The gunshots inside the room ceased, and everyone around Xiao Fan stood up.
Xiao Fan and Zhao Dashan didn't say anything, but Han Dongyang and the others were a bit restless.
Because right now downstairs was chaotic, it seemed like a large group of people had entered the building.
Chen Fudong's people, Lu Wang's people, Li Dahai's people, Zhang Peng's people, as well as the people of some other leaders, were now being gathered by Chen Fudong and Lu Wang.
Added together, the number of armed personnel from these seven or eight groups easily exceeded three hundred.
With so many people guarding the building, outsiders couldn't get in. They could only be trapped to death inside.
The heavy machine guns were powerful, but bullets are limited, right? Bullets will run out eventually, so what will they do then?
Guo Mingjie, An Lan, Han Dongyang and the others urgently picked up their walkie-talkies to contact people outside for rescue.
Xiao Fan stopped their actions.
"If you believe me, order your people to retreat."
The others didn't move, but Zhao Dashan was the first to make a call on the walkie-talkie.
"Everyone retreat to... Brother Xiao, how far to retreat?"
"A safe distance."
"Retreat five hundred meters away, immediately!"
Zhao Dashan's subordinates were the first to retreat. After all, the deal had been completed at this point, so it was time to withdraw anyway.
Seeing Zhao Dashan obey so readily, Han Dongyang was a bit surprised. But still, he did as Xiao Fan said and ordered his men to retreat.
Then Guo Mingjie and An Lan also ordered their subordinates to retreat one after another. After all, they were now in the same boat as Xiao Fan, and there was no way out.
As the troops retreated in batches, Chen Fudong and Lu Wang, who were hastily bandaging wounds on the second floor, suddenly regained their spirits.
"Damn it! Now they know they shouldn't have done this. Too late! I'll tell you, none of you are getting out of here alive today!"
By their side were also the subordinates of Li Dahai, Zhang Peng and others. With their bosses now dead, they didn't have much grief. Deaths were too common these days. With some people dying, it was just a chance for them to move up.
A new alliance was formed, with over three hundred people crammed inside the building. It was so crowded that some people had to spread out, using obstacles and such to form an outer defense line, to prevent Xiao Fan, Zhao Dashan and the others from counterattacking.
Chen Fudong and the others also wanted to use these people to provide fire support from the outside against the third floor, preventing Xiao Fan and the rest from escaping through the windows.
In a short while, the surroundings of the building were cleared of people.
Chen Fudong had his thigh bandaged up, and Lu Wang's butt was wrapped up like a rice dumpling. Grimacing in pain, they were preparing to maneuver their troops to start their revenge.
But before they could mobilize on this end, one of their subordinates came scrambling in.
"Boss Chen! We're done for!"
Chen Fudong's wound was hurting. Hearing this, he couldn't help but greet the man with a loud slap across the face.
"You're the one who's done for! I'm fine!"
The subordinate was slapped dizzy, but he still persisted in spitting out a mouthful of blood foam, "No, Boss Chen! Xiao Fan's men are about to attack!"
"So what if they attack? There are so many people on our side. With the building as a stronghold, what can they do, fly into the sky?"
"Maybe they can't fly, but they can probably blast us just the same."
"Blast us? What nonsense are you spewing?"
The subordinate couldn't explain clearly anymore. He simply handed Chen Fudong a pair of binoculars.
Chen Fudong took the binoculars and went to the window to observe. At one look, he couldn't help but gasp.
Just a moment ago Xiao Fan's men had retreated several hundred meters, but now there were more than ten soldiers on that side, setting up a row of mortars.
Working in pairs, they were loading shells and adjusting trajectory, taking aim right at them.
Chen Fudong took a look and then passed the binoculars to Lu Wang.
"What is this? Mortars! How does Xiao Fan have these things?"
"Aren't they afraid they'd miss and end up killing themselves too?"
Before Lu Wang's questioning voice faded away, they fired!
The professional competence of Red Guards soldiers was beyond doubt. At this distance they were clearing the outer defenses, in no danger whatsoever of threatening the building itself.
Continuous barrages from five mortar rounds, and the temporary outer defenses manned by over a hundred people had collapsed.
Without any proper military training, these people were just an armed mob. After two rounds of shelling, those still alive were like frenzied hornets fleeing a destroyed nest, charging madly into the building.
The doors were jammed. So it was through the windows.
Mortars fired in a ballistic trajectory. Indoors they would have effective shelter.
Just when they had raced inside, thinking they were now safe, the scene that followed made them even more distraught.
They saw that Xiao Fan's troops had actually begun advancing on the building!
Leading ahead of them were actually two infantry fighting vehicles mounted with auto-cannons!
Auto-cannons were more than a match for heavy machine guns. After all, anything with "cannon" in the name would roar loud enough to penetrate the building walls.
But even more dreadful, as the vehicles advanced, they had begun firing missiles!
Whoosh...!
With white trails behind them, two anti-tank missiles sailed straight through the first story windows.
The distance was only two hundred-plus meters. At this range the vehicles had pinpoint accuracy to shoot through the windows.
Boom boom...!
Explosions thundered inside the rooms.
They had thought hiding indoors meant safety, only to be dealt this crushing blow.
Those two small rooms had barely any survivors after taking two anti-tank missile hits.
Some tried to return fire, but their bullets against the armored vehicles were like tickling itches with no effect whatsoever.
Behind the infantry fighting vehicles were two armored vehicles.
As the armored vehicles drove straight up to the building, the firing ports extended rows of individual rocket launchers, continuously firing volleys through the windows. By then these people could take no more.
There was no fighting this battle.
At best they might shoot on zombie outsiders, but now they had somehow become embroiled in a battle with regular troops?
"We surrender! We surrender!"
"Stop shooting! Please, we are willing to unconditionally surrender!"
No matter how Chen Fudong, Lu Wang and the other leaders tried to restrain them, the men below completely ignored orders. Raising whatever white cloths they could find, they streamed out from the building, hands up in surrender.
********