Life Support Supplies

There's only one type of person in this world who can treat bullets as nothing.

Cultists.

They either rely on blasphemous magic or bizarre drugs to detach their five senses, making them appear like the living dead.

But the cultists shouldn't be opposing them!

Ghost rushed to the entrance of the east corridor and only then realized how fierce the previous battle had been—bloodstains were everywhere on the ground and walls, several of his subordinates were severely injured, groaning on the ground, and the rat that had been shot was practically soaked in blood.

He squatted down, tore open the deceased's robe, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief—the opponent was not a cultist; at least judging by the softness of his body, he was no different from an ordinary person. However, Ghost soon made a new discovery. He saw that the person was wearing a strange vest under his clothes. It was riddled with holes, but it remained intact overall, and almost no blood seeped out from the bullet holes.

"What is this?"

Ghost had someone remove the rat's vest.

"It looks like... some kind of armor?" a subordinate hesitated.

It wasn't thick to the touch and could be folded easily, yet it could effectively block bullets fired from a Steam Rifle. Ghost had never seen anything like it before.

"It's probably a new product, no wonder they were so difficult to deal with." He no longer hesitated and immediately ordered, "Call in the brothers from outside. Except for those guarding the east wall, I want everyone!"

"Are you sure? If we do that, the escaped convicts from earlier won't be guarded."

"Never mind, execute them on the spot." Ghost said coldly, "We can get as many prisoners as we want. The priority now is to completely eliminate these rats here... Don't forget, the Master is watching."

"Yes!"

Although the people outside weren't his true confidantes, they were reliable enough to deal with the rats. With the two groups combined, there were nearly twenty of them. He didn't believe the six rats could cause any significant trouble.

No, one of them had already died, so there were only five left.

"Damn, how do they have reinforcements?" Joe James complained.

Even without leaving the room, they could tell from the noisy footsteps that the enemy's numbers were constantly increasing.

"Isn't that to be expected?" Zhang Zhiyuan retorted irritably. He never thought he'd have to cooperate with the very people he was supposed to capture. "The people outside aren't all gang members; at least some of them are plainclothes reserve police officers. Once they realize we're tough nuts to crack, they'll definitely bring in other forces."

"How many people will there be?"

"Who knows? Our only advantage is that we're in the dark. Besides, this theater is big enough, we can wear these scumbags down bit by bit."

"No." Asahara Naruko rarely disagreed. "Don't forget the reporter is still outside. We can stall, but he can't."

"Damn it, I almost forgot about that!" The American slapped his thigh. "He didn't follow us in!"

Everyone rolled their eyes in unison.

"You didn't bring him in," Zhou Zhi said irritably. "You can't expect someone covered in wounds to run as fast as you, can you?"

"I couldn't." Taylor finally spoke. "We were being aimed at by several guns at the time. It was already a stroke of luck that we managed to rush into the corridor safely. There was no way we could carry an injured person while moving."

"That's right, just like Taylor said!" Joe James glared back at everyone. "If you're so eager to save him, why don't you try carrying him yourself!"

"Alright, stop arguing!" Zhang Zhiyuan slammed the floor hard. "Host, that reporter is still alive, right?"

"As of now, yes." Chaoyang appeared promptly. "The people outside are focused on you, so Dane is currently unguarded."

"Good, good." Everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"But this situation won't last forever." Only Naruko's expression was grim. "If we drag this out too long, and they realize that setting up the scene is impossible, they will definitely pull back to silence everyone. Moreover, once we start playing hide-and-seek, the pressure we can exert on them will decrease significantly, and the reporter will be in great danger then."

"It's almost one in the morning now. It will take them about two hours to arrange the bodies to look like a clock. If we stall for another hour, they might change their plan and just kill us outright," Taylor agreed. "So, we need to counterattack, just like before."

Joe James frowned. "I don't object to a head-on confrontation, but the problem is they have reinforcements. Facing over a dozen guns, we might not win. If we lose, it would be too frustrating."

"I have an idea," Zhou Zhi said after a moment of hesitation, "but I don't know if it's feasible."

"Speak quickly."

"The main hall is full of chandeliers above. They're filled with either lamp oil or flammable fats. If we could knock them down..."

The American's eyes lit up. "The main hall will be engulfed in flames!"

"Not just the main hall... I'm worried the entire theater might catch fire." Zhou Zhi paused. "I've seen it; the seats are all covered in velvet, and the floor is made of wood. Once it catches fire, the blaze will be almost impossible to control."

Living beings naturally fear scorching flames and thick smoke. Once a large fire breaks out around them, the enemy's numerical advantage will cease to exist.

The price, however, would be the Sinclair Grand Theatre turning into ruins.

"Kid, not bad!" Joe James suddenly slapped him. "Burn it, burn it all! I wish it were even bigger! Let's do it!"

"Excuse me, I have to pour some cold water on this." Taylor interrupted. "The builders knew those things couldn't fall, so they're secured with iron chains. We only have three crossbows. How do you propose we knock down a chandelier weighing several hundred kilograms?"

"Uh, this..."

"There's a way," Zhou Zhi said, making a gesture with his finger and opening the exchange interface. "It's under the 'Life Assistance' category--"

A flash of lightning shot through Zhang Zhiyuan's mind!

Thermite!

"It's this... a small packet of thermite, costs 50 points to exchange," Zhou Zhi explained. "If you just spread it out as an accelerant, it'll burn for a few seconds and be gone. But if you concentrate it and use it in the right place..."

The soaring temperature of 3000 degrees Celsius would melt all fixing points!

"The problem is, someone has to go to the top floor to place these things, and we might be attacked by enemies along the way..."

"I'll go." Zhang Zhiyuan waved his hand, signaling Zhou Zhi not to continue. "There must be stairs leading to the upper levels in the corridor. You guys just wait for my signal."

"Take this." Asahara Naruko handed him her dagger. "We'll launch an offensive below to attract their attention."

"Thank you." Zhang Zhiyuan slung the crossbow over his back, tucked the dagger into his waist, and finally took the four packets of thermite that everyone had exchanged with all their remaining points. He then headed towards the other end of the corridor.