After hearing this, Jiang Zhenlong could only agree to accept aid from the Mo University Camp.

After a careful discussion with Lin Qi and Wang Ziru, they decided to leave Old Xu at the Mo University Camp for the time being. Old Xu had injured his leg down to the bone and was currently immobile.

Jiang Zhenlong and Yun Ming would set out with the team from Mo University Camp to clear out Golden Impression.

Four fully-armed, four-person Exoskeleton combat squads, plus an Extraordinary Squad composed of five university students who had awakened Extraordinary Powers.

The lineup was quite impressive.

In Lin Qi’s judgment, a team like this was nearly comparable in strength to an L-Class full Prosthetic Body Implanter—the same level of combat power Lin Qi himself possessed when he first arrived in the Doomsday World.

"Is the awakening rate at Mo University really that high? Out of less than four hundred survivors, they have five Awakened?"

Yun Ming whispered to Jiang Zhenlong.

Jiang Zhenlong replied, half-guessing, "The station’s statistics put the survivor awakening rate at around 0.5%, but I heard my company commander mention that it seems to depend on one’s talent—or, you could say, one’s intellect. People with higher education generally have a higher awakening rate."

The two of them, dressed in their "shabby" gear, kept watching the Mo University survivor squads from their peripheral vision, paying particular attention to the Extraordinary Squad.

The Extraordinary Squad had five members in total. The captain was Xia Chu, currently the strongest among them, having reached the Second Stage of Tier One. Her Ability was Water Control.

Of the remaining four, the Extraordinary Power of three of them involved strengthening parts of their bodies, classified as physical-type Extraordinary Power. Lin Qi guessed this was the origin of professions like Martial Artists and Knights in the Cyber World.

The last one was rather special and dealt with mental power: Telekinesis Manipulation. Their fighting style was unconventional and difficult for ordinary people to counter.

Even with such an impressive lineup, Lin Qi remained hidden, watching everything from the shadows.

...

Inside Golden Impression, a middle-aged man ran back in a panic.

"Boss, this is bad! The official rescue team has teamed up with that bunch of students from Mo University! I saw over twenty of them, all dressed like Iron Man and carrying those Electromagnetic Weapons."

The man called Boss wasn’t flustered at all; he even continued with his depraved activities.

"Don’t worry, we have hostages."

"Go tell the boys that the things we’ve done are enough to get us executed ten times over. We’ll fight them to the bitter end. We’ll use the hostages as leverage. Then, have Wu get ready to take the hostages and escape in the truck."

"The power’s out everywhere. Once we get away, how are they ever going to find us?"

The boss’s logic was unusually clear. ’Where’s the rule of law in the Doomsday World?’

Without modern information networks, you could commit any crime and simply run away.

Go to a new place, change your clothes, and you could even show up right in front of an official rescue team, waiting to be saved.

This was the root of the courage that allowed them to act like animals.

...

「Outside Golden Impression.」

"The people inside definitely know we’re coming. They’ve already posted lookouts."

"We face three main challenges. First, the hostages. Second, the thugs have firearms. Third, we don’t know where the club’s back door is, and a place like this is bound to have a hidden one."

The students had no experience with this kind of operation, so Jiang Zhenlong explained it to them.

Just then, Liu Wei, who wore a Crimson Crystal Stone around his neck, spoke up meekly, "I know where the back door to Golden Impression is."

All eyes turned to Liu Wei, their gazes strange.

Liu Wei’s face flushed slightly. "I have a friend... he used to go to Golden Impression a lot. He told me about it. Unfortunately, he’s a Zombie now."

Everyone nodded silently, pretending, for the moment, to believe him.

Jiang Zhenlong quickly spoke up again to draw attention away from Liu Wei.

"That simplifies things. We’ll split into two groups. One group will cover the back door, and the rest..."

Jiang Zhenlong paused for a long moment before finishing his thought.

"...will storm the building with me. Don’t worry too much about the hostages’ safety. The more we worry, the more dangerous it becomes for everyone."

This was a lesson the rescue team had learned through bitter experience.

Unlike in times of peace, in the Doomsday World, you don’t have unlimited manpower and resources to guarantee the hostages’ safety.

Operations in the Doomsday World follow a single principle.

Efficiency and cost.

A successful operation is one that achieves maximum efficiency at minimum cost.

The university students all opened their mouths, wanting to object, but they didn’t know what to say.

"Eliminating all the thugs as quickly as possible is the only way to ensure more people survive."

Jiang Zhenlong could sense that the students were still unable to accept this kind of operational logic.

But this was the Doomsday World.

A battalion in the official rescue team numbered less than two hundred people, yet they were responsible for all rescue operations in the entire Hongshan region.

With a population of millions to cover, the manpower of a rescue team with less than two hundred people was severely limited.

Even for ordinary survivors, the rescue team could only decide the order of rescue based on the risk level of each area.

When faced with criminals and hostage situations, the rescue team simply didn’t have the resources to use peacetime tactics.

Eliminating the outlaws was the highest priority.

As for the hostages...

For the sake of stability, some sacrifices were necessary.

"Don’t overthink it. Just follow the plan. Our Extraordinary Squad will do our best to protect the hostages."

Facing the students’ silence, Xia Chu spoke up with determination.

Thanks to the prestige Lin Qi commanded, Xia Chu’s words managed to reignite some of the team’s fighting spirit.

"Damn it! Those bastards deserve to die!"

"Guys, stop overthinking it. None of us has ever shot at a living person before, but these guys aren’t people. Don’t hesitate. Just take them out."

"Yeah, just think of those thugs as the guys who stole our takeout last month! They all deserve to die!"

"Don’t worry too much about the hostages. In the Doomsday World, the fact that we’re even attempting a rescue means we’ve done more than enough. If we can’t save them in the end, then it was just their fate."

The atmosphere improved significantly.

Watching the conflicted students, Jiang Zhenlong didn’t feel annoyed; on the contrary, he was rather gratified.

In the Doomsday World, holding on to your principles, basic morality, and the last shreds of your humanity—that was something to be commended.

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Zhenlong continued giving orders. "Alright, everyone, listen to my instructions. Prepare to move out..."

Following Jiang Zhenlong’s orders, the team spread out and formed a perimeter around the Golden Impression building.

Jiang Zhenlong would lead the main assault team, while Yun Ming would take the rest to block the back entrance.

The back door was extremely well hidden inside a fire corridor. It was a Wuheng Door, appearing on the outside to be nothing more than a normal tiled wall.

...

At the main entrance, two Exoskeleton squads, five Extraordinaries, and Jiang Zhenlong were all in position and ready.

"One last thing," Jiang Zhenlong stressed. "There’s a bald man inside. Don’t look into his eyes. He’s an Awakened, and his Ability is hypnosis or control." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"I’ll take point. Everyone, move out!"