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Chapter 22: The Counterattack Begins
On the way back, Wei Haitao walked in silence, his expression like a thundercloud rolling restlessly beneath the night sky.
The plan had failed again!
Once the resource report reached the higher-ups, it would take no more than three days for the military to send reinforcements to the base. By then, it would be nearly impossible to kill him.
He couldn’t even complete a simple task assigned by his clan. How could he face his elders? Wei Haitao had always prided himself on his strategic mind, but never had he imagined he would fail to eliminate even a small fry.
“Boss.” A trusted subordinate, with a gaunt face, suddenly approached and whispered, “If the soft approach doesn’t work, why don’t we try something more... direct?”
Wei Haitao did not respond. He wasn’t the only commander here; there was also Kraftmann above him. While taking a hard approach was easier, if that man found out and used it against him, his military career would be over.
Seemingly sensing his concerns, the subordinate smiled slightly. “Boss, if you trust me, let us handle it.”
“Hm?” Wei Haitao suddenly stopped, turned around, and stared at the two for a moment before breaking into a smile. “Alright, Gu Zhigao. I don’t regret saving you from Juan Star all those years ago.”
---
Later that night, the base was quiet, with only the necessary personnel maintaining system operations. Most of the others had gone to their rooms to rest.
The detention zone was still brightly lit. Tang Fang lay in bed, his chest rising and falling, seemingly asleep.
Across from him, Byron, Housen, and Arroz were wide awake, leaning against the wall with their ears perked up, listening to the conversation of the young soldier on duty at the far end of the corridor.
“Eh, Pritt, Gu Zhigao, what are you two doing here?”
“Yintian Qiu’s not feeling well, Sharov went to check the condensation management unit. We’ll take the shift for the rest of the night.”
“Oh, alright. There's still half a bottle of whiskey in the cabinet...” Then came the sound of a yawn from the guard, followed by the fading footsteps.
Hearing the conversation outside, Zhou Ai, who was resting on the same bed as Eva in the nearby room, suddenly opened her eyes wide, leaped out of bed, and hurried to the door. “Tang Fang, wake up… wake up…”
Tang Fang furrowed his brow, slowly opening his eyes. Seeing Zhou Ai’s anxious expression, he couldn’t help but smile faintly, a barely perceptible cold smirk tugging at his lips. “They’re here…”
In the corner, the indicator light on the surveillance camera suddenly went out. The faint sound of the security door opening echoed as heavy footsteps grew louder.
“Hey, Tang Yan,” came the voice, and Gu Zhigao and Pritt appeared at the door.
Tang Fang yawned, sat up in bed, and stretched leisurely. “What’s up?”
Gu Zhigao smiled coldly and pressed a button on the door, deactivating the alarm system. He then slapped the switch, and with a metallic clang, the iron door slowly slid open.
Pritt slipped out from the side, quickly approaching the bed, and without a word, raised his gun to point directly at Tang Fang’s head.
“What are you two doing?” Zhou Ai could hardly believe that they would go after them directly like this, and cried out in alarm.
Gu Zhigao acted as though he hadn’t heard, continuing in a calm voice without looking back. “What are we doing? We’re sending you on your way!”
Tang Fang leaned back, his face expressionless. “Did Wei Haitao send you? Does he not fear the fallout when Kraftmann finds out?”
“You’re going to die anyway, so we might as well let you know what’s going on.” Gu Zhigao grinned, his eyes cold as he looked at Tang Fang like he was already a corpse.
As long as he gave a signal, Pritt would pull the trigger, and these defenseless fools would have their brains splattered.
“After you’re dead, the door to the cell will open. I’ll be knocked unconscious, and Pritt will run outside to report. We’ll say you all attempted a breakout and were shot down one by one.”
Tang Fang’s lips twitched into a smile. “Do you really think Kraftmann will believe that?”
“Believe it or not, it doesn’t matter!” Gu Zhigao stretched out his pristine white gloves, speaking nonchalantly. “Kraftmann is too busy worrying about what to do with those people in the other cells, and he’ll be glad they’re dead. As for you, who can prove you didn’t try to escape with them?”
“We’ll just say you attacked me and knocked me out, and Pritt, in self-defense, was forced to shoot you. The dead can’t speak, and whatever happened, we’ll tell it however we want.”
The more Gu Zhigao spoke, the more smug he became. Over the years, he had learned a lot under Wei Haitao's command. “Don’t bother looking, Christian is busy with Sharov and the others fixing the base’s electronic and life-support systems. The cameras have long been turned off. No one will ever know what happens here.”
“Heh.” Pritt lifted his gun and grinned wickedly, speaking in a heavy foreign accent. “Tang Yan, remember to say hello to the King of Hell when you get there. Tell him who sent you on your way.”
With that, he smiled, revealing a row of crooked yellow teeth. “Gu Zhigao, is that how it’s said?”
“Yeah, that’s right, Pritt. Your second laguage is improving.” Gu Zhigao glanced back at Zhou Ai, who was now visibly agitated, and said softly, “Alright, it’s time to send him on his way.”
