Chapter 30
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Chapter 30: Paradise Game II – Modern Warfare
At 4:15 AM, a horse-drawn carriage suddenly appeared at the end of Wangshui Manor’s driveway.
The guards promptly noticed the carriage and prepared to approach for questioning, but they quickly realized something was amiss—the driver’s seat was completely empty. Only two black horses were galloping swiftly, showing no intention of stopping!
Before they could sound a warning, the carriage crashed into the manor’s iron gate with a loud impact. The fragile gate crumpled to the ground, and the carriage surged forward plunging into the courtyard pond.
“Dammit, whose carriage is this?”
“F**king hell, don’t they know whose territory this is?!”
Just as everyone’s attention was fully captivated by the collision, Tyler, who had stealthily positioned himself near the manor fence earlier, initiated his attack!
Bang, bang-bang-bang—
The crisp sound of gunfire instantly tore through the darkness!
Within short bursts of two to three shots at a range of less than a hundred meters, he barely missed. The kerosene lamps hanging from the enemies’ waists served as perfect targets. In almost the blink of an eye, four individuals were struck and fell to the ground!
“It’s a sneak attack!”
“Someone is assaulting us!”
Alarm whistles finally sounded at various sentry points as the manor’s guards, jolted awake from their sleep, began returning fire. However, the darkness concealed Tyler’s movements, allowing them only to roughly gauge the direction of the attacker’s shots but not accurately pinpoint his location.
Just as they attempted to encircle him, another unsuspecting flank was raked by crossfire from a second CQ-B rifle.
The barrage of bullets swept through the crowd, rendering them helpless against the onslaught.
The defenders realized no matter where they ran, they could not escape the relentless, death-like gunfire.
“It’s no use; we can’t hold this position!”
“Just how many of them are there?!”
A profound sense of absurdity gripped everyone, as if they were still trapped in a dream!
Given the overwhelming pressure and intensity of the ambush, it felt as if at least forty to fifty attackers should be present, yet they couldn’t locate any significant force. Moreover, with constant night patrols outside the manor, how could such a large group have sneaked up undetected to the very doorstep?!
At 4:20 AM, the courtyard defenses were breached. Apart from the dozen bodies strewn across the ground, the remaining few survivors fled hastily.
***
“This theater… is beyond saving.” Wudi gazed at the raging inferno before him, his eyes filled with indignation. The second prince’s delegation had visited this place just days ago, and to see it burned down within a week was an outright slap in the face to the Lord of Glorious Fortress! “Dammit, are the Northern City Police all sleepwalking? Not even one officer has been dispatched here yet! Sir—”
“Shh.” Shandela gestured for silence.
She closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly, as if sensing something. Then, she whispered, “Do you hear anything?”
The deputy, taken aback, composed himself and mimicked his superior’s action, straining to listen. However, his ears were filled only with the whistling wind, the crackling of burning wood, and the murmurs of the surrounding crowd—all sounds impossible to ignore even without focusing.
“my lady, I don’t hear anything…”
“It’s gunfire,” Shandela suddenly opened her eyes. “Continuous shots, indicating there are at least forty armed individuals involved in intense combat!”
” Are You certain?” Wudi exclaimed, surprised. Firearms were strictly regulated in Glorious Fortress; apart from the City Guard and police, no other organized groups possessed guns. While some criminal gangs might have smuggled weapons, they generally posed little threat. “Could it be the police taking action against a gang?”
However, he knew this assumption was unlikely, as the police typically informed the City Guard beforehand about large-scale operations to avoid any misunderstandings between the two forces.
Shandela shook her head. “The sounds originate from the Inner City, likely within one of its residential areas.”
“The Inner City’s residential districts?” Wudi felt his scalp tingle with unease. These areas housed the city’s elite and boasted top-notch security. How could a sudden gunfight erupt there? Yet, he dared not dismiss his superior lightly, knowing that great masters possess unique perceptual abilities.
“Notify Team One immediately, proceed to the Inner City!”
“Yes, my lady!” Wudi promptly acknowledged the order. “And… what about the arsonist? Are we still pursuing them?”
“Certainly,” Shandela replied without hesitation. “But I fear they may no longer be here.”
