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Chapter437
Suddenly, there was a deafening explosion, which roused Situ Han. As he emerged from the plane, he saw Zhou You sprinting towards the source of the noise.
Catching up, Zhou You stopped him, firmly saying, "Stay here. If danger approaches, fly away immediately and don't follow me."
"But..."
"Go back!" Zhou You commanded resolutely.
The blast was so powerful that it even caused the ground to crack. If such a potent weapon was deployed, it indicated the presence of a formidable opponent.
Zhou You sprinted in the direction of the sound. Although it felt like it was right next to him, half an hour of running revealed no signs of people. Not far ahead, thick smoke billowed, obscuring the bright night sky.
What had happened? Filled with fear and urgency, Zhou You quickened his pace towards the smoke.
The surroundings grew dimmer. Zhou You didn't use his flashlight but put on a helmet with night vision capability, only to realize he almost stepped into a chasm.
A fissure more than three meters wide stretched before him, completely splitting the ground, likely the aftermath of the recent explosion.
After such a massive explosion, could anyone nearby possibly have survived?
Zhou You's heart raced as he leaped over the fissure and ran onward, a single thought consuming him: "Shao Qi, you must be safe!"
Further ahead, a layer of ash covered the ground. There were even unburnt bones that didn't look human.
He checked his phone; still no signal. He took a brief video, then discarded the device onto the ground.
Turning on his high-beam flashlight, its beam illuminated the vicinity. Whatever the previous terrain