Chapter 64 Was it an accident?

Gunfight warning! (Also, all the double-crossing plots in this book are set in a fictional world, so please don't take them seriously!)

If you mind using real guns, please skip this chapter.

To avoid being too subtle in the main text, I've made it clear before each chapter: the female protagonist's methods of fighting against the characters in this world are gradually escalating, which is also a reflection of her environment in the real world, which is not a peaceful world in the conventional sense.

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The man's voice, tinged with static, spoke for a long time over the walkie-talkie.

The man waiting in the factory saw that the two brothers, Lao Wan and his brother, had disappeared and hadn't replied to any messages, and he immediately felt something was wrong.

He glanced at the hostage on the ground, who was tightly bound in a sack, and coldly ordered, "Leave two people with Xiao Ma to guard the hostage. The rest of you come with me to find Lao Wan and his brother."

He then looked at his younger brother, "Ma Jian, keep in touch on the walkie-talkie. If anything seems amiss, immediately take the hostages and retreat via the side path."

Ma Jian nodded. "Okay, be careful, Brother Hong."

Ma Hong, along with three others, grabbed flashlights and headed straight for the stairs.

“Brother Hong,” the underling said, his heart gradually calming down, “I didn’t hear any police sirens, so it shouldn’t be the cops.”

Ma Hong's expression grew even more grim.

Whether they're cops or not, it's not a good thing for them.

Especially when they were still holding hostages.

A direct confrontation with the armed police would be certain death.

If the other party isn't a police officer, then they can only be their enemy.

Especially for those in their line of work, the situation is no better than other situations where enemies meet and fight to the death.

The abandoned factory was far too spacious. The pale light from the flashlights shone on the three- or four-meter-high factory buildings and the imposing load-bearing columns. Instead of dispelling the darkness and providing a sense of security, the limited range of the flashlights and the stark contrast of the darkness, coupled with the possibility of enemies in the factory, made the atmosphere even more tense.

Ma Hong had already led three people to search this floor, and he was on high alert because of the sense of crisis he was facing with hidden dangers.

The man moved his hand and gestured to his henchmen behind him.

The group immediately understood.

With his left hand, he swiftly pulled a black USP from the holster at his waist, and with his right hand, he pulled a metal silencer from his leg pouch. Ma Hong quickly assembled the silencer and the pistol before leading his men down the stairs.

He must prepare for the worst.

Because the two brothers, Lao Wan and his brother, were also carrying guns.

If something happens to them, and their guns fall into the hands of the other side...

Ma Hong was facing an opponent who was also armed.

"There aren't any here either," the underling said, already cocking his gun and slinging a flashlight over his shoulder. "Brother Hong, aren't we being too tense?"

Ma Hong's expression didn't relax much.

As the group descended the stairs, they were about to smoothly enter the second half of the staircase when they were stopped in their tracks by the shocking sight of bloodstains splattered on the stairs.

Following the trail of blood, Ma Hong slowly turned the corner of the stairs with a flashlight in hand.

As more and more blood flowed, the stench of blood in the air grew stronger and stronger, making every cell in one's body highly alert.

The henchmen following behind Ma Hong raised their guns almost the instant they saw the body.

Using the light of a flashlight, Ma Hong carefully examined the unseeing corpses of the Wan brothers.

As expected.

The holsters on both of them were empty.

"Judging by their technique, they're in the same line of work too." Ma Hong turned his gaze away from the bloody holes in the two men's necks and immediately contacted Ma Jian on his walkie-talkie, "It's not safe up there, get your men out of here right now."

Ma Jian's voice rang out after a while, "Okay."

After responding, Ma Jian's voice disappeared from the walkie-talkie again.

It appears that he deliberately cut off the walkie-talkie communication.

Ma Hong immediately sensed something was wrong. Gripping his gun tightly, he ran upstairs, shouting, "Ma Jian is in trouble!!!"

Rushing up to the fifth floor, Ma Hong didn't hesitate any longer. After loading his gun, he fired two blank shots at the open space next to the temporary light fixture. "Get out here! Stop playing tricks on me!"

They tidied up the area where they were stationed by the window, and an eerie silence descended.

No one responded to him.

Including his younger brother, Ma Jian.

Ma Hong wasn't sure how many people were on the other side, but they seemed to have ill intentions, attacking his men one after another, clearly not intending to let them off easily.

We must immediately regain the initiative in this game.

Ma Hong, gun in hand, slowly approached the corner of the wall where they were stationed, and raised his voice, "Have I offended any brothers?"

"What grudges do you have? Why don't we have a frank talk? It must be tough for you, brother, to be hiding in the shadows and dealing with us like this."

Ma Hong's rough voice echoed in the empty factory.

"Is it about money, buddy, or personal grudge?" Ma Hong wasn't discouraged by the other party's lack of response. Instead, he tried to find a way to connect with the other party's emotions by building rapport. "We're all brothers in the underworld. Let's be friends. It's better to have more friends than more enemies, right?"

“Since you’ve set your sights on me, Ma Hong, you must know my reputation in the underworld,” Ma Hong continued, glancing warily around. “I’ve never gone back on my word!”

"Brother, come out and have a good talk. I absolutely won't let my men do anything to you!"

"Bang."

Although the gunshots, though silenced, weren't loud enough to echo throughout the factory, they were still quite clear within a small area.

Ma Hong's henchman let out a heart-wrenching scream.

Ma Hong immediately turned around to look at his underling who had been shot.

The gun in the younger brother's hand fell heavily to the ground. He clutched his right shoulder, which was already a bloody mess, and screamed in agony.

Ma Hong immediately turned around and used his flashlight to scan the surroundings.

Where exactly is it?!

Ma Hong thought quickly and immediately calmed down to deduce the trajectory of the bullet by tracing the location of his injury.

Front right?

Or above?

As the flashlight swept across the beam, Ma Hong finally caught a glimpse of the man's black clothing.

"Get down here!!!"

Ma Hong aimed and fired almost simultaneously with his discovery.

Xin Que swiftly traversed the beams, only stopping when he hid behind a load-bearing column that crossed the beams.

She can use a pistol.

Even after seeing the holster on Lao Wan's body, he immediately identified the model of the handgun they used, and his actions of loading and releasing the safety seemed to be engraved in his DNA, done with ease.

But she didn't shoot her opponent in the head as she had imagined.

Xin Que glanced at her right hand holding the gun. Knowing how to use a gun, coupled with her skillful killing moves when taking orders, her former identity could only be that of a killer.

But why did she make a mistake...? Has her aim deteriorated?

This was her first mistake since she transmigrated to this world.

A shadow gradually fell over Xin Que's face.

She had a sixth sense that if she couldn't find a breakthrough, she would be doomed.

...

[Alert—Prisoner No. 13 is nearing the threshold of mental fortitude.]

The supervisor immediately contacted his superior.

“Warden, she has now been put into the fourth interrogation plan by the administrator AI. If the interrogation continues, she could suffer brain death at any time.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the communicator, followed by a voice asking someone a question. After a short while, the warden replied to the supervisor, "No need to interfere, continue the interrogation."