Confusion showed on the deputy’s face.
“Let’s assess the situation once we arrive,” she said, offering no further explanation. After all, intuition becomes more muddled the more it is dissected. While the burning grand theater and the sudden burst of gunfire in the Inner City seemed unrelated, they shared a one commonality: both occurred without any warning or apparent cause.
Much like the abrupt disappearance of the fortune-teller.
She had a faint feeling that they might find answers at the site of the gunfire.
***
“Yes! Maintain control over your firearm. Don’t stray too far from your aiming line, and be ready to pull the trigger at any moment!” Zhang Zhiyuan voice echoed loudly in Zhou Zhi’s mind. “Indoor firefights are different from open spaces; you mustn’t overlook any blind spots! Ideally, aim for complete annihilation of the enemy!”
“Bro, calm down. I can hear you just fine,” Zhou Zhi said, caught between laughter and tears. Upon learning that other “fallen comrades” were still following the game’s progress, he felt reinvigorated, but he didn’t expect Zhang Zhiyuan to be even more enthusiastic, giving comprehensive and detailed guidance with an exceptionally loud voice. “Earlier at the grand theater, weren’t you strongly opposed to this kind of private vigilantism? What changed now?”
“You fool, it’s not me pulling the trigger, it’s you!” Zhang Zhiyuan responded irritably. “Besides, you’ve seen the mission description—what right do they have to call themselves Police? They wear the facade of law enforcers while committing atrocities worse than beasts. Eliminating such scum isn’t really an issue.” His tone grew increasingly harsh towards the end.
“I get it, I get it, I’ll do my best, alright?!” Zhou Zhi agreed helplessly. “But come to think of it… using guns doesn’t seem so difficult after all, it’s like playing a shooting game… except there are no bounty rewards.”
“Nonsense!” Zhang Zhiyuan silently rolled his eyes, “Have you even looked at what they’re wielding?” Although both were firearms, the performance gap was substantial enough to compensate for any novice’s lack of skill. At a distance of 100 meters, it would be challenging for their enemies to guarantee a hit with the first shot. In contrast, the CQ-B rifles could accurately strike wherever aimed. If the enemy missed and waited to fire again, the automatic firepower of the CQ-Bs would have already turned them into Swiss cheese.
If this had been a fair fight, according to Zhang Zhiyuan’s assessment, Zhou Zhi wouldn’t survive more than ten rounds.
Precisely due to their absolute advantage in weaponry, Tyler and Zhou Zhi chose a frontal assault, which is also the quickest way to resolve a battle.
The strategy proved highly effective; within five minutes, they infiltrated the villa from both sides, engaging in a firefight with the guards inside.
Surprisingly, these guards were not equipped with firearms but relied primarily on cold weapons like knives and swords.
Despite their stronger fighting spirit, they fell faster than the external defenders. Particularly when attempting desperate charges during brief firing pauses, they met a relentless hailstorm of bullets, dying with expressions of disbelief etched on their faces.
The two men charged up to the second floor and entered the master bedroom without hesitation.
This was where the villa owner usually resided.
Inside, they saw a sturdy figure seated before a long redwood table. From his attire, it was clear that this person differed from both the guards and bodyguards, with a golden badge pinned on their shoulder.
Without wasting any words, Zhou Zhi unleashed a barrage of gunfire at the individual!
A spray of blood erupted behind the target.
“Is he Kui Qi?”
“Who knows? You should have questioned him first.”
Seeing their target fall, Tyler approached and turned the face toward them, only for his expression to abruptly change—the deceased’s face was severely swollen, with dark purple bruising around the eyes, indicating that the person had been dead for quite some time!
It was a deliberately placed body!
“Beware, there might be a trap—” Tyler barely managed to utter half of his warning when a mirrored wardrobe suddenly exploded in the room. Amidst flying shards of glass, a figure lunged at Zhou Zhi, who swiftly aimed his gun in defense. However, the assailant moved with astonishing speed; before Zhou Zhi could pull the trigger, the attacker’s fist slammed into his face!
With a deafening crash, Zhou Zhi was sent flying across the entire bedroom, slamming heavily into a wall and leaving a web-like splatter of blood upon impact!
