Chapter 171

Chapter 171

The main road was bombed, and many sections of the third level had already collapsed. Fortunately, the lower level, which could only be accessed on foot, was still passable. There were no pedestrians on the road, so the convoy drove along the lower level toward the White Frost District plantation.

Shen Juanjuan looked out the car window at the buildings on both sides, seeing that the doors were tightly shut, but there were many shadows moving behind the curtains, all secretly observing the outside situation.

He turned on the car's radio to listen to the battle updates, with the Teddy Bear and the silver wolf also perking up their ears to listen.

"... We have breached the second line of defense at the White Castle and are about to storm in."

Shen Juanjuan recognized Xiao Rui's voice and immediately sat up straight, looking at Chu Ya.

"Shouldn't we go to the White Castle to catch Gu Lin?" Shen Juanjuan gritted his teeth, clenching his fists in the air, "I want to catch him with my own hands, pull out his zombie fangs and nails, and chop him into pieces, so small that they can't even be put back together."

"Awooo!!" The Teddy Bear stood up from the back seat, mimicking the aggressive gesture.

Chu Ya, driving the car, said, "We must follow the commander's allocation and orders; otherwise, it will be chaos and might affect the entire military operation."

Shen Juanjuan understood this, but understanding didn't ease his frustration. He angrily slapped the seat again, "Let's go to the White Castle! I just want to catch him and kill him with my own hands!"

"You are now a reservist and cannot act on impulse," Chu Ya said.

As he spoke, an angry roar came from the radio: "Why can't I go to the White Castle? I want to capture that old zombie Gu Lin alive, peel off his zombie skin, and cut him into a thousand pieces!"

The voice drowned out Xiao Rui's commands, clearly belonging to Ye Hongkuo. Shen Juanjuan pointed at the radio, "See, even the president is acting on impulse."

"Old Ye, calm down."

"I am calm. I can go to the White Castle right now—"

Ye Hongkuo's shout suddenly stopped, indicating someone had turned off his communication device.

"Report to command, we have breached the second line of defense at the White Castle and entered it."

Yun Tuo's voice sounded, "Everyone, be careful. Gu Lin has already become a zombie, don't let him hurt you."

"Bullshit! Let me go, I'm wearing full steel armor, let him bite—"

"President Ye's communication device is open again. Turn it off, no, take it away."

Gunfire and shouts echoed, followed by hurried footsteps rushing upstairs. Shen Juanjuan knew the army was clearing the White Castle and listened intently, afraid to miss any sound. Chu Ya continued driving silently, his jaw tight and his expression serious.

"First floor cleared."

"Cease fire immediately, drop your weapons... Still resisting, open fire!"

"Second floor cleared."

"Third floor cleared."

"Fourth floor cleared."

"Report to command, we have taken over the White Castle, but after searching the entire building, we found no sign of Gu Lin."

Shen Juanjuan suddenly looked at Chu Ya, "They didn't catch Gu Lin? Did you hear that? They said they didn't catch Gu Lin?"

"Don't rush, listen further," Chu Ya said.

Yun Tuo's voice became slightly more urgent, "Are you sure every room has been searched?"

"Yes, he's not in the White Castle."

"Command, we found several researchers hiding in a room. They said Gu Lin left the White Castle half an hour ago with some people," a panting soldier's voice said, "They also overheard Gu Lin's conversation..."

The man was running too fast, breathing heavily, but no one interrupted him, all listening tensely to what he would say next.

"They said Gu Lin plans to blow up the Jueshi levitator!"

Upon hearing this, the entire channel fell silent, and Chu Ya abruptly hit the brakes.

Shen Juanjuan asked in shock, "Did I hear that right? Gu Lin wants to blow up the Jueshi levitator? Does he want to destroy the entire Cloud Peak? Is he insane?"

"He's been insane for a long time," Chu Ya's expression was grim, "He took people with him, probably to blow up the four Jueshi levitators. They left the White Castle half an hour ago, so they should be near the second levitator by now."

Xiao Rui's voice suddenly came through Shen Juanjuan's earpiece, a command heard by everyone.

"Everyone, pause your current tasks, whether you're engaged with the Morning Star Army or doing something else. Immediately notify the nearby residents of Cloud Peak and organize them to evacuate through the Tuka passage to the Abyss."

Yun Tuo's voice followed, "The Jueshi levitators are located at the four corners of Cloud Peak. All soldiers near the corners, head to the levitators immediately!"

"The First Army's Fifth Squad, twenty men, is near the second levitator, we're on our way!"

