A sound rang out, like a coin scraping against an aluminum bowl, echoing in Zhou Zhengde's ears. He could hear his own rapid heartbeat. Everything in front of him was blurry, and a sharp pain in his abdomen felt like it was tearing him apart. Zhou Zhengde realized he had been hit by shrapnel. Even though the anti-armor rocket had struck the vehicle in front of him, he was still injured.
Am I going to die?
Zhou Zhengde tried to call out, but he had no strength left. His mouth was filled with the taste of rust, the taste of blood rising up.
“Captain, Captain!”
With a sharp sting as a needle pierced his skin, a cool liquid was injected into his veins. Gunfire erupted around him. In his hazy vision, he saw several figures nearby fall one after another.
‘Is the Black Fire Gang trying to kill me directly?’
Zhou Zhengde recalled the earlier scene. A truck had suddenly emerged from a dark alley, blocking the path of his convoy. A rocket had exploded, and gunfire erupted from a nearby three-story building. He was in the territory of the Silver Party and the City of Joy, having hired elite fighters from both to negotiate with the leader of the Black Fire Gang, only to be ambushed by them.
Why?
Did the Black Fire Gang not know who was behind him?
Zhou Zhengde suddenly froze. Maybe they did know, which is why they took the chance to eliminate him...
‘Ah, the Thirteen Institute.’
The Black Fire Gang was originally under the Thirteen Institute at Fortress 76, providing them with experimental materials... He had completely overlooked this point...
The injection began to take effect quickly. Zhou Zhengde shook his head, feeling a rush of energy as the buzzing in his ears faded. His blurry vision cleared up, and the pain in his abdomen lessened considerably.
His assistant, Lin Tao, a young man in a light blue security uniform, was quickly tending to his wounds. Several vehicles wrapped in thick steel plates formed a triangle, temporarily shielding them.
Just moments ago, there had been over ten Silver Party fighters who survived the initial rocket attack, but now only six remained. They were being completely suppressed by the gunfire from a dozen Black Fire Gang members in the building nearby, unable to lift their heads above the vehicles.
Lin Tao bit his lip tightly, his young face serious as he used a pair of disposable pliers to pull out the shrapnel from Zhou Zhengde's wound. Zhou Zhengde let out a pained grunt but bit his tongue to suppress any cries.
Lin Tao quickly took out a spray can from the medical kit and sprayed a thick layer over the wound to temporarily stop the bleeding.
“Lin Tao, call for backup…”
“The signal is blocked, Captain!” Lin Tao's voice trembled as he spoke.
He instinctively covered his head as bullets struck the roof of the vehicle. Zhou Zhengde pulled out his pistol, struggling to catch his breath. The remaining Silver Party fighters were frantically calling for help over their walkie-talkies, but it was all in vain, with no response. They could only wait for their own people to come.
They tried to peek out and return fire, but without proper military training, they were quickly hit as soon as they exposed themselves. The six Silver Party members quickly dwindled to four.
Zhou Zhengde looked around. This was the main road connecting the dance hall district and the gambling area. The previous explosions had affected the fragile and chaotic power lines in the lower city, and everything was now dark.
The three-story building to the north had lost power, looking like a hotel with its flickering sign. The three-story concrete building to the south resembled a fortress, with a dozen enemies occupying the seven windows on both floors, shining three powerful searchlights into the middle of the road.
To the east, the truck blocked the way, with five or six Black Fire Gang shooters behind it. They were completely suppressing their side with an 'L'-shaped fire layout.
Counterattacking was impossible!
Having spent a few years in the military and experienced frontline training on the outskirts of the basin, Zhou Zhengde quickly came to a somewhat desperate conclusion.
It seemed like he was doomed.
Zhou Zhengde calmed down instead, allowing the gunfire around him to continue, and even smiled as he looked up and asked, “Are you afraid of dying, Lin Tao?”
