The Ambush and the Explosion

“When dealing with an S-class, don’t hold back. Saturation attack is a must.”

The commander’s pre-mission instructions echoed in their minds.

No direct entry.

With a clatter, they tossed two more flashbangs, then ducked back behind cover to reload magazines. After the burst of light faded, one covered the other as they stepped over the wooden door and into the dormitory.

The six figures seemed already unconscious from the relentless assault, scattered near the dormitory entrance.

From a distance, with their backs turned, the two guards could only barely make out human shapes.

But now, closing in, the security forces entering the bedroom could fully see the six!

The night-vision goggles displayed a murky green image with scattered noise.

The people on the ground had greenish skin, covered in strange, unknown patterns and bumps. Their facial features were rigid, their green eyes utterly lifeless.

“That’s not them! Those are decoys!”

Without a second thought, the moment they saw the green skin, the security forces retreated.

But at that instant, three spiky green spherical cacti were tossed through the corridor window.

“Duang!”

The fist-sized cactus balls landed at the guards’ feet, bounced half a meter high, then exploded.

A hail of spikes shot out like a storm. The cramped dormitory offered no hiding space, so the guards calmly raised their arms to shield their heads.

The spikes pierced their bulletproof vest covers but were deflected by the hard ceramic plates underneath.

Only a crisp clattering sound was heard.

After three volleys of spikes, the walls, floor, ceiling, and even the guards’ limbs were covered in black spines. A sharp, burning pain came from all over, but the guards remained expressionless, aiming their guns at the window while stepping back.

Two steps back, and suddenly a tough, tugging force grabbed at their legs, halting their retreat.

Still staring at the window, they glanced down. Their boots were wrapped in layer after layer of black hair—from the decoys.

Creak…

A grating sound echoed as six figures twisted and rose from the ground.

Whoosh!

They all turned their heads in unison, staring at the guards with bizarre smiles on their green faces. Their clothes were full of bullet holes, through which could be seen greenish craters in the flesh, with green fluid oozing out. The black hair draping over them was fine and dense, carrying a strange fragrance—like… green beans?

The six decoys lunged forward, reaching out.

The guards shifted their aim and were about to fire.

Bang!

Suddenly, a loud noise came from behind. The nearest decoy turned into a fireball in an instant. It was the partner covering from the rear.

Relief washed over the guards. They quickly drew a knife from their gear and cut the “black hair” off their boots.

Meanwhile, five more gunshots rang out in rapid succession.

All decoys were ignited by the flashbangs, bursting into flames. The blazing fireballs illuminated the entire dormitory. The six decoys screamed in agony, writhing, their shadows dancing like demons on the wall.

A pungent, burnt smell hit the guards’ noses.

They continued backing away, but suddenly heard the sounds of fierce hand-to-hand combat behind them. Their partner was fighting someone up close!

When? Where had they been hiding?

Two questions flashed through the guard’s mind. When they had entered, they had checked the bathroom area—it was empty. So only one answer remained: an ability!

Their mind raced, but their hands didn’t stop. They pulled two stun grenades from their gear, ready to pull the pin and toss them out. The plan was to suppress the ability user in the corridor, then turn back to help their partner in the bathroom.

But at that moment, a figure kicked open the dormitory door and charged in with a roar.

She was incredibly fast, her long hair streaming behind her. With a leap, she tackled the guard to the ground. The stun grenades, with pins already pulled, fell to the floor.

Then they exploded.

Blinding white light mixed with deafening noise instantly robbed the guard of direction, hearing, and sight. His mind went foggy.

In that state, relying on his last visual impression and physical sensation, he managed to throw a punch forward.

Bam!

Zhong Zimei took a heavy hit to the face, but she didn’t react. Instead, she grabbed the guard’s hands.

“Sir from the security force, you’re considered eliminated now. Give up,” she said. “Otherwise, I’ll have to use brute force.”

No response. The guard struggled even more fiercely.

Tch! Annoyed, Zhong Zimei was about to use a physical “hypnosis” method to force surrender.

Just then, a female voice came from the doorway.

“He’s temporarily deaf. There’s no way he can hear you. Hold on a bit longer until my mutated plants tie him up.”

Huang Xiu spoke as she walked in, her bright eyes fixed on the fight behind. Her plan was simple: use mutated succulents and green beans to create six decoys, drawing the attention of any guards who might enter. Wen Zhan and Jia Qianrou were hidden in the bathroom shadows, ready to strike or flee depending on the situation. She and Zhong Zimei, who excelled in frontal assault, were at the exit.

With a pincer attack, as long as the guards entered the dormitory without noticing the ruse, they were doomed to lose.

But an unexpected problem arose: the guard’s close-combat skills were honed to the bone. Even under a surprise attack, Jia Qianrou, together with a timid Wen Zhan, couldn’t subdue him. In fact, they were losing ground.

‘So Jiang Qing’s [Strong Luck] ability doesn’t guarantee absolute smooth sailing,’ Huang Xiu thought.

To ensure the operation went smoothly, Jiang Qing had activated [Strong Luck] right after midnight. The fact that the guards fell into the trap so easily might be due to that luck.

“Go, help them!” Huang Xiu waved a hand, and a flood of mutated plants poured in from behind the door. These were all created from her seeds, pre-positioned on the sixth floor to avoid detection. Though individually weaker than ordinary mutated plants, their sheer numbers made them formidable.

“I’m going too!” Chi Xue walked in from outside.

