Chapter 121: Deception (Revised)

Ying Duo's "concentrated fire" remark was plain and ordinary, as casual as saying "get ready to eat", yet it became a shot of adrenaline, dispelling the confusion in every Security Team member's heart.

When those firearms still emitting a cold light were shoved into their hands without explanation, several Security Team members simply froze in place.

The icy metallic sensation spread from the palms, and its heavy weight brought an unfamiliar sense of security.

Students who usually relied more on their own Aberrant Arts, when faced with these somewhat unfamiliar firearms, were at a loss, then felt a novelty they had never experienced before.

They rarely had a chance to use them, but that didn't mean they couldn't; having never seen anyone use them, the moment they picked them up, their fingers instinctively rested on the trigger.

Moreover, at such close range, the chance of missing is practically zero.

They all looked toward the constantly trembling metal door, atop which a deep yellow light flickered, as if it would be torn apart any moment.

But at this moment, their eyes faintly carried a hint of... anticipation?

All fear stemmed from insufficient firepower, and now they awaited the moment Qi Hengyu would break through the door.

They awaited to see what expression they would show when facing firepower suppression.

Luo Jinyou, seeing this, took a deep breath, suppressed the surging vital energy within, and quickly turned back to loudly whisper to the few Security Team comrades behind him holding firearms.

"Listen to him! I'll withdraw the passage's defense after a count of three—get ready!"

He sharply scanned their tense, excited faces and added.

"Aim first, then fire; expend all your internal energy, then retreat immediately."

As for ammunition, judging by Ying Duo's posture, there's likely plenty, but the few of them have limited internal energy, so no one knows how many rounds they can fire.

Outside the passage, Qi Hengyu and his Assault Team members had already lost patience.

"All together! Blast open this turtle shell!"

Qi Hengyu roared, his internal energy condensed again, and together with several teammates he exerted force, a violent surge of energy slamming hard into the door.

"Three!"

Luo Jinyou's voice echoed from within the door.

"Two!"

The earth-yellow energy light began to rapidly retreat from the door panel.

"One!"

Almost the instant Luo Jinyou's "One" faded, the external gathered force also peaked!

"Boom——!"

Accompanied by a roar far louder than any before, the already trembling metal door, together with the remnants of its lock and hinges, burst inward.

The instant the door burst open, Qi Hengyu's brow furrowed sharply.

This feel is wrong.

... Was the energy on the door actively withdrawn at the last moment? Or exhausted?

No, it's a trick!

"Be careful!" he shouted in warning, his internal energy instinctively surged, forming an invisible protective layer.

But it was already too late.

His voice was directly drowned out by the shouts of the teammates behind him.

"The door's open! Charge!"

"Take heads! Score high!"

Following the prearranged "Expose then Strong Assault" plan, the Assault Team members who arrived later, fearing they'd be late and miss out even on soup, saw the front door burst open and, without thinking, shouted excitedly as they surged inward.

The narrow passage instantly filled with the incoming crowd; those in front hadn't yet seen the situation inside when they were shoved forward by confused teammates from behind.

This caused a deadly consequence: the rear of the passage was blocked by their own people to the point of being impassable, and they kept pushing forward, unable to retreat, only able to go forward.

Meanwhile, the Assault Team members who thought victory was in their grasp and only wanted to score more points clearly failed to notice this.

"Charge!"

"Take them down!"

Excited shouts echoed within the passage.

However, the excitement lasted less than a second.

Before them, those tasked with greeting them were not panicked defenders, but——

"Fire!"

It was unclear who shouted.

The next instant, Qi Hengyu's pupils contracted sharply at the front.

Before his eyes were several pitch-black gun muzzles aimed at them, and the Security Team members behind them wore eyes mixed with tension and ruthlessness.

"Bang bang bang——!"

Bullets came like a sudden storm, pelting the Assault Team members jammed at the doorway who couldn't disperse their formation.

The ecstatic expressions on the faces of those at the very front froze instantly, replaced by shock and horror; they instinctively tried to retreat but had no way out.

There was no time to make any effective defensive move; waves of intense pain from the powerful impact struck their chests, faces, arms, etc.

"Ugh!"

"What the hell?!"

The defensive runes they wore flashed to life, blocking the lethal damage, while a powerful binding field instantly enveloped them, declaring them "killed" in this evaluation.

Their bodies went limp and collapsed, unable to move an inch.

The narrow passage had become a nightmare for the Assault Team.

Those in front were instantly "killed" by bullets to the face, while the confused teammates behind still charged forward according to the original assault plan, the rear of the passage blocked by their own people to the point of being impassable, and they kept pushing forward.

Want to retreat?

The retreat route had been completely blocked by the comrades pouring in behind.

Want to go forward?

Can only face the oncoming metal storm.

In an instant the passage entrance descended into chaos, curses, exclamations, and the humming of runes intertwining.

Qi Hengyu endured the hail of bullets, watching teammates beside him instantly collapse, and the several gun barrels still firing ahead; his expression turned extremely grim.

He relied on his strong protective energy to deflect several bullets aimed at his head and chest, but the tremendous impact still left his arm numb, forcing him to hide behind the corpse of a fallen comrade.

He watched helplessly as his teammates fell like wheat being cut, piling up a small barricade, yet his own abilities were hard to unleash in the crowded chaos.

Qi Hengyu gritted his teeth, his ears filled with the pained groans and curses of teammates hit ahead, and the irritated shouts from teammates behind due to the chaos and pushing.

The people behind already sensed something was wrong, trying to figure out the situation, but the narrow passage and crowded crowd made any turn impossible.

Worse, the impact of the bullets fired from the energy gun far exceeded his estimate, each striking his protective energy like a heavy hammer.

Defense is not his strong suit; under this dense barrage of fire, he couldn't hold out for long.

Must break through, immediately!

Qi Hengyu's eyes flashed with a fierce light; he no longer merely defended, instead letting out a low roar as his inner energy surged again, but this time not for full protection, focusing on vital areas like head and chest.

Sissh!

The bullet grazed his arm and waist, leaving several clear blood trails, a burning pain came, yet he ignored it, as if the injury weren't his own.

Taking advantage of this unstoppable momentum, he bore the somewhat thinned hail of bullets and lunged straight at the few Security Team members trying to retreat.

He's charging over!

A teammate whose energy was about to run out shouted in terror, seeing the blood-soaked yet astonishingly fast Qi Hengyu, he immediately panicked.

Two teammates beside him also felt apprehensive seeing this, but still gritted their teeth and aimed their guns at the rapidly approaching Qi Hengyu, trying to suppress him with fire.

Bang! Bang! Bang!