Ark Chess Player.

FUZE grabbed a foothold on the outside of the wall with his left hand, took out a pistol from his waist with his right hand, cocked it, fired a few shots into the sky, then silently put his hand back behind his back and looked up at the sky.

This time, he did not detonate the hostages.

Because there were no hostages at all.

It's a little disappointing.

Chapter 391 One Hundred and Eight Thousand Lungmen Dollars

"Cough...cough! Who told me this special unit is specifically for rescuing hostages? Say it again if you dare!"

Chen Huijie jumped from the upper floor of the building into the devastated fourth floor of Taikoo Plaza using a tactical rope. Fortunately, she was wearing a protective Originium mask, otherwise the high level of radiation from the Originium explosives would have made her feel terrible.

She silently placed her hand on her weapon, cautiously and warily looking around.

Besides the two corpses that appeared to be embracing each other affectionately, in the distance, one could see Reunion soldiers who had gathered because of the explosion. They seemed to have noticed Chen's presence as well, and their eyes instantly turned red when their gaze fell on the bodies of their comrades on the ground.

"Avenge our comrades! Let Lungmen know our wrath! Tataka! Keep touching Tataka!"

The Infected from the Reunion Movement attacked aggressively, shouting words that were heavy with menace.

Superintendent Chen calmly raised his communicator, appearing composed and unperturbed.

"Guards Department, listen to my command! Smash the Reunion Movement and their shields to the ground! Leave no one alive!"

"Yes sir!"

"Wait, wait!" Swire's voice came through the communicator, and she immediately burst out cursing, "You damn dragon! What are you doing?! Daigo Plaza is my family's property! What right do you have? How much damage did the explosion just caused? Can you afford to compensate for it? Can the Royal Guard compensate for it?!"

"Lungmen law clearly stipulates that Lungmen enters a state of first-level combat readiness when encountering invaders. The top priority is to destroy the combat capabilities of the Reunion Movement and ensure the safety of the people. If you have an insurance company, this will come in handy. You're welcome."

"What are you saying! You rice noodle roll devil!! Don't you know that physical businesses like ours can't get insurance claims?!"

"Oh, that's truly a pity. Please accept my condolences."

Chen couldn't help but laugh out loud, and she cleared her throat as if she were coughing.

"All members of the Royal Guard, attack!!" Superintendent Chen issued the order without hesitation.

Behind her, through the crumbling walls and broken windows, more people swung in using ropes, rushing forward. At the same time, squads from the Guard Bureau poured out from the four main entrances on the first floor of Pacific Place, holding back the enemy's main force.

This is the advantage of vertical warfare: once the top is breached, teammates can coordinate to attack enemies hiding in buildings from all sides, completely eliminating the target. In urban warfare, this is a strategy that tests both individual skill and teamwork.

"You, you just wait! Pink Intestine Dragon, I'm coming right now to deal with you!!"

"Leaving one's post without permission, who knows who will be punished, you char siu cat."

"—(Unspeakable profanity from Lungmen)"

"Oh my god..."

As Hoshiguma listened to the constant roars of the shrew coming through his headset, he could imagine that Swire must be furious.

Left with no other option, she could only lift the triangular shield in one hand and add through the communicator: "Listen up, all of you be careful. No matter what, these are citizens' property. Protecting the lives and property rights of the public is a basic code of conduct for police officers. See that piano? The mall didn't remove it, probably because it's too heavy, but they still put a lot of things on top of it and locked it. The lady bragged to me that this piano is worth 1.8 million Lungmen Dollars. Wow, with my monthly salary and subsidies, I would have to work for more than ten years without eating, drinking, or buying a house to afford it..."

Hoshiguma looked at the Steinway piano in the center of the fourth floor and couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement.

The area where the piano was placed was illuminated by flashing lights, and surrounded by a perforated railing with a sign that read "Do Not Touch".

