Ratatatat!
Two blue tongues of flame erupted. With every burst, several men fell dead.
"Not bad with the gun."
Seeing Thomas also take down a few enemies, Ronin couldn't help but praise him.
"This gun is really stable—almost no recoil."
Thomas was equally amazed. He could only say that Tony Stark's technology was top-notch; the rifle had been designed so perfectly that it felt just like shooting at the range, with zero pressure.
Ronin's lips curled up slightly. If Thomas tried the pulse rifle in his own hands, he would probably die of shock. That was what true zero recoil felt like—maintaining extreme stability even during full-auto pulse fire.
The technological level of the Overwatch world was in no way inferior to the Marvel world.
The mercenaries weren't pushovers either. After a brief moment of daze, they quickly ducked behind cover.
Anyone who could become a mercenary was either a retired soldier or one who had been court-martialed and arrested. Even without years of high-intensity training, their overall quality remained very high.
The ferocious firepower forced them to stay behind cover.
Ronin hid behind a row of steel beams, while Thomas took cover behind a wall.
Bullets kept flying in, striking the steel and sending sparks flying with crisp clanging sounds.
Ronin quickly popped out to shoot, then ducked back in less than a second. In that instant, several energy rounds pierced through the steel plate and struck the thugs hiding behind it dead center.
"Did you hit them?" Thomas couldn't help exclaiming in surprise. "Whoa! These bullets have insane penetration!"
Thomas tried it himself but couldn't pierce the steel plate. Sure enough, it couldn't compare to the real version. He felt a bit dejected.
The mercenaries were filled with fear. One Soldier: 76 was already heaven-defying; two of them could probably stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the sun.
They had a bizarre feeling that they were now playing the role of the terrorists in the movie, while Soldier: 76 would use his pulse rifle to swiftly crush them.
What a joke—this wasn't a movie. No matter how strong Soldier: 76 was, he was still flesh and blood; a bullet would still kill him.
Yet the fear in their hearts robbed them of the courage to charge forward. The image of Soldier: 76 had left an unshakable impression in their minds. The words "I am an army of one" echoed in their ears, and they didn't dare act rashly.
Ronin continued this way—fire a few shots, duck back, fire a few shots, duck back. Finally, he used a helix rocket to hit a cluster of enemies. The remaining 20% energy charge completed.
Tactical visor fully charged at 100%!
"No time left. On my count of three, charge out with me!"
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
As the count finished, the tactical visor activated!
A blue holographic screen appeared in front of the visor, locking onto every target in view one by one. Then he opened fire with full force. One energy crystal was emptied, and Ronin quickly reloaded. In an instant, he wiped out thirty percent of the thugs.
The thugs fell in droves like small trees shredded by a durian—no resistance at all!
None of the bullets hit Ronin; they all landed behind him.
As long as you run fast enough, the bullets can't catch up!
Like a cheetah chasing prey, he sprinted desperately toward the main gate, drawing most of the firepower and leaving enough space for Thomas.
As Ronin neared the gate, Thomas pursed his lips. Sure enough, the real version was on another level. In the split second his mind wandered, several bullets flew toward him!
Thomas's pupils shrank violently. Time seemed to freeze in that moment; every movement slowed down. He could almost see the trajectory of the bullets.
There was no way to dodge!
Even if he ran with all his might, those bullets would still hit him.
Ronin, who had reached the gate, looked back and was instantly overcome with rage. He ignored everything and unleashed a frenzied barrage, gunning down the mercenaries firing at Thomas. But it was too late—the bullets had already been fired.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Clear, crisp sounds rang out. Thomas only felt a powerful force knock him back, but he felt no pain.
His jacket had several ragged holes, revealing the metal underneath.
"God bless!"
Thomas gasped heavily. He hadn't expected Mr. Stark to have added metal plating inside the jacket. No wonder the suit felt a bit heavy at first—he had thought his own physical condition was too poor to handle the weight.
In reality, it wasn't that heavy; it felt like a thickened down jacket. Clearly, Stark had gone to great lengths to lighten the suit. His technology was truly impressive!
Ronin also breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this. He executed a sharp roll to narrowly dodge two more bullets, then stood up and cleared the remaining threats for Thomas.
Thomas was completely pumped up now. Knowing the bullets couldn't hurt him, he charged forward with his head tucked, ignoring everything else.
As long as they didn't hit his head, they could shoot all they wanted. If they managed to kill him, he'd admit defeat!
"Damn it!"
After waking up, the mercenary leader roared at his subordinates, "Where are they?!"
"They… ran away…"
The underlings trembled as they continued firing at the distant figures.
Thomas ran wildly alongside Ronin. Just as they covered one or two hundred meters, a massive explosion erupted from inside the mercenary stronghold, followed by continuous rumbling.
"WTF! That guy blew up the ammo depot!"
The mercenary leader realized it first. He immediately took off running. The others tossed their guns aside and fled for their lives.
If they lost their lives, what good were the guns?
Once they reached a safe distance, Ronin turned around, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "I may have once been a good man, but now… I'm just a soldier."
He aimed his gun at the gate, picking off the mercenaries trying to escape one by one, refusing to let any of them out. At that moment, he recalled the dream of countless elementary school students in gunfights.
That's right! It was the "Giant City Ruins" challenge mode. Every player had once dreamed of blocking the exit so the zombies couldn't get out. However, as the waves increased, that dream always shattered.
But now, the dream could come true!
The explosions continued. As the interior collapsed, the stronghold lost its support and crumbled entirely. No one inside could possibly escape.
"It's over!"
Ronin let out a light sigh. His left shoulder felt a bit sore. Only after the fighting ended did he notice that a bullet had grazed it. This suit had no metal plating—it was just pure fabric.
"Mr. Ronin, your shoulder…"
Thomas also noticed the glaring bloodstain on his left shoulder.
"It's nothing!"
Ronin placed a biotic emitter on the ground. Pale yellow energy slowly rose, and the wound gradually healed.
As long as he hadn't been directly hit, the biotic field could heal the injury very well.
"As expected of the real Soldier: 76!" Thomas looked on with envy.
Once the wound had fully healed, Ronin canceled his transformation. His ears twitched slightly as he faintly heard the whirring of rotor blades. In the distance, several helicopters came roaring in.
"Remember—this was you saving me!" Ronin, now in sportswear, said to Thomas.
Thomas nodded, opened the armor case, quickly put on the Soldier: 76 mask and wig, then checked himself in a small mirror and struck a cool pose.
"Perfect!"
His chuunibyou soul burned once again!
Seeing the abandoned factory engulfed in flames, the special forces soldier piloting the helicopter could hardly believe his eyes. He closed them and looked again—still the same scene.
After confirming it, he reported: "Captain, the stronghold has been blown to ruins!"
"What?!"
The buzz-cut man in camouflage widened his eyes. "Did the mercenary group know we were coming and blow this place up before evacuating?"
"Captain, there are two people down there!"
"Don't let them escape!" the buzz-cut man ordered. These were the only clues—they absolutely could not be allowed to get away.
"Listen up! We are 'Falcon'! Drop your weapons and raise your hands, or we will open fire!"
A voice rang out from the helicopter. Upon hearing it, Thomas placed his pulse rifle on the ground and raised both hands. Ronin did the same.
Five helicopters landed one after another. The rotor wash kicked up clouds of dust, making their noses itch.
Dozens of special forces soldiers jumped down from the helicopters and formed neat, uniform ranks.
When they saw the two people in front of them, their originally resolute and tough faces instantly turned comical. The tense atmosphere they had just built up vanished completely!