Chapter Twelve: Hidden Quest

Inside the auditorium of Sterlan Middle School, the leader of the KB group, Uzniev, felt a sudden wave of restlessness. He kept reminding himself that the Northern Alliance would never disregard the safety of these hostages.

Uzniev made another round of inspection, scolding his subordinates who were yawning endlessly, “Stay sharp! Watch out for any tricks those Northern Alliance bastards might pull!”

“Remember, if the army really breaks in, press the detonator at once,” he reminded the KB member stationed next to the device.

After an entire afternoon and night of confinement, the stench inside the auditorium was overwhelming; the usual cleanliness and order had vanished. The red carpet was smeared with unidentifiable stains, and the hostages sprawled haphazardly on the ground, little better than livestock in a pen, the only difference being the species inside.

At this moment, Chen Qi’s circumstances were even worse.

Not long after the operation order was issued, Chen Qi had followed the special forces soldiers into a manhole that led to the auditorium’s restroom.

To accommodate him, Chen Qi was positioned in the center of the formation, but the fermenting stench of sewage was so suffocating that he could hardly think.

Gazing at the silent special forces soldiers around him, Chen Qi dared not make a sound, not wanting to risk exposing the unit’s intentions, however slim the chance.

He couldn’t help but retch, doubling over and vomiting up the half-digested remnants of canned beef. Even then, he tried to suppress the noise, a thick mask of pain etched tightly onto his face.

A bearded soldier behind him caught Chen Qi, preventing him from losing his balance and falling into the unknown semi-liquid filth below.

Gradually, Chen Qi found himself adapting to the stench. Habit, he realized, was a terrifying thing. He forced his mind to focus elsewhere, refusing to acknowledge the damp, ambiguous substance soaking his trouser legs.

He had no idea how long they had been moving in the darkness before a sudden prompt appeared before his eyes, filling him with excitement so intense he briefly forgot about the foul smell.

[You have arrived at the Sterlan Middle School auditorium together with the army.]
[Hidden Quest Unlocked: Blood for Blood]
[Hidden Quest: Blood for Blood]
Quest Overview: Kill the KB members in the Sterlan Middle School auditorium.
Quest Details: With the help of the soldiers, you have reached the auditorium. Unleash your fury upon your enemies! Fight, young man! Every kill will bring you generous rewards.
Quest Deadline: None
Quest Rewards: Based on the number of remaining KB members, each kill (as long as the chosen one inflicts the majority of the damage) will grant a variable reward.
Currently, killing one KB member will grant [Green Chest].
When the number of remaining KB members is 15 or fewer, killing one will grant [Blue Chest].

When the number of remaining KB members is 8 or fewer, killing one will grant [Purple Chest].
When the number is reduced to 3 or fewer, a kill will grant [Skill Scroll Chest (Purple)].
When only one KB member remains, the reward for the kill is ??? (insufficient privileges to view).
Current number of KB members in the auditorium: 26/26.
Quest Penalty: None.

Seeing the quest information crowding his retina, Chen Qi could not suppress a surge of ambition—he was determined to claim the best rewards!

Nervous anticipation of the fight, the burning desire for vengeance, and greedy longing for the rewards tangled together; Chen Qi’s breathing in the sewer grew heavy without him realizing it.

A special forces soldier watching him cast a puzzled glance his way.

Chen Qi felt a wave of embarrassment, inwardly grumbling, “Does he think I have some kind of weird fetish? Or that I’m insane?”

He lost track of how long they had trudged through the damp, filthy tunnel before realizing the soldiers ahead had stopped.

“Are we there?” Chen Qi wondered, staring at the ceiling of the pipe.

The team leader checked his watch, having synchronized it earlier, and spoke into the radio at his mouth.

A calm male voice came through Chen Qi’s earpiece: “In three minutes, the army will launch a frontal feint. When you hear the explosion, I’ll move the manhole cover. Be on alert when you exit, and unless absolutely necessary, don’t open fire.”

Then silence. Chen Qi knew this was standard for these special forces—ruthless men of few words.

Amused, he tightened his grip on the pistol in his hands.

On the highest floor of the academic building, the general watched the auditorium through night-vision equipment.

03:15. The temporary hostage rescue command initiated the assault.

At the firing port, a KB member noticed lights and sporadic gunfire outside the auditorium.

“Again? Can’t they ever give it a rest, even in the middle of the night?”

Yawning, the KB member fired a few perfunctory shots toward the light.

Gunfire from both sides shattered the fragile calm at Sterlan Middle School.

But the sporadic intensity of the shooting was like the wheezing of an old woman on her last legs, unable to catch her breath.

With a thunderous rumble, a government soldier fired a rocket launcher at the auditorium—but it struck the wall, ricocheting harmlessly onto empty ground.

Startled, the KB members burst into nervous laughter.

“Come on, let’s give those bastards a taste too,” one urged his companion.

Not to be outdone, his companion took the launcher and fired blindly toward the lights outside the door. Hearing the government gunfire falter, the KB members grinned with excitement.

Unbeknownst to them, under the cover of night, two helicopters carrying special police were slowly approaching the rear of the auditorium.

And at the front, at some indeterminate moment, the army that had previously withdrawn was creeping back into position...

A sudden hissing followed the rocket’s blast. Quietly, a manhole cover in the auditorium restroom was slid aside. The first to emerge was a middle-aged commander.

He cautiously poked his head out, surveying the dim, silent surroundings.

He signaled to those below, and soon the cramped restroom, barely ten square meters, was packed with over twenty burly men.

Chen Qi merged into the group, releasing the safety on his pistol.

“I have to work hard to claim the kills—life comes first!” he resolved inwardly.

Click. Abruptly, the auditorium plunged into darkness—the power had been completely cut. The sudden gloom threw the crowd into chaos, punctuated by irritable warning shots from the KB guards at the door.

“Move out! Priority is to secure the detonator!” the commander commanded, charging out of the restroom, with Chen Qi following close behind, his eagerness barely contained.

Rounding the corner, Chen Qi immediately spotted two KB members, clearly disoriented by the sudden blackout.

With his night-vision helmet, Chen Qi could see them perfectly.

Excitement surged as he raised his pistol.