Chapter 166: Why on earth play a hell-mode instance for fun?

The helicopter approached and hovered above the luxury yacht, circling it as if on a scenic city tour—even its paint job matched that of a Los Angeles aerial tourism company.

However, through the high-powered lens of spotter Christine, she clearly made out the moving figures aboard the aircraft and the weapons they were brandishing!

"Weapons confirmed!"

"Weapons out! Take cover!"

The message was instantly relayed to Olivia, who was already on the yacht. Without a word, she rushed to Li Lele, grabbed his arm, and urged, "Come with me quickly!"

Her tone brooked no argument, firm and resolute.

Before Li Lele could figure out what was happening, he was pulled and tugged down to the lower deck, hiding in the blind spot of the overhead helicopter.

Inside the Cadillac, Bianca kept her rifle steady, her gaze locked onto the chopper as her lips moved softly: "I can open fire at any moment!"

Christine immediately communicated with Olivia: "We are in position!"

"I am completely safe here!" Olivia looked out through the porthole at the still-circling helicopter. "They exhibit clear hostility. Permission to engage is granted!"

"OK!"

This was the exact word Bianca was waiting for.

Regardless of whether they were targeting Li Lele or not, their unidentified status, possession of firearms, and aerial ambush-style circling already constituted an extreme threat!

As nuns of the Saints, they embodied the role of protectors. They did not wait for danger to arrive before scrambling for remedies; rather, they sought to nip it in the bud!

"Thwip!"

Normally a deafening gunshot, the rune-inscribed suppressor reduced the sound to little more than a mosquito's buzz near the ear.

The bullet sped toward the target sixteen hundred meters away. A full second later, sparks erupted on the helicopter's fuselage as the bullet punched right through, luckily striking the right-hand gunman's arm!

The 12.7mm caliber round, carrying immense kinetic energy, cleanly blew his entire arm off. Blood sprayed across the front instrument panel—a truly gruesome sight!

The impact startled the pilot, who steadied the aircraft and looked back. The gunman was clutching his bleeding, severed limb; the adrenaline rush in his body kept him from feeling the pain immediately, but the look of horror on his face was undoubtedly the worst nightmare he would ever see!

"We've been hit!"

"We've been hit!"

The pilot shouted in a panic, the most terrifying part being that he had no idea where the gunfire was coming from.

On the ground.

With a calm demeanor, Bianca pulled the bolt to eject the spent casing, chambered the second round, maintained her previous posture, and fired the second shot at the helicopter!

About a second later, with a loud bang, the bullet entered from the rear, passed straight through the instrument panel, and grazed the pilot by a hair's breadth. He immediately accelerated and bolted toward the open sea!

Because out on the open sea was the one place bullets definitely couldn't come from!

His split-second rationality saved his life.

However, his companion was not so fortunate. The second gunman on the left had ducked back, hoping the helicopter's steel plating would protect him, but the third bullet, arriving hot on the heels of the second, relieved him of that unnecessary worry!

This time, the round punched clean through his torso, carrying organs out with the gore. He didn't even have time to utter a sound before pitching forward, dead on the spot!

Amidst the roaring engines, no one could hear the pilot's screams!

"We are under attack! We are under attack!"

"The aircraft is damaged! We are making an emergency crash-landing!"

When the report reached the shore, the leader with the scarred face wore a grim expression. His immediate reaction was that they had fallen into a trap: "We've been exposed! Find that sniper!"

"Boss, do we still execute Plan B?" a subordinate asked anxiously.

"We've located the sniper's position. There are only two of them!"

Suddenly, someone arrived from outside to report.

This news prompted the scarred leader to make a split-second decision: "Execute Plan B! Prepare the speedboat for the water! And get a few men to flank the rear with me and take out the sniper!"

"OK! Swift victory!"

They were dead set on clearing this mission by brute force.

...

Bianca had fired four shots, the last one missing due to her eagerness for a quick kill.

Yet, at a distance of one to two thousand meters, achieving a 75 percent hit rate against a moving helicopter... that was the stuff of legendary television!

