Chapter 16: Li Su’s Rage
Over ten minutes later, the pollution source was completely eliminated, and the main force quickly reorganized and departed.
Chi Wan struggled to keep up with the Sentinel squad.
The battle just now had consumed almost all her Mental Power. Combined with her body not fully recovering from the poison, her legs felt increasingly floaty.
Just as she stumbled, she felt a large hand catch her waist. Immediately after, her body was lifted easily and landed on a massive snake body.
She perked up instantly, looking down at the beautiful scales of the Silver Python beneath her. The silver scales shimmered with iridescent light; though cold to the touch, they were extremely smooth.
She turned her head to look at Qi Ye beside her. “Thank you.”
Hei Mi and the others stared in disbelief.
Their Commander actually let someone else ride his Mental Entity?!
Everyone knew he was notoriously germophobic. Mental Entities inherited their master’s will, so this Silver Python was also mysophobic and aloof, usually refusing to touch even a speck of dust.
Th-th-this…
Everyone wore expressions as if they had seen a ghost, yet no one dared to say or ask anything.
Crossing the Lost Forest, the Sentinels waiting in the temporary safety zone ran over urgently.
“Commander, you’re finally here! We lost them!”
“They ran into the Old District where the terrain is complex. There are many underground buildings there, some going as deep as a dozen floors. A few of our brothers even got lost inside.”
Li Su glanced at Cang Lin and Qi Ye, then said seriously, “Lead the way.”
“Yes!”
The Old District of the Lost City was formerly a large-scale processing factory zone. Most structures were underground and interconnected. Countless corridors connected building to building, and the terrain was intricate, like a giant ant nest.
When Chi Wan arrived outside the Old District with the troops, she immediately saw a cluster of tall buildings resembling small hills.
Compared to the underground structures, what was above ground was just the tip of the iceberg.
“Ah Liang, what’s the situation on your side?”
“At Underground Building 06. They ran that way!”
Receiving the information, everyone immediately ran toward Building 06.
Building 06 stretched for thousands of meters, seemingly endless. It had over ten floors above ground and similarly over ten floors underground.
The building was somewhat damaged due to various battles that erupted after the pollution. Upon entering, they bumped into a Sentinel.
Sweating profusely, he said anxiously:
“Commanders, two more high-level pollution entities were discovered. They all went underground, splitting up north and south!”
The Commanders exchanged glances and immediately decided to split up for the pursuit.
Cang Lin took the A1 Base people south, while Qi Ye, Li Su, and the others went north.
Since the power system was paralyzed, everyone had to run down on foot. The stairs in the northern underground levels were mostly rusted, vibrating and shaking off iron flakes with the tramping of the crowd.
Since the snake body couldn’t move easily on the stairs, Qi Ye’s Mental Entity, the Silver Python, was recalled.
“Can you manage?”
His voice was slightly hoarse. Although his face still showed no emotion, Chi Wan sensed his concern.
She nodded and followed the main force without being pretentious.
“Commander, we have them blocked on the fourteenth floor underground. Fighting now. Their numbers are increasing. Requesting support!”
“Hold on. We’re on our way.”
As they went deeper, the surrounding space became more enclosed, and the light grew so dim it was hard to see clearly.
Searchlights flared on one by one, illuminating the rotting, abandoned underground factory. With just one glance, Chi Wan saw corpses in various states of death.
Some were human Sentinels, others were pollution entities. Judging by the decomposition, they had been there for some time.
With such a thick stench of blood and rot, plus the density of the pollution fog in the underground space, Chi Wan’s discomfort worsened.
For a moment, her stomach churned, and she felt cold all over from the distress.
By this time, Qi Ye had rushed to the front of the team due to his role as Commander. Chi Wan, whose mobility was getting slower and slower, fell further and further behind.
In the dim environment, everyone was rushing, and no one noticed her condition.
So gradually, Chi Wan fell behind the main force, struggling to follow at the very tail end of the team.
Her vision blurred, and her hands gripped the rusty handrails tightly.
Gradually, she heard the sounds of fierce fighting from below.
Gunshots mixed with the clash of blades and the shouts of Sentinels.
They had engaged the pollution entities.
Squeak squeak—!
Several giant mutated pollution rats scurried up along the handrail!
Startled, Chi Wan regained some clarity. She bit her tongue, relying on the pain to stay alert, and quickly followed downward.
They were fighting; she couldn’t be absent.
Pushing herself to the limit, she provided the strongest mental barrier she could for the Sentinels, keenly soothing any Sentinel with mental turbulence and blocking mental attacks from pollution entities in time.
Then, more pollution entities rushed up from below.
It was an eruption!
“Too many pollution entities. Retreat to the sides first.”
Hearing Qi Ye’s shout, Chi Wan immediately followed the troops retreating to the rear.
However, in the chaos, her head was dizzy again, and she didn’t notice which base she was following.
Only after retreating to the other side of the space did she realize she had followed Li Su’s A3 Base.
“On the other side. Chase.”
The crowd followed Li Su in pursuit to the rear.
A3 is fine too. Following any base is the same.
Chi Wan quickly caught up. Running onto a suspended walkway, they saw a massive high-level pollution entity running rapidly on the walkway below.
Li Su immediately flipped over the railing and jumped down.
His extreme agility allowed him to land unscathed from a jump of over four meters. After landing precisely, he executed a clean throw, tossing down two pollution entities. The other Sentinels didn’t dare jump directly and ran forward to go down via the stairs.
That high-level pollution entity was obviously panicked. It released signals to summon pollution entities constantly while fleeing madly itself.
