The henchman, understanding the situation, picked up the breathing apparatus from one corner of the table and handed it over.
Mayer grabbed the breathing apparatus, aimed it at his mouth and nose, pressed the nozzle, and took a deep breath.
The medication entered the bloodstream through the mucous membranes of the mouth and nose, allowing his entire body to relax, and the anxiety he felt just moments ago was completely swept away.
After catching his breath, he stood up again and asked, "Where are those guys fighting now?"
"Warehouse No. 6... So they’re closing in. How many of our brothers have we lost?"
"Three or four dozen brothers have been killed by those guys upfront, and many are injured. But they’ve also suffered significant casualties. That group of Adcardo guys is still blocking the tunnel entrance, causing quite a lot of damage..."
It sounds like the casualties aren’t too high, but the problem is that it’s their own turf and they’re being beaten back, which is bound to affect morale.
After fighting for so long, they’ve more or less figured it out. There are about thirty company mercenaries upfront, with fierce firepower, but they only have rockets and explosives.
"Have the people upfront withdraw to me. I want to see what those company mercenaries are capable of..."
The central warehouse has a large space and a simple layout, which allows the numerical advantage of the Night Wanderers to be fully manifested here, rather than getting entangled with company mercenaries in narrow tunnels with limited numbers.
Most importantly, here lies the stash of contraband that the Night Wanderers dare not sell.
They won’t believe we can’t kill them!
The Night Wanderers on the frontline received the order to retreat, and the players soon noticed the weakening of upfront firepower. Looking up, everyone had disappeared.
The inept warriors raised their heads, cautious and puzzled, looking at the front lines. The fighting was fierce just moments ago, and suddenly everyone had fled.
"Are they... retreating?"
Brother Ni: "I think maybe the BOSS is about to appear. It’s usually in games—minions leave, and the BOSS comes out..."
There are only 12 players left here now, apart from two sent back for treatment, Mayer and others were killed in action while advancing.
They died horribly, blown into pieces by grenades.
"What will your BOSS look like? Could it be a dominatrix wielding a whip or a super robot?"
Only players would react ; normal people would wear a grim face after losing so many comrades, everyone injured, and facing an uncertain path ahead. So how could they joke around without pressure and indulge in small fantasies?
Jianxue Nameless: "I think the opening CG might show us shooting down the Night Wanderers’ escape helicopter, then a Brother Ni descends from the sky, opening voice line—man!"
Brother Ni: "Don’t care."
Lin Miao listened to the players joking, but he couldn’t be as relaxed as they were. Heaven knows what big guns the Night Wanderers were hiding.
They’ve been mixing in Night City for so long, it’s normal to have two ace cards. Lin Miao wouldn’t be surprised even if they whipped out a nuclear bomb.
After all, this side has the United States disintegrating. Maybe it will play out in a Free State carelessly losing a nuclear bomb.
If they really dare to pull such a stunt, then perhaps not only the Night Wanderers will be wiped, but the Chaotic Blade Association will be taken out too.
After confirming that the Night Wanderers had retreated, Lin Miao stood up and dusted off. Seeing this, the players knew their BOSS had instructions and quickly quieted down.
"Let them retreat if they want to. With Adcardo at the back, the Night Wanderers can’t escape. Let’s just let them wait at the rear while we resupply and regroup carefully, and wait for the two companions who went back for treatment. It’s never too late to launch an attack when we’re fully assembled."
"Count how much heavy firepower we have left. There might be another big battle up ahead."
Thanks to the recent seizure of a truckload of weapons, they were not short of bullets, but they were running low on rockets after the recent fighting.
After briefing the players, Lin Miao turned and walked towards the tunnel exit.
The players have plans for similar situations, such as having dual-combat rocket launchers or having Brother Ni sneak up with a bag of explosives for a big blow.
If it weren’t for a lack of time, this group might even seriously consider putting together a 75MM howitzer.
Besides the truck carrying the players, a small truck was parked at the tunnel entrance, and atop it hovered a drone and automatic guns, ready to fire at designated targets instantly and alert Lin Miao.
He opened the door and climbed up. The truck cabin was partitioned into three small rooms.
Lin Miao checked the room numbers to avoid entering the wrong one.
The room behind the door was narrow, equipped with two mainframes, a computer, a vital sign monitor, and a bathtub, so cramped that Lin Miao could barely turn around.
The bathtub was filled with ice and water. Just looking at it made Lin Miao feel cold, not to mention Lucy lying there naked.
Vital signs showed everything was normal.
"Lucy, I’m going to disconnect your deep dive link."
The computer screen flashed an "OK."
A hacker can disengage from a deep dive without help, but Lin Miao wasn’t foolish enough not to assist.
Following the instructions, he disconnected the link from the mainframe, then reached out to detach the interface from Lucy’s nape and lifted her out of the bathtub.
Just dipping his hand into the icy water sent Lin Miao into a shiver; he couldn’t imagine how these hackers could stand it, lying there without clothes. Luckily, he wasn’t a hacker, spared from such torment.