Chapter 70: Fight to the Death

The shockwave from the explosion had yet to fade, and thick smoke coiled through the grand hall, casting eerie shadows against the flickering firelight. The Falcon Squad was elite-trained, but this sudden ambush caught them off guard.

Li Chuan held his breath, his gun steady, locked onto the Falcon Squad captain. He knew this man was the deadliest threat—he had to go first.

"Cover me," Li Chuan ordered under his breath. Then, without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.

The bullet ripped through the air, heading straight for the captain's chest. But at the last moment, he twisted sharply to the side, the round grazing his shoulder and shattering against the wall behind him.

"This guy… he's calmer than I expected." Li Chuan narrowed his eyes, adjusting his aim.

The captain drew his twin pistols in a fluid motion, unleashing a storm of bullets. The rapid shots thundered through the hall like torrential rain. Li Chuan dived, rolling to avoid the barrage, while Su Man fired from her position to buy him time.

"Target is on the second floor! Surround them!" The Falcon Squad vice-captain shouted. Immediately, several team members split up, rushing up the stairs to encircle their targets.

Su Man's sniper scope tracked the Falcon Squad captain, analyzing his movements, his patterns, his habits. She steadied her breath, calculated wind speed, trajectory, and his likely evasive actions.

"Hold still."

She squeezed the trigger.

BANG!

The sniper round shot through the air, so fast it nearly cracked the atmosphere.

But the Falcon Squad captain… dodged.

With an instinctive roll, he barely avoided the bullet, which skimmed the top of his head and embedded itself deep into the concrete wall.

"Fast reflexes…" Su Man muttered. But she wasn't about to stop. Without missing a beat, she chambered the next round.

Meanwhile, Shen Qiu remained hidden behind cover, fingers racing across his keyboard.

"Hold them off for ten more seconds," he murmured. "I'll shut down the entire security system, including their comms."

"Make it fast," Li Chuan replied, dodging another round of bullets.

The Falcon Squad relied on precision teamwork—teamwork that depended on their tactical comms. If Shen Qiu could cut off their connection, they'd be fighting blind.

The loading bar on his screen climbed—78%… 85%… 93%… 100%!

Shen Qiu smirked and pressed Enter.

"Game over."

Silence.

The Falcon Squad's earpieces went completely dead. No orders. No coordination. Just static.

The vice-captain's face twisted. "Comms are down!"

Li Chuan seized the moment. "Now!"

Cheng Mo hurled a flashbang into the enemy's ranks.

BOOM!

A blinding light and deafening shockwave tore through the Falcon Squad, leaving them momentarily dazed—ears ringing, vision flickering.

Li Chuan didn't hesitate. He fired, striking down one enemy after another as he advanced toward the captain.

The Falcon Squad captain gritted his teeth, forcing his mind to focus despite the disorientation. His wild, beast-like eyes locked onto Li Chuan. Even with the battle turning against him, he refused to surrender. He lifted his gun, aiming for Li Chuan—

But before he could fire, a second sniper shot rang out.

BANG!

The bullet pierced his wrist.

Blood sprayed. His gun slipped from his fingers.

The captain stumbled, dropping to one knee, clutching his mangled hand, face twisted in agony.

The rest of the Falcon Squad, realizing they were outmatched, threw down their weapons and raised their hands in surrender.

Li Chuan stepped forward, staring down at the kneeling captain. "You lost."

The captain panted, sweat and blood mixing on his face. But his eyes still gleamed with something dark—something wrong.

"You think you've won?" he rasped.

Li Chuan's expression hardened. "What do you mean?"

The captain let out a dry, broken chuckle. "The Falcon Squad… was only the scouting team."

Li Chuan's pulse quickened.

"The real hunters," the captain whispered, his lips curling into a twisted smile, "haven't even arrived yet…"