Blind Spot
Chapter 184 - 173 forward one

Chapter 184: 173 forward one

January 3rd, morning.

In the suburban forest areas of Yunshan County.

Groups of Blind Spot Individuals from the surrounding counties and cities were arriving at the roadside of the forest area by vehicle.

A variety of vehicles turned off their engines, the doors opened, and at least forty scattered people got out, dispersed on both sides of the road.

Most of these people were locals from Fuzong Province, with a minority from other provinces.

Among the natives of Fuzong Province, aside from the solo wanderers, there were mainly two small groups.

One was called Cabin in the Woods, and the other was called the Prayer Hall.

The group leader of the Cabin in the Woods was a middle-aged man with a worn-out face, wearing camouflage attire, sitting on a large rock by the road, silently smoking a cigarette, seemingly uninterested in anything else.

The people from the Prayer Hall had more character; upon getting out of the cars, they began reciting from various books of scriptures, which on closer inspection turned out to be blessings and religious texts from different faiths.

This represented one major direction of the Blind Spot Individuals—seeking help from religious beliefs.

The group leader of the Prayer Hall was a Taoist with a goatee wearing a black and white Taoist robe, carrying a wooden sword, hair tied in a Taoist bun, with the air of an immortal.

Besides that, there was a man with a yin-yang haircut that Li Chengyi was quite familiar with—Brother Gui.

Around him stood a group of more than ten people, all members from the vicinity of the Tower of Despair.

"The commissioner’s announcement said that if you come to help investigate the Blind Spot, you could get a large sum of money. Is this true?"

"Five million per participant! Damn, with this one job, my daughter’s college expenses will be covered! Even death would be worth it!"

"With an official commissioner as a guarantor, there’s definitely no falsehood, but qualifying for assistance will probably be very difficult. Otherwise, they wouldn’t offer such a high price."

"Indeed, there must be some very difficult selection criteria. When has the officials ever been so generous?"

The people present, who had often seen the rich guys and gals post high-paying Blind Spot missions in the groups, were incredibly envious, but since Blinking was all about chance and the occurrence was very low, very few could actually earn money.

But this time was different, the official announcement stated that even if unsuccessful, each person would receive a compensation of fifty thousand when they returned.

So there were many tempted people.

After all, not everyone was as rich and powerful as the Rainbow Candy Gang.

Such Blind Spot Individuals were, after all, a tiny minority.

Most people were just common folks; some were even just students, teenagers.

"Everyone quiet down. Don’t rush; let’s wait for the official unified announcement and arrangement," said Sima Gui, who had just recovered from his injuries and now also came to earn some extra cash while maintaining order.

"Isn’t it ten o’clock, Boss Wenshan? The announcement said we would gather here at ten. How come there’s no sign of the officials yet?" asked the group leader of Cabin in the Woods, approaching Sima Gui.

Sima Gui’s online name was Sima Wenshan, so he was briefly referred to as Wenshan.

"I don’t know, but you understand the way officials operate, a bit of ostentation is normal. After all, we’re just a group of marginal people who don’t receive much attention," Sima Gui sighed.

Ever since his boss Xindela left, his best money-making channel was gone. Accustomed to the previous life of luxury, returning suddenly to the initial hardship was very uncomfortable for him.

"What’s your name, my friend?" he asked the other man.

"Zhao Shien. Boss Wenshan, you’ve survived the Blind Spot four times; you’re quite renowned in the circle," said the worn-out middle-aged man seriously.

"I’m flattered; to tell the truth, most of it was just lying low. What about that Taoist over there?" asked Sima Gui.

"Online name is Taoist Ping An, not sure about his real name," whispered Zhao Shien.

"Alas, our group still lacks a few heavyweights," sighed Sima Gui.

"Heavyweights? Who are they?" asked Zhao Shien, puzzled.

"A buddy of mine," Sima Gui mentioned him, suddenly displaying a hint of pride, "He is a real deal! Strong, good-natured, and a High-Frequency Blinker! I’ve worked with him before, and I have nothing but good things to say!"

"The only High-Frequency Blinker around here is your buddy!?" Zhao Shien’s eyes lit up with envy.

"Yeah, that guy is really decent, loyal, and always comes through when you need help," Sima Gui said with a look of sentiment.

"Too bad, now that my boss has returned to his country, he doesn’t work with me anymore."

"You have his contact information, right? Maybe you can try to ask for his help?" inquired Zhao Shien.

"But why would he help me? We have a decent relationship, but we’re not at the point of risking our lives for each other... If I ask and he agrees, that’s good, but if he doesn’t, then that’s the end of our connection. I’ll have to cut off all contact in the future. Unless I have no other choice..." Sima Gui’s words trailed off, and from the nearby woods, there was a faint sound of footsteps.

"Here comes someone!" someone shouted.

"They’re carrying guns, must be the officials!"

Successive voices carried over.

The scattered Blind Spot Individuals all turned their attention toward the direction of the footsteps.

Soon, a group of soldiers clad in black fireproof suits, wearing Exoskeleton Armor, emerged from the woods with guns in hand.

