"Bang!" The bullet blasted a large crater in the ground.

Zhuo Wangsun, standing right beside Xu Huo, shot him a surprised glance, then quickly said, "We should scatter and run! There's only one opponent. This way, everyone has a chance to survive!"

There was no other choice. They were at a severe disadvantage. The opponent was killing people from a position one to two kilometers away with a sniper rifle, and this was the open Gobi Area without a single piece of cover. Unless they lay flat on the ground and didn't move, they were sitting ducks. However, they still had a mandatory task to complete. Sooner or later, they had to leave the Gobi Area.

"No way!" Wan Xiao was the first to object. "You're players. Your survival rate is definitely higher than ours. As long as the opponent isn't stupid, they'll definitely target us first! And you're even using the weapons we prepared!"

But the players felt no obligation from having accepted gifts. Kang Yongjie said, "Just some equipment. At worst, we'll return it to you after clearing the instance."

Wan Xiao was left speechless with anger. At that moment, Zhuo Wangsun reminded them, "The opponent seems to have stopped shooting."

"How about we lie down first?" the female player suggested. "We can discuss a plan before getting up again. Standing here like this is just asking to be shot, isn't it?"

Everyone crouched down on the spot. For safety's sake, most lay prone, using the items they brought to shield their sides and protect their heads.

Zhuo Wangsun looked at the bullet impact marks not far away and frowned. "Don't you think it's a bit strange? Judging from the angles of the five shots, they don't seem to have come from the same location."

"What's strange about that? The opponent just changed position after each shot," the female player said.

"It is a bit odd," Si Ming also said. "Think about it carefully. If the opponent was using a sniper rifle, whether standing or prone, even if they missed us, the bullet shouldn't have hit a spot so close. Working backwards from the bullet's trajectory..."

He paused. He hadn't paid attention to which direction the bullet came from earlier.

"It was Old Wu," the female player reminded him. "That bullet almost hit him, but he dodged it."

Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but look at Xu Huo with surprise. After a moment, Si Ming spoke again, "Then, based on our positions just now, the bullet should have come from a diagonal angle from above!"

"How could it be from a diagonal angle above?" one of the people brought by Yi Mao subconsciously looked up. "There's no one in the sky. Besides, large machinery and flight devices aren't allowed in the cleanup area..."

Before he could finish, a burst of consecutive gunfire shredded his back!

Amidst the smoke from the shots, those lying on the ground scrambled to their feet in a panic, fleeing headlong toward the front.

Yi Mao and Wan Xiao originally had ten people. Adding Xu Huo's four, plus the last to join, Kang Yongjie and Hao Mei, made a total of sixteen. But five had been killed in those few minutes. Now only eleven remained, and these eleven split into three groups.

Zhuo Wangsun, Si Ming, and the female player chose the same direction and even took one of Yi Mao's team members with them. While not exactly honorable, if someone really was using items or characteristics and other means, it was better to disperse the firepower than to stay mixed together waiting to be killed.

Kang Yongjie and Hao Mei's primary target was Yi Mao. They even clashed with the two players protecting Yi Mao. However, before a winner could be decided, they were scattered by subsequent gunfire. Liang Song seized the chance to throw out a skateboard item, scooping up the two of them and sending them flying over ten meters away!

It was impossible for them to come back and try to snatch Yi Mao again, so they turned and chased after the group of four with Zhuo Wangsun.

Yi Mao's original squad suffered heavy losses: five dead, one taken hostage. Now, including him, only four remained.

Xu Huo followed behind them, noticing the bullets kept chasing them as they ran. He glanced back at the sky and said, "I seem to hear something. Is it some kind of stealth equipment?"

Liang Song, who was protecting Yi Mao up front, turned around and leaped into the air. With a metal piece bound to each palm, he thrust his hands forward, and a bolt of lightning immediately shot out—clearly, he also heard the sound getting closer and closer.

However, at that very moment, a strong wind swept across the Gobi, and a sky full of yellow sand violently rushed toward them, instantly obscuring everyone's vision!

The few of them braced against the wind to steady themselves. Seeing the heavy, dense yellow sand in the distance, they couldn't afford to investigate where the bullets were coming from anymore. They could only run forward at their fastest speed.

Yi Mao and Wan Xiao couldn't match the players in stamina and speed. Liang Song and Yue Weiping had no choice but to carry the two on their backs. During this, Liang Song looked back for Xu Huo, only to find him lagging quite far behind. As the sandstorm swirled, his figure became even more blurred.

"Forget it, he can't keep up," Yue Weiping said. "Let's hurry. If the sandstorm intensifies, we might all be buried here."

"I told you those players couldn't be relied on! When things got tough, they not only ran off themselves but even kidnapped Xiao Qi!" Wan Xiao complained, then paused and added, "But the cleanup area is so vast. Without a map, they won't even be able to get out of the Swamp Area!"

The four of them didn't waste any time. Before the sandstorm could grow stronger, they sped up, moving away from the storm's eye as quickly as possible.

Xu Huo was right behind them. Watching them go far, he then shook the thread in his hand, pulling down the thing entangled above.

The faint mechanical sound became clearer, and the thread grew taut. One end was in his hand, the other end swayed in mid-air where there was nothing—undoubtedly a stealth weapon. However, before he could get his hands on it, the thing suddenly emitted a crackling electrical sound. From just two or three meters away, it self-destructed!

Using a defensive item to block the flying fragments, Xu Huo tilted his head to look at the object that had fallen to the ground. Its original shape was unrecognizable, the remaining parts scorched black. Beside it lay a twisted gun barrel. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

He casually poked at it and fished out a very small numbered plate from inside, likely the weapon's model number.

The sandstorm showed signs of intensifying. Xu Huo gathered the parts on the ground, tied them to his waist, put on his "Oxygen Supply," and went to catch up with Yi Mao's group of four.

Running at full speed for over ten minutes, he saw the backs of the four. By then, they were almost out of the sandstorm's range. Yi Mao's group was somewhat surprised to see him. Liang Song said, "We thought you'd lost your direction in the sandstorm."

"Not at all," Xu Huo said, looking ahead. "How much farther do we have to the Swamp Area now?"

"About two and a half hours' journey. If we walk fast, two hours," Yi Mao said, sizing him up with a slightly wary expression. "You still plan to go with us?"

Xu Huo pretended not to see the wariness. "What else can I do? I don't have a map."

Yi Mao hesitated for a moment, then proactively sent him the map of the Swamp Area. "A game player's first two tasks should both be completable in the Swamp Area. But I haven't heard other players mention the third task."

Xu Huo smiled. "Thanks."

He expressed his gratitude but showed no intention of leaving.

Yi Mao shot Liang Song a look. The latter then proactively walked over and said, "Brother Old Wu, if you're still willing, we can travel together. But let's be clear upfront: no backstabbing. If something like what Kang Yongjie and Hao Mei tried happens again, I won't show any mercy!"