Chapter 52 The Construction of the Catapult Is Complete

Su Miao sat silently, cradling her M416 in her arms, lost in thought. Gradually, sleep overtook her. After a day of relentless fighting, her nerves stretched taut, even a witch needed rest. Yet she never truly entered deep sleep—any slight rustle or whisper of wind would startle her awake.

Most of the disturbances were distant gunfire, far enough not to be an immediate threat. After confirming there was no danger, Su Miao would quickly slip back into sleep. This intermittent rest carried her into the late hours of the night, when Xia Xiao'an was the first to awaken, jolted by fear.

"Sister, they’ve finished building their catapults!"

"What happened?" Su Miao clutched her M416, her body trembling slightly as she asked.

"They’ve built three catapults," Xia Xiao'an hurriedly explained. "They're preparing to load explosive charges to bombard us. There will be two catapults at the rope bridge, and one up on the mountain. And someone strange went up the mountain, bringing a lot of bait—he’s up to something sinister."

Su Miao glanced out the pitch-black window. The darkness outside was impenetrable, save for a few scattered points of firelight near covered obstacles; nothing else was visible. Were they about to launch an attack with catapults? The thought sent a chill through her.

...

At the rope bridge, Xu Heng stared at the newly constructed catapults. He ought to have felt pleased, but in reality, there was no joy. The assailant who had attacked the catapult construction site remained unidentified. On top of that, two guns were missing, and a few refugees had disappeared. It was likely that the escapees had seized the weapons during the chaos.

From what Xu Heng knew, even before the boss brought them to this resort area, brutal killings were already commonplace. Now, with fugitives armed, trouble was sure to follow. All of it stemmed from the assault on Villa 36 across the landslide zone. He longed to tell the boss to call off the attack, to leave Su Miao alone—but he dared not.

Especially after learning what the boss had for dinner last night, Xu Heng felt even less inclined to speak up.

"Are you certain it wasn’t Su Miao who attacked us?"

"Relax, it wasn’t her," Fu Yongpeng replied. "I had people investigate the scene. Not a trace of any sweet scent left by a lovely girl—how could it be Su Miao? Besides, we’ve got her surrounded on all sides, separated by the landslide zone. How would she get here, fly?"

Xu Heng furrowed his brow. "Alright."

Fu Yongpeng went on, "Xu Heng, do you not trust me?"

"It’s not that," Xu Heng replied. "I just have a feeling something else is about to happen."

Fu Yongpeng smiled. "Your intuition is spot-on. Something else will happen, right across the landslide zone. You’d better prepare yourself."

Xu Heng’s expression shifted. "You’re planning—"

He didn’t dare finish his sentence.

"It’s the boss’s decision," Fu Yongpeng said, patting Xu Heng’s shoulder and lowering his voice. "So, old Xu, don’t worry. Even if your catapults end up wasted, everyone across the way will be wiped out."

After some time, Xu Heng ordered the catapults to be brought out. Out of respect for Su Miao and acknowledgment of her prowess, they decided to start with a small-scale bombardment using explosive charges. Throughout the operation, anyone exposed to risk carried metal shields or similar protection to avoid being sniped by Su Miao.

Since the mountain catapult still needed time to be assembled, Su Miao and Xia Xiao'an moved to the front to observe Xu Heng’s catapult operation. Su Miao was no longer trembling. She stood at the window, unfurling her magical space array, ready to catch any incoming explosive charges. She planned to return them, confident her enemies would be delighted by the gesture.

What happened next, however, far exceeded her expectations.

Terrified of the explosives, even with the enemy’s strict self-protection, Su Miao’s trembling hand squeezed the trigger, dispatching several hapless refugees with precise headshots—quick and merciful.

"Fire!"

A command rang out.

The first explosive charge soared through the air. Su Miao watched the fiery projectile, intending to shoot it down mid-flight. Yet it traveled only about three hundred meters before plummeting, detonating with a thunderous blast that blew off a corner of the neighboring villa.

Her magical space array served only to dampen a negligible portion of the explosion’s aftermath—the villa she occupied was still over two hundred meters away. The situation was awkward, to say the least.

"Ahh!" After the explosion, refugees hidden in the adjacent villa fled, wailing into the night. Su Miao paid them no mind unless they threatened her own villa.

The once silent night had become lively.

A few minutes later, the second explosive charge was launched. With another loud boom, it landed in a garden two hundred meters from Su Miao’s villa, blasting flowers and plants skyward.

"Sister, are they really throwing explosives? Why does it feel more like New Year’s fireworks?" Xia Xiao'an, still shaken, asked.

Su Miao blinked. "Maybe their catapults are just poorly made."

She recalled scenes from movies where catapults appeared grand and powerful, easily launching projectiles over a kilometer. But those were just cinematic illusions. Reality was different.

Searching her magical space, Su Miao found a book on ancient siege engines. She flipped to the section on catapults, which listed their ranges: small catapults, 150 to 300 meters; large catapults, 250 to 550 meters. The distance between her enemies and Villa 36 was over seven hundred meters. Even if they dared to move the catapults closer to the landslide zone, there would still be more than six hundred meters separating them from her residence.

Su Miao’s expression grew strange. What had she been worrying about all night?

She raised her M416, determined to test whether she could shoot down the next explosive charge as it rose. Though it would cost her some mental energy, she felt rejuvenated after her nap.

...

At the rope bridge, Xu Heng watched the catapults in action, barely resisting a curse.

That fool Bai Rui was always coming up with terrible ideas. After all their labor and vigilance, they’d produced nothing but a handful of useless catapults.

With such limited range, even if they launched countless explosive charges, it wouldn't do any good.

"Captain, what should we do with all these explosives?" someone asked. "If we dismantle them, they might get damp. Who knows when this storm will end—the explosives will be ruined if they absorb moisture."

Xu Heng gazed across the river, his eyes dark. "Blow up the two villas within reach."

In any case, before long, there would be no survivors left in those villas.