Chapter 123: Chapter 98: Diametrically Opposed Commands

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Under the cover of night, muzzles flashed as gunshots echoed intermittently from within the abandoned factory.

Several patrol officers were hit, crying out in pain as they fell to the ground.

Even with their bulletproof vests, they were wounded. Their arms and legs, in particular, were struck, and the bleeding wouldn’t stop.

Watching the scene from a distance, the newly arrived Lu Chao frowned deeply.

The abandoned factory in his view was massive, covering nearly ten thousand square meters.

Red brick walls enclosed the compound. Inside, the concrete ground was fairly level. Several factory buildings constructed from concrete blocks stood in the center. A rusty yellow outdoor staircase was fixed to one wall, leading directly to the rooftop. To the side stood a massive smokestack and several old, interconnected ventilation ducts.

At this very moment, the firefight was concentrated on the main factory building, which sat on the highest ground at the rear of the compound.

It was perched atop a sloping concrete incline, like a nigh-impregnable island fortress at the highest point.

The steep slope was over fifty meters long, completely bare with no cover. It seemed that anyone inside could easily see everything outside; any approaching movement would be completely exposed under the moonlight.

In contrast, looking from the outside in, the factory building itself had thick walls. There were only two small windows, five or six meters up on either side. The glass had long since shattered, and the dark, gaping openings resembled the eye sockets of a savage beast—pitch-black, save for the occasional muzzle flash.

As for the main entrance, the heavy, rusted iron door was locked shut with a thick chain, leaving only a tiny gap. A forced entry was impossible.

Worse still, two hidden firing ports had been carved into the walls on either side of the iron door, about six or seven meters high. Muzzles flashed from them intermittently, forcing the patrol officers trying to charge up the slope to dodge left and right in a hasty retreat.

"Why don’t they just saturate the area with firepower?"

Chen Xiao asked from the side, a worried look on his face. The two of them had already walked over to the dozen or so patrol vehicles and were starting to receive their bulletproof vests and sidearms.

He could see several patrol officers with blood-stained clothes being dragged away from the edge of the slope to receive urgent medical attention.

This factory was clearly a fortress. Taking it down in a short amount of time with just manpower and conventional weapons would be incredibly difficult.

"We can’t."

However, Yang Wangtao, who was standing nearby in his bulletproof vest, shook his head, his expression grim.

Lu Chao and Chen Xiao froze, then followed his gaze.

Near the armored vehicle in the center of the convoy, a surviving elderly security guard from the warehouse was being questioned, his face pale. Beside him, a few patrol officers were restraining several middle-aged men and women who were weeping and pleading in anguish.

"Qiu Shan’s group is extremely cunning. Not only did they grab a security guard who was on duty to learn the layout of this place, but they also kidnapped three hostages."

Yang Wangtao explained the situation to them in a low voice. "According to the surviving guard’s testimony, there are two men and one woman. One of them is likely from the Biotechnology Company—the Biological Alchemist who was abducted last August."

"Furthermore, the youngest hostage is a little girl, only nine years old."

At his words, both Lu Chao and Chen Xiao fell silent.

They tore their eyes away from the consoling family members and looked back toward the distant factory building.

The patrol officers near the slope were moving cautiously, trying to find a way to sneak in, but they were quickly driven back by gunfire, suffering more injuries.

The entire factory was like a concrete bunker. With the hostages’ lives at stake, an effective assault was impossible.

"Damn it."

Chen Xiao felt the situation was getting tricky, and he paused for a moment while putting on his vest.

Lu Chao glanced around and saw thirty to forty patrol officers near the vehicles, almost all of them wearing the same grim, teeth-clenched expressions.

Just then, Lu Chao’s gaze landed on several familiar figures. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

A few members of Squad 2 were standing not far away. Qian Hu had somehow broken through to the Professional Level and was looking at them with a provocative glint in his eyes.

And in the center of their group, Ruan Hui had made a rare appearance. He was also fully equipped, clearly here to claim credit for the operation.

As if sensing his gaze, the other man looked over.

His expression was neutral. He then tilted his head slightly, turning his gaze toward the factory’s main door.

"Hm?"

Lu Chao followed his gaze, as did Yang Wangtao and the others.

VROOOM!!

Soon, amidst the flashing red and blue lights, a command vehicle drove up, followed by several more patrol cars.

Three Battalion Commanders appeared in person—one Elite Level and two at the peak of the Professional Level. They began to take command of the scene and deploy their forces.

All the squad leaders were temporarily assembled and called into the command vehicle to discuss a strategy.

Even Chen Xiao was unexpectedly waved over mid-gathering by a short, stout Battalion Commander and pulled aside, which made Lu Chao raise an eyebrow.

"Who’s that?"

"You don’t know?"

Another team member, Wang Shisong, was slightly taken aback. He then explained in a low voice, "That’s Chen Xiao’s uncle-in-law, Battalion Commander Yu Yong of the First Division’s Third Battalion."

’Oh?’

His brow relaxed as a long-held question in Lu Chao’s mind was finally answered.

’So after all this time, the uncle-in-law that guy Chen Xiao was always mentioning is actually a Battalion Commander at the peak of the Professional Level?’

As they spoke, Chen Xiao quickly returned, but the color had drained from his face.

"What’s wrong?" Lu Chao asked.

Chen Xiao was silent for a moment, then tightened the bulletproof vest on his body. "My uncle-in-law said that Vice Director Liu is working with the Superpower Bureau to keep the Rebels in the city tied down."

"Which means this operation is being run by Vice Director Ruan."

’What?’

Lu Chao and Yang Wangtao’s expressions froze. They instantly understood why Chen Xiao had looked so pale just moments before.