Countdown Thirty Seconds

"Proceed with the cleanup directly..."

Lu Xin listened to the voice coming from the comms channel, his heart sinking slightly. "How do we clean it up?"

There were nearly a hundred people in that factory...

"Don't worry, our target isn't those workers!"

Gecko seemed to read Lu Xin's mind and chuckled softly. "Our job is to eliminate the source of pollution, not to kill the contaminated. Although our top priority is always to prevent the spread of pollution, if we can avoid spilling blood, we should."

"Moreover, based on the current situation and the reports from the previous investigation team, the original ability of that source of pollution primarily affects those around it rather than assimilating them. So, those workers are only lightly contaminated and can still be saved."

Lu Xin breathed a sigh of relief. "So, we just need to take down the factory director directly?"

Gecko shook his head. "We can't kill him now. If we kill him, he might release the mental plague before he dies, causing all the moderately infected individuals to rush out uncontrollably and pose a great threat to the surrounding areas... However, they probably won't be able to escape. Take a look around, and you should understand what I mean..."

Lu Xin didn't even need to look around.

In all directions, it was pitch black, with only scarce streetlights illuminating patches of ghastly white.

And in the darkness, Lu Xin knew, there were armies standing guard, heavily fortified. If the workers from these factory buildings escaped and rushed outwards, they would be shot immediately. Satellite City wouldn't allow these people to break through the cordon.

Just like that time at the coffee shop.

Thinking of this, he frowned. "We need to clean up immediately, but we can't kill them... then what..."

Gecko chuckled. "Linda, give us your suggestion."

Though he couldn't see her, Lu Xin could imagine Linda on the other end frowning. But since it involved work, she still answered very seriously. "Our mission this time is to intercept the source of pollution, cut off its influence on the workers, and then immediately contain it. This way, the support team will have a chance to enter the factory and take the affected individuals for treatment."

"Therefore, my suggestion is to use a specially made high-powered tranquilizer gun to resolve it from a distance, forcing the source of pollution into unconsciousness instantly!"

She paused slightly, seemingly considering that Solo Soldier was also listening, and as the guided individual, it was necessary for her to explain the reasoning behind each suggestion. She continued, "Because Zheng Yuanxiong is not yet completely out of control, he still retains some human characteristics, which makes the tranquilizer gun plan feasible. If he were completely out of control, it would be useless!"

Lu Xin listened intently and nodded. He hadn't considered whether Tie Cui or Linda could see.

Gecko, listening, suddenly interjected, "This guy can affect a hundred people at once, which means his mental level must be quite high. He might even form a powerful psionic power to influence or even directly stop my bullet before it hits him."

On the channel, Tie Cui said, "So, if you agree to this plan, I will simultaneously issue instructions to the support team to set off an explosion on the east side of the factory in thirty seconds. The powerful sound and shockwave will attract some of Zheng Yuanxiong's attention. This way, even if he manifests psionic power, it will be unstable due to his divided attention."

"And that will be your chance to shoot."

"But you'll only have a moment, your only chance!"

"..."

"Heh heh..."

Gecko chuckled softly. "My dear Linda, you have such a lovely voice..."

On the channel, a heavy sigh could be heard. It seemed Tie Cui Linda was already a bit exasperated.

But before she could say anything, Gecko laughed. "Agreed!"

As he finished speaking, he opened the long case he carried on his back. Inside was a slender and sharp sniper rifle. Gecko's hands moved up and down, accompanied by crisp and skillful "click-clack" sounds. He quickly assembled various parts onto the gun. Once the bullet was chambered, he hooked his legs around the iron railing, hanging upside down.

The dark muzzle aimed at the factory building three hundred meters away.

On the channel, Linda's voice turned exceptionally calm. "Countdown begins!"

"Thirty..."

"Twenty-nine..."

"..."

Time seemed to slow down, and everything around became incredibly quiet.

Only Linda's calm counting on the channel and the faint whirring of machinery from the factory three hundred meters away could be heard.

Lu Xin was carefully absorbing it all.

Even the Sister beside him tilted her head, observing Gecko with curiosity.

Lu Xin realized at this moment that Gecko's movements were somewhat different from Sister's. He hooked his legs around the railing and lay upside down, his gun aimed at the factory. He truly looked like a nimble and precise spider.

As for Sister, squatting nearby... she was at most a bit eccentrically cute.

"Countdown one, prepare!"

As these thoughts flashed through Lu Xin's mind, Linda's voice on the channel reached its end.

And at that very moment, a light suddenly appeared in the east.

What followed was a massive roar.

Simultaneously, Lu Xin's peripheral vision caught the slight upturn of Gecko's lips as he pulled the trigger.

He followed suit, looking towards the factory. As the view zoomed in, he saw that inside the factory, the glass seemed to tremble slightly due to the huge explosion. The other workers inside were almost oblivious, still engrossed in their tasks. However, the factory director, Zheng Yuanxiong, was slightly affected and instinctively looked towards the direction of the explosion.

It was at this moment that a bullet, resembling a red syringe, pierced through the glass.

Three hundred meters away, Lu Xin shouldn't have been able to hear anything, but he felt as if he heard a faint "hiss."

The red syringe embedded itself into Zheng Yuanxiong's nape, bursting into a spray of blood.

Even as a tranquilizer dart, its power was astonishing to hit a target three hundred meters away. Zheng Yuanxiong was sent flying, crashing to the ground. The lights and plastic pipes around him warped to some extent in that instant.

After falling, he seemed to try to get up, but with just a slight effort, he slowly slumped back down.

That anesthetic looked very effective.

"Done!"

The Gecko instantly retracted its gun, straightened its body, and returned to the top of the tower, laughing, "Linda, what did you want to say to me?"

Linda, on the channel, seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but her tone was unusually cold: "You should proceed to the next step!"

"Alright!"

The Gecko chuckled and pulled out a glass-like object, resembling a helmet, from its backpack, holding it close.

Then he smiled at Lu Xin and said, "See you later, brother, time to wrap things up!"

With that, he fell straight backward, lying down from the water tower over thirty meters high.