Delta Force Was Supposed to Be... How Did It Turn into Arknights? Chapter 40

The old mansion was silent, filled only with deathly stillness.

Lappland raised her long blade and brought it down hard, her voice thick with barely restrained excitement and killing intent:

"Leave no one alive!"

At the same time.

Han Fei had just casually searched a hiking backpack when he heard footsteps approaching from behind.

He turned around and saw that it was Texas.

About half an hour earlier, Texas had said she had some personal business to attend to and would be leaving for a while, telling Han Fei to keep looting the old mansion on his own.

Han Fei had not stopped her. He had only asked whether she needed help, and after Texas politely declined, he had continued searching alone until now.

Now Texas had returned, clearly finished with her personal business.

Han Fei walked over to Texas and casually asked, "Did it go smoothly?"

"Mm, it's all taken care of."

Texas answered before reminding him, "Those Siracusans are already inside. We should leave."

"Okay."

Han Fei replied casually and left the room with Texas.

Back in the hallway, Han Fei looked around the old mansion with a hint of reluctance in his eyes.

The mansion was simply too large. Even though Han Fei had been moving quickly enough, there were still plenty of places he had not searched.

And he suspected that, in his rush, he might have missed some things.

But there was nothing to be done. Time was tight and the task was urgent; he had no time to carefully search every corner.

"Don't be greedy."

Texas spoke softly and pulled out a handful of exquisite jewelry from the inner pocket of her uniform—several gemstone-studded rings, a thin gold necklace, and several uniquely designed earrings.

"Take them. I found these for you while I was at it. They can fetch some money too."

Han Fei looked down and, sure enough, spotted a small earring with a glowing white outline amid the pile of jewelry.

Classic Stepmother Earrings.

In Zero Dam, this was the kind of thing nobody bothered picking up, since it was worth only ten thousand when acquired.

Ten thousand per slot—it was not even as good as some quality little blue items.

But Han Fei picked it out, casually stuffed it into his pocket, and said, "Thanks."

When he looked up, the appreciation in his eyes was practically overflowing.

Little Tex is really something.

Han Fei had never told Texas to help him search for things. After all, Texas could not tell which items were valuable enough to exchange for Haf Coins.

Yet Texas had still carefully gathered these things for him, afraid that Han Fei might go hungry.

Who could refuse such unsolicited thoughtfulness?

Texas lowered her head slightly, looked at the remaining valuables, and asked, "What about these? You don't want them?"

"No." Han Fei shook his head.

"Then throw them away."

Texas was swift and decisive. Her slender fingers loosened and turned casually, sending the priceless jewels and accessories scattering across the floor like cheap glass beads.

After doing all that, she did not even spare them a glance. She simply turned around and said, "Come with me. I'll get you out."

"Sure, lead the way."

Han Fei followed, his tactical boots crushing a gold chain with a sharp metallic crunch.

Naturally, the mobsters were not particularly disciplined. As the Siracusans stormed into the old mansion, the sounds of drawers being overturned came from all directions, mixed with crude curses and the sharp crashes of breaking objects.

Amid that chaotic clamor, the silence between Han Fei and Texas was like an invisible barrier, shutting out all the disturbance outside.

The two passed through the dim hallway and returned to the second floor. Firelight from the burning courtyard shone through the stained-glass windows, casting mottled fragments of light that danced among Texas's hair.

After walking for some time, the girl suddenly stopped and pushed open a door beside her, stepping inside.

Han Fei did not quite understand why, but he followed her into the bedroom, though he had no idea who it belonged to.

Texas walked to the window and took an exquisite cigarette case and a heavy gold lighter from the inner pocket of her uniform.

"Do you know?"

Her slender fingers flicked open the gold-plated cigarette case. The gold lighter spun a dazzling arc across her palm, and her voice was colder than moonlight. "I actually know how to smoke."

As she spoke, Texas pinched a slender cigarette from the case and lightly held it between her lips. The hinge of the gold lighter let out a crisp click, and a dancing flame blossomed like an orange-yellow flower in the dusk, coating the girl's cool features in warmth.

Texas took a deep drag. The scarlet tip abruptly brightened, and she slowly exhaled a wisp of bluish-gray smoke. The hazy fumes blurred the sharp outline of her profile.

"I just went and found a lot of accelerants. All it needs is a spark, and this place will become a sea of fire."

Texas's gaze pierced through the smoke and fell upon Han Fei's face as she softly asked:

"Are you ready to run?"

"I get what you mean. I'm ready to go."

Han Fei watched Texas with interest. The girl who was usually cool and restrained now held a cigarette between her fingers, giving off an air of languid danger.

It truly had a charm of its own.

"Then run."

With a flick of her wrist, the gold lighter traced a brilliant arc through the air and landed precisely amid the folds of the velvet curtains. Flames instantly surged up. The expensive fabric curled and blackened in the blaze, while the fire rapidly spread along the embroidered patterns, devouring the intricate, beautiful designs and turning them into dancing red.

"Jump."

Texas pushed open the window with one hand. The night wind swept gunpowder smoke into the room and tousled the girl's hair.

"Wait!"

At his shout, she glanced sideways and saw Han Fei charge toward the burning curtains in a single stride. His tactical boots crushed through the sparks scattered across the floor as he reached into the flames and snatched out the gold lighter.

Texas froze for a moment, then shook her head with a laugh. The firelight illuminated the fleeting curve of her lips, and her soft sigh drifted into Han Fei's ears with the night wind:

"You..."

Do You Want to Be My Department Supervisor?

