Su Chen was just about to raise his guns and fire when Nicole suddenly yanked him back.
She swung her integrated suitcase weapon and said, "Su Chen, stay behind me. Don't bother using those two little pistols of yours!"
"You call these little pistols?"
Su Chen held Ebony in his left and Ivory in his right, finding her words amusing.
These were the signature weapons of Dante from the Devil May Cry universe. They granted [+23% critical damage], [+8% critical rate], and [+50 strength] (which meant 5x the human limit).
Even without those buffs, Ebony could rival a high-caliber sniper rifle in power, while Ivory could lay down suppressive fire like a submachine gun.
For anyone to call these fierce tools "little pistols" was honestly insulting.
"Compared to my firepower, they're little pistols!"
Nicole shook her suitcase weapon and launched a shell at the approaching Red Fang goons.
A massive fireball erupted, blowing Miguel and his dozens of subordinates into a dusty mess. A few unlucky ones were killed on the spot.
The Red Fang grunts scrambled for cover and began returning fire in Su Chen and Nicole's direction.
"How's that?" Nicole raised her chin proudly, flashing a smug look at Su Chen.
Su Chen nodded casually and let Ivory spew fire.
He didn't aim for the head—he had many hacks, but auto-lock wasn't one of them.
Shooting fast and targeting the larger area of the torso was the smarter move.
That's where most vital organs were clustered. Enough shots and they'd go down all the same.
The gunfire was crisp and clean—notes in a deadly melody.
In just two seconds, Su Chen had fired twelve rounds.
Red Fang thugs fell one by one like dominoes.
"Boss! It's gotta be a whole damn squad firing at us! We need to fall back!"
"Yeah, boss! Their firepower's off the charts!"
The grunts were crawling on their bellies, rattled beyond belief.
The bullet density wasn't even that high—about what you'd expect from a submachine gun.
They had every reason to believe they were under fire from an elite Defense Force unit executing precision burst fire.
Miguel slapped one grunt so hard his face spun sideways. "A whole squad snuck in right under your nose? You blind or something?!"
"There's at most three people shooting at us—more likely just two."
"Lay down suppressive fire! Take them out!"
Judging by the infiltration so far, the enemy couldn't be more than five total—two grabbing the vault, one firing the cannon, maybe two more tops.
Still, it was nuts. How the hell could anyone shoot that fast and that accurately?
He had to see for himself who they were dealing with.
The goons opened fire in unison, trying to bury their fear in lead.
Their concentrated barrage completely blanketed Nicole and Su Chen's position.
And it worked—at least, it kept their enemies from firing back.
At the corner of the wall, Nicole and Su Chen ceased firing under the hail of Red Fang bullets.
They'd bought enough time—no need to risk getting hit by staying out in the open.
Nicole stared at Su Chen, stunned.
That shooting just now… had blown her away.
That pistol had fired like a machine gun.
Fast was one thing—but it was accurate too. She hadn't seen a single shot miss.
How the hell did he do that?
"Still calling them little pistols?" Su Chen gently blew the smoke from Ivory's barrel, his words layered with meaning. "I am pretty powerful."
Nicole nodded in agreement.
What she'd just witnessed wasn't just powerful—it was downright absurd.
This guy—mysterious, well-trained—wasn't he cut from the same cloth as Anby?
Did she really just stumble into two powerhouses?
Beside her, Su Chen watched the Red Fang movements while reflecting inwardly.
Even though it was his first time shooting people and taking lives, he didn't feel sick or panicked. Instead, there was a primal thrill to it.
After fusing with a battle-hardened legendary warrior, it made sense he no longer feared combat.
As for that rush of exhilaration—it was probably some ancient instinct encoded into humanity itself.
After all, even in modern times, humans were called "terrifying upright apes." Wildness was part of what made them human.
"Anby and Billy aren't done yet? This pressure's getting intense."
Su Chen frowned slightly, noticing the advancing firelines.
Red Fang grunts were closing in under cover fire.
In two more minutes, it'd be close-quarters combat.
Nicole glanced at her terminal, voice tight with urgency.
As she spoke, Anby and Billy emerged from the room—Billy clutching the vault in his arms.
"We got it! Let's move!"
The four regrouped and made a break for the opposite direction, away from Red Fang forces.
Back on the other side, Miguel and his troops continued to fire cautiously while advancing.
Eventually, they reached the position where Su Chen had stood moments ago.
All they found were scattered golden shell casings and a lingering trace of gun smoke.
"Damn it! After them!"
Miguel fired a shot into the air and roared with rage.
The sound of that gunshot would no doubt draw the cops here.
They had to catch those thieves before the pigs showed up.
Inside the building, Su Chen and the others sprinted through hallways, vault in tow, evading Red Fang's pursuit.
"Boss Nicole! You were awesome back there! You tanked all that firepower for us!"
Billy ran while gushing with admiration.
He'd heard the firefight from inside and nearly lost his circuits. He couldn't believe Nicole had held them off.
"Haha… well, of course!" Nicole laughed awkwardly, then sighed. "Okay fine, most of the credit goes to Su Chen. I was just the cherry on top."
In truth, Su Chen had done most of the work. Her "key contribution" might've just been that one celebratory blast.
"I figured." Anby said flatly. "Those casings on the ground weren't from your suitcase."
Smart, as always, Anby saw through everything. Nicole's suitcase hadn't gotten any lighter—it was Su Chen doing the heavy lifting.
Still, there were only about ten rounds on the ground.
For Su Chen to have turned dozens of Red Fang grunts into a panicked mess with that few bullets… his skill was undeniable.
Having such a powerful teammate truly was a blessing.
It seemed she'd definitely found the right person to inherit [Raiga].