Infinity, The Arcade Age

"Whoa!"

Pulling on his reins, Xiahou Dun came to an abrupt halt. His face was ashen as he glared at the three figures blocking the bridge—their only escape route.

How could there still be an ambush here? Shouldn't their priority have been scattering his army completely?

Both sides stared each other down across the bridge in an uneasy silence.

Double-Gun Granny, now standing upright, frowned as she surveyed the dozens of heavily armored cavalrymen behind Xiahou Dun. After a brief hesitation, she nudged Qin Ming.

"Go lure that guy over here."

"Me?"

"Of course! You're the smooth talker! Who else would go?"

Grumbling under his breath, Qin Ming shoved his hands into his pockets and stepped forward, locking eyes with Xiahou Dun.

Grinning, he spoke with mock familiarity, "General Xiahou, long time no see. Remember me? The centurion you personally appointed."

At these words, Xiahou Dun's expression darkened.

"You dare show your face in front of me again!"

"Why wouldn't I? You're a defeated general now."

"You really are one of Liu Bei's men!"

"Does it matter who I am? What's important is that I'm definitely not on your side."

Xiahou Dun's grip on his massive blade tightened, and he spurred his horse forward in a furious rage, only to be restrained by his bodyguards.

"General! Be careful—it could be an ambush!"

At his guards' warning, Xiahou Dun froze, his sharp eye scanning the surroundings for any sign of hidden soldiers.

Before he could complete his survey, Qin Ming shrugged casually and continued, "Don't bother looking. The Five Tiger Generals have already overrun your camp. Oh, and by the way, it was me who gave them the precise location of your granaries. Being your centurion gave me free rein to wander the camp—plenty of time to gather intel."

"You—!"

"General Xiahou, I wanted to repay your kindness somehow. So… I brought you a gift. I hope you like it."

With a smirk, Qin Ming tossed a blood-stained bundle across the bridge.

Xiahou Dun caught it deftly on the tip of his blade, his eye narrowing as dread crept into his heart. Slowly, he unraveled the package.

Inside was the severed head of Li Dian.

For a moment, Xiahou Dun froze.

He had clung to a faint hope that Li Dian might have escaped, that they could regroup and mount a counterattack. But this blood-soaked reality shattered that illusion entirely.

Silent and grim, Xiahou Dun passed the gruesome bundle to one of his guards. His expression was like stone as he turned his gaze back to Qin Ming.

"You're trying to provoke me. You want me to charge onto that bridge, so you can use those strange repeating crossbows to finish me off, aren't you?"

Qin Ming's smirk faltered slightly.

Without another word, Xiahou Dun yanked his reins and spurred his horse forward, charging onto the bridge with blazing fury.

"You succeeded, brat! I'll kill you myself!!"

"General!"

His guards shouted in alarm but had no choice but to follow, galloping behind him in a furious charge.

The thunder of hooves filled the night air as dozens of Tiger Leopard Cavalrymen stormed onto the narrow bridge.

Double-Gun Granny and Talma wasted no time. Setting up their machine guns, they opened fire.

The confined bridge was a perfect kill zone. With no room to maneuver and nowhere to hide, the charging cavalry should have been shredded by the storm of bullets.

But these weren't ordinary cavalry—they were the Tiger Leopard Cavalry, the elite of Wei's forces. Their heavy armor, bolstered by their defensive skills, deflected most of the bullets with sparks and clangs.

Only a few rounds found weak points or struck exposed areas, knocking a handful of riders from their horses. But the majority of the cavalry thundered forward, their weapons glinting in the moonlight, eyes blazing with fury.

Thirty meters.

Twenty meters.

Ten meters.

As the cavalry closed in, Double-Gun Granny suddenly stopped firing. She yanked hard on a thin rope attached to her hand.

With a sharp snap, dozens of wooden-handled grenades hidden beneath the bridge ignited simultaneously, spewing smoke and flames.

Boom!

A deafening explosion shattered the bridge supports. With a thunderous crash, a 20-meter section of the bridge collapsed into the churning river below.

Qin Ming, Xiahou Dun, and several charging cavalrymen plummeted into the water.

The remaining Tiger Leopard Cavalrymen reined in their horses desperately, their momentum nearly sending them over the edge.

Looking down at the swirling black water and the struggling figures below, the soldiers' faces paled.

Before they could recover, the sound of machine gun fire erupted again from the far side of the broken bridge.

Double-Gun Granny and Talma resumed firing, forcing the cavalry to take cover and fire back with their bows.

Below the collapsed bridge, the frigid river current roared around Xiahou Dun. His heavy armor pulled him downward as he thrashed desperately.

But before he could steady himself, a shadow surged toward him from behind.

Qin Ming lunged, wrapping his arms and legs around Xiahou Dun's body. He sank his teeth into Xiahou Dun's neck and hammered his fists into the general's face with savage ferocity.

"Get off me, you mongrel!" Xiahou Dun roared, flailing as he tried to shake Qin Ming off.

After several frantic strikes, he managed to pull Qin Ming away.

Gasping for breath, Xiahou Dun began tearing at his armor, unbuckling the heavy plates piece by piece.

He knew the truth of water combat—armor that protected him on land would be his death trap here.

His priority wasn't fighting Qin Ming—it was survival.

Above, bullets and arrows traded places in a chaotic firefight. Below, two desperate warriors fought for their lives amidst the swirling current.

The Battle of Bowang Slope was far from over.

(End of Chapter)