"The fuck.." Socrates cried out as he raised both arms out of reflex to protect himself, his instincts kicking in faster than his thoughts.
He was so close to the bullet and couldn't even perform any proper evasive movement. If he chose to turn, then the bullet would lodge into the side of his head mid-motion.
He wasn't agile enough to bend backward, and moving sideways was also futile because of the terrifying closeness of the bullet, which had already entered his immediate range.
Due to the M16 in his grip, his hands were closer to his head than any other part of his body—so he used them to shield his forehead.
Instantly, the bullet rammed into his arms, the force of the impact sending him flying backward violently as a green bar appeared over his head, glowing faintly in the darkness.
The bar was filled with green color, but the moment he was shot and sent flying, the green rapidly decreased until he crashed onto the ground with a dull thud.
[You've been shot by a 3.5mm bullet]
[HP — 70/100]
'Fuck...' Socrates cried inwardly as a searing pain enveloped both his arms. They went numb instantly, as though all sensation had been forcibly stripped away, and he couldn't move them at all.
[Your team has been attacked by candidates 145 & 146]
The system notification appeared on both Socrates' and Mr. Jaggers' screens, the blue light flickering briefly as it informed them of the origin of the attack.
Shot. Shot. Shot..
The attackers, knowing fully well that their targets were now aware of the ambush, fired three consecutive shots towards Mr. Jaggers, the gunfire cracking sharply through the night.
They had already paralyzed his partner and gained the upper hand.
Unlike before, Mr. Jaggers was clearly alerted, and with the aid of the monocle, he could distinctly see the bullets heading towards his direction—each one cutting through the air in a straight, deadly path.
Instantly, he retrieved an item from his inventory and activated it.
"Gloo Wall."
A white, fluffy wall materialized right in front of him out of thin air, forming instantly and blocking the trajectory of the incoming bullets.
The wall was thick and stood exactly at his height level as the three bullets rammed into it with muted thuds, unable to penetrate.
'This should hold for a minute..' Jaggers squinted his gaze, his sharp eyes scanning through the dim surroundings, as he retreated back toward Socrates' direction.
"Boy.. Spread your arms."
He quickly retrieved a Med Kit from his inventory, opened it, and pulled out a pair of scissors along with a bandage, his movements swift but precise.
Socrates spread his arms as instructed, though his expression tightened. Mr. Jaggers urged him to grit his teeth—
The 42-year-old senior stabbed the scissors into his arm without hesitation, causing Socrates to cry out loudly as the lodged 3.5mm bullet was forcefully pulled out of his flesh.
"Damn.. I told you to grit your teeth, boy.. Now, you've alerted them of our location." Mr. Jaggers snapped as he stood up, gripping his Thompson tightly, his senses already shifting back to combat.
"Wrap yourself up.. I'll go hunt them down.."
Saying that, Mr. Jaggers advanced forward, his figure cutting through the dim terrain, while Socrates quickly grabbed a bandage from the Med Kit and began wrapping it tightly around his arms, wincing from the pain.
Candidate 145 and Candidate 146 had also left their previous location because of the Gloo Wall. They were now searching for their targets, but due to the darkness of the night, it was difficult to pinpoint their exact position—
Not until they heard Socrates' scream, which drew their attention immediately.
Without hesitation, they released fire at that location, bullets tearing through the air—when suddenly, another Gloo Wall appeared, blocking their line of attack once again.
"Fuck.. how many of these do they have..." 145 asked his partner, frustration creeping into his voice as they continued firing.
"This shows that they have a lot of supplies.. Let's flank them from both sides," Candidate 146 replied, his tone cold and calculated, as the two of them split directions while maintaining suppressive fire.
Unfortunately for them, Mr. Jaggers had an advantage they didn't have—and that was the Night Vision Monocles, which allowed him to see as clearly as day, even under the thick veil of night.
And with his Peak Apprentice strength, he was able to climb the Gloo Wall he had created with surprising ease, his movements swift and controlled.
