Inside the Linxian City Survivor Base, Ross paced back and forth anxiously. Six soldiers had been sent from headquarters to provide support, but without exception, they had all been robbed. The search team led by Don had also lost contact. There had to be a connection between these two incidents.
While he was frowning in contemplation, a soldier rushed in and reported, "Reporting to the captain, Miss Annabelle has been abducted by survivors in the slums."
"What?" Ross's face turned pale. Without waiting for the soldier to continue, he grabbed the submachine gun on the table and said, "Let's go, follow me and check it out."
"Yes!" The soldier immediately followed. At that moment, in the slums, a man held a knife against a woman's neck, accompanied by a man and a woman who were likely his accomplices.
The man shouted loudly to the surrounding crowd, "If you don't want to die, get the hell out of here!"
"I can tell you, this Survivor Base is about to change its name soon." Several brave individuals stepped forward and cursed.
"Bullshit! Just relying on you, you also want to snatch Captain Ross's territory? You must not want to live! Brothers and sisters, why would we be afraid of three thugs? Attack! As long as we catch them, when the captain is pleased, who knows, he might send us to the Chu Du Province headquarters earlier." After speaking, the survivors' eyes lit up. Which one of them didn't want to go to the Chu Du Province Survivor Base? They immediately surrounded the criminals.
"Hehe, maybe you guys don't know. This morning, the convoy sent out by Chu Du Province was intercepted in the Linxian City area. All the search team members who went out lost contact. Now, the base is only left with Ross and two others. Do you think they have the ability to protect you?" The man shouted, causing the rest of the survivors to be frightened.
Everyone looked at each other, still unclear about the situation. Seeing that he had scared them, the man immediately exchanged a glance with his companions, and the three of them started to move toward the main gate while holding Annabelle hostage.
But in the next moment, a voice rang out, "Release the hostage!" The man immediately turned his head and saw Ross standing at the entrance, pointing his gun at him with a stern expression.
The man wasn't afraid either. He held Annabelle in front of him and sneered, "If you dare, go ahead and shoot. I don't mind dying here with this woman."
"You're testing my patience," Ross stood his ground, slowly placing his finger on the trigger.
"I'm still saying, if you dare, go ahead and shoot!" The man gulped down his fear. According to the previous intelligence, this woman was important to Ross. He shouldn't shoot, right?
"Is that so?" Ross sneered. He knew the robber was gambling, but he was gambling too. With a calm tone, he said, "Now, I'll count to three. If within those three counts, you release her, I can decide to let you and your accomplices go. But if the count reaches three and you haven't released her, I will shoot and kill both you and this young lady."
"You know, as the captain, I can't sacrifice the lives of everyone in the Linxian Survivor Base for the sake of a single survivor." Ross apologized as he looked at Annabelle. "Miss Annabelle, I'm sorry, but for the sake of everyone, I have to give up on you."
"It's okay." Annabelle shook her head with teary eyes. She had been treated well by Ross and his subordinates during this time, which made her feel warmth for the first time since losing her home. She was very grateful.
However, she knew that she received such treatment because of that person. On that day, he invited her to join his base and told her his name was Anthony. Anthony even brought her favorite snacks. After Anthony left, the soldiers of the Linxian Survivor Base started taking care of her. She wasn't foolish. If she had the chance, she would have liked to thank him in person, but it seemed there was no longer any opportunity.
With that in mind, Annabelle suddenly said, "Captain Li, can you do me a favor?"
"As long as it doesn't violate my morals, I will definitely help you," Ross immediately agreed.
"If you see Anthony again, please tell him thank you for me," Annabelle said loudly.
Ross smiled bitterly, "I will make sure to convey the message."
"Enough with this melodrama! Get the hell out of my way! If you don't move, I'll really take action!" The man shouted angrily, and the tip of his knife even cut his skin, leaving a trace of blood.
Ross listened and his expression turned serious again. He held the gun up and said calmly, "1!"
"Heh, stop pretending! Move out of the way!" The man's eyes flashed with panic.
"2!" Ross continued the count.
"You... You dare to shoot, motherfucker!" The man panicked directly. He hadn't expected Ross to dare to threaten him. Could the intelligence be wrong? What if the other party really shot? Then his life would be over.
Thinking of this, the man's palms were already sweating profusely. "3!"...
At the same time, Anthony had arrived near the Linxian Survivor Base. Originally, he planned to enter directly, but he changed his mind temporarily and turned to Cheryl, saying, "You and the old man stay here in ambush. Don't take any action in any situation. I will give the signal and shout 'go' when the time comes, catching them off guard."
"No problem." Cheryl and Verna were both excited, while Dash nodded indifferently.
"Old man, I entrust Cheryl's and Verna's safety to you." After saying that, Anthony dashed towards the base. He didn't know why, but he had a premonition that something had happened inside.
Passing through the main gate of the base, Anthony felt a wave of curiosity. The large gate of the base was unguarded, which meant there was definitely a problem. With that in mind, he moved quickly with agile steps. Soon, he saw two men and a woman not far away, holding a woman hostage with a knife at her neck. Ross was negotiating with them, holding a gun.
"Annabelle!" Anthony immediately recognized the woman being held captive. His heart tightened, but he suppressed the urge to rush over and instead hid in a corner, observing the situation.
At the same time, Ross shouted loudly, "3!" He suddenly made a motion as if he were about to pull the trigger, causing the knife-wielding man on the other side to tense up. However, quickly enough, Ross holstered his handgun and raised his hands, saying helplessly, "Well, even though I don't want to admit it, you win, brother. Everyone, clear the way for this person."
This woman was someone Anthony specifically instructed them to take care of. Even if the situation was urgent, killing her would likely leave a bad impression on Anthony. It wasn't worth it to give Anthony a negative impression over three criminals. If this woman wasn't Annabelle, Ross promised that he would have shot.
However, to prevent this criminal from harming the hostage, Ross issued a warning, "I advise you, you better protect the life of the woman in your hands. Don't lay a finger on her, or nobody can save you."
"Heh, still acting tough." The man sneered, grabbing Annabelle by her hair. After all, their boss only wanted to abduct this woman, and he didn't say they couldn't do certain things. He grabbed the collar of Annabelle's clothing and forcefully pulled.
Rip— "Ah!" A scream and the sound of torn clothes resounded simultaneously. Due to it being summer, Annabelle was dressed quite lightly, with large areas of exposed skin. Ignoring the pain in her hair, she firmly covered her chest, guarding her last boundary. The man raised the torn fabric in his hand, indulgently sniffed it in front of his nose, and then casually tossed the scraps away, reaching out towards Annabelle's chest.
"Stop!" Ross quickly shouted.
However, the man's face was full of mockery. "Stop? I'm going to keep going! It's been a month since I've had a woman, and today I'll vent my frustration on this little chick."
After saying that, he continued reaching for Annabelle's chest. Ross saw this scene, his face turned pale, and he weakly took a few steps back. "It's over!"