蹲下 and dug a bullet out of the dirt, taking a closer look to see that it was an armor-piercing round.

Everyone at the River Valley Manor should be one of us, so this shot was just a warning. Otherwise, they would have aimed for a vital spot. With that thought, Han Xiao took out an antique copper coin from his pocket, raised it, and waved it. The sniper in the manor could definitely see it through the scope.

This coin was given to him by O'Phan before departure, as proof of recognition for teammates.

After waiting for about a minute, Han Xiao continued forward. This time, no one fired, and he successfully arrived outside the River Valley Manor. He found that it had been modified for defense, with countless iron plates nailed to the outer walls, completely covering the inside of the manor. There were traces of resistance to explosions on the steel plates.

The gate opened, and Han Xiao walked in. The layout of the River Valley Manor unfolded before his eyes. It covered a vast area and could be roughly divided into inner and outer layers. The outer layer was various fortifications, with fully armed mercenaries coming and going, carrying guns and patrolling everywhere, chatting loudly and noisily, rude and undisciplined, unlike regular soldiers who were silent and reticent.

The inner layer was the central area, a villa with a fountain garden, surrounded by black railings to distinguish the inner and outer layers. Through the railings, he saw that there was no one in the villa and garden, as if no one lived there.

"New here, assassin?"

A burly black man next to him stopped Han Xiao. This was the person who opened the door. Han Xiao looked at his skin color and felt that this black man was the best candidate to blow up bunkers at night, provided he was streaking.

The black man ignored Han Xiao's reaction and turned on the walkie-talkie, roaring in a broken gong voice, "Chen Li, there's a new assassin here. Come and pick him up quickly."

"Wait for me, I'll be right there," a cursing voice came from the walkie-talkie.

A yellow-skinned mercenary named Chen Li quickly arrived at the gate. First, he gave the black man the middle finger, then looked at Han Xiao and sized him up. "Follow me."

Following Chen Li to the southeast side of the River Valley Manor, Han Xiao learned the simple defensive layout of the manor from Chen Li. It was divided into three sides. The west side faced the river, and attackers might attack by yacht, but they would be targets on the river, so it was the easiest.

The other two sides were the southeast and northeast, and the overall defensive layout was a triangle. Chen Li was the person in charge of the mercenaries on the southeast side.

"What type of assassin are you?" Chen Li asked.

"Sniper type."

"That's good. We need ranged attackers. Last time, an assassin who only knew close-quarters assassination came, and he was of no use at all."

Han Xiao looked back at the central villa and asked the three key questions in his mind, "Who are we protecting? How long will we defend here? Who are the enemies?"

Perhaps everyone new here would ask these questions, and Chen Li answered fluently, "The higher-ups didn't say how long we'll defend. Anyway, if we really can't hold on, I'll retreat immediately. I don't care how much money they give me. I won't be cannon fodder. I don't know who the enemies are. Sometimes they attack during the day, sometimes at night, sometimes every few days. There's a constant stream of new enemies appearing."

"As for the target we're protecting, hehe..." Chen Li suddenly sneered, "I heard the target is hidden in the villa, but they've never shown themselves. The mission prohibits us from entering the villa to check. Maybe there's no one in the villa. We're guarding an empty shell... Hmph, I don't care what the employer's intentions are, as long as they pay."

An unmanned villa, a never-seen protected target, vaguely worded conscription orders, enemies of unknown origin. These factors combined made Han Xiao feel an unspeakable strangeness, and he felt shrouded in a fog.

"By the way, what level of assassin are you, Dark-grade or Ghost-grade?" Chen Li asked casually.

"Mr. Black, Scorpio-grade."

Chen Li turned his head suddenly, his face astonished, "Scorpio-grade? How did you get here? Only Dark-grade and above receive conscription orders. You're not qualified, are you?"

"I'm already here. What level doesn't matter, does it?" Han Xiao had no intention of explaining to a mercenary leader. In the words of a B-list actor... I do things in my life, why should I explain to you! Just one word, act!

"Although he's a Scorpio-grade, since he's a sniper, we'll make do with him. Anyway, as long as you can hit people with a sniper rifle."

