Delta: Who are you saying has suffered a loss of strength?

Gunfire continued incessantly on Phoenix Cry Team Two's side, and the situation wasn't much better on Team One's side.

Captain Ma and his team cleaned the first floor of the main building of the large substation and walked to the east door of the lobby.

Looking out, I saw several figures moving this way, moving very cautiously and in a tight formation. It was Captain Zhao's team.

Captain Ma called out in that direction, "Captain Zhao!"

The figure opposite paused for a moment, waved to Captain Ma, and led a group of people over quickly.

Captain Zhao's face was covered in more dust than Captain Ma's, and there was a tear in his left sleeve, revealing a bandage underneath.

"Team Leader Zhao, we have now secured the first-floor lobby area," Captain Ma reported to the team that had just entered from the east entrance.

"Well done!" Captain Zhao looked at Captain Ma's leg injury, then at the bloodstains on the other two team members, and said, "You guys didn't have it easy either."

Both teams' bulletproof vests were riddled with bullet holes. Captain Ma replied, "We encountered several ambushes on the way, which caused some trouble and delayed us."

Captain Zhao forced a smile, but quickly composed himself.

He glanced at his watch and said, "We've wasted a lot of time; the obstacles on the road are greater than we expected."

"Those Asara soldiers can now fire crossfire, although their aim isn't perfect, their positioning is much more organized than before."

"There was another guy hiding behind the wall who pounced on me and grabbed my leg without even using a gun. Damn, he almost dragged me down."

Captain Ma frowned. "Sucking up to someone powerful? That's outrageous."

Captain Zhao said, "He wanted to trip me up so the people behind me could hit me. It was a stupid method; you can tell they're not as rigid as they used to be."

Captain Ma said, "It's similar on our side. These Asara soldiers are different from the previous ones. They not only coordinate their attacks, but they can even set ambushes and traps now."

Captain Zhao paused for a moment before speaking, "These Asara soldiers are indeed different from the previous ones, but they're not too troublesome. How's the second floor? Any news about Saeed? Has he come down yet?"

Captain Ma responded, "No, I had people keeping an eye on the stairwell, but there was no movement, so we didn't dare go up."

Captain Zhao nodded, casting an approving glance. "Well done for not acting rashly!"

The six members of the Phoenix Cry Club gathered in the lobby on the first floor and did a quick check of their equipment.

All six individuals sustained varying degrees of damage to their protective gear, but fortunately, the damage was minor and they were still usable. The extent of their injuries was also within a manageable range.

Captain Zhao straightened up and glanced at the stairwell leading to the second floor.

The staircase is located at the far end of the hall, against the wall. It looks quite wide, enough for three or four people to walk side by side.

The problem is that it doesn't turn; it goes directly from the ground floor of the lobby to the second floor without any bends in between.

The staircase is flanked by cement walls with peeling green paint.

There's only one staircase to the second floor, and Said's firepower at that distance is terrifying.

Captain Zhao looked away, glanced at his watch, frowned, and said to the person next to him, "We can't delay any longer, we have to go up."

Captain Ma said, "This staircase is too straight, without any turns. If Said were to be placed on the second floor, we would be easy targets if we showed our heads."

"I know, but we had no choice. There's no road outside the main building of this substation, we can't exactly climb the wall, can we?" Captain Zhao said. "I don't know why Said chose this location today."

Captain Ma paused for a moment, then said, "Let's go for it. We have six men, while Saeed only has one gun."

Captain Zhao grunted in agreement, then turned to the other four and said, "Listen up, I'll go first, Ma's team second, and the rest of you follow in your usual formation. Walk softly up the stairs, and don't show your face at the top of the stairs yet, test the waters first."

One of the taller players on the team said, "Captain, how about I go scout ahead?"

Captain Zhao glanced at him and nodded. "Okay, you go investigate. Be careful and stay safe."

The tall team member agreed and walked in front of Captain Zhao with his gun in hand.

The six people began to move up the stairs, their footsteps very light, but the faint friction sounds could still be heard in the empty hall.

The tall man walked at the front, with Captain Zhao about two meters behind him. Captain Ma followed behind Captain Zhao, and the remaining three people lined up in order, forming a long vertical line.

The tall man stopped at the base of the stairs.

He leaned against the left wall at the top of the stairs and looked up. The stairs were indeed very wide, with no handrails on either side, only bare cement steps.

He pointed the gun upwards without saying a word, only glancing back at Captain Zhao.

Captain Zhao nodded.

He stopped and listened for a while, but there was no sound from above; it was so quiet that it was as if no one was there at all.

The tall man turned around and mouthed to Captain Zhao, "No sound."

Captain Zhao mouthed back, "Continue."

The tall man climbed two more steps, and by then his head was almost level with the ground on the second floor.

From this angle, he could already see some things on the second-floor floor through that low wall, such as scattered pieces of paper and a few overturned chairs.

He slowly, very slowly, as if he were surfacing on the surface of water.

He paused in that spot for two or three seconds, then pulled back and turned to Captain Zhao, saying, "I can't see anyone. The ground floor on the second floor seems empty."

Captain Zhao said, "Probe again, give him a little shake so he can fire."

The tall man turned around again, this time with a larger movement. He raised his body slightly, quickly peeked out from the stairwell, and then withdrew.

It remained quiet up there. He shook it again, this time for a little longer than before, but there was still no response.

The tall man turned around, his brows furrowing. "Captain, it really doesn't seem like anyone's up there."

Captain Zhao also wondered if there was no one upstairs. If Said had somehow escaped, all the effort they had put in today would have been for nothing.

Captain Zhao gritted his teeth and said to the tall man, "Try it out one more time, take a good look, and let your head stay out for a while longer."

The tall man took a deep breath; he was clearly a little nervous, but he still nodded.

This time, instead of quickly pulling back, he slowly peeked out, letting his gaze sweep across the entire second-floor floor.

The first thing he saw was a few overturned office chairs nearby, their legs sticking up. Then he saw a row of metal filing cabinets against the wall in the distance, all with their doors open, revealing a few folders hanging inside.

Several packages were placed in various corners of the room, similar in appearance to those in the lobby on the first floor. It was unclear what was inside them.

A quick glance around revealed an empty space; not a soul in sight.

He then took a bolder step upstairs to continue observing. "Captain Zhao, it seems no one is upstairs. It looks like Saeed has already left..."

boom!

None of the six people had time to react, even Captain Zhao, whose reaction speed was among the best in the club, was a beat slow at that moment.

Then they saw a white light.

The beam of light shone from deep within the second-floor platform, moving at incredible speed, sweeping horizontally across the tall man's head.

The tall man froze for a moment.

A large mass of white light flew out, carrying the tall man's head with it.

The mass exploded in mid-air into a large cloud of mist, which then scattered and landed on the nearby walls and steps, making a series of fine crackling sounds.

The tall man's head seemed to be pushed from the inside by something, and his whole body suddenly turned half a circle to the right.

Then he slammed his body sideways against the wall next to the stairs. His shoulder hit the wall with a thud, and then he slid down the wall and fell sideways on the steps.

From deep within the second floor came a chilling, cold laugh.

"You've fallen into a trap!"