Fleeing without attacking—everyone guessed it was likely the Space-Attribute pollution entity.
Combat morale soared instantly; it was as if they had been injected with adrenaline, itching to capture it immediately.
But just then, another high-level pollution entity rushed out. Its shape was grotesque; its three-meter-tall body looked like black mud, featureless and extremely fast, cutting off everyone’s route.
Bang bang bang—!
Sentinels took out their guns and swept the area with fire. The high-level pollution entity’s mud-like body could actually swallow bullets; gunfire was useless against it.
“Use blades! Chop off its head!”
Several Sentinels drew long blades and charged.
Simultaneously, the iron doors on the other side burst open, and a massive number of pollution entities rushed out!
They were all former factory workers. Their faces were green, eye sockets sunken, pupils pitch black. Like evil spirits lurking in the underground factory, receiving the signal from the high-level pollution entity, they attacked the Sentinels madly.
The scene was extremely chaotic, but with Chi Wan’s assistance, the Sentinel squad managed to hold their own against the pollution entities.
The intelligent high-level pollution entity immediately realized a high-level Guide was assisting these Sentinels.
Its mud-like body transformed instantly. The originally three-meter-tall body turned into a puddle of sludge, slithering strangely on the rusty ground.
In the darkness, it was hard for the Sentinels to detect its tracks.
Chi Wan’s heart raced. Intuition told her it was coming for her!
She retreated frantically. Without a searchlight, she ran blindly and crashed straight into a hard chest.
A strong scent of male hormones filled her nose. Unlike Qi Ye’s cold, astringent tone, Li Su’s scent was tough and steady. Without even looking at Chi Wan, he swung his blade at the lunging high-level pollution entity!
Chi Wan dodged quickly. Turning back, she saw the pollution entity forced back several meters by the energy-wrapped blade, turning into soft mud to escape.
At the same time, the iron doors on several other walls burst open one by one!
Countless pollution entities rushed out!
“The Space-Attribute pollution entity is dead. You guys escape from here; I’ll chase that high-level one.”
“Yes, Commander!”
With Li Su’s order, hundreds of Sentinels turned and ran immediately!
They weren’t afraid of this massive sea of pollution entities because their Commander’s ability was “Intimidation,” the best for checking mass attacks.
Under Li Su’s Intimidation ability, all pollution entities retreated several steps, afraid to advance.
Meanwhile, Li Su charged down against the flow of people.
Chi Wan wanted to stay and help but was dragged upward by a Sentinel.
“Run, Guide Chi Wan! There are too many pollution entities here; the Commander can’t look after you.”
Feeling he made sense, Chi Wan ran up quickly with the crowd.
But they had just gone up two floors when they encountered another batch of pollution entities.
This batch obviously didn’t belong to the previous group. Some Sentinels continued to retreat upward, while others stayed at the rear of the team to block the pollution entities.
Running at the tail end, Chi Wan naturally shouldered the responsibility of helping these Sentinels block the enemies.
But she was truly too tired.
The prolonged combat had overdrawn her body beyond its limits.
Her body, poisoned by the Poison Scorpion Weed, was incredibly fragile.
Amidst the chaotic sounds of battle, Chi Wan knelt on the steps, clutching the handrail.
“Several Level 5s! Their combat power is too strong. Retreat first!”
“I’ll cover the rear, you guys run!”
She vaguely heard the shouts of the Sentinels.
“It’s a mental attack! Guide Chi Wan, I need a mental barrier!”
Among the many voices, this one was particularly distinct.
Sensing the Sentinel’s call to her, Chi Wan raised her head with difficulty.
Her vision was foggy now, as if shrouded in mist. Her Mental Power was also extremely chaotic at this moment. She struggled to condense her Mental Power, but she couldn’t gather it no matter what.
“Cheng Lian, Cheng Lian, hold on!”
“Where is Guide Chi Wan? Isn’t she behind us? Why isn’t she helping us?”
“That’s Chi Wan. This isn’t the first or second time she’s done this. Don’t count on her. Retreat!”
…
“The Commander is here!”
“Great, we’re saved!”
In the battle ahead, a powerful energy suddenly appeared.
It was Li Su.
The pollution entities were killed or injured in an instant.
A large number of Sentinels retreated upward under cover.
When Chi Wan used all her strength to stand up, she met the gazes of several Sentinels rushing up.
Seeing her standing by with her hands folded, disgust flashed past their eyes as they brushed past her and rushed up.
The last one to walk up was Li Su. In front of him, a Sentinel was heavily injured and unconscious, being carried up by two other Sentinels.
Seeing the unconscious Sentinel, Chi Wan’s face went pale.
It was the Sentinel who had called out to her.
Feeling the disgust in Li Su’s eyes as he looked at her, she pressed her lips tight, lowered her eyes, and said nothing. Her small hand gripped the handrail so tightly it almost bled.
He walked toward her step by step, the oppressive pressure in his eyes threatening to swallow her whole.
Chi Wan endured the dizziness and physical discomfort, backing away. Her pale face looked deathly white in the gloom.
But none of this entered his eyes.
The light of the searchlight in his hand had dimmed after long use. It shone on his face, dividing it into two distinct halves along the bridge of his high nose.
His voice was endlessly cold:
“A3 Base will not welcome your participation in any future operations.”
“You… stay as far away from A3 Base as possible.”
After speaking, he strode away, moving like the wind, not waiting for her.
Chi Wan wanted to walk up, but her feet could no longer move an inch.
Her vision plunged into total darkness, and she tumbled down the stairs.
Recommended Reads
