Chapter 193: The Hunter and the Cold Arrow
The sudden explosion instantly claimed over thirty lives, with countless more deaths following due to the ensuing chaos. The agonized cries of the villagers from Xu Family Town echoed across Cloud Manor. The horror left the survivors pale with fear, with some younger ones driven insane, screaming and running away.
Those who were still alive were in shock from the explosion. Some were temporarily blinded, others were knocked unconscious, and some had their eardrums ruptured, leaving them deaf. Xu Dongsheng and the other senior members of the Xu family stood in stunned silence, their expressions blank and their eyes lifeless. They couldn't accept the reality before them; the shock was too great for their minds to process.
A mentally disturbed young man ran over and clung to Xu Dongsheng’s leg, yelling hysterically, "They're dead! They're all dead! Blown to pieces—arms, heads, everything!"
"Grandpa, they’re all dead!" Even in his delirium, the young man instinctively sought the comfort of his elders, hoping for some reassurance. But, hearing his words, Xu Dongsheng felt his brain slowly rebooting, only to collapse in despair.
He looked at the carnage before him, his breathing rapid and sweat freezing on his forehead in the extreme cold. "He's a demon... not a man, but a demon! We just wanted his supplies, and he killed dozens of us!" Xu Dongsheng's eyes were wild, his speech incoherent. The seventy-year-old man was breaking down, unable to withstand the blow.
With so many dead and as the instigator of this doomed attack, Xu Dongsheng couldn’t escape blame. The villagers, who had hoped the elders would lead them, now saw their leader in a state of mental breakdown. They became like headless chickens, running in panic, only to fall into more traps.
Zhang Yi, watching from the second floor, confirmed the absence of the ice and snow ability user. He put away his sniper rifle. At a distance of 200 meters, there was no need to waste bullets. A white flash in his right hand revealed an exquisite compound bow and two quivers of arrows. Zhang Yi hung the quivers on his waist and held the bow in his left hand, issuing a command to the shelter's intelligent system.
"Open the window in front of me."
Standing in the dark, Zhang Yi began his hunt, targeting the remaining villagers without mercy.
Three sharp arrows whistled through the air, unaffected by the wind and snow due to the enhanced abilities. They struck three fleeing villagers, piercing through their chests cleanly. Combined with precision shooting, the modern compound bow was powerful enough to penetrate wild boars, let alone villagers in down jackets.
In the pitch-black night, with Zhang Yi's floor remaining unlit, the silent arrows went unnoticed by the panicked villagers. Zhang Yi calmly continued to draw and shoot arrows, systematically picking off the fleeing villagers.
Each arrow claimed another life, and soon Zhang Yi had personally killed twenty-six villagers. It was only then that the remaining villagers noticed something was wrong.
"There's a hunter!" one villager shouted.
The armed villagers hurriedly raised their guns to return fire. But Zhang Yi was using a bow, so there was no muzzle flash or light to give away his position. Equipped with infrared tactical goggles, Zhang Yi had a massive advantage over those relying on their eyes.
Seeing the armed villagers, Zhang Yi prioritized taking them out. He opened a portal before him that swallowed any incoming projectiles—a top-tier defensive measure akin to a cheat. The old hunters only managed a single shot before arrows pierced their heads, leaving them with eyes wide open in disbelief. They couldn't comprehend how arrows could reach such a distance.
As villagers fell one by one, many of them close friends and relatives, Xu Dongsheng and the other elders felt immense regret. Especially Xu Dongsheng, who now recalled Xu Chunlei's warnings. He had never taken Zhang Yi seriously, but now he realized his arrogance and self-confidence had cost them dearly.
Xu Dongsheng slapped his face hard. "I deserve to die! I'm the Xu family's sinner!" He shouldn't have ignored Xu Chunlei's advice. Things might have been different if he had at least brought Xu Chunlei along. For his pride, he had condemned over a hundred villagers to death.
Zhang Yi continued to shoot, and each arrow was released into groups of three. His ability-assisted shooting felt exhilarating, like playing a game with cheats. Against an ability user, ordinary people stood no chance, highlighting the disparity in power.
"Since you came, none of you will leave!" Zhang Yi's voice was cold. He intended to kill every one of them.
At that moment, the wind and snow intensified, obscuring Zhang Yi's view like a blizzard. His eyes lit up with excitement. "Why are you just showing up now!"
The ice and snow ability user from Xu Family Town had finally made a move! Zhang Yi switched to his sniper rifle. In such a storm, arrows were insufficient. A sniper rifle was necessary!