Splitting Forces and Rushing to the Rescue

The flashlight beam pierced the darkness, illuminating the bend in the pipes twenty meters ahead.

Shadows swayed across the walls—more than one. The sound of metal scraping had stopped, but the breathing was clearer now, heavy and rapid, like wounded people gasping for air. Su Ying had already raised her gun and lowered her body into a combat stance. Anna held her breath and retreated into the shadows.

"Who's there?" Lin Xiao asked in a low voice, his finger resting on the trigger.

A brief silence followed.

Then, a weak but familiar voice came from the darkness, trembling with disbelief:

"C-Captain? Is that you?"

Lin Xiao swept his flashlight forward, illuminating the figures at the corner. Three soldiers in Hydra Conservative Faction uniforms stood there, covered in blood and dust. The leader leaned against the pipe wall, his left arm crudely bandaged with torn cloth, dark red blood having already soaked through. His face looked pale in the flashlight beam, but Lin Xiao recognized him—it was one of Grey Falcon's veterans, codenamed Lynx.

"Lynx?" There was confirmation in Lin Xiao's voice.

"Y-Yes, it's me." Pain and hope mingled in Lynx's voice. "Captain, Captain Grey Falcon, he..."

"Where is he?" Lin Xiao strode forward, with Su Ying following close behind while remaining alert.

"The maintenance workshop... Blood Axe personally led the encirclement." Lynx coughed several times, blood froth spilling from the corner of his mouth. "We fought our way out with everything we had. Only the three of us made it... Captain Grey Falcon told us to find reinforcements, but all communications are down. Purge Squads are everywhere in the base..."

Lin Xiao crouched and examined Lynx's injuries. A bullet had grazed his left arm. The wound was not deep, but he had lost a considerable amount of blood. The other two soldiers also had minor injuries of varying severity, but they could still move.

"How did you find us?" Su Ying asked, her gaze sweeping the depths of the pipes.

"Dr. Anna... We heard the Purge Squad was arresting technical personnel, so we guessed she might use this old ventilation system." Lynx spoke between breaths. "This was an escape route from the early days of the base. Only veteran employees knew about it..."

Anna stepped out of the shadows, her flashlight shining on Lynx's face. "I remember you. Last year, when the laboratory ventilation system was being serviced, you brought the team."

Lynx nodded with difficulty. "It's good that you're all right, Doctor."

Lin Xiao stood, his mind racing. Grey Falcon was trapped in the maintenance workshop, and the situation was dire. Wolf had gone missing after drawing away the pursuers in the warehouse district. Nightingale was at Backup Rendezvous Point B, but the Purge Squad's encirclement was tightening. And there were four of them now—no, with Lynx and the other two, there were seven—who needed to evacuate, yet their comrades were still in danger.

Multiple crises. Time was running out.

"Captain, what do we do now?" Lynx asked, with the last shred of hope amid his despair in his eyes.

Lin Xiao did not answer immediately. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The stale air in the ventilation shaft carried the scent of rust and mold as it entered his nostrils. In the distance, scattered gunfire and explosions could faintly be heard from within the base—the purge was still ongoing.

Three seconds later, he opened his eyes.

"Split up."

Su Ying immediately looked at him. "What?"

"Grey Falcon's situation is critical. We have to rescue him." Lin Xiao's voice was calm to the point of cruelty. "But moving with the wounded will slow us down, and Wolf and Nightingale may need support as well."

He looked at Su Ying. "You have the strongest combat ability. Take Anna, Lynx, and the others to the backup rendezvous point—the abandoned Observation Station on the outskirts of the base. That's the alternate meeting point we arranged with Wolf and Nightingale. Find a way to contact them. If Nightingale is in danger, cover her withdrawal."

Su Ying frowned. "What about you?"

"I'll go to the maintenance workshop alone," Lin Xiao said.

"No." Su Ying's voice was firm and final. "Going alone is no different from throwing your life away."

"Only I'm familiar with Blood Axe's fighting style and the terrain over there." Lin Xiao met her gaze. "Grey Falcon is one of my men. I can't abandon him. And—"

He paused, lowering his voice. "Blood Axe is the Radical Faction's field commander. If I can take him out, the Purge Squad's command system will fall into temporary chaos, buying you time to evacuate."

"That's too risky." Su Ying tightened her grip on her gun. "We can go together, rescue Grey Falcon first, then leave together."

