Chapter 157: It’s an Ambush—Get Back Here!

The rooftop floor, suspended three meters above, was made of high-strength transparent glass.

Right now, it looked as if it was packed with people.

At a glance, all you could see were footprints of various sizes.

A strong smell of formalin faintly lingered in the air.

That stuff is usually used for preservation.

Most commonly, it’s used to preserve corpses or living specimens.

A sense of foreboding crept into the hearts of the three as they gripped their weapons and quickly made their way upstairs.

At the entrance to the 24th floor, Sun Jingtao raised a hand, pressing his head against the fire door.

He straightened up, his vigilance heightened, and signaled to the other two: “No one inside, but be careful—they might be lying in ambush.”

Ye Qing and Zhao Pengfei nodded.

Sun Jingtao took a deep breath and opened the door.

He raised his gun, scanning the area for a second, but saw no guards.

The three of them moved in single file, treading carefully as they stepped out of the stairwell.

The scene before them made their pupils contract.

On the 23rd floor, the outer ring was lined with rooms.

But here, the outer ring of the floor was actually a vast, endless swimming pool.

However, all the floor-to-ceiling curtains by the pool had been drawn shut.

Above the pool, the space was divided into four sections.

Suspended over each section was a large, crude iron cage, each with a small locked door.

These must have been added later.

Inside each cage, at a glance, were people.

Crowds of people, their hands bound and suspended.

Men, women, boys, girls.

All ages.

The ropes varied in length, ensuring that everyone’s lower legs were submerged in a special liquid.

It looked like a water prison.

Perhaps from the cold or exhaustion, the people in the cages all hung their heads limply.

It was impossible to tell if they were alive or dead.

The pungent smell of formalin was coming from the pool.

It seemed this was exactly the place they were looking for.

“These bastards! They’re not even human!” Sun Jingtao cursed furiously at the sight before him.

Zhao Pengfei’s brow furrowed deeply, his eyes scanning the water cages in desperate search.

“Tao, you two handle things here. I’m going upstairs to find Jiang Yan,” Ye Qing said anxiously after surveying the scene.

It was clear this was the main holding area, yet there were no guards.

That could only mean all the firepower had been concentrated upstairs.

Jiang Yan, who had likely gone in alone, was in grave danger.

“Alright,” Sun Jingtao nodded, then added worriedly, “Be careful. Once we get some of these people down, we’ll come up and find you.”

All they could do now was free a few people, leave the rest to those on site, and then immediately head upstairs to look for Jiang Yan.

There was nothing more they could do.

After all, this place was like an isolated island.

But leaving these people behind and heading straight upstairs wasn’t realistic either.

Some chances, once lost, never come again.

Ye Qing holstered his pistol, checked the magazine on the submachine gun he’d seized earlier, and hurried upstairs.

Only Sun Jingtao and Zhao Pengfei remained.

The two of them crept forward from the stairwell, inch by inch.

The nearest area held the men.

These men were tall, with strong builds and good bone structure, as if they’d been specially selected.

But malnutrition had left them emaciated, skin and bones.

Right next to the men’s section was the boys’ cage.

Zhao Pengfei, anxious, forgot the rules the three had agreed on and called out his son’s name: “Zhao Xiaofei!”

Unlike Sun Jingtao and Ye Qing, he hadn’t received professional training or developed strong self-control.

And with his only son’s fate unknown, his panic was understandable.

“Old Zhao, shh!” Sun Jingtao frowned, eyes alert as he glanced around, gun at the ready, shrinking into cover in a nearby corner.

No response.

No movement.

Sun Jingtao let out a quiet sigh of relief.

But Zhao Pengfei, desperate for his son, raised his voice even more, “Zhao Xiaofei! Little Plane!”

“Dad…” A weak, childish voice responded from the boys’ cage.

It was a small boy right by the edge of the cage door.

His frail body swayed as he tried to open his eyes, but couldn’t.

His nose and throat were parched.

Maybe the strong fumes had irritated him—his nose and throat burned painfully.

Upon hearing his son, Zhao Pengfei rushed toward the boys’ cage with the fire axe in hand.

He was so frantic, he’d forgotten their earlier agreement.

Sun Jingtao had no choice but to cover him, gun raised and eyes wary.

Halfway there, Sun Jingtao’s sharp eyes caught something wrong.

A small red dot, trembling slightly, appeared on the heart area of Zhao Pengfei’s backpack.

“Old Zhao!” Sun Jingtao shouted urgently, “Zhao Pengfei, it’s an ambush! Get back here!”

He looked up, trying to locate the sniper.

But the enemy was well hidden.

And they were positioned at some distance.

The 24th floor was a 360-degree panoramic pool.

But the 25th and 26th floors were suspended above.

This design was completely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Zhao Pengfei ignored Sun Jingtao’s warning, bringing the axe down hard on the metal lock.

Clang! The lock broke.

Zhao Pengfei reached into his backpack and pulled out a knife.

With one arm, he caught his son’s limp body, and with a swift motion, cut the rope binding his son’s hands.

“Little Plane!” Zhao Pengfei wept, face full of regret as he hugged his son tightly. “I swear, I’ll never hit you again! If I do, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!”

The boy’s dry lips moved weakly: “Dad, don’t…”

His eyelids finally fluttered open a little, but before he could see clearly, a gunshot rang out—sharp and sudden—ripping through the night and heading straight for Zhao Pengfei’s back.

At last, Sun Jingtao spotted the enemy’s position and fired back without hesitation.

“Aaargh—!”

A shotgun shell releases ten pellets.

Though it wasn’t the optimal range, one pellet still hit the target.

Thud!

A figure fell from above.

At the same time, Zhao Pengfei collapsed to his knees at the edge of the cage.

“Dad—!” The boy’s hoarse, anguished scream tore from his burning throat.

*

On the 25th floor, Ye Qing paused at the sound of gunfire from below, but then hurried his pace upward.

He could clearly hear that the gunfire above was even more intense.

Just as they’d guessed, almost all the firepower had been concentrated on the 30th floor.

But the fact that there was still the sound of a gunfight meant—

Jiang Yan was still alive."