Chapter 9 Fierce Battle (1/2)

Team A and Team B arrived at the gruesome scene on the second floor.

”Vice-commander Baltar has been killed‽”

”What exactly happened here?”

”Where's the enemy?”

”Why is the surveillance room not responding‽”

”Inform Professor Lin Wei Xian immediately!”

”Team C has discovered Professor Lin Wei Xian's body!”

”Oh my god...”

All the guards gasped in fear. Was all of this really done by Zero alone? All the commanders were either out or dead, and they realized that there was no one left to give them orders.

”Wasn't he brainwashed already‽ Has he been planning this from the very start?”

The thought of it sent chills down their spines; Han Xiao could have taken their lives anytime he wanted!

”Don't panic. There's only one enemy. Proceed with a sweep of the facility. Fire at will. Team A will head to the armory, Team B, check out the surveillance room. Team C, go protect the laboratory. Team D, fortify the main gate. If Zero wants to escape he'll have to go there. Now, go!”

The Team A leader rose up to the occasion to give the orders.

There were a total of sixty guards in the base grouped into four teams. Usually, they were scattered, but this was an emergency.

Unfortunately, Han Xiao was reading them like a book.

Bang!

A loud crash came from above, and the entire facility started to tremble.

”What's going on‽” asked the panicked Team A leader through his intercom.

The sound of gunfire intermixed with panicked yelling could be heard from the other end.

”Team C has encountered the enemy in the lab. I repeat, Team C has encountered the enemy in the lab. Damn it! Zero set the lab on fire with a grenade!”

”Where did he get the grenade from‽”

The Team A leader was both enraged and horrified. His team had been standing guard outside the armory, but they had seen no one the entire time.

”Send reinforcements quickly! Which team is nearest?”

”Team B is also at basement 3. The surveillance room has been wiped. We're coming over right now!”

...

In Basement 3, Han Xiao was hiding behind a corner near the laboratory while the fire raged within. He had used three hand grenades to set the lab on fire. Presently, there were a dozen guards from Team C that had suspected his presence and were advancing on him.

After his battle with Baltar, Han Xiao had not headed for the main gate immediately. Instead, he had gone back down to basement 3, predicting that the guards would conduct a sweep of the facility from the top.

Since it was no longer possible to sneak out as he had planned, Han Xiao had to change his tactics. Here in the laboratory at basement 3 was where all the Valkyrie data was stored, making it one of the key areas of the entire facility. He knew that setting it ablaze would cause the enemy to panic.

I still have 77 bullets and 5 custom grenades.

Han Xiao reevaluated his inventory before peeking out from the corner for just an instant. Bullets were fired almost instantly.

Twelve guards. Three N9 submachine guns, Nine 73-WASP handguns. I'm outclassed in firepower.

Han Xiao's mind raced. It had been a minute since he set the laboratory on fire. Team B would arrive within three minutes, so he did not have much time left. Han Xiao knew all of this because he had been eavesdropping on a stolen intercom.

Everything had happened so suddenly that the guards did not stop to consider this possibility.

Han Xiao tossed out a grenade, causing the Team C guards to frantically jump for cover.

Bang!

Han Xiao used the smoke of the blast to sneak up onto the nearest guard. He gave him a mecha punch in the stomach, crippling him.

”Shoot! Quickly! Shoot!”

The other guards resumed shooting. Han Xiao yanked the poor guard up to use as a shield, and while this did not stop them from shooting, Han Xiao was able to close the distance, and he swiftly dispatched of another three guards.

The remaining Team C guards scattered further back to pull apart from him. Han Xiao rolled and ducked as he closed in on them. The mecha arm's durability plummeted as bullets rained upon it. As Han Xiao evaded, he pulled out his handgun to return fire and scored three more kills.

Suddenly, Han Xiao grimaced.

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