The flashlight beam pierced the darkness, illuminating the bend in the pipes twenty meters ahead.
Shadows swayed across the wall—more than one. The sound of metal scraping had stopped, but breathing came through more clearly now, heavy and ragged, like wounded people gasping for air. Su Ying had already raised her gun and lowered herself 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 around 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 roughly bandaged with torn cloth, dark red blood having already soaked through. His face looked pale in the flashlight's beam, but Lin Xiao recognized him—it was a veteran under Grey Falcon, codenamed Lynx.
"Lynx?" Confirmation colored Lin Xiao's voice.
"Y-Yes." Pain and hope mingled in Lynx's voice. "Captain, Captain Grey Falcon, he..."
"Where is he?" Lin Xiao strode forward, with Su Ying following closely behind while staying alert.
"The Maintenance Workshop... Blood Axe personally led the encirclement." Lynx coughed several times, bloody foam spilling from the corner of his mouth. "We fought desperately to break out. 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 light injuries of varying severity, but they could still move.
"How did you find this place?" Su Ying asked, her gaze sweeping the depths of the pipes.
"Dr. Anna... We heard the Purge Squads were arresting technical personnel, so we guessed she might take this old ventilation system." Lynx spoke between breaths. "This was an escape route from the base's early construction days. Only veteran employees knew about it..."
Anna stepped out of the shadows, her flashlight shining on Lynx's face. "I remember you. You led the team during last year's repairs to the laboratory ventilation system."
Lynx nodded with difficulty. "Doctor, it's good that you're all right."
Lin Xiao rose to his feet, his mind racing. Grey Falcon was trapped in the Maintenance Workshop, and the situation was critical. 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 closing in. And there were four of them now—no, with Lynx and the other two, seven people—who needed to evacuate, while their comrades were still in danger.
Multiple crises. Time was running out.
"Captain, what do we do now?" Lynx asked, his eyes holding the last sliver of hope amid despair.
Lin Xiao did not answer immediately. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The stale air in the ventilation shaft carried the smell of rust and mold into his nostrils. In the distance, scattered gunfire and explosions could faintly be heard from inside the base—the purge was still underway.
Three seconds later, he opened his eyes.
"We 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 also need support."
He looked at Su Ying. "You're the strongest fighter. Take Anna and Lynx's group to the backup rendezvous point—the abandoned Observation Station on the outskirts of the base. That's the backup rendezvous point we arranged with Wolf and Nightingale. Find a way to contact them. If Nightingale is in danger, escort her out."
Su Ying frowned. "What about you?"
"I'll go to the Maintenance Workshop alone," Lin Xiao said.
"No." Su Ying's voice was absolute. "Going alone is suicide."
"Only I know Blood Axe's fighting style and the terrain there." Lin Xiao met her gaze. "Grey Falcon is my man. I can't leave him behind. 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 brief chaos. That will buy you time to escape."
"That's too risky." Su Ying tightened her grip on her gun. "We can go together. Rescue Grey Falcon first, then evacuate together."
"There isn't enough time." Lin Xiao shook his head. "Nightingale will be discovered within twenty minutes at most. 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. Only breathing and distant gunfire filled the ventilation shaft.
Anna suddenly spoke up. "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 faintly. "I'm technical personnel. Following the combat group will only slow everyone down. Lynx and the others need bandaging. 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."
Su Ying's lips pressed into a straight line. She looked at Lin Xiao, complex emotions churning in her eyes—worry, anger, reluctance, but ultimately, 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 greatest chance of success.
"...All right." Su Ying finally spoke, her voice heavy 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 accepted the magazines, her fingers lingering briefly over Lin Xiao's hand. No more words were needed, but that touch held every unspoken instruction and plea.
"Lynx, can you still walk?" Lin Xiao turned to the wounded men.
"Yes." Lynx gritted his teeth and stood up. The other two soldiers also rose, supporting each other.
"Follow Su Ying and listen to her commands," Lin Xiao said. "Once you reach the Observation Station, call Nightingale on this frequency." He recited a string of numbers, which Su Ying and Lynx both committed to memory.
