INSIDER Chapter 117

The door of the building unit A was open, but none of them had any intention of entering for rest.

Instinct told them that it wasn’t safe.

There was something that Lu Chu found very troubling: how did those opposing players know they would show up here, and how did they recognize them as players and attack them without hesitation? Moreover, Lu Chu believed that a fully equipped armored vehicle wasn’t something one could easily find; they were lucky to have come across one by chance, which resulted in them having an armored tank now. Yet, the opposing players had two.

No matter how you looked at the recent fierce battle, it was very strange, as if someone was manipulating events. After sharing his thoughts with the others, Lu Chu cautioned everyone to be extra careful from now on.

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Afterward, Lu Chu focused on listening to the surroundings and finally found an unused storefront, which they used as a temporary refuge.

Although Yuan Kejie was no longer with them, she had taught Lu Chu some simple lock-picking techniques during the intervals, which came in handy now. Lu Chu wasn’t as fast at picking locks as Yuan Kejie, but he still managed to open the roller shutter of the vacant storefront smoothly.

Everyone entered, finding temporary shelter.

They all looked very disheveled. Liu Zebing asked, “How are you guys? Are the injuries serious?”

Song Gui shook his head, “We’re okay, just minor injuries. Qi Li saw you were in danger and rushed out through the hail of bullets, getting shot twice. He might be in bad shape.”

Hearing this, Lu Chu immediately looked at 7 with concern.

Everyone had some injuries, and 7 also had bloodstains on him. Initially, Lu Chu thought it was the enemy’s blood, but now, hearing Song Gui, he walked up to 7 and looked at his shoulder and waist, finding two bullet holes in those areas.

Lu Chu wanted to touch 7’s wounds but was afraid of causing him pain, so he looked up and asked worriedly, “How do we remove the shrapnel?”

If they weren’t removed, the flesh around the wounds would start to rot, and the pain would only get worse.

7 took out the medical supplies from his backpack and, looking at Lu Chu’s injuries, said, “No rush, only the shrapnel in my waist needs to be removed. Let me bandage you first.”

The bullet had passed directly through his shoulder, leaving no shrapnel.

“I’m only lightly injured,” Lu Chu insisted. “Let’s treat your wounds first.”

Lu Chu’s insistence left no room for argument.

Seeing this, 7, not wanting to delay and risk Lu Chu’s wounds getting infected, swiftly took out a dagger, lighter, and medical supplies to quickly deal with his own wound.

He lifted his shirt, revealing his toned abs and firm waistline, as well as the bleeding bullet wound. He heated the dagger with the lighter, poured alcohol on the wound for a quick disinfect, and cut into his flesh to extract the bullet along with some tissue, followed by a flow of warm, bright red blood. He used clean gauze to stop the bleeding and then wrapped long gauze around his waist to finish the bandaging.

The whole process was quick, and 7’s expression remained unchanged, as if he were doing something as mundane as taking a walk.

Seeing him like this, Lu Chu frowned in pain.

7 noticed and reassured him, “It doesn’t hurt.”

He was long used to such injuries.

Hearing this, Lu Chu frowned even more deeply, taking the alcohol and gauze from 7 to treat his shoulder wound while saying, “Qi Li, you can’t take being injured as a given.”

Lu Chu spoke with stern seriousness, “I will worry.”

A warmth surged in 7’s heart. He smoothed the furrow between Lu Chu’s brows and said in a deep voice, “Okay, I’ll be more careful.”

He was no longer alone; he had Lu Chu. He couldn’t let himself get hurt and make Lu Chu worry.

Even if he did get hurt, it would be where Lu Chu couldn’t see.

After treating 7’s wound, Lu Chu let him handle his own injuries gently.

The others also tended to their wounds.

Interestingly, after they disinfected and bandaged their wounds, the health bars on their forearms slightly increased, indicating a recovery in their life points.

Song Gui, looking at the slowly rising health value and the “9” on his arm after bandaging his wound, fell into thought.

Earlier, he noticed the same number on Lu Chu’s arm, presumably indicating the number of enemies they had defeated. Song Gui was a bit puzzled by this, so he asked the others, “I want to confirm, does everyone have the number ‘9’ on their arms?”

Everyone nodded and showed their forearms, revealing that, indeed, including the four on Dai Chenggong’s side, everyone had the number “9” on their arms.

Song Gui raised his eyebrows, “The ‘rules’ are quite smart, recognizing that our two teams have temporarily joined forces and counting the kills together.”

Dai Chenggong quickly said, “What do you mean temporarily? We’ve always been teammates!”

Kidding aside, how could they not cling to such strong allies?

Song Gui smiled, “Happy cooperation.”

Dai Chenggong responded, “Very happy!”

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After a bit of rest and recovery, they regained some strength.

Outside, the sky gradually darkened, twilight fell, and with the setting sun, the real hunting spree of “Purge Day” hunters began.

