The military convoy was rapidly approaching, and based on their previous speed and the remaining distance, they would arrive at the front entrance of the Sky View Hotel in no more than ten minutes!
With this knowledge, Xia Ming and his companions dared not waste any time. They quickly gathered their belongings and made their way down the stairs in haste.
Su Chen quickly followed Xia Ming and his group, but he made it clear that he would not leave with the army. Although everyone was surprised, they were all focused on escaping and did not pay much attention to Su Chen's decision. Only the fat man looked at him with certainty, believing that as a cultivator, Su Chen should act independently instead of merging with the military.
Su Chen also reminded the fat man not to reveal his presence to anyone else.
Despite his previously weak physique, Su Chen did not feel overly tired after rushing down the stairs. He wondered if it was due to the energy he had absorbed into his body.
As they approached the lobby, Su Chen extended his arm to press down on the crowd behind him and peered at the lobby entrance.
The military convoy was drawing near, and the monsters on the first floor had already been alerted to their presence.
Twisted and lanky ghosts emerged from the shadows, their tall and contorted bodies shaking as their muddy eyes fixated on the approaching convoy in a uniform manner.
The twisted ghosts gradually arched their bodies, preparing to attack. When the military convoy turned the last corner and appeared on the main road in front of the Tianjing Hotel building, these eerie shadows let out a deafening roar and transformed into dark glimmering streaks, resembling cheetahs in their speed and agility, charging fiercely towards the convoy.
"Now's our chance!" Su Chen exclaimed.
He led Xia Ming and the others forward, taking advantage of the gap created by the elongated ghost's departure, allowing them to safely rush out of the hotel building and continue their escape.
The streets outside were in chaos, with scrapped vehicles, bloodstains, and unquenched flames in every corner, all illustrating the bleakness and despair of the last days.
Instead of following Xia Ming and the others in their rush to escape, Su Chen squeezed his way out through the door. From his position, he had a clear view of the people fleeing towards the military convoy in front of him.
As they listened to the sound of gunshots and watched the military convoy firing deadly flames, sweeping away the elongated ghosts and approaching them, Xia Ming and the others ran towards the back, panting and sweating. The fat man was ecstatic at the sight.
However, their joy was short-lived.
"!!!"
Suddenly, a twisted, lanky ghost was thrown out from a blind spot outside the hotel gate at an incredibly fast speed. It quickly approached Xia Ming and his companions, using a few scrapped cars as cover. Its bladed foot was raised high and directly pierced the fat man's body. Each knife foot penetrated his plump flesh like a hedgehog, and then pulled and twisted in multiple directions, tearing him apart into a dozen pieces in mid-air!
Immediately after killing the fat man, the twisted ghost turned around and its shadow engulfed the remaining five people.
"What?!"
Everyone was stunned by the sudden turn of events, and screams echoed throughout the street. Even the two security guards fell to the ground, their faces drained of color from fear. The beautiful female secretary was also pale and looked towards the military, hoping that the Federation soldiers could save her. Only Xia Ming remained surprisingly calm. Instead of looking towards the military, his gaze was fixed on Su Chen with a stubborn intensity.
Xia Ming realized that running was futile, as the twisted ghost had already demonstrated its incredible speed. The military had heavy firepower, but shooting the ghost would also put them, the humans in close proximity to the monster, at risk. Their only hope lay in Su Chen, who had promised to save them.
However, Su Chen had already achieved his objectives and had no reason to expose himself to danger by saving them.
Meanwhile, the captain in charge of the military convoy also witnessed the events unfolding. Although their primary mission was to complete other tasks, rescuing as many people as possible was also part of their duties. They carried a database with information on important figures, and the captain had just confirmed that Xia Ming, the president of Xihuang Group, was among the group of people who had fled from the Tianjing Hotel. He was a key figure to be rescued according to military protocols.
The captain and his soldiers' hopes were dashed as the elongated ghost emerged from the corner.
Although several of their vehicles were equipped with heavy and small-caliber machine guns, focusing their fire could repel the ghost. However, Xia Ming and the others were too close to the monster. If they fired, Xia Ming and the others would be caught in the crossfire and killed.
Their team was also too far away to take any other measures.
"Damn it!" The captain shouted, his eyes turning red with frustration. He had witnessed too many deaths on their journey. Although they carried information on important figures, they could only save survivors if they saw them. However, many times they were unable to rescue them due to various reasons or the survivors were ultimately killed by the monsters... Would this be another one of those times?
The captain couldn't bear to look any longer and turned away, but his deputy next to him suddenly exclaimed, "Look!"
What they witnessed next greatly exceeded their expectations.
The twisted ghost was poised to attack the humans with its razor-sharp claws and teeth, but suddenly, its shoulder exploded into pieces. Its body staggered and its attack was halted. The ghost turned its head, screaming in agony as it searched for its attacker. However, before it could retaliate, another gunshot sounded and its head exploded, causing its body to shake and fall to the ground.
The experienced soldiers on the chariot quickly deduced that the attacker was in the hotel building.
"What kind of weapon is that? It looks like a low-powered grenade, but... from the ballistics and sound effects, it's completely different. It's more like some kind of large-caliber pistol..." The deputy scanned the front entrance of the hotel, but the savior was nowhere to be seen.
The captain was also astonished. He knew that even a large-caliber pistol shot to the head couldn't kill such a long and twisted ghost. What kind of weapon did the attacker use? Was it a new weapon developed by a scientific research company? Could it quickly eliminate a ghost with strong self-healing abilities? Moreover, why didn't the attacker come out? Didn't they want to work with the military? Additionally, the power of the weapon was obvious as one shot could headshot. So, why did they take two shots?
The convoy slowed down and came to a brief stop. The soldiers in charge of the bus quickly pulled Xia Ming and his group into the vehicle.
As Xia Ming boarded the bus, the captain observed him bowing deeply towards the "empty" hotel building, expressing his gratitude and respect. There was even a hint of anticipation in his expression, as if he hoped to see the mysterious weapon-wielding savior again.
The captain couldn't help but wonder who could make the young president of the prestigious Western Wilderness Group bow down and express gratitude in this dire situation.
The attacker who had fired the mysterious weapon did not appear to be a member of the Xihuang Group.
Who was the person wielding such an advanced weapon in the hotel?
The captain felt compelled to ask Xia Ming, but now was not the time as they were being chased by monsters from all directions.
The deputy suggested, "Should we send someone to investigate?"
The captain shook his head and replied, "No. Our mission is not yet complete, and we have already attracted too many monsters. We must maintain a high speed to save everyone's lives and complete our mission. That is our priority at this stage."
The monsters were gathering in groups on the streets, but the military convoy could not afford to delay. They accelerated and charged forward, killing the monsters in their path as they headed deeper towards Midtown.