The magical enhancement of the rune weapons allowed Bianca to pull off this god-tier feat. With any other rifle, no matter how good her marksmanship, she would have had to leave it up to Lady Luck.

Christine, serving as her spotter, also received the notification: "The enemy speedboats have been deployed, and a vehicle is chasing in our direction!"

"Relocate and conceal!"

Without a second thought, Bianca grabbed the nearly human-sized rifle, left the vehicle, and sprinted on foot toward another vantage point. Meanwhile, Christine set up tripwire explosives inside the car, preparing a nasty surprise for the pursuers.

At the same time, the second team led by Lilian and Yelena was waiting for the right moment.

Upon seeing a vehicle speed off in pursuit of the sniper, a Cadillac Escalade parked by the roadside immediately gave chase.

Up ahead was a speeding Ford Explorer, and right behind it was the Escalade. The rear vehicle instantly revged its engine, the big V8 roaring as it propelled the four-ton bulletproof vehicle forward!

The Ford was still racing ahead, completely unaware that pursuers were closing in from behind, single-mindedly intent on eliminating the sniper.

By the time the men inside realized what was happening, the Escalade's full silhouette was already filling their rearview mirror.

It accelerated alongside the rear quarter of the Ford, swerved, and slammed its side into the target's rear bumper—executing the classic American police PIT maneuver!

A gentle nudge from the heavy, high-quality Escalade sent the leading vehicle spinning out of control. Though the driver reacted quickly to try and regain stability, they were going too far too fast, and the sliding vehicle crashed straight into a large tree in the median!

The Escalade screeched to a halt right in front of the Ford with its ABS pulsing, and all four doors flew open instantly!

The enemy immediately piled out as well. Both sides were armed, and eight or nine men met in a narrow clash of sheer murderous intent, opening fire at each other without a single word exchanged!

Both sides were armed with short assault rifles or shotguns.

Yet the disparity in weapon performance was astronomical. The nuns' gear, in particular, was utterly ferocious: a rune-enhanced AA-12 automatic shotgun loaded with thirty-two-round drum magazines. Throwing all reason to the wind, they held down the triggers for a full-auto dance of death!

Enhanced by armor-piercing runes, the body armor worn by the gunmen spilling out of the Ford proved completely useless. The moment they stepped into the open, they were blasted back into the vehicle like dancers in a frantic breakdance, riddled with holes beyond recognition—even their own mothers wouldn't have known them!

Meanwhile, at the secondary position, Bianca locked onto the speedboats out on the water and shifted into target-practice mode.

Two speedboats, carrying seven or eight men, were only three to five minutes away from the superyacht. They had even brought light machine guns and a bazooka, but none of it mattered!

Facing a hacked sniper, it was one shot per kill, and occasionally a double-tap through-and-through!

The gunfire was so muted it didn't even alert the nearby yacht until blood stained the sea crimson!

They would never have dreamed that they would perish before even finding the entrance to this hellish difficulty level.

Simultaneously, a helicopter from Saints PSC security arrived swiftly overhead. The gunner aboard had already chambered a round and flicked off the safety, preparing to reinforce the sniper while securing the perimeter.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) had also received the alarm from the Saints immediately.

As California was a primary stronghold for the Saints, the government was packed with their alumni. The governor naturally received their financial backing, and the LAPD Chief of Police was likewise a beneficiary.

Upon learning that their number-two figure had been attacked by an illegal foreign armed incursion, the Chief didn't hesitate to deploy the SWAT team, weaving an inescapable net to capture the intruders!

Yet all these actions were merely closing the barn door after the horses had bolted. Given the ultra-professional efficiency of the Saints' security forces, even the fastest-responding patrol cars were left with nothing to do except maintain order at the scene.

Those who deserved to die were dead, and those who could run had fled. While the legality of the Saints opening fire remained open to debate, the Chief had ordered a cover-up of the major incident from the very beginning—clearly, a mutual understanding had long been established.