161: Chapter 161 Stay Calm, We Can Win

South Washington, an abandoned apartment building.

The tactical flashlights of a SWAT team crisscrossed through the darkness.

(Please remember: read Taiwan novels on Taiwan Novel Network, an excellent site for the fastest chapter updates.)

Twelve fully armed SWAT officers advanced in tactical formation. Captain McMillan, a ten-year veteran, led the way holding a ballistic shield while reports from various points crackled in his earpiece.

"Position One, clear."

"Position Two, clear."

"Position Three, clear. No target found."

The alarm they had received reported thugs in the apartment building massacring citizens.

Since entering, they hadn't found any hostages, only blood covering the floor and skinned corpses.

McMillan had never seen a scene like this.

Suddenly, a single red laser dot appeared on his forehead.

Before McMillan could make a sound, there was a muffled thud, and his head simply disappeared from his neck, spraying blood across the entire wall.

"Enemy attack! Find cover!"

The vice-captain's roar had barely subsided when another laser dot swept past.

The chests of two officers exploded simultaneously; their body armor was as fragile as paper before the unknown attack.

The remaining officers fired wildly into the darkness, bullets striking the walls and sending sparks flying, yet they couldn't even catch a glimpse of the enemy's shadow.

Half a minute later, the apartment building fell completely silent. All twelve fully armed SWAT officers had perished.

In the darkness, a translucent figure slowly manifested.

Flower Crab held a freshly stripped human spine, letting out a low, guttural growl.

...

Washington D.C. Police Department.

The lobby had devolved into complete chaos.

The emergency lines hadn't stopped ringing from morning till night; every call answered was filled with screams, wails, and reports of attacks.

"Lost contact with the South District apartment SWAT team! The last transmission only contained gunfire and screams!"

"Civilians attacked on Third Avenue, bodies disemboweled! No trace of the perpetrator at the scene!"

"Chief! Two patrol cars sent out have lost contact! GPS signals stopped at a sewer entrance!"

The dispatcher took off her headset, her hands shaking.

The screen was densely packed with red alerts. On the map of Washington, attack signals were spreading like a plague.

Chief John Smith crouched behind his desk, clutching his head.

He had worked thirty years in administrative roles, rising from a beat cop to the Chief of the D.C. Police Department; the most serious case he had ever handled was a protest at Capitol Hill.

But he had absolutely no experience dealing with the scene before him now.

Looking at the screen full of red alerts, his hands shook so much he couldn't even hold his coffee cup.

Suddenly, the doors of the police station were pushed open.

A group of soldiers, led by a young man in a well-tailored suit, strode inside with purpose.

The Chief jumped up: "Who are you?! This is the Washington D.C. Police Department! Who authorized you to bring soldiers in here?"

Fu Haoran looked down with disdain at the portly Chief, stepped onto the desk, and announced:

"From this moment on, this place is under the control of the National Guard. All police forces, SWAT, and emergency units in the district are under my command."

"You can't do this, we don't report to the National Guard..."

Fu Haoran signaled with his eyes. Four soldiers were carrying a black body bag, but Fu Haoran easily lifted it with one hand, unzipped it, and pulled out the pitch-black corpse of a monster.

A jet-black fan-shaped head, exposed sharp teeth, a spiked long tail, and a stainless steel soup spoon still stuck in its chest cavity.

Even the soldiers who had already witnessed the monster lineup couldn't help but gasp at this moment; one could only imagine the reaction of the other police officers.

The entire lobby let out a collective gasp.

The dispatcher covered her mouth.

Several female officers instinctively took half a step back.

Fu Haoran surveyed the crowd and spoke: "Look closely. For this type of Xenomorph creature, the core weaknesses are the soft areas of the eye sockets in the head and the unarmored internal organ area of the abdomen. The frontal skull and dorsal exoskeleton are extremely hard, and its blood is highly corrosive. Ordinary rifle bullets will find it difficult to inflict fatal wounds."

"Only point-blank fire can achieve an effective kill."

"But remember, absolutely do not let its blood splash on you."

"Finally, notify all citizens in the city to lock their doors and windows immediately, stay indoors, gather in groups for defense, do not act alone, and absolutely do not run into open areas."

"All citizens with weapons should organize defenses on the spot and wait for military and police rescue."