Immediately, he propelled himself upward, his feet landing firmly on the edge of the Gloo Wall, the sudden elevation drawing the attention of the two opponents.
His Thompson let out a sharp cracking sound.
KPOO
The barrel was directly facing Candidate 146, and as he fired, the bullet tore through the air and lunged straight into his forehead, snapping his head backward and sending him crashing to the ground as blood splattered across the surface.
[Headshot.]
[Candidate 146 eliminated]
Candidate 145 was, at first, shocked to see his comrade drop lifelessly to the ground, but he overcame the shock almost instantly. His expression hardened as he pulled the trigger without hesitation—shooting consecutively at Mr. Jaggers.
Mr. Jaggers, with his Peak Apprentice strength, quickly jumped off the Gloo Wall. As he descended, he twisted mid-air and landed on the ground before turning instantly to face his opponent.
Candidate 145 didn't stop firing as he sprayed out a barrage of bullets, the continuous stream forcing Mr. Jaggers to move leftward to evade.
However, one of the bullets lodged into his leg, causing him to lose his balance.
A green bar appeared over his head as he staggered, and a portion of the green color vanished, reducing his Health Point by 10%.
Mr. Jaggers directed his energy into his leg, forcing his muscles to respond. As he regained his balance mid-air—instead of collapsing—he shifted his momentum into a forward dive while pulling the trigger of his Thompson, firing a shot at Candidate 145.
"Counter Bounce Shield."
Candidate 145 retrieved an item from his inventory and activated it instantly.
A green energy shield materialized right in front of him, humming faintly with power, as the bullet fired by Mr. Jaggers rammed into it.
A burst of green light ruptured from the shield upon impact, and the next thing Mr. Jaggers witnessed was his own bullet bouncing back—its speed and force amplified—as it shot directly toward him.
'Fuck..'
He quickly reached into his inventory to retrieve a Gloo Wall, only to realize he had already exhausted it.
'I'm screwed..'
Mr. Jaggers dragged himself upward as fast as he could, his body straining to respond—but that was all he could manage.
The bullet was already upon him.
It penetrated directly into his stomach, the force sending him hurtling backward as his Health Point decreased drastically.
[HP — 30/100]
[Your body has been paralyzed due to the aftershock]
[You're bleeding profusely. Your HP will decrease by 3% every 1 minute]
Pain shot through Mr. Jaggers' body as it went numb, his grip loosening slightly on his weapon.
The Thompson wasn't just any gun—it was a weapon that fired 5mm bullets.
The Counter Bounce Shield that Candidate 145 activated didn't just return the bullet—it increased its speed and weight, turning it into something far more lethal.
If not for the energy of a Peak Apprentice reinforcing his body, Mr. Jaggers would have already been dead.
A smile slowly formed on Candidate 145's face as he regained his grip on his weapon and aimed directly at Mr. Jaggers' forehead.
Click.. Click..
The gun produced a hollow clicking sound, alerting the candidate that it was out of bullets.
Candidate 145 immediately threw the gun aside and reached into his breast pocket, pulling out a grenade with a cold, vengeful expression.
"You dared kill my teammate... You shall suffer a fate worse than death."
Mr. Jaggers' face turned grim as his opponent uncorked the grenade, the faint metallic sound echoing ominously in the tense silence.
'I never planned to die this way..'
"DIE FOR ME!" Candidate 145 roared venomously as he took a stance, preparing to throw the grenade with full force.
Just at that very moment—right as the grenade was about to leave his hand—
A metal blade suddenly pierced through his flesh from behind, forcefully pushing through his throat and bursting out of his mouth along with a spray of blood and shredded flesh.
GAG!
He coughed violently, blood spilling out uncontrollably as his HP bar began draining at a rapid rate, flickering red before collapsing completely.
The dagger was yanked out of his mouth, and his body dropped lifelessly to the ground, his HP hitting 0.
"The bastard totally forgot about me."