"There isn't enough time." Lin Xiao shook his head. "Nightingale has twenty minutes at most before she's discovered. Lynx and the others need medical treatment, and Anna must be safely escorted out of the base. Every minute, people are dying, Su Ying."

The two stared at each other. The ventilation shaft held only the sound of breathing and distant, muffled gunfire.

Anna suddenly spoke. "Captain Lin is right."

Everyone looked at her.

The female doctor's face was exceptionally resolute in the flashlight beam, though her body was still trembling slightly. "I'm technical personnel. Following a combat team will only slow them down. Lynx and the others need their wounds treated. Too much blood loss will send them into shock. And Captain Grey Falcon... if he's still alive, every second is precious."

She looked at Su Ying. "Miss Su, please escort us out. Let Captain Lin do what he must do."

Su Ying's lips pressed into a thin line. She looked at Lin Xiao, and complex emotions churned in her eyes—worry, anger, reluctance, but in the end, understanding.

She knew him too well. Once this man made a decision, he would not change it. And he was right—under the current circumstances, this was the plan with the fewest casualties and the highest chance of success.

"...All right." Su Ying finally spoke, her voice thick with suppressed emotion. "But promise me you'll come back alive."

"I promise." Lin Xiao nodded.

He pulled two magazines from his tactical vest and handed them to Su Ying. "Take these. The Observation Station exit may be sealed off. If you can't open it, blow it open. Be careful."

Su Ying took the magazines, her fingers lingering briefly over Lin Xiao's hand. No more words were needed, but that touch contained every unspoken instruction.

"Lynx, can you still walk?" Lin Xiao turned to the wounded men.

"Yes." Lynx gritted his teeth and stood. The other two soldiers also helped each other to their feet.

"Follow Su Ying and listen to her orders." Lin Xiao said, "Once you reach the Observation Station, contact Nightingale on this frequency." He recited a string of numbers, which Su Ying and Lynx both memorized.

"Captain..." Lynx hesitated.

"I'll bring Grey Falcon back," Lin Xiao said. "Now, move."

There was no farewell ceremony. Su Ying gave Lin Xiao one last look, then turned around, her flashlight beam cutting into the depths of the pipe ahead. "Follow me."

Anna followed behind her, while Lynx and the other two supported one another as they followed. Their footsteps echoed through the metal pipes, gradually fading away.

Lin Xiao remained where he was until the flashlight beam vanished completely around the corner and darkness swallowed the passage once more.

He switched off his own flashlight and let his eyes adjust to the dark. The ventilation shaft was not completely black—faint emergency lights seeped in through distant vents, casting mottled shadows across the metal walls. The flowing air carried sounds from afar: gunfire, shouting, explosions.

He took a deep breath and moved.

The main tunnels of the old ventilation system extended in every direction, connecting every area of the base. Relying on the base layout he remembered, Lin Xiao moved quickly through the darkness. His footsteps were soft, his soles making only faint scraping sounds on the metal grating floor.

Five minutes later, he reached a fork.

The pipe on the left led to the residential area, while the one on the right led to the industrial zone. The maintenance workshop was on the edge of the industrial zone.

Lin Xiao chose the right path. The tunnel began sloping downward, not steeply but continuously. He could smell a mixture in the air: engine oil, metal cutting fluid, and... blood.

The closer he got to the industrial zone, the more obvious the traces of battle became.

Bullet holes began appearing in the pipe walls, and some sections bore dents left by explosions. Drag marks of blood stained the floor, dried into blackish streaks. Lin Xiao stopped at a corner and listened closely.

Footsteps came from below.

More than one person. Boots struck the concrete floor with heavy, orderly steps. There were voices as well, muffled through the pipe walls, but he could tell Purge Squad personnel were patrolling.

"...Third squad reports the warehouse district has been cleared. Seven killed, three captured."

"Received. Continue advancing toward the maintenance workshop. Captain Blood Axe has requested reinforcements."

"Understood."

The footsteps gradually faded away.

Lin Xiao waited ten seconds before continuing. He reached a ventilation opening. Its iron grate had rusted away, and through the gaps he could see the corridor below. The hallway was empty, but fresh bullet holes marked the walls, and spent casings lay scattered across the ground.

He gently pushed the grate open—the rusted hinges gave a faint groan. Lin Xiao paused, confirmed that he had not drawn attention, then flipped down.

His feet made a faint sound as they touched the ground. He immediately pressed himself against the wall, pistol in hand.

