Chen Fan gazed at the corner where the spider was hiding, his eyes ice-cold.
To be subjected to explosives and artillery fire, it was clear these were the spider's doing.
Even he had almost been blown to smithereens.
In fact, if he hadn't reacted quickly enough, the moment the electronic beep preceded the explosion, his fate would have been no different from Gao Hongchang's.
When the explosion occurred, he had already moved away from the epicenter. Although affected and sustaining internal injuries, he survived.
As for the subsequent artillery bombardment, there was only one cannon, and it couldn't be calibrated in time. It didn't hit his position but landed over ten meters away, merely flipping him to the ground.
This was why he survived.
After all, though regarded as a god of war in the military, he was ultimately flesh and blood, not a true deity.
The subsequent gunshots were due to the spider's precise aim, and with his severe injuries, he had no way to evade them.
Even a large-caliber anti-materiel sniper rifle wouldn't be fatal if it missed the vital organs.
Even so, after a decade in the military, he had rarely experienced such a life-threatening moment.
It was rare for a single spider to push him this far.
Gunfire echoed from outside; it was a duel between snipers.
Staring at the spider's location, Chen Fan said coldly, "If you don't want to die, lay down your weapon and surrender!"
"Will I survive if I surrender?"
Cold sweat trickled down his face. The spider let out a wild laugh from behind the corner, "Chen Tianjiao, death is inevitable. I'll drag you down with me. I have grenades in my hand, and I'll detonate them if I let go!"
"If you dare to kill me, you'll pay the price too. How much longer can you last, already heavily injured?"
Chen Fan said indifferently, "You overestimate yourself. Where is Fan Songnian?"
"Haha!"
The spider guffawed, "You still think Fan Songnian is at Mount Harrier? Chen Tianjiao, you're too naive. I eliminated him last night. How could I let someone who's been exposed live in this world?"
Chen Fan wasn't surprised that Fan Songnian wasn't at Mount Harrier.
After all, Fan Songnian was a lure. Whether he lured Chen Fan or not, to prevent any accidents, Fan Songnian wouldn't likely have stayed at Mount Harrier.
However, Chen Fan didn't believe Fan Songnian was necessarily dead.
The words of someone like the spider were naturally untrustworthy.
Of course, that was no longer that important.
Chen Fan said calmly, "It's the same if I force it out of you!"
With that, his body flashed forward like a gale.
The spider was no ordinary man. The moment Chen Fan moved, he sensed it and leaped up, lunging towards the villa's main entrance.
Clink, clink. Two grenades were left behind.
However, Chen Fan's body flickered, and instead of rushing directly around the corner, he darted into a nearby bedroom.
Boom, boom!
The grenades exploded, and the entire villa trembled.
Chen Fan's figure burst through the window, shattering the security grille along with it.
The spider moved a beat faster than Chen Fan and was heading towards Villa Four. Seeing Chen Fan crash through the window, he raised his hand and fired two shots.
Chen Fan rolled on the ground, then sprang up like a bird with spread wings, soaring towards the spider.
The spider rushed into Villa Four but dared not linger, heading for the back door.
As he reached the back door area, he felt a chill crawl up his spine and immediately retreated.
A surge of energy flew through the air, attacking from above.
Without thinking, the spider raised his hand and fired two shots, then quickly withdrew.
Boom, the back door was ripped to shreds by the force.
The spider fled again.
But this time, he had only reached the living room when a figure pursued him like a fierce wind, constantly closing the distance.
Without looking, the spider fired a shot backward.
He burst out of the villa and saw a familiar figure running towards him.
It was his subordinate, Du Ya.
Seeing the spider fleeing in disarray, Du Ya realized something was wrong. He aimed his rifle at the area behind the spider, knelt on one knee, and took aim.
A figure emerged two seconds later.
Du Ya immediately opened fire.
Chen Fan flickered, retracted his body, and raised his hand to shoot.
At a distance of about thirty meters, he hit his target with one shot.
A bloody hole appeared between Du Ya's eyebrows, and he fell to the ground.
The spider ignored his anger and dashed into an adjacent villa.
Cold sweat streamed down his forehead. He used the villa's terrain to try and escape Chen Fan.
After waiting for a few seconds and not sensing Chen Fan's presence, he breathed a sigh of relief, quickly changed his position, and entered Villa Seven.
The moment he entered the living room, he felt a chill creep up his spine once more.
As he hastily turned around, gunshots echoed in his ears.
His hand was shot through, and his gun fell to the ground.
At the same time, he felt a sharp pain in his calf and collapsed to his knees.
Looking up, he saw Chen Fan's figure standing at the doorway of a bedroom directly facing the entrance.
Chen Fan's face was pale, but his indifferent expression showed no emotional fluctuation.
"Haha!"
Seeing that escape was impossible, the spider burst into laughter. He sat on the ground, letting the blood gush out, and said, "You still couldn't be shaken off, Chen Tianjiao. You're too formidable. Your reputation as the God of War is truly well-deserved!"
"You don't need to praise me!"
Chen Fan said expressionlessly, "Tell me the list of the highest-ranking members of the Brotherhood, and I'll spare your life!"
The spider shook his head. Fear of death flickered in his eyes, but his expression was wild and twisted. "Someone like me has lived long enough. Money, women, murder, arson, all sorts of evil deeds. What haven't I experienced?"
Chen Fan raised his gun and said, "You're right!"
"Wait a moment!"
The spider suddenly laughed.
Chen Fan looked at the spider.
"I'll tell you a name, Zuo Lizhou. He knows a lot. Haha, go catch him and interrogate him!"
The spider cackled, "Do you dare?"
"I don't need you to tell me that name."
Chen Fan's face was expressionless as he pulled the trigger.
With a bang, the spider's twisted and wild face froze at the sound of the gunshot.
This man who had caused Chen Fan considerable trouble, a truly rare and formidable opponent within the Brotherhood, was dead!
With no time to linger, Chen Fan didn't even search the spider's body. His figure flickered, and he left the villa, heading towards the mountain road entrance.
He remembered the gunfire coming from that direction. Zhang Yi and Wang Yan must have come to support him, and Chen Fan couldn't abandon them.
Passing by Du Ya's corpse, Chen Fan picked up the magazine.
After changing the magazine, he arrived outside Villa One and saw several armed men rushing down.
Raising his gun, Chen Fan fired several bursts.
Two men fell in response, and the remaining two immediately retreated down the slope. In their panic, they glanced over, their faces turning deathly pale.
Without pausing, Chen Fan leaped forward and swiftly moved past them.
On the rooftop of the main building, seven or eight people were watching. Seeing Chen Fan charging towards them, their expressions turned to sheer terror.
"It's Chen Tianjiao! He's not dead!"
"Where is that damned spider? Didn't he go to kill Chen Tianjiao? Where is he?"
"The spider's gone silent. Could this guy have been killed by Chen Tianjiao?"
"..."
Realizing the gravity of the situation, all of them turned ashen and desperate.
Miss Mei'er, the beautiful woman, turned deathly pale.
"Go, let's go quickly!"
"Hurry and escape! This useless spider has doomed us!"
"..."
At this moment, these people wished they had two more legs, and they scrambled down the mountain in other directions.