Chapter 31: The Turtle's Declaration

Chapter 61: Saria's Declaration

Everybody, put your hands up.

There are generally two contexts for shouting this phrase. One is at a nightclub, concert, or festival, where the host calls out to the crowd, driving the venue into a frenzy of cheers.

The other is inside a bank or financial institution, shouted by one or several masked men. The venue will similarly erupt into a frenzy, though whether there will be cheers remains uncertain.

Zhou Jinru looked blankly at Bison, both staring at each other wide-eyed, as if silently asking what on earth was going on.

Could this be some sort of farce orchestrated by Bison's old man to toughen up his son?

That seemed the only plausible explanation. Zhou Jinru simply could not fathom why armed robbers could so easily break into a movie set. Where was the financial building's security? Where was the L.G.D.?

Had the intruders not smashed a camera, he would have even suspected this was a scene deliberately staged by the film crew.

"Calm down! Calm down! Friends, stay calm, we are not bad guys!"

The masked man attempted to soothe the chaotic scene. No one dared to look directly down the barrel of his gun, while his accomplices herded the panicked members of the film crew.

At a time like this, who on earth would believe you are the good guys?

Zhou Jinru realized that the masked intruders who had stormed the shooting location had not noticed them in the corridor, temporarily escaping disaster.

"What exactly do you people want?"

The masked man who had barged into the lounge dragged Bai Qiyuan out from hiding, shoving him roughly to the ground. The furious director spread his arms wide, trying his best to shield the staff behind him.

The leader of the masked men took a few steps forward, his gaze sweeping over the film crew members: "We're looking for a young man, a Feline youth. He's very conspicuous. If anyone has seen him, tell me. I won't hurt you, I promise."

Zhou Jinru glanced down at Bison. These people were clearly after him. In just these few minutes, the cast and crew had provided him with a massive surge of astonishment, visibly filling up a huge chunk of his surprise meter. Yet it was still not enough; the more he accumulated, the slower the growth rate became.

Ding.

The elevator beside them chimed, startling the masked men inside. Everyone snapped their heads toward the corridor.

"We've been spotted, run!"

Zhou Jinru shouted, shoving Guigui into the elevator, only for Waai Fu to shove him in right after.

"Get in too. You'll only cause trouble staying out here."

Bison pressed the button on his wrist guard, and a round shield snapped into place before him. He hurriedly lowered his head, using the shield to protect his body as gunfire suddenly erupted all around. Muzzles flashed with fire, and a dense swarm of bullets struck his shield with a metallic clatter, spraying sparks everywhere. Richochets flew wildly, punching several bullet holes into a nearby capsule vending machine.

Live ammunition! These people were using live rounds!

Waai Fu leapt into the elevator, reached out with both arms to grab Bison's backpack, and hauled him inside.

"Watch out for the grenade!"

Zhou Jinru roared. The moment the elevator doors slid shut, he grabbed a capsule toy and hurled it toward the masked men, startling them into scattering for cover.

An object flew out of the elevator, striking Bai Qiyuan squarely in the face, instantly leaving a dark, bruised mark around his eye.

The masked leader stared down at the capsule toy spinning on the floor, his words squeezed through gritted teeth: "After them!"

...

The four of them were squeezed tightly together.

Zhou Jinru reached out and patted Bison's chest a few times. Finding no injuries, he finally let out a sigh of relief. If anything were to happen to Bison, even if he jumped into—well, there was nowhere to jump, he would never clear his name.

"Mr. Ah Guang, don't worry, I'm not hurt."

Bison struggled to his feet, staring at the elevator indicator light. This was a double-deck elevator; at least on the next floor, they wouldn't have to worry about it stopping abruptly in a swarm of enemies.

Zhou Jinru, however, was not so fortunate. He was pinned inside the elevator by Saria, whose expression was exceptionally stern. "Doctor, what were you doing just now?"

"There was danger, I needed to ensure your safety!"

Zhou Jinru swore that pushing Saria into the elevator first had been a reflex action. Protecting the ladies around him when facing danger was simply standard behavior. He hadn't even considered that Saria possessed a high shield value and might not have entered a weakened state even if caught in a burst of gunfire.

"I don't need your protection. A Defender's primary duty upon entering the battlefield is to block the enemy and safeguard the companions. If anything were to happen to the Doctor, all our sacrifices back in Chernobog would become a meaningless joke. Any of us can die, but the Doctor must live. Only with you alive does everything else retain meaning."

Guigui glared fiercely at Zhou Jinru, delivering a speech akin to a solemn declaration that left him completely dumbfounded. He muttered, "You weren't even in Chernobog back then."

"After you left, Doctor, some companions questioned whether her decision to break into Chernobog to bring you back was correct. The casualties for Rhodes Island back then were catastrophic; several elite squads died in action."

At that moment, Bison's voice cut in: "Everyone get ready for combat, the elevator is slowing down."

Zhou Jinru raised his head. The elevator indicator was locked on the 34th floor, and the metallic doors protecting the four of them were about to open.

Saria swiftly unzipped her backpack, gripping a thick shield in her hand as her small figure stepped in front of Zhou Jinru.

Although Waai Fu didn't quite understand what was happening, her clenched fists betrayed the turbulence in her heart.

"I'll protect Ah Guang too."

She said softly.

Zhou Jinru was caught between a smile and a tears. "You'd better protect Ah Song instead; he's the enemy's primary target."

To be abducted by Hu Tianming of Lungmen's Himawari Logistics on the very first night in Lungmen under a misunderstanding, allegedly on the way to the docks, only for ambushers to suddenly appear... could these two groups be connected?

A flurry of thoughts raced through Zhou Jinru's mind. He tried his best to keep his body concealed in the shadows. Saria and Bison had shields, and Waai Fu was agile, but he had nothing.

Ding.

Amidst the pounding of their hearts, the elevator doors slowly slid open. The scene outside was utter chaos; tables and chairs lay scattered across the floor amidst a mess of loose paperwork. Several corpses rested among shards of broken glass. Judging by their attire, they belonged to a different faction than the masked men on the 36th floor.

The 34th floor was deserted now. The shattered French windows on the right allowed the biting high-altitude wind to howl inside, while a barrage of chaotic bullet holes had shredded the motivational posters hanging on the wall. Evidently, a fierce battle had taken place here just minutes prior.

"Ah Song, can you identify those corpses?"

Bison peered at them from a distance and shook his head. "No, I'd need to get closer to tell."

"I see."

Zhou Jinru felt a splitting headache coming on. It was entirely possible that across these three floors, there were three distinct factions hostile to one another, each harboring entirely different agendas here.

"Huh?"

His peripheral vision caught a walkie-talkie lying abandoned in a cubicle, its yellow indicator light blinking.

He picked it up and pressed the response button. A familiar voice crackled through from the other side.

"Ah Fat, what's your situation?! I heard gunshots from down here—did a gun go off by accident, is anyone hurt?!"

It was Ch'en's voice.