Fierce Battle with the Flying Tigers

"Many, many—an awful lot," Hou Rui repeated emphatically, fiddling with the walkie-talkie before tucking it behind his waist.

"I've carried out missions in Hong Kong before," the Wolfman remarked, picking up his five once more. "Ordinary officers here are no real threat, but their Tiger Squad is a bit of a nuisance." Before Hou Rui could react, the Wolfman raised his gun without warning and fired at close range, shooting through the last hostage—the elder sister—straight into her back.

Hou Rui watched as the girl collapsed softly to the ground, blood immediately pooling beneath her and spreading across the floor. His mouth fell open, but after several seconds of tense silence, he said nothing. Though Hou Rui had disguised his appearance, neither Lux nor the Wolfman had bothered; the girl had seen both their faces, leaving her with no hope.

"What's the matter?" The Wolfman, who had just killed someone but already seemed unfazed, glanced at Hou Rui's expression, puzzled.

"Nothing—it's just that your gunshot will only hasten the police assault." The dead cannot be revived, so Hou Rui focused on the fight ahead. As he spoke, he crouched again into cover, raised his thirty-seven, and aimed at the entrance. With the last hostage gone, the Tiger Squad would surely storm in now.

"Sooner or later, we'd have to fight. Might as well do it before they've fully deployed." As he spoke, the Wolfman dragged the girl's body onto another swivel chair by the reception desk, then clapped Hou Rui on the shoulder. "Against the police, it's not just live hostages—even corpses like hers are useful!"

Having said this, the Wolfman grabbed a water cup from the desk, strode to the electrical box, opened it, and splashed water onto the wires. Instantly, sparks erupted, and the entire building lost power. The elevators and lobby lights all shut down, plunging Hou Rui and his companions into darkness—now predators lurking in the gloom.

Meanwhile, outside, the police heard the gunshot and saw the blackout envelop the building. The scene commander immediately issued an order: "Tiger Squad, move in together! Enter and secure the hostages—shoot any criminals who dare resist!"

"Yes, sir!" The Tiger Squad commander shouted back, snapped on his bulletproof helmet, took up his five, and jumped off the command vehicle.

Ten seconds later, two squads—twelve Tiger Squad members in all—approached the building's main entrance from both sides. As the lead officer attached C4 charges to the glass doors, Hou Rui and his group prepared for resistance. With tactical training from Zero Island, the three arranged themselves in a triangular formation, using the reception desk and lobby pillars as cover, forming a simple yet effective defensive position.

Moreover, Instructor Martin on Zero Island had taught them extensive tactics for dealing with police and special forces from various countries. To summarize: they must withstand the Tiger Squad's initial assault. Unlike the military, police cannot disregard casualties; hurting them early increases the chance of finding gaps in their deployment and escaping.

"Boom! Crash!" The glass doors exploded, and the two Tiger Squad teams rushed into the lobby behind ballistic shields.

The sound of Tiger Squad boots echoed everywhere. As both squads entered, they immediately fanned out at the entrance, leaving two to guard the door while the rest quickly spread out and advanced toward the reception desk. The lobby, barely over a hundred square meters, would take them only seconds to reach Hou Rui.

Thirty meters. Twenty meters. Ten meters.

Listening intently to their footsteps, Hou Rui's heart rate soared past one hundred, yet his breathing remained steady and controlled. Through a slit in the desk, he watched Lux and the Wolfman circle the pillar, inching toward him, closing the distance to just ten meters.

Holding his breath, Hou Rui quietly picked up a broom and stuffed it under the dead girl's armpit on the swivel chair, making it look as if she were holding a gun. Then, with a kick, he sent the chair rolling out from behind the desk.

Click, click, click—the sound of guns being readied and rounds chambered echoed through the dim lobby. The Tiger Squad's flashlights instantly converged on the chair and the corpse. But, as Hou Rui had anticipated, no shots were fired; the well-trained Tiger Squad didn't fall for the ruse.

"Careful, that's a hostage," shouted their commander. Most of the squad froze in place, while the lead officers quickened their steps toward the chair.

In that moment, the twelve Tiger Squad members divided into three groups: those guarding the entrance, those stationed near the lobby pillars, and those advancing rapidly toward the desk. This was precisely the opportunity Hou Rui and his companions had awaited.

From behind the roughly 1.5-meter-high reception desk, Hou Rui suddenly raised his arm. Half crouched, half kneeling, he kept his head down, pressing his thirty-seven against the thin wooden panel and pulled the trigger.

Bang, bang, bang—three quick, precise shots thundered forth. The lead Tiger Squad officer's ballistic shield blocked the first shot, but the second hit the lower part of the shield, throwing off his stance. The third shot ruthlessly struck his exposed thigh.

"Ugh! Rat-a-tat-tat!" As the lead officer fell, his two companions dragged him back, firing at the desk in a sweeping barrage. Bullets shattered the wooden desk, especially around the gaping hole left by Hou Rui’s shotgun, with over a dozen rounds from their submachine guns peppering the area.

Though Hou Rui dove to the floor after firing three shots, the bullets that zipped past his head sent a chill through him. Yet, amid such fierce crossfire, there was no time for fear. He crawled forward, extended his gun from the desk's side, and fired at the lead officer of the other Tiger Squad team.

Bang—the shot grazed the floor. Even with their shield held low, a gap remained; the relentless steel pellets tore through, shredding the officer's boots and mangling his foot.

"Agh!" This lead officer also collapsed with a scream, and his teammates immediately returned fire. Hou Rui, still prone, couldn't retreat in time and was struck in the shoulder and forehead. Had it not been for his bulletproof helmet, he'd have been finished. Twenty-three harrowing seconds later, he managed to scramble back behind the desk and hide once more.

"Officer down—we need medical support!" Both Tiger Squad teams had been hit almost simultaneously. While all attention focused on Hou Rui at the desk and the commander reported over the radio, Lux, who had been quietly hiding behind a pillar, sprang into action.

Bang, bang, bang!

She darted out from behind the pillar, both pistols blazing. At point-blank range, she shot a Tiger Squad officer through the throat. Then, with surprising strength for her petite frame, she dragged his body back behind the pillar.

"Flank them! Watch out—the enemy has one of our own!" As the Tiger Squad locked down every possible route behind the pillar, someone suddenly pushed out a swivel chair. Using both the chair and the corpse of their fallen comrade as cover, Lux charged out again, fearless.

Only thirty-four meters separated Lux from the nearest Tiger Squad officer, leaving them caught off guard. Forced to consider their comrade, they fired hesitantly, while Lux unleashed her full fury. In her left hand, she wielded a heavy-barreled Smith & Wesson Model 10 revolver, firing with pinpoint accuracy. Though the gun lacked stopping power, her precision wounded two officers in their arms and one in the thigh.

In her right hand, she held the deadly SIG 250, coldly harvesting lives. At close range, she shot an officer through the eye, bullet piercing his ballistic goggles and entering his brain. The next officer was even less fortunate, taking two rounds through his unprotected neck, spraying blood onto Lux herself.

"Nine o'clock—urgent support needed!" As the remaining Tiger Squad members shouted and fired at Lux, she nimbly pushed the chair behind another pillar. Bullets from every angle chipped away the marble, sending clouds of dust swirling.

While some officers tended to their fallen comrades and others guarded against sudden attacks from Hou Rui and Lux, the most patient and lethal member, the Wolfman, finally moved. His gun emerged from behind a pillar, and the Tiger Squad officer assigned to guard that side spotted him at once. Yet, even as the officer gave warning, the Wolfman's five roared...