Achieving Demon Godhood from Unlocking Talents

He squinted, his eyes fixed on the dim space above him.

The ventilation duct was still swaying slightly, as if from the impact of the bullet, or perhaps stirred by the gusts of air from the windows on either side.

The duct was empty. Only a little accumulated dust drifted down from where the bullet had pierced through.

Looking through the bullet hole, he could even see past the duct’s sheet metal to the ceiling high above.

’An illusion?’

Qiu Shan frowned, then looked toward the three hostages in the corner.

He rose slowly to his feet. Standing over two meters tall, he cast a large shadow as he walked up to a young man in a security guard’s uniform.

After pulling the rag from the man’s mouth, he pointed to the ventilation duct.

"This thing—are there any entrances or exits?"

"N-no!"

Hearing the fearful, trembling voice, Lu Chao’s heart hammered in his chest inside the duct. He quickly looked ahead.

He smelled something scorching hot near his ear and knew a bullet had left a mark on his helmet.

A bullet had just grazed his head, a near-fatal miss.

In front of him,

Yang Wangtao was silent. He had turned onto his side inside the duct, supporting himself with his right arm to shift his body half an inch.

The two bullet holes, one above and one below, had pierced the exact spot where his left chest had been moments before. Lu Chao caught a glimpse of blood seeping from Yang Wangtao’s right arm; he was clearly wounded.

’Captain Yang...’

Lu Chao’s expression tightened with worry, but he couldn’t risk speaking to ask about the injury.

Then,

Captain Yang unexpectedly made a quiet "OK" sign with his left hand, signaling that he was fine.

Lu Chao let out a shaky breath of relief. Below them, the situation returned to what it was before.

"Don’t get any funny ideas!"

Qiu Shan smashed the butt of his rifle into the young security guard’s face, leaving it swollen and his mouth full of blood.

Without looking up again, he quickly returned to his seat and once more urged the gaunt, middle-aged Pharmacist to finish preparing the concoction.

His three accomplices also pushed aside their distracting thoughts, gritted their teeth, and resumed firing to suppress the patrol team outside.

Feeling slightly relieved, Lu Chao began to slowly crawl forward again.

The continuous sound of gunfire once again filled the factory, directed at the grounds outside.

He and Yang Wangtao finally reached the end of the ventilation duct, which opened up in the center of a network of crisscrossing steel girders.

Amidst the soft rustling, masked by the gunfire from below, they climbed out of the narrow duct one after another. Covered in gray dust, they each stood on a steel girder just wide enough for one person.

Lu Chao glanced at Yang Wangtao. His body armor was intact. The bleeding was coming from his right arm, where the cuff of his sleeve was torn and bloodstained—it looked like a graze.

Yang Wangtao drew his sidearm with his right hand. He mouthed the words, "I’m fine," adding a hand signal so Lu Chao would understand.

Completely relieved, Lu Chao stopped worrying and looked down at the scene below.

He assessed their surroundings again. The steel girders were a good six or seven meters above a second-floor platform, and they could use the hanging chains and hooks to slide down.

The three thugs were still firing from the main entrance and the sides, completely unaware of their presence. They occasionally shouted curses and taunts at the patrol officers outside.

As for Qiu Shan, who was sitting on a wooden crate in the back right, he was the trickiest target. He was only a few meters from the hostages and could use them as shields at any moment, forcing their hand.

Furthermore, a long strip of sheet metal extended from the steel frame overhead, blocking most of his body and making it difficult to get a clear shot at his vitals.

As Lu Chao weighed their options, Qiu Shan suddenly glanced at his smartwatch, as if he had just received a message. "Everyone, just hold on a bit longer," he said in a low voice. "The Rebels are on their way. Five minutes, max!"

Hearing this, his three accomplices were visibly energized. They cheered in response, and their gunfire became even more furious.

’These guys...’

Lu Chao and Yang Wangtao’s hearts tightened. They exchanged a look, both knowing they couldn’t delay any longer.

In the next instant, they saw the haggard-looking middle-aged Pharmacist, who seemed to have finished the concoction, walking toward Qiu Shan.

"I’ll take on Qiu Shan and draw their fire," Yang Wangtao suddenly whispered, his soft voice reaching Lu Chao’s ears.

"You rescue the hostages or provide cover for the team outside to get in. Whatever you do, make sure you protect yourself."

Lu Chao gave a firm nod, saying nothing more.

Their roles were clear. They began moving softly along the steel girders.

Once they were in position, they exchanged a final glance.

Yang Wangtao nodded. Then he leaped, grabbing a hanging chain and hook and using the momentum to swing down toward the factory floor.

In that instant, a whistling sound cut through the air.

Sitting in the back, Qiu Shan was the first to notice something was wrong. He frowned and looked up.

Before he could react, Yang Wangtao was already firing at him. He let go of the chain mid-swing, his Martial Arts Power erupting as he lunged through the air toward Qiu Shan!

The sudden commotion startled the three henchmen, who whipped around to see what was happening.

A mixture of shock and fury crossed their faces as they reacted. Some swung their guns around to fire, while others looked up at the steel girders, searching for more attackers.

But they never expected it.

FWIP! FWIP! FWIP!

Three steel nails shot through the air with the speed of bullets.

Lu Chao, who had also slid down a chain, landed with a cold gaze. He used his momentum to land in front of the hostages on the left, rolling once across the steel platform.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The sharp clang of metal on metal rang out as all three nails were deflected.

He rose to his feet and looked at the nearest man—the one with the thick beard, who had blocked the lethal nails with his submachine gun.

He met the man’s fierce, brutal gaze and stared down the cold muzzle of the gun as it swung toward him, the trigger about to be pulled.

Lu Chao’s expression remained calm. He didn’t flinch or dodge.

Instead, he lunged, charging straight at his opponent.