Fu Haoran paused and added one more thing.

"Citizens already under attack should not hide in small rooms. Immediately head to crowded public areas with security defenses."

"Alright, now contact all officers immediately and sync this information to them!"

"Remember, do not enter indoor areas unless absolutely necessary."

Seeing the crowd still in a daze, Fu Haoran grew angry: "Are you all useless? Why are you just standing there? Get to work!"

Feeling like he was leading a group of 'pig teammates,' Fu Haoran casually tossed the Xenomorph corpse toward the Chief. The seemingly thin Xenomorph pinned the Chief down.

"Aaaah! Get this monster off me!"

The fat Chief scrambled to push the monster away, but several attempts ended in failure.

Now, no one dared to question him further. The police station, which had briefly fallen silent, exploded into activity again as everyone pulled out their phones to contact their friends and family.

The entire station instantly turned into a chaotic market, yet no one cared about the Chief pinned under the monster.

...

As Fu Haoran was preparing to leave, a clerk ran out from behind the dispatch desk and stopped him at the lobby entrance.

"Sir! A large number of citizens are coming here seeking shelter. How should we arrange them?"

"Direct them to nearby large supermarkets and malls. Dispatch a group of police officers there to block off extra doors, windows, and entrances. Those places have emergency power and can hold out."

The clerk noted it down and turned to run off.

Fu Haoran crossed the lobby, but just as he reached the corridor, footsteps sounded behind him again. A sergeant caught up, running so hard his hat was crooked.

"Sir, we don't have enough manpower to hold so many points."

"Contact all Rifle Associations, mobilize their members, and distribute weapons. Arrange for their families to take refuge in high-end clubs, or banks if there are no clubs. Bank walls are thick, easy to defend and hard to attack."

The sergeant nodded and asked: "What about the gang members?"

"Contact them as well. Have them go with you to gun shops and clear out all the weapons. Use restaurants and small supermarkets as strongpoints to hold the street corners."

The sergeant acknowledged and left.

Fu Haoran continued walking. He pushed open the police station doors, and just as he stepped out, a patrolman rushed over from the side, nearly colliding with him.

"Sir! We lack the manpower to establish a perimeter defense!"

Fu Haoran looked at him.

"Are those kept in the detention center monkeys? Release them all. Give them weapons and tell them there are monsters everywhere outside—running means death."

The patrolman blinked: "Will they... believe it?"

"They don't need to believe it. Let them take one look at what's in the body bag, and they'll believe it naturally. Remember, teach them how to fight. It doesn't matter how much they learn; what matters is letting them know—running will only get them killed faster."

The patrolman swallowed hard and turned to run off.

Fu Haoran stood on the steps of the police station and took a deep breath.

It was less than a hundred meters from the lobby to the door, but it had taken him nearly fifteen minutes.

He turned to look at Jimmy, who was following behind him.

"Jimmy, you stay here."

Jimmy's face instantly went pale.

"Coordinate with the police station. I don't care about the process, only the results."

"If you encounter a problem that can't be handled, notify me immediately, and I'll go to the scene."

Hearing that he didn't have to go to the front lines, Jimmy's tense shoulders relaxed. At least the police station seemed safe for now.

After several officers scrambled to move the corpse, the Chief finally scrambled up in a disheveled state. Seeing the police station gradually regaining order, his mind instantly began to scheme.

Thirty years of administrative work had taught him one thing: always find someone to take the blame.

Thinking of this, he instantly regained his spirit and roared at the officers in the lobby: "What are you all standing around for?! Didn't you hear the Major General's orders?! Do it immediately! Fast!"

...

South District apartment building.

When Fu Haoran walked into the lobby, his boots made a squelching sound as they stepped into the pool of blood.

The bodies of the twelve SWAT officers were scattered across the corridor and stairwell. Some had their upper bodies blown apart by plasma cannons, some were pierced through the chest, and some were missing their heads.

The walls were splattered with blood and riddled with bullet holes.

Captain McMillan's headless body leaned against a corner; his ballistic shield had been sliced through the middle, the cut as smooth as if made by a laser.

Several survivors huddled behind cover on the second floor. When they saw Fu Haoran entering with his soldiers, one of the young SWAT officers burst into tears.

"We can't see it... it's invisible... those red laser dots, whoever they land on dies..."

