Chapter 022: Facing the Barrel for the First Time, My Legs Went Weak

This proved that the adversary had already discerned Li Gang’s intentions and found a concealed spot to hide. If the opponent was clever, each time their location refreshed on the map, they would probably switch to a new hiding place. In other words, every minute, they would change their covert position.

Li Gang carefully moved toward the enemy’s location, occasionally bending down and altering his angle, making sure his approach was obvious but preventing the opponent from accurately determining his position. He drew a pistol in each hand, though he had always favored his right hand—his left was awkward and lacked precision when firing. But since undergoing comprehensive restorative treatment, he had gradually noticed that there was no difference between his left and right hands, whether in strength or dexterity.

Still, years of habit and instinct made his left hand less natural than his right, though the difference was slight. He practiced shooting with both hands regularly. Especially after enhancing his speed, the sensation of holding a pistol in his left hand was nearly identical to his right, fully suitable for combat.

It wasn’t only his hands—his vision and hearing, once slightly different on each side, were now perfectly matched. At first, Li Gang had been uncomfortable with these changes, but after some time, he grew accustomed to the new sensations.

Once he adapted, it was almost indescribably satisfying, as though things had always been this way. Li Gang was particularly grateful he had tried the comprehensive restorative treatment ahead of time.

He continued closing in on the adversary.

“Am I the hunter, or the prey?” Li Gang’s heart raced with both tension and excitement.

From the forest, he could already see the nearby highway, but after scanning left and right, he found no vehicles or sign of the opponent.

He cautiously surveyed his surroundings, focusing especially on the enemy’s position as indicated on the map, but saw nothing.

A sudden gunshot rang out—he raised his weapon and fired, regardless of whether the enemy was hiding there, hoping to startle them into revealing themselves.

If there was just one opponent, Li Gang could afford to waste time here; after all, his primary enhancements were to his stamina, making him more than capable of outlasting the enemy. However, the adversary had two companions approaching, so he couldn’t afford to play cat-and-mouse.

After firing, Li Gang swiftly changed position, all senses alert for any possible hiding spots nearby.

The area was utterly still, only the summer insects breaking the silence.

Feeling uneasy, Li Gang shifted again, his heart pounding, and he forced himself to take deep breaths, calming himself as he checked the tracking map.

The tracking map was set to display only on the back of his hand, showing a minimal range of one kilometer.

If the opponent also monitored their map, the moment the blue dot refreshed would be the instant they both knew each other’s location.

Li Gang compared his own yellow marker to the enemy’s, deducing that they were less than a hundred meters apart—perhaps even closer than fifty. The map covered a kilometer radius, and with the display set small, it was hard to judge the exact distance.

Within a few seconds of the refresh, he pinpointed the enemy’s location and immediately aimed his pistol towards it. His gun hand began to tremble involuntarily.

“As soon as the enemy moves, I’ll shoot without hesitation!” Li Gang told himself.

Time passed slowly.

When the locations refreshed again, neither Li Gang nor his adversary had moved.

The enemy was well hidden; from Li Gang’s vantage, nothing was visible.

Both sides likely shared the same mindset, watching each other, ready to fire the moment one appeared.

Li Gang had no doubt that the opponent was armed—being unarmed would be surprising, considering how difficult it was to obtain firearms in China, but where there’s a will, there’s a way.

The minute gave him time to steady his heart rate; his hands no longer trembled.

Just then, a black object was tossed from nearby.

“What’s that? A grenade!”

Li Gang’s pupils contracted; without thinking, he rolled quickly to the side.

Gunshots rang out in succession—he felt two bullets strike close by, one hitting him directly.

He wore a bulletproof vest; the shot struck the vest, causing no real harm.

Li Gang rolled through the forest, losing his helmet, but dared not retrieve it, instead quickly finding new cover.

During this, he saw his opponent—a man wearing a black-green helmet, face obscured, dressed in army green attire blending with the woods. Judging by build, he was undoubtedly male.

Once safely hidden again, Li Gang realized he’d been tricked—the grenade had not exploded, clearly a fake.

The enemy’s feint was meant to draw him out.

Li Gang touched the spot where he’d been shot; his coat had a small hole, the vest underneath slightly damaged, revealing the steel plate, but he was otherwise unharmed.

His mind raced. As his position refreshed, he quickly moved to a new hiding place.

No sooner had he settled than another black grenade was tossed—this time aimed at his previous spot.

“Again?”

Li Gang smirked inwardly, raising both pistols to cover the spot where the grenade was thrown, waiting for the enemy to show themselves.

Using the same trick twice—the adversary was resourceful.

A thunderous explosion erupted near where he’d hidden; the grenade landed and detonated.

Li Gang was startled by the sudden blast, his ears ringing from the shock. The explosion's aftereffects did not reach him due to the distance.

At that moment, the helmeted man appeared near the blast site, gun in hand, searching for something.

After finding nothing, the man swept his gaze elsewhere—then spotted Li Gang.

Without hesitation, he raised his gun and fired. His movements were unprofessional; his grip was unstable.

Through the dark-gray mask behind the helmet, Li Gang glimpsed a wild, fierce expression. The man seemed to be shouting, but Li Gang heard nothing—his ears hadn’t recovered from the blast.

In this life-and-death moment, Li Gang’s heart pounded violently.

His first instinct was to flee, but facing the gun, his legs felt weak; though his mind screamed for him to escape or hide, he simply couldn’t move.

Gunshots echoed relentlessly.