Each soldier was averaging over one meter eighty in height, with burly builds, completely wrapped in armor and fireproof suits, not exposing an inch of skin.

In their hands were White Star’s SR-457 model jungle submachine guns.

The penetrating power of these submachine guns was extremely strong; in the forest environment, even general tree trunks with not so deep thickness could not stop the bullets’ penetration.

"Please be quiet, everyone. Since the Blind Spot mission is confidential, we would appreciate your cooperation in turning off all communication devices to prevent any leaks that could lead to serious consequences,"

shouted the leader of a small squad.

"Now, I will lead the way. Let’s move inside, into a fully shielded area. Please refrain from speaking loudly, and thank you," the squad leader continued to announce.

People bowed their heads to switch off their phones and then followed the soldiers deeper into the forest.

Li Chengyi and Zhao Shien also turned off their devices, following the soldiers into the depths of the woods.

The crowd formed a long line and had walked about a mile when they could faintly discern the silhouette of Wolf Cave in the distance.

"It really is Wolf Cave...," Sima Gui knew his guess was correct. Blue Book, something that even officials took an interest in, must contain significant secrets.

Just then, all the soldiers suddenly raised their guns and aimed at the Blind Spot Individuals present.

Pop pop pop pop!!

The silenced bullets fell like raindrops, densely interweaving into a large net that instantly ensnared everyone, including the people on site.

Taken completely by surprise, no one had imagined they would be suddenly attacked by official soldiers. Most were pierced through the body on the spot, falling to the ground, lifeless.

With the unsuspecting at such a disadvantage, of the forty-something people, hardly a few managed to escape. Within a few seconds, before most could even scream, they were mostly dead on the ground.

The blood seeped into the soil and the grass from the bodies. Some sprayed onto the tree trunks and dry leaves, staining the entire woodland a faint red hue.

Only a few, including Sima Gui and Zhao Shien, sensed something wrong amidst the shock. They immediately dropped to the ground, crawled, and sought cover behind thick tree trunks to return fire.

But their bullets could not penetrate the soldiers’ bulletproof Exoskeleton Armor.

A few of them were surrounded by the armed soldiers, trapped with virtually certain death ahead.

Sima Gui glanced at Zhao Shien not far away, who seemed unafraid of death... he was even taking the time to light a cigarette and blow smoke rings.

"Dying like this doesn’t seem so bad," Zhao Shien looked at him, even managing a smile.

"At least we won’t have to live in fear any longer."

Sima Gui clenched his teeth, wanting to argue, but suddenly heard a faint talking nearby.

’Someone is coming at a time like this!?’

He quickly turned his head to look.

In his line of sight, three figures clad in dark long sleeve shirts and pants approached, escorted by two soldiers.

The one walking in front, with short hair and a sturdy build, had a calm face, but his dark eyes shone with an intimidating brilliance.

It was his former colleague, Li Chengyi!

At that moment, Sima Gui noticed the two soldiers guiding Li Chengyi’s group flipped the safeties off their firearms, turning to aim.

’Li Chengyi! Run, it’s a trap!!’ he wanted to shout out of urgency.

But before he could make a sound, he saw the two soldiers ready to aim, suddenly freeze, then lower their guns, turn around, and continue to lead the way as if their previous actions never happened.

Afterward, a girl with twin ponytails behind Li Chengyi gave a V sign, looking relaxed and happy.

Wait! Why would a man have twin ponytails??? Could that person... actually be a woman!?

Sima Gui rubbed his eyes.

"!!??"

Before he could grasp what was happening, suddenly everything quieted down.

The gunfire had completely stopped.

"What’s going on!?"

Zhao Shien, not far away, looked puzzled as he peeked out and fired two shots with his hand at a gun-wielding soldier in front.

The bullets were deflected, igniting sparks, but the soldier remained motionless, standing stiffly in place.

It wasn’t just him. Nearly twenty soldiers around them, at that moment, all stopped firing and stood rigid like puppets, motionless.

"They’re all robotic soldiers. With the communication module we just got our hands on, hacking in was easy. Their external modules seem advanced, but their anti-hacking modules are still using the version from Sutan, not challenging at all," said the girl with the twin ponytails, languidly.

"Why is this happening? If they’re using White Star modules, can’t they use better anti-hacking modules? Isn’t this a trap?" Li Chengyi asked, puzzled.

He walked slowly closer, his brows slightly furrowed.

"Because White Star’s modules are full of traps, and they require a lot of matching equipment to be fully effective. Once you use them, heh, they sell you a surveillance module with identical functions for five times the price. Will you buy it? If you don’t, all the modules you bought before become unusable," the twin ponytailed girl explained.

As Li Chengyi and his two companions approached, they finally saw the large number of Blind Spot Individuals dead on the ground.

Their previously easygoing expressions instantly froze.

The atmosphere suddenly turned silent.

Even though they were accustomed to death, the shock of seeing so many corpses at once, especially those of their own kind, was overwhelming for anyone.