Chapter 405 - 186: Drone

Chapter 405: Chapter 186: Drone

Staring at the screen of static, Li Rui was silent for a few seconds. Then, gritting his teeth, he grabbed another drone from the shelf behind him.

This one was larger than the previous two. It was a drone he had modified himself, fitting it with a simple mounting device underneath. A black, oval-shaped object was currently suspended from the mount—a bomb made of high explosives and shrapnel.

"I didn’t want to use this!"

It was as if he was trying to console himself, or perhaps find an excuse.

After saying this, Li Rui took a deep breath and launched the drone.

The drone slowly ascended, heading toward the two-story building.

Through the monitor, Li Rui watched the image slowly close in on the rooftop.

But when the drone neared the building, Li Rui froze. The bonfire on the roof had been extinguished, and the person was gone.

Li Rui piloted the drone to circle the building a few times, but he found nothing. It was as if the person had vanished into thin air, leaving not a single trace behind.

’Fuck, he got away.’

Li Rui was angry, but also a little relieved. ’Good that he ran. At least now I don’t have to face him directly.’

The drone had just turned and flown less than a few dozen meters when Li Rui’s gaze was suddenly drawn to something on the ground.

It was a black SUV, parked in an open area not far away.

Li Rui paused for a moment, then a cold smirk touched his lips.

’The man is gone, but the car is still here.’

Li Rui piloted the drone to a lower altitude, then pressed a button on the remote control in his hand.

The drone’s mounting device released, and the black, oval-shaped object fell from the sky, landing squarely on the roof of the SUV.

BOOM!

A huge explosion erupted. Flames shot up, and an orange-red glow instantly illuminated the area for dozens of meters around. The SUV was thrown into the air by the blast before being completely engulfed in fire.

Watching the raging inferno through the monitor, a triumphant smile spread across Li Rui’s face.

"That’s for shooting down my drone," he muttered to himself, then piloted the drone slowly back toward the villa.

From the shadows of a building, Xu Mo watched with a grim expression as his car became a fireball.

After shooting down that FPV drone, Xu Mo had a faint feeling that things wouldn’t end so simply.

The other party had sent two drones in a row, and he had shot them both down. This was no longer just observation; it was a provocation, a test. Based on Xu Mo’s hard-knock experience surviving the apocalypse, this kind of provocation rarely ended easily.

So, after dealing with the FPV drone, Xu Mo didn’t stay on the rooftop. He extinguished the bonfire, quickly went downstairs, and hid in the shadows of a nearby building.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before Xu Mo heard the sound of a third drone.

That drone flew more cautiously, and when it didn’t find him, it began to circle and search the area. Hiding in the shadows, Xu Mo watched it hover over the rooftop where he had just been, then fly around before finally spotting his car.

Then, Xu Mo watched, helpless, as the drone dropped a bomb. A moment later, his car exploded.

The flames were still burning, and a wave of heat washed over him.

Xu Mo stood in the shadows, his face expressionless, but his eyes were chillingly cold.

Ever since he’d abandoned the Jiang City-issued SUV in Pinggu City, he seemed to be cursed when it came to vehicles. Every car he drove was frequently destroyed.

But more than the destroyed car, Xu Mo was concerned with the other party’s intentions.

This was no longer a simple conflict. This was an act of blatant hostility.

Xu Mo had initially thought it was better to avoid trouble. The other person had first sent a drone to observe him, and after he shot it down, they sent an FPV drone. By shooting that one down and then actively hiding, he had already made his stance clear: ’I don’t want to get involved with you. I’m backing down.’

But not only did the other party not back off, they came after him and bombed his car. This was no longer a matter of courtesy.

In the apocalypse, a vehicle was a lifeline. Without a car, he would have to rely on his own two feet—slower, able to carry less, and unable to escape danger.

By destroying his car, they were essentially cutting off his means of survival.

"Looks like this can’t be settled peacefully," Xu Mo muttered, watching the direction the drone had flown.

He had wanted to avoid a confrontation, but not anymore. He was going to find the person controlling the drone and ask them just why they were being so aggressive.

Xu Mo stepped out of the shadows and glanced at the still-burning car. Some of his supplies had been on it, but thankfully, he was carrying his most important gear bag and hadn’t left it in the vehicle.

The loss was significant, but bearable.

No longer looking at the car, Xu Mo turned and set off in the direction the drone had disappeared.

The town wasn’t large, and from the direction the drone had flown, its operator had to be somewhere to the east.

Xu Mo quickened his pace, moving through the night by sticking to the shadows of the buildings.

After walking for about ten minutes, Xu Mo saw his target.

It was a villa in a remote location, with no other buildings around it, standing alone in an open field. The villa was three stories tall, its exterior covered in white tiles that were faintly visible in the darkness.

Even though it was night, Xu Mo could tell at a glance that the house was occupied.

Having lived in the apocalypse for so long, Xu Mo could distinguish an inhabited house from an abandoned one with a single look.

An uninhabited house, even with intact doors and windows, had an indescribable aura of deathly silence. An occupied one, however, radiated a sense of life that could be felt even from the outside.