Pritt narrowed his eyes, his finger tightening on the trigger.
“Yeah, it’s time.” At that moment, Tang Fang’s eyes suddenly flared with a flash of light. “Gu Zhigao, I thank you!”
Thank me? This guy is already half-dead, is he out of his mind?
Just as Gu Zhigao was about to speak, a sudden, acrid wind rushed past him. He instinctively turned his head, only to see a terrifying alien creature with a spiked back and brown liquid dripping from its mouth lunging toward him.
The grotesque face was barely an inch from his nose. The fetid stench of its breath hit him full force, making him gag.
At that moment, Gu Zhigao’s face went pale, his scalp tingling, and goosebumps spread all over his body.
How the hell did this thing get in here? How did it breach the base's security?
The only response he received was the scream of the zergling, followed by a claws slicing through his chest.
Blood sprayed from his body, drenching the zergling’s uneven face, adding a touch of bloodlust to its features. Only then did Gu Zhigao, overwhelmed by pain, snap back to reality.
His chest erupted in a fountain of blood, splattering across his uniform, his once-pristine white gloves stained crimson.
The cold wind rushed into his chest cavity, and with a gurgle, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
The zergling opposite him snarled, its mouth, full of teeth the size of half a thumb, opening wide. Its neck stretched forward as it let out a long, guttural roar.
With a final, savage swipe, the alien creature’s claws ripped through his body, and blood poured out as if from a burst dam.
Gu Zhigao’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor. He turned his head weakly, only to see a more horrifying sight in his blurry vision.
Pritt was given special treatment. His right arm, which had been holding the gun, was severed at the shoulder. Blood sprayed from the wound in streams, and two zerglings flanked him on either side. One of the zerglings’ claws pierced his right lung, while the other tore through his abdomen, spilling entrails all over the floor.
Their screams—his and Pritt’s—echoed like thunder beneath the dark sky, reverberating in people’s ears.
The smell of blood and the stench of cheap cigars filled the room, drifting into the hallway and across the entire detention zone.
Tang Fang stood up, and the three zerglings with strong limbs moved like bodyguards, shifting behind him.
“How… is… this… possible?” Gu Zhigao, his eyes wide with terror, muttered in a last, desperate attempt to comprehend what was happening.
He had seen the aliens brought back by the Special Operations Unit, but the two behind Tang Fang were clearly different. The thin, bony spines under their bellies were covered with thin membranes that fluttered like insect wings.
“Go ahead, just don’t hurt the research personnel in the East zone,” Tang Fang said in a calm voice.
The three zerglings shifted, their wings buzzing as they shot out of the detention zone, darting down the hallway.
What terrified Gu Zhigao even more was that this was far from over. More flashes appeared at the door, and one after another, more zerglings materialized out of thin air, charging down the corridor like beasts released from their cages, roaring as they rushed outside the detention zone.
By the time the last zergling’s shadow disappeared from view, Gu Zhigao exhaled his final breath.
His eyes, wide open in terror, were filled with fear as he muttered the total number of the alien creature he saw, “38.”
Since Kovass and the other 26 had died, the base's total combat personnel numbered less than a hundred. With 38 fast-moving little zerglings and a sudden internal attack on the base, it was clear that this would be a massacre—one-sided and brutal.
Unfortunately, Gu Zhigao and Pritt would never see this scene, as they were already on their way to the afterlife. Of course, if they were moving slowly on their way, they might be able to meet Wei Haitao and have him join them on their journey.
Tang Fang glanced up at the surveillance camera and couldn't help but sneer. Gu Zhigao, thinking himself clever, took it upon himself to cut off the power to the surveillance cameras. This was tantamount to trapping himself in his own web, unwittingly providing a great convenience to him.
With no warning, no preparation, and a surprise attack from within the base, complemented by speeding Zerglings—it seemed the plan was set to unfold perfectly.
Soon after Wei Haitao left, Tang Fang had started upgrading the zergling’s speed. After some tough decisions, he spent 400 crystals to hatch 16 more zerglings. Added to the 22 he already had, that made a total of 38.
Seeing the system's crystal reserve drop to just 100, Tang Fang took a deep breath, stood up, and stepped out of the detention zone. He casually pressed a switch, releasing Zhou Ai and Eva before walking to the cell holding Arroz and the other three.
With a faint smile, he said, “Arroz, it’s time to work.”
After the sound of the iron door shaking, Arroz stepped out, a half-smoked cigar dangling from his mouth. He picked up the bloodstained assault rifles from the floor and tossed them to Byron and Housen. He then grabbed Gu Zhigao's sidearm, pulling the slide back with a snap. "Hmm, the Paladin M5 model, not bad!"
"You want my life? Heh, it’s time for these bastards to regret it." Housen spat, grabbed the gun, and swiftly headed outside, followed by Arroz.
Byron hesitated for a moment, then quickly followed. Finally, there was Tang Fang, Zhou Ai, and Eva, who had just woken up from her nap.
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