Fu Haoran looked down at the auspex in his hand and discovered that, besides them, a high-heat signal on the screen was slowly moving above the third-floor ceiling.

The Yautja's optical stealth was useless in front of the auspex.

Fu Haoran did not hesitate, pulling out the RSH-12 revolver from his waist. His 35 points of Agility made his hand as steady as Mount Tai; his breathing, heartbeat, and crosshairs were perfectly synchronized as he fired three consecutive shots at the ceiling without a moment's delay.

Flower Crab.

He had just hunted twelve SWAT officers and was savoring the afterglow of the hunt.

Only to find the human below suddenly raising a weapon and, without a word, firing three consecutive shots toward him.

The first armor-piercing bullet punched through the floorboards, accurately hitting the center of Flower Crab's helmet.

Although the bullet was deflected, the impact of the hit made Flower Crab's vision go black for a moment.

The second shot pierced the gap in his left shoulder armor, and green fluorescent blood sprayed out.

The third shot grazed his neck, shearing off a piece of his exoskeleton armor.

Flower Crab let out a roar of pain. His stealth device briefly malfunctioned after the helmet was damaged, and his translucent silhouette flickered in the darkness for an instant.

The sharp pain in his chest caused a slight delay in his movements.

He never expected this human to see through his stealth, much less that the power of this pistol could pierce his armor.

In the next second, two more gunshots rang out, and two new bloody holes appeared on Flower Crab's body.

As an elite Yautja, Flower Crab did not let anger cloud his mind. He smashed through a window and fled frantically under the cover of the building. Every time he landed, it triggered a sharp pain in his chest, and green blood dripped steadily from his left arm.

Fu Haoran didn't charge straight after him. He ran down the fire escape while barking orders into his communicator:

"All units attention: Target is 2.5 meters tall, humanoid, injured in the left shoulder, fleeing west along 5th Avenue."

"Blockade all intersections on 5th Avenue."

"Where are the helicopters?"

"On their way, sir."

The Humvee convoy standing by at the street corner instantly sprang into action.

...

Flower Crab tumbled out from a corner in the pipes, green blood leaving a long trail on the ground.

Flower Crab knelt on one knee, heavy breathing coming from his damaged helmet with a coarse, metallic rasp.

He first raised his still-mobile right arm and pressed a button on the side of his helmet. Thermal vision instantly swept through the entire office building. Aside from the heat sources of the armored vehicles on the distant street, there were no living things, and certainly not that human pursuer who could see through his stealth.

The moment he confirmed it was safe, his tensed exoskeleton relaxed for a second, and fluorescent green blood immediately welled from the puncture wound in his left shoulder.

Having hidden in a restroom, he tore off the helmet with its shattered eyepiece, revealing an ugly face.

His face was covered in layers of crab-like carapace, with two pairs of hard chelae extending from the sides. His bulging compound eyes were bloodshot, his lower mandibles were clamped together, and a beast-like low growl was suppressed in his throat. Even though he was heavily injured and near death, he still carried the ferocity of an elite hunter.

Flower Crab glanced at his mangled left shoulder, a trace of violence flashing in his compound eyes.

He smashed the mirror with a punch, and as the glass shards fell into the sink, he punched the wall, creating a large hole.

He grabbed a handful of lime from the sink, took a flat metal box from his waist, poured a bottle of liquid into it to create a thick paste, and applied it to the wound.

The edges of the dressing began to extend automatically upon contact with his skin, spreading like a living thing along the contours of the wound, sealing the entire shoulder socket tightly.

The surface of the dressing gradually hardened, forming a temporary exoskeleton replacement layer. Its color changed from an initial translucency to a dark silver almost identical to Flower Crab's carapace.

Flower Crab lowered his right hand and leaned against the restroom wall, panting for a few seconds.

The entire treatment process took less than two minutes.

He picked up his helmet and put it back on, but just as he was about to activate the stealth device, an alarm sounded inside the mask!

The human pursuing him had already approached this floor!

Flower Crab had no choice but to smash through the restroom window and leap onto the street in a few bounds.

However, M1117 armored personnel carriers were lined up along the street, blocking all of Flower Crab's escape routes.

The roar of rotors came from overhead as two police helicopters swept over the rooftops, their searchlights piercing the darkness and lighting up all of 5th Avenue like it was broad daylight.