"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. "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 and gradually faded away.
Lin Xiao stood where he was until the flashlight beam vanished entirely around the bend and darkness swallowed everything 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 moving air carried sounds from afar: gunfire, shouting, explosions.
He took a deep breath and began to move.
The main tunnels of the old ventilation system stretched in every direction, connecting all areas of the base. Relying on the base layout he remembered, Lin Xiao moved swiftly through the darkness. His footsteps were light, his soles making only faint scraping sounds against the metal grating.
Five minutes later, he reached a fork.
The left passage led to the residential area, while the right led to the industrial district. The Maintenance Workshop lay on the edge of the industrial district.
Lin Xiao chose the right passage. The pipe began to slope downward, not steeply, but continuously. He could smell a blend of odors in the air: engine oil, metal cutting fluid, and... blood.
The closer he got to the industrial district, the more obvious the signs of battle became.
Bullet holes began appearing in the pipe walls, and some places bore dents from explosions. Dragged bloodstains marked the ground, dried black. Lin Xiao stopped at a corner and listened carefully.
Footsteps came from below.
More than one person. The boots striking the concrete floor sounded heavy and orderly. There were voices too, muffled through the pipe wall, but clear enough for him to tell that Purge Squad members 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, then continued forward. He reached a vent where the iron grate had rusted badly. Through the gaps, he could see the corridor below. The corridor was empty, but fresh bullet holes marked the walls, and spent casings lay scattered across the floor.
He gently pushed open the grate—the rusted hinges gave a faint groan. Lin Xiao paused, confirmed that no one had noticed, then flipped down.
His feet made a soft sound as they touched the ground. He immediately pressed himself against the wall, pistol in hand.
The corridor reeked of gunpowder, mixed with blood and the pungent smell of some chemical. Emergency lights flickered overhead, casting unstable shadows. Sporadic gunfire sounded in the distance, but this area was quiet for the moment.
Lin Xiao moved swiftly down the corridor. He knew the base layout like the back of his hand—the result of reviewing it countless times in his memories from his previous life. Left turn, through an equipment room, right turn, into a narrower passage.
There were voices at the end of the passage.
He slowed, pressed his body against the wall, and carefully 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 Radical Faction's black combat uniforms, with the Blood Axe Squad emblem on their arms—a blood-dripping axe.
"...Do you think Captain Blood Axe can handle it? There are at least a dozen Conservative Faction remnants in the Maintenance Workshop."
"What nonsense. When Captain Blood Axe handles something personally, when has he ever failed? I heard there's someone named Grey Falcon inside. Tough bastard, but can he be tougher than the captain?"
"True. Still, the captain's temper is too explosive. He nearly shot the communications soldier reporting the battle a moment ago."
"Say less. Be careful he doesn't hear you..."
Lin Xiao silently backed away and drew a dagger from his waist. The blade gleamed coldly in the dim light.
He calculated the distance: fifteen meters. No cover between them. He had to end this quickly.
He took a deep breath, then charged out.
His footsteps startled the two soldiers. They spun around, cigarettes falling 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 piercing out through the back of his neck. The soldier's eyes widened, a gurgling sound escaping his throat. Lin Xiao did not pause. He pulled out the dagger, spun, and smashed his right elbow hard into the other soldier's Chin.
A crisp crack of breaking bone.
The soldier fell backward. Lin Xiao followed and drove the dagger into his heart. The movements were clean and efficient, the entire process taking less than three seconds.
The two bodies collapsed to the ground. Lin Xiao crouched and searched them quickly. Two MP5 submachine guns, four magazines, two combat knives, and—he found what he wanted: a Communicator.
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, then fragmented voices came through:
"...The east side of the Maintenance Workshop has been sealed..."
"...Requesting ammunition resupply..."
He shut off the Communicator and tucked the other into his tactical vest as well. Then he took ammunition and grenades from the bodies to replenish his supplies.
