"The mission comes first. We don't have time to worry about all this."
The pilot had no desire to move closer, but Carlos ignored his warning and said, "Don't forget our purpose. Rescuing civilians is our duty, and it doesn't conflict with the mission afterward. Obviously, he's trapped on the roof by the chaos below. Standing so close to the edge, he may be mentally breaking down and about to jump. I can't just stand by."
As he spoke, he pulled out a fast-rope harness and clipped it around his waist. One end was secured to the helicopter, while the other was clipped to the chest of a thoroughly bewildered teammate.
Without another word, he jumped straight down from the helicopter.
Even Xu Yue, who had been planning to leave, was somewhat surprised.
A guy with a strong sense of justice, huh? Usually, such righteous companions who only knew how to charge ahead weren't all that annoying.
Amid his teammates' curses, Carlos plummeted rapidly. The fast-rope line slid through the buckle on his companion's tactical vest, the helicopter's anchor point, and his companion's frantic hands, slowing his descent until he landed safely on the rooftop. He then held out a hand to Xu Yue.
"Hey, good kid. There's no problem that can't be solved. Come on, step away from there. You've still got a long life ahead of you."
As he spoke in a soothing voice, he raised his other hand to show that he meant no harm.
But at that moment, several figures crashed through the rooftop door. A number of ragged, bloodstained people lurched toward them with twisted movements.
Disgusting growls spilled from their throats.
The stench of dead rats hit them head-on.
Even Carlos jumped in fright.
To put Xu Yue at ease, he had lowered his