Holding the Line

The sound of gunfire echoed through the depot. The sharp stench of gunpowder and blood filled the air as Xu Lian pressed her back against the cold steel of a storage container, her breath steady despite the chaos. They had fought their way in, but now came the hardest part holding their ground.

"How many left?" Yu Xian asked, crouching beside her as he reloaded his rifle.

Lian peeked around the corner, catching sight of at least ten more armed enemies pushing toward their position. "Too many."

Jiao, kneeling behind a pile of sandbags, gritted his teeth. "We need to cut them off before reinforcements come."

Guo Chen was already moving. He pulled a smoke grenade from his vest and tossed it down the hallway. "That'll buy us a few seconds. We push forward now."

Lin Wei, who had taken a position on an overhead catwalk, fired down at the approaching guards. "Go! I'll cover you!"

Lian exhaled. No turning back now.

She signaled to the others, and they surged forward.

---

Storming the Control Room

The depot was massive, a maze of steel corridors and storage areas filled with supplies they desperately needed. But none of it would matter if they didn't secure the control room the heart of the base, where they could lock down access points and prevent more reinforcements from flooding in.

Lian kicked open a door, leading them into a stairwell. The control room was on the second floor, heavily guarded.

Jiao fired first, dropping one of the guards before they could react. "Go, go!"

Yu Xian took point, moving with the precision of a soldier. His gunfire was ruthless, calculated. Two more enemies went down before they even had a chance to aim.

Lian and Chen followed closely, pressing forward as Lin Wei kept up his cover fire from above.

By the time they reached the reinforced metal door of the control room, Lian's heart was hammering. "Chen?"

"On it."

Chen holstered his gun and pulled out a set of explosives. "Everyone stand back."

Within seconds, the door exploded inward, sending debris flying.

Inside, a handful of guards scrambled to react but they were too slow.

Lian, Chen, and Yu Xian took them down in quick succession.

Lin Wei stormed inside last, his eyes darting to the massive control panel in the center of the room. "This is it."

Lian wiped the sweat from her brow. "Can you lock down the facility?"

Lin Wei's fingers flew over the keyboard. "Give me two minutes."

Yu Xian stood by the door, gun raised. "We might not have two minutes."

Jiao, who was watching the hallway, cursed. "More incoming. A lot more."

Lian clenched her jaw. They had to hold.

---

Last Stand

The moment Lin Wei activated the lockdown, alarms blared across the depot. Heavy metal doors slammed shut, sealing most of the enemy forces outside.

But not all of them.

A final squad of elite fighters had made it inside before the lockdown.

And they were heading straight for them.

Yu Xian took cover by a console. "Get ready!"

The door burst open.

The next few moments were pure chaos.

Gunfire lit up the room. Bullets slammed into metal and concrete. Lian fired until her gun clicked empty, then grabbed her knife, spinning to slash at an enemy who got too close.

Jiao took a shot to the arm but still managed to take down two guards with his pistol.

Chen and Yu Xian moved together like a deadly force Chen throwing a knife into one enemy's throat while Yu Xian shot the last one point-blank.

Then silence.

The last body hit the ground.

Lin Wei looked up from the terminal. "It's done. The depot is ours."

Lian staggered back, breathless. They had won. But at what cost?

Yu Xian wiped blood from his face. "We should check the supplies."

Chen exhaled. "And count our dead."

Lian closed her eyes briefly. This was only the beginning.

---

Securing the Depot

As the team took a moment to catch their breath, Lian moved toward the control panel, scanning the security feeds. The monitors showed sealed doors, dark hallways, and the locked-down entrance. For now, they were safe.

But the depot wasn't completely secured yet.

She turned to Yu Xian. "We need to sweep the entire building. There could be survivors or stragglers hiding."

Yu Xian nodded. "Jiao, Lin Wei, you're with me. Chen, stay with Lian."

Jiao, despite his wounded arm, didn't argue. "We won't take long."

As the three of them disappeared into the hallways, Chen leaned against the console, watching Lian closely. "You okay?"

She exhaled. "We've been through worse."

"Still."

She turned toward him, eyes sharp. "We can't stop now, Chen. We need to get as many resources as possible before we move out."

Chen smirked slightly, his usual cool confidence returning. "I know, I know. Just checking if you needed a break."

She gave a short laugh, shaking her head. "Not yet."

---

The Aftermath

An hour later, the team regrouped in the storage area.

"We cleared the upper levels," Yu Xian reported. "A few injured survivors, but no more hostiles."

Jiao winced as Lin Wei finished wrapping his arm. "And we found a stockpile of medical supplies and weapons. More than we expected."

Lian's eyes lit up. "That's exactly what we need."

Lin Wei crossed his arms. "The problem is, we can't stay here long. The lockdown won't last forever. Eventually, people are going to come looking."

Lian nodded. "Then we take what we can and leave before that happens."

They had won this battle, but if they stayed too long, they would lose the war.

Guo Chen stretched his shoulders, rolling his neck. "Guess we're going on another supply run. Hope you're ready for more fighting, Lian."

She smirked. "I was born ready."

Yu Xian adjusted his rifle. "Then let's move."

As they began packing up the supplies, Lian glanced around at her team her family in this apocalyptic world.

They had survived today.

Tomorrow? That was another fight.

And they would be ready.