Ambush

Alice descended from the rooftop, and the entire third floor was well-lit, with an empty corridor. At that moment, she heard cries of agony coming from one of the rooms.

She walked along the wall and approached the source. Peeking through a slightly open window, she witnessed a middle-aged man tied to a frame. In front of him stood a man with a scarred face, holding a bloodstained whip. He menacingly asked, "Crawford, where are those weapons?"

Crawford, the man being interrogated, was barely conscious and remained silent. The scar-faced man grew angrier, cruelly laughing, "Not talking? I'll have someone kill a villager every day, starting with the children. Aren't they your hope?"

Crawford glared at him with bloodshot eyes, mouth open, spitting out blood. 

The scar-faced man vented his frustration, viciously whipping Crawford until he grew tired.

Seeing the scar-faced man about to leave, Alice quickly went to the second floor, entering a room she found along the way.

When the footsteps descended to the first floor, Alice assessed the room. It was filled with various cardboard boxes. She randomly opened one, finding ten bags of rice. It was evidently a storage room for supplies.

Alice felt pleased, swiftly gathering everything. These items were likely looted by the gang from outside – she wouldn't let them go to waste.

An hour later, a group of people entered through the main gate, each carrying several sacks of supplies. They opened one of the rooms on the first floor and stored the goods inside.

Alice waited for them to leave before making her way down to the first floor. With no one guarding the building, she could quietly collect the items without alerting anyone outside.

There were only six rooms on the first floor. Alice opened the closest one and found utensils, pots, and various household items. As she proceeded to the next room, she realized the items looked familiar. Upon seeing a box labeled 'Safe House M,' she understood that these boxes contained the medicines transported this time.

Alice chose not to take these items and moved on to the next room. If she didn't take care of them, she wouldn't be able to drive her car out.

At that moment, she heard subtle sounds from upstairs. Alice quickly moved to the bottom of the stairs, and soon a tall man emerged, carrying a person covered in blood on his back.

Seeing that it was Hurley, Alice was about to step out, and the man's gaze swept over her position. Alice hesitated for a moment before walking out. Hurley's tense face seemed to relax, and a smile appeared, "So, you were hiding here. No wonder I didn't see you."

Hurley's lips curled up, and his eyes softened, "You're truly a kind girl."

Alice replied, "..." I suspect you're mocking me.

As they were talking, the main gate suddenly swung open. Two men standing outside were taken aback when they saw the three of them. Just as they were about to shout, two bullets were fired in quick succession, and the two men fell to the ground within seconds.

More footsteps approached from outside, and judging by their density, there were quite a few people.

"You go upstairs and hide," Alice instructed Hurley, speaking rapidly.

Hurley stared at her for two seconds, then lifted Crawford onto his back and headed to the second floor. He pulled out a gun, aiming at the wide-open gate.

With no one else around, Alice pulled out a Gatling gun, ready to open fire when the incoming people rushed in.

"Tu tu tu~"

The people who rushed in fell to the ground one after another, and the main gate was riddled with dozens of holes from the gunfire.

Hurley, watching from upstairs, muttered, "..."

It was strange. Where did she get the Gatling gun? He clearly hadn't seen it just now.

Five minutes later, silence fell outside the main gate, as if everyone had been eliminated by Alice. She approached the gate, threw a tear gas grenade from her inventory, and soon the outside erupted in commotion. Alice ruthlessly opened fire, and the casualties among the gang members were countless. They were not worthy of sympathy.

After the commotion subsided, Alice carried the Gatling gun and walked outside. The ground was covered with corpses, a gruesome and terrifying scene. She looked up and shouted to Hurley, "It's safe outside. You can come out now."

Hurley, still shocked by her actions, emerged with Crawford on his back, his gaze complex as he looked at her.

...

Javier and the others were jolted awake as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on them. Javier, looking at Alice and the bewildered group, asked in a daze, "What happened?"

Weren't they sleeping peacefully in their rooms?

Alice, observing their clueless expressions, sighed and rubbed her forehead. "The Peach Blossom Village was already controlled by the Falcon Gang. The villagers we saw were actually members of a bandit gang. The real villagers were held captive elsewhere, and someone has already gone to rescue them."

After hearing Alice's explanation, the group felt a shiver down their spines. If it weren't for her intelligence and quick reactions, would they still be alive to talk about it now?

An hour later, Javier and the others finally reunited with the real villagers.

Crawford's injuries were treated, and he apologized with a face full of regret, "I'm really sorry, almost getting you all trapped in a trap."

Javier sighed, "It might not be safe here anymore. Do you want to go to the safe house?"

With the abundance of bandit groups nowadays, many people were armed, and these villagers were defenseless. Relying on sheer numbers wouldn't be enough to defeat them.

Crawford hesitated, "Let me discuss it with everyone."

Javier didn't pressure them and just asked, "Do you still want to trade for the medicine?"

"Yes, we can gather some things to offer you what you need. We have enough food and poultry in the village. If necessary, we can even trade with potatoes, sweet potatoes, radishes, and so on from the cellar."

"Alright, we'll go retrieve the medicine first. Those things should still be there," Javier said.

Under Javier's lead, the convoy, along with the villagers, headed towards the three-story building.

However, their excitement quickly dissipated because the rooms were empty, far from the abundance they had imagined.

Beryl was dumbfounded. How could there be nothing? With such a large gang, there must be plenty of supplies unless someone had taken them.

She looked at Alice, who was leisurely walking over. Her eyes turned red with anger.