The Gear Gang? Qingyi's heart sank. This was the notorious gang of mercenaries and scavengers in the lower city, willing to do anything for money. It seemed the chaebol had resorted to such despicable means to apprehend them.
"What do you want?" Qingyi tried to stall for time while secretly observing the lock mechanism of the restraints. It was an old-fashioned mechanical gear lock. She had been trained, and as long as she had the right tools, she had a chance.
"What do you want?" Viper stood up and shuffled over to Zero's platform. He looked down at her, gently scraping the flat of his dagger across her cold cheek, his gesture tinged with blasphemy. "The employer said he wants her alive. Especially her. He wants her delivered intact to someone important. As for you..." He turned to look at Qingyi, a lewd glint in his eyes. "Just don't ruin it. How you deal with it... hehe, that depends on the brothers' mood. After all, this place is so deserted, we have to have some fun, right?"
From the shadows behind him, two other men chuckled in a suppressed, malicious tone. Qingyi then noticed that there were two other Gear Gang members sitting in the corner. One was as thin as a bamboo pole, the other was as short and fat as a ball. Both were wearing similarly dirty clothes, their eyes scanning her and Zero with the same greedy and dirty eyes.
A chill instantly ran through Qingyi's body. She wasn't afraid of death, but falling into the hands of these scum... she couldn't imagine what would happen! Especially Zero!
"Don't touch her!" Qingyi's voice suddenly rose, filled with resolute anger.
"Huh? Pretty tough?" Viper seemed amused. He left Zero and strolled over to Qingyi's platform. He leaned down, his scarred, fetid face almost right in front of Qingyi. "Little girl, get the situation straight. Here, I'm the boss! I can touch anyone I want, however I want!" He stretched out his dirty hand, reeking of sweat and motor oil, and touched Qingyi's cheek!
Just when that hand was about to touch Qingyi's skin!
Buzz——!!!
A dull roar, as if coming from deep underground, erupted without warning! The entire narrow metal cage suddenly shook violently, as if being violently shaken by an invisible giant hand! The emergency lights on the ceiling flickered wildly, and finally went out with a snap! The debris piled in the corner collapsed in a mess!
"Fuck! What's going on?!" Viper's hand froze in mid-air, and he looked up in horror at the violently shaking ceiling. The other two Gear Gang members also stood up in panic.
The vibrations continued, accompanied by a sharp, teeth-grinding sound of metallic friction! Crunch—crunch—! The sound was extremely harsh, as if a huge drill was... penetrating a thick metal barrier?!
Qingyi's heart suddenly stopped beating! She whipped her head around to look at the side wall of the cage! Amidst the violent vibrations and the faint red light from a backup emergency light in the corner, she could clearly see—in the center of the thick, stained metal wall, a spot was rapidly turning red and glowing! The surrounding metal, as if melted by an invisible heat, sizzled and visibly dented and twisted!
This isn't an earthquake! This is... someone is forcibly cutting and drilling through the wall!
"Damn it! It's up there! It's in the direction of the fortress's maintenance passage!" The short and fat Gear Gang member pointed in horror at the center of the glowing red wall. "Something...something is coming in!"
The sharp sound of metal friction instantly reached its peak! Crunch—Sizzle!!!
With a sharp tearing sound, the glowing red point in the center of the wall was suddenly pierced! A drill tip, flashing with a blazing white light and spinning at high speed, like the fangs of a venomous snake, brazenly penetrated the cage with a blast of scorching air and a shower of molten metal!
The white light is blinding! The heat wave is overwhelming!
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