Pacific Place is cleaned and maintained daily, and there are dedicated staff on the fourth floor to keep watch and prevent mischievous children from causing trouble.

Hoshiguma was used to being poor, and she usually felt skin allergies when she came to the rich area, but she felt fine now.

Whether you're rich or poor, if you encounter bandits, you have to go home for the New Year.

"Fortunately, FUZE's shrapnel explosive device has a limited range, with an explosion radius of 4.2 meters. Otherwise, Miss would have been tempted to kill him..." Hoshiguma muttered to herself, her gaze towards the piano becoming much more relaxed.

"Slay those Lungmen lackeys! Casters, focus fire!" A series of angry roars echoed from the Reunion Movement.

"Damn, so many casters! Quick, find cover!" a Royal Guard officer, halfway through the charge, hurriedly said. "Right, didn't Inspector Hoshiguma tell us to keep an eye on that piano? Right, quickly hide behind the piano!"

"what……"

Hoshiguma slowly opened her mouth, her expression blank.

Brilliant streaks of light flashed across the air, instantly destroying the openwork railings that could have kept the unruly child out. The exquisite black piano stubbornly withstood the magical bombardment for several seconds before finally exploding completely, one of its legs flying onto Hoshiguma's shield and striking it once.

"One million eight hundred thousand Lungmen Dollars... It's been frozen." Hoshiguma slowly pursed her lips.

The Imperial Guard officers jumped out of the piano wreckage and moved to other locations. One of them pressed his communicator and said, "Thank you, Inspector Hoshiguma! If you hadn't reminded us of that piano, we would have been in trouble!"

"No, you're welcome..."

Hoshiguma's lips twitched slightly; she could almost hear Swire's roar.

Forget it, I'll take the girl to Ah Fa's bar for a drink when I get my salary next month...

The Royal Guard officers kept dodging into cover, and the damage inflicted by the Reunion Movement's mages was dwindling, as the distance closed step by step. If this continued, the unarmed mages would have no hope in close combat.

"No, we can't stop them! Even if we die, we must get the information out! Warn our fellow countrymen!"

"That's right, we'll cover you, hurry!"

"But the communicator is with Rosa! She...she's been killed in the explosion! We can't break through at all!"

"...Wait a minute, why did those lackeys from the Guard Bureau kick the communicator over here? Are they here to make a joke?"

An infected member of the Reunion Movement frantically grabbed the communicator and, without thinking twice, immediately shouted, "Mayday! Mayday! Listen up! Our stronghold at Taikoo Plaza in Lungmen has been attacked by the Guard Bureau! They're using ropes to ambush us from above; all the defenses at the four main entrances on the first floor are ineffective. Report! The Guard Bureau's main force is at Taikoo Plaza! Requesting backup! Requesting—"

The infected person's screams abruptly stopped, and their breathing became incredibly heavy.

The person holding the communicator slowly looked up, and there stood the cold-eyed superintendent of the Royal Guard in front of him.

"Finished reporting?"

"You, when did you—"

"Thank you for your hard work in reporting. You can go now without worry."

A flash of sword light appeared, and a line of blood appeared on the infected person's neck.

Before he could react, his vision began to spin and his consciousness gradually blurred.

The final scene that came into view was of his body falling down, and the communicator in his hand being crushed underfoot.

Superintendent Chen strode forward, brandishing his knife like a tiger among sheep, tearing open the weak rear of the sorcerers' defenses; no one could stop him.

"Let the entire Lungmen Reunion Movement know clearly: the Guard Bureau is back! We are here, we are waiting for them, waiting for them to assemble, waiting for them to fight the Guard Bureau to the death. Lungmen will never fall, Lungmen's honor and pride belong to us!"

"Guards Department! Continue the attack! Keep advancing!"

"Don't let the fighting stop!"

Chapter 392 The Many Facets of Life (3K)

"That's it?"

Hoshiguma lowered his Hannya, the sharp triangular shield stained crimson, blood still flowing down.

