Chapter 95: Second-Level Sniper Round

“David, the No. 7 Long-Range Sniper Cannon is loaded with twenty rounds of Tier-2 heavy sniper ammunition—use them carefully. This is the entire stockpile left in Peran City!” Jim closed the ammunition hatch and spoke through his identity wristband.

“Thank you, Jim!” David replied with a smile.

“No need for thanks. I’m the one who’s dragged you into this. This war should have had nothing to do with you. It was my decision to apply for your reserve combatant status, and now you’re caught up in it,” Jim said apologetically.

“Jim, don’t blame yourself. You did it for me, after all. Besides, I agreed to apply for reserve combatant status,” David reassured him.

“When this war is over, let’s get together,” Jim said, already thinking about how he might make it up to his friend. Making David participate in this war was his fault, no matter how one looked at it.

“Jim, get out of here quickly—more Zerg are coming!” The Shadow Attendant sensed another fluctuation of spatial energy, and David hurriedly ended the call.

Though the battle atop the city walls still raged on, the situation had changed drastically.

The Rift Fliers continued to pour in at high speed, but aside from Gilard the Armored Warrior and the heavily wounded fighter, the other three warriors wielding Tier-2 weapons had all joined the fight to clear out the Rift Fliers.

As a result, not only did the number of Rift Fliers on the wall fail to increase, it actually began to dwindle.

The three warriors with Tier-2 weapons had no choice but to join the fray, because David’s No. 7 Long-Range Sniper Cannon, now loaded with precious Tier-2 rounds, couldn’t afford to waste them on Tier-1 Rift Fliers.

This allowed more Rift Fliers to make it through the spatial wormhole successfully, increasing the pressure on the warriors.

Though fifty-three civilian warriors had also arrived, even with ten fighting a single Rift Flier, they still suffered occasional casualties.

This forced Lieutenant Elmer to step in and help eliminate the Rift Fliers.

More importantly, with David’s No. 7 Long-Range Sniper Cannon in play, Lieutenant Elmer no longer had to worry about another Tier-2 Zerg appearing, freeing up the warriors with Tier-2 weapons to join the battle.

Thanks to the Shadow Attendant’s sensitivity to spatial energy, David could always anticipate changes in the spatial wormholes.

As now, the Shadow Attendant detected the same spatial energy fluctuations as before, when the Armored Rock Bug had appeared. David immediately switched to the No. 7 Long-Range Sniper Cannon’s control system.

He didn’t know exactly how precious Tier-2 ammunition was, but from the rarity of Tier-2 weapons, he could guess how valuable ammunition crafted from such materials must be.

A Tier-2 weapon could be used repeatedly, but Tier-2 rounds, once fired, could only be recovered and remanufactured at a munitions factory—not reused on the spot.

David focused his entire attention. The attack method of the long-range sniper cannon was the same as that of a sniper’s dedicated rifle: always aiming for the vital spots of the Zerg.

Though the sniper cannon’s rounds were larger than the standard sniper rifle’s, against the gigantic and tenacious Zerg, only a lethal strike could truly diminish their combat strength.

In truth, even with David’s skill, he would have only one chance to attack a Tier-2 Zerg in combat.

If the Tier-2 Zerg detected the sniper, it would move at high speed and guard its vital spots, then would likely target the sniper cannon itself, or even David directly.

Just as with the first Armored Rock Bug—had it not been for the five warriors with Tier-2 weapons risking their lives to distract it, the No. 7 Sniper Cannon, and perhaps all the nearby weapon emplacements, would have been destroyed.

So for David, there was only ever one chance to snipe a Tier-2 Zerg. Failure meant dire consequences.

With his spirit at 3.73, he could instantly enter a state of total focus when needed. This attribute, seemingly only boosting brain capacity, had a constant, profound impact in true combat.

A massive form appeared before the spatial wormhole—another Armored Rock Bug.

For Rock Planet, a single Tier-2 Zerg was already a disaster. For a small city like Peran, a second one signified that the Zerg placed great importance on this place.

Perhaps Peran’s earlier victories had infuriated the Zerg, or perhaps they simply refused to accept defeat here.

A thunderous boom resounded.

The No. 7 Long-Range Sniper Cannon roared, and as soon as the Armored Rock Bug appeared, a bullet with a ghostly blue glow struck the center of its head.

This time, the thick carapace did not withstand the Tier-2 round. Designed specifically to counter Tier-2 Zerg, and propelled by the overwhelming kinetic energy of the sniper cannon, the round punched a hole straight through the creature’s shell.

The Armored Rock Bug’s ferocious vitality let it unleash a final burst of strength upon receiving its mortal wound—the instant its body hit the ground, it hurled itself toward the No. 7 Sniper Cannon.

In midair, the anti-aircraft rapid-fire turrets peppered its surface with sparks.

Lieutenant Elmer and the other two Tier-2 warriors did not rush forward. In that brief moment, they had all seen clearly: the bug’s head had been struck by a Tier-2 sniper round—a fatal blow.

Indeed, the bug’s final leap was blunted by the anti-aircraft fire, and it crashed to the ground after soaring several hundred meters, then slid to a halt.

A faint smile appeared on David’s lips, for the bug’s body had landed right beside the No. 5 Sniper Control Room, lying close to the other dead Armored Rock Bug.

A special delivery, indeed. The Shadow Attendant wasted no time, rushing forward to absorb its soul, and David once again felt the surge of pleasure from the Shadow Attendant’s harvest.

Since the start of the battle, the Shadow Attendant had only managed to absorb the souls of two Rift Fliers and the two Armored Rock Bugs that had just come to their doorstep.

Unable to leave David’s side by more than ten meters, the Shadow Attendant couldn’t harvest souls at a greater distance during the chaos of battle.

“Brother David, one shot, one kill—well done!” This time Lieutenant Elmer didn’t use the comm channel, but broadcast his voice through the speakers on his exoskeleton armor.

The sudden appearance of a Tier-2 Zerg had truly frightened many of the civilian warriors.

Even if they’d never seen one in person, they had all heard tales of their devastation—creatures capable of wiping out entire cities with ease.

Of course, in this context, “city” meant a small place like Peran.

When they had first arrived, the civilian warriors had seen the corpse of a Tier-2 Zerg on the ground. Though somewhat mentally prepared, most were here in Peran for a quiet retirement, not to fight real battles.

Lieutenant Elmer used the broadcast to make it clear to all the civilian warriors: Tier-2 Zerg were nothing to fear.

This city had a formidable sniper—one who could take down Tier-2 Zerg with ease.

David’s achievement sent cheers through the ranks, rekindling their fighting spirit and accelerating the cleanup of the Rift Fliers.

Behind his armored mask, Lieutenant Elmer was smiling—he could now see hope for victory.

He knew well that the spatial wormholes wouldn’t last much longer—a Tier-3 Spatial Ripper couldn’t keep them open indefinitely.

At most, five more minutes, and the battle would be over. As for the Tier-1 Zerg outside the walls, without the threat from wormholes above, they posed no real danger to Peran City.

The city’s defenses were helpless against Tier-2 Zerg, but against Tier-1—many of whom were weak—the defense system could keep them locked out a kilometer away.

Apart from their own section of the wall, the other heavy missiles hadn’t even been used yet—truly a deadly deterrent against Tier-1 Zerg.

David felt no thrill at having killed another Armored Rock Bug. He needed to stay calm. The interval between each cannon shot, the early detection of spatial anomalies, every aim and adjustment—all demanded his utmost precision.