"The Second Army's Sixth and Seventh Squads, forty men, are heading to the third levitator."

"The Third Army's thirteen reservists are close to the fourth levitator, we're already on our way!"

Hearing this, Shen Juanjuan immediately sat up excitedly, "That's Tang Yuanyuan speaking! I've been looking for them, they're near the fourth levitator."

Chu Ya also picked up the communication device, "All flight squad members return to the landing field immediately and transport the residents to the Abyss. Wang Wei, you drive the No. 01 aircraft."

"Understood."

"Roger."

After giving the order, Chu Ya did not turn back to the landing field but got out of the car, continuing to issue commands to the convoy behind him, "We are close to the first levitator. Regular soldiers, drive from the front right ramp off the main road and head to the first levitator. Scout guides, get out of the car and take a shortcut with me."

As Chu Ya spoke, Shen Juanjuan and the two quantum beasts had already gotten out of the car. Chu Ya lifted Shen Juanjuan onto the silver wolf's back, and the Teddy Bear returned to Shen Juanjuan's mental domain. As soon as Chu Ya finished giving the orders, the silver wolf darted into a narrow alley between two buildings, with the scout guides riding their quantum beasts following closely behind.

Everywhere, soldiers from the three armies were shouting through megaphones, "Cloud Peak is in danger, Gu Lin plans to blow up the levitators. Everyone, leave the buildings quickly and follow us to the Abyss..."

Just a minute ago they were in battle, but now they had to leave their hiding places. No matter how the soldiers shouted and urged, no one appeared on the streets. The Morning Star Army soldiers did not believe their words and took the opportunity to launch several assaults immediately.

The silver wolf carried Chu Ya and Shen Juanjuan, darting left and right through the narrow alleys of Cloud Peak, racing towards the location of the first levitation device.

Artillery fire still raged across the city, so when an explosion sounded from the distant right, it did not attract much attention. But after this explosion, the ground of the entire city suddenly sank and tilted to the right.

Riding on the back of the silver wolf, Shen Juanjuan saw the buildings ahead tilt in unison, and the building beside him creaked under the strain, suddenly leaning in as if about to crush down on his head. The alley was also squeezed narrower.

Shen Juanjuan let out a scream, and Chu Ya pulled him into his arms, shielding him with his body. Bricks and debris fell, striking the protective shield around them with a thudding sound. Thick dust rose, blurring Shen Juanjuan's vision, but he could hear the violent rumble of buildings collapsing somewhere.

The silver wolf dashed out of the alley, and various sounds kept coming through Shen Juanjuan's earpiece.

"It's too late; we just reached the second levitation device when the explosion happened. Now those who planted the bombs have already taken off with gliders into the abyss. People below, be careful."

"Don't panic, Cloud Peak is only slightly tilted, the Tuka passage has not been damaged, quickly move people down."

"The area near the second levitation device is more severely tilted, many buildings have collapsed."

...

"How are the other three levitation devices?" Xiao Rui's voice came through.

"We are heading to the third levitation device, almost there."

"We are also almost at the fourth levitation device."

Shen Juanjuan's eardrums buzzed, recognizing that the last speaker was Chen Hongliang. Although the situation was tense, hearing his comrades' voices made him both happy and excited, but he was also very worried about them going to protect the fourth levitation device with only a dozen people.

Xiao Rui said gravely, "People nearby, hurry to support them, absolutely cannot let them blow up another one."

"Yes."

Yun Tuo added, "Ignore the third levitation device for now, go directly to the first and fourth."

"Yes."

Shen Juanjuan thought for a moment and understood Yun Tuo's intention. The third levitation device was diagonally opposite the second, which had already been destroyed, so even if it were gone, Cloud Peak could still hold on for a while. But the first and fourth levitation devices were adjacent to the second; if these two points were blown up, Cloud Peak would lose its support and slide completely into the abyss.

"We are heading to the first levitation device, estimated ten minutes to arrival," Chu Ya replied over the communicator.

"The first levitation device is farther from White Castle, you should be able to get there before them," Xiao Rui said.

After all the orders were given and everyone had split up to execute them, Chu Ya added, "The tech team has opened a separate communication channel for our team and the team heading to the fourth levitation device, it will only take ten minutes."

Shen Juanjuan was surprised but quickly understood that Chu Ya wanted him to contact his comrades.

His heart warmed, but he couldn't express much, so he gently squeezed Chu Ya's arm.

The silver wolf navigated through the swaying buildings, with a few other senior students riding quantum beasts following behind. Fortunately, the buildings in Cloud Peak were densely packed, and even those that tilted excessively were often supported by neighboring structures, so not many buildings completely collapsed. Those who had been hiding inside buildings also came downstairs, screaming and rushing onto the streets.

