Extremist Organization

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Bullets flew wild, kicking up plumes of dust from the dilapidated rooftops. The street erupted with the shrill screams of pedestrians and the chaotic clatter of scurrying footsteps. Shielding a trembling Qin Shuman, Qiu Tu sprinted to a crumbling low wall by the roadside. With one hand pressing her head down to keep her under cover, he cautiously peeked out to observe the situation. There were not many enemies—only seven or eight men. They all wore matching black knitted balaclavas and patched-up, worn tactical vests, with a large red X spray-painted across their chests. The conspicuous attire let Qiu Tu identify them at a glance. *The Reform United Front?* The Reform United Front, also known as the United Front, was an extremist anti-government militant group opposed to the rule of the Eight Sanctuaries in this world. Its declared mission was to liberate the zones pending planning from the dominion of the Eight Sanctuaries, using violence such as assassinations, kidnappings, and raids as its primary methods. Qiu Tu had heard Yan Chen mention this organization before. At the time, Yan Chen had been so furious his eyes nearly split, cursing them as nothing but bedbugs. He had not expected to see them in person today. If even Qiu Tu could recognize the group's members, the Special Service Department agents like Fang Ming naturally recognized them as well. Shouts immediately rang out among the agents on the scene: "It's those United Front bedbugs!" "Take cover!" "Rooftop, thirty to seventy degrees, sixteen people, all armed!" At this moment, as the highest-ranking agent present, Fang Ming took full command of the scene. Frantically gesturing for his men to fan out, he shouted toward Qiu Tu, "Keep Miss Shuman safe! Wait until we eliminate the enemy!" Hearing Fang Ming's orders, Qiu Tu glanced at Qin Shuman out of the corner of his eye. Still in a state of shock, Qin Shuman cowered beneath him, not daring to move. She made no suspicious gestures, and there were no visible anomalies, but Qiu Tu still felt something was off. Jiuxiang Street was merely one of the most unremarkable among the seventy-nine streets in Xinjie City. It had no military facilities, no government institutions, no United Bank—nothing at all. Why would the United Front attack here for no reason? Were they drawn here by the Special Service Department agents? But... wasn't that a little too coincidental? Unable to figure it out, Qiu Tu decided to watch a bit longer. He cautiously poked his head out to observe the scene. What he saw left him somewhat dumbfounded. The Special Service Department was the most formidable arm of force within the Investigation Bureau, and the United Front was a vicious, ruthless extremist group. Qiu Tu had expected an intense, back-and-forth firefight between the two. Yet in reality, over thirty people across both sides held more than thirty guns, blazing away with loud bangs. Although it looked lively and chaotic, at most a few people suffered minor scrapes, and not a single combatant was taken out of the fight. Watching this display of amateurs pecking at each other, Qiu Tu was genuinely astounded. *What the hell is this? Are they putting on a show?* Puzzled, Qiu Tu swiftly combed through his memories to understand what was going on. Soon, he found the reason. It turned out that resources were scarce in this post-cataclysmic world. Gunpowder and firearms were both rare commodities. Consequently, members of extremist organizations received little training, and their marksmanship was utterly mediocre. As for the Special Service Department, although it was a powerful division of the Investigation Bureau with many privileges and an ammunition quota, Xinjie City had been established for less than a year. Most of the lower-level agents were newly recruited rookies who had barely received any training, so their skills were equally mediocre. As a result, when the two sides clashed, neither could effectively inflict casualties on the other. Beyond the shock of this unexpected discovery, an audacious idea struck Qiu Tu. *Could this be an excellent opportunity to break the stalemate?* These two groups might be incompetent, but Qiu Tu was not! In his past life, he had handled and practiced with guns every day just to protect himself. He had even seized opportunities to undergo semi-military training. Coupled with his natural talent, his marksmanship far surpassed that of these amateurs. He had even taken part in a few small-scale corporate shootouts and turf wars, giving him real combat experience. If he could showcase his marksmanship in this firefight and then play his cards right... tonight's ordeal might be resolved with ease, and he might not even need to go to Cross Street... Slowly sketching out a blueprint in his mind, a plan took shape. A moment later, Qiu Tu's gaze turned resolute. He glanced once more at the two warring sides, then reached into his pocket for his battered bar-style communicator. Tapping out a few keys, he sent a message. Once the message went through, Qiu Tu reached behind his lower back and drew the pistol he had previously pointed at Qin Shuman. This was standard issue for ordinary agents in the Investigation Bureau, meant to ensure absolute dominance over civilians in the zone pending planning. With practiced ease, he ejected the magazine and checked the bullet count: twelve rounds. He then recalled his predecessor's memories regarding this pistol. The effective range was about forty meters, but because weapons issued to ordinary agents were secondhand castoffs retired from the sanctuaries, their precision was somewhat lacking. Still, for the current distance of twenty-odd meters between both sides, it was more than enough. With that in mind, Qiu Tu smoothly slammed the magazine back in and racked the slide. Assuming a high-ready stance, he observed the battlefield, patiently awaiting an opening. Within seconds, Qiu Tu's peripheral vision caught an enemy on the opposite roof stepping out from behind cover, heavily exposing his body in Qiu Tu's line of sight. In that instant, without the slightest hesitation, he leaned out, locked into a Weaver stance, aligned his sights, and fired three consecutive shots at the man: *Bang! Bang! Bang!* Gunsmoke drifted and spent shell casings clattered. The three bullets tore through the air like thunderbolts, striking toward the enemy with lightning speed. Qiu Tu's timing was so precise that the man had no time to dodge! *Crack! Thud, thud!* One bullet grazed past his body, while the other two pierced cleanly through his lower left abdomen and left thigh! In that split second, the enemy staggered as if struck by a sledgehammer! A moment later, two bursts of blood bloomed, instantly soaking his clothes crimson! *Thud!* He collapsed onto the rooftop, groaning and completely incapacitated! This was the first casualty to be put out of action since the firefight began. For a second, the entire battlefield seemed to freeze. By reflex, the Special Service Department agents snapped their gazes toward Qiu Tu, as if seeing him for the first time. Meanwhile, the extremists were startled, scrambling into cover and firing back toward Qiu Tu's position in a panic. By then, Qiu Tu had already pulled back behind his barricade. Stray bullets whined, smacking against the low wall sheltering him with loud thumps, unable to harm him in the slightest. Just like that, thanks to Qiu Tu's sudden intervention, the battlefield fell into a brief lull. Neither side dared to fire blindly like before, both becoming far more cautious. However... rookies were still rookies. No matter how cautious they tried to be, they would easily reveal flaws. Before long, Qiu Tu caught another enemy moving out from behind cover. Decisively shifting his aim, he fired three more shots! "Bang! Bang! Bang!" *Crack!* His luck was merely average this time; of the three bullets, only one struck the enemy's right chest. Yet it was still enough to incapacitate him. And that was more than enough! If severely wounding an enemy the first time could be called a fluke, cleanly taking down another on the second try could hardly be dismissed as luck. And so... "Retreat! Retreat!" The opposing side had been nothing more than a ragtag bunch to begin with. Seeing that Qiu Tu was a sharpshooter, they lost all will to fight, hurriedly hauling their wounded and fleeing in disarray. The low, sloped rooftops of the abandoned city provided ideal cover for a withdrawal. After putting up a show of force by firing a few shots into the air, the Special Service Department agents let them flee without giving chase. Once the anti-government forces retreated, the Special Service Department agents finally stepped slowly out from their respective covers. They looked at Qiu Tu with complicated expressions, their mouths opening several times, yet not knowing what to say...