To prevent infected members of the Reunion Movement from self-destructing, the Guard Bureau's solution is to kill them all in one fell swoop, leaving no one alive.

For Lungmen, the Reunion Movement is an invader, an enemy, a blood feud to the death. At this moment, if anyone in the Guard Bureau were to say that Infected are also human and we can't do this—that idiot would be hanged. Normally, it's one thing to talk, but now that they've stormed the Guard Bureau building and are about to destroy the crystal, what are you still talking about? You're a traitor who betrayed the Guard Bureau and let the enemy into the city!

"It was easier than I expected, not even as easy as the assault team that attacked the outer ring of Lungmen yesterday... Hmm, the infected that appeared that night were much stronger than them. I'm getting more and more curious about how Chernobog City was captured. Surely the Ursus police and military were all asleep?"

Hoshiguma tilted her head. In her memory, Chernobog, as a border city and an industrial city, also had excellent defensive equipment. Not to mention, its silencing devices, specifically designed to counter mages, were something even Lungmen envied.

Throughout Terra's history of warfare, warlocks have always been the most troublesome force; the power of a top-tier warlock is no less than that of a natural disaster.

Chernobog's defensive equipment can prevent sorcerers from casting spells over a large area unless they move far away from the coverage area. However, the power of spells is often linked to distance, and not everyone can manipulate celestial phenomena or guide natural disaster meteors to fall to earth.

"The Reunion Movement has been lurking in Chernobog for much longer than Lungmen. They have penetrated deeper and covered more comprehensively, so the fire they started burned more fiercely." Superintendent Chen recalled the Chernobog data provided by Rhodes Island during their initial cooperation, as well as the intelligence on the Reunion Movement's offensive, and loudly reminded, "Don't underestimate the Reunion Movement, don't treat them as just small-time thugs. Don't be careless."

"Yes, sir!"

Hoshiguma straightened his back and saluted.

Upon hearing this, the surrounding police officers immediately sprang into action and voluntarily began searching other areas.

Hoshiguma winked playfully and whispered, "Old Chen, didn't I cooperate well?"

Old Chen rolled his eyes at her, then hesitated, saying, "Your acting skills still need improvement, but they're barely passable."

Wow—Old Chen is so strict!

Hoshiguma sighed helplessly, but quickly cheered up.

"No problem, as long as they can play their role." Hoshiguma looked at the police officers in the distance. She could feel their smugness after their initial victory. To put it bluntly, they were all strutting around like they were invincible.

It was just a capture of a Reunion stronghold, and the Guard Bureau building was still under their control. Why were these people acting like the Reunion Movement was nothing special? Hoshiguma really couldn't understand it. It was like two pro players carrying three bronze players to a match, and the three bronze players acting like they were the ones who carried the team and that the win was entirely due to them.

However, as a superior, it's not good to directly criticize them for being lax, for fear of directly undermining their fighting spirit.

So, the sensitive Hoshiguma had a sudden inspiration and put on a show with Old Chen.

It seems to be working quite well.

At least those officers who had let their guard down started to take things seriously again, and no longer had that face that made you want to punch them.

"Old Chen, what are you looking at?"

Hoshiguma followed Chen Huijie's gaze and saw that the fourth-floor shopping mall was in complete disarray. Shops of all sizes were damaged, and it would take at least a month of renovations to restore them to their original state. Even though the Guard Bureau had done its utmost to act quickly and decisively, managing to finish the operation before the infected could accelerate their self-destruction, the traces of the battle could not be completely avoided.

Whether it was Hoshiguma's poverty mentality or not, she always felt that the police officers deliberately hid in the shops to avoid the Reunion Movement's mage attacks, just like the 1.8 million LMD piano she mentioned before, which this group of people used as cover without hesitation.

"Hey, Shurlovsky crystal... Old Chen, do you really like this brand?"

Hoshiguma's gaze lingered on a well-known brand store, where the name could be barely discerned from the charred logo on the signboard.

