Eh? You want to try the humanoid girl's iron fist too?

After he finished speaking, he looked at the ceiling and exhaled small rings of smoke. Cecilia watched his feigned indifference, opened her mouth several times, but ultimately said nothing.

Alki walked in and added, "It will definitely be unforgettable."

With an expression of complete certainty about the future, he added, "The walking dead are about to emerge; we can't afford to cause any trouble later."

Raphael stood outside the room, some distance from the doorway, with no intention of eavesdropping on the Argus squad's internal conversation. Besides ensuring the original plan proceeded smoothly, she was now also quietly preparing for any eventuality.

People are fickle; someone who stands on your side today might be on your opposite side the next moment.

More than that, Raphael wanted a puppet that could perfectly carry out her will; only then would her back—at the 6 o'clock position—be absolutely safe.

In addition, this nighttime activity was no longer a solo operation for her, so she had to "fit in," which meant she had to use outdated external night vision equipment.

The AN/PVS-31 is said to be a relatively advanced model, but it is still far inferior to the built-in low-light vision and infrared thermal vision.

Raphael picked up his helmet with one hand and appeared in front of the house where the squad was gathered.

“Is everything ready?” she asked Doug.

Doug glanced at his teammates and nodded in agreement, "We're ready to go anytime."

"Has the lady's problem been resolved?" Raphael continued, "The finishing touches are also important."

Alki was silent for a moment, then stepped forward and replied, "They've already confessed. I also disguised the entrance for them."

Raphael didn't look at the instigator; his gaze remained fixed on Captain Doug.

“Yes, it’s all taken care of. Madam won’t be coming out for the next couple of days,” Doug replied.

"Very good, check each other's equipment, then swallow the pills."

Raphael glanced at his watch seriously. "We'll set off in five minutes. We'll break through the park's blockade from the left. Be aware that the enemy includes both humans and ELID infected. Don't waste ammunition; try to kill them with a single shot. Any other questions?"

Everyone shook their heads. After confirming, she said to Doug, "I'm leaving the command to you from now on."

"receive."

Doug immediately gave the order to act, and the group quickly left the park management office, covering each other as they went.

Seeing their captain's reaction and recalling Raphael's earlier actions, the team members realized that he had entered a state of readiness and was now interacting with them entirely as an officer.

The captain's role at this point is equivalent to that of a sergeant major, facilitating communication between superiors and subordinates. This is essentially a business-to-business arrangement, and the previous amicable interactions are unlikely to continue until the mission is completed.

Alki and Cecilia looked at each other and noticed the worry on each other's faces.

Tony frowned in annoyance, a fierce expression appearing on his face.

"Isn't it just about recycling? We'll just do it for them!" he said to the two men in a low voice.

“I know,” Alki replied.

Cecilia simply indicated her affirmation with a nasal tone; she didn't want to waste any more words and was determined to prove herself with actions.

Disunity is unacceptable, Doug Sutton reminded them by obeying Raphael's orders, and that they had better show some respect to the female naval lieutenant from DARPA.

Especially when the other party has absolute dominance, offending them is always the worst choice, without exception.

At the very front of the group, Tony knelt on one knee beside the green grass at the edge of the park, holding a PTT (a popular Taiwanese online forum) and said, "11 o'clock, about 40 yards away, two enemies, humans."

Doug looked in the direction indicated, “Correction: Two ELID infected individuals, no threat.”

Raphael offered no comment; she simply held her XM5 assault rifle steady, ensuring that the threat was minimized should the Hundred-Eyed Giants cause trouble.

She was also keeping an eye on the frequency of the Geiger counter to calculate the radiation level in the area.

Then, under Doug's control, the team quietly and quickly crossed the open street.

Volume 1: The World Before the Great War: Chapter 70 The simulation is too much, you bastard!

For some reason, Raphael didn't hear any gunshots. Instead, she saw the glass shatter suddenly, like a shimmering rain falling on the yard and the nearby alleyways.

Then came the noise, the echoes reverberating like rolling thunder between the surrounding buildings. It sounded like a truck dumping a load of empty boxes onto the road.

There was a crackling sound, and then everything fell silent.

Is it over? No way, a commotion like this would definitely attract enthusiastic ELID infected.

But what exactly does the person who caused this commotion want to do?

Bang! ...It didn't sound like it was over yet. The back door leading to the alley was suddenly kicked open, and the noise maker appeared in the doorway. Strangely, his face was covered in some white stuff.

He was hugging his shoulders, hesitantly took a few steps forward, and then he saw Raphael, and also the hundred-eyed giants lined up in a winding formation.

Doug, as the No. 1 member, is in the vanguard position, covering the far end and end of the alley, as well as any possible doors and windows on both sides of the alley.

Tony and Cecilia, as soldiers number 2 and 3, stood side by side behind Doug, flanking to the left and right, respectively, covering the doors or windows on the left and right sides of the alleyway.

Alki, as soldier number 4, faces away from Doug, number 1, and is responsible for rear security.

Raphael, acting as the "commander," was positioned in the center of the winding formation, between members 1 and 4, controlling the speed and direction of the march while raising his gun for alert.

The man who ran out froze, probably regretting why he had run out of his hiding place.

Raphael saw it; he opened his mouth, and his body looked remarkably young. Did he say something, or was it just a meaningless scream?

She couldn't say for sure, but the gestures he made were crystal clear.

