Volume 4 Chapter 17: Fierce Battle (Part II)

Stalemate and defense had already sufficed, yet Kathleen specifically ran up to Qin Lun, determined to settle their match decisively…

Was it mere competitiveness driving her? Clearly not. Despite their brief encounter, Qin Lun keenly sensed that Kathleen was far more mature than Little Red Riding Hood Liv. She wouldn’t abandon her post and risk close combat on a whim.

Unless… Kathleen had received word from others. She must know all members of the Gentlemen Alliance were under attack, and realized the passage she guarded likely held none of the three major allied leaders, the true key figures.

Furthermore, Kathleen’s combat arts might not primarily rely on ranged attacks. She probably excelled at close-quarters combat. Perhaps she believed holding her position defensively was secondary; the critical task was eliminating him, this super-shooter, eradicating the potential threat to the summit.

As for how Kathleen knew Gerthard, whose body Qin Lun inhabited, had been in prison? That information surely came from Xiao Lian and Lili after their capture. Facing the Allied Forces’ numerous talents, the twin apostles likely had no chance to lie.

Being apostles themselves, Xiao Lian and Lili would feel no guilt betraying other Gentlemen Alliance members, so long as Qin Lun and Grant’s true abilities remained secret. By now, the Allies doubtless possessed a complete dossier on the Gentlemen Alliance’s personnel and superpowers.

Understanding this, Qin Lun immediately retreated, running backward. The enemy wanted close combat? Win or lose, denying her that advantage was paramount. Since she abandoned her post, he’d lure her farther away.

Qin Lun made a swift decision. Failure meant surrender at worst. Victory, however, must preclude another man rescuing Kathleen.

Seeing Qin Lun turn and flee without hesitation, Kathleen paused briefly. Her concern wasn’t personal safety. She worried a misstep might doom Dr. Jones, locked in combat with another German soldier behind her, and surrender the very scientist she was protecting to the Gentlemen Alliance.

Kathleen, stunningly beautiful, was no mere ornament. As an associate professor at Grimm Academy, her hesitation lasted mere seconds. She chose pursuit, chasing Qin Lun relentlessly.

Crucially, Kathleen’s cultivated magical energy vastly surpassed her students, Little Red Riding Hood Liv and Snow White Irene. Qin Lun’s modified Kar98k sniper rifle could cripple Liv, but couldn’t pierce Kathleen’s protective chi defense energy against the super-shooter. The ranged contest inherently favored her.

Qin Lun combined his Intermediate Shooting Mastery with the Death Notice’s Combat Model to create Weakness Crosshair and Spiral Shot techniques. Yet, gunpowder weapons possessed inherent limitations against superhuman foes like Kathleen.

Armor-piercing rounds traveling at two or three times the speed of sound could penetrate thin steel plates. FN-500’s max-power instant shot, augmented by Weakness Crosshair, might pierce an inch of steel.

Powerful? Undoubtedly. But only against ordinary humans. Superhumans like Kathleen, blessed with potent bloodlines or cultivated chi and magic, defied physical laws. These energies reduced gunpowder weaponry’s physical attacks to the equivalent of toy water guns.

Kinetic energy derived from velocity and mass obeyed physical laws. Yet those very laws faced severe limitations under the influence of magical or combat chi energies.

For instance, a seemingly unstoppable bullet could vanish entirely into a minor spatial displacement array cast by a spacetime Magician. A Wind Magician could deflect its trajectory with wind elements. An Earth Magician could condense earth elements into a diamond-hard shield. A combat chi user possessed such heightened danger perception that hitting them became nearly impossible…

Would higher-tier firearms and ammo amplify Qin Lun’s Weakness Crosshair and Spiral Shot? This depended on the Combat Model underpinning these techniques. Both were fundamentally based on Earth’s physics.

Switching firearms required matching the calculations dictated by these models. The FN-500 couldn’t utilize Spiral Shot, confined to Weakness Crosshair because its instant shot lacked a ballistic trajectory; it appeared instantly at the target, bypassing obstacles.

Therefore, only when Qin Lun advanced his shooting skills to Master or Grandmaster level would he comprehend superior ballistic principles, refine Weakness Crosshair and Spiral Shot within his Combat Model, and truly become capable of terminating superhumans like Kathleen with a single shot.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!” Kathleen and Qin Lun traded shots as they chased through the tunnel, shattering debris from the walls and floor.

Neither employed ricochets now. Inaccuracy against moving targets was one reason; the excessive strain on their bodies from triggering adrenaline overloads, potentially causing muscle pulls and mental fatigue, was the other.

Possessing high Perception, they often evaded before the other even fully aimed. Current shots served merely to slow the pursuit and escape.

