Chapter 117 Spiral World (55)

Chapter 117: The Spiral World (Part 55)

Xiong Leiting strode into the control room. The staff stiffened their backs and sped up their search.

"Find him now! Hurry!" Xiong Leiting swung his arm, and the rhythm of keyboard tapping grew even more frantic.

Li Junming arrived a step late, panting, he said, "Someone saw a Pioneer Army vehicle entering the market."

"What market?" Xiong Leiting whirled around, demanding urgently.

"The largest vegetable market in Tianhai City. It later expanded into an exchange market where many citizens trade supplies," Li Junming explained.

Xiong Leiting pondered briefly, then mused, "Leng Zhaoyuan put the entrance to the underground city in the market, using the crowds to cover his tracks and make trading supplies easier. That's incredibly bold."

"Tianhai City's energy is running on fumes, but there are still charging stations in the market. There have long been rumors that the exchange market's power comes from Energy Stones. It seems true," Li Junming added.

A data operator suddenly stood up. "Sir, found him!"

Xiong Leiting rushed forward and saw Lin Yanqing's figure in the blurry surveillance footage.

"Assemble the team immediately! We're storming the underground city!" Xiong Leiting barked.

"Director Xiong, isn't that too rash? Our personnel are all in Bei'an City. Getting in and out needs approval. The underground city's structure is complex. A rash attack might tip them off. Shouldn't we wait a bit longer?" Li Junming cautioned.

"That bastard Jiang Songnian kept me there drinking, clearly stalling for time. If the Pioneer Army gets there first and takes the Energy Stones, we won't have a leg to stand on later," Xiong Leiting considered for a moment. "Round up our men. Bring the underground city's blueprints. Then recall all our personnel in Tianhai City."

"All of them?"

"All of them!"

Li Junming fell silent. They still had over a dozen warehouses in Tianhai City storing vast amounts of survival supplies. These supplies were registered with the Alliance. If anything went wrong, Xiong Leiting would bear full responsibility.

He wanted to urge Xiong Leiting to calm down, but Xiong Leiting's mind was fixated on the Energy Stones.

The consumption rate of survival supplies increased daily, but Rare Energy could be recycled and reused. The more extreme the weather, the closer energy reserves approached infinity. The scales had tipped severely to one side, and Xiong Leiting clearly wouldn't change his mind easily.

Li Junming gritted his teeth. "I'm on it, sir!"

*

"Uncle Tai, your collar isn't straight," Jiang Sinian said softly.

Chen Tai tucked his collar in again, ensuring it was neat, then wrapped the scarf around Jiang Sinian.

"Lift your chin," Chen Tai said.

Jiang Sinian raised his head slightly, his gaze falling on Xia Li, who was daydreaming in the corner. He said reassuringly, "Xia Li, we'll be home soon. When we get back, I'll bake a delicious cake to share with everyone."

After speaking, Jiang Sinian swallowed hard.

Xia Li managed a weak smile. "I'm looking forward to it."

Jiang Sinian smiled shyly.

Chen Tai shouldered his pack, racked the slide on his pistol, and signaled for everyone to follow.

When they reached the corridor, they saw Leng Zhaoyuan and others had also changed into thick clothes and packed light.

Chen Tai asked in surprise, "Where are you going?"

Leng Zhaoyuan rubbed his nose and smiled. "Ah, well, the energy's run out, and the food's all gone. We have to leave here too, find somewhere else to hole up."

Chen Tai knew he was lying, but it didn't matter. Their goals were different.

Jiang Sinian suggested, "Grandpa, come with us. Let's go back home to Bei'an City together."

Leng Zhaoyuan pointed a thumb over his shoulder at the people behind him. "What about them? What happens afterward? Do you have enough boat tickets?"

Jiang Sinian pressed his lips together. His sickly pale face grew even whiter, looking terribly frail in the narrow, dimly lit passageway.

Leng Zhaoyuan chuckled, ruffling his hair as he passed by. "Good kid, let's go."

*

Lin Yanqing scuffed his shoe on the damp ground. The flashlight beam swept across various parts of the passage, the light settling on a corner of the rock wall where moss had grown.

"Why'd you stop?" Qiu Tian asked.

"The person I bumped into earlier... he must be an academician from the Academy of Sciences. I've seen him in journals; he looks very familiar," Lin Yanqing said, continuing forward.

