"Suo Xiao quickly emptied his gun at the dazed guards. The magazine ran out, and he swiftly pulled out a new one from his belt, completing the reload extremely quickly.
Rolling into the factory, Suo Xiao's body crouched low, both hands holding the gun level in front of him, aiming at an abandoned piece of machinery while rapidly moving forward.
Bang.
Suddenly, Suo Xiao fired. Ding! Flames erupted from the abandoned machine, causing the mercenary guard behind it to retract.
"Expert."
The mercenary guard hid behind the abandoned machine, removing his gas mask and revealing a Caucasian face.
The mercenary guard attempted to peek his gas mask out from behind cover.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A tremendous force hit his hand, and the gas mask was instantly shattered.
Ding! A black, round object was thrown near the mercenary guard, causing a chill to run down his spine. Instinctively, he thought it was a grenade.
In an instant, the mercenary guard ripped off his shirt, tossed it aside, and leaped in the opposite direction, aiming to reach another piece of cover.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunshots echoed rhythmically, and as the mercenary leaped in the air, blood splattered in bursts from several wounds. Hit by five bullets, he thudded onto the ground, the force of the bullets altering his jump.
Normally, being hit by five bullets in the torso would be fatal. However, the mercenary, although hit, ignored the gunshot wounds, rolling on the ground.
Bang.
Suo Xiao fired the last bullet from his gun, which pierced through the mercenary's eye socket without exiting, instantly turning his brain into a pulp due to the bullet's rotation.
Changing the magazine, Suo Xiao's face turned grim. He had fired five bullets directly at the guard, hitting the torso each time and even piercing through the lungs.
The enemy was difficult to deal with; more than relying on a handgun might be required.
Suo Xiao approached the staircase leading downstairs. A guard, heavily injured by shrapnel, reached out for a nearby rifle.
Suo Xiao handed him a shot and took a concussion grenade from his waist, hesitated, then picked up a gas mask from the ground and put it on.
The noise of footsteps came from outside the factory. A large group of guards had reached the factory entrance.
Suo Xiao pulled the pin of the concussion grenade and threw it towards the entrance before darting into the stairwell.
Boom!
The concussion grenade exploded. Suo Xiao covered his ears; a flash of white light illuminated the factory, followed by painful screams. Nighttime concussion grenades could cause irreversible damage to one's optic nerves.
Suo Xiao descended the stairs slowly, approaching a corner. He leaned against the wall, took a small mirror from his waist, and used it to observe around the corner.
A dozen guards were stationed below the stairs, holding various automatic rifles and aiming their barrels upward.
Bang!
A gunshot sounded, causing cement near Suo Xiao's ear to explode—a ricochet!
Cement fragments grazed Suo Xiao's cheek, drawing blood that trickled down his face. He tasted the iron flavor in his mouth, smiling slightly. His heartbeat accelerated, and the seals restraining him began to flicker.
"Not easy to handle."
Suo Xiao tossed a black travel bag and quickly retreated.
Rat-a-tat-tat!
Bullets rained on the travel bag. It was instantly reduced to shreds, and the rifles inside had numerous dents. At close range, a handgun was more effective than a rifle.
Pshh.
Blood burst from Suo Xiao's shoulder. He took two steps back; it was a ricocheted bullet hitting him from the wall.
Footsteps echoed from above the stairwell. Suo Xiao was trapped inside the building.
As the gunfire from below the stairs subsided, Suo Xiao approached, peeking half his body, head, and arms around the corner, quickly pulling the trigger.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Several guards were shot in the head directly; one guard was hit in the forehead just as he attempted to pull the trigger, and his brains splattered.
Facing Suo Xiao's frighteningly accurate marksmanship, the guards retreated to both sides of the stairwell.
Seizing the opportunity, Suo Xiao threw the gun into his left hand and pulled out a 40-centimeter-long knife from his leg. He charged down the stairs.
Just as he rushed out of the stairwell, Suo Xiao immediately lowered his body, quickly surveying the area.
Six guards remained. Three with rifles, two with pistols, and one holding a grenade. They stood on either side of the stairwell—two on the left, four on the right. The two on the left had someone holding a grenade.
Suo Xiao raised his gun, slowing his breath, and pulled the trigger.
Bang.
The guard holding the grenade was shot in the wrist. Suo Xiao's original target was the grenade, but the firearm expertise of Lv.5 couldn't precisely hit the grenade, especially while moving.
Suo Xiao had to make do; firing two more shots, he removed the two guards on the left.
Just as he dealt with the two guards, Suo Xiao felt a numbness in his lower back—he had been shot. He immediately rolled on the ground, and bullets struck the area near him, leaving numerous craters.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Suo Xiao fired three shots, emptying the handgun's magazine. The two guards on the right were shot in the head, and one was hit in the throat. The remaining guard had already lifted his rifle, aiming at Suo Xiao.
Suo Xiao was well aware of how many bullets were in the gun. As the magazine emptied, he quickly reloaded with a fresh one.
Bang, bang.
Two shots later, the final guard was shot in the head.
Suo Xiao didn't enjoy headshots simply because these guards were not ordinary people. If hit in the torso, their combat effectiveness wouldn't decrease significantly as long as their hearts weren't pierced.
As he dealt with the last guard, Suo Xiao rushed toward the body of one guard and pulled out a grenade.
Boom!
The explosion's strong force pushed Suo Xiao back a few steps.
Boom, boom, boom.
Each grenade exploded in the stairwell, and Suo Xiao took cover behind a cement pillar. He was now in a basement several hundred square meters in size.
Rows of stainless steel tables were in the basement, filled with test tubes or beakers. Nearby, there were many square plastic bags containing white powder.
Several workers in hazmat suits stood still by the tables, totaling dozens. One of them slowly leaned backward, a handgun placed on a table nearby.
Suo Xiao aimed the gun, firing a shot and hitting the person in the head.
Two seconds later,.
"Ah!"
The workers screamed in terror, instinctively crouching down, hands covering their heads.
Suo Xiao threw the grenade among them. Most of them remained motionless on the ground, but three immediately leaped behind cover, swift in their movements.
Bang, bang, bang.
Three precise shots—the three fake workers aiming for cover—were shot in the head."