Three cries like agonized screams still rang in their ears, leaving the other team members bewildered, but Ren Ye immediately recognized Brother Hong's voice.
"Hello, Brother Hong, can you hear me?"
"Say something!"
"...!"
Standing in the first-floor mall lobby with a hand on his earpiece, Ren Ye called out several times in succession, but still received no response from Brother Hong.
His heart lurched. He turned to Old Cadre and shouted urgently, "That explosive surge came from the north. Let's get over there, now!"
"Brother Hong, Brother Hong, can you hear me?" Old Cadre's expression grew grave too. Running alongside Ren Ye, he called out, "That surge came from the north. Everyone, get over there. Converge on that location."
"Hello, Brother Hong, respond if you copy."
"Brother Hong, Brother Hong, say something!"
"...!"
At that moment, every member of the team rushed north, calling Brother Hong's name without stopping.
Along the way, the raging fires inside the building had completely died out, but enormous numbers of burning corpses still blocked their path. To find Brother Hong as quickly as possible, Old Cadre selflessly kept clearing obstacles for Ren Ye, allowing him to reach the scene faster.
Before long, the two reached the place where the explosive surge had risen. Old Cadre said urgently, "I'll draw the burning corpses around here. Hurry and find him."
"Okay."
Without looking back, Ren Ye charged into the northern section of the first-floor mall. After racing several dozen meters, he froze on the spot.
This should have been the mall's northern lobby, but it had become a field of rubble. Collapsed walls, concrete, bricks, and broken tiles filled his view. Beneath the rubble lay the shattered remains of burning corpses, covering the ground like a layer of meat paste.
The heavy stench of blood