"We're here," Billy whispered, pulling the sedan to the side of the road.
Tang Sui opened her eyes. Her spiritual power expanded, but its range was still limited to within three meters.
Closing the car door, Tang Sui scanned the densely woven spiderwebs covering the side roller door of the weapon shop. The thickness suggested many spiders had spun their webs there, creating such a scale. However, due to her brother's Blue Silver Emperor martial soul possessing a spider web restraint soul skill from the Human-Faced Demon Spider, Tang Sui became wary.
Deeper bullet holes marked the concrete road in front of the weapon shop, spaced a short distance apart. Only in front of the large accumulation of sticky white webs were there fewer bullet holes, with a strangely intact patch of concrete. On this patch lay a pool of solidified, deep purple liquid. No foul odor could be detected, indicating it had been there for some time, or perhaps the smell had been masked by the white mist.
Relying on the feedback from her spiritual power detecting no signs of life, Tang Sui approached and examined the bullet holes on the ground, deducing that a fierce battle had taken place here. The target seemed to be singular, though very large.
Billy dared not get too close to Tang Sui, yet he also couldn't stray too far. Seeing Tang Sui so near the peculiar mass of spider silk, he too, curiously, leaned in. Then, he exclaimed in surprise, "The rolling door hasn't been corroded by the spider silk! And what are these strangely colored liquids..."
His voice trailed off, a hint of fear creeping into his eyes.
Tang Sui replied softly, "It's blood. Something was shot here and injured."
As she spoke, she glanced at the metal rolling door at the front of the weapon shop, her mind racing as she looked at the tightly sealed entrance.
Upon hearing Tang Sui say "injured" but not "dead," Billy immediately scanned the surrounding thick fog, alert for anything that might charge out of it.
Billy, unarmed, admitted to himself he was panicking, but he didn't voice it.
"Sh-should we break open the rolling door and go in?" Billy asked, trying to appear calm.
Having witnessed Tang Sui effortlessly repelling a monster several meters tall without even lifting a finger, he had no doubt about her combat prowess. Such a metal rolling door should be a simple matter for her.
"Brute force isn't good. Why not ask the owner?" Tang Sui tilted her head back, looking towards a surveillance camera with a red light blinking from its hiding spot in the corner of the eaves above the main entrance.
The illuminated red light signaled that the camera was still operational. Billy only then realized, becoming even more vigilant, "There's someone inside?"
Tang Sui swept her gaze over the bullet holes on the ground, "More than one, it seems."
Hearing this, Billy was assailed by memories of his former comrades betraying him. But now, he knew he had to do something, to prove his worth and not be a burden. Any one could be a driver, even this girl herself could drive. He couldn't just stand there and wait to be eliminated!
With this thought, Billy exhaled and stepped past Tang Sui, approaching the surveillance camera. He looked up, addressing the people inside the weapon shop through the lens, speaking as if conversing with them directly.
"Hey! Wilson, it's me, Billy. The military police kid who visits your shop every week!" He waved at the camera, pointing to himself to explain, then began to relay their purpose:
"We... already know the main reason for this mist disaster, and we plan to head to the military base together for resettlement."
"Although I'm just a private, I've received the mobilization order. Wilson, you retired early, but you know the military's ways. Perhaps if you open the door, we can team up and head to the base together? I promise to use my name to get you in successfully!"
The blinking red camera remained motionless, as if Billy's offer wasn't enough.
Seeing this, Billy hesitated, then a spark of inspiration struck him. He sidestepped, revealing Tang Sui, who was looking curiously at the rolling door and was now reaching out, her index finger touching the dusty, cold metal.
Three people... two men and a woman.
Tang Sui's spiritual power, touching the rolling door, penetrated into the weapon shop.
She discovered that without the interference of the white mist, her spiritual power could expand and probe normally. Sudancx.com
In an instant, the structure of the weapon shop, its hidden mechanisms, the underground surveillance room, the number of people, and what they were doing—all of it formed a three-dimensional mental map in her mind.
She observed the two men carrying shotguns. One sat in a chair in front of the monitor, watching Billy babble on the screen with a serious expression. The other man stood behind him, arms crossed, also frowning, discussing with the first man and a young woman whether to let them in.
Then, Tang Sui heard Billy "taking the blame" for her.
"I know my low rank lacks convincing power, but I can assure you, as long as this lady is here, all of us will definitely be able to enter the base for resettlement!"
Tang Sui: "..."
She looked at Billy, who was earnestly deceiving the people inside, coincidentally serving her own purpose.
"I can't reveal this lady's identity for now, but she is extremely important. As long as she's here, you and your companions can also enter the base for resettlement!"
Following this, she "saw" the two men at the underground monitor stir. They handed over their posts to the woman and, carrying their weapons, one walked ahead with a shotgun, while the other, holding a black pistol, moved towards the rolling door.
Tang Sui lowered her hand and took two steps back.
Billy stopped his chatter and looked on expectantly.
"Creak—"
The sound of the metal door being pulled open came from within. Tang Sui and Billy both lowered their heads, watching the rolling door slide upwards, stopping at about half a meter.
"Come in," a cold male voice called from inside.
Billy's face lit up, but he waited for Tang Sui's signal.
Fortunately, this height meant Tang Sui could enter by crouching and then lowering her head, without having to awkwardly tumble in.
Seeing Tang Sui crouch and enter, Billy then lowered himself and rolled inside. As he looked up, he met the same reception as Tang Sui.
"Don't move."
Dark gun barrels were pointed at them, one at each of them. One stood inside the now-opened metal door, wielding a shotgun. The other stood in the fifty-centimeter gap between the inner door and the rolling door, aiming a small pistol at them.
The man holding the pistol lifted his leg, forcefully pushing down the handle of the rolling door to close it securely. He then held the gun in one hand, his finger cautiously resting on the safety, remaining vigilant.
Maintaining a half-crouching position with their hands raised, Tang Sui and Billy, who had entered by rolling and also held their hands up, dared not move. They watched as the man turned the key inserted in the lock, pocketed it, and then scrutinized them.
"Wilson, there's no need for this, is there? You don't trust me?" Billy said with a rueful tone, looking at the middle-aged man holding the gun.