Chapter 86: No Escape
Chapter 86: Chapter 86: No Escape
"Don’t celebrate too soon. It’s only two-thirty in the morning, and daytime is still a long way off. Even if we’re the first to reach the central control room, we won’t be able to activate the equipment!"
Long Ming raised his wristband to check the time.
"Ah, I can’t believe I forgot about that."
"We’re just heading to the central control room to scout the place out, to see if there are any hiding spots inside, or anywhere nearby where we can conceal ourselves. When we were climbing the cables, I was watching the weather. It probably won’t be too bad tomorrow, so the activation won’t be delayed until noon. If my calculations are correct, it should start sometime between nine and ten in the morning. That means we have to lay low until then if we want a chance to contend with the major guilds."
"Mr. Red Ghost, you’re amazing!"
Qin Ying gazed at Long Ming, her face filled with admiration.
"It’s just basic deduction and planning."
Long Ming explained as he led Qin Ying forward.
Just then, they arrived at a T-junction.
Long Ming glanced around before leading Qin Ying down the right-hand corridor.
They walked a short distance before suddenly spotting two players from the Star God Guild in black robes, cautiously backing out of a room.
Both parties froze for a moment.
’This is bad!’
The two players from the Star God Guild reacted in an instant, raising their guns.
But before they could pull their triggers...
Long Ming was already firing, spraying them with his Carbine.
"ARGH!"
With screams of pain, the two Star God Guild players were gunned down.
Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the corridor up ahead.
"Quick, over there."
...
Hearing the commotion, Long Ming knew he’d stirred up a hornet’s nest.
"Run!"
He immediately spun around and pulled Qin Ying back the way they came.
Qin Ying asked in a panic as she ran after Long Ming.
"What do we do? We ran into the Star God Guild."
"Don’t worry! We’ll lose them."
That’s what he said, but he wasn’t confident at all.
This wasn’t his first encounter with the Star God Guild. Those people were beyond twisted.
However, just as they reached the corner on the other side of the maintenance room they’d passed earlier, they ran headfirst into another group: players from the All Stars Guild, identifiable by the seven-star insignia on their armbands. Leading them was a powerfully built man covered in taut muscle, wearing heavy body armor. He held a submachine gun and radiated an intimidating aura.
"Oh my god! The All Stars Guild!"
Qin Ying shouted in terror.
Long Ming was shocked too. He grabbed Qin Ying and immediately tried to pull her back.
Just then, the All Stars Guild’s leader, Lu Chuan, spotted the two of them. His face contorted with rage as he bellowed.
"It’s that Red Skull! Get them!"
"Yes, sir!"
Hearing Lu Chuan’s order, the crowd of All Stars Guild players immediately gave chase.
Long Ming pulled Qin Ying along, running for their lives.
"What do we do? We have the Star God Guild on one side and the All Stars Guild on the other! We’re about to be caught in a pincer attack!"
Qin Ying asked frantically.
Long Ming’s expression flickered as his mind raced, desperately trying to think of a way out.
He wasn’t arrogant enough to think he could take on two guilds all by himself.
"Damn it!"
Long Ming cursed under his breath and rushed back into the maintenance room with Qin Ying.
He slammed the door shut and quickly scanned the room, looking for a place to hide or make a stand.
The footsteps outside were getting closer.
"Mr. Red Ghost, they’re coming."
Qin Ying’s nerves were stretched to the breaking point.
Long Ming was out of options, too. He raised his Carbine, preparing to fight to the death.
Outside, in the corridor.
Lu Chuan and his subordinates gave chase, but when they arrived, they didn’t see Long Ming and his companion. Instead, they ran into Luo Tu and the others from the Star God Guild.
Both Luo Tu and Lu Chuan froze.
"Fuck! Get them!"
They reacted at the same instant, raising their guns and opening fire.
The subordinates on both sides snapped out of it and began firing wildly!
ARGHHH~
Screams of pain rang out one after another.
Then, men from both sides pulled out grenades and hurled them at each other.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Players were blown to bits.
Inside the room.
Qin Ying looked at Long Ming in a daze.
"Mr. Red Ghost, it sounds like they’ve started fighting each other."
"Phew."
Long Ming instantly let out a sigh of relief. Calming himself, he scanned every corner of the room.
Then, he suddenly noticed a decently-sized ventilation duct in the ceiling.
Long Ming walked over to a shelf, grabbed a screwdriver, and handed it to Qin Ying.
"There’s a vent up there. I’ll lift you up. You unscrew the four screws on the protective grille."
"Okay."
Qin Ying quickly nodded.
Long Ming then walked under the vent and squatted down.
Qin Ying clambered onto Long Ming’s shoulders.
Long Ming lifted her up, and Qin Ying reached out to work on the vent cover.
CLICK!
One, two, three.
But when she got to the fourth screw, it wouldn’t budge.
Qin Ying became more and more panicked.
Meanwhile, in the corridor outside, Lu Chuan glanced at Luo Tu’s corpse and snorted.
"Bunch of idiots. Did they really think they could beat us?"
"You’re on another level, Brother Lu!"
His subordinates chimed in with praise.
"Enough. Cut the ass-kissing. Where’s that guy, Red Skull?"
Lu Chuan asked in a deep voice.
"We don’t know. We didn’t see the two of them. Don’t tell me they got away?"
The others were taken aback, looking around blankly.
Hearing this, Lu Chuan’s gaze landed on the closed door of the nearby room. He raised a hand and gestured.
The others instantly understood. They followed Lu Chuan, cautiously approaching the door.
Despite their numbers, their nerves were stretched to the breaking point.
After all, Long Ming had left them with some serious psychological trauma.
Inside the room.
Hearing the footsteps getting closer, Qin Ying spoke anxiously to Long Ming.
"It’s no use! The fourth screw is stuck! They’re coming!"
Hearing this, Long Ming gripped his Carbine with one hand, his eyes locked on the closed door.
Just then, Lu Chuan and his men reached the door. He kicked it wide open and stormed in with his crew.
But they didn’t see anyone inside. The room was just filled with shelves.
"Whoa, so much stuff."
"First squad, stay here. Everyone else, clear the area outside. Move it!"
Lu Chuan ordered his subordinates.
"On it!"
The men excitedly split up to start looting.
In the ventilation duct above, Long Ming and Qin Ying huddled together, holding their breath. They didn’t dare make a sound, terrified of being discovered by Lu Chuan and his men below.
Just then, they heard excited shouts coming from below.
"A purple-grade memory stick."
"Haha, I got a red! An Advanced Repair Toolkit."
"Holy shit, no way."
...
As Lu Chuan watched his subordinates loot, his eyes swept casually over the ventilation duct.
He suddenly noticed that the protective grille on the vent was missing its screws.
Puzzled, he started walking over to inspect it.
Hiding above, Long Ming also sensed the change. He gripped his Carbine with both hands, his body tensing, ready to fight if they were discovered.
Just as Lu Chuan was about to reach the vent.
A subordinate ran in and shouted.
"Captain, Lord Adika is gathering everyone!"
"I know. Everyone with me!"
After hearing this, Lu Chuan led his subordinates away.
"Phew~ We’re saved."
Qin Ying patted her chest, her heart thumping wildly.