The soldiers raised their guns to shoot at Wei Jun when suddenly he leaned forward and collapsed.
This unexpected sight left the soldiers bewildered. Then, an explosion erupted from the rooftop of another building not far behind Wei Jun, followed by a blinding flash of light.
Drones scattered across the sky crackled with sparks before plummeting to the ground.
The soldiers, who had been intently watching Wei Jun, were all caught off guard—some instinctively covered their eyes, while others blindly fired their guns in the direction they had been aiming.
Mid-air, Wei Jun grabbed onto an exposed pipe to slow his descent. Bullets ricocheted off the metal walls around him like scattered petals.
Releasing his grip, he dropped abruptly, landing in a tactical roll before springing to his feet with fluid motion. Within moments, he charged into the crowd of soldiers.
Blinded, the soldiers turned their guns toward the sound of approaching footsteps but hesitated to fire, fearing friendly fire. That split-second hesitation cost them their lives.
Wei Jun was like a wolf among sheep.
Closing the distance, he spread his arms wide, his large hands clamping onto two soldiers' heads and slamming them hard into the ground.
Two heavy thuds—both were knocked unconscious instantly.
With a flick of his foot, a rifle flew into his hands. Without aiming, he fired in all directions.
Bullets struck the soldiers, their bodies jerking backward from the impact. Though their bulletproof vests spared their lives, panic quickly set in.
One soldier finally cracked, firing toward the source of the noise. Others followed, and soon, gunfire erupted chaotically.
Bullets flew wildly through the crowd. Even bulletproof vests couldn't withstand prolonged barrages, and casualties mounted rapidly.
Meanwhile, Wei Jun crouched low, slipping silently out of the fray amid the gunfire. Gripping his rifle like a hammer, he targeted the few remaining composed soldiers in the crowd.
Minutes later, silence fell, the air thick with the scent of gunpowder.
Standing amidst a sea of corpses, Wei Jun threw his head back and laughed maniacally.
Then, new drones approached swiftly from the distance.
Wei Jun raised his left middle finger at them while firing his rifle with his right.
A drone over a hundred meters away was hit and crashed to the ground.
...
"Deploy all the drones! Don't let him escape!"
Gregg's face was pale, his entire body trembling as he shrieked, "What about the other one? That cripple? Where is he? Find him now!"
Staff rushed about frantically, surveillance feeds switching rapidly—but there was no trace of Li Chi.
The drones that arrived later only captured over a dozen lifeless bodies strewn across the ground. Wei Jun was nowhere to be found.
Gregg slumped weakly into his chair, the impact producing a harsh screech.
"How could this happen? How? I had everything calculated perfectly—how could they still escape?"
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Right, the Energy Shield! It must be the Energy Shield. They have technology beyond the norm, so they got away. It's not my fault!"
A passing worker overheard and curled their lips in disdain, pity flashing across their face.
Ring-ring—
The phone on the desk rang. Gregg stiffened when he saw the caller ID—Mr. Mokelberg.
Gulping, he took several deep breaths before answering. "Mr. Mokelberg, your orders?"
"It sounds noisy over there. Problems?"
"No!" Gregg's voice instinctively rose in panic before he caught himself and softened his tone. "No, everything is proceeding as planned."
"..." Mokelberg paused, his voice unreadable. "My men have arrived. Hand over the goods intact and clean up the loose ends."
"Yes, sir!"
"Do whatever it takes. I only care about results."
"Yes, sir!" Gregg bowed respectfully, his forehead slick with cold sweat.
The call ended, but Gregg remained hunched over, gripping the receiver so tightly his teeth ground audibly.
Finally standing, he barked, "Use every means possible to track them down! Prepare my Ohmus for immediate entry into the Junk Guild's territory."
The crowd froze. A woman gasped in disbelief. "Sir... you mean send the Ohmus into the Junk Guild?"
"Was I unclear?" Gregg's icy glare felt like a blade pressed to her throat.
"But—but the Junk Dealers strictly prohibit Spaceships from entering their territory, even small ones within 100 meters!"
"What does that matter to me?" Gregg's smile turned predatory. "Arm all weapons on the Ohmus. If we can't find them, level the city."
"But the Junk Dealers—"
"The Junk Dealers?" Gregg scoffed, pulling a pistol from his coat and aiming it at her. "Cooperate, or die?"
The woman shuddered and silently sat back down.
Spreading his arms, Gregg raised his voice. "The Atlantic Federation stands behind us! Succeed, and wealth and glory await. Fail..."
He left the threat hanging, but the staff below moved with renewed urgency.
Wei Jun rode the unmanned car back to the outskirts of the Secret Base, spotting a parked vehicle in the distance.
Before his ride even stopped, he vaulted out and sprinted toward it.
Li Chi lay motionless inside. After a frantic check, Wei Jun exhaled in relief—but the sight of his other wounds left him helpless.
"Don't panic. Medical supplies will arrive soon."
Zhou Tianming approached, tapping on his phone. "Just carry Uncle Li into the Secret Base first. There's nothing else I can do."
Wei Jun nodded, carefully lifting Li Chi. The once tall, robust man now felt weightless in his arms, with only his right limb remaining. Wei Jun's eyes reddened.
"Tianming, thank you."
"Wouldn't dare accept gratitude from the mighty Wei Jun." Zhou Tianming smirked teasingly. "I'm just an ordinary civilian."
Wei Jun chuckled awkwardly, muttering under his breath, "You really hold a grudge."
Zhou Tianming's ears twitched as he turned his head with a stern glare.
Just then, another unmanned car approached from the distance.
After it stopped, Zhou Tianming retrieved a plastic bag filled with various medications and a bag of canned food.
"Let's go."
Wei Jun nodded, glancing at the departing unmanned car. "Is this really safe?"
"We can't avoid danger entirely, but I paid to hire all the remaining unmanned cars. Having them constantly circling the city should confuse the enemy and prevent them from tracking us."
"Good idea. That's clever."
"Heh, naturally."
Inside the Secret Base, Wei Jun used emergency military procedures to treat Li Chi's injuries.
The wounds on Li Chi's body made even Zhou Tianming's stomach churn with horror.
If he had to describe it, the only words that came to mind were "chunks of meat."
The air was thick with the foul stench of rotting, festering flesh and the overwhelming metallic tang of blood.
Unable to bear it any longer, Zhou Tianming retreated to a far corner, too afraid to approach again.
Half an hour later, Wei Jun emerged, his hands covered in blood, and slumped onto the ground. After cleaning his palms with alcohol, he began treating his own wounds.
"How is he?" Zhou Tianming asked quietly.
"Stable for now. The enemy gave him basic treatment to use him as bait to lure me out. If he can fight off the infection with these meds, he'll survive."
"I'll ask the PLANT people later if they have any prosthetic limbs available."
"Thanks."
The night was far from peaceful. Li Chi, burning with fever, writhed in agony, his anguished cries echoing through the Secret Base.
A night-shift worker at the water plant, patrolling the area, heard faint, eerie screams and immediately retreated to the safety of the duty room.
By 9 a.m. the next morning, the two men were eating canned food. Zhou Tianming listened as Wei Jun critiqued the meal—"Not as good as the canned food back in East Asia."
Amid their conversation, Li Chi opened his eyes.