Chapter 62: The Trap
Gao Qiqiang sent his younger brother Gao Qisheng, along with A-Biao and a few others, to quietly scout out the area outside the Yourton Hotel.
They hid in a building by the roadside, binoculars in hand, observing the situation inside the hotel.
Back when the scorching heat ravaged Blue Star, Gao Qiqiang had relied on his ruthlessness—and a gang of loyal underlings—to seize control of a supermarket. With the ample supplies inside, they weathered the heatwave unscathed.
When torrential rain came and floodwaters engulfed Magic City, Gao Qiqiang sensed the danger just in time. He quickly led his men and drove away.
The bus in their convoy was packed with supplies—enough, by rough estimates, to last them several months.
"Damn, that bastard Su Chen is smarter than he looks," A-Biao cursed, scanning the area around the Yourton Hotel.
He had served in the army and could tell at a glance that the Yourton Hotel was a highly defensible location—easy to hold, hard to attack. Open ground surrounded it on all sides, with only one road leading in.
"Wang Ye, do you know where Su Chen parked his Nomadism RV?" A-Biao asked, turning around.
"In the courtyard behind the hotel," Wang Ye replied promptly.
After being injured by Su Chen, Wang Ye had nearly died in the heavy rain. Luckily, A-Biao and Gao Qiqiang's group had returned just in time. They hadn't planned to save him, but A-Biao argued that Wang Ye had spent time with Su Chen and might know the layout of the hotel.
On A-Biao's advice, Gao Qiqiang spared Wang Ye's life and drove him to his clinic. That's how Wang Ye survived.
But although his life was saved, one of his legs was permanently crippled.
After this, Wang Ye became fiercely loyal to Gao Qiqiang and A-Biao—and utterly hateful toward Su Chen. He was the one who leaked the information that Su Chen and his group were staying at the Yourton Hotel.
"Alright, got it," A-Biao said. After observing a while longer, he and Gao Qisheng returned to the Green Forest Hotel, which they were using as a temporary base camp.
"Boss Gao, based on my recon, a direct assault is out of the question," A-Biao said gravely."That bastard Su Chen's got a shotgun, and who knows what other weapons he's hiding in that RV.""If we attack head-on, we're bound to suffer heavy losses.""Worse, if that kid senses trouble and drives off early, we'll lose everything."
Gao Qiqiang frowned. "Then what do you suggest?"
His desire to take down Su Chen wasn't just about the money Su Chen owed—it was also about that Nomadism RV. Originally built to handle extreme climates and environments, Su Chen had clearly upgraded it further.
If Gao Qiqiang could get his hands on it, it would greatly improve his group's quality of life—and security.
"We strike at night," A-Biao said after thinking for a moment.
Visibility would be poor, but that worked in their favor—it would help them get close without being spotted.
Men like A-Biao and Gao Qiqiang were big, brutal, and merciless. If they could sneak into the hotel, the survivors inside—like He Wang and Sun Yuan—wouldn't stand a chance.
After a round of discussion, Gao Qiqiang, A-Biao, and the others finalized their plan.
Time ticked by, and night soon fell.
With the power long gone, the entirety of Phoenix Mountain was plunged into darkness. Only the occasional flash of lightning briefly illuminated the landscape.
Gao Qiqiang had nearly fifty men. Including A-Biao's group, they numbered about sixty.
He left a dozen behind to guard the camp. The rest followed him toward the Yourton Hotel.
To avoid alerting the enemy, they turned off all flashlights in advance. Fortunately, faint lights from inside the hotel gave them just enough guidance.
Saying little, they followed the plan. Gao Qisheng, A-Biao, and a few others led the charge toward the hotel.
Under cover of darkness and heavy rain, they weren't worried about being spotted by the survivors inside.
They crept closer to the hotel's outer fence, preparing to climb over.
Suddenly, a scream rang out. One of the men at the front fell to the ground with a howl of pain.
"Ah—it's a trap, Brother Sheng!"
Before Gao Qisheng and A-Biao could react, another man collapsed, clutching his leg.
Panicked, Gao Qisheng turned on his flashlight, not caring if it gave away their position.
The beam illuminated the scene: the two downed men had stepped into steel-jawed leg traps—powerful, high-grade models typically used for hunting medium-sized game.
The injuries were horrific. Deep gashes exposed bone, and blood gushed from their wounds.
The group stood frozen in shock.
What the hell?Why were there animal traps here?
Several companions rushed forward, trying to pry the traps open. But no matter how hard they tried, the jaws wouldn't budge.
Just then, two blinding spotlights lit up from inside the hotel, sweeping over Gao Qisheng's group.
Everyone was stunned.
What the hell—spotlights? In the hotel?How do they even have electricity?
Before they could recover, a sharp whoosh pierced the rain. A deadly arrow flew straight at them.
A man next to Gao Qisheng didn't react in time—he was hit directly in the abdomen. The arrow tore right through him!
The group recoiled in horror.
That kind of power—it had to be from a modern compound crossbow.Those things were deadly. Strong enough to punch through multiple riot shields.
A headshot from one of those? Instant death.
More arrows followed in rapid succession. Four or five more men were struck and fell where they stood.
"Retreat!" Gao Qisheng shouted, realizing the operation had gone south. He turned and ran.
The rest of the group panicked and scattered, fleeing back toward the Green Forest Hotel.
Back at the building, panting and soaked, Gao Qisheng recounted the ambush to his brother.
Gao Qiqiang was speechless. He stared at the traps and arrows still embedded in his men's limbs and growled,
"Why the hell are there spotlights in the hotel—and how are they working?"
"And why the hell does Su Chen have leg traps and compound crossbows?"
Cold sweat mixed with rain trickled down A-Biao's face. He opened his mouth and said hoarsely,
"I... I don't know."
If Su Chen had a couple of crossbows for self-defense, that would make sense. But judging from the volley just now, there had to be at least ten.
Not to mention those steel traps.
A-Biao could only ask one question:
What kind of sane person keeps this kind of stuff in their RV?