In this ambush, she had been assigned as a free agent, looking for a chance to fill in. But she hadn’t found an opportunity to use her slingshot, so she’d just watched. Now she wanted to prove her worth.

“Alright,” Huang Xiu nodded, not refusing.

Chi Xue and the mutated plants joined the fray, tipping the balance. The last guard in the dormitory quickly showed signs of defeat. In moments, he was overwhelmed by the swarming plants and tied up with mutated green beans.

Seeing this, the six in the dormitory breathed a sigh of relief.

“Then I’ll deactivate my ability [Strong Luck],” Jiang Qing said, panting slightly. “In just two minutes, I’ve overdrawn on the luck for the next two hours.”

“Once you turn it off, the overdrawn two hours won’t suddenly bring fog, right?” Huang Xiu asked curiously.

“No, it’s just overdrawn, not used up. For the next two hours, luck will be average—not to the point of misfortune,” Jiang Qing quickly explained.

“Alright.”

Huang Xiu nodded and walked further inside.

By then, the guard had been tied up with mutated plants. Zhong Zimei stood up, grinning excitedly.

“This security force soldier has a great body!”

The impact of those words was too much. Huang Xiu was stunned, not knowing how to respond. She just coughed twice. “We’re on a mission. Show some restraint!”

“Relax, relax,” Zhong Zimei stuck out her tongue. “It’s just my first time touching a guy’s abs. I’m a little excited.”

As they spoke, Jia Qianrou and Chi Xue had already carried the other guard in from the bathroom. Wen Zhan followed behind them, looking embarrassed and cowering.

She had performed terribly. She was supposed to attack together but was too scared to go forward.

Slap!

Jia Qianrou and Chi Xue gently set the guard down, laying him next to his comrade.

“We took down two security forces. We should be the first school to achieve that. That should earn us major points,” Huang Xiu praised loudly.

This was a trick she learned from Yun Ning: timely encouragement boosts team morale significantly.

“It’s a pity Xiaoyu didn’t come. With her ability, we could have had an easier time,” Jia Qianrou said, panting heavily, a red fist-sized mark on her face. Even in a simulation, the guards didn’t go easy on the gentle girls. She had been caught off guard and punched in the face, dazed.

“Xiaoyu is too soft-hearted,” Huang Xiu sighed. Ying Zhiyu had originally planned to come, but she couldn’t say no and ended up accepting her roommate’s invitation.

“Alright, enough about her. Let’s stick to the plan!”

Huang Xiu crouched down and patted down the guards. She found a headset and a square communication device resembling a walkie-talkie attached to it. Standing up, she muttered, “Wonder if it still works!”

She put on the headset and clipped the communicator to her belt. Step two of the plan: if they captured the guards, they’d use their equipment to scout the security forces’ deployment and find the best escape route. If that failed, they could at least use the special guns to boost their firepower.

“No sound,” Huang Xiu frowned.

There was no tactical chatter in the headset, only a clear electronic hum. Her plan to gather intel was thwarted. She was about to take off the headset when she suddenly heard a man’s low chuckle.

“An S-class, performing well!”

It was Guang Hongfang!

Huang Xiu recognized the voice. She frowned and made a quiet gesture. The others, about to speak, nodded and fell silent.

“Come on, wave at the camera. Your teachers are all watching your performance now!”

Guang Hongfang’s voice was slightly distorted on the headset, but Huang Xiu could still hear the relaxed tone.

“A camera? On the guards?” Huang Xiu asked.

But Guang didn’t answer. Instead, he continued talking to himself. She realized the headset probably couldn’t transmit directly; she needed to press something. In other words, Guang Hongfang must have noticed the guards’ defeat through the camera—during the fight, the two guards hadn’t said a word. Unless they had telepathy, Guang and the others wouldn’t have known so quickly.

“Alright, Miss Huang Xiu, keep up the good work. I’ve seen an excellent ambush performance. Now let me, as an audience member, offer a thank-you gift,” Guang Hongfang said with a laugh.

“Gift?”

Having found the headset’s switch, Huang Xiu was about to ask what he was playing at.

But at that moment, a loud bang came from the right corner of the ceiling above.

The six of them jumped.

Then a violent shaking spread from all around. Instantly, cracks like spiderwebs spread across the ceiling. Large chunks of white plaster fell, crashing onto beds and the floor. Even Jiang Qing’s hat was flattened by a falling piece. White dust rained down like heavy snow.

The six grabbed the metal bed rails, their faces showing disbelief and alarm.

Connecting the dots with the explosives the security forces had installed on the roof, they knew where the sound came from.

“They actually dare to blow up the building!” Huang Xiu’s voice was shrill. Startled by the thunderous noise, she was now filled with lingering fear and anger. Did Guang Hongfang really have no qualms about collapsing the entire building and causing massive casualties?

And… she glanced at the two guards on the floor—they still had two prisoners!

Was this guy insane?!

She tore off the headset and threw it on the ground, shouting to her teammates, “The dormitory isn’t safe anymore! Get out, get out now!”

If they dared to blow once, they’d blow twice. Guang Hongfang had no scruples. She wouldn’t gamble.

As she spoke, another tremendous bang came from another corner of the ceiling.

Boom!

Cracks widened, and large chunks of concrete, not just plaster, fell through. Moonlight faintly leaked through the cracks into the room.

Shouts of alarm came from the neighboring dorms. Figures flashed past the windows. Obviously, those who noticed the trouble had given up waiting and started fleeing too.

“My luggage…” Zhong Zimei looked at her suitcase with longing, but seeing Huang Xiu already at the door, she gritted her teeth and followed.