The rest of the archaeology team also shrank back into the shadows of the buildings.
Amy moved over beside John. The girl was extremely tense, breathing fast, making the rise and fall of her figure especially obvious.
John sat on a rock while Karma stood guard in front of him. With nothing else to do, he scanned the situation outside.
Very quickly, he spotted vehicles appearing along the horizon outside the village.
There were a lot of them, mostly off-road vehicles, along with some heavily modified cars.
Those modified vehicles all had enormous exhaust pipes. Their engines roared like beasts, belching thick black smoke from the pipes.
Besides the cars, there were motorcycles as well. The riders screamed wildly as they drove.
There were even men carrying flamethrowers, occasionally spraying jets of fire that burned the sparse shrubs along the way.
Whether it was the off-road vehicles, the modified cars, or the motorcycles, every single one carried black flags marked with a white scythe.
But unlike the flags they had seen at the oasis earlier that afternoon, beneath the white scythe was now a black hand.
The black hand gripped the white scythe, creating a stark contrast.
At that moment, John heard the mercenary Hank say heavily, "Those are Black Hand Mongo's men."
"They still came after us."
"Prepare for battle. Looking at them, there's no way they came to negotiate."
"We finish them here, or the rest of this journey is going to be hell."
Even though they were clearly outnumbered, the mercenary captain showed no fear.
The mercenaries themselves all remained calm, including Karma beside John.
Very soon, the bald Tank pulled out an RPG launcher with a savage grin. He aimed at the area where the Black Hand gang was most concentrated and fired.
A sharp, piercing scream instantly tore through the night sky. The rocket streaked forward with a faint trail of flame, shooting straight into the Black Hand group.
Shouts immediately erupted from their side. Only then did the bandits think to dodge, but it was already too late.
The rocket landed right in the densest part of the crowd. In the dark wasteland beneath the night sky, fire suddenly erupted, followed by an earth-shaking explosion.
Orange flames surged and rolled violently.
Several off-road vehicles and modified cars were blasted into the air before their burning wreckage crashed back down.
Even more bandits were blown apart in the flames.
The ones who died instantly were actually the lucky ones. The truly unfortunate were those caught outside the center of the blast.
Some had shards of metal from vehicles and shell fragments embedded into their bodies. Others had arms or legs blown off. One man had everything below the waist turned into mangled flesh, yet somehow remained alive, writhing on the ground in agonized screams.
Then the distinct sound of an anti-aircraft machine gun thundered through the night.
After firing the RPG, Tank jumped onto an off-road vehicle and operated the anti-aircraft gun together with Tiger, spraying the wasteland like madmen.
Shell casings poured from the weapon, clattering onto the vehicle and piling around the gunners' feet into a small mound of brass.
At the same time, Hank and the others joined the fight.
Using the village's various obstacles as cover and aided by infrared scopes, they never missed. One after another, Black Hand bandits had their heads blown apart.
Tracers streaked back and forth across the wasteland outside the village, and the air filled with the smell of gunpowder.
Within the Black Hand ranks, flames and blood mist exploded continuously as more and more bandits dropped dead where they stood.
When the bandits got closer, they were met with tactical grenades.
Every explosion dropped several men instantly. Even the survivors were shredded by fragments and could no longer fight.
John was somewhat surprised.
Hank's mercenaries were unexpectedly fierce. Their marksmanship was excellent, and they coordinated extremely well together.
They were actually suppressing the numerically superior Black Hand bandits.
Across the battlefield, explosions and smoke rose one after another. Death itself seemed to be celebrating, its scythe reaping lives wherever it swept.
However, after the initial panic from being suppressed wore off, the Black Hand bandits began responding.
They started splitting their forces.
These bandits had survived in this lawless land for a reason. They weren't helpless weaklings who only knew how to take a beating.
Nor were they cowards who would be frightened by this kind of scene.