Did he turn to them for help, or what did he intend to do?

Raphael lowered her gun, but Doug, standing a step in front of her, reacted faster. His finger pulled the trigger. At this distance, it was hard to miss; just aim the red circle in the center of the holographic sight at the target.

Doug didn't miss. The man's feet slipped, and he fell gently to the ground.

Dead? Probably. At this distance, there's no reason why an M855 green-tipped bullet shouldn't kill someone.

Just as the team was about to move on, the door opened again. Doug didn't even have time to check if the target was dead; the person who came out this time seemed even more stiff in his movements.

He was injured—that's what it looked like, with dark, luminous liquid flowing down his head, the only difference being the brightness due to the grayish tint of night vision.

However, the blood didn't seem to have much of an effect on his movements. At that moment, a bright light burst forth in front of him.

Doug sensed something menacing brushing past him. In movies, Doug had seen many times how protagonists made amazing leaps to dodge bullets.

He had never been an actor before, nor had he ever taken an acting class, so he had no reaction whatsoever.

How could a man outrun a bullet? Doug had no doubt that the newly appeared man would fire at him. This time, after thinking it over, his body reacted, and he pulled the trigger in time.

Two bullets were fired, accompanied by a crisp sound that was both unexpected and reasonable.

Doug opened fire again, firing another round to ensure that the infected, who was built of steel, was completely dead.

"Reload, cover me!" he shouted, raising his M4A1 high with one hand to avoid the others behind him, then turning and retreating to the back of the squad.

Raphael crossed paths with him and stepped forward to take over Doug's position as the scout.

She fired two more shots at the infected man who was swaying but refusing to fall. He was shot in both legs, fell to his side, and writhed on the cobblestones of the alley.

He was still alive, but judging from the rich, melodious sobs that came from his mouth, he had been hit hard.

Raphael guessed that it must have been incredibly painful.

She quickly moved forward and kicked away the handgun lying next to the infected man—the kind of gun police officers usually carry. Was this man once a policeman in Midtown?

Looking at his agonizing appearance and his emotionally charged, meaningless howls, it's hard to believe he was a policeman in his lifetime.

Raphael gave him a tap on the head, finally calming him down.

Just then, she saw a flash of metal flying towards her.

"Damn?!" Raphael jumped back a step purely on reflex, the sudden sharp pain in her leg startling her. Her finger, already engaged in combat, had already pulled the trigger.

No matter who is hiding in the house, no one should throw knives down.

The knife slashed the trouser leg, then the sharp blade cut across the calf, leaving a clearly visible gash.

Of course, quite a lot of liquid leaked out. Although it was all biomimetic liquid, its color looked extremely similar to human blood.

The receiver clicked again, and this time she fired five bullets. This would be a surprise for the guys hiding in the building, and not an unpleasant one at that.

Those hiding inside would hear the "poof poof" of gunfire, and they would know what weapons their "friends" had brought. Therefore, it's not hard to see how this unexpected incident would unfold.

They'll be waiting upstairs, but they're destined to be disappointed...

More annoying than that was the simulated pain coming from his calves. The thing would restart after being shut down once, and then send the pain back again.

That's too much of a simulation, damn it!

Without her needing to say anything, Cecilia and Tony, who were in positions 2 and 3, had already caught up and were keeping an eye on the situation inside with Raphael.

"Cover me," Raphael instructed, then stepped into the room and slowly walked down the corridor.

The two behind him nervously watched the closed doors on both sides of the corridor, hoping that no more enemies would emerge.

Raphael walked along the corridor. Due to the complex terrain of the stairwell and the possibility of enemy fire coming from multiple directions, both horizontally and vertically, he needed to proceed with greater caution.

While cleaning the corridors and floors, she also paid attention to cleaning the stairwells, keeping the work done in both directions almost simultaneously.

If she had enough manpower, she would definitely try to arrange for people to move down the stairwell from the top floor to cooperate with the team attacking from below, clearing the area floor by floor.

But right now, we don't have enough manpower.

She was lucky if she could spare one person to form a security team to keep watch, so Alki volunteered for the important task.

Raphael didn't care; as long as her captain, Doug Sutton, didn't object, there was no problem. She glanced at Captain Doug, who was already in position number two, his gun raised to cover the adjacent staircase.

As long as Raphael moves forward, he must continuously move towards the next stair platform until his firepower can cover the next platform, at which point he stops moving and covers the staircase adjacent to the next platform.

Raphael continued moving forward to the corner of the stair landing, while turning to clear the adjacent stairs and landing.

At this moment, Cecilia, who was supposed to be at the rear, joined in. As the third soldier in the attack group, she was to cover any doors or windows that might be on the stair landing.

This is a dynamic process, and every participant must closely follow the trailblazer, otherwise the rhythm will be disrupted.

Book 1: The World Before the Great War: Chapter 71 The Search

No matter how well prepared you are, indoor combat can still be incredibly tense.

The stairwell was pitch black, and all the windows that needed to be exposed to light were boarded up and sealed off completely. Raphael turned on the IR lights of his tactical equipment, barely illuminating the gray world.

A rotting corpse lay in the corridor on the third floor.

She glanced at it and thought to herself.

All your neighbors have fled, and you're the only one left behind in this worthless building like a fool. Now you're dead...

Cecilia, who was right behind her, naturally lowered her gun and fired another bullet into the back of the corpse's head.