Chapter 97: Interception (Fifth Update)
Su Xiao fired several shots, taking down the guards who were stunned by the blast. His magazine ran empty, and he pulled a new one from his belt, completing the reload in an extremely short time.
Rolling into the factory building, Su Xiao kept his body low, holding the pistol level in front of him with both hands. He aimed at a piece of abandoned machinery while advancing quickly.
Puff.
Su Xiao suddenly fired. With a *ding*, sparks erupted from the abandoned machine, and the mercenary guard behind it pulled his head back.
"Expert."
The mercenary guard, hiding behind the abandoned machine, took off his gas mask, revealing a Caucasian face.
He tried to poke the gas mask out from behind cover.
Puff, puff, puff.
A tremendous force struck his hand, and the gas mask was instantly shattered.
*Clink.* A dark, round object was tossed near the mercenary guard, sending a chill through his entire body. He instinctively thought it was a grenade.
The mercenary guard made a split-second decision. He tore off his shirt, threw it out, and lunged in the opposite direction, trying to leap behind another piece of cover.
Puff, puff, puff, puff...
The rhythmic sound of gunfire came. The mercenary guard, mid-leap, had several bursts of blood blossom on his body. He was hit five times and landed with a *thud*. The force of the bullets altered his jumping trajectory.
Five shots to the torso—this should have been a fatal wound. Yet, the mercenary guard rolled on the ground, seemingly ignoring the gunshot injuries.
Puff.
Su Xiao fired the last bullet from his pistol. The bullet entered through the guard's eye socket but didn't exit the skull. The spinning force instantly turned the guard's brain into a pulp.
Ejecting the magazine and reloading, Su Xiao's expression wasn't good. He had hit that guard five times earlier, and the man could still stand.
Keep in mind, 9mm caliber bullets pack significant power, and the distance was only about ten meters. With Su Xiao's marksmanship, all five shots hit the torso, with one even penetrating a lung.
The enemy was tough. Relying solely on a pistol might not be enough.
Su Xiao walked toward the staircase leading underground. A guard, severely injured by shrapnel, reached forward to grab a rifle beside him.
Su Xiao casually shot him, then pulled a stun grenade from the guard's belt. After a moment's hesitation, he picked up a gas mask from the ground and put it on.
Chaotic footsteps sounded outside the factory building. A large group of guards had already reached the entrance.
Su Xiao pulled the pin on the stun grenade and tossed it toward the door before slipping into the stairwell.
*Boom!*
The stun grenade exploded. Su Xiao had already covered his ears. A blinding white light flashed inside the factory, followed by agonized screams. A stun grenade at night can cause irreversible damage to the optic nerves.
Su Xiao slowly descended the stairs. A turn appeared ahead. He pressed himself against the wall on one side of the corner, pulled a small mirror from his belt, and used it to check the situation beyond the turn.
A dozen guards were stationed at the bottom of the stairwell, holding various automatic rifles, all aimed up the stairs.
*Bang!*
A gunshot rang out. Cement exploded from the wall beside Su Xiao's ear—a stray bullet!
Cement fragments cut Su Xiao's cheek. Blood flowed down his face, seeping into his mouth from the corner of his lips. The taste of rust filled his mouth. A smile appeared on Su Xiao's face, his heartbeat gradually quickening. The seals suppressing him flickered with light.
"Tough to deal with."
Su Xiao casually tossed out the black travel bag and quickly stepped back.
*Rat-a-tat-tat-tat...*
A hail of bullets tore into the travel bag, shredding it into a mess of rags. The rifle inside was riddled with dents. At close range, a pistol was more effective than a rifle.
*Pfft.*
A burst of blood erupted from Su Xiao's shoulder. He took two steps back. A stray bullet, ricocheting off the wall, had hit him.
Footsteps came from above the stairwell. Su Xiao was trapped inside the building.
When the gunfire from below the stairs subsided, Su Xiao stepped forward. He leaned out past the wall with half his body, head, and arms, rapidly pulling the trigger.
Puff, puff, puff, puff...
Several guards were shot in the head instantly. One guard was about to pull the trigger when a bullet entered his forehead, splattering brain matter.
Faced with Su Xiao's terrifyingly precise marksmanship, the guards immediately retreated to the sides of the stairwell.
How could Su Xiao miss such an opportunity? He tossed the pistol to his left hand, pulled a short blade about 40 centimeters long from the holster strapped to his calf, and rushed down the stairs in a few quick steps.
As soon as he emerged from the stairwell, Su Xiao immediately crouched low, quickly scanning his surroundings.
Six guards remained: three with rifles, two with pistols, and one holding a grenade. They were positioned on both sides of the stairwell—two on the left, four on the right. Among the two on the left, one held the grenade.
Su Xiao raised his pistol, slowed his breathing, and pulled the trigger.
Puff.
The guard holding the grenade was hit—in the wrist. Su Xiao's original target was the grenade itself, but his Lv.5 Gun Specialization wasn't precise enough to hit a grenade, especially while he was moving.
Su Xiao had to settle for the next best thing. He fired two more shots, taking down the two guards on the left with headshots.
Just as he dealt with the left side, Su Xiao felt a numbing sting in his lower back—he'd been hit. He immediately rolled on the ground as bullet holes pockmarked the floor around him.
Puff, puff, puff.
With three shots, Su Xiao emptied his pistol's magazine. Two of the guards on the right were shot in the head, one was hit in the throat. The last one had already raised his rifle, aiming at Su Xiao.
Su Xiao knew exactly how many bullets were left in his gun. The moment it ran dry, he threw the short blade from his other hand.
*Shiiing!* The blade embedded itself in the last guard's chest. His rifle lost its aim, spraying a few wild shots at a cement pillar near Su Xiao.
Su Xiao immediately ejected the magazine. While it was still in mid-air, he had already inserted a new one and chambered a round.
Puff, puff.
Two shots, and the last guard was taken down with a headshot.
It wasn't that Su Xiao liked aiming for the head, but these guards weren't ordinary people. Hitting the torso wouldn't reduce their combat effectiveness much unless the heart was pierced.
As he finished off the last guard, Su Xiao rushed to one of the bodies and pulled a grenade from its belt.
*Boom!*
An explosion echoed from the stairwell. The powerful blast pushed Su Xiao back a few steps.
*Boom, boom, boom.*
One grenade after another detonated inside the stairwell. Su Xiao took cover behind a cement pillar. He was now in an underground room of several hundred square meters.
The room was filled with several rows of stainless steel tables, covered with test tubes, beakers, and many square plastic bags containing white powder.
Dozens of workers in hazmat suits stood frozen at the tables. One of them slowly edged backward, toward a pistol lying on a nearby table.
Su Xiao aimed and fired—a headshot.
Two seconds later.
"Ah!"
The dozens of workers screamed, instinctively dropping to the ground with their hands over their heads.
Su Xiao tossed the grenade toward them. Most stayed crouched and motionless, but three immediately leaped toward cover with agile movements.
Puff, puff, puff.
Three well-timed shots. The three fake workers diving for cover were all shot in the head.