The Second Sound: Sneaking In Quietly

This was an area that looked like a factory. Clearly, it was the bandits' base.

The deeper he went, the more fallen police officers he saw. It was clear that this had been an exceptionally brutal battle. These officers could be considered elite, after all; the number of dead bandits had consistently remained higher than the number of fallen officers.

Still, Roy did not think that was a good thing.

As he continued onward, Roy could vaguely hear the sounds of weapons clashing. It seemed he was not far from the main battlefield now.

Roy had already drawn his standard-issue saber from its sheath. At this moment, he entered a state of combat readiness.

In the past, he never would have rashly entered such a dangerous area. He knew full well that one man could not possibly stand against a group of bandits. Reality was not some individual-heroism movie.

If Roy had been the one carrying out this mission, he would have brought a squad with him before entering this area. He would only have gone in with other squads supporting them as well.

Maintaining a police advantage whenever possible was something Roy's former instructor had taught him when he first joined the force. Although in their day-to-day work, two or three officers usually faced a large number of civilians, this kind of mission was entirely different from ordinary police calls.

Even now, he remembered something one of his superiors had told him when warning him to watch out for his own safety:

"To your superiors, you may only be a string of numbers. But to your family, you are their entire world."

With his standard-issue saber drawn, Roy slowly walked through the passage woven from wire mesh. As he moved forward, he did not forget to observe his surroundings.

Though this appeared to be a world without firearms, he still had to watch out for ranged attacks such as bows and crossbows. At the same time, he had to remain alert for enemies appearing nearby.

Roy knew very well that with his current level of protection, even an arrow without an arrowhead could take his life. Any properly organized squad could ensure he never came back...

Meanwhile, at the end of the warehouse.

Chen Zheng, holding a standard-issue saber, surveyed her surroundings. At this moment, she and the squad she led were already surrounded.

"Surrender, Guard Department scum. You've already lost."

The speaker was a man wearing a mask whose dominant color was red. He held a firearm made in Laterano, and that alone showed he was quite wealthy.

However, he was not the only person carrying a firearm. Aside from the small fry wearing identical masks, the other people in various masks all had firearms in their hands as well.

"..."

Chen Zheng did not respond.

As an outstanding graduate of Victoria Royal Guard Academy, she was not the sort who could only talk strategy on paper. Otherwise, she could not have earned the rank of Chief Inspector at such a young age through her exceptional achievements.

In the past, she had led teams on this sort of extermination mission more than once. Yet never had she encountered anything like this. Not only had the enemy inflicted grievous casualties on her squad, but he had also completely seen through every one of Chen Zheng's intentions and deployments!

It was as if they had been present during Chen Zheng's tactical meetings. Yet Chen Zheng knew that was impossible.

There's a traitor among us!

The thought surfaced in Chen Zheng's mind, but there was no longer any time for her to investigate the matter in detail.

Chen Zheng understood that if she could not overcome the crisis before her, she would never leave this place alive. These vicious scum did not care how beautiful she was. Besides, if she had to rely on her looks to please them, she would rather die.

Just then, someone caught Chen Zheng's attention. A figure was moving along a passage on the upper level. Chen Zheng remembered this person.

Roy, instructor of the Fourth Brigade of the Auxiliary Police Corps. Shouldn't he already have... Why... Could he be...

As that speculation surfaced in Chen Zheng's mind, Roy began to move.

He leaped from the corridor and landed lightly on the walkway below. At this moment, he was only a few meters away from one of the leaders holding a firearm.

His saber was already slightly drawn. As soon as he entered striking range, he could kill with a single blow!

Seeing this, the suspicion in Chen Zheng's heart did not fade, but she also sensed an opportunity—a chance to change the situation.

She waited, hoping Roy's move would succeed, hoping his assassination would draw more people's attention. Then, she could lead her squad in another surprise assault!

That's... a gun?!

As he descended from the upper level, Roy spotted the masked man in the distance. In an instant, his attention locked onto the firearm that resembled an HK416.

His earlier assessment had been wrong. This world had firearms!

The unexpected development made him more cautious. He was now three meters away from that man.

At that moment, Roy held his breath and slowed his pace. His eyes saw only that one person. His eyes saw only that person's vital points.

Once he had confirmed that the other party was a bandit armed with a firearm, Roy had no intention of assessing the appropriate level of force and escalating it step by step. This was a fight for his life. He had no time to consider such things.

Now!

At that moment, Roy, concealed in the shadows, drew his standard-issue saber. Before the man could notice him, Roy was already behind him. Then he drove the blade into his vital point!

"Ah!"

A cry of pain echoed through the space. At that moment, everyone turned to look in that direction. The masked man had been pinned to the ground by Roy, and the firearm had flown from his grasp.

Without hesitation, Roy drew his saber and rolled aside, avoiding several bullets fired his way. Then he picked up the gun.

Its structure might have differed slightly from the firearms in Roy's memory, but there was no real difference in how it was used.

"You're surrounded! Drop your weapons and surrender immediately!"

Roy's voice echoed through the warehouse, but the only response he received was a hail of speeding bullets.

Their attitude was obvious. They had no intention of listening to Roy. Moreover, they knew everything about the situation in this area and the intelligence on the "intruder." Naturally, they knew there were no other police officers here.

"There's a mole..."

With a soft sigh, Roy sheathed his saber, found a piece of cover with a good view, then raised the gun and aimed below.

At that moment, the sounds of battle rose from below.

"At least they know how to cooperate."

Muttering a mild complaint, Roy began searching for the enemy's shooters. The people below were trying to break out. What Roy needed to do now was keep the enemy gunmen suppressed. Only then could they possibly escape successfully.

As for Roy's own way out?

There was no need to worry about that. He had already made a plan on his way here.

"Beating rookies is always a little boring."

Watching their clumsy attempts at camouflage and hiding, Roy muttered to himself.

If he had not needed to help his "allies" withdraw, Roy could have left every last one of them here...