Chapter 23

The middle-aged man, though angry and willing to take risks, still maintained basic rational thinking and never considered using his life to avenge his two companions.

According to his plan, after jumping onto the hood of the jeep, he would use the powerful leg strength provided by the exoskeleton to jump high again, dodging the desperate shots from the enemies in front and behind him. Then, he would launch a grenade from the air, directly blowing up the two men and one woman hiding at the front of the car!

During this process, he would also complete a round of submachine gun fire in mid-air, ensuring no target was missed.

Next, he would activate the simple jet propulsion of the military exoskeleton, forcibly changing direction in the air, not giving the enemies hiding behind the Black Swamp Iron Snake's corpse any chance.

Just as the middle-aged man's knees, with the assistance of the joints, slightly bent, about to spring upward, a strong thought suddenly flashed through his mind:

"No! I won't!"

He felt that he had to face-to-face turn the enemy who killed his companions into a beehive, watching them die full of fear and regret, to vent the anger in his heart and truly avenge his companions!

Jumping high and firing downward was the behavior of a coward, lacking sincerity!

A real man had to kill the enemy face-to-face!

This thought quickly expanded into uncontrollable emotions, making the middle-aged man instantly abandon his original plan.

Of course, he did not completely lose his reason. Wearing the iron-black exoskeleton, he suddenly squatted and bent his waist, lowering his upper body like a giant. This way, the two men and one woman hiding at the front of the car would face his metal helmet, chest armor, and the parts covered by the exoskeleton, leaving only a few gaps to hit his unprotected body.

In the next second, he saw the target's eyes, which seemed darker than those of a normal person.

Shang Jianyao did not force himself and gave up aiming. He leaped to the side and rolled into a ball.

For Jiang Baimian, who was behind the middle-aged man, his current posture was simply perfect, making her act on instinct without thinking and pull the trigger.

Bang!

A golden bullet traveled through twenty to thirty meters, grazing the iron-black exoskeleton and drilling into the junction between the middle-aged man's spine and the energy backpack, slightly to the side.

This hit exactly where Jiang Baimian had aimed, as if shooting at a stationary target.

For a marksman like her, this was almost effortless, and even if the distance increased by twenty meters, it would not be a problem.

With a puff, a large blood flower bloomed on the middle-aged man's back.

In the intense pain that almost paralyzed him, he regained his senses, unable to believe that he had been so sentimental at a critical moment, making almost the worst choice.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Jiang Baimian's second bullet arrived as expected, and Bai Chen's burst fire also hit the middle-aged man's abdomen. Long Yuehong's continuous shots were blocked by the metal helmet and chest armor, failing to harm the enemy.

The middle-aged man knew he could not survive, and his expression became grotesque.

As his thoughts rapidly blurred, he prepared to launch a grenade and fire wildly, taking the enemies in front of him to their deaths.

However, he could not bring himself to pull the trigger.

Even someone who had never learned shooting, as long as they understood basic knowledge, should not have had trouble with such an action at this moment.

His hands seemed to have died before him.

Clang!

The middle-aged man, carrying the seventy to eighty kilograms of the exoskeleton, fell heavily onto the jeep's hood, his blood quickly staining the surroundings.

His eyes were wide open, filled with confusion and unwillingness.

The black SUV, which had been providing cover from a distance, had already rushed over after the motorcycle rider's scream.

However, it was too late. When it entered the effective firing range of the occupants, the two men named Ji Shun and A Yu saw a large blood flower burst from their leader's back.

A Yu roared and leaned out of the window, trying to find and shoot the enemies.

At this moment, the middle-aged man fell heavily, causing the jeep to shake noticeably.

With a screech, the black SUV completed a large drift, turning sideways.

A Yu almost flew out but managed to stay in the car due to his bulky clothing and finding a support point in time.

Boom!

The black SUV made another sharp turn and sped away, extremely fast.

"What are you doing?" A Yu pulled his body back and roared angrily.

The older Ji Shun, holding the steering wheel, shouted back:

"Escaping!"

"Our leader is still there!" A Yu pressed his "Union 202" pistol against Ji Shun's temple, "Take me back!"

He screamed, his eyes bloodshot.

Ji Shun remained unmoved and shouted again:

"Our leader is already dead!

"Do you want to die with him?"

He almost pressed the accelerator to the floor.