“Afraid... not afraid!” Lin Tao leaned hard against the car door, wanting to smile but finding it harder than crying. “It’s worth it to have followed the captain for two years.”
“What’s worth it? It’s not worth it until you’re sixty.” Zhou Zhengde forced a bitter smile. “I just didn’t expect to die in the darkest corner of this fortress instead of on the front lines with you.”
“Hold your gun, don’t be afraid. Load the bullets.”
Lin Tao nodded vigorously, took a few deep breaths, pulled out his pistol, and tightened his finger around the trigger guard, ready to fire.
Click, click!
“They should only have one rocket left; this shouldn’t be here in the lower city.” Zhou Zhengde whispered. “I didn’t hear any sniper shots, so the Black Fire Gang’s sniper is either not here or hasn’t arrived yet… Do you see that building to the north?”
Lin Tao turned to look, seeing the hotel building separated from the main road by a sewage ditch.
“The only escape route is there.” Zhou Zhengde said quietly. “I’m injured and can’t run. I’ll cover you... Run out of the searchlight’s range as quickly as you can, and don’t look back. Don’t try to zigzag; just crouch low and run forward, using the building for cover…”
“Captain!” Lin Tao shouted, trembling, “I’ll carry you!”
“What’s the point of both of us dying here?” Zhou Zhengde said calmly. “You need to tell them how I died, especially my mother. I need you to watch over my body and make sure the Thirteen Institute doesn’t take it for their disgusting experiments. This might be the Thirteen Institute’s revenge on me… Get ready, I’ll cover you; they’re after me.”
“Captain, Captain!”
“Get ready…”
Zhou Zhengde took a deep breath, ignoring whether the frozen wound would burst open, and immediately turned to get up.
The Silver Party members beside him were too preoccupied with their own survival to protect their employer, only glancing over this way...
Whoosh!
A figure flashed by.
A large hand suddenly pressed down on Zhou Zhengde’s shoulder, holding him firmly in place.
The two Silver Party members who had looked over were stunned, almost dropping their guns at the sudden appearance of another figure. Even the Black Fire Gang shooters, who occupied the high ground, only saw a shadow dart out from the edge of the northern sewage ditch. They didn’t have time to shoot before the figure disappeared behind a car.
Zhou Zhengde stared in shock at the young man before him.
A familiar face; a mask with a bit of blood on it; and those calm, steady eyes.
“Mu!”
Wang Jixuan shook his head with a smile, casually pulling out a bleeding-stopping talisman and sticking it on Zhou Zhengde’s wound.
“I owe you a favor, and today I’ll repay it. Just cooperate with me later.”
Wang Jixuan whispered, then slowly backed away, his legs glowing with a faint light as a breath of energy surged through his feet, and he swiftly jumped back into the darkness to the north.
Gunfire erupted from the direction of the truck, but the Black Fire Gang shooters reacted a moment too late. They only saw a figure leap out from the line of cars and dive into the darkness, disappearing at the edge of the sewage ditch.
Zhou Zhengde stared blankly, looking down at his abdomen.
What is this...
A warm power surrounded the area near the wound, and the pain diminished significantly.
“Ah!”
“Who!”
Rat-a-tat-tat!
Suddenly, frantic shouts came from behind the truck.
Zhou Zhengde looked down and saw several bodies lying under the truck.
All taken out at once?
Those six! Six shooters! Taken out almost simultaneously?
No, how... how is this possible? Is Mu Liang really a psychic? Or the most terrifying type of physical enhancement psychic?
...
A few seconds earlier.
Kill the demons and protect the path, this heart condenses to Bodhi!
Wang Jixuan returned from the darkness, rushing out from the edge of the sewage ditch and leaping into the middle of the road.
He alternated his hands forward, launching twelve sharp, cheap blades that shot out simultaneously, twelve lines of blood spraying everywhere!
Only two of the six shooters noticed something was off and turned to look at the dimly lit side, barely catching a glimpse of the figure in the gray jacket before letting out two screams.
That was all they could manage.
