Chapter 287
In reality, Chris’s group stood no chance against Suzy and the others.
Although they vastly outnumbered them, they were nothing more than ordinary men. Brutal, perhaps, but still ordinary. None had received any real combat training, and their attacks were wild and completely uncoordinated.
They relied on one tactic alone: charge forward, swing their weapons, overwhelm the enemy with numbers.
The flaws in that approach quickly became obvious. No matter how many people they had, their numbers weren’t endless.
More importantly, Suzy, Thomas, and the others showed no mercy.
One man’s arm was severed cleanly by a razor-sharp blade. The sight filled everyone around him with terror. Fear spread through the crowd.
We can’t beat them.
The realization struck almost everyone at the same time. Instinctively, they began retreating.
Watching his men fall back, Chris nearly exploded with rage.
"You bastards! Don’t retreat! I said don’t move!"
His furious shouting made several hesitate.
Then another scream ripped through the stairwell.
"Aaaagh!"
The anguished cry echoed through the cramped darkness. Another arm flew through the air. Blood sprayed across the narrow staircase, splattering the faces of everyone nearby.
The severed limb hit the concrete with a heavy thud.
That was enough. The remaining attackers finally panicked.
If this continued... The next arm on the floor might be theirs.
In the apocalypse, losing a hand was almost the same as receiving a death sentence. No organization wanted crippled fighters.
If they stayed... They might die here.
If they fled... They might still die later.
But right now, survival instinct won.
No. I don’t want to die.
The same thought flashed through countless minds. The ruthless efficiency of Suzy’s group shattered their resolve.
The moment fear took hold, their bodies acted on their own. One after another, they stumbled backward, desperately widening the distance.
Watching them flee, Chris felt as though he were about to lose his mind.
There were so many of them. How could they be this cowardly?
If they failed to capture Building Eight, he would suffer the consequences too.
Not only would they return empty-handed without any supplies, but Ray would almost certainly take his anger out on him.
After all, Chris had led such a large force. He was expected to produce results.
Instead... The only people suffering serious injuries were his own men.
The defenders of Building Eight had escaped with little more than superficial wounds.
His expression shifted repeatedly. He had thought he’d hooked a fat fish.
Instead... He had run straight into a shark.
Looks like... There’s only one option left.
His fingers slipped into his pocket and wrapped around a cold, solid object.
Immediately, his nerves settled.
He had a gun. With it, killing these people wouldn’t be difficult.
More importantly... None of them knew he had it. That was his greatest advantage.
The problem was his ammunition.
He only had six bullets. That was all. He had always intended to save them for the moment his own life was on the line. He understood perfectly well that once those bullets were gone... He would become the vulnerable one.
After a brief internal struggle, Chris finally made up his mind.
No matter what happened afterward... These people had to pay. He was all in.
"Nobody retreats! If Ray finds out who ran... You all know what happens."
His cold warning froze the remaining attackers. Several visibly trembled.
In the end, fear of Ray pushed a few of them back into the fight.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Chris quietly drew the pistol hidden behind his back.
He disengaged the safety. Then raised the weapon. His sights settled on Liam.
Standing at the front of the line, Liam was the perfect target.
Chris narrowed his eyes, nervous.
He had barely used the pistol before. He had stumbled across it by pure luck and guarded it as his ultimate trump card ever since.
Taking a deep breath, he squeezed the trigger.
At nearly the same moment, Suzy noticed the movement.
The stairwell was almost completely dark, but after months of drinking spirit spring water, her eyesight far surpassed that of an ordinary person.
Especially in darkness.
She saw the pistol, and her heart lurched. The barrel was aimed directly at Liam’s head.
No!
Liam couldn’t die. He was the next person she needed to win over. If he died, where would she find another suitable target?
Qualified survivors were already incredibly rare. Finding someone like Liam would be even harder.
She couldn’t let anything happen to him.
Besides... If Liam died, she would never obtain the energy the system needed.
Without that energy... Neither the system nor Derek could be saved.
And more importantly... She liked him. She had already formed a genuine emotional attachment to him, too.
The thought flashed through her mind in an instant.
She moved faster than she ever had before.
Throwing herself toward Liam, she reached for him, but she was one heartbeat too late.
Chris had already fired.
Bang!
The gunshot exploded through the stairwell like thunder.
Everyone froze.
In that split second, Suzy yanked Liam aside and twisted her body between him and the bullet. A searing pain instantly tore through her shoulder. The bullet that had been meant for Liam buried itself in her flesh instead.
"Aah!" Suzy gasped sharply.
It hurt like hell.
Pain twisted her features. Blood immediately soaked through the thick fabric of her winter coat, spreading wider and wider by the second.
"Suzy!"
Liam caught her before she could collapse, his face drained of all color.
Thomas was the first to understand what had happened. His expression changed violently. Without hesitation, he hurled the knife in his hand straight at Chris.
The blade narrowly missed. Chris jumped back in alarm, cursing furiously.
"He has a gun!" Thomas shouted.
Those four words instantly changed everyone’s expression.
A gun. Chris had a gun.
That changed everything.
"That’s right! I’ve got a gun! You bastards can all die!"
Still shouting threats, Chris raised the pistol again. This time his murderous glare fixed on Thomas.
Throwing a knife at me? Let’s see how useful your knife is against this!
Although he hadn’t managed to shoot Liam, Chris wasn’t particularly disappointed.
At least Suzy had been hit. The bullet had flown exactly where he’d intended.
A strange sense of satisfaction swelled inside him, the same thrill as hitting the bull’s-eye on a target.
He could take his time with the rest.
Who should be next?
The accidental success gave him a new idea. There was no need to kill them outright. Wounding them would be enough.
With faces that attractive, Ray would undoubtedly be pleased.
The more Chris thought about it, the more impressed he became with his own cleverness.
He lifted the pistol once more.
This time... He aimed at Elijah.
The reason was simple––Elijah was the closest.
Apparently sensing the danger, every hair on Elijah’s body stood on end.
He instinctively turned to run.
Now that Chris had a firearm and plenty of distance between them, fighting head-on was impossible.
The only chance was to somehow seize the gun.
But Chris would never allow them to get close enough.
Elijah’s thoughts descended into complete chaos. For a moment, he had no idea what to do except stumble backward.
Damn it...
He had never imagined this organization had managed to get its hands on a gun.