After finishing, he dragged the two bodies into the adjacent 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 fighting became.
Scattered gunfire turned dense, mingled with explosions and the clash of metal. The gunpowder smell in the air was thick enough to choke on, mixed with the scorched stench of burning engine oil.
Lin Xiao reached the main passage of the industrial district. It had once been a wide route for transporting materials and equipment, broad enough for two trucks to pass side by side. But now, it was a battlefield.
Abandoned machinery and cargo crates were piled on both sides of the passage. Some had been blown apart and were burning. Spent casings, bloodstains, and corpses littered the floor. There were soldiers from both the Conservative Faction and the Radical Faction. Some bodies still held combat poses, fingers locked around their triggers.
Lin Xiao moved along the shadows by the wall, avoiding the burning areas. Flames illuminated the passage, heat washing over him as sweat slid down his forehead.
Gunfire erupted ahead.
He ducked behind an overturned cargo crate and peeked out.
Thirty meters away, a small squad 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 spraying sparks.
The Conservative Faction soldiers returned fire, but they were clearly outgunned. One 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 entire 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, allowing only one person through at a time, with pipes and cables covering the walls. He moved forward bent over as unknown liquid dripped from the pipes overhead onto his shoulder, cold against his skin.
At the end of the passage was a door with a small window.
Lin Xiao leaned close to it.
Beyond it was the Maintenance Workshop.
His view was limited, but it was enough to grasp the situation.
The Maintenance Workshop was an enormous space, with a ceiling more than ten meters high. Steel trusses supported the roof, with overhead cranes and hooks hanging from them. The workshop was packed with machinery: lathes, milling machines, stamping presses, welding benches. Some machines were still running, producing a deep rumble.
And now, it was a slaughterhouse.
In the middle of the workshop, Grey Falcon and his remaining men were pinned behind several large stamping presses. Lin Xiao counted them: around six could still fight, including Grey Falcon himself. They were using the machines as cover and returning fire, but their firepower was steadily weakening.
More corpses lay on the floor. Some belonged to Conservative Faction soldiers, others to Radical Faction soldiers. Blood had pooled into dark red puddles, gleaming strangely under the workshop's dim lights.
And the attacker—
Blood Axe.
Lin Xiao recognized him at a glance. The man stood over six feet three, built like a bear, wearing custom 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. A scar ran from the corner of his left eye to his Chin, as vicious as 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 coarse, like sandpaper grinding against metal.
Grey Falcon's reply came from behind the stamping press, weary but 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 and raised his machine gun, sweeping fire toward the stamping presses.
Bullets slammed into the heavy steel plates with deafening impacts. Grey Falcon's side immediately returned fire, but most of their bullets struck empty air or were blocked by the cover around Blood Axe.
Blood Axe had seven or eight more men with him, all elites. They were spread throughout the workshop, occupying advantageous positions and forming a crossfire net. The moment Grey Falcon's men 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 had been stacked up: more than a dozen blue oxygen cylinders, neatly arranged on metal racks. Beside them were oil drums marked with flammable symbols. Farther away stood several plastic barrels filled with unknown chemicals.
Hazardous materials.
If he detonated them...
Lin Xiao's mind began calculating. The explosive force of the oxygen cylinders, the spread of flames from the oil drums, the poisonous gas the chemicals might produce. And the workshop's structure—the steel truss roof might suffer a partial collapse if the blast was powerful enough.
The risk was enormous. But if handled properly, it could create enough chaos to give Grey Falcon a chance to break out.
He needed a closer position.
Lin Xiao backed away from the small window. The maintenance passage continued ahead, ending at another door marked "Electrical Control Room."
He pushed the door open.
The control room was empty, containing only flashing indicator lights and humming power distribution cabinets. A row of surveillance screens lined the wall. Most had gone dark, but several were still functioning.
Lin Xiao moved closer to the screens.
One screen displayed the inside of the workshop—a surveillance camera mounted on the overhead crane tracks overlooked the entire space. In the footage, Blood Axe was directing his men forward. Grey Falcon's people were being pressed tighter and tighter, their space to maneuver constantly shrinking.
