Chapter 215: Black Axe

……

An hour later, Li Mochen appeared in a high-rise building called 'Naomi' in the east of the city.

——This was his secondary body, still entirely covered by a heavy suit of armor. However, having used it several times before, his control over this body had greatly improved, allowing him to walk freely without relying on the armor's power. Additionally, his internal organs and bones had gradually adapted to this world, and his mastery over source force had significantly increased, making his aura much more restrained than before.

"I've carefully surveyed the area with Mr. Eisenhower, and this might be the best sniping position nearby."

Standing beside Li Mochen was Lawrence Collinson: "It's 14 kilometers from the Rioter Nightclub, directly facing Black Axe Richard's office. Escape is also convenient—we can slide down through the building's rear sewer pipes to the first floor and get away. However, there are three difficulties: first, we can't accurately pinpoint Richard's location. His office has floor-to-ceiling windows, but the magical array inside prevents us from seeing clearly. Currently, we can only rely on an infiltrator inside the nightclub to report whether he enters the office. Second, the distance is too great. There's an angle between the two high-rise buildings ahead, and the wind is very strong and erratic, creating turbulence. Third, the sniper rifle's penetration power—since the war began, they've reinforced the protective arrays of their buildings, and they're operating at full capacity. We estimate that a level 15 sniper rifle will struggle to penetrate their outer walls."

"Even if it penetrates, it would be hard to injure anyone."

Howard Eisenhower added as he tossed a heavy sniper rifle to Li Mochen. It wasn't the 17A-grade heavy sniper he was currently using, but the 'Blackfire Butler' that Li Mochen had bought for him earlier.

The reason was that while the former was powerful, using it required at least level 14 for a magical professional. The 'Blackfire Butler,' though a 15A-grade firearm, had lower requirements—usable from level 12.

"BOSS, are you sure you want to do this? This Black Axe Richard is indeed very important—he's Antonio's biggest pillar in the Blood Hand Gang. But even I can't do anything about him now. I think this is futile and will only make him more alert. Sampson Brut's assault plan is much more reliable."

Li Mochen, however, tossed the 'Blackfire Butler' back and instead took out from the Cosmic Divine Seal a rifle covered with a gun cloth and fitted with the 'Thunder Sleep' silencer—the 'Dragon's Might.'

Howard Eisenhower's pupils contracted to pinpoints at that moment: "A Concealer's Gun Cloth and Thunder Sleep? What gun is inside? Looks like a World War I firearm, a 3721 Lee-Enfield? Could this be a replica of the Dragon's Might?"

Li Mochen thought that this man truly deserved to be Atlanta's top magical marksman, knowing all kinds of firearms inside out. Just one glance and he nearly saw through the truth.

"A 3721 Lee-Enfield, one of the Dragon's Might replicas, the ninth 'Soul Extinguisher,' an 18-grade light magical sniper rifle."

——Except for the first and last sentences, Li Mochen hadn't told the truth. He didn't want Eisenhower to know that the original Dragon's Might was in his hands for now, though the latter would probably guess it soon enough.

At this moment, Li Mochen had already walked to the sniping position by the window and began to aim.

"Alright, one of the twelve 'Soul Extinguishers' famous in America. I don't know where you got it, BOSS, but with this thing, we can finally punch through that wall."

In terms of power, there's a huge gap between light and heavy sniper rifles, but the Dragon's Might and its replicas were most renowned for their penetration—something many heavy sniper rifles couldn't match.

Moreover, as Eisenhower knew, the ninth Soul Extinguisher was not only an 18S-grade light magical sniper rifle but also had absurdly low usage requirements—usable from level 10, without even needing to reach the Outlaw level.

And though Li Mochen was only level 7, he also had the Titan Holy Warrior and Dragon Blood Sorcerer as secondary classes. Both his physical strength and magical source met the requirements, and more than enough.

"But we still can't accurately determine Richard's position or calculate the wind speed."

Li Mochen didn't reply. He leaned into the scope and observed for over a minute before raising his head: "Mr. Sky Eye, if I can take out this Black Axe Richard, can you shoot down the exposed marksmen? I suspect at least two of them are lurking in the building east of us."

"Those Outlaw-level magical marksmen? That's a bit tricky. I'd need to switch to a suitable sniping position first."

Though Eisenhower said this, when he glanced sideways, his face was full of confidence: "Within 7 kilometers, while you have their attention, I have about a 70% chance of a one-shot kill."

That 'Black Axe' Richard always had 'traps' around him.

According to intelligence from the Nathan Group, the Blood Hand Gang had deployed at least four magical marksmen and at least five combat teams around Richard. This was precisely why, despite knowing how crucial this man was to the current situation, they had been unable to do anything about him.

"Then let's wait a bit longer."

Li Mochen turned and instructed Lawrence Collinson: "Notify Sampson and Thompson that the plan has changed. Have them bring people to the vicinity of the Rioter Nightclub as soon as possible. Tonight, we might have to make a big move."

After aiming, he knew the sniping operation was almost certain to succeed. With the 'Dragon's Might' and 'Thunder Sleep,' Li Mochen estimated that he could at least severely wound 'Black Axe' Richard, a level 16 Storm Lord. He was even confident enough to win in a firefight with those magical marksmen.

This meant that after the sniping, he could try to reap more gains—such as the four magical marksmen, the five combat teams under Antonio, and 'Black Axe' Richard himself along with his safe.

"Are you planning to go all in? To start a battle here?"

Howard Eisenhower was stunned for a moment, then looked at Li Mochen with a serious gaze: "You should know that if we can't finish the fight within five minutes, the Blood Hand Gang's combat teams and the East City Police SWAT units will swarm in. Are you sure you can hit Richard?"

"Over 90% chance of leaving him critically wounded."

Li Mochen put his eye back to the scope: "It's been almost seven days since Hazel disappeared, Mr. Sky Eye. We have to take this gamble."

If he won, Antonio's rule in the Blood Hand Gang would collapse in a very short time, reducing the power in that crime boss's hands by nearly half.

Moreover, Li Mochen was quite confident this time. The two artifacts Angela had provided him were a great help, though he would have to pay a considerable price for them.