Infinity, The Arcade Age

The sharp cracks of whips echoed through the night as a cavalry unit galloped down the main road, their hooves pounding like a war drum. Leading the charge was none other than Zhao Chui, the youngest of the Zhao family's five brothers.

As the youngest, Zhao Chui was not particularly intelligent, but he was fiercely loyal to his kin.

His second brother, Zhao Xiong, may have been a scoundrel with peculiar tastes, but being killed so brutally, his head severed, had sent Zhao Chui into a rage.

Fueled by anger, he relentlessly urged his troops to quicken their pace. Splitting into four groups with his remaining brothers, Zhao Chui and his hundred riders scoured every path and crevice in pursuit of their target.

Cracking his whip, he barked orders at his soldiers:

"Spread out! Search every inch! There's no way they could've gotten far!"

One of the cavalry captains hesitated, his face pale with apprehension.

"But General Zhao, Zhao Ming ordered us to keep the troops together—"

Crack!

"Shut up and follow my orders! Spread out!"

"Yes, General!"

Clutching his stinging face, the captain quickly dispersed his men.

Zhao Chui, meanwhile, gathered a group of a hundred and pointed down the main road.

"That way! They can't be far! Move out!"

The thunder of hooves reverberated once more as the cavalry surged forward, splitting into five teams that combed every trail, side path, and obscure corner.

Meanwhile, up ahead on one of the roads, two figures sprinted for their lives.

Qin Ming and Ghost Lady, having killed Zhao Xiong and slipped out of the Wei camp amidst the chaos, were fleeing in the opposite direction of the main bridge, avoiding what they knew would be the heaviest pursuit.

However, the Wei forces had reacted swiftly, deploying teams in all directions to scour the terrain.

The sound of hooves drew closer with every moment, and Qin Ming and Ghost Lady, weighed down by a bloodied bundle hanging from Qin Ming's waist, knew they couldn't outrun mounted pursuers forever.

Realizing this, Ghost Lady abruptly stopped in her tracks, her face dark and grim.

"We can't keep running like this! They'll catch us eventually!"

Qin Ming halted, turning back to her.

"Then what's your plan?"

"We find a defensible position and hide. If they don't find us, great. If they do, we ambush them!"

Without waiting for a reply, Ghost Lady sprinted toward a nearby hill, her determination unwavering.

Qin Ming followed closely behind, summoning Talma, the gun-wielding protagonist, as they ascended.

On high ground, Talma's silver-quality light machine gun, with its destructive potential against charging cavalry, would be a decisive advantage.

Reaching the hilltop, they found cover behind a boulder. Talma, the cigar-chomping powerhouse, checked his ammunition before reporting grimly.

"Boss! Only 163 rounds left in the MG! Got seven grenades, but not enough for a prolonged firefight!"

Before Qin Ming could respond, Ghost Lady tossed over a backpack without even looking up.

"Use this!"

Opening it, Qin Ming discovered a special consumable item.

Item Name: Ammunition Resupply Kit (Metal Slug World)

Category: Consumable (Green-Grade)

Effect: Restores 500 rounds of standard ammunition. Does not replenish special rounds.

Description: A staple of government agents, capable of pulling out all kinds of supplies—even from nowhere.

Talma's eyes lit up as he began restocking his machine gun, while Qin Ming whistled in amazement.

"Damn, lady. You've got more tricks than a magician."

Ghost Lady, who was retrieving her own green-quality H-class light machine gun, rolled her eyes and flung a flamethrower toward Qin Ming.

"Don't get cocky. I don't have an army at my beck and call. Take this and lead the charge—we're probably in for a hell of a fight."

Catching the flamethrower, a silver-quality piece of gear, Qin Ming inspected it briefly before grinning.

"Maybe they won't even find us."

"You believe that?"

"Not really."

Propping the flamethrower on the boulder, Qin Ming's grin faded, replaced by a steely focus as he gazed down the road.

The Wei pursuit wasn't something he could simply hide from.

In a video game world, there was no such thing as conveniently avoiding detection just by crouching in some bushes.

Especially not when dealing with cavalry, who likely had tracking skills.

And so, when Ghost Lady suggested a counter-ambush, Qin Ming had immediately agreed. Running was futile, and hiding was wishful thinking. Fighting was the only choice.

As they hunkered down, the forest grew eerily silent.

Minutes later, the thunder of hooves signaled the approach of over a hundred riders, led by a hulking figure standing over two meters tall—Zhao Chui himself.

One of the vanguard riders, carrying a small flag, suddenly tugged his reins and stopped.

Holding the flag aloft, he scanned the surroundings, his brow furrowing.

"There's no sound—no birds, no bugs. General, something's—"

Bang!

Before he could finish, a gunshot rang out.

A spray of blood burst from the scout's head as he toppled lifelessly from his horse.

The cavalry came to an abrupt halt, their heads snapping toward the hilltop where the muzzle flash had originated.

There, Ghost Lady pulled the bolt of her sniper rifle with a resounding click.

"Serves you right for running your mouth. It's just a hundred of them, not too many. Qin Ming, let's wipe them out!"

If the pursuing force had been larger, Ghost Lady wouldn't have dared to open fire, opting instead to retreat deeper into the woods to shake them off.

But with only a hundred riders?

That was manageable.

After all, the last hundred-strong cavalry unit that dared to chase them… their corpses were still soaking in the river.