Chapter 88: The Sniper

David switched on the screen, and found the sniper control system to be quite straightforward. By manipulating the controller, he could operate the remote sniper cannons, aiming either by manual adjustment, direct input of coordinates, or rapid location targeting.

Thanks to his experience in electronic warfare, it took him only a brief period of observation to master how to switch the system among the three remote sniper cannons.

He directed his Shadow Attendant to fly out of the control room, for a bird’s-eye view of the battlefield. David had no intention of being cornered by the Zerg in the control room. He was not without a backup plan—his Fire Beacon was his way out.

If Peran City proved impossible to hold, he would pilot the Fire Beacon to pick up his father Hans and the rest of his family, and if possible, bring along a few friends to escape together.

Even if this meant exposing the existence of the Fire Beacon and being hunted down by the organization, he was willing to take the risk.

His identity bracelet received a new stream of information—these were updates on the Zerg sightings outside the city.

He saw the spherical Zerg, a type called the Venom Burst Beetle—a weak, level-one Zerg. Because the larvae could not obtain enough energy, they accumulated all their reserves within their bodies, and when encountering an enemy, would self-destruct, spreading toxins in all directions and causing massive damage.

There were also several Zerg he had seen before in his visions, such as the Hunter Mantis, the Giant Chisel Worm, and the Spiked Claw Bug, all level-one Zerg.

“Control Room Five, engage in combat immediately!” As David was reviewing the updates, a new message arrived on his identity bracelet.

It seemed he had spent too long observing without participating, prompting the command system to issue a direct order.

David gripped the controller, and the battlefield outside the city appeared on the display.

He quickly adjusted the controls, taking note of wind speed and direction, temperature and humidity, all while searching for a target.

There was no need to bother with the Venom Burst Beetles; these were typically handled by the heavy laser cannons. The remote sniper cannons were best reserved for the more formidable level-one Zerg.

On the screen, a Giant Chisel Worm appeared—its long, disgusting body moving with surprising speed for its size.

Its massive dual chisels swung with a faint luminescence—a terrifying weapon of level-one destructive power.

Should the Giant Chisel Worm get too close, not even the steel city walls could withstand it. Though a single level-one Zerg would take time to breach the thick barriers, a swarm could break through in an instant.

Within three seconds, David had locked onto his target. In his eyes, a virtual trajectory connected the remote sniper cannon to the Giant Chisel Worm.

With a thunderous roar, he fired. The shot struck the worm’s head dead center, boring a clean hole through it.

Only by wielding such a fearsome weapon could one truly feel the power to dominate life and death—the caliber of the level-one round tore through the worm’s armor as if it were nothing.

Unfortunately, the battlefield was too far away; though the Shadow Attendant hovered overhead, it could not absorb even a trace of soul energy.

David dared not leave the city at this moment. Military orders were absolute—if he deserted his post, the command system would likely deem it an escape. Not to mention, with the current situation outside, even though the fighting was not yet fierce, heavy laser cannons regularly swept the ground with fire.

An ordinary person like him, or even an armored warrior in exoskeleton gear, would not dare venture out.

Regretful at wasting soul energy, he switched to the sixth remote sniper cannon system.

Each shot from a remote sniper cannon required a brief pause—partly to stabilize the weapon, and also to load a new level-one round. The enormous size of the gun meant that even with automated loading, the process took some time.

Generally, this took five seconds, during which the cannon was inoperable.

This was why a single sniper could control multiple cannons—while the equipment required time to reset, the human operator did not.

David sought a new target, and after about ten seconds, found one. He spent another three seconds analyzing and calculating, then fired.

It occurred to him that he need not rely solely on the sniper cannon’s own targeting system to find level-one Zerg; the Shadow Attendant, hovering above, had a much clearer view.

From its vantage, ten meters above the city walls, it could survey a five-kilometer radius.

By splitting his focus slightly, David could quickly spot any level-one Zerg in the area.

Thus, when he switched to the seventh cannon, it took him only five seconds to fire a third shot.

“Report the snipers’ combat results!” Lieutenant Eaton commanded in a grave tone.

Although the heavy laser and Gauss cannons continued to fire, the intervals between their shots grew longer and longer.

To ensure operational safety and prevent catastrophic self-destruction, the use of heavy weapons was strictly regulated.

More importantly, the heavy laser and Gauss cannons were not well-suited for targeting single enemies—the lengthy preparation times made it impossible to track the swift-moving level-one Zerg.

Unless a level-one Zerg happened to blunder into the kill zone, it was nearly impossible to target them specifically.

Thus, the remote sniper cannons had become highly specialized precision weapons—an ideal complement to the heavy ordnance.

“Captain, here are the current results from each sniper!” The adjutant’s fingers flew over the console, rapidly compiling the data.

“Not bad—the snipers are still the most reliable!” Lieutenant Eaton nodded approvingly as he reviewed the report.

Though snipers were difficult to manage, once war began, their offensive capabilities were remarkable.

On average, each sniper had killed at least ten level-one Zerg in ten minutes—over two hundred had been eliminated.

Such results, if achieved in the wilderness, would equal a medium-sized hunting squad’s entire year’s haul.

With the city’s defenses and a full array of heavy weaponry, level-one Zerg had become exceedingly vulnerable.

Eaton was already considering the bounty after the war; the corpses of the level-one Zerg alone would be a substantial reward.

However, given the intermittent barrages from the heavy laser and Gauss cannons, it was impossible to know how many intact specimens would remain.

“Why has Sniper Position Five only killed three level-one Zerg?” Eaton’s gaze caught an anomaly in the data. He questioned in a low voice.

Sniper Position Five was at the southern gate’s flank—there should have been more than just three Zerg there.

“Captain, that’s a conscripted civilian sniper. He only just arrived at the position!” the adjutant quickly replied after checking.

Just then, Eaton saw the kill count update from three to four, then five seconds later to five, and then, after another five seconds, to six.

“Switch the display to Position Five!” Eaton ordered again.

At the adjutant’s command, the wall screen before Eaton came alive with the sniper’s view—just as a level-one Zerg sprinted across the field, it dropped dead in an instant.

The view shifted, locking onto another location—again, the sniper found a target, and again, a level-one Zerg fell with a green hole in its head.

With each camera switch, a new Zerg was executed every five to ten seconds.

Eaton was certain he had no such talent among his men. Such precise calculation and analysis, such rapid target acquisition—if not for the use of remote sniper cannons, he would have assumed several snipers were taking turns attacking.

“Who is this civilian sniper?” Eaton asked, turning to the adjutant.

“The name displayed is David Kerr,” the adjutant replied.

“So, it’s him!” Eaton nodded to himself, though inwardly he was shaken to his core.

He had long known of this prodigy—blessed with the lineage of a National Hero, mentored by Garen, and possessed of a sniping talent that even his own son Jim had marveled at. But only now did he realize how terrifying David’s gift truly was.

This was nothing less than a sniper warrior operating without a warrior-grade sniper rifle—every shot was fatal, the very hallmark of a true sniper warrior: never firing unless it was certain to be a killing blow.