After minutes of running, Qin Lun noted Kathleen’s superior speed closing their initial gap. Thankfully, they were now some distance from Grant and Jones’s skirmish, achieving his primary tactical goal.

“Now!” Qin Lun stopped abruptly, spun around, and swung his sniper rifle like a club at Kathleen.

“Heh. Giving up?” Kathleen’s lips curled with faint mockery, though a flicker of seriousness passed through her eyes.

Pre-war intelligence noted German soldiers heavily relied on entrenching tools (1) in melee. She suspected Qin Lun was using his rifle as one now.

Qin Lun’s Kar98k was no ordinary Mauser. Even the stock was forged steel, incredibly heavy. Only a Superpowered Being could handle it effortlessly. With the stock ground, it might genuinely serve as a makeshift shovel.

But a rifle wasn’t a shovel. Such a hard blow would surely wreck its internals. A rifle was a shooter’s life. Qin Lun’s action felt bizarrely reckless, triggering her danger sense.

Despite her unease, Kathleen moved swiftly. A light tap of her foot spun her aside, evading the rifle’s arc. Raising her left hand, she fired the Webley point-blank at Qin Lun’s temple (2).

Shooting this close? Qin Lun’s scalp prickled. He jerked his head instinctively, feeling a searing burn by his ear, warm liquid tracing his cheek.

“Hmph!” Qin Lun grunted. Ignoring the wound, he heaved the rifle back up, aiming another swing at her.

Kathleen giggled softly. Pushing the rifle barrel aside, her long legs coiled and leapt. She sailed gracefully over Qin Lun’s head. Her Gypsy-style skirt with a high front slit billowed up, momentarily obscuring his view. Designed for movement, such skirts offered surprising freedom.

Bang! Mid-flip (3), Kathleen fired again at the crown of his head. Qin Lun managed to avoid a headshot, but felt his shoulder numbed – the bullet had fractured bone.

Now, Qin Lun knew Kathleen’s close-combat specialty. Firing while grappling wasn’t impossible, but demanded immense training: precise wrist/finger coordination paired with evasion. Divided focus usually created exploitable openings.

Yet Kathleen’s earlier maneuvers had flowed seamlessly, almost dance-like. It clearly wasn’t her first time employing such tactics. This was Combat Gunmanship—a style of close-quarters gunfighting Qin Lun had never witnessed.

Despite the dire situation, elation unexpectedly surged within him. Firearms techniques could incorporate breathtaking artistry! Kathleen’s Combat Gunmanship revealed a super-skill merging ranged lethality with melee finesse—perhaps unlocking a hidden door only a Master Shooter could enter.

Their fervent dance continued. Qin Lun soon bled profusely from multiple wounds, half his face slick with crimson. His only gains were two solid strikes with the Kar98k’s stock against Kathleen’s thigh, leaving large, livid bruises staining her pale skin. (4)

Thud! The third stock strike on her thigh finally ignited Kathleen’s temper.

The repeated blows had landed dangerously near the groin area. Though her femur remained intact, the deep bruising significantly hampered her agility. Sharp, tearing pain lanced through her inner thigh with each landing. Moreover, being battered there repeatedly carried a uniquely profound humiliation for a woman.

Qin Lun sustained seven or eight hits from the Webley, the bullet holes bleeding heavily, staining his uniform crimson. Yet his pale gray pupils remained unnaturally calm, devoid of pain, cold and unyielding as stone.

Facing this silent, relentlessly striking German soldier, a sliver of respect surfaced in Kathleen’s heart.

“Hmmph!” Landing aggravated the pain deep within her thigh. Kathleen arched an elegant brow, her eyes narrowing dangerously. Frustration born of pain, and perhaps, grudging admiration for his indomitable will, began to smolder within her.

“Since you’re so fond of using your sniper rifle as an entrenching tool,” she hissed coldly, “I’ll destroy it! See what you wield then!”

When Qin Lun swung the rifle again, Kathleen did not evade. For the first time in the fight, she merely shifted her body, letting the stock pass by (5). Her right hand erupted with blinding white light, enveloping the Webley (6). Its sturdy grip slammed brutally against the Kar98k’s receiver.

Clang! A colossal metallic clang reverberated. Though metallic, rifles are complex assemblies. The savage impact between two superhumans instantly shattered both weapons, strewing fragmented components across the cold tunnel floor.

Seeing his sniper rifle and Kathleen’s Webley (in her right hand) mutually destroyed (7), Qin Lun’s marble-cold visage finally registered a tremor. A flicker of intent shone in his pale gray eyes.

She’d finally lost patience! Now reduced to a single sidearm…!