Chapter Twenty-Six: Chang Le Arrives

Outside the Gale Canyon stretched an expanse of relatively flat wilderness. At this moment, a squad was stationed there.

The squad consisted of four people—three men and one woman. They all wore dark brown camouflage uniforms, their temperaments distinct yet unified.

Among the three men, the most striking was undoubtedly the bald giant. He stood well over two meters twenty, resembling a mountain of flesh, his body packed with sinewy muscle, even his neck seemed corded with strength. His exposed skin shone a bronze hue, adorned with intricate, mysterious tattoos. Thick veins bulged like steel cables, wrapping around his arms. A single glance revealed the terrifying power contained within his frame.

Strapped to his back was a massive blade—so long it must have been nearly one meter eighty, and two or three decimeters wide. Calling it a blade seemed insufficient; it was more akin to a gigantic shield that could be wielded in combat. Its surface gleamed silver-white, reflecting a chilling light.

Clearly, he was a close-combat specialist following the “Heavy Blade” path.

Beside him stood another man, shorter than the giant by a head, yet still reaching over one meter eighty. He was thin, with a cold, sharp visage; his lanky frame and long legs hinted at formidable speed and agility. He carried a long sword on his back, not as massive as the giant’s blade but still impressive—about one meter forty. Its black handle was slung diagonally behind him.

He was obviously a “Mad Blade” specialist.

The woman, though female, possessed a physique equally intimidating—tall, over one meter eighty, lithe and muscular, her bare arms rippling with strength.

She bore no weapon on her back; instead, a pair of black gauntlets encased her fists. The gauntlets were clearly forged of metal, radiating a heavy sheen.

Undoubtedly, she was a “Pugilist.”

Finally, there was a young man with a large sniper rifle slung across his back. He was handsome, slender, with a lazy smile lingering on his lips. At this moment, he was speaking into a communicator.

Yes, this last youth was Chang Le—one of the ace snipers of the Greed Wolf Legion whom Li Yao was contacting.

It was Chang Le’s squad.

This team was well-equipped: the “Heavy Blade” for defense, the “Mad Blade” for violent offense, the “Pugilist” for breakthrough and defense, and the “Gunfighter” for ranged support.

A near-perfect assembly.

Even by appearance alone, this squad looked far superior to Li Yao’s.

They sat casually on the ground; the giant, the slender man, and the woman chatted idly, while Chang Le handled the communicator.

“…Alright, turn on location sharing, then just tell me the approximate direction of the last gunshot,” Chang Le instructed.

Li Yao’s reply came quickly, saying the gunshot had come from his eight o’clock, and he would activate location sharing. Then he ended the call.

Chang Le waited, holding the communicator.

Soon, its screen lit up. A map of Gale Canyon appeared with two light dots—separated by just over a kilometer.

He began to study it, then glanced toward the distant Gale Canyon, as if analyzing something.

At last, a smile crept onto his face and he nodded.

He stood, turned, and spoke to his resting companions, “I’ll handle this. Won’t be long.”

“Good. We’ve been traveling for over five hours. We’ll grab something to eat… Make it quick,” the slender man replied nonchalantly.

“Need any help?” the woman asked, her voice unexpectedly clear despite her robust build.

“No need. I’m actually quite interested in him,” Chang Le answered with a grin, waved them off, and strode into the mountains with his rifle.

The other three made no further comment. They pulled food from their tactical packs, ate, and chatted as they waited.

Clearly, they had complete confidence in Chang Le.

…

…

Oblivious to all this, Fang Mu had already completed his position shift. Lying prone, he scanned the area through his scope.

“Strange. Did that man really leave?” he muttered, frowning.

He had checked several likely observation points, but found no trace of the last opponent in any of them.

In his estimation, if the enemy remained, he should have chosen one of those vantage points—only then could he monitor Fang Mu’s movements during his own maneuvers.

Could he truly have left?

Had the last kill frightened him away?

Fang Mu frowned, unwilling to give up, and searched yet again…

For some reason, he felt something was amiss.

Still, he remained calm. At worst, he would continue to wait.

A sniper never lacks patience.

…

…

Chang Le entered the mountains, unslinging his sniper rifle. His weapon, too, was a D-series, a full one meter twenty-three centimeters—a true heavy sniper.

He checked its condition. Though he maintained the rifle meticulously, inspecting it before battle was a fundamental routine.

The crisp click of the bolt rang out. Once satisfied the weapon was flawless, Chang Le surveyed his surroundings, then narrowed his eyes, quickened his pace.

His speed was remarkable—clearly beyond the capabilities of an Iron-tier evolver. Before long, he reached the rear of a small hill.

Compared to the surrounding peaks, this hill was utterly inconspicuous—its low height and the way it was hemmed in by mountains left its firing angles highly restricted.

For sniping, it was a poor position.

Yet Chang Le chose it.

He crawled to the summit, lay flat, and peered through his scope toward the front.

From below, through gaps between peaks, he began his search, patient and meticulous.

After more than half an hour…

Suddenly, a flash streaked across the edge of his vision—so swift it was almost imperceptible.

His gaze sharpened instantly, locking onto the flash.

He saw a cold gun barrel appear in his scope.

Chang Le paused, then smiled.

“Found you…” he murmured.

He raised his scope.

But the opponent’s position was far higher; he could only see the gun barrel, the body hidden behind the mountain. He had no angle for a shot.

Chang Le smacked his lips—he’d hoped for an instant kill, but it seemed he would have to work for it.

He glanced through his scope once more, then packed up his rifle, surveyed the surroundings, narrowed his eyes, and swiftly ran toward a new direction…