Another screen showed the corridor outside the workshop's rear door. 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, climbing toward the roof's steel framework.
He climbed it.
The ladder was steep and badly rusted, groaning with every step. At a height of five meters, he reached an inspection platform. The platform was narrow, only wide enough for one person to stand on, surrounded by crisscrossing steel beams and pipes.
From here, he could look down over the entire workshop.
The view was clearer now.
Grey Falcon's situation was worse than it had appeared from below. Of the six men, at least two were severely wounded, barely holding themselves up against the machines. They had little ammunition left. One man threw his last grenade, and the explosion kicked up smoke and dust in front of Blood Axe, but caused no casualties.
Blood Axe laughed wildly and raised his machine gun. "Final blow! Send them on their way!"
His men began pressing forward, bullets pouring down like rain.
Grey Falcon raised his pistol and fired at the charging enemies. A bullet struck one Purge Squad member in the chest, and he fell. But more enemies surged forward.
The time had come.
Lin Xiao took a grenade from his waist—the one he had taken from a corpse earlier. He pulled the pin, held it in his hand, and counted silently.
One.
Two.
Three.
He released the safety lever. The grenade arced through the air and landed among the oxygen cylinders piled in the corner of the workshop.
Blood Axe heard it.
It was not gunfire, nor an explosion, but the faint, crisp sound of a metal object hitting the ground. He jerked his head around, his gaze sweeping toward the corner of the workshop.
The black cylinder rolled between the oxygen cylinders before coming to a stop.
The sound of the safety lever springing free.
Blood Axe's eyes widened.
"Grenade—!"
His roar and the explosion sounded at the same time.
Not one explosion, but a chain of them.
The grenade detonated the first oxygen cylinder. The high-pressure oxygen burst free in an instant, causing a violent explosion. The shock wave overturned the surrounding oil drums, splashing fuel everywhere. It met the sparks—
Boom!
Flames shot into the sky.
The second oxygen cylinder 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 blast waves shattered the windows, and fragments rained down. The steel framework trembled, letting out a teeth-grating groan. Thick smoke billowed out, mixed with the 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 blown away by the blasts, some were struck by flying debris, and some coughed nonstop from the thick smoke. The once-tight encirclement collapsed in an instant.
Behind the stamping machine, Grey Falcon froze.
He stared at the sea of flames and the chaotic enemy, 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 thick smoke and firelight, he saw that figure—standing on the high maintenance platform, pistol raised as he fired at the confused enemies below.
Lin Xiao.
He was alive. And he had come to save him.
A hot surge rose in Grey Falcon's throat. Gritting his teeth, he turned and roared at his remaining men, "The back door! Break through!"
Five men—no, four. One of them could no longer even stand—supported one another as they charged toward the workshop's back door. Bullets chased them from behind, but far fewer than before. The enemy's attention had been diverted by the explosions and the attacker above.
Grey Falcon was the last to leave. He looked back once.
Lin Xiao had already leaped from the maintenance platform, landing atop a lathe before rolling to the ground. His movements were so fluid they hardly seemed human. Rising to his feet, he fired three shots in Blood Axe's direction.
Blood Axe ducked behind cover. The bullets struck the steel plates, throwing off 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 rushed through the back door and into the corridor. Behind them, flames still burned in the Maintenance Workshop. The explosions gradually subsided, but thick smoke had already filled the entire space.
The corridor was empty. The Purge Squad's men 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, pass through 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 needed to shake their pursuers.
Footsteps and shouts came from behind them. Blood Axe's men were catching up.
Lin Xiao glanced back. Grey Falcon's face was pale from excessive blood loss. The other four soldiers were at their limits as well.
They couldn't stop.
He gritted his teeth and kept moving.
At the end of the corridor stood another door. A sign on it read: Underground Pipeline Entrance.
Lin Xiao shoved the door open.
Darkness rushed toward them.
Before you continue