The others hurried over as well.
The atmosphere froze.
Twelve soldiers had entered the courtyard. Each crouched on the ground, rifle in hand, aiming at the group.
Their eyes were vacant and numb. Clearly, they had been controlled by the mysterious monster.
Chen Shouyi's expression turned stern. He rested a hand on his sword hilt, and his perception rapidly spread outward. Under the interference of the mental force here, the images in his mind shook violently, but fortunately, the effect wasn't too strong.
He realized that even more soldiers were standing outside, surrounding the entire building.
"Wake up! You've got it wrong—we're civilian martial artists. We're on your side!" Qian Wei shouted, cold sweat streaming down his forehead.
Martial artists could be wounded by bullets, and they could die. They weren't much better off than ordinary people in that regard. Faced with so many soldiers, even as a martial artist, he didn't dare assume he could escape unscathed.
"Stop shouting. It won't work. They're completely under control," Song Yingjie said, her face grim.
Meanwhile, four more soldiers entered the courtyard. One of them was even carrying a Rocket Launcher.
"C-Chief Advisor, what do we do?" Zhao Jiankai asked, his eyelids twitching as he stood there, completely at a loss.
"Stay behind me. We're breaking through!" Chen Shouyi said in a low voice.
As he drew his sword, gunfire erupted.
In an instant, the people behind him saw Chen Shouyi's figure blur. Countless arms flashed through the air like phantoms, making him seem like an Avatar of the Thousand-Armed Guanyin.
"Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang..."
The dense clangor of metal rang out. Sparks flew, illuminating the group's faces in flickering light and shadow. Their breathing turned ragged, their nerves taut.
Bullets were either knocked aside or dropped out of the air.