The corridor was filled with the smell of gunpowder, mixed with blood and the pungent odor of some chemical. Emergency lights flickered overhead, casting unstable shadows. Sporadic gunfire came from the distance, but this place was quiet for now.

Lin Xiao moved quickly along the hallway. He knew the base layout inside out—thanks to the countless times he had reviewed it in his memories from his previous life. Left turn, through an equipment room, right turn, into a narrower passage.

There were sounds at the end of the passage.

He slowed down, pressed himself against the wall, and slowly peeked around the corner.

Two Purge Squad members stood at the passage entrance with their backs to him, smoking. Smoke curled beneath the emergency lights. They wore the black combat uniforms of the Radical Faction, with the Blood Axe Squad insignia on their arms—a dripping axe.

"...Do you think Captain Blood Axe can handle it? There are at least a dozen Conservative Faction stragglers in the maintenance workshop."

"What nonsense. When Captain Blood Axe handles something personally, when has he ever failed? I heard there's someone in there named Grey Falcon, a tough one, but no matter how tough he is, can he be tougher than the captain?"

"True enough. But the captain's temper is really awful. He almost shot the communications soldier reporting the battle situation just now."

"Keep it down. What if someone hears..."

Lin Xiao silently stepped back and drew a dagger from his waist. The blade glinted coldly in the dim light.

He calculated the distance: fifteen meters. There was no cover in between. He had to end this quickly.

He took a deep breath, then charged out.

The footsteps alerted the two soldiers. They spun around, cigarettes dropping from their mouths as their hands reached for the guns at their waists—

Too slow.

Lin Xiao's first strike plunged into the left soldier's throat, the blade tip bursting through the back of his neck. The soldier's eyes widened, a wet gurgle coming from his throat. Lin Xiao did not pause. He pulled out the dagger and spun, slamming his right elbow viciously into the other soldier's jaw.

A crisp crack of shattering bone.

The soldier fell backward. Lin Xiao followed and drove the dagger into his heart. The movements were clean and decisive, the entire process taking less than three seconds.

The two bodies collapsed to the floor. Lin Xiao crouched and searched them quickly. Two MP5 submachine guns, four magazines, two combat knives, and—he found what he wanted: communicators.

Radical Faction encrypted communicators, black casings with Blood Axe Squad serial numbers on the sides.

Lin Xiao picked one up and pressed the transmission button to test it. Static crackled, followed by a muffled conversation:

"...The east side of the maintenance workshop has been sealed..."

"...Requesting ammunition resupply..."

He turned off the communicator and slipped the other one into his tactical vest as well. Then he took ammunition and grenades from the corpses to replenish his own supplies.

Once he was done, he dragged the two bodies into a nearby equipment room. He shut the door and locked it.

Then he continued onward.

The closer he got to the maintenance workshop, the clearer the sounds of battle became.

The sporadic gunfire turned dense, mixed with explosions and the clash of metal. The smell of gunpowder in the air was chokingly thick, along with the burnt stench of burning engine oil.

Lin Xiao reached the industrial zone's main passage. This had once been a wide thoroughfare for transporting materials and equipment, broad enough for two trucks to drive side by side. But now, it was a battlefield.

Abandoned machines and cargo crates were piled along both sides of the passage. Some had been blown apart and were burning. Shell casings, bloodstains, and corpses littered the floor. There were soldiers from both the Conservative Faction and the Radical Faction, some bodies still frozen in fighting postures, fingers hooked around triggers.

Lin Xiao moved along the wall shadows, avoiding the burning areas. Flames lit up the passage, heat washing over him as sweat slid down his forehead.

There was an exchange of fire ahead.

He ducked behind an overturned cargo crate and peered out.

Thirty meters away, a small group of Conservative Faction soldiers was pinned behind a machine tool. Across from them, seven or eight Purge Squad members were steadily pressing forward, bullets striking the machine and throwing up sparks.

The Conservative Faction soldiers returned fire, but they were clearly outgunned. One man was hit and fell. His companion tried to drag him back, but more bullets poured in.

Lin Xiao raised his pistol and took aim.

But he did not fire.

Now was not the time to expose himself. His target was the maintenance workshop—Grey Falcon. This firefight was merely a microcosm of the whole purge operation. He could not save everyone.

He took a detour.

Backing away from behind the cargo crate, he slipped into a maintenance passage beside it. The passage was narrow enough for only one person to pass through, its walls covered in pipes and cables. He moved forward bent over as an unknown liquid dripped from the pipes overhead, landing coldly on his shoulder.