Flower Crab ran for two blocks, only to find every intersection blocked by armored vehicles, helicopter searchlights overhead, and that monster who could see through his stealth behind him.

He looked down at the sewer manhole cover at his feet—the only entrance that wasn't blocked.

Flower Crab lifted the cover and jumped down.

Fu Haoran chased to the edge of the shaft, looked at the pitch-black hole, and jumped down without hesitation.

After landing, Fu Haoran looked down at the auspex; Flower Crab's high-heat signal was moving deep within the pipes on the screen.

...

At the same time, four Reincarnators were advancing deep along the pipes.

The leader was named Arc, a low-spec version of Electro. Blue electricity wrapped around his hands, lighting up the pipes ahead with a flickering glow.

Behind him followed teammates who were low-spec versions of Sabretooth, Hawkeye, and Colossus.

"This damn place really stinks," the Sabretooth Reincarnator said, pinching his nose.

"Shut up," Arc said without looking back. "Steel Skeleton's scan shows the nest is just ahead. We withdraw after scouting it."

Rustling sounds came from deep within the pipes.

The Hawkeye Reincarnator nocked an energy arrow and fired it. A blue light cut through the darkness, illuminating the end of the pipe, but there was nothing there.

"A false alarm."

Arc didn't relax; the current in his hands brightened a bit more.

Ripples appeared in the sewage, and in the next second, several Xenomorphs launched themselves out from under the water.

Arc pushed out with both hands, and blue electricity snaked out. The first two Xenomorphs that lunged were electrocuted until they convulsed and fell into the sewage.

The Sabretooth Reincarnator extended his steel claws and pierced the eye socket of a third, while the Hawkeye Reincarnator shot an arrow through the abdomen of a fourth.

The Colossus Reincarnator stood at the front of the squad, smashing the head of a fifth Xenomorph with a punch.

Over a dozen Xenomorphs lunged simultaneously, their claws frantically scratching at his steel skin, leaving only streaks of white marks, unable to break his defense at all.

But the Xenomorphs weren't afraid to die, throwing themselves onto him one after another, using their bodies to force him down into the sewage.

They discovered that this human, whose whole body was made of steel, had an impeccable surface.

Their prideful claws and teeth couldn't tear the skin of the human before them, so they immediately switched to attacking the Colossus Reincarnator's exposed eyes.

The Colossus Reincarnator just started to raise his hand to block when a tail sting accurately pierced his left eye.

The Colossus Reincarnator let out a shrill scream, his steel body instantly softening as the swarm of Xenomorphs swarmed over him.

Arc pushed his electrical output to the maximum. Blue Arcs of electricity jumped through the Xenomorph swarm; the front row of Xenomorphs were electrocuted and collapsed, while those in the back stepped over the corpses of the front to continue their charge.

The Hawkeye Reincarnator's arrows were fired in rapid succession, but there were simply too many Xenomorphs.

A Xenomorph hung upside down from the top of the pipe, its tail sting piercing Hawkeye's shoulder and hoisting him up violently.

The Sabretooth Reincarnator jumped up and split the Xenomorph's head with a claw, but the moment he landed, three Xenomorphs lunged at once, spraying acid blood all over him.

His healing speed couldn't keep up with the corrosion; a large hole was eaten into his chest, and he collapsed into the sewage.

Seeing this, Arc slammed both hands into the sewage, pouring every last trace of electricity into the water.

Blue electricity exploded outward, and all the surrounding Xenomorphs were electrocuted until they convulsed and smoked.

But his power was completely exhausted, and the blue light in his hands died out entirely.

In the darkness, even more Xenomorphs emerged.

The last thing he saw were countless fan-shaped heads turning toward him in unison in the darkness.

Before dying, he sent the coordinates of the sewer Xenomorph nest to the Reincarnators' public channel.

In the public channel, Night Owl's avatar lit up, followed by Li Yohan's avatar.

The coordinates were instantly read.

Similarly, atop a building, a tall Female Xenomorph also received the coordinates sent by Flower Crab.

At this moment, the four factions seemed set to meet for the first time.

Exclusive! An interview with Luo Di Bu Jue and the behind-the-scenes of "Warhammer: Starting as a Planetary Governor, Three Hundred Years of Back Taxes," only at...