"Hurry, they will figure out Mom and Aunt are coming for them. They know you're here," Athena urged, observing the target's situation.
"On it," Tang Ziyi replied, her voice buried beneath the thunder of gunfire.
"Seems like we need to speed up," Ling Qingyu agreed. That bastard .50 caliber Dishka elongated their short period of opportunity.
Both had wasted over a minute, suppressed at the doorway. Tang Ziyi spotted an emergency staircase and decided to breach through the blockades in front of her.
Pap. Pap. Pap.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The duo's suppressed shots contrasted completely with the loud replies. Initially, both were moving upward through the main staircase in the center, avoiding contact as much as possible. Nonetheless, once a battle occurred, Tang Ziyi and Ling Qingyu simply finished them off.
Using the elevator was risky, even if there was a backup generator or a large battery somewhere for it. Now that Tang Ziyi had made up her mind, Athena also conscientiously provided navigational guidance through AR glasses.
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"My good niece." Tang Ziyi's praise almost caused Ling Qingyu to slip her footing.
The two women's ferocious violence terrified most gang members, prompting them to flee elsewhere. A few resisted and met death sooner. So, those who escaped from the emergency stairwell shrieked when Tang Ziyi and Ling Qingyu followed them. Out of everyone, why choose their group?
Ling Qingyu and Tang Ziyi responded with straightforward shots to the heads, then proceeded. With a high-ready posture, they sprinted at maximum speed. Somebody's life was at stake. Athena's warning blared, making it clear they couldn't afford any hindrances. Between compromising on speed and taking less risk, they chose speed without hesitation.
Tang Ziyi and Ling Qingyu killed a few unfortunate ones on the way, ignoring many doors as they moved upward. Less than 30 seconds later, they reached the top floor and barged in.
Their movements were noticed by the guards. Despite the darkness, they still used flashlights. Like a stage show, Tang Ziyi and Ling Qingyu became the protagonists as several beams fell on their bodies. Not for long, those flashlights were thrown off. Cylindrical beams messed around like disco lights, except the rhythm came from muffled gunshots synchronized with groans and fearful screams.
"Mom! Move now. I've marked the room. Somebody is going to get killed!" Athena prompted the duo to hustle.
Tang Ziyi and Ling Qingyu dashed forward while the latter took out a nine-banger, pulled the pin, and threw it close to the room Athena pointed to.
"Sophia! What do you think you're doing?!"
"Young master… I… I…" Sophia bit her lip, her mind racing to produce a logical excuse to buy time.
"I'm warning you. Don't think your beauty and servitude will make me merciful. Get out before my patience drains away."
"Please consider my words; you can't kill them." Sophia slowly explained. She couldn't see anything in the darkness.
If she resisted forcefully, blind fire could kill her and the two behind her. The only solution was to placate the aggressive young master back to sanity. She had to find a plausible reason to dissuade him from killing, and from his tone, Sophia had a bad premonition. Sure enough, the young master laughed coldly and mocked.
Sophia wiped her cold sweat as she backed away a little, listening to the villain's talk. She should have stayed silent to survive; her rational thought blamed her, but her conscience couldn't bear watching people in the same position die unjustly.
In fact, if it weren't for the chaos and violence outside, the two 'agents' should have survived longer. Now, they were very close to death, merely dependent on the decision of the psychopath.
At the same time, the imprisoned man, shielded by Sophia, looked at her with complicated eyes after she chose to protect him and his partner.
Initially, he looked down on this woman, having heard from his torturers days ago that a certain female Interpol agent had given in and joined the gang members to commit crimes. Listening to these rumors, he and his partner had negative views on Sophia, even though they knew the gang members might not be telling the whole truth.
He figured Sophia might have her own difficulties. Without her, he and his partner would already have been shot. He understood everyone had untold hardships and challenges. He shouldn't judge anyone without fully understanding them.
Who knew what this poor woman might have gone through to succumb to the gang's threats? He and his partner had no right to give opinions beyond the phrase—choices have consequences.
