Chapter 18

"Target confirmed, no defenses."

Through the most advanced long-range communication system, the personnel at several sniper points in the area communicated with each other. The one reporting was a long-haired man with brown skin, who was chewing on something as he spoke.

"Be careful, don't be complacent. The target is at the Inner Force Realm. Everyone knows the stakes!"

On the other end, the signal was received by a middle-aged, authoritative man in a khaki military uniform. He was also hiding in a high-rise building on the street, holding a long rifle nearly two meters in length. At that moment, he was doing a final check of the rifle.

"Haha, it's precisely because it's the Inner Force Realm that it's interesting. Our Long Gun Mercenary Group has never hunted an Inner Force Realm expert before. Honestly, I can't understand why people always say that only those at the Inner Force Realm can counter each other. I just don't believe that flesh and blood can resist our super-tech weapons, custom sniper rifles that can penetrate the steel plates of ordinary warships. The muzzle velocity is so fast that the sound only reaches after the bullet hits. I don't believe any flesh and blood can resist our sniper array!"

Another voice came through the communication device. The authoritative middle-aged man nodded silently, but after a moment, he said hesitantly, "No matter what, it's always better to be cautious. I'm only at the Pre-Inner Force Realm, and I can't fully gauge how the Inner Force Realm will respond. But we've seen the Inner Force Realm's intimidation and combat power. The battlefields ravaged by Inner Force Realm experts are like those devastated by beasts or monsters. Ships broken, fortresses torn apart, armies massacred. We've seen those scenes. Honestly..."

"I'm glad our mercenary group has never directly confronted an Inner Force Realm expert. But this time, the reward is too high to refuse. Just by completing this job, not only will I get Inner Force Realm guidance and a set of ultra-fluid martial arts, but you will also get the life you've always dreamed of. So... complete the mission!"

"Yes!"

The personnel at the various sniper points responded in unison, and then the communication fell silent.

Hao Qi walked directly into the area. Though he appeared to be walking normally, his entire body was tense, with his Inner Force concentrated throughout. He could focus it to his brain at any moment, entering the fastest mental acceleration mode.

Who was the enemy? How many were there? How would they ambush him? Was it an Inner Force Realm encirclement? Or were they using tech weapons? Given the technological level of this era, it was unlikely they had high-explosive missiles or other large-scale weapons, but it seemed that the first sniper rifles had already appeared. Perhaps...

Hao Qi seemed to sense the enemy's tactics, but he still didn't dare to be careless. This was his first time using superhuman strength to confront the strongest human force, the Inner Force Realm. Could it really counter high-tech weapons!?

At that moment, Hao Qi felt a sharp pain in his left chest, like a needle pricking his flesh. He immediately channeled his Inner Force to his brain, and suddenly, everything around him seemed to freeze. From a building to his left, a flash of light erupted, and he saw a metal bullet shoot out from the light. Despite the great distance and the bullet's small size, with his Inner Force concentrated in his brain, his mental reaction speed, vision, and dynamic vision were all enhanced. Even at such a distance, when he focused on the bullet, it seemed as if it were right in front of him. He could even see the cross-shaped marks on the bullet's tip clearly.

(This visual ability, along with the physical enhancement and mental acceleration... if I could return to Earth, I would be a superhuman, at least stronger than Captain America in American comics...)

Seeing the spark from the bullet's exit and the bullet flying toward him, Hao Qi had time to imagine himself back on Earth, where his physical abilities would surpass Captain America. Then he refocused on the bullet, analyzing its trajectory, speed, and the air ripples it caused...

(I can't catch it with my hand. Even though the bullet seems slow in this mental acceleration state, as if I could catch it, its speed is actually much faster than my hand. It carries a tremendous amount of kinetic energy. Even if I use Inner Force to strengthen my hand, I would likely be injured at the point of contact. If I try to catch it, I might succeed, but why bother...)

Hao Qi watched the bullet fly toward him at a speed similar to a plastic bottle being thrown by a normal person. After a quick observation of its trajectory, he channeled his Inner Force back into his body, exiting the mental acceleration state. As he slightly sidestepped, the bullet passed by his left chest and hit the ground, creating a small pit.

"Dodged, dodged!? How is that possible! He didn't dodge in advance! He only moved after my bullet was fired, how is that possible!?" The shooter shouted in disbelief, his face showing shock. Then he saw something even more unbelievable and terrifying.

Hao Qi, standing on the street, suddenly sprinted toward the building where the shooter was, his speed so fast that he covered a hundred meters in less than a second, reaching the building almost instantly. By the time the ordinary people heard the gunshot and started to flee in panic, Hao Qi was already at the base of the building. Without using the stairs, he directly ran up the wall, reaching a height of over ten meters. Then he stomped hard, creating a hole in the wall, and used it to climb another ten meters, his speed astonishing.

The shooter reacted quickly and didn't stand still, but he was too late to use his prepared escape route. He could only raise his gun and shoot downward. The technology of this era didn't have miniaturized machine guns, only simplified semi-automatic rifles. He fired downward.

But even running up the wall, Hao Qi's agility was beyond the shooter's imagination, especially at such close range. His speed was so fast that the shooter couldn't even see him clearly. He managed to fire a few shots, but then a powerful force struck his shoulder, shattering his entire arm and shoulder. He was thrown over ten meters away, almost falling off the other side of the building.

Hao Qi stood on the rooftop, holding the semi-automatic rifle, and looked at a sniper rifle on the ground, which was about two meters long. With a single effort, he crushed the rifle, then walked over to the fallen shooter.

"Hehe, hehe, this is the Inner Force Realm, this is the Inner Force Realm... so unfair..."

"Oh? What's unfair about it?" Hao Qi walked to the man and looked down at him.

"I've been through countless battles, survived in the battlefields of over ten countries, and killed countless soldiers, officers, and martial arts experts. My sniper rifle is a product of a technological powerhouse in the distant West, the Red Sea region, with technology at least twenty years ahead of this backward country. It's the result of the knowledge and efforts of countless people, accumulated over many years. All of this... can't even touch the Inner Force Realm. Isn't that unfair! You've practiced martial arts for at most a few decades and can defeat such technological marvels without a scratch. My gun skills, the result of countless people's research, are as powerless as a child's in front of you. Isn't that unfair!?"

"Unfair... no, you don't understand. There's nothing unfair about it."

Hao Qi didn't say more and kicked the man in the chest. The man's chest caved in and shattered, and he died instantly, his body flying over ten meters and falling off the building. At the same time, Hao Qi entered the mental acceleration state again, focusing intently on his surroundings.

(You won't understand. One is the accumulation of technology, the result of countless people's hard work, inspiration, knowledge, and lifelong research. Technology is like bricks, built layer by layer. Even if one layer is wrong, it can be rebuilt. Eventually, it can reach unimaginable worlds, even the fourth dimension, which is beyond the comprehension of three-dimensional beings. This is so great. The other is the evolution of life. It seems that each small step in evolution can match the great progress of technology, but if one step goes wrong, the life form itself will perish, with no other existence possible. Countless people may strive, but only one might succeed. In comparison, who is more unfair? No, it's fair. After choosing the path to strength, any disparity is fair.)

Hao Qi thought this as he focused his eyes on his surroundings. The body he had kicked had just flown off the building, and at that moment, in the twilight of a distant building, a shadow moved slightly, but everything was already clear in Hao Qi's eyes.

"I've found you!"

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