Chapter 173: He Can Refuse Me Himself
Captain Du Cheng could still hear Pei Hanchuan’s voice as he walked back toward the vehicles.
Behind him, the shelter’s interior lights remained on. Cold air hadn’t once escaped through the damaged outer gate because another sealed barrier stood between his men and the rooms below.
They had accomplished nothing by cutting the electricity.
Captain Du stopped beside the medical transport. Its engine rattled beneath the hood, and hot exhaust stirred the dust around his boots. Through the open rear doors, he could see the stretcher secured against the floor.
Someone had covered the dead soldier’s face.
"Close those," the captain instructed the driver, looking away. "Keep the AC running."
The driver obeyed without answering.
That silence had become common since the shooting. Men who had questioned him freely during evacuation work now waited for instructions and followed them with their mouths shut.
But Du knew they were watching him.
He had ordered the soldier to continue after Hanchuan raised his rifle. He had believed the threat would remain a threat because he didn’t think that the CEO of such a major empire would actually pull the trigger.
Clearly, he was wrong about that.
Sergeant Luo approached from the western side of the building. Dust clung to his knees, and his eyes remained red from whatever the chemical was that was released outside the secondary door.
"We’ve pulled everyone away from the damaged approach," Luo reported. "The supports are still standing, but I don’t want men waiting underneath them."
"Leave it clear," Du agreed, shifting into the narrow shade beside the transport. "What about the main entrance?"
Luo glanced toward the broken gate.
"The equipment we brought won’t get us through that barrier quickly," Luo replied. "Especially while someone on the other side is shooting."
Captain Du pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek. The sergeant hadn’t accused him of anything, but he could hear the rest of the sentence anyway.
No one was willing to push through quickly, knowing that they were going to be sitting ducks as they fought to get inside.
"Bring the shields forward," Captain Du said after a moment. "But nobody goes near the door until I give the order."
Sergeant Luo remained where he stood.
"We’ll need heavier equipment," Luo warned him. "And someone who can assess the structure before we use it."
Du nodded toward the radio in his hand. "I’ll put in a request for both," he assured the other man.
Luo left, passing two soldiers who were sitting against a truck’s shaded wheels. One had removed his helmet and was pressing a cloth against his face. The other stared at the medical transport.
Du stepped farther from them before calling headquarters.
Commander Zhao answered after a delay long enough for sweat to run beneath Du’s collar.
"The external connection was already isolated," the captain reported, his words concise. "The occupied section has independent power."
"I heard," Commander Zhao replied, unimpressed.
Du looked toward the building. From the road, Xiling still resembled an archive that had survived the surrounding damage. Its ordinary appearance was part of the reason why they had assumed that things would go a lot smoother than they hand.
Now, he couldn’t afford to assume anything.
"We need an engineering team before another attempt," Captain Du continued. "The inner barrier was purposefully reinforced. The western approach is unstable, and the defenders have working security systems."
"What would you need to force entry?" asked the commander.
Captain Du watched as Sergeant Luo open the equipment compartment on a truck. Two soldiers joined him, their movements slow beneath the weight of their clothing.
"More than we brought," Du replied honestly. "And I can’t promise the occupied rooms will remain unaffected."
The commander didn’t respond immediately.
Du could hear voices behind him, followed by the scrape of something being moved across a desk.
"Qiao Zhiyi may be injured," Commander Zhao reminded him after a long moment. "We need her, alive and well."
"That’s why I’m asking for an assessment," Du replied. "We came prepared to transport a patient, but this has become an assault on a fortified residence."
He waited for the reprimand.
Instead, Zhao asked him to describe the entrance again.
Du did, keeping his account plain. He reported the failed attempt at the western door, the protected observation room, and the distance his men would have to cross before reaching the inner barrier.
This time, he didn’t describe Hanchuan as uncooperative.
"He will shoot again," the captain concluded.
"I understand that," Commander Zhao replied.
But Du wasn’t certain he did.
The commander had heard a report where as Du had watched a man fall after obeying him. That memory was going to be etched in his brain for a long time.
A medic emerged from beside the transport and stopped a few paces away. Du raised a hand to acknowledge him.
"Hold your position," Commander Zhao ordered. "Make no further attempts until I contact you again."
Captain Du ended the call and turned toward the medic.
"What is it?" Du asked.
"Two men need a cooling break now," the medic informed him. "The others can’t keep standing outside in this equipment indefinitely."
Du glanced toward the trucks. Their shade had narrowed, leaving one soldier’s legs exposed to the sun. The man pulled them closer without lifting his head.
"Rotate them through the vehicles," Du instructed.
"The vehicles are already struggling," the medic replied. "We need to reduce exposure."
Du rubbed a hand across his forehead. The dust on his fingers mixed with sweat, leaving a gritty smear above his eyebrow.
"Do what you can," Du told him. "I’m suspending movement toward the building."
The medic nodded and returned to the waiting men.
For the first time since arriving, Du stood still long enough to notice the heat pressing through the soles of his boots. Across the road, dead leaves hung motionless from a tree whose bark had split down one side.
Inside Xiling, nobody had asked for water. Nobody had offered to negotiate for fuel or a place on an evacuation convoy.
They had simply shut the door and continued living their life as if the heat wasn’t a factor.
Sergeant Luo returned carrying a shield. He set it upright beside the truck and waited.
"Headquarters has suspended entry," Du informed him.
The sergeant’s shoulders lowered slightly.
"Are we withdrawing?" Luo asked.
Du looked at the transport before answering.
"Not yet," Du replied.
His radio sounded before Luo could respond. Du recognized the commander’s voice and stepped away from the truck again.
"I’ve reviewed the available equipment," Zhao informed him. "We cannot bring in what you’ve requested without pulling it from evacuation work."
Du closed his eyes briefly. Even that small movement made him aware of how badly his head had begun to ache.
"Then what are your orders?" Du asked.
"Keep your men back from the entrances," Zhao instructed. "I’m coming to Xiling."
Du looked toward the shelter’s illuminated passage.
"Sir, he knows whose orders we’re following," Du warned.
"I know," Zhao replied. "This time, he can refuse me himself."