As for the incoming chaos and the unknown force attacking the gang, though he was happy, he wasn't pleased, since their lives were in danger. He didn't believe the young master's claim that the motherland had staged a rescue. Unlike his partner, he was clearheaded. The life of an undercover agent wasn't easy, especially in his current predicament. Even if the motherland unlocked the entire chain of commands for a rescue, it took time, and time wasn't on their side.
"Yes, you're right, Young master." Sophia tried to recapture the initiative. "But you must admit that if they're coming for the two, one of them must have an important identity. They're coming in forcefully without regard for secrecy."
"Go on." The young master took a deep breath, sounding persuaded, which gave Sophia hope.
Whether the two behind her had important identities, she had no idea. She only hoped these two weren't incompetent.
"If anything bad happens to them, you could be in trouble."
"Hmph! Let them come; I have my dad's army."
"Yes, they might be somewhat helpless against your army, but you can't stop an enemy in the dark, right?" Sophia smiled, ignoring his arrogant words, though she still felt a slight complaint.
What a big claim, flaunting his dad's military strength. "Ignorance is fearless" couldn't be more accurate. If any country seriously wanted to eliminate gangs, those gangs wouldn't survive long unless they had protection among elite officials.
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"Yes, assassins, night and day. You don't want to always stay protected and on high alert. Nobody likes that situation. It's better to offend the other party less," Sophia said, feeling a glimmer of hope.
Though many of her statements made little sense when scrutinized, the impact was significant, especially with her implied threat.
"Then, step aside. I'm going to kill them anyway." The young master closed his eyes before reopening them.
"Why?" Sophia asked, still in disbelief.
"I know you want me to survive and have given suggestions for the greater good, but you're just a plaything. Now, last warning, step aside. It doesn't matter since that force is coming—I've already offended them."
His subordinates began turning on their mobile phone flashlights to light up the room. One whispered in his ear, advising him to make a quick decision and evacuate.
Sophia couldn't believe this bastard was so stupid, though he was right about one thing—the incoming force might not negotiate. She was now on the edge of a cliff. She couldn't retreat or resist.
She swallowed hard, a huge lump rising in her throat. She calmed her emotions, her eyes devoid of thought as if she had already made up her mind.
"Enemies!"
Suddenly, gunshots erupted, and a series of bodies fell to the floor, echoing through the room and distracting the men inside.
An opportunity!
She charged forward, kicked away the handgun from the young master's hand, and delivered a powerful sidekick to his head. The man screamed in pain from the pressure of her heel, which almost ruptured his skin.
She then dashed to the nearest man, snatched his pistol by surprise, delivered a few elbows, and opened fire on his head.
Grabbing the dead body before it fell as cover, she aimed at the stunned men and pulled the trigger successively. The men were shocked at this subdued woman's sudden attack and the third party's assault outside.
She took down five more men before they reacted and opened fire. A few bullets were blocked by the body she held, but one managed to penetrate, hitting her and feeling like a punch to the chest. She fell helplessly, taking down two more before a huge bang struck, followed by repeated flashes and explosions.
Ling Qingyu and Tang Ziyi hastened their pace and saw a couple of men, cowering and pointing their weapons toward the bed. They didn't hesitate and fired, ripping through the bodies as the men fell to the ground.
Both put additional rounds on each body; only then, Tang Ziyi studied the room and looked for the hostages. She found two of them as told by Athena.
Ling Qingyu stood near the threshold, covering the hallway. She would fire a few shots at the men, who hustled out of the room.
"Make it quick, man."
"I'm not a man." Tang Ziyi scolded and checked the hostages until Athena explained the situation before they came.
Frowning a little, Tang Ziyi freed the imprison man after an exchange of secret codes and ordered them to follow her commands. Then, she moved to the woman lying underneath the man to attend to her situation.
According to Athena, this woman saved the lives of the hostages and bought precious time.