Chapter Fifty: Taking Them by Surprise

Of the four gunfighters, he had already killed three. To speak honestly, such an achievement was truly impressive.

But Fang Mu knew very well that when only one opponent remained, that was actually the most difficult stage. There’s a saying: "A journey of a hundred miles is only half at ninety." The closer one gets to success, the harder it becomes.

But things had reached this point; giving up was out of the question. He could only continue to look for a way forward.

Fortunately, the current situation, even though his level of evolution was inferior to his opponent’s… was, in fact, still relatively advantageous for him.

Because he was the one on the offensive.

He held the absolute initiative.

Never underestimate such initiative; used well, it could be the key to victory.

"In terms of tactics, I’m certainly no match for him… He’s a Bronze-ranked gunfighter. Whether it’s real combat experience or split-second reactions, he’s far superior to me. If I were to confront him head-on, I’d probably be shot the moment I showed myself."

Fang Mu was acutely aware of this. The searing pain that had flashed through his mind earlier served as a warning and confirmed his thoughts.

His opponent was able to react in the very instant Fang Mu fired his first shot. That kind of response speed was almost terrifying—far beyond what an Iron-ranked evolver could hope to match.

So, of course, there was no way he would charge out and fight him directly…

That would not be combat—it would be suicide.

"Taking a detour won’t work either."

"The opponent will surely anticipate that as well… Not to mention the time it would take. By the time I got around, the battle over there might already be over. Even if it didn’t take that long, the enemy would certainly be on guard by then… And once he’s prepared, there’s no difference from a head-on duel—still a one-in-ten-thousand chance of survival. It’s meaningless."

The idea of circling behind the glacial crevice had crossed his mind, but he dismissed it almost as soon as it appeared.

It was too easy to predict.

With his actual strength far inferior to his opponent’s, if his own choice could be so easily foreseen… then the operation was almost certain to fail.

So, that was out of the question.

What, then, should he do?

"I must catch him off guard."

Fang Mu pondered deeply.

"And just catching him off guard isn’t enough… His reactions are much faster than mine; a mere surprise move, given his reflexes, means there’s still a high chance he could respond in time, and that would be dangerous."

"So, I must seize a truly critical moment…"

"A moment when all his attention is focused elsewhere… so that even when I appear, there’s more than a ninety percent chance he won’t be able to react in time…"

As he murmured to himself, Fang Mu’s line of thought gradually became clearer.

But in the end, he frowned slightly.

There was still a major problem.

That so-called "critical moment"!

But it was far too difficult.

Because it wasn’t something he could control at all—it depended entirely on the enemy!

How could he manipulate when his opponent would be completely absorbed?

Fang Mu instinctively glanced toward the glacial crevice, his brow furrowing.

There was no doubt the enemy was now highly alert… but this kind of "focus" was a state of extreme vigilance. Such caution would make his reaction speed far faster than usual—any minor movement would trigger an instant, even excessive, response.

But this was clearly not the kind of "total concentration" Fang Mu needed.

What he required was for the opponent’s entire mind to be focused not on him, but on something—or someone—else entirely…

Hmm?

Suddenly, Fang Mu froze, a thought striking him.

Someone—or something—else?

He suddenly jerked his gaze into the distance.

From this position, he couldn’t see the main battle.

But there was something odd…

"Why hasn’t he fired for so long?"

From the moment he warned Lin Chuyin, descended the mountain, and shot two of the gunfighters, more than ten minutes had passed.

And throughout that entire time, the gunfighters’ attention had clearly been focused on the battlefield over there… Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to take out two of them so easily.

But in all that time… why hadn’t the enemy fired?

Was it simply that he didn’t want to?

Obviously impossible.

They had lain in ambush for so long, even preparing four gene rounds. How could they not want to fire?

So…

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to.

He couldn’t.

"So… why couldn’t he?"

Fang Mu muttered, replaying the scene in his mind.

Especially when he glanced over before heading down—by then, the battle had erupted, Tanlang and Lin Chuyin’s people were locked in fierce combat…

Wait…

Locked in combat?

That meant…

"The reason he couldn’t fire was… to avoid friendly fire?"

"Or, perhaps, out of fear of missing?"

A flash of insight shot through Fang Mu’s mind.

He seemed… to have found the key.

His thoughts whirred even faster, and after a moment, he suddenly looked toward the battlefield.

"I’ll do everything within my power. But whether it works or not… it all depends on whether you can hold out…"

With that thought, he exhaled lightly, reviewed his plan one last time in his mind.

Then he looked toward the glacial crevice…

Though the plan required a certain amount of luck, at this point it was the only method he could think of that offered even a sliver of hope.

If it failed…

At least his conscience would be clear.

At this, Fang Mu hesitated no longer. Keeping close to the base of the glacier, he quickly crept toward the glacial crevice…

...

Yes.

Fang Mu moved directly along the edge beneath the glacier, heading for the crevice.

A direct duel would be certain death.

Taking a detour—also certain death.

His strength was far inferior to the opponent’s.

So Fang Mu judged—

The enemy was unlikely to expect that, knowing full well he was outmatched, Fang Mu would still choose to approach directly!

That was the element of surprise.

Of course.

It was possible the enemy might have anticipated this as well.

But even so, Fang Mu reasoned, the enemy would not risk poking his head out to check…

Because he’d be worried—afraid that judgment was wrong.

And if he were mistaken, then the very act of peering out to survey the underside of the crevice… would be handing Fang Mu a perfect opportunity to shoot.

That was far too risky.

Fang Mu believed the enemy would not take such a needless risk.

Given the situation… lying in wait, conserving his strength, and refusing to offer an opening was the optimal strategy!

Still, Fang Mu remained wary of any surprises. As he advanced, he kept the barrel of his D-785 trained on the crevice, his gaze fixed intently.

If the enemy did poke his head out, Fang Mu could react instantly.

Minutes passed like this. The closer he got to the crevice, the slower his movements became.

When he was finally directly beneath the crevice, Fang Mu let out a quiet breath…

The enemy had not shown himself once.

Just as he had predicted—the enemy dared not take the risk.

Sweeping his eyes forward, Fang Mu’s gaze narrowed…

Not far ahead, a charred body lay sprawled on the icy plain.

It was the first man he had shot.

And that was his target.

After another glance at the crevice to confirm all was quiet, Fang Mu exhaled softly, flipped a tactical knife into a reverse grip, and, soundlessly, began to move toward the corpse…