"Don't panic, don't crowd, everyone go to the Tuka passage, don't crowd..." Soldiers, covered in dust, held megaphones and led people toward the passage.

The silver wolf burst out of the building cluster, and ahead lay a large planting area.

The bottom of Cloud Peak was a single metal plate welded together, and due to the sinking on the right side, some welding joints had cracked, creating wide gaps, below which was a vast sea of clouds. The planting buildings were less dense, and those without support had already collapsed, leaving piles of concrete and rubble with green stems and leaves poking out.

Several quantum beasts galloped through this planting area, but the light suddenly dimmed, and a rumbling sound came from above. Shen Juanjuan initially thought it was artillery, but looking up, he saw rolling dark clouds and tree-like lightning flickering, signaling an impending heavy rain.

The tech team had already set up a separate communication channel as Chu Ya requested.

"Can you hear me? Can you hear me?" Shen Juanjuan asked.

Immediately, several delighted voices came through the earpiece: "Shen Juanjuan!"

"Where are you, Shen Juanjuan? Is Lin Duozhi with you?"

"We were so worried about you two, but we ran into Zhao Xiaozhuang earlier, and he said you two stayed at the orphanage after reaching the abyss, didn't go anywhere, and were very safe."

...

Listening to the chatter in his earpiece, Shen Juanjuan knew Zhao Xiaozhuang hadn't told the truth to avoid worrying them, but now wasn't the time for detailed explanations, so he briefly replied, "Yes, we're both safe. Lin Duozhi is with Brother Chengcai, and I'm with Mia, heading to the first levitation device."

"You and Chu Ya be careful!" Liu Sijin's voice sounded.

Shen Juanjuan worriedly replied, "You guys need to be careful too, you're going to the fourth levitation device."

"Understood."

"We know."

"No problem, worst case, we break a bone again."

"Mm-hmm."

The quantum beasts were about to leave the planting area, and Shen Juanjuan could see several arched buildings standing at the edge of Cloud Peak, like giant bowls overturned on the ground. He seized the moment to say, "If a fight breaks out, I might not be in the best condition."

"Why?" Chen Hongliang asked.

Shen Juanjuan quickly replied, "Because I just went through a heat last night, a real mating heat, and my body hasn't fully recovered yet. But it's nothing serious, just a little impact."

There was a two-second silence, followed by the delighted shouts Shen Juanjuan hoped for.

"Awooo..."

"Wow!!! Heat, Shen Juanjuan is in heat!"

"With Brother Chu Ya or the suppressant?"

"Awooo..."

"Chen Hongliang, keep your voice down."

Shen Juanjuan said casually, "Without the suppressant, it's meow." Then he added, "By the way, don't tell anyone about this yet, keep it secret for now."

"Got it, hehe."

"Hehe... Tell us what happened, go on, we can listen while we fight."

"We've already reached the first hovercraft. I'll give you the details later," Shen Juanjuan's tone turned serious, "You're heading to the fourth hovercraft, be careful. You might run into Gu Lin; he's a zombie now, don't let him bite you."

"Understood, you and Brother Chu Ya too."

After a brief reminder, Shen Juanjuan cut off the communication. At that moment, a quantum beast rushed past him, and he instinctively turned his head, meeting the gaze of a senior student riding it. He felt something odd in the senior's eyes and noticed the same strange expressions on the other seniors.

He was momentarily stunned before realizing that their conversation had been on the squad channel, and everyone in the squad had heard it clearly.

Shen Juanjuan truly felt embarrassed, his face began to burn, and he glanced back at Chu Ya, who was sitting behind him. Chu Ya, however, kept his gaze forward, his expression calm.

"Meow..." Shen Juanjuan whispered, seeking help.

"It's fine." Chu Ya gently bumped his chin against Shen Juanjuan's head and then said to the seniors, "Don't say anything, handle it internally, keep it secret for now."

"Understood."

"Got it."

As they approached the buildings around the first hovercraft, Shen Juanjuan put aside his other thoughts and focused solely on the structures. The others quickly entered combat mode.

Chu Ya released his psychic energy to investigate and then said through the earpiece, "There are dozens of soldiers outside the building. I'll charge in directly, you guys hold them off outside."

"Understood."

Shen Juanjuan and another guide began to clear the mental domains of the sentinels. As they burst out of the planting area, gunfire erupted ahead, and a barrage of bullets and psychic attacks came their way.

