Volume 1, Chapter 29: Lethal Strike! The Decisiveness of Hawkeye!

"Take cover! Long guns!"

No sooner had the Snow Leopard team leader’s roar subsided than the door to the 15th-floor stairwell was kicked open with a violent crash!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Deafening gunfire instantly tore through the deathly silence of the office area. A hailstorm of steel pellets from shotguns poured down, shattering the glass partitions on the west side of the floor!

Flying shards, sharp as lethal blades, carved bloody furrows into the faces of several survivors who were too slow to dodge.

"Ah—!" Screams erupted, and the rescued crowd scattered in a panic, like a flock of terrified sheep.

"Suppressive fire!" The Snow Leopard leader rolled behind a load-bearing column, his QBZ-191 spitting tongues of flame!

"Rat-tat-tat!" Three precise, rapid shots!

The lead thug, charging at the front, had three flowers of blood bloom on his chest. He collapsed backward, his double-barreled shotgun clattering to the floor.

At the same time, Leopard Head had already set up his riot shield, positioning himself in front of Mu Qing and the group of frail hostages.

Amidst a cacophony of "clinks" and "clangs," steel pellets and bullets sparked off the surface of the shield!

"Sniper! I need eyes!" the leader shouted into his headset.

"Eagle Eye reporting: Three armed targets in the stairwell—two shotguns, one handgun. There are at least five more heat signatures in the 16th-floor corridor, two of which are moving toward your position!"

"Damn it!" A Snow Leopard member cursed while swapping his magazine. "Where the hell are these bastards getting all these weapons?!"

"Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!" The muffled sounds of suppressed fire came from the flank.

A second thug, just as he exposed half his body to fire, was struck by a precise three-round burst to the neck and face. A mist of blood splattered across the white wall behind him!

Seeing the situation turn, the third thug turned and scrambled toward the floor above...

"Crack!"

A distinct, singular gunshot rang out from outside the window!

The glass in the 16th-floor stairwell shattered in response!

The back of the fleeing thug’s head exploded, and his headless corpse tumbled down the stairs.

"Target neutralized," the sniper’s cool voice echoed in the earpiece.

A brief silence followed.

Mu Qing huddled behind Leopard Head’s shield, clutching the feverish girl tightly to her chest. She could feel her heart slamming against her ribcage at a frantic pace, her ears ringing from the gunfire.

"Is it safe?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Leopard Head did not answer, scanning the surroundings with intense vigilance. The Snow Leopard members had regrouped and were advancing toward the 16th floor in a tactical formation.

"Thermal imaging shows at least five people gathered in the southeast office on the 16th floor," the sniper continued. "Wait... one heat signature is moving separately... he’s got a hostage! He’s heading your way!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the 16th-floor elevator shaft emitted a mechanical "clack-clack" sound—the emergency power had been engaged!

"Secure the elevator entrance!" the leader warned sharply.

"Ding—"

The old elevator gave a piercing chime, and the rusted metal doors slowly slid open.

A burly, thick-necked man with a shaved head and a heavy gold chain around his neck gripped a young girl by the throat with his left arm, while his right hand held a silver service pistol, the muzzle pressed hard against her temple.

The girl’s face was deathly pale, her lips bitten until they bled, yet she dared not make a sound.

"Don't move!" the bald man sneered, grinding the barrel into the girl's temple. "Anyone tries anything, I’ll blow her brains out first!"

The Snow Leopard members’ rifles pointed in unison at the elevator, but no one dared to fire.

The hostage and the gunman’s heads were pressed so closely together that even the sniper could not guarantee a clean shot.

"Drop your guns! Back off!" the bald man roared, dragging the girl out of the elevator step by step. "Otherwise, I—"

"Thwip!"

A barely audible, muffled sound!

A spray of blood erupted from the bald man’s right eye!

The bullet pierced his skull from an upward angle, tearing a fist-sized hole out the back of his head!

Red and white fluid splattered against the mirrored interior of the elevator!

"Eagle Eye hit," the sniper’s voice was chillingly calm.

The burly man’s body stiffened for a second, then collapsed like a marionette with cut strings.

The girl he had been holding slumped to the floor, her legs giving way, and she began to retch violently.

"Clear the floor! Move!" Following the leader's command, the Snow Leopard members surged toward the 16th floor like arrows released from a bow!

The subsequent clearing operation was swift and efficient.

Guided by thermal imagery, they quickly pinpointed the final few thugs hiding in the southeast office.

The opposition tried to put up a desperate fight, but with the Snow Leopard members’ precise marksmanship and the aid of stun grenades, they were all quickly terminated.

When Mu Qing helped the rescued girls up to the 16th floor, the sight before her made her stomach churn.

The office had been converted into a decadent "lair."

Empty bottles of expensive liquor and half-eaten high-end rations were scattered across leather sofas; shotguns and handguns hung on the walls; the corner was piled high with luxury goods looted from shops downstairs.

Most sickening of all, several photo albums lay open on the main desk, filled with "trophy" photos taken by these beasts while they abused women.

"Animals... they’re all animals..." Mu Qing trembled, kicking over a bottle of red wine on the desk.

The amber liquid spilled over the photographs, blurring the pained, twisted faces of the victims.

"Found the armory," a Snow Leopard member said, dragging several metal crates out of the adjacent conference room. "Two assault rifles, four service pistols, and a large amount of ammunition. And... police-issue body armor?"

The leader knelt to check the serial numbers on the weapons, his eyes hardening. "These are standard-issue equipment... Did these bastards loot a police station armory?"

Mu Qing suddenly recalled something, her face growing even paler. "That bald man... I think I’ve seen him somewhere... Right! On the news! He was the owner of a security firm, and his older brother is the precinct chief of the East Sea City FBL..."

The leader sneered and picked up his comms device. "Captain, the target building has been cleared. Nine armed thugs neutralized, one hundred and twenty-seven survivors rescued. Recovered several service weapons, suspected to be from a looted police station. Requesting further instructions."

"Copy that," Chen Feng’s voice crackled back. "The medical team is on the way. Confiscate all weapons and gather the survivors in the ground floor lobby. Repeat: do not distribute weapons to civilians."

"Understood."

Watching the Snow Leopard members expertly collect weapons and soothe the survivors, Mu Qing suddenly realized a cruel truth:

Without the timely intervention of this iron-willed force, how much longer would the hell inside this office building have lasted?

Those girls kept in chains, those abused survivors... they might never have waited for "government rescue."

She looked down at the girl in her arms, who was still unconscious from a high fever, and gently wiped the grime from her face.

Sunlight from outside filtered through the dirty glass, casting a faint, golden glow over the girl’s pale features.

At least for now, they had a chance to live.

And all of this had been provided by the young man who called himself the "Marshal."

She was now deeply curious: what kind of person was he, really? And where did these mysterious armed forces come from?