Chapter Thirteen: Striking Without Pause

At the very moment when Chen Qi raised his pistol, the silenced rifles blazed in rapid succession, firing over a dozen shots. The special forces soldiers beside Chen Qi quickly riddled the two KB members with bullets, reducing them to nothing but holes. [Remaining KB members: 24/26]

Chen Qi froze in place, and seeing this, the bearded special forces soldier behind him hurriedly nudged him forward. The group soon entered the main hall of the auditorium.

The hall was in utter chaos. Screams, cries, and gunfire melded together, the air thick with a pungent stench, painting a scene straight out of hell.

Fixated on the detonator, most of the special forces soldiers beside Chen Qi surged forward, their gunfire erupting in a cacophony.

"Enemy attack! Detonate the bomb—if we die, let’s all die together!"

The furious roar of a KB member echoed from the darkness, but the ones by the detonator had already fallen, lifeless. Over a dozen rifles kept firing at them, leaving no patch of flesh unscathed.

Seeing the special forces gain control of the detonator, Chen Qi breathed a sigh of relief. Quickly, he spotted his target—a KB member crouched amid the crowd, trying to make himself as small as possible, firing furtively toward the detonator.

Chen Qi rushed ahead of the others, his pistol barking out several shots in quick succession.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

He fired repeatedly, watching as the KB member collapsed in agony, writhing on the ground. Chen Qi pressed forward, determined.

Bang! Bang!

He finished the KB member with two more shots; soon, the man lay still.

[You have killed a KB member]
[You have obtained a green treasure chest]
[Current KB members: 17/26]

Unnoticed, nine KB members had already died. Chen Qi had no time to regret not getting a blue chest; he continued searching for enemies ahead.

He was unaware that his bold advance had already caught the attention of two KB members nearby, who raised their guns toward him...

On the second floor of the auditorium, Uzniev had not heard the explosion he anticipated. Realizing something was wrong, he prepared to storm the adjacent room with his KB members to slaughter the school teachers.

Boom!

A massive hole was blasted open in the auditorium roof, and the special police descended rapidly on grappling lines, immediately engaging the KB members in fierce combat.

In the dim light, the KB members were soon outmatched. They abandoned several of their comrades' bodies and retreated, fighting as they fled toward the first floor...

Meanwhile, Chen Qi was facing unprecedented danger. Fortunately, a nearby special forces soldier responded quickly, shooting down one of the KB members.

But no one blocked the other KB member.

This KB member locked his gaze on Chen Qi, his weapon spitting furious fire; he was determined to avenge his comrades, to take at least one life.

Tat-tat-tat-tat!

Chen Qi felt dizzy as he was hurled backward, pain searing through his right arm.

It turned out that the bearded special forces soldier, who had been watching Chen Qi closely, shoved him aside just in time. As a result, Chen Qi only took a bullet to his right arm.

The bearded soldier paid dearly for this; the KB member shifted his aim and sprayed him with bullets. The bearded warrior took several shots and fell.

Chen Qi had no time to check on the bearded soldier’s wounds. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he half-crouched and emptied his pistol into the remaining KB member.

Thankfully, the gunshot wound did not impede his digitized body’s movements. The bullets were steady and precise, ending the KB member’s life at close range.

"Bearded One! Someone, help him!"

Chen Qi ignored the space’s prompts, rushing to the bearded soldier’s side and shouting desperately into his radio.

"Bearded One, are you alright?"

For the first time since entering the space, Chen Qi shed a tear. Seeing blood pooling from the soldier’s stomach wound, his throat burned with anxiety.

No matter the space, this was the first time someone had saved his life. He hated his own recklessness, his greed, and the fact that it wasn’t himself who was wounded.

The bearded soldier forced a twisted smile, speaking painfully:

"You put on a show, and Uncle said he’d protect you, so he will. Unlike that Wolf guy, who only cares about killing."

At that moment, the other special forces finally surrounded them, led by the proud-looking soldier known as "Wolf."

"Who says I wouldn't? That other one was shot by me first!"

Wolf hid the brief flicker of urgency in his eyes, tending to the bearded soldier’s wounds while maintaining a nonchalant tone:

"Idiot! You better not die just yet!"

"Bah!"

The bearded soldier spat bloody phlegm in anger, his body tensing. The movement aggravated his wound, making him grimace in pain.

Wolf swiftly treated the bearded soldier’s injuries, gave him a pill, and said:

"Bearded One, wait for the stretcher at the door. That’s all I can do. If you die, it’s just your fate."

Chen Qi suddenly noticed the searing pain in his right arm and checked his health value.

71%!

He then glanced at Wolf with a look that was half pleading, half ashamed.

Wolf said nothing, quickly bandaged Chen Qi’s right arm and sprayed it with medicine.

"Wolf Uncle, are you disappointed in me? I caused Bearded One’s injury."

Chen Qi’s face flushed, his eyes fixed on the dusty ground, his voice barely audible.

Wolf finished treating his wound and replied with his usual proud tone:

"That was Bearded One’s own stupidity! Kid, come with me. You shouldn’t be thinking about this now—there are still enemies!"

With that, he stood, picked up his gun, and left.

Chen Qi dared not disobey. Casting one last worried glance at Bearded One, he gripped his pistol and followed Wolf.

The wound, thanks to Wolf’s treatment, hurt much less, though he still struggled to fire smoothly.

Now, Chen Qi no longer dared to compete for kills. He followed closely behind Wolf, watching as Wolf quickly shot down several KB members attempting to escape.

Chen Qi took a moment to check the remaining KB member count.

[Remaining KB members: 6/26]

The KB members inside the auditorium were now desperate, making their final attempts to break through, no longer bothering with the hostages.

"See? These KB members get scared too."

Wolf fired as he spoke to Chen Qi:

"They know full well it’s impossible, yet they still try to break out instead of killing the hostages."

After shooting another fleeing KB member, Wolf said,

"Remember this, kid! Our Northern Alliance bears do not shed tears!"

Chen Qi, enduring the pain in his right arm, reloaded and fired a few shots, though his aim was noticeably poor.

Hearing Wolf’s words, he quickly agreed, then couldn’t help but ask,

"Do you think Bearded One will be alright?"