"So what?" Qiu Tian didn't understand.

Lin Yanqing shook his head, his bewilderment only deepening.

Qiu Tian sighed. "The world is in chaos now. Many once-respected teachers have ended up on the streets. Don't think too much about it."

Lin Yanqing nodded.

Qiu Tian shouted ahead, "How much further?"

Drip... drip...

Amidst the noisy chatter, Lin Yanqing heard faint, rustling footsteps.

"Shh! Quiet! Someone's coming!" Lin Yanqing said.

At that moment, a grenade was suddenly thrown from around the bend in the passage. Lin Yanqing's eyes widened in shock, and he lunged forward, covering the back of the person ahead.

A deafening blast rocked the passage. The underground city, never seeing sunlight or fresh air, had narrow, confined tunnels. Flammable gases ignited by the flames created a fiery dragon that blasted through the damp, cramped corridor.

Lin Yanqing felt dizzy, his back a bloody mess with shreds of clothing stuck to the flesh. His blurred vision was filled with bloody, mangled limbs.

Lin Yanqing struggled to his feet. The Pioneer beneath him was ripped apart, a severed limb dangling below the knee. Agonized screams echoed through the passage.

The ground was littered with rubble. Lin Yanqing pushed aside a rock. The guide who had been hit was already dead. Qiu Tian's upper half lay covering him, while the lower half had fallen into a pool of water half a meter away.

Lin Yanqing's vision was tinged with red as he helped the severely wounded Pioneer up. "I'll carry you on my back."

"Don't... be a burden..." The Pioneer was fading fast, bloody tears sliding from the corners of his eyes. He raised a stiff hand and, with his last ounce of strength, plunged a knife into his own throat.

Out of the group of eight, only Lin Yanqing remained alive.

Lin Yanqing gently laid him down, propping him against the wall. He smiled bitterly. "Don't give up so easily."

A figure emerged from around the corner. Seeing Lin Yanqing still standing, the person showed a surprised expression.

"You threw the bomb," Lin Yanqing stated flatly.

"It was me. What a shame it didn't kill you," the man grinned, his eyes filled with provocation and disdain.

In his sight, Lin Yanqing stood there, clothes in tatters, his cold face smeared with grime. Despite being injured, he looked unfazed.

The newcomer's raised smirk gradually faded. He sensed danger and took a hesitant step back. But in the next second, his back bumped into someone.

He whirled around!

Lin Yanqing! Him again!

No! It's not! That is clearly a neatly dressed young man, not the same person who had just been blasted to a bloody pulp!

Just now?

A bomb?

What bomb?

The man looked down at his own palm—he hadn't even thrown the bomb yet...

Just as he was puzzled, a custom-made dagger pierced his heart. Stabbed straight through, he felt no pain, his life ended in an instant.

Lin Yanqing pulled out the knife, closed the man's eyes, looted the weapons from his body, and quickly rejoined the group ahead.

Qiu Tian and the others realized Lin Yanqing was missing and were about to go back for him when they saw him running over from behind.

"Where did you go?" Qiu Tian asked.

"Ran into a Psychic from the Property Management Bureau. Looks like Xiong Leiting has already made his move. We need to speed up," Lin Yanqing said.

Qiu Tian frowned and asked the guide, "How much longer?"

The guide said, his brow furrowed with worry, "An hour for ordinary people, ten minutes for Psychics. But this underground city is a maze—there are several paths we could take."

Qiu Tian took a deep breath. "So, Xiong Leiting's people might already be ahead of us."

The guide nodded. "You could say that."

Qiu Tian made a quick decision. "Alright, let's split into two groups. Psychics in one, ordinary people in the other. Give me the map. The guide goes with them."

"Be careful," Lin Yanqing said as he was leaving, then suddenly turned back. He placed a grenade in the hand of the Pioneer who had taken his own life and smiled. "Don't give up so easily. As long as you're alive, there's still hope. What's your name?"

"Jian Xi," Jian Xi replied, clutching the grenade and watching blankly as Lin Yanqing and the others left.

After they had gone, Jian Xi ruffled his hair, confused. "Tian-ge, why did he say that?"

Qiu Tian shook his head.

Jian Xi said shyly, "Could it be... he's interested in me?"

Qiu Tian kicked him in the shin. "Get moving!" Jian Xi rubbed his leg, feeling a lingering ache.