At the end of the passage was a door with a small window.

Lin Xiao moved close to the window.

Outside was the maintenance workshop.

His field of view was limited, but it was enough to make out the situation.

The maintenance workshop was an enormous space, with a ceiling more than ten meters high. Steel trusses supported overhead cranes and hooks. The workshop was packed with all kinds of machinery: lathes, milling machines, stamping presses, welding benches. Some machines were still operating, emitting deep rumbling sounds.

And now, it was a slaughterhouse.

In the center of the workshop, Grey Falcon and the remnants of his squad were pinned behind several large stamping presses. Lin Xiao counted them: roughly six could still fight, including Grey Falcon himself. They used the machines as cover and returned fire, but their firepower was steadily weakening.

More bodies lay on the floor. Some belonged to Conservative Faction soldiers, while others were Radical Faction soldiers. Blood had pooled into dark red puddles that gleamed eerily beneath the dim workshop lights.

And the attacker—

Blood Axe.

Lin Xiao recognized him at once. The man stood over 1.9 meters tall, built like a bear, wearing customized heavy body armor. The muscles in his arms and legs stretched his combat uniform taut. He wore a helmet with the visor raised, revealing a fleshy face with a scar running from the corner of his left eye to his chin, hideous like a centipede.

He held a modified M249 light machine gun, its muzzle still smoking. At that moment, he stood at a safe distance and laughed wildly in Grey Falcon's direction.

"Grey Falcon! Surrender! Your men are almost all dead!"

His voice was rough, like sandpaper scraping across metal.

Grey Falcon's reply came from behind the stamping presses, exhausted yet resolute. "Blood Axe, you mad dog! Come over here if you've got the guts!"

"Hahaha! That's exactly the attitude I like!" Blood Axe laughed loudly and raised his machine gun, sweeping fire toward the stamping presses.

Bullets struck the thick steel plates with deafening impacts. Grey Falcon's side immediately returned fire, but most of their bullets hit empty space or were blocked by the cover around Blood Axe.

There were another seven or eight people with Blood Axe, all elites. They were spread throughout the workshop, occupying advantageous positions and forming a crossfire net. The moment Grey Falcon's people showed themselves, they came under attack from at least two directions.

The situation was completely one-sided.

Lin Xiao's gaze swept rapidly across the workshop. He needed an opening.

Then he saw it.

In a corner of the workshop near the rear door, industrial supplies were stacked together: more than a dozen blue oxygen cylinders lined up neatly on metal racks. Beside them were oil drums marked with flammable symbols. Farther away stood several plastic barrels containing unknown chemicals.

Hazardous materials.

If he detonated them...

Lin Xiao's mind began calculating. The force of an oxygen cylinder explosion, the spread of fire from the oil drums, the poisonous gas the chemicals might produce. And the workshop structure—the steel-framed roof could suffer a partial collapse if the blast was powerful enough.

The risk was enormous. But if done properly, it could create enough chaos to give Grey Falcon a chance to break out.

He needed to get closer.

Lin Xiao backed away from the small window. The maintenance passage continued onward, and at its end was another door labeled "Electrical Control Room."

He pushed it open.

The control room was empty, with only blinking indicator lights and humming electrical cabinets. A row of surveillance screens was mounted on the wall. Most had gone black, but several were still working.

Lin Xiao moved closer to the screens.

One screen showed the interior of the workshop—a surveillance camera mounted on the overhead crane tracks overlooked the entire space. On the screen, Blood Axe was directing his men to advance. Grey Falcon's people were being pressed ever tighter, their room to maneuver shrinking continuously.

Another screen showed the corridor outside the rear door of the workshop. It was empty.

An opportunity.

Lin Xiao left the control room and returned to the maintenance passage. He found an inspection ladder leading above the workshop—an iron ladder embedded in the wall that led to the steel framework beneath the roof.

He climbed up.

The ladder was steep and badly rusted, groaning with every step. When he reached a height of five meters, he arrived at an inspection platform. It was narrow, only wide enough for one person to stand on, surrounded by crisscrossing steel beams and pipes.

From here, he could overlook the entire workshop.

The view was clearer.

Grey Falcon's situation was worse than it had looked from below. Of the six men, at least two were severely wounded, barely holding themselves upright against the machines. Their ammunition was nearly gone. One man threw his last grenade, and the blast kicked up smoke in front of Blood Axe, but caused no casualties.

