Chapter 46
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Chapter 46: Chaotic Dream
A gun that dares not fire is no different from a mere stick.
Zhuang Mian noticed the hesitation in the two men and decided to leave her gun with El. Gripping her dagger tightly, she charged forward.
El remained crouched on the stairs, occasionally firing a couple of shots in a manner reminiscent of the African regions from another world, suppressing the advancing gunmen.
The two gunmen tasked with setting the fire seemed woefully incompetent. Though they were supposed to engage in combat, their fear of igniting themselves kept them hiding behind cover, too cowardly to return fire.
It wasn’t until Zhuang Mian nearly forced them into the flames that they hesitantly disengaged their safeties and began to shoot.
But it was already too late.
After the sounds of bodies colliding and gunfire subsided, Zhuang Mian swiftly picked up two handguns from the blood-soaked ground and dashed back toward the basement staircase.
But she didn’t make it up the stairs.
As she turned, she saw El running down the staircase corner, clutching his head. A barrage of bullets struck the wall behind him, sending up clouds of gray dust.
It was clear: the stairway had been overrun.
Now, the two were trapped in the basement, with at least five or six gunmen ahead and the relentless fire closing in from behind. The tension was palpable, the situation dire.
The gunmen reached the corner of the staircase between the first floor and the basement, peering down with a commanding view of the basement below.
Upon spotting the two corpses, the lead gunman gestured, and the six men halted in place.
Three of them crouched low, while the other three stood tall, their six dark muzzles aimed directly at the basement. Anyone who dared to show themselves would be instantly riddled with bullets.
El and Zhuang Mian took cover behind two separate columns in the basement, watching as the fire crept closer. They were at a loss for what to do.
As the flames drew nearer, El made a decision that defied all tradition.
He glanced toward Zhuang Mian, who was hiding behind another column, and his voice suddenly became calm and steady:
“Can you draw their attention for just a second or two?”
Zhuang Mian was puzzled by the sudden request, but there was something in his tone that felt oddly convincing.
“I can, but what about you…”
“Do it now.”
El’s tone turned commanding, and Zhuang Mian clenched her teeth, resolving to deal with this kid later.
She took a deep breath, extended her handgun from the edge of the column, and fired two shots without bothering to aim.
The gunmen on the stairs immediately turned their attention toward her. Seizing the moment, Zhuang Mian pulled her gun back and rolled swiftly to the side, leaving the cover of the column.
A volley of gunfire erupted, but Zhuang Mian was faster, already taking refuge behind a new barrier.
Meanwhile, a head peeked out from behind the other column. El’s gaze fixed on the two gunmen positioned farthest to the right. His hands hovered slightly, as if guiding an unseen force.
El had never attempted to use "Approximate Exchange" in this way before, but there was no other option now—it was either succeed or face certain death.
His fists clenched slightly, and he felt something pulsing within his grasp.
“Snap!”
With a familiar sensation, El’s hands abruptly came together, producing a sharp “snap” before he ducked back behind the column.
The sudden sound left the gunmen bewildered. They exchanged glances, as if a madman below had just applauded their efforts.
Even Zhuang Mian felt bewildered and cast a suspicious glance at El.
Just as they intended to maintain their formation and let the fire consume the two, the two gunmen at the edge suddenly convulsed and then collapsed, their bodies twisting unnaturally.
“What’s going on?”
The lead gunman instinctively turned his head to look at his two teammates, only to find them writhing on the ground, as if gripped by unbearable agony.
The other gunmen quickly glanced over, but the horrifying sight of their companions left them frozen for several seconds.
They soon realized their grave mistake, but it was too late.
With two sharp claps, the remaining four gunmen finally understood why their teammates were suffering so terribly.
“My chest… my heart… it hurts!”
With these final words, the gunmen on the stairs fell silent forever.
Hearing the thuds of bodies hitting the ground, Zhuang Mian cautiously peeked out from behind the pillar.
The corpses on the stairs lay in grotesque poses.
Her gaze shifted back and forth between the gunmen’s bodies and El, and a chilling thought began to solidify in her mind.
A father who had died due to organ trafficking, a boy consumed by vengeance, a mysterious power…
Finally, she fixed her eyes on the slender, seemingly harmless silver-haired boy and, through clenched teeth, uttered the code name:
“Heart Snatcher!”
El’s face remained blank, his expression one of innocent ignorance, as if he had no idea what was happening.
Just as the tension between the two reached its peak, a faint, desperate cry for help emerged from the raging flames:
“Help! Is anyone there to save me?”
It was a piercing, anguished voice. Zhuang Mian and El both turned their heads toward the source of the fire. There was no useful information to be found there, but if they could save even one life…
After a brief moment of hesitation, Zhuang Mian quickly soaked her sleeves in a nearby bathroom and, without a second thought, plunged into the inferno.
Following the sound of what seemed like a scream, Zhuang Mian soon found her target in a room less than twenty meters from the stairway.
The exit wasn’t far, but the flames licking the ceiling had trapped the woman, leaving her to cry out in despair.
It was a young woman in a white coat, her hair singed and curled from the heat.
If it weren’t for the alcohol burning with minimal smoke, she might have already suffocated from the thick fumes.
Zhuang Mian grabbed the woman’s arm and hoisted her onto her shoulder. Guided by El’s shouted directions, they managed to escape the blazing hell.
The three of them stepped over the scattered bodies and made their way to the first floor. Once they confirmed they were out of danger, the traumatized nurse collapsed into unconsciousness, unresponsive no matter how much they tried to rouse her.
El was at a loss. His moral compass wasn’t particularly strong, and he had only helped Zhuang Mian in hopes of gaining information.
Just as he was about to resort to physical methods to wake the nurse, Zhuang Mian stopped him with a gesture.
Though they were adversaries by nature, for now, they were genuine allies.
Zhuang Mian hesitated for a moment, then signaled El to keep watch while she placed her hand on the unconscious nurse’s forehead.
The ability “Chaos” quietly activated.
Zhuang Mian’s vision darkened for an instant before brightening again.
She now found herself in a laboratory untouched by the flames.
Scanning the room, Zhuang Mian quickly spotted the nurse before the fire had started. She followed her and caught sight of two names from the missing persons list:
The black market doctor, Li Xia, and Walk!
These two were still alive!
Much of the dream felt surreal, as if everyone had stumbled into a drunken performance.
Thus, Zhuang Mian easily uncovered their next destination:
Laboratory No. 3.
