Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Thirty-Six: Crossfire
Blood from Er Jin splattered onto Pan Luo's fair face as she stared in shock at Er Jin collapsing to the ground, reaching out with her hand but grasping nothing.
The thunderous sound of gunfire still echoed in Pan Luo's ears, and she felt a sudden heat on her cheek. Trembling, she touched her face, realizing it was warm blood.
Er Jin lay on his back, a bright crimson stain spreading across his chest. His face held an expression of surprise, but his eyelids gradually drooped.
More gunshots rang out, pulling Pan Luo back from her dazed thoughts. Before she could scream, a powerful force knocked her to the ground, followed by a man's furious shout, and then the gunfire intensified.
He Yong, An Zheng, and others were waiting in front of the dormitory for Er Jin to escort Pan Luo back. Instead of returning, gunfire erupted unexpectedly.
He Yong and the others rushed forward immediately, only to be met with a barrage of bullets.
A soldier tackled the stunned Pan Luo, shielding her with his body as a bullet pierced his skull, splattering brain matter across the ground.
In an instant, two beloved comrades were lost. He Yong's eyes widened in fury as he swept his gun wildly. If not for two other soldiers desperately pulling him back, He Yong would have been the third to fall.
An Zheng tightly held his son, lifting his gaze from Er Jin and the fallen soldier's body. In the distance, he saw a dozen uniformed men charging forward with gleaming rifles, flashes of gunfire illuminating the scene as bullets flew. He Yong and the six others returned fire, momentarily suppressing the attackers' firepower before retreating up the stairs with An Zheng and Pan Luo.
Pan Luo was almost dragged inside against her will; the young girl stared blankly at the motionless figure on the ground, her lips trembling and her gaze unfocused.
"Ahhh!!!" He Yong screamed in madness, gripping his hair as he unleashed a torrent of fire toward the entrance.
The trees lining the road were riddled with bullet holes, their branches rustling as leaves fell like scattered remnants.
Two warriors fired their guns, taking down several zombies that had leaped from the upper floors. They dragged the stunned and frantic individuals back up.
The dormitory building was a small four-story structure, with green-painted railings along the edge. Inside the railings were bright yellow wooden doors. Just as the group reached the second floor, a series of rapid gunshots rang out again, sending sparks flying from the iron railing.
The soldiers took cover on either side of the staircase and returned fire. He Yong kicked open a door, pushing in An Zhengpan Luo, a young boy, along with a Communications Soldier. Swiftly reloading his weapon, he fired from the second floor with bloodshot eyes.
Since Er Jin was shot until now, less than two minutes had passed, and the once-quiet Power Station erupted into chaos again, but this time, the main characters were no longer the zombies.
A group resting in the warehouse was startled awake. Those who had been sleeping blinked in confusion, wondering if they had misheard; it sounded like a battle outside.
Before they could fully comprehend the situation, gunfire erupted continuously, drowning out even the sounds of zombies outside.
Jiang He and his companions scrambled to the door, only to see Bai Yudong and the Russian Brothers already climbing up the pipes, their faces serious as they gazed out through the ventilation window.
"What’s going on?" Jiang He wiped his mouth, still looking somewhat dazed.
Bai Yudong shook his head and replied, "It's our people."
The sound of an 81-style rifle was familiar to them, but the other gunfire sounded unusual.
"The zombies have retreated; someone has entered the Power Station," Little Russian said excitedly.
"Not just one group; that gun earlier... was it a sniper rifle?" Big Mousy exclaimed, wide-eyed as he rubbed his ears in disbelief.
Jiang He and the others lacked the skill to discern gunfire, and seeing the strange expressions on their faces, they didn't know how to ask.
"There’s a problem." Bai Yudong jumped down from the pipe and looked at the few people who had gathered around. "Two groups are exchanging fire, and the Zombies have retreated. We need to check it out. You all stay in the warehouse and don’t wander off."
"Pan Luo is still in the tower; we have to go too!" Song Yao rushed over, saying, "What do you mean by two groups?"
‘Tat tat tat tat tat!’
‘Bang! Bang! Bang!’
Another round of gunfire erupted.
Bai Yudong raised an eyebrow. "That’s what I mean. It won’t help if you go; the situation is unclear. Just guard the warehouse!" Without waiting for them to argue, Bai Yudong and the others crouched by the door for a moment, then pulled apart the iron chain to open a gap. The three of them slipped out in single file, leaving the others staring at each other in confusion.
Chao Yifan scratched his head silently and muttered, "They don’t even have guns; what are they going for?" He shook his Five-Four in his hand and forced a smile.
Ming Junwei climbed up the pipe and watched as the three followed behind the Horde of Zombies, furrowing his brows.
"Is it Dr. An and her team?" Song Yao asked.
"I can’t see clearly, but it does seem like two groups are firing at each other. Listen to that gunfire," Ming Junwei said as he jumped down to secure the door latch and strode over to the trembling graduate student nearby.
"How many of you are there?"
"No, that's all of us..." The graduate student replied with a trembling voice, his face filled with despair.
"Damn it, what kind of situation is this?" Ming Junwei spat, feeling overwhelmed. If it were just another wave of Zombies, he wouldn't be so panicked; after all, they could run or hide from them. But the unknown gunfire meant something else entirely. Militants? An army? Bai Yudong and the others were part of a military unit!
"Shouldn't we go take a look?" Song Yao said anxiously about Pan Luo and the little boy.
Chao Yifan remained surprisingly calm, lazily leaning back against a cardboard box. "It won't do us any good to go. Without guns or artillery, we'll just be walking to our deaths."
As they spoke, another loud bang echoed, identical to the first gunshot.
"What the hell!" Jiang He and He Yong exclaimed in unison, though one was in awe while the other cursed angrily.
The Small Building was positioned diagonally across from the intersection. He Yong and the others had no suitable hiding spots; after several exchanges of fire, they were forced back into their dormitory and could only lean out of the window to return fire. After a few probing attacks, both sides seemed to have gauged each other's capabilities. He Yong's group was filled with fear and confusion, while Wu Wentao's crew felt a sense of relief.
"Kids always exaggerate; there can't be that many people," Wu Wentao said as he tossed a brand-new AWP Sniper Rifle to a burly man behind him. He leisurely bit into a cigar, flicked open his Zippo lighter with a snap of his fingers, and struck the flint to ignite the cigar.
Caroline had somehow donned a pair of tactical goggles on her face. She pressed her thin lips together and smiled proudly. "So what if there are many? Zhou, have you seen her?"
"No, I... I was at the back of the line just now." The man followed the two as they hid behind a tree, looking somewhat awkward.
Comment 0 Comment Count