March 23rd, 7:45 PM
Mansion Gate, Gu Tianhao's Compound
John Wang POV
——
The last lock snapped under my fist, and prisoners were streaming like a flood.
Women with ripped dresses, kids clutching scraps, and men who looked like they hadn't seen the sun in weeks ran for the shattered gates.
My group fought like wolves, covering them as bullets cracked overhead. One guy tried to crawl through, only to have half his scalp taken off by a passing round.
"Get down!" I bellowed, yanking a girl flat as the dirt around us exploded.
Zhou Xue and Deng Hua kept up a relentless stream of cover fire. Tang Wei barked orders, her voice slicing through the noise. Roulan dragged a limping old man through the dust, never looking back.
Then the world split wide open with the chatter of a heavy machine gun.
Ratatatatatat—
Screams.
