NOVEL NEXT Chapter 302: Obtaining and Leaving_3
Meanwhile, inside the research institute.
The intense gunfire plunged the building into chaos. Most of the security staff rushed toward the fifth floor, while the employees screamed and scrambled for the exit. When they reached the first-floor Grand Hall, they discovered the main entrance was secured with over twenty heavy locks and layered with thick iron chains.
That's fucking insane!
In the pitch-black darkness, it was nearly impossible to find a power saw. Even if they found one, cutting through the locks and chains would take far too long. Breaking the glass was out of the question. It was bulletproof and blast-resistant.
No one could have ever imagined that the iron-clad fortress they were once so proud of was about to become their inescapable coffin.
The staff crammed into the lobby grew even more frantic, searching for an exit like headless chickens.
On the fifth floor, around a corner, the darkness was pierced by the dense, fiery muzzle flashes of incoming bullets. Xia Liang calmly reloaded his weapon and then rolled into the open.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Four shots, four kills. He took down the security guards who were panicking and firing blindly.
Deadly accurate.
To the remaining security guards, the intruder was like the God of Death emerging from the shadows. Every move he made was like the swing of a scythe, effortlessly reaping lives.
In just over thirty seconds, more than twenty security guards had been eliminated. What was most terrifying was that every bullet hole was perfectly centered on a forehead.
The last four security guards in the area were about to meet their fate when Xiao Qianxi's voice crackled through the intercom.
"I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
Xia Liang replied without hesitation, "The good news."
"Just as I thought. The good news is I know the location of the schematics."
Xia Liang was speechless. "You mean you *only* know the location?"
"That's right. I just reached the Item Layer and interrogated the vice dean, who didn't get away in time. He told me the schematics aren't in the main building at all, but in the more heavily guarded underground chamber."
Xia Liang was rendered speechless again. "This Master fought his ass off to get up here, and you're telling me I went the wrong way? So what's the bad news?"
"The military has been deployed. The vanguard is an elite squad with ten Humvees, and they could arrive any minute. They're also accompanied by a large number of private bodyguards and the Gold Mountain City police."
The sound of gunfire crackled clearly over the comms, a sign that Xiao Qianxi was already fighting her way down.
"How is that bad news?"
"What do you mean?"
Xia Liang didn't respond. The slaughter had only just begun.
Just over a minute later, Xiao Qianxi pressed a dripping, severed hand onto the fingerprint scanner. The heavy door to the underground chamber slowly slid open. She then tossed the hand aside in disgust and began to check her equipment.
"How much time do we have?"
"Four minutes and fifteen seconds."
"That's a bit tight."
"I don't think it's a problem."
"Mainly because I have stamina."
As they spoke, both of them ducked behind cover just as a hail of bullets whizzed past.
It wasn't dark down here as they had expected. In fact, it was brightly lit. The area was surrounded by transparent panels. While it would normally take more than ten rounds to shatter one, even this high-strength glass was useless against such concentrated fire.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Xia Liang leaned out to lay down covering fire, while Xiao Qianxi had already circled around to strike from the rear. Over a dozen security guards were quickly dispatched.
Security here was extremely tight, with a sentry every ten steps and a guard post every five. There were several times more guards down here than upstairs, and their marksmanship was significantly better. Xia Liang had already lost count of how many he'd taken down. All he knew was that he had emptied the magazines for both his rifle and pistol. Now, he was fighting in close quarters with his blade.
When they reached the final room, they didn't rush in. Xia Liang could clearly hear the faint but rapid breathing of several people inside.
He held up four fingers. Xiao Qianxi nodded and took five steps back.
After taking a deep breath, she charged forward and kicked the door clean off its hinges.
In that split second, a look of satisfaction crossed Xia Liang's face. Hmm, the color and style are just as I predicted. It seems even an ice queen has a soft pink heart.
While scoffing inwardly, Xia Liang had already charged in.
The moment he entered, he was caught in a crossfire. As silver bullets flew at him, he dropped, bracing himself on one hand. He swung his blade, slicing into the thigh of the figure on the right. Still crouching, he threw a scavenged Military Dagger at the person on the left, aiming for their head. He killed both in quick succession, without a moment's hesitation.
He twisted his supporting hand on the ground, using the rotational force to awkwardly shift his body's position just as the bullets from behind zipped past where he'd been.
Xia Liang's long blade slashed through the air, spraying a mist of blood.
By the time he stood up, he saw someone cowering under the large desk. Xiao Qianxi had already dragged the man—the dean—out from his hiding spot.
"Where are the schematics?" she demanded.
"I don't know..."
Xiao Qianxi picked up a guard's pistol and shot off one of the Caucasian dean's ears.
"Where are the schematics."
"I—I really don't know! Aaaargh!"
Another scream tore from his throat. This time, his kneecap had been shattered. Fearing one shot wasn't enough, Xiao Qianxi had thoughtfully fired five rounds into it.
Xia Liang smiled and gently pulled Xiao Qianxi behind him. "Now, now. It's not ladylike to be so violent. A girl should maintain a certain demureness, don't you think?"
He patted the dean's trembling, pain-wracked shoulder. "Listen, be a good fellow. We just want the schematics; we don't want to have to kill anyone. We're all reasonable people here. Don't resist. Tell us where the schematics are, and we can all go our separate ways, never to see each other again."
The dean, though gravely injured, refused to talk. As a peripheral member of Sanctuary, he knew the organization's methods all too well. Betraying them meant a fate ten thousand times worse than death itself.
"Sigh. So much for giving you a chance."