside the Grizzly, the crew was growing frustrated. It carried “Avenger” light guided missiles, and if Hou Rui’s vehicle had appeared elsewhere, the gunner would have fired a missile long ago—no one would tolerate such a relentless assault. But Hou Rui was right behind them, in the missile’s dead zone, leaving the Grizzly powerless. They could only endure the constant ping of bullets on their rear armor.

“Stop the car—let me go deal with them!” an impatient Blackwater mercenary shouted, leaping up and waving his rifle.

“No. The Major’s orders are clear: our goal is to get Mr. Draven to the airport,” said the only woman in the cabin, the blonde intelligence officer from Kleisman’s command center.

“Don’t use the Major to pressure me! Our base is destroyed, we’ve lost so many people—he probably won’t keep his post as commander.” The mercenary yelled, furious. Anyone battered through the night would be in a foul mood. Even after escaping, being chased by a battered old vehicle was infuriating.

“Protecting Mr. Draven is our duty—our most important duty. I shouldn’t have to say it again.” The blonde woman ignored the mercenary and turned to look at Draven beside her.

Draven, vice president of Draven Petroleum and also the second son of his family, had come to Libya to oversee the construction of a new oil pipeline. Yet he had become the victim of this mysterious attack. Before leaving the command center, Major Kleisman had entrusted Draven’s safety to her, and she was determined to see him safely to the airport.

Whoosh—a car coming the opposite way brushed past the Grizzly. After so long chasing and fleeing, they finally entered a bustling stretch crowded with vehicles.

Bang, bang, bang, bang—Hou Rui kept firing stubbornly, but the tension of pursuit made him overlook one thing: Shellcase’s vehicle didn’t have unlimited ammo.

“Stop for a moment!” Shellcase finally couldn’t take it anymore from the driver’s seat.

Bang, bang, bang, bang.

“Damned stray dog, stop firing!” Shellcase shouted again, finally catching Hou Rui’s attention.

“What’s wrong?” Hou Rui turned, puzzled.

“Shooting wildly is useless—hit their tires, the tires!”

Why hadn’t he thought of that? With Shellcase’s reminder, Hou Rui suddenly realized: if he couldn’t pierce the Grizzly’s armor, he could cripple its legs. Immobilize the Grizzly, and then deal with it at leisure.

With the new tactic in mind, Hou Rui shifted his aim, pressing the machine gun’s scope all the way down to fire at the Grizzly’s right rear tire.

Immediately, the Grizzly’s driver grasped Hou Rui’s intent. Cursing Hou Rui for his cunning, he began swerving across the highway, using nearby cars as shields against Hou Rui’s bullets.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—the Grizzly weaved past oncoming vehicles, each car then barreling toward Shellcase’s vehicle, forcing him to stay alert and dodge without slowing.

Bang, bang, bang, bang—Hou Rui continued to fire at the Grizzly’s rear tire, but the Grizzly zigzagged, sometimes darting in front of other vehicles, using them to block Hou Rui’s line of fire, making it difficult to blow out its tires.

After a tense standoff, Hou Rui finally got his chance. The Grizzly’s driver, weaving back and forth, made a mistake—he brought the vehicle close to the left edge of the highway, meaning the next evasive move could only be to the right. Any further left would send the Grizzly off the road.

“At last, I’ve got you!” Hou Rui muttered through gritted teeth, shifting the gun muzzle in advance toward the Grizzly’s right-side wheels, waiting for its next turn...