Chen Li frowned and pointed into the distance, saying, "Do you see those three bunkers? You go to the middle one. The Poison Bee Brothers will arrange you."

Following Chen Li's finger, the three bunkers were just located at the intersection of the southeast and northeast defense lines, the apex of the triangular defense area. This position allowed the sniper to have the best shooting view and range. However, the disadvantage was that it was too conspicuous. If the enemy attacked, they would first take out the sniper. Fortunately, many machine guns and grenade launchers were erected on the outer walls next to the bunker, providing the heaviest defensive firepower.

Han Xiao had no objection. Before triggering the panel mission, he had a nonchalant attitude.

Walking into the middle bunker, he followed the stairs to the top floor of the bunker (which was the sniper position) and found that there were two people there, holding sniper rifles and sitting against the wall, feigning sleep. Hearing Han Xiao's footsteps, they opened their eyes and looked over. From the cold temperament of these two, he knew that they were both assassins.

One tall and one short, they looked somewhat similar, just like the Poison Bee Brothers that Chen Li mentioned.

"New here?" The tall one spoke indifferently, "Codename, level, ability."

Han Xiao raised an eyebrow, "Mr. Black, Scorpio-grade, sniper."

"What's a Scorpio-grade rookie doing here?" The tall one frowned and said impatiently, "You go to the left fortress as a sniper assistant, responsible for solving some of the stragglers we let through. You can do such a small thing, right?"

"Okay." Han Xiao nodded.

The short one only glanced at him when he entered, and then closed his eyes and continued to rest, seemingly too lazy to talk to him, looking quite arrogant.

In the short ten minutes since entering the manor, Han Xiao had already changed locations three times. Helpless, he went to the left bunker, which was the area he was responsible for, equivalent to being an assistant for the Poison Bee Brothers.

There was already one person in the left bunker, a bearded assassin, who sized Han Xiao up and down. After Han Xiao introduced himself, he went straight to the point: "Scorpio-grade? Then you're responsible for the left, I'm responsible for the right."

The left side had the narrowest view and the easiest task. The bearded man didn't trust his ability either, which was human nature. Han Xiao had no other thoughts, just to be responsible for his own area.

[You have triggered the chain mission [Conscription Order (Protection)]]

[Mission Introduction: "First, do not inquire about the identity of the protected target; second, do not leave your post; third, do not let the enemy attack the manor; fourth, try to show that you are useful."]

[Hint: This mission is a chain mission, please act according to the instructions]

[First ring mission: Repel the first wave of enemies]

[First ring reward: 20,000 experience]

[Other mission failure conditions: 1. Unauthorized entry into the villa area.]

[2. Leaving the manor for more than one hundred and twenty minutes.]

"Chain mission? Interesting." Han Xiao thought to himself.

Chain missions were also called ring missions, which meant completing a mission requirement to know the next requirement. The difficulty and rewards would increase. Completing all the rings would yield extra rewards. Generally speaking, chain missions were more cumbersome.

"First, complete the first ring to see what the subsequent rewards are like. If it's not good, retreat." Han Xiao thought to himself. He didn't necessarily have to complete the mission. The rewards had to be generous to be worth doing.

After messing around at River Valley Manor for a few hours, he figured out the personnel configuration. The mercenaries had various heavy weapons and vehicles, and there were also some superhumans. There were also mechanics to repair equipment, provide ammunition, and repair fortifications. Assassins were the higher-end combat power.

From chatting, he learned that this group of people had been guarding here for more than ten days. The powerful figures had all emerged, such as the Poison Bee Brothers, Chen Li, and some other names and codenames, Volcano, Moonlight, and so on.

...

The sky darkened, and in the forest at night, the leaves were blown by the night wind, rustling, and the small river was babbling, creating a peaceful atmosphere.

The rapidly approaching engine sound broke the silence.

"Weng weng weng--"

Han Xiao looked out from the sniper hole of the bunker, and beams of headlights appeared in the distant woods, approaching quickly. The mercenaries in the manor began to shout loudly, and they all returned to their posts to be on guard, with dense footsteps like popping beans.

Reaching out and pulling the bolt, a smooth and crisp mechanical sound was emitted, and Han Xiao also began to adjust his state.

"The first wave is coming."