One minute away, Ling Qingyu's Suburban, approaching from the opposite direction of the police sedan, witnessed the first officer go down.
Sparks burst across nearby vehicles, and glasses shattered. Even from behind the seats, Kate gasped as she saw the sheer ferocity of the violence.
Nearby onlookers scattered the mont stray impacts reached their vicinity. Any curiosity vanished instantly in favor of survival. Of course, these were the kind of people who flirted with danger in the first place.
Among any population, such thrill-seekers existed—unlike most, who had already fled at the first sound of automatic gunfire.
"Qingyu… don't tell you're going in," Kate said, her face pale with fear.
Ling Qingyu imdiately reassured her. "Don't worry. This car has a protection system capable of intercepting anti-tank missiles—RPGs are nothing in comparison."
Kate's fear didn't disappear—it simply transford into stunned disbelief at Ling Qingyu's absurd level of security.
Ignoring her expression, Ling Qingyu focused on assessing counterasures against the terrorists' entrenched positions.
Her two operators in the front seats were doing the sa, already formulating tactics.
The black SUV swerved sharply and skidded to a stop at an angle. Maximum line of sight.
Before the vehicle fully halted, the copilot kicked her door open, bracing it with her foot to prevent it from swinging back. The sheer weight—enough to crush a normal person—ant nothing to her.
At the sa ti, she brought her SCAR rifle up through the gap between the door and fra and fired.
Pa! Pa! Pa!
Sparks erupted against the SUV's armored body and windshield. She fired five shots, then stopped.
"Target down."
"Four terrorists remaining," Athena updated.
The driver exited as well, using the door fra as cover while taking aim. The earlier cacophony quieted slightly as one more attacker was eliminated.
"Move!" the driver commanded.
The two operators shut their doors and advanced in formation, pushing into the mall. Guided by Athena's directions, they moved toward their sisters.
From the corners of their vision, they registered the wounded, the dying, and the sea of blood—but they had no ti to stop.
"Kate, stay inside. Here's the button to lock all doors," Ling Qingyu ordered. "Do not co out, understood?"
Without waiting for a reply, Ling Qingyu stepped out and sighed at the absurd speed her operators were clearing CQB.
Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
That principle no longer applied the sa way to tahumans.
As long as their processing speed was fast enough, they—and she—could move at overwhelming speed.
anwhile, the surviving officer stood stunned as the dreadful situation suddenly shifted into one of rescue.
He glanced at his partner—whose fate was unknown—lying on the ground with blood seeping from his head.
His body froze, completely overtaken by panic. He was the senior officer, yet this was the first ti he had encountered such ruthless criminals with precise firepower.
Ling Qingyu noticed his distress and frowned. She was certain the man might suffer PTSD after tonight's events.
He might even quit the job.
Glancing at her subordinates advancing at high speed, Ling Qingyu decided to stay behind and hurried toward the downed officer.
Dropping to one knee, she scanned for threats inside the mall while checking the man's pulse at his neck.
Faint. Weak—but present.
He was still alive despite being shot in the head.
"You, co here."
The surviving officer stumbled before regaining focus. Seeing a woman in tactical gear beckoning him, he gulped and moved over.
Impatient, Ling Qingyu dragged the injured officer to the nearest viable cover and concealed position.
She retrieved dical supplies from her bracelet, including an experintal compact spray device—a coagulant mist designed to rapidly seal bleeding, along with synthetic field dressings for battlefield use.
The other officer, snapping back to reality, stayed close and aid his rifle toward the mall.
"Oh my god… Ryan. This kid has only been on the force for a week. We didn't know they could see us through the opaque glass."
Ling Qingyu paused briefly and sighed.
The life or death of a stranger ant little to her—but hearing the officer describe the recruit's forr liveliness struck differently.
Life was fragile. It took only a mont for everything to collapse.
She applied the spray to the wound. The bullet had grazed near the temple—what could only be described as sheer luck had allowed Ryan to survive.
She quickly followed with gauze, wrapping a bandage carefully around his head, ensuring minimal movent.
At least his chances of survival were decent—he was breathing, and his pulse remained steady. No need for CPR.
Watching her efficient movents, the officer on guard asked, "Are you with the FBI?"
After all, the Chevrolet Suburban was a recognizable signature vehicle of federal agencies. Given what he had witnessed—two female operators swiftly eliminating a hostile—he naturally assud they were part of a specialized federal unit.
Ling Qingyu didn't respond. While administering first aid, she listened to Athena's updates. Another terrorist had been taken out by her girls.
However, the report brought complications. The remaining terrorists were clearly well-trained and well-ard—capable of coordinating and executing small-unit tactics.
If not for Spirit Fox—and her presence—more officers would have suffered at their hands. They might have even escaped outright and mocked law enforcent's capabilities.
Two of the terrorists attempted a break-contact maneuver but failed to evade her girls' near-godlike accuracy.
"Is he dead, ma'am?"
"No, not yet," Ling Qingyu replied. She understood why the officer kept talking—he was trying to push away his fear. "The sooner we get him to a hospital, the higher his chances of survival."
The officer let out a relieved breath. Perhaps guilt weighed on him for retreating when the crisis began.
Sirens wailed in the distance—more reinforcents were arriving.
"We've taken out three terrorists," Ling Qingyu relayed. "Three remaining. They're hiding now, waiting for another chance to strike."
The officer imdiately passed the information to dispatch before voicing his suspicion. "How do you know how many there are?"
"Don't ask."
The simple response shut him down. Nonetheless, he never asked for her groups' identity. It seed he already assud they were part of the governnt apparatus.
It wasn't his fault since Ling Qingyu and two operators wore military-grade vests and high-cut helts with ear protection headsets. Even the ergonomic rifles in their hands were modernized with so many devices. Who would doubt them?
Ling Qingyu then spotted Kate stepping out of the vehicle and frowned. "I told you to stay in the car. Why did you co out?"
Inwardly, she was already complaining like a cliché movie scene—won… always trouble.
"I don't want to stay safe while my friend is in danger," Kate replied firmly.
If it had been anyone else, Ling Qingyu might have beaten the sense into them. Didn't she realize she was only increasing the danger?
Though Ling Qingyu said nothing, Kate felt the pressure and winced. "I know, I know—it's my fault. But I can help too."
She produced a small pistol and knelt beside Ling Qingyu, who was montarily stunned—wondering where Kate had even hidden the weapon.
Don't tell her…it ca out of her bra?
Stunned by her own assumption, Ling Qingyu shook her head.
"Oh my god… isn't this boy Ryan?"
Montarily dumbfounded, Ling Qingyu felt an odd sensation. "How do you know him?"
"Well, we…" Kate coughed lightly. "We had a one-night stand."
Ling Qingyu's lips twitched.
As expected of her Sea Queen friend, Kate.
User Comments
0 comments from readers