A Yu's lips moved a few times, his expression changing.

After a moment of stiffness, he suddenly swung his arm back and threw his body heavily into the passenger seat.

"You damn coward!" he shouted angrily.

"I'm a damn coward too..." His voice lowered, his face full of tears.

...

"Ho, they ran really fast." Jiang Baimian, while reloading the 9mm "Ice Moss" pistol, watched the black SUV disappear into the distance and sighed.

She regretted not bringing the grenade launcher when she got out of the car; otherwise, she could have tried to send the fleeing enemies a big explosion.

At the jeep, Long Yuehong had finished firing and stopped, bending over and breathing heavily.

His eyes were unfocused, lost in a world isolated from the outside.

Bai Chen, holding the "Orange" rifle, looked around and slightly relaxed when she saw no other enemies.

Her expression was relatively calm, as if what had just happened was just a part of her daily life, not worth wasting too much emotion.

She had seen the grenade launcher Jiang Baimian placed in the passenger seat, but after confirming the middle-aged man was dead and did not need another shot, the black SUV had already fled far away. For her, who was not very skilled with the grenade launcher, it had lost its value.

No need to waste a grenade... Bai Chen withdrew her gaze and looked at Shang Jianyao, who was about seven to eight meters away.

She was very puzzled by the middle-aged man's final choice.

In that situation, the enemy wearing the exoskeleton had a chance to kill the three of them with only minor injuries or grazes. However, he seemed to be overwhelmed by anger, not using any tactics, only recklessness, recklessness, and more recklessness.

At that moment, Shang Jianyao was the only one who reacted differently, diving to the side in advance.

Bai Chen pursed her lips and glanced at the running Jiang Baimian:

"Are you hurt?"

There was a first-aid kit in the jeep.

Hearing this, Long Yuehong shivered, returning to the real world from his dazed state.

His body trembled from tension, but he quickly checked himself:

"I, I'm fine."

At this moment, Shang Jianyao laughed and responded:

"A bit of a headache."

"Maybe the explosion and gunshots put some pressure on the ears," Bai Chen analyzed based on the previous situation.

"Good." Jiang Baimian, who had returned to the jeep, praised and then said to Bai Chen, "I have a few scratches, give me a bottle of iodine."

After that, she took the opportunity to teach Long Yuehong and Shang Jianyao:

"In the wilderness, fatal dangers often come from infection and contamination. Don't be careless just because genetically modified people have strong immune and self-repair abilities."

After Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong nodded, Jiang Baimian took the iodine and, while disinfecting her hand wounds, laughed:

"How was it? Exciting? Thrilling?"

Long Yuehong frowned slightly, his face pale, and said:

"Team leader, how can you describe such things as exciting and thrilling?"

He only felt fear, sadness, and tension, not wanting to experience it again.

If not for the fact that no companions were injured this time, he might have collapsed on the spot.

Even so, seeing the three people he had just talked to lying silently on the ground, each in a different state of misery, he felt an indescribable sensation.

Jiang Baimian did not get angry at Long Yuehong's rebuttal. She half-laughed and half-sighed:

"This is the norm in the Ashlands, different from the situation inside the company.

"When you experience various battles, you will realize how fortunate and happy it is to be alive after each battle, especially when your comrades are also alive.

"I mainly wanted to give you a sense of relaxation to help you quickly overcome post-battle psychological barriers.

"Heh, don't compare yourself to Shang Jianyao; his problem might be more serious, and post-battle psychological barriers are not a big deal."

Shang Jianyao opened his mouth, as if to declare he had no problem, but at this moment, Bai Chen had already pushed the exoskeleton-clad corpse off the hood, making a heavy thud.

Bai Chen then opened the hood and checked the vehicle's condition.

Several bullets were stuck inside the engine.

"How is it?" Jiang Baimian asked.

"It is indeed damaged... I don't know if it can be fixed, but I'll try," Bai Chen pulled the gray scarf around her neck and returned to the trunk, taking out a plastic toolbox, "I hope it works."

Jiang Baimian turned to Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong:

"Clean up the battlefield and collect valuable items. I'll keep watch and guard against any surprises. Start from here."

"Okay." Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong walked toward the exoskeleton-clad corpse.

If they could quickly strip the exoskeleton and master its usage, they would have a good chance of handling any future situations.

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