They analyzed the current situation and discussed their next move.

Now, all their vehicles were destroyed. Without means of transportation and their most powerful weapons, it was fortunate that they still had various medical supplies and weapons.

Lu Chu thought for a moment and then said, “Maybe we should have stripped the clothes off those dead men and women who took our armored vehicle.”

Song Gui feigned surprise, “Is that the kind of person you are, Lu Xiao Chu?”

The others also looked at Lu Chu.

Lu Chu shook his head, “I just wanted to see if they had bulletproof vests.”

Song Gui laughed, “Every player has strength and combat experience; headshots are their preference. Bulletproof vests won’t do much good.”

He glanced at 7, “Do you believe Qi Li could punch through a bulletproof vest to stop someone’s heart?”

Lu Chu looked at 7, who was sitting beside him.

He certainly believed it; to him, 7 was capable of anything.

So, the topic ended there.

They continued discussing the situation when Dai Chenggong suddenly asked, “Hey, do you think that guy named Zhang Xin is up to something?”

“It’s hard to predict what someone within the game will do after their plot collapses,” Song Gui said, glancing at Lu Chu before continuing, “We don’t know the NPC’s character, morals, or understanding of their own identity, so many things are hard to judge. But I think our recent attack is definitely related to him.”

“I think so too,” Lu Chu said, “He’s probably an enemy, not a friend.”

Song Gui looked at Dai Chenggong, “Does the method you mentioned to escape require the NPC’s cooperation?”

Dai Chenggong thought for a moment, then replied, “It requires a useless person.”

Song Gui rubbed his chin, “Needing the person’s cooperation…that complicates things.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Lu Chu interjected, implying something specific.

Song Gui understood his meaning and smiled, “That would be great.”

Dai Chenggong was confused.

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As they talked, a sudden roar outside startled everyone.

Simultaneously, a burst of vibrations blasted a huge gap in the iron roller door of the storefront they were in. They immediately grabbed their weapons and looked outside, seeing two modified off-road vehicles with several armed men pointing guns at them.

“Let’s run out first!” Song Gui said immediately. If they got trapped inside, they’d have no escape and only a dead end.

Everyone quickly jumped out through the windows. Outside, there were only two off-road vehicles. Though the enemies had good weapons, they were also armed with guns and ammunition, not inferior to the opponents. However, one disadvantage was that they were all injured to varying degrees. Both sides used nearby buildings and vehicles for cover, falling into a fierce battle with bullets flying everywhere.

Dai Chenggong cursed while fighting, “Do they have a tracker on us or something? Why are they haunting us like ghosts?!”

Luo Qi sneered, “They’re more like dogs.”

Their rich combat experience and having 7 as a human weapon quickly resulted in several enemies being killed.

Just then, the buzzing of helicopter blades breaking through the air could be heard. Lu Chu and the others looked up at the sound, seeing two helicopters approaching from afar. Seeing the relaxed expressions on the enemies’ faces, they knew the helicopters were reinforcements for the other side.

Dai Chenggong swore, “Helicopters? Damn, what kind of people are they to use such high-end weapons?”

The helicopters approaching divided their attention. The city had wide spaces between high buildings, making it suitable for helicopter flights. With the geographical advantage, those in the air could shoot and throw grenades at them, while they couldn’t retaliate, putting them in a very disadvantageous position. While defending against the attacks, Lu Chu thought about how to deal with the helicopters.

Suddenly, those in the off-road vehicles threw two smoke grenades and tear gas at them, blocking their vision. Distant chaotic footsteps approached, Lu Chu’s head was hit hard, causing severe pain and momentary disorientation. In that brief moment of confusion, someone captured him and stuffed him into an off-road vehicle.

The helicopters were still attacking those on the ground, and the smoke hadn’t dissipated. The off-road vehicle sped out of the smoke range.

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Lu Chu shook his head to dispel the dull pain and looked at the person next to him—his captor was a tall man with glasses. They were in the back seat of the off-road vehicle, the man sitting beside him, staring at him. Though tall and strong, the man had a clean-cut look, appearing like an ordinary college student, yet there was an unshakable aura of blood around him.

Lu Chu had seen this person before; he was one of the six they encountered initially.

In a calm tone, Lu Chu asked, “Who are you?”

The man smiled, “Zhang Xin.”

Lu Chu looked at him, “You are Zhang Xin.”

Zhang Xin took off his glasses and smiled, nodding, “Your name is Lu Chu; that person told me.”

With a smile on his lips, he carefully wiped his glasses with a clean cloth, “I know we are the same, so I came to get you. We shouldn’t be enemies.”

The author has something to say:

Dai Chenggong: What to do! Lu Chu was captured!

Song Gui: Don’t worry, your human weapon Qi Li will arrive at the scene in ten minutes.