Chapter 115

  As soon as Jake returo the rooftop, he heard the rhythmic thumping noise of rotating rotor bdes. Gng around, he spotted the familiar bck helicopter off to his right. The futuristic-looking rotorcraft tio fly around the city, just a few high-rises away from the building, on the rooftop of which he stood.

  Suddenly, the helicopter made half a circle in the air and accelerated, moving in his general dire. Jake briefly sidered the possibility that it was moving toward some destination that happeo be in his dire instead of making a beeline for him, but no dice. The pilot had indeed noticed him and deliberately ged course to head straight for him.

  Why won’t you leave me alone, dammit? Jake thought with a hint of frustration.

  The chopper came to a stop he building, h in the air several meters above the rooftop. Even if he decided to attack the helicopter, he wouldn’t be able to jump that high. His only choice was to flee.

  The pilot behind the cockpit gss stared down at him for a moment. Jake could see a glimpse nition in his eyes as the pilot remembered chasing him across the rooftops a little while ago. Then he pivoted the chopper by y degrees so that the dunner could have a clear shot at him.

  Jake spun around and dashed away just as the roar of mae gun fire reverberated through the air. Dodging heavy-caliber rounds that rained down all around him, he raced across the rooftop, the gunfire chipping away at the rooftop and sending sprays of crete dust into the air.

  One of the bullets punched him in the back, staggering him for a sed. He quickly recovered and picked up his pace again. He could tell the wound inflicted by the bullet wasn’t nearly as serious as the one he’d received the st time he’d been hit by the duhe Enhanced Durability he’d acquired a few minutes earlier had notably strengthened his body.

  Jake reached the edge of the roof and executed a mana-infused jump, propelling his body forward with immense force. He soared across the gap betweewo buildings, feeling the wind against his body. As soon as he nded oher roof, he immediately tio run, not slowing down even for a sed.

  The gunfire ceased. Now that he’d put some distaween himself and the chopper, the dunner couldn’t take good aim at Jake, who was now well ahead of the rotorcraft. The noise from the helicopter’s rotor bdes and its engine grew louder as the pilot accelerated, giving chase. Jake didn’t o look back to know his pursuers were gaining on him.

  He leaped across the gap to anh-rise building. He tio run, but whether he would be able to give the chopper the slip was anybody’s guess. As he already khat futuristic helicopter was incredibly fast. Most likely, he would have to seek refuge inside one of the buildings, as he’d dohe st time.

  Suddenly, the helicopter came into view on his left. It streaked through the air alongside the building, keeping abreast of him. It was incredibly fast, keeping pace with him effortlessly. In his expanded field of vision, Jake saw the dunner smirk as he drew a bead on him. Then he opened fire.

  Bullets buzzed past him like maddened hors. Two or three of them drilled into his left side and shoulder, leaving small pockmarks in his hardened flesh. While they caused him to stagger, the bullets didn’t infliy signifit damage. They even failed to pee deep enough to reach the mana stored inside his body. Still, he was getting angry. Despite his usually calm demeanor, this situation was starting to infuriate him.

  Seeing Jake still on his feet and running seemed to heighten his pursuers’ excitement. This cat-and-mouse game seemed to amuse the two octs of the chopper. They viewed him as nothing more than a frightened prey running for his life. If they’d known what he was capable of, they would’ve left him alone instead of persistently trying to piss him off.

  Knowing he couldn’t outrun the helicopter, Jake suddenly ged the dire of his movement, making a y-degree turn to the right. He was now moving away from the helicopter while the dunner was now targeting his back. The heavy-caliber rounds kept zipping past him, one of which tore into his left shoulder bde area. Jake was beginning to lose his posure. It was being increasingly difficult for him to stay calm.

  Reag the edge of the roof, he unched himself up and forward, s through the air toward another building. The dunner tio unleash a barrage of fire at him. Two more bullets struck him in the back while he was still airborne, briefly disrupting his trol over his body. As a result, upon reag the rooftop, he lost his band crashed onto his side instead of nding on his feet. However, despite feeling frustrated by the rough nding, he suffered no injuries.

  The helicopter accelerated again to catch up with him. He caught a glimpse of the pilot through the cockpit gss. The guy was sneering at him. The two octs of the chopper must’ve thought he was done for, pnning to finish him off. Jake had other pns, though. While he was a sitting duck for them, he knew he wasn’t going to lose to them. This wasn’t going to end the way his pursuers believed it would.

  He leaped to his feet and dashed across the rooftop, his mind torween flig thoughts. Rather than fleeing, he felt an urge to front his pursuers. His desire to fight was s it prompted him to gnce over his shoulder at the helicopter, calg the best strategy t it down. It was still too high in the air for him to reach with a jump, so if he chose to fight, he was going to have to find a taller building to scale its wall to reach the same height as the helicopter.

  Suddenly, the chopper accelerated signifitly and streaked through the air over him. It crossed the gap between two buildings before slowing down and h above the roof of the building he was running to. Jake instantly realized what was on the pilot’s mind. However, by that point, he’d already reached the edge of the roof and couldn’t abruptly stop without risking losing his bance, pitg forward, and falling off the roof due to the momentum he’d gained. He had no choice but to execute a mana-infused jump across the gap.

  Just as he unched himself up and forward, the helicopter turned y degrees so that the dunner’s side faced him. With a shit-eating grin on his face, the shooter opened fire on Jake as he soared through the air toward the building, over the roof of which the helicopter motionlessly hovered.

  Heavy-caliber rounds peppered his chest, inflig no damage on his hardened body other than leaving pockmarks. However, each impact disrupted his momentum. He knew he wouldn’t be able to reach the other roof now. While his body tio soar toward it, he was now desding at an angle, rapidly losing altitude. Instead of nding on the building’s rooftop as intended, he was going to crash into its wall.

  Well, shit, he thought.