Several figures moved behind the buildings, their shields clanging as they were hit, cracks appearing and quickly mending. The quantum beasts charged forward under the hail of bullets, with the seniors attacking those people and escorting the silver wolf carrying Shen Juanjuan and Chu Ya into the "bowl."

"Block the entrance, don't let them in."

"Copy that."

The interior of the building resembled a hollow tower, with stairs spiraling around the walls, gradually descending. The silver wolf and Teddy Bear led the charge, with Shen Juanjuan closely following behind Chu Ya, descending the spiral staircase amidst the roar of machinery.

He leaned over the railing and saw the mechanical cluster below, cold wind whistling through the gaps between the gears.

Footsteps echoed from below, indicating someone was rushing up to support, and three psychic energies surged toward Shen Juanjuan and Chu Ya.

They didn't stop, continuing their descent, and Chu Ya's shield intercepted the three psychic energies. Shen Juanjuan's psychic energy entangled their bodies.

The three were high-ranking sentinel guides, but Shen Juanjuan had advanced to an A-level guide. When he activated the Psychic Bind, the footsteps below suddenly stopped, followed by the thud of three bodies hitting the ground.

By the time Chu Ya's psychic energy finished them off, the Teddy Bear and silver wolf had reached the quantum beasts. The Teddy Bear swiped its claws viciously, and the three quantum beasts dissipated into black smoke, leaving it with a snarling, claw-raising pose, its eyes darting around.

More enemies rushed up but never even saw Shen Juanjuan and Chu Ya, being eliminated on the stairs.

They descended quickly, traveling about six or seven floors down the spiral staircase when Chu Ya suddenly warned, "Be careful, they're right below us."

Gunfire erupted, both of them crouched close to the wall, and several bullet holes appeared above them, with cement dust falling. Several psychic energies struck their shields, producing heavy thuds. One of the psychic energies was particularly fierce, instantly shattering a part of the shield, which Chu Ya quickly repaired.

Chu Ya, now a sentinel not lower than A-level, possibly even higher, had his shield shattered, indicating that the psychic energy belonged to Gu Lin.

Shen Juanjuan saw a wide platform to the right of the next level, with the west and south sides sealed off. The east side was the center of the tower, and the north side was open, leading to a vast sea of clouds.

Several large instruments stood on the platform, and about seven or eight Morning Star Army soldiers in combat uniforms surrounded a large metal box. One soldier held an instrument and squatted in front of the box, trying to unlock the password-protected door.

One man was tall, with a pale complexion and a network of veins visible on his exposed skin, his eyes completely black. Shen Juanjuan immediately recognized him as Gu Lin.

He immediately thought of how this man nearly killed Chu Ya, his heart pounding, blood rushing to his head, and he raised his gun to shoot.

Chu Ya suddenly pulled him behind a concrete pillar, and a row of bullet holes appeared where he had just been standing.

"Don't rush, wait for the right moment to charge down. Gu Lin has fully become a zombie, look at his neck," Chu Ya pressed Shen Juanjuan against his chest, leaning against the concrete pillar.

Shen Juanjuan peeked out from the side of the pillar and saw a pigeon-egg-sized lump on Gu Lin's right neck, like a tumor.

"A crystalline ice sac?"

"Yes, he has completed his mutation and grown a crystalline ice sac."

Shen Juanjuan knew that only S-level mutants and Zombie Kings grew crystalline ice sacs to resist psychic energy. Gu Lin having one made him feel both terrified and repulsed.

On the other side of the platform, a small aircraft was parked, its engines running, the cabin door open. Shen Juanjuan saw a silver-white coffin inside, about the length of a person.

"What's in that long coffin? A bomb?" Shen Juanjuan asked.

"That's a coffin," Chu Ya replied briefly.

"A coffin?"

Chu Ya explained, "An automatically temperature-controlled ice coffin."

Shen Juanjuan thought for a moment, "It contains Jin Gao?"

"Probably," Chu Ya narrowed his eyes, "He's preparing to blow up the hovercraft and escape, so he's bringing Jin Gao's body with him."

The Teddy Bear and silver wolf also hid behind a concrete pillar. The Teddy Bear was eager to charge out, but the silver wolf held it back, causing it to bare its teeth and wave its claws silently.

Bullets struck the concrete pillar behind them, sending up plumes of dust, and the shield continuously buzzed from impacts. Chu Ya said, "They are opening the Jishi energy box that powers the hovercraft. We need to find a chance to charge down. I'll break their shields from left to right, and we'll take out his subordinates before Gu Lin can repair the shields."

"Got it!"