Part of their forces kept Hank and the others occupied from the front, while the rest split into left and right flanks, bypassing the main battlefield and infiltrating from the east and west sides of the village.
———
On the battlefield—
One of Hank's scouts, who also served as a sniper, noticed the movement and immediately blew several sharp whistles.
It was a coded signal unique to Hank's team.
The moment Hank heard it, he shouted, "Karma, get on the roof."
"You handle the rats on the west side."
"Robin, you take the east side. Don't let them get within three hundred meters."
"The rest of you suppress the front."
"Tank, Tiger, don't think about conserving ammo."
"Open fire."
"We can worry about ammunition after we kill them all."
At Hank's command, Karma immediately moved.
She slung her rifle behind her back and climbed onto the roof with ease. Soon, rhythmic gunfire began ringing out from above.
At the same time, thin streams of dust started falling from the ceiling inside the house.
Within the archaeology team, Dr. Nick and Amy knew John's identity.
Knowing Homelander was beside them, they weren't worried about their safety, so they handled things better than the others.
But they were still ordinary civilians.
The constant gunfire, explosions, and screams outside made it obvious how intense the battle was, and their faces had still gone pale.
As for the others, assistant Vic, survival expert Richard, computer specialist Kelly, and the rest, they were white as sheets.
Vic had his eyes tightly shut, constantly making the sign of the cross and praying for himself, already mentally prepared to enter the Lord's embrace.
Meanwhile, John sat calmly on the rock, scanning the situation outside.
On the western side of the village, the Black Hand bandits had already spread out.
Using buildings and shadows for cover, they quietly crept closer like rats.
Then streaks of gunfire continuously tore through the air, penetrating cover and striking those "rats."
John looked upward.
Above him, Karma was lying on the rooftop with a sniper rifle, suppressing the western flank.
From John's angle, the view was rather nice. Karma carried a different kind of beauty in that moment.
Just like that, with the coordination of Hank's mercenary squad, the gunfire gradually became less frequent.
The Black Hand bandits either died or fled.
The battle finally ended.
Sweating heavily, Hank returned to the house, "Everybody alright?"
Only then did Dr. Nick and the others step out from the shadows.
Assistant Vic knelt on the ground, making the sign of the cross repeatedly and thanking God for protecting him.
The others also let out sighs of relief.
Seeing no one injured, Hank nodded.
Then he looked toward John and paused.
There wasn't the slightest trace of fear on John's face, and Hank could tell the man wasn't just pretending to stay calm.
Not a single drop of sweat could be seen on "Mr. John."
It was obvious he hadn't taken any of this seriously at all.
Hank couldn't help finding it strange.
Even someone like him, who spent his life on battlefields with his head constantly on the line, after that fight just now, his palms were soaked with sweat.
He wasn't scared, but tension was unavoidable.
Yet this "Mr. John" remained unbelievably composed.
After a brief moment of confusion, Hank didn't dwell on it and shouted, "Check your equipment and reload your magazines. Don't relax yet."
Hearing that, assistant Vic jumped up, "Mr. Hank, are you saying the bandits are coming back?"
Guide Ackman said gravely, "Hard to say."
"Black Hand Mongo is ruthless and incredibly stubborn."
"He's not the type to retreat after losing once or twice."
"If anything, this will only bring out his vicious side."
The moment Ackman finished speaking, sniper Robin shouted, "Enemy spotted at one o'clock!"
Hank immediately climbed onto the roof and looked through binoculars. He instantly sucked in a cold breath.
Beyond the horizon outside the village, a massive wall of dust was rising. Inside it were countless vehicles and figures.
Hank immediately roared, "Tank, Tiger, how much ammo is left for the anti-aircraft gun?"
The bald man quickly replied, "Not much left, boss."
Hank's expression immediately darkened.
Karma suggested, "Should we leave this place?"
Hank decisively shook his head, "No. Once we're out in the open wasteland, we'll be even less of a match for them."
