The Collapse of the Sniper Plan

In this predicament, I found myself forming a temporary alliance with the axe. He was being hunted by Lord Guan, while I had to protect Pan Lier. Although I considered the possibility of being betrayed by the axe at a crucial moment, my options were limited.

As our relationship shifted from captor and captive to partners, he finally voiced the question that had been lingering in his mind: "What exactly did Fang Baichuan steal that could transform you so dramatically in such a short time, granting you incredible power and an array of astonishing tools?"

I had no intention of deceiving him, so I succinctly recounted the situation on Demon Island. Oblivious to the dangers I hinted at, the axe's eyes sparkled with excitement as he asked, "Do you have a way to take me there? 

With your abilities, what do I have to fear from Lord Guan? I won't even seek revenge against him, if it means honoring our past connections."

I didn't want to extinguish all his hopes; sometimes, a little deception serves as a unifying tool. I vaguely replied, "To enter Demon Island, you must accompany me to Canada to complete the task of the Demon Island warriors. Our immediate concern is that sorcerer; once we eliminate him, I'll take you along for a stroke of luck."

The axe, undeterred, regained his composure as a former stalwart of the underworld, revealing a more mature thought process than mine. He said, "I was originally involved with Lord Guan's youngest son, who has been in Europe; his son manages the family business in Asia.

We should target him to gather some intelligence. If we can uncover why only that girl can wield the Triple Blade Divine Gun, we might be able to claim ownership of that weapon."

I shook my head. Juliér had told me that the Triple Blade Divine Gun belonged to the ruler of the Seven Seas, Goddess Pan. This meant I would never be able to wield it. Whether Pan Lier had any connection to that Goddess was irrelevant to me; what I needed to understand was why that sorcerer was seeking her.

If the sorcerer, under Lord Guan's command, had used his predictive abilities to locate Pan Lier, I would be at a loss for solutions—unless I could eliminate that sorcerer... 

However, if Lord Guan and his subordinates were aware of Pan Lier's existence, it would require eliminating many more individuals. 

The thought overwhelmed me; running around the world as an assassin seemed less appealing than simply taking Pan Lier back to Demon Island. 

Noticing my grave expression, the axe assumed I was contemplating a more effective strategy and refrained from interrupting. Instead, he casually withdrew an M92 handgun from his spatial card, checking the bullets while adopting various shooting stances. Though his technique couldn't rival that of the Wolf King, a pure soldier, it was certainly superior to my own and that of the amateur Baji Zhenfu. His confident grip on the firearm revealed his profound familiarity with weapons.

An idea suddenly struck me, and I asked the axe, "Did the sorcerer specifically come to this city to hunt you down, or did he arrive here first?" 

The axe put away the handgun, pondering briefly before replying, "I have never encountered the sorcerer directly; I learned about him through other channels that he was responsible for hunting me."

With a wry smile, the axe added, "You know I'm involved in the underworld; I have my own sources." 

I nodded slightly and said, "I need you to act as bait to draw out the sorcerer. He should be unaware of our alliance, which gives this plan a fair chance of success. However, you will be in some danger; the choice is yours."

With a snort, the axe agreed without hesitation, "I don't want to die, but I'm not afraid of death. In these times, fearing death only narrows your options. Of course, I'll take this risk; eliminating such a killer will temporarily prevent Lord Guan from sending others after me."

The sorcerer was not skilled in combat, and those four cult mages were Lord Guan's personal bodyguards, unlikely to act without cause. The rest posed no threat in my eyes.

"Very well. Tomorrow, seek out the disreputable factions in this city; they will spread the word about you. Then, just wait for me here. I will take care of that sorcerer."

Last time, my preparations were rushed, and I was unready. This time, I planned to use the sniper psychic weapon and the perfect shot card to take the sorcerer down from a distance, aiming for a headshot. I had learned a plethora of techniques, albeit in a chaotic manner, but this also had its advantages, allowing me to choose from a variety of strategies.

After finalizing the details of our plan with the axe, I made excuses for several days to keep Pan Lier from seeking me out. Yet, oddly enough, the calm persisted, and nothing transpired.

I rented a room on the top floor of a high-rise apartment near the school where the axe was hiding. The psychic sniper rifle—Seven Kill Polaris—was set up by the window, its chamber loaded with seven special annihilation rounds worth $150,000. Even if the sorcerer were tougher than a swamp dragon, he would be obliterated by a single shot.

I stayed up all night, yet still found nothing. After contacting the axe via the communication card, we both decided to withdraw. Just as I was putting away the Seven Kill Polaris and preparing to leave the room, a piercing wail of police sirens echoed from the street, as a fleet of extravagant police cars sped in from the east.

My mind raced, and I quickly realized that the sorcerer was no fool; he must have sensed some danger. Instead of coming to kill the axe himself, he had leaked the axe's hiding place to the police.

The axe was a member of the underworld and implicated in several violent crimes. Just the life of the undercover officer Fang Baichuan was enough to warrant the death penalty.

If given a choice, I would certainly not intervene to prevent the police from punishing such scoundrels. However, if the axe were captured, I worried he might expose me.

Killing police officers was out of the question; it seemed I would have to resort to contingency plans.

I hurriedly contacted the axe through the communication card. The former underworld figure cursed vehemently but ultimately complied with my plan, fleeing from the back of the school.

As the convoy of police cars came to a halt in front of the school, the axe had already vanished into the throng of people. I felt relieved and began to tidy up, just as I was about to open the door when an intense premonition struck me, prompting me to deliver a swift kick to the door.

My kick collided with the foot of an intruder attempting to break in, and to my surprise, my opponent was even weaker than I anticipated. The attacker let out a yelp as they were sent crashing into the opposite wall.