The henchmen roared and shouted excitedly, brandishing various melee weapons, eager to kill the bastards of the Chemical Gang immediately.
---
Li Qinwu stood at the edge of the crowd, silent.
He didn't cheer.
Didn't shout.
Didn't move.
---
His eyes calmly swept across the thousand-man mob.
Weapons: mostly crude.
Morale: high.
Discipline: nonexistent.
---
"Cannon fodder," he muttered under his breath.
---
The one-eyed leader raised his hand, and the noise gradually died down.
"We move in ten minutes!"
"Anyone who falls behind—dies!"
---
The crowd roared again.
---
Li Qinwu adjusted the rifle slung across his back.
His fingers brushed the magazine loaded with armor-piercing rounds.
That was the real weapon here.
Not these screaming idiots.
---
A few gang members nearby noticed him.
One of them grinned.
"Hey, brother, first time joining?"
---
Li Qinwu glanced at him.
"Something like that."
---
The man laughed.
"Stick close when the fight starts, yeah? The Chemical Gang has monsters."
---
"I know," Li Qinwu replied calmly.
"I've killed one."
---
The man froze.
Then laughed louder, clearly not believing him.
---
Li Qinwu didn't bother explaining.
---
Instead, he shifted his gaze toward the deeper tunnels ahead.
Where the Chemical Gang territory lay.
---
In his mind, priorities aligned clearly:
Kill chemical pigs → refrigerator component
Join battle → 5000 fertilizer coupons
Test AP rifle → real combat data
---
Everything else?
Noise.
---
Ten minutes passed quickly.
---
The gang began to move.
A chaotic wave of bodies surged forward through the tunnels.
Shouting.
Laughing.
Cursing.
---
Li Qinwu walked with them—
But not inside the crowd.
---
He stayed near the edges.
Keeping distance.
Keeping sightlines open.
---
"Never get surrounded," he reminded himself.
---
The deeper they moved, the darker the tunnels became.
The air changed.
---
A faint chemical stench.
Burnt metal.
Rotting flesh.
---
Li Qinwu's eyes narrowed.
---
"Close."
---
Suddenly—
A scream echoed from ahead.
---
Then—
Gunfire.
---
The front line collided.
---
"THEY'RE HERE!!"
---
The tunnel exploded into chaos.
---
Bullets flew wildly.
Melee fighters charged blindly.
Explosions lit up the narrow corridors.
---
Li Qinwu immediately stepped aside—
Pressed himself against a cracked wall—
And dropped to a knee.
---
Rifle up.
Breathing steady.
---
Through the smoke—
He saw them.
---
Figures moving unnaturally.
Skin swollen.
Metal plates hammered into flesh.
Eyes empty.
---
Chemical Gang.
---
And behind them—
Something bigger moved.
---
A massive silhouette.
Heavy.
Dragging.
---
Li Qinwu's grip tightened.
---
"Chemical Pig…"
---
The creature stepped into partial light.
---
Thick, armored hide.
Metal fused into its body.
Drool mixed with chemical residue dripping from its jaws.
---
It charged.
---
Straight into the mob.
---
Bodies flew.
Bones cracked.
---
Panic spread instantly.
---
"RUN!!"
---
"IT'S A PIG!!"
---
The formation collapsed.
---
Li Qinwu didn't move.
---
Instead—
He slowly exhaled.
---
Pulled the rifle tighter into his shoulder.
---
And aimed.
---
800 meters effective range.
AP round loaded.
Target: head or joint.
---
The world narrowed.
---
One shot.
---
He squeezed the trigger.
---
BANG!
---
The sound cut through the chaos like a blade.