After landing, Wang Jixuan rolled forward, using his right foot to push off and darted to the side of the truck, hiding close to the cargo area to avoid being seen from the building across the street.
Wang Daolong had been observing for a long time; the entire battlefield was clear in his mind.
The Black Fire Gang was executing a corner attack.
He easily took over the truck area with his surprise attack, but the most troublesome part remained the fire point in the building, and the Black Fire Gang members inside had already noticed the anomaly.
There was no other option; Wang Jixuan heard a chaotic shout from a nearby shooter’s corpse:
“Ah Gui, why are you guys stopped over there? Shoot! What are you afraid of? If we kill that Zhou guy, we won’t have to worry for the rest of our lives!”
Wang Jixuan looked at the square box.
Mu Liang remembered this thing.
It seemed to be... a walkie-talkie?
This was much more convenient than a message talisman.
Wang Jixuan walked slowly to the other side of the truck, glancing at the enemy's firepower before stepping back a few paces and eyeing the weapons held by the six corpses.
Now he had two choices.
One was to save Zhou Zhengde and the others, as he had easily taken out the six Black Fire Gang shooters behind the truck.
But he quickly decided on the second option.
The Black Fire Gang had over a thousand people; the more he could take out now, the less trouble he would have later.
He could only use a pistol, so he took two pistols and stuffed them into his pants pocket, then gathered the six assault rifles and submachine guns together, exerting a bit of force to toss them over the top of the truck.
Immediately, Zhou Zhengde and the others heard a loud shout from the Silver Party members:
“Grenade! Oh crap!”
Zhou Zhengde and the others immediately ducked down, and two of them were hit on the back by the weapons that fell in a parabolic arc, crying out in pain.
They collectively breathed a sigh of relief upon discovering the weapons thrown over.
Wang Jixuan's voice rang out:
“Captain Zhou! Big guns!”
Zhou Zhengde immediately understood, grabbing an assault rifle and raising it above his head, firing toward the building by instinct, veins bulging in his neck as he shouted:
“Suppress them! Reinforcements are on the way!”
— He wasn’t sure if there were any reinforcements.
The others quickly followed suit, raising their newly acquired weapons and firing wildly at the enemy.
The sound of metal scraping against the asphalt echoed.
Zhou Zhengde’s sharp eyes caught sight of several more magazines sliding out from under the truck, stopping by his legs.
Of course, it was Wang Jixuan sending them over.
Zhou Zhengde looked down at the truck’s undercarriage and saw a pair of ordinary cheap sneakers, and then those sneakers shook slightly before disappearing quickly.
What speed!
Zhou Zhengde suddenly realized something and continued to shout:
“Empty the bullets! Suppress! Firepower suppress them!”
Zhou Zhengde yelled, aiming his gun at the side building and firing several rounds.
A figure darted like a black feather from the darkness, circling around the back of the truck and entering the rear of that building.
A few seconds later, the enemy’s gunfire suddenly weakened.
After another twenty seconds, the other side fell completely silent.
The few people beside Zhou Zhengde were firing off the last bullets in their magazines, not daring to lift their heads to aim, causing many bullets to fly in all directions.
“Cease fire! Stop!”
Zhou Zhengde shouted a couple of times, and only then did the others, still shaken, stop, their guns nearly empty as they fumbled to change magazines.
Zhou Zhengde looked around and picked up a mirror, carefully holding it above his head.
No bullets came flying.
Through the reflection, Zhou Zhengde immediately noticed two windows with bodies lying against them, and three windows had figures slumped over.
Dead, dead?
All dead?
From the moment Mu Liang began to take action until he took out those dozen shooters, it took less than half a minute?
Zhou Zhengde’s throat moved, and he began to sweat coldly all over. The earlier movements had caused a clear pain in his abdomen, but when he looked down, the pink talisman was faintly glowing.
No blood was flowing out.
Wait, does this fortress have some new technology that I don’t know about?!
(End of Chapter)