Nightfall descended.
The silence that Dragon City Imperial Scenery Residential Area had maintained all day was being broken. Inside the residential area, one could already hear intermittent gunshots from outside, along with howls that might have come from Humans or Bakatan people.
The appearance of Jiang Bin's unit was no coincidence.
In the span of a day, the Bakatan people had already spread across almost the entire city, and the Human Military had likewise expanded its activity across the whole urban area.
Several troops had already arrived in the surrounding area.
But their arrival had also brought a large number of Bakatan people with it.
Lin Qun's route meant he returned to Dragon City Imperial Scenery Residential Area a bit faster.
His ranking sat steadily in third place.
The survivors who had once been at the entrance of the residential area were long gone, but there were now more survivors active within the community itself.
As time went on, there were always some bold enough that they couldn't bear hiding in their rooms forever.
The reasoning anyone could understand was: you could hide for a while, but not forever.
Lin Qun returned to the residential area but didn't go upstairs. He put away his Zhu Bajie mask and rested on a bench downstairs.
Nighttime was more advantageous for the Bakatan people, but the same was true for Lin Qun.
It was just that his stamina had been severely depleted, and his Energy was nearly gone, so he needed some time to recover.
He wanted to keep hunting the moment he recovered!
To earn more Contribution Points and firmly hold onto third place in the East Urban Area War Zone!
Though he'd succeeded in turning the tables today, it had left Lin Qun with an even greater sense of Crisis.
Only by growing stronger could he avoid narrow escapes and instead reach a point where no one could threaten his life!
That was why he hadn't gone upstairs — he was preparing to return to the Battlefield at any moment.
During this time, he stayed alert while browsing the Contribution Point Mall.
The items inside were mostly Weapons, and there was a dazzling array of them.
One Contribution Point could exchange for a pistol, a Titanium Alloy dagger, a machete, and so on. Two Contribution Points could exchange for a Shotgun or a rifle.
And three Contribution Points could exchange for a small-caliber rocket launcher.
Holding his three Contribution Points, Lin Qun eyed the rocket launcher hungrily for a while.
In the end, he chose to exchange for a Shotgun.
Two Contribution Points for the Shotgun, and one Contribution Point for ten Shotgun shells.
Just like with the Energy Recovery Potion, once he confirmed the purchase and it began to Manifest, a flash of dark light appeared, and a heavy Shotgun materialized in Lin Qun's hands.
With only three Contribution Points, not enough for a card draw, Lin Qun wanted to convert them promptly into means of self-protection.
The Shotgun was the best choice.
It could serve as backup for when his Energy ran out — good for pushing back the Bakatan people on the advance, or for killing on the retreat.
This Shotgun was semi-automatic, holding at most five shells, and it complemented the Headshot Girl Ability perfectly.
He took off his jacket, wrapped it around the gun, and slung it across his back.
The residential area was shrouded in Darkness, full of shifting shadows. Everyone braved the scent of blood and danger to run downstairs, each with their own purpose, more or less. No one spoke to anyone else, and naturally, no one paid any attention to Lin Qun over here.
He sat for seven or eight minutes before hearing a startled cry from deep within the residential area.
It was a Bakatan person who had climbed over the back fence of the community, a lone wolf, who happened to run into a plump survivor. As Lin Qun advanced in that direction, the survivors hiding in the Shadows of the residential area were all running the other way.
To them, the Bakatan people were a symbol of nightmares.
But only one person moved against the flow, into the Darkness.
Lin Qun drew closer and raised his gun.
This was the first time he'd tested this weapon.
A muffled gunshot echoed through the residential area.
Lin Qun had already become a qualified Voldemort. Relying on the Darkness and his familiarity with the area, this Bakatan person didn't notice him until a second before he fired — until the Shotgun spat out Fury Flames.
The recoil was quite strong.
Lin Qun had aimed for the head when he fired, but he actually missed. Fortunately, the Shotgun had a high margin for error — this shot still sent the lone Bakatan staggering backward, a gaping, gushing wound blooming across its body, the front of its Body instantly reduced to a mess of flesh and blood.
These Bakatan Armed Civilians didn't have Armament nearly as powerful as their military's; they wore strange, mismatched outfits, but most had no Armor.
Though his aim left something to be desired, Lin Qun felt a rush of excitement.
There was a unique thrill to firing off shots like this.
If it had been a Human hit by a blast like that, they would have been killed or crippled — but the Bakatan person was ferocious, and it charged forward, swinging a spiked club in hand.
And then… a bang rang out.
The massive Decapitated Corpse crashed to the ground.