Among the archaeology team, survival expert Richard said, "Didn't the guide mention there are lots of canyons and natural caves around here? Can't we hide from Black Hand there?"
Ackman gave a bitter smile, "Trust me, the Scythe Gang knows this entire region like the back of their hand. Finding us wouldn't be difficult."
Hank said in a low voice, "Don't panic. There's always a way."
"Ackman, do you know what Mongo looks like?"
"If we can snipe him, then without a leader, Black Hand won't amount to much."
Ackman shook his head, "Mongo always wears a skull mask. Partly to scare people, partly to hide his identity."
"When he appears, he's always accompanied by a personal guard unit."
"Everyone in that unit wears skull masks too."
Sniper Robin said flatly, "Then we kill them all."
Though the moment anyone seriously thought about it, they knew it was impossible.
Right then, a shrill whistle sounded overhead.
Hank's expression changed instantly as he roared, "Get down!"
He lunged toward the nearest Dr. Nick, shielding the doctor with his own body.
John, meanwhile, smiled at Karma as she threw herself toward him and allowed her soft body to press against his.
A deafening explosion rang out.
The building shook violently as chunks of stone rained down.
Fortunately, the shell had missed and landed in a nearby building instead.
Otherwise, John and the others would have been buried alive.
Hank climbed back to his feet, dusting himself off as he shouted, "Everybody okay?"
"I'm good, boss."
"Piece of cake."
Hank turned around, "Let's go kill those bastards!"
"You stay here and don't move."
Karma quickly climbed to her feet, gave her instructions, and returned to the rooftop.
Very soon, the second battle began.
The archaeology team was filled with anxiety and despair. Everyone understood this time wouldn't be so easy.
The mercenaries had limited numbers, and a good portion of their ammunition had already been spent.
It would be difficult to continue fighting the bandits.
Only John remained completely at ease, occasionally glancing at his watch.
At that moment, Amy walked over and whispered, "What do we do now, Ho—Mr. John?"
John glanced at her and smiled, "Don't worry. Mr. Hank will protect us."
Amy's eyes shimmered with tears. She looked close to crying, "But Mr. Hank and the others are almost out of bullets."
"That's fine too. Worst case, I'll take you and Dr. Nick out of here."
At that moment, Dr. Nick also walked over and lowered his voice, "Even if I know the coordinates, once we get close, we'll still need the others' help to locate the exact site."
The meaning behind his words was obvious enough.
John shrugged, "Alright."
"Don't panic. I'll make a call."
As he spoke, he stood up and walked toward a corner of the house.
Amy and Dr. Nick looked confused.
'At a time like this, who is John calling?'
'Is he asking some superhero to come help?'
After reaching the corner, John brushed the dust from his shoulder and took out the Task Force X summoning phone from his inventory.
He opened the contacts list, looked through the names, then finally tapped on Revenge Demon.
The call began connecting.
A moment later, a low voice sounded from the phone, ["Who is this?"]
John smiled, "It's me. John."
"I need a favor."
———
At that moment—
Outside the village, cars and motorcycles roared toward the village across the wasteland.
Inside one of the modified off-road vehicles at the rear, Black Hand Mongo sat wearing his skull mask, staring at the smoke rising from the distant village.
He let out a cold laugh.
Then suddenly, he noticed a flash of fire burst from one of the modified cars ahead.
The next second, flames exploded out through the windows.
Mongo froze.
Then the flames died down, but the smoke-filled car suddenly had its door kicked open from inside.
Someone crawled out.
A man Mongo had never seen before.
He wore a white tank top and jeans, with heavy tattoos covering his body, making him look like a demon.
When the man stepped out, his expression seemed somewhat dazed.
Then he stood in the open and raised both hands.
With a loud shout, a ring of blazing fire suddenly erupted around him.
Before Mongo could react, the wall of flames had already roared into his field of vision.