Blood Axe laughed wildly and raised his machine gun. "Final strike! Send them on their way!"

His men began pressing forward, bullets pouring down like rain.

Grey Falcon raised his pistol and fired at the enemies charging in. A bullet struck a Purge Squad member in the chest, and he fell. But more enemies surged forward.

Time was up.

Lin Xiao took a grenade from his belt—the one he had confiscated from a corpse earlier. He pulled the pin and held it in his hand, counting silently.

One.

Two.

Three.

He released the safety lever. The grenade arced through the air and landed among the oxygen tanks in the corner of the workshop.

Blood Axe heard it.

Not gunfire, not an explosion, but the faint, crisp sound of a metal object hitting the ground. He whipped his head around, his gaze sweeping toward the corner of the workshop.

The black cylinder rolled between the oxygen tanks and came to a stop.

The sound of the safety lever springing free.

Blood Axe's eyes widened.

"Grenade—!"

His roar and the explosion rang out at the same time.

Not one explosion, but a series of them.

The grenade detonated the first oxygen tank. High-pressure oxygen was released in an instant, creating a violent blast. The shockwave overturned the surrounding oil drums, spilling fuel that met the sparks—

Boom!

Flames shot into the sky.

The second oxygen tank heated up, its pressure rising sharply before it exploded. Then came the third, the fourth.

A chain reaction.

The entire corner of the workshop became a sea of fire. The shockwaves shattered the windows, and shards rained down like raindrops. The steel framework trembled, letting out teeth-grinding groans. Thick smoke billowed through the air, mixed with pungent yellow fumes from burning chemicals.

"Retreat! Retreat!" Blood Axe's roar was nearly drowned out by the explosions.

His men fell into disarray. Some were blasted away, some were struck by flying debris, and some coughed uncontrollably from the smoke. The once-tight encirclement collapsed in an instant.

Behind the stamping machine, Grey Falcon froze.

He stared at the sea of fire and the chaotic enemies, unable to process what had happened.

Then he heard a voice.

It came from the steel framework above the workshop, a familiar voice shouting through the gaps between explosions:

"Grey Falcon! The back door! Now!"

Grey Falcon looked up.

Through the smoke and firelight, he saw that figure—standing on the high maintenance platform, pistol raised, firing at the chaotic enemies below.

Lin Xiao.

He was alive. And he had come to save him.

A surge of heat rose in Grey Falcon's throat. He gritted his teeth, turned to his remaining subordinates, and roared, "The back door! Break through!"

Five men—no, four, while one could no longer stand—supported each other as they rushed toward the workshop's back door. Bullets chased them from behind, but far fewer than before. The enemy's attention had been scattered by the explosions and the attacker above.

Grey Falcon was the last to leave. He looked back once.

Lin Xiao had already jumped down from the maintenance platform, landing atop a lathe before rolling to the ground. His movements were so fluid they barely seemed human. Rising to his feet, he fired three shots in rapid succession toward Blood Axe.

Blood Axe ducked behind cover, and the bullets struck a steel plate, throwing up sparks.

"Damn it! Who is that?!" Blood Axe's furious roar echoed through the workshop.

Lin Xiao did not answer. He turned and rushed toward Grey Falcon.

The two met at the workshop's back door.

"Captain..." Grey Falcon's voice was hoarse.

"Go." Lin Xiao said only one word.

They burst out the back door and into the corridor. Behind them, flames still burned in the repair workshop. The explosions gradually subsided, but thick smoke had already filled the entire space.

The corridor was empty. The Purge Squad members were either in the workshop or had been drawn to the front entrance by the explosions.

Lin Xiao led Grey Falcon and the four battered survivors down the corridor at a sprint. His mind rapidly calculated their route: turn left, cross the storage area, turn right, enter the underground pipe system, then...

Then where?

The Observation Station? Su Ying and the others should have arrived by now. But with so many wounded, they would move slowly and might be caught.

The other option was the drainage ditch exit. Anna had said that route was dangerous, but it might be clear.

He needed to decide.

But first, they had to shake their pursuers.

Footsteps and shouted curses came from behind them. Blood Axe's men had caught up.

Lin Xiao glanced back. Grey Falcon's face was pale from blood loss. The other four soldiers had reached their limits as well.

They could not stop.

He gritted his teeth and kept moving.

At the end of the corridor stood another door. A sign on it read: Underground Pipe Entrance.

Lin Xiao pushed it open.

Darkness rushed at them.