Volume 1 Chapter 28: The Armed Survivor

Mu Qing stood where she was, gazing at the corpse on the floor still twitching slightly, and the brains and blood splattered across the walls and sofa. A complex, indescribable emotion churned within her chest.

She should have felt disgusted, terrified, or perhaps angry...

But strangely, deep down, there was a flicker of... satisfying vengeance?

The woman’s sobbing pulled her back to reality:

"Th-thank you... He... he was the former vice president of this building... After the disaster struck... he relied on his bodyguards to control the food distribution... and has already... already victimized several girls..."

Mu Qing walked over, gently embracing the trembling woman, and let out a silent sigh.

Is this what the end of the world is?

Once laws and morals collapse, the darkest side of human nature is exposed so wantonly...

And to deal with such darkness, it seems only iron-fisted, cold-blooded, and ruthless measures are effective?

She looked up toward the window. Under the gray, gloomy sky, the distant Twin Towers shimmered with a cold light in the sun.

Could similar tragedies be unfolding there as well?

Just then, Leopard Head asked the woman in a cold voice:

"Do you know how many survivors there are? Where are they? How many people are guarding them?"

The woman replied with a sobbing voice: "There are about a hundred survivors, all locked on the 15th and 16th floors. There are over a dozen people guarding them, and most importantly... they have guns..."

"Guns?!" Mu Qing gasped, staring in disbelief at the disheveled woman before her. "Where would there be guns in peaceful times? Are you sure you didn't see wrong?"

The woman shook her head tremblingly, her fingers gripping Mu Qing’s sleeve tightly. "It's true! I saw it with my own eyes! That animal named Zhao... he always kept a few pistols hidden in his office... After the disaster happened, he brought them out to arm his bodyguards... and threatened that anyone who dared to resist would be shot on the spot..."

Leopard Head’s eyes sharpened. He immediately pressed his earpiece: "Captain, emergency situation. There are armed personnel on the 15th and 16th floors holding about a hundred survivors. They have pistols; the exact number is unknown. Requesting instructions."

There was a two-second silence on the comms, followed by Chen Feng’s calm reply: "Confirm the credibility of the intelligence."

Leopard Head looked at the woman, and she nodded desperately: "It is absolutely true! They only give the people on the bottom floor a tiny bit of food every day... and the women are forced to... to..."

She couldn't go on, and tears spilled out again.

"Intelligence is credible," Leopard Head reported briefly.

"Received. Stand by. Snow Leopard Team Two is moving toward your location. Sniper 'Hawkeye' is in position and can provide high-altitude surveillance. Repeat, do not act rashly; wait for support."

"Understood." Leopard Head ended the transmission and turned to the shaken woman. "Can you lead us to a safe passage? One that avoids their line of sight?"

The woman wiped her tears and nodded firmly. "Yes! There are two fire escapes in this building. They mainly guard the east side; the west one is more concealed..."

Five minutes later, accompanied by soft footsteps, three fully armed Snow Leopard operatives appeared silently at the office door.

They were equipped significantly better than the infantry squad; one carried a portable thermal imager, and another held an assault rifle with a suppressor.

"Briefing," the lead Snow Leopard operator said in a low voice.

Leopard Head quickly repeated the intelligence he had gathered.

The new Snow Leopard team members exchanged glances.

"Sniper has locked onto the 15th-floor east corridor," the lead said, pointing at the building layout on a tactical tablet. "Confirmed at least three armed personnel patrolling the corridor, carrying suspected standard-issue pistols. Situation on the 16th floor is unknown."

"Assault or infiltration?" Leopard Head asked.

"Infiltration is priority." The Snow Leopard lead pointed to Mu Qing and the rescued woman. "You two, stay behind us and keep quiet. If the situation changes, retreat immediately."

The group moved upward silently along the west fire escape.

Mu Qing’s heart beat so fast it felt like it would jump out of her chest, her palms slick with cold sweat.

She had never imagined she would be caught in such a real armed conflict—the opposition were desperate thugs with guns!

When they climbed to the 12th floor, the Snow Leopard operatives suddenly stopped and raised their fists to signal everyone to freeze.

The thermal imager operator pointed upward; the screen showed several red figures wandering near the 15th-floor stairwell.

"Change route. Pass through the 12th-floor office area and take the other passage," the lead gestured to detour.

The subsequent movement was like a game of cat and mouse.

They moved through the cluttered office area, skirted around toppled filing cabinets, and avoided every obstacle that might make a sound.

Mu Qing’s hiking boots made almost no noise on the carpet, for which she was secretly thankful.

Finally, they reached a fire door on the west side of the 15th floor.

The thermal imaging showed that this side was temporarily unguarded.

"Prepare to breach," the Snow Leopard lead gestured. "Remember, the opposition is armed; do not hesitate."

*Click.* The fire door was pushed open just a crack.

The scene before her made Mu Qing instantly suffocate!

The spacious office area had been converted into a makeshift "cage."

Dozens of sallow, emaciated survivors huddled inside a fence made of office desks, their eyes dull and vacant.

The air was thick with the stench of excrement and blood.

Most shocking were the cubicles in the corner: five or six naked young women were chained to radiators like livestock, their bodies covered in bruises and scars, their eyes as hollow as those of the dead.

One girl had fresh blood on her thigh, dripping down her calf onto the carpet.

"Animals..." Mu Qing bit her lip hard to keep from screaming.

"Target acquired," came the calm voice of the Snow Leopard operative.

Mu Qing followed his gaze and saw a pot-bellied middle-aged man in a floral shirt holding a crying girl, brandishing a black pistol in his hand.

Standing beside him were three burly men, all with holsters tucked into their waistbands.

"Action," the lead ordered briefly.

The next ten seconds were like a scene from hell!

*Puff! Puff! Puff!* Three muffled gunshots rang out almost simultaneously!

The Snow Leopard operatives' suppressed weapons took down the three bodyguards with precision!

Before the man in the floral shirt could react, Leopard Head lunged forward in a dash, striking his carotid artery with a hand-chop, causing him to slump to the floor like a dead fish.

"Secure!"

"Under control!"

The entire 15th floor erupted in chaos!

The survivors first huddled in terror, but then realizing help had arrived, they burst into suppressed sobs and cheers.

"Quick! Untie them!" Mu Qing rushed toward the chained girls, her hands trembling as she helped them release the shackles.

One girl collapsed into her arms the moment the chain was loosened, her body light as a feather, her skin burning with a terrifying fever.

"Medic kit! She needs emergency care!" Mu Qing shouted behind her.

The Snow Leopard operatives moved quickly: two guarded the passage to the 16th floor, one distributed emergency food and water to the survivors, and the medic began checking the injuries of the abused women.

"They still have people on the 16th floor," the rescued woman reminded them weakly, "and... they have more weapons hidden on the roof... you must be careful..."

The lead immediately pressed his comms: "Hawkeye, scan the roof; there may be an arms cache."

"Received... wait!" The sniper’s voice in the comms suddenly tightened. "Movement on the 16th floor! Multiple people are moving toward the fire escape! They have long guns! Repeat, long guns detected!"

Everyone’s expression changed drastically!

"Take cover! Find shelter!" the lead barked. "These aren't ordinary thugs! Where did they get automatic weapons?!"

Mu Qing instinctively lunged toward the feverish girl, shielding her with her body, looking up at the ceiling in terror.

Rapid footsteps and the crisp sound of metal clashing were already coming from above.

The real battle had only just begun.