“Hmm, their pendants are nice, I quite like them… but the earrings aren’t so good.” Chen Huijie nodded subconsciously, her gaze shifting slightly as she picked up the walkie-talkie and directed, “B1 team, this is Chen. Completely seal off the west entrance and lower all security doors. Withdraw half of the surface defenses at the east entrance into the building, the rest of you prepare for defense.”

Superintendent Chen put down the walkie-talkie, turned to look at Hoshiguma, and asked, "You're starting to get interested in jewelry too?"

"Don't get me wrong, I've never been interested in these things. I'd rather spend my time taking care of myself and buy a couple more electric bikes... What I mean is, I've hardly ever seen you wear earrings, and I'm curious."

Hoshiguma's gaze lingered on Chen's ears, trying to find any trace of earrings he had worn.

“I haven’t had a single holiday this year. I’ve been working at a high intensity every day. Where would I find the time to wear casual clothes?” Superintendent Chen rubbed his temples to relax his mind a little. “I’ve forgotten when I last went home. Just thinking about the dust in the house makes me not want to go back.”

"Is that so? After this incident is over, I'll come to your house and help you with a thorough cleaning, how about that?" Hoshiguma leaned closer and said, "In exchange, that bottle of wine you have in the wine cabinet... hehe, you know I've been craving it for a long time."

Chen Huijie turned her head and glanced at Hoshiguma.

Hoshiguma scratched the back of her head, looking a little embarrassed.

Of course Old Chen knew that Hoshiguma wanted to drink; this was a trap she had set specifically for Hoshiguma. How could she not know?

"Deal," Chen Huijie whispered.

"Great!"

Hoshiguma suppressed the urge to jump up. She didn't know the value of that bottle of wine; she only knew it was a rare delicacy that even Old Master Wei wouldn't dare to sip. If it weren't for Old Chen once saving the Grand Attendant sent by the Yan Kingdom, Old Master Wei wouldn't have been willing to part with it.

"Ahem, excuse me for bothering you." At that moment, a clueless police officer walked over, carefully handed over the file with both hands, straightened his back, and called out, "Commander Hoshiguma! This is the floor plan of Daigo Plaza East L3 after the Reunion Movement's renovation. Please take a look!"

"Thank you for your hard work. Keep exploring, make good use of the terrain, and scout out any weak points in the defenses. The first floor, in particular, should be thoroughly searched. Safety is our top priority, so proceed slowly. After that, we need to find the best route from here to get through the Reunion Movement's blockade zone. We can't do without your information."

"Yes, sir!"

Hoshiguma switched to work mode in a second, and only after watching the police officer leave at lightning speed did she turn back to continue her conversation with Old Chen.

Therefore, Hoshiguma didn't notice, and neither did Chen Huijie, that there was another infected person alive in the corner near the window on the fourth floor.

"Silly big guy?"

The female sorceress slowly opened her eyes and uttered a barely audible murmur.

She stared at the charred corpse before her, its pale mask half-cracked, revealing a bloody, mangled face.

A hazy memory flooded her mind, and by the time she realized the other party was using Originium explosives, it was too late to cast a spell.

Just then, the lightly armored soldier she had so scorned turned around and embraced her, shielding her from behind with his shield and blocking her with his heavy, stiff body. The explosion engulfed them both, but she was only stunned by the shockwave; he had shielded her from all her injuries.

This man died without ever uttering a single word, just like his life—simple actions speak louder than words.

"Wake up, please..."

"Don't fall asleep! Didn't you want some candy? I have some here, I have some here!"

"If you eat the candy, the pain will go away. If you eat the candy, you'll wake up. Please... please."

The sorceress tore off a fragment of the mask embedded in the lightly armored soldier's face, brought the blood-stained candy close to his mouth, and tried to put the candy in with trembling fingers, but she couldn't manage to put it in.

The translucent white candy slipped from between my fingers, fell onto the dusty ground, and drifted further and further away.