Then he lost consciousness.
———
Inside the village—
Sniper Robin was looking through his scope, aiming at the Black Hand forces outside.
Suddenly, he saw a fiery explosion erupt in the distant wasteland.
The flames surged forward like a tidal wave, overtaking the charging bandits, passing through them, causing vehicles to explode and bodies to turn into charred corpses.
In an instant, the Black Hand bandits who had been charging moments ago began collapsing in waves.
The battlefield outside the village suddenly fell into eerie silence, broken only by the crackling sounds of flames burning.
Within the fire, Robin vaguely saw a standing figure.
But when the flames flashed across his scope again and he looked once more, the figure had vanished.
The mercenaries were all stunned.
Tank rubbed his bald head, "What the hell happened? Why did the bandits suddenly die?"
"No idea. I just saw a flash of fire," Robin said from the rooftop, "Maybe they accidentally detonated some insanely powerful bomb?"
Karma stood up after lowering her rifle and smiled, "Who cares? Isn't it good that they're all dead?"
Finally, after hearing the mercenaries' words, the archaeology team confirmed that every bandit outside the village was dead.
They couldn't help cheering.
Guide Ackman looked like he was dreaming, "This can't be real, can it?"
"Black Hand Mongo is dead?"
Inside the house, Amy happily looked toward Dr. Nick.
Then she saw John walking back.
She immediately ran toward him, "Mr. John, was that—"
John raised a finger and gently pressed it against her lips, making a shushing gesture.
Amy's beautiful eyes sparkled, filled with admiration.
That exact scene happened to be witnessed by the returning Hank.
A thought immediately flashed through the mercenary captain's mind.
'Could the death of the Black Hand bandits have something to do with this Mr. John?'
But after thinking about it, 'The man hasn't even stepped outside.'
'How could it possibly have anything to do with him?'
Hank quickly shook his head, dismissing the thought.
That night, with the death of the Black Hand bandits, it finally came to an end.
———
[The Next Day]
After sunrise, the convoy left the village and continued onward.
At noon on the fourth day, the convoy stopped beside a river.
It seemed to be flood season. The river surged violently, nourishing the land along its banks and covering the area with flowers and grass.
It was completely different from the barren wasteland they had seen the entire journey.
At the end of the river stood towering mountain ranges.
The weather beyond the mountains looked terrible. Dark clouds covered the sky above them, with flashes of lightning appearing from time to time.
Meanwhile, the convoy itself sat beneath bright sunlight.
Ackman pointed toward the mountain range and said, "That's Devil Valley. The place you're headed."
"I won't be going with you."
"I'll set up camp here and wait for your return."
Amy said worriedly, "Mr. Ackman, it's too dangerous for you to stay here alone. You should come with us."
The guide shook his head with a smile, "No. Anyone who grew up on this land would never enter Devil Valley."
"As for safety, you don't need to worry."
"No bandits come here, and there aren't any dangerous predators like wolves either."
"You might occasionally see some mountain goats."
"So don't worry about me."
Since Ackman had already made up his mind, Hank and the others refilled their freshwater supplies by the river before driving along it toward Devil Valley.
By afternoon, the convoy had entered the valley.
The river guiding them wound around a cliff ahead before continuing out beyond the valley.
Once inside, it was easy to notice that both the cliffs and the ground here were completely barren.
Not a single blade of grass grew anywhere.
Outside the valley, the land was lush and green.
Yet inside, everything felt dead and lifeless.
The sharp contrast between vitality and decay cast an inexplicable shadow over everyone who entered the valley.
Well, John was an exception.
The moment he entered the valley, he had already begun scanning the environment.
Very quickly, John discovered that beneath this entire region lay an enormous number of karst caves.
Some of them were unimaginably vast.
While assistant Vic was releasing drones to begin surveying the surrounding terrain, John had already discovered something.
To be precise, he had found a door.
A door located deep underground.
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