Global Shelter Game

Chapter 144: Chapter 144: Hostage

Zhou Mei and Bena moved like ghosts in the night, silently weaving through the abandoned industrial park.

Zhou Mei’s eyes gleamed in the darkness like a wild animal’s. Her ears twitched, catching the faintest sounds around them.

Clad in power armor, Bena moved like a veteran Hunter, each step perfectly placed, leaving no trace.

Zhou Mei’s bestial state granted her superhuman senses and agility, while Bena relied on his vast combat experience. The two worked in perfect sync and quickly reached the warehouse entrance.

Bena nodded at Zhou Mei. Understanding his signal, she carefully drew a dagger, lifted the latch, and slipped quietly into the warehouse.

The warehouse interior was dim, with only a single, faint beam of light filtering through a crack in the ceiling.

Zhou Mei approached without a sound, suddenly clamping a hand over the guard’s mouth. Her other hand, gripping the dagger, plunged swiftly and accurately into a vital point.

After dispatching the guard, Bena quietly beckoned for Simon and Lanton to enter.

Although they had been quiet, the maneuver still startled the other hostages inside the warehouse.

However, no one made a sound. It was obvious to everyone that these newcomers were here for a jailbreak.

Seeing all eyes on him, Bena lowered his voice and promised,

"We’re here on a rescue mission. If you cooperate, we can get you out of here, too."

"But if anyone tries to cause trouble, you’ll end up just like him."

As he finished speaking, Bena nudged the lifeless Blood Saber Gang guard at his feet with his boot.

The hostages all nodded eagerly. After all, if they had a chance to survive, who would choose to wait for death?

The moment Simon entered the warehouse, he frantically searched for his brother, Xisuo. He soon spotted him, captive in a corner.

Xisuo had a control collar fastened around his neck. His face was gaunt, his body was covered in whip marks, and his skin was dotted with countless radiation spots. He had clearly suffered a great deal.

Simon rushed forward, softly calling his brother’s name.

Xisuo slowly opened his eyes. A flicker of surprise crossed them when he saw his younger brother, Simon, but it was quickly replaced by a look of worry.

"How did you..."

He had just started to speak when he noticed Bena and Zhou Mei behind Simon.

"It’s you!!!"

His voice was filled with unconcealable shock and delight.

He had originally thought his brother had come back alone, which would have been nothing short of a suicide mission.

Now, however, he felt a spark of confidence that they might actually escape.

Bena and Lanton quickly swept the warehouse. After confirming there were no other threats, Bena began to examine the control collar on Xisuo’s neck.

He found a clasp on the collar, but there was no key. If it wasn’t removed correctly, the high-explosive bomb inside could detonate at any moment.

Just as the two were about to discuss how to remove the collar,

Simon had already placed his hands on either side of it. The next moment, his body began to show signs of phasing out of reality.

A second later, the collar in his grasp also turned translucent.

Everyone clicked their tongues in amazement as they watched the explosive collar get removed with such ease.

These explosive collars were extremely powerful and had multiple trigger mechanisms. Besides remote detonation, they could also be set to explode if they moved outside a certain range, ensuring a certain death for anyone wearing one who tried to escape.

However, such a device was rendered completely useless against the phasing ability.

With the collar removed, Xisuo visibly breathed a sigh of relief, his entire body relaxing.

He looked at his younger brother, Simon, his eyes full of gratitude and pride.

’Though Simon’s ability still has many limitations, it can be unexpectedly useful at critical moments like this.’

Bena quickly moved the control collar far away, just in case.

Then, he began organizing everyone for the evacuation.

"We need to get out of here now," Bena said in a low voice.

"Zhou Yiming and the bionics are waiting for us outside. They’ll provide support."

Lanton supported Simon and Xisuo, one on each side.

Meanwhile, following Bena’s instructions, Zhou Mei untied the rest of the hostages.

The other hostages were clearly ordinary people, bound only with simple handcuffs, which were laughably easy to break.

As the handcuffs came off, the hostages rubbed their stiff wrists, their faces filled with the joy of surviving a disaster.

Among them were traveling merchants and wanderers who had been mistakenly captured by raiders, but without exception, they all harbored a deep hatred for the Blood Saber Gang.

Bena said to the hostages,

"As long as you’re willing to follow our commands, you all have a chance to get out of here."

Bena wasn’t suddenly struck by a bout of altruism.

The reason he freed them was simple.

Once these people left the warehouse, they would inevitably create a greater chaos and serve as excellent decoys.

Of course, if they were lucky enough, they did have a chance to escape, however small it might be.

No one could blame Bena for his ruthlessness; his methods were perfectly sound.

In fact, many of the hostages knew it themselves. They were strangers, and the fact that their rescuers were willing to undo their cuffs was already a huge help.

Bena’s proposal was met with an immediate response from the hostages, who all nodded to show their willingness to cooperate.

At a time like this, a matter of life and death, any chance of survival—even as bait—was better than being left to die in this hellhole.

At Bena’s command, all the hostages began to try and stand up.

Their legs were numb from being held captive for so long, but the instinct to survive drove them to struggle to keep pace with Bena and his team.

Bena checked the warehouse one last time. After confirming nothing was left behind, he signaled for everyone to move to the walls and use the cover of night to creep silently toward the edge of the factory grounds.

They had to be extremely careful to avoid attracting the Blood Saber Gang’s attention.

As the point man, Zhou Mei’s bestial state made her almost invisible in the dark. She moved nimbly ahead, scouting a safe path for the group.

Bena followed close behind, his power armor not running at full power in this environment to avoid making noise or light that could attract unwanted trouble.

...

「Outside the abandoned factory.」

Zhou Yiming looked at the message on his communication bracer, a joyful smile spreading across his face.

’The operation is even more successful than expected.’

He immediately turned to the three bionics beside him.

"Number 2, Number 3, Number 4, proceed to your designated locations and set fires to draw the enemy’s attention."

"After you light the fires, head immediately to the motorcycles and be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice."

Without a moment’s hesitation, the three bionics moved out according to the plan.

Like shadows in the night, they dispersed quickly and silently, heading in three different directions around the factory.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!