People around looked at each other, not knowing how to react to the situation unfolding before them.
However, the one-armed man did not seem to be seeking allies or help.
Holding his gun, he charged straight into the crowd, like a warrior heading to certain death.
Xu An almost wanted to stop him, but before his hand could even reach out, the man was already surrounded by the assessing security personnel.
Consecutive gunshots echoed throughout the entire room, their resonance lingering.
The one-armed man’s figure fell straight down, and the worry that had been hanging in Xu An’s heart was dashed away. The thrill of reading.
A sense of melancholy.
Xu An’s desire to save the one-armed man wasn't due to a sudden surge of good intentions, but rather to understand what the man meant by being deceived.
Were the missions assigned to these two different from those received by the others?
Lost in his doubts, Xu An could only watch as the man was shot dead, his body then dragged away.
The institute, after resolving all the disturbances, acted as if nothing had happened, and a new group of people emerged.
The man leading them was, as usual, wearing a white coat, with a pair of rimless gold-framed glasses perched on his fair face.
"My apologies for startling everyone. Please follow me from now on."
At this moment, the brother and sister, who had remained silent in the crowd, could no longer hold back. They stepped forward, looking at the person before them.
"Aren't you going to give us an explanation?" The man stepped forward, pointing at the body being carried away. "Although we didn't act, it doesn't mean we're fools. That brother just before died saying your laboratory deceived him. What exactly is going on? Are you ending everything with a simple 'apologies'?"
In truth, this was not the most alarming thing for the man.
What shocked him the most was that these so-called laboratory researchers seemed to be able to disregard the laws of the Lighthouse.
Logically, brawling and killing were not permitted on the Lighthouse.
Even though the one-armed man had killed the researcher in the white coat first, he should have waited for the law enforcement team to handle it.
However, countless security personnel rushed out from the laboratory, quickly eliminating the man.
Without a single superfluous word, they swiftly disposed of both bodies.
And this new man, replacing the previous researcher, showed no signs of surprise.
Even with his colleague dead, there wasn't a flicker of emotion in his eyes.
The man's gaze was even more chilling than that of the seasoned fighters among them.
This was what the man found most terrifying about the person before him.
The man in the white coat adjusted his cuffs, asking as if casually.
"What explanation do you want? Why did we kill the man who fired, or why did that man kill my colleague?"
The girl gently tugged at her brother's sleeve, signaling him not to act rashly.
After three months of life and death battles on land, the girl's once pampered and arrogant demeanor had been thoroughly subdued, replaced by caution and sensitivity.
She didn't want her brother to be the sacrificial lamb.
These champions, forged through fistfights in the expedition races, were renowned figures individually.
Yet here, they were like dead dogs, riddled with bullets and their bodies dragged away and discarded.
The girl did not want her brother to be used. There were so many capable people here, yet each was weighing benefits for personal gain, or were afraid to act, or even afraid to speak.
The man gently patted the back of the girl's hand, signaling that he was alright.
Some things always needed to be clarified.
Just as the man turned to ask the other person again.
A clear female voice stepped forward before the man, inquiring.
"Since everyone is here, I should also have the right to ask this question."
"We are not interested in why that man opened fire. What I want to know is, what exactly was it that the man said he was deceived about by the research lab?"
"I think this is a question that everyone present also wants to ask."
Xu An leaped out from the back of the crowd, standing shoulder to shoulder with the siblings.
Upon seeing Xu An, the siblings gasped in unison.
"It's you."
Xu An turned and smiled slightly at them, "Long time no see."
The girl seemed a little delighted, "I remember you, your name is Xu An, hello sister!"
The girl's voice was lively and playful, no longer as stiff and dazed as before.
The man in the white coat frowned, clearly somewhat disturbed by the question.
But Xu An remained neither subservient nor overbearing, and Zhou Haimei also stepped out from the crowd.
"Yes, young man, two people are dead now, right before our eyes. Moreover, even if that one-armed fellow truly killed someone, he should have been handed over to the law enforcement team. Does your research institute have such great authority? To bypass law enforcement and kill people yourselves, isn't your authority a bit too great? If you don't clarify things here, how can we dare to follow you inside?"
Zhou Haimei's words became more and more elaborate. Her gaze swept over everyone present, her mind already having a plan.
Since these people all wanted to protect themselves and dared not offend anyone.
Then she would tie the interests of all these people together.
A single move that affects the whole situation, Zhou Haimei intended to force these people, who were accustomed to being lone wolves, to stand together against a common enemy.
"I see that you can ignore the laws of the Lighthouse and deal with criminals privately. If we follow you in later and have a disagreement, you could just find an excuse to blow our heads off, couldn't you?"
"Exactly, exactly..."
Zhou Haimei and Xu An spoke in turn, echoing each other.
The face of the man in the white coat grew increasingly grim.
"Our research institute is the biggest sponsor of your competition, and all your travel equipment is provided by us. You should serve us. We have never deceived you from beginning to end; our doctor even took you to visit the heart's hinterland. Are you trying to burn the bridge after crossing the river now?"
Unlike his previously nonchalant demeanor.
Xu An could clearly feel the change in the man. A faint killing intent seemed to envelop him.
Could this man truly want to kill them all because of a few words?
Xu An found it rather unbelievable.
He became even more attentive to the man's dying words.
When the man spoke, he realized he had fallen into Xu An's trap.
The other party deliberately provoked him, causing him to speak carelessly.
As expected, before the man could finish speaking, the previously silent crowd all frowned, displaying clear displeasure.
Some with fiery tempers even spoke up directly, "You damn son of a bitch, you little pretty boy, I, your grandpa, am a top ten fighter who won this competition with every punch. Are we supposed to just work for you bunch of losers? You pay us, we do the work, money for goods, and you think I'm your trained dog? Damn it, I'm not doing this today!"