Under the night sky, two figures leaped down from the second-floor window.

The moment his feet hit the ground, Han Fei clearly heard a soft chime from the kinetic assist device on his body.

By now, most of the Siracusans had already stormed into the old mansion, either raising butcher's blades at innocent servants or looting the Texas Family's wealth.

Only a small number of Siracusan assassins remained outside, circling among the corpses like vultures.

This was the perfect time to escape. Cars were everywhere in the courtyard; they only needed to seize one and leave the estate.

As the saying went, delay invited complications. The fire was spreading, but it had not yet turned the old mansion into a sea of flames. If they delayed until the Siracusans were forced out by the blaze, stealing a car would become much more difficult.

Under such circumstances, stealthy assassinations were obviously unsuitable. A quick battle was the only answer.

Han Fei decisively suggested, "Follow me. Before they come out, we'll kill our way through, take a car, and get out of here."

With that, Han Fei began putting on the heavy bomb disposal gear.

"Okay."

Texas drew her twin swords. The moment Han Fei made his move, she would follow.

"Go!"

Han Fei raised the unfolded bomb shield and charged out in great strides.

The Shield Dog's running footsteps were especially loud, immediately alerting the Siracusan assassins in the courtyard.

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

One assassin abruptly looked up, his hand crossbow instantly aimed at the shadows where the sound had come from.

His companions turned in unison, their blades gleaming with chilling light under the moon.

What answered them was a sharp hiss of pressurized air.

A black shadow suddenly shot out from the darkness. Han Fei launched from the shadows like a cannonball, white vapor trailing behind him through the night like a comet's tail.

The Siracusan assassin holding the hand crossbow did not even have time to pull the trigger before the edge of the shield smashed violently into his jaw, sending him flying like a rag doll.

The next second, the Bizon spat flames.

This time, Han Fei did not conserve ammunition. A full magazine of RIP rounds swept through the Siracusan assassins' lives like Death's scythe.

In an instant, not a single Siracusan assassin nearby survived.

While Han Fei was cutting through them, Texas had already taken the driver's seat. She shoved open the passenger-side door and called out, "Get in, quick."

"Coming."

Han Fei turned at her call. The kinetic assist system on his body activated, blasting a ring of dust from the scorched ground with white vapor.

Using the thrust, he stepped into the car in a single stride. The instant his tactical boots entered the cabin, his right hand slammed the door shut with a bang.

In the rearview mirror, the Texas Family's old mansion was being swallowed by flames. The roaring fire lit up the entire courtyard, while thick columns of black smoke billowed into the night sky.

No one knew how many accelerants Texas had found, but in such a short time, the fire had become uncontrollable.

Groups of Siracusans retreated from the old mansion. The silver-haired girl walked at the front through a pool of blood, her gaze passing over the corpses on the ground before landing precisely on the car Han Fei was riding in.

She watched the sedan drive away, and a visible thrill appeared in her eyes.

"Found you, Cellinia. And that bastard who stole my things."

The next second, beneath the puzzled stares of her subordinates, Lappland called over several Saluzzo Family elites and got into a car.

"Lappland, where are you going?!"

The assassins from the other families were all stunned. At such a critical moment in this extermination operation, how could Lappland leave the estate?

But Lappland did not care about such trivialities. No matter how the Siracusans called after her, she had no intention of stopping. She stomped on the accelerator, and the black sedan shot forward like a beast unleashed from its cage.

The evening wind streamed through the car window, lightly lifting the loose strands over Han Fei's forehead and carrying a trace of cool freshness.

By now, he had removed the heavy bomb disposal gear and tactical helmet, letting the night wind brush over his sweat-damp temples.

He glanced sideways. Texas's hair glimmered faintly beneath the moonlight. Both hands held the steering wheel steadily, and her eyes reflected the winding road ahead like two frozen lakes.

After hesitating again and again, Han Fei asked, "Have you thought about where you'll go next?"

Texas's fingers unconsciously rubbed the leather wrapping on the steering wheel, her gaze still fixed on some invisible point in the distance.

"I don't know."

The girl's voice was very soft, nearly drowned out by the noisy traffic. Fortunately, the night wind was gentle, carrying that whisper lightly to Han Fei's ear.

Han Fei could hear how lost Texas was. Clearly, when she had set the old mansion on fire, she had not considered what road she would take in the future.

"In that case, I happen to be short a department supervisor. Interested?"

Han Fei invited her with a serious expression. "The pay might not be very high, but I can do knife runs to support you."

A red light came on at that moment, and Texas slowly stopped the sedan. She looked sideways at Han Fei and softly said, "You're saying things I don't understand again."

Texas quietly watched Han Fei with her beautiful gradient-colored eyes. Her meaning was easy enough to understand—he should explain it clearly to her.

Han Fei blinked and said, "I'm not doing it on purpose."

It was not that Han Fei was deliberately being cryptic. This was simply too troublesome to explain.

Being transported to another world was a minor issue; at worst, he could just leave that part out. The real problem was the Special Operations Center, which was exceptionally difficult to explain.

"Even an applicant has the right to understand the company's benefits and compensation," Texas said. "Besides, I'm not an applicant."

With that, Texas looked at Han Fei and waited for his answer.

Seeing Texas like this, Han Fei knew that until he explained everything clearly, Cellinia probably would not agree.

So he organized his thoughts and said:

"As you can see, I'm a scavenger. But besides that, I'm also the leader of a military organization. It's just that some accidents happened in the past, so for now, I'm the organization's only member."