Chapter 78: Counterattack
Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Counterattack
The two of them raced through a maze of alleyways, trying to shake the pursuers on their tail.
But the players from the All Stars Guild stuck to them like glue, relentlessly chasing them down and trying to corner them for the kill.
POP! POP!
Long Ming and Guardian Chapter worked in perfect sync, quickly gunning down the players who tried to block them and repeatedly breaking through their encirclements.
Unfortunately, the number of All Stars Guild players closing in was growing.
Soon, they ran to a dead end. A large shopping mall with a dilapidated exterior came into view.
Long Ming’s eyes glinted. He glanced back, and seeing that escape was impossible, he said to Guardian Chapter,
"Inside."
"Interesting. You’re planning to make a stand?"
An excited look appeared on Guardian Chapter’s face.
"Less talk!"
Long Ming didn’t waste his breath and rushed straight inside.
Guardian Chapter’s lips curved into a slight smile as he followed him into the mall.
The mall was a five-story structure. The interior was a complete wreck, its floors littered with shattered glass, toppled counters, and ruined merchandise.
"Upstairs!"
Long Ming and Guardian Chapter raced up to the second floor.
They raised their firearms and aimed at the main entrance.
Just then, two All Stars Guild players cautiously stepped inside.
Long Ming and Guardian Chapter opened fire without hesitation.
BANG! BANG!
One player was killed instantly, while the other immediately retreated outside.
Outside the mall, Adika’s expression grew darker when he saw his subordinate forced back out. He issued a command to the others.
"Leave a squad to watch the main entrance. The rest of you, spread out. Enter the mall through the side and back doors. We have to take this guy out before the Guild Leader gets here."
"Yes, sir!"
His subordinates immediately dispersed, sneaking toward the various entrances to the mall.
Inside the mall, Guardian Chapter glanced at the main entrance. Seeing that the enemy wasn’t rushing in again, he turned to Long Ming and said with interest,
"They’re not idiots; they’re not going to mindlessly charge the front door. I’m guessing they’re already sneaking in through the other entrances."
"I know."
"Oh? So what’s the plan?"
"Ever played cat and mouse?" Long Ming asked coolly.
"You mean we hide like mice?"
"Wrong. We’re the cats."
"Interesting. Just don’t you dare die before I do. Otherwise, this game won’t be any fun."
Guardian Chapter licked his lips, his face alight with excitement.
"You should worry about yourself first."
Long Ming turned and headed to the right.
Seeing Long Ming go, Guardian Chapter also turned and left.
Meanwhile, Adika and his men were silently slipping in through the various entrances.
They split up, creeping toward the escalators and emergency stairwells.
Soon, Adika and his men reached the second floor, but there was no sign of Long Ming and his partner.
"Captain Adika, it looks like they’re hiding."
"Hiding? I’d like to see where they can possibly hide. Search!"
A grim look flashed across Adika’s face as he gave the order.
"Yes, sir!"
His men fanned out and began to search.
「More than ten minutes later.」
A powerfully built man wearing an All Stars Guild armband and holding a submachine gun cautiously crept into a video game arcade.
The arcade was over a thousand square meters, and with the power out, the interior was extremely dim.
All sorts of arcade machines and chairs lay toppled on the floor.
CREAK...
Just then, a faint sound came from nearby.
The man spun around reflexively, raising his gun to aim.
But he saw no enemy, only a rat scurrying past.
"Phew..."
The man let out a slight sigh of relief.
Just then, a hand clamped over his mouth from behind. A moment later, a red tactical dagger burst through his chest, having pierced his heart from the back.
His eyes bulged wide before the life drained from him and his body went limp.
Long Ming gently lowered the corpse to the floor.
Just then, the sound of footsteps came from outside.
Long Ming’s gaze grew colder. He ducked to the right of the entrance, pressing himself against the wall and drawing his silenced Viper.
Two All Stars Guild players crept inside.
"Qian Yue?"
"Weird, where’d he go?"
...
Long Ming decisively opened fire from behind.
PFFT! PFFT!
Both players were instantly headshot and crumpled to the ground.
Without stopping to loot the bodies, Long Ming peeked outside. After confirming there were no other enemies nearby, he quickly departed.
Elsewhere, a member of the All Stars Guild was warily creeping into a small clothing boutique.
Suddenly, a dark figure dropped down from above the doorway.
The All Stars Guild player heard the noise and had just started to turn.
A cold glint of steel flashed across his throat, and crimson blood sprayed into the air.
"Guh..."
The player whose throat had been slit tried to cry out a warning to his comrades, but no words could escape. He collapsed, unwilling to accept his fate.
Guardian Chapter licked his lips and counted under his breath.
"That’s two."
...
「Half an hour later.」
In the lobby on the first floor, the All Stars Guild players regrouped with Adika.
"Did you find them?" Adika asked, his voice grim.
"No."
"Captain, do you think they might have escaped?" one of his subordinates asked hesitantly.
"Impossible. And where are Qian Yue and his team?"
Adika suddenly realized that many people were missing from the group.
"We don’t know."
The subordinates present exchanged glances.
"Well, well, well. So these bastards are playing cat and mouse with us."
Adika finally understood. The two of them were secretly picking off his men, one by one. The realization made him laugh in fury.
He had never imagined he would end up in such a sorry state against a couple of unaffiliated players. It was a complete humiliation.
"Captain, what do we do now?"
All eyes turned to Adika.
They were already short-handed, and this mall was massive. If they continued to search separately, they would likely be picked off one by one.
Adika found himself caught in a dilemma.
Just then, footsteps echoed through the hall.
Adika turned to see Qian Luobing walking in alone.
"Guild Leader! What are you doing here?"
"Where are they?" Qian Luobing asked, her voice icy.
"That guy and his partner are hiding in the mall. We spread out to search, but... they’ve taken out a lot of our men," Adika reported, his head bowed.
Hearing this, Qian Luobing’s expression grew even colder.
She had never expected to meet such heavy resistance—and sacrifice so many people—just to eliminate a small, independent team.
But this didn’t make her give up. On the contrary, her resolve hardened as she spoke.
"Search."
"Yes, ma’am!" Adika and his men responded at once.
...
A dim movie theater. Screening Room 3.
Long Ming lay prone beneath a row of chairs, his Viper in hand.
TAP... TAP...
The sound of footsteps came from outside.
Hearing the sound, Long Ming narrowed his eyes. ’The prey has arrived.’
CREAK...
The ajar door was pushed open.
"It’s so dark!"
"Everyone be careful. Let’s not get sloppy and screw this up."
"These two guys are tough."
"Got it!"
...
Two All Stars Guild players cautiously entered, beginning their search.
Through the thermal vision of his Red Ghost mask, Long Ming had a clear lock on both of them. He held his breath, waiting for them to draw closer.