Lin Qun had activated the Headshot Girl Skill.
Only nine shells left — enough to test the gun for a thrill, but he'd save the rest for when they were truly needed.
One reason he'd chosen the Shotgun was that it didn't require much aim to still deliver real power.
Lin Qun didn't have enough Contribution Points to waste on buying more shells.
With one more Contribution Point added to his account, Lin Qun's third-place ranking grew even more secure.
He then stepped forward to check the Bakatan person's corpse.
This was, without a doubt, the most pathetic-looking Bakatan person Lin Qun had ever seen.
It didn't even have a gun.
Lin Qun grumbled inwardly.
"Someone traveling alone isn't necessarily a big shot — could just as easily be some nobody weakling that nobody wanted."
But just then, Lin Qun heard a commotion coming from the front of the residential area.
The dark residential area suddenly lit up.
Something stirred in Lin Qun's heart. He wrapped up his gun and strode forward, only to see survivors from all around the residential area hurrying downstairs along the path — even Fan Wenchuan and Li Xinghe had come out.
Unlike the anxious unease that had been on everyone's faces before, now, under the glow of the lights, a long-lost light of hope had ignited in everyone's eyes.
"It's the army! It's the army!" "The army's here! We're saved! I told you, the Federation didn't abandon us!"
Lin Qun recognized the troops that had arrived this time — it was none other than Jiang Bin's group, the very ones he'd faced off against across the fire not long ago.
They too had shaken off the Bakatan people and chased their way all the way to Dragon City Imperial Scenery Residential Area. It was only because their earlier location required a detour that they'd arrived a bit later.
Jiang Bin took in the sight of at least a hundred survivors scattered up and down Dragon City Imperial Scenery and was taken aback himself, not having expected so many people here. He climbed up to higher ground, gestured for everyone to quiet down, and said, "Everyone, quiet down. We are Warriors of the Third Squad, Ninth Platoon, Sixth Company, Second Battalion, Third Regiment of the Federation Modu Sixth Armored Division. I'm Squad Leader Jiang Bin. We haven't abandoned you. Our Main force is currently engaged with the Bakatan people, and we are not at a disadvantage. We will do everything in our power to protect your Personal Safety — I stake my life on that. But we need your cooperation—
"I need you to stay calm and quiet, avoid making too much noise if at all possible, and follow our instructions for evasion and hiding. And if any of you have sufficient Strength and are willing to help us, please, step forward and help us stand together against the Bakatan people."
A faint stir of unease rippled through the crowd.
"Can this few people really protect us?"
"They said the army was coming, I thought there'd be so many more of them. This is it, this few — and they need our help too… we're doomed!"
"Where's the Main force! When will we get somewhere safe!"
"Everyone quiet down, we have to trust the Military's Warriors…"
Watching all this, Jiang Bin took a deep breath and said, "Everyone — everyone, please stay calm a little longer. We're only the first troop to arrive. As far as I know, two more squads' worth of Military Strength are converging on this location as we speak. We have enough manpower to protect all of you — but please, cooperate. If you make too much noise, it could very well draw a large number of Bakatan people here!"
The mention of the Bakatan people was enough to bring the crowd to a brief, uneasy calm.
Jiang Bin's additional explanation seemed to just barely satisfy them.
The crowd fell quiet for a moment.
It was then that Jiang Bin's gaze swept across the crowd, and he asked directly, "Which of you… is Li Xinghe?"
At these words, everyone was shocked — they hadn't expected this Military soldier to already know the "expert" among them, having only just arrived.
The crowd turned in unison to look at Li Xinghe, the "Super Expert" that most people in Dragon City Imperial Scenery Residential Area now recognized.
But Li Xinghe, now the center of attention, had a stiff expression and a distinctly odd look on his face.
Because, in the chaos just moments ago when everyone had rushed outside in a crowded scramble, someone he couldn't identify had bumped into him and slipped a note into his hand.
On it was written, in stark handwriting: If the military comes looking for you, whatever they ask, just say you did it. Do this well, and I'll guarantee you won't die. I keep my word.
There was no way Li Xinghe didn't understand what was going on.
This was almost certainly that big shot again!
He could have cried without tears: I'm just a nobody weakling — how did I end up getting pushed out here as someone's human shield?
But he was already in a difficult position, and he didn't dare offend that elusive, terrifyingly powerful big shot, afraid that if he caused too much of a stir, his head might get blown off silently, without warning, from somewhere in the crowd.
And so, under the weight of everyone's stares, he gritted his teeth and stepped out from the crowd.
"I—I'm the one!"