61: Steel's Decision

Pump Station No. 3, Assembly Point.

Chen Feng's command came through the encrypted channel, consisting of only two words: "Action."

Reno turned off his communicator, took a deep breath, and turned to face the hundred elites waiting with bated breath behind him. They were the last of the blood and spirit in the entire mining area, the only spark of resistance.

He lowered his voice, but every word was like a red-hot iron, searing into everyone's ears: "Brothers, the time has come!"

"The moment we've been waiting for is here!"

"Remember, we fight for freedom and survival! Not for some bullshit company, and certainly not for that idiot Bachm!"

"Take the central hub, and we will be the masters here!"

The warriors' chests heaved violently, suppressed rage and hope burning in their eyes; morale reached its peak at this moment.

"Move out!" Reno was about to wave his hand.

"No... No!"

A sharp cry, torn apart by terror, came from the rear of the group.

A young Mine Slave suddenly turned pale, shaking like a leaf in the autumn wind. His pupils dilated from extreme fear, his mind filled with images of A Yong being dismembered axe by axe by Xing Zhan.

"We can't beat them! We absolutely can't!"

"Xing Zhan will skin us and pull out our tendons! Just like he did to A Yong! I don't want to die like that!"

Under the stunned gaze of everyone, he let out a desperate scream, turned like a madman, and rushed toward an emergency communication panel on the nearby wall.

"I'm going to report this! I don't want to be sliced to death! I'm calling the police!"

The entire group instantly fell into an uproar.

The soaring morale that had just been ignited was like having a bucket of ice water poured over it, nearly collapsing entirely.

Once the alarm sounded, they would be instantly surrounded by Xing Zhan's troops, doomed beyond redemption.

"Stop him!" someone shouted.

But it was too late.

A flash of knife-like pain flickered in Reno's eyes, but that pain lasted only a thousandth of a second before being replaced by an ice-cold resolve.

He didn't shout; he didn't hesitate for even a fraction of a second.

He raised the "Cutting Torch" rifle in his hand.

*Puff.*

A red beam of light precisely pierced the young Mine Slave's chest from behind, leaving a charred hole emitting faint smoke.

His eyes widened in disbelief, and the momentum of his body caused him to stumble forward two more steps before finally collapsing limply in front of the communication panel.

His fingers were only a few centimeters away from the red alarm button.

Dead silence filled the area.

One could hear a pin drop.

Everyone was scared out of their wits by this sudden scene, staring blankly at Reno and the lingering warmth still emanating from the muzzle of his gun.

Reno's icy voice rang out in the silence, pounding against everyone's eardrums.

"I understand his fear."

"But I will never tolerate betrayal."

He looked around at everyone; wherever his gaze landed, every warrior subconsciously tensed their body and straightened their back.

"On the road to freedom, this is the fate of anyone who wavers the army's morale."

"Now, does anyone else want to back out?"

No one answered.

The wavering and terror in the warriors' eyes were quickly replaced by a flame mixed with awe and determination.

Reno said no more and suddenly waved his hand, his voice hoarse and firm.

"Move out!"

This group, having just undergone a baptism of blood, erupted with an unprecedented killing intent, following closely behind Reno like a silent torrent of steel as they rushed toward the poorly defended mining area central hub.

*Zzt—*

Reno used an access card to silently open the first gate.

Inside, there was another heavy physical lock. A Yong stepped forward; without using any tools, his modified hands grabbed the massive alloy bolt, his muscles bulging.

*Creeeak— Crack!*

Amidst the tooth-aching sound of twisting metal, the ultra-high-strength lock was snapped by him with brute force.

As the heavy alloy door slid inward, the lights of the command center, just a short distance away, shone through.

The raid had officially begun!