The vehicles never stopped, and half a minute later, a burst of gunfire and screams came from ahead.
"Ah—help!"
"They've gone mad, all of them—"
"No, please, don't eat me."
Bang! Bang! More gunshots rang out, accompanied by the sound of metal bullets whizzing and heavy bodies falling.
Three off-road vehicles came to an abrupt halt, and Qiao Long jumped out of the car, motioning for the gang members to follow him. These people pulled their bolt actions and began to cautiously advance.
Hexia lightly pressed on the car seat and then leapt out, her nimble body cutting through the dark cavern without making a sound.
Although ordinary people couldn't see clearly in the darkness of the cavern and could only rely on the car headlights and some flashlights, this was not a problem for her.
The ability that came with her Transcendent Profession activated, and the surrounding environment appeared in her mind as if scanned by radar, not even missing the blind spots behind her.
The Profession she had chosen as a child because she was afraid of the dark turned out to be surprisingly useful in this underground environment.
Avoiding the stones in the dark, Hexia took the gun from her coat pocket, holding it in her palm and getting accustomed to it.
Although she had never used a real gun before, the Academy had provided a week of simulated electronic gun training and introduced some basic weapon usage.
The Rose Federation hadn't been at war for a long time, and military education had been slashed to just this bit.
It was said that four hundred years ago in the Federation, every high school student had to undergo nearly half a year of military training, get familiar with a variety of weapons, pilot fighter jets, and even perform basic maneuvers of warships. The civil wars back then were so brutal that nearly millions of people were conscripted into the army almost every month.
Walking silently behind, a few gang members occasionally turned around and were mildly surprised to see the quiet girl following them; she didn't seem to be the vase they had expected.
Soon, a firefight broke out ahead.
The intense gunfire almost merged into one continuous roar. Under such a barrage, the deranged attackers roaming in the distance were turned into mincemeat, slowly collapsing.
Half a minute later, Qiao Long raised his hand, signaling for the people behind him to stop firing.
A team surrounded Hexia in the middle, protecting her as they passed through the brightly lit area. Others were checking the surroundings, inquiring about the situation of the survivors.
"Where did these deranged attackers come from just now, do you have any other information?" A gang member grabbed a trembling man, propping him against the wall to speak.
"I, I..." His fingers trembled, his voice filled with panic.
Although the Underground World was cruel, seeing deranged attackers eat people alive was too shocking. The sight of intestines and viscera being pulled out was something he feared he could never forget.
"I'll say, say it." Seeing the gang member put a gun to his head, he finally forced himself to calm down.
"They came from the east gate, yes, from the direction of the eastern pipe. At first, we thought it was an enemy attack, but then we realized something was wrong."
"You didn't resist?" Qiao Long stepped forward from the group of gang members.
"We tried shooting, but one of them was tough, moved very fast, and the sporadic bullets didn't kill him. It rushed over and crushed Will's neck."
"After that, everyone panicked, and then some began to run, and then it all fell apart, and then you saw what happened."
"What about that tough one, I didn't see any special deranged attackers just now."
"I don't know, it might have gone somewhere else, or it could be hiding in some corner."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone immediately started to look around vigilantly, but they found nothing.
"Above." Suddenly, a cool voice from the girl in the crowd rang out.
Everyone immediately looked up as the light swept across, revealing a bloody, hideous figure clinging to the rocks overhead.
"Didn't expect you'd really go to the trouble of finding someone to save them, unbelievable." She pulled out a cigarette from a box at her waist, put it in her mouth, and lit it up.
"Phew, I was about to lose it." She exhaled smoke rings to ease her nerves, then glanced at Qiao Long again. Seeing him leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, refusing to speak, she scoffed twice.
"Why so quiet now, can't spit it out?"
"By rights, people like you and me should either be killing or getting killed any day now. Yet, here you are, caring about your little lackey. That's just too soft."
"Will you shut up if I speak?" Qiao Long opened his eyes.
"No, but I'll keep your secret,"
He didn't believe the woman's promise at all, but he knew that if he didn't say something now, she'd probably keep nagging nonstop.
"I'm not like you all." He began to recount some past events.
"I've been an official resident of the Rose Federation since childhood, even though I was at the bottom rung, at least I had some warmth and human kindness in my life."
"Blu was 15 years younger than me, and at that time I bought him from his abusive mother with a T5 standard package, and had him mix with me..."
"Back then, I had just gotten acquainted with the Underground World, and things often didn't go smoothly. To make money and fight with others, I was frequently injured and running for my life, and the people around me kept changing, one batch after another." He reached for the cigarette the woman tossed to him, placed it between his fingers, and lit it.
The smoke curled up as he continued speaking.
"Many people by my side are no longer alive. Every day, other than fighting for survival in the bloodshed, there was nothing else; it's very common for someone like me in the Underground, who might end up as a corpse on the street any day."
"I was supposed to die too, that time I provoked some gang members, got swept by gunfire, and then Blu took a bullet for me, which is why I managed to escape alive."
"After hesitating and struggling for many days, I still sneaked into that gang's headquarters, hoping to find Blu and see if I could save him."
"Such naive and green actions obviously failed, and the gang members caught me immediately."
"But their boss didn't kill me, thinking I had some loyalty, so he asked if I was willing to work for him."
"Oh, is that how you joined the 'Haon' gang? This is the first time I'm hearing about it," the woman said with mild surprise.
"No wonder you value this younger brother so much, probably because aside from him, you don't really have any family left."
In the Underground World, 'brothers and sisters' are important. In such a fierce environment, if you don't have someone by your side to rely on, even sleeping is dangerous. And the 'brothers and sisters' here don't necessarily have blood relations; often it's just a coincidence that brings people together to build trust.
Although there are also frequent betrayals among 'brothers and sisters', such events are after all not common and are despised by the people of the Underground. Besides, after betrayal, one's reputation is ruined, and it becomes almost impossible to find others who can be trusted, which is a very dangerous status, because even the strongest need to sleep and have vulnerable moments, like when using the bathroom.
Listening to Qiao Long finish talking slowly, he then pinched off the remaining sparks on the cigarette butt with his fingers, threw it on the ground, and twisted it with his foot.
"After hearing so much, come work with me from now on, Jennifer," he said, looking at the woman in front of him. Enjoy more content from m-v l'-NovelFire
"Aha, are you trying to recruit me? I've always been a freelancer without a gang," the woman across from him said with an exaggerated expression on her face.
That's what she said, but she didn't completely refuse either.
"I'll think about it later. I have to admit, your story just now did move me somewhat."
"Unfortunately, intuition tells me a woman shouldn't so easily accept a man's invitation. I also have a lot to consider. Joining your gang means I won't be as free anymore."
Their conversation came to a pause, and while the treatment inside the room hadn't finished, a commotion was gradually starting outside.
"It's those guys!"
"They're killing their way here again."
Successive gunfire erupted from outside, among which were mixed panic-stricken shouts and running feet.
With a loud bang, the steel door was knocked open, and blood-red Blade Claws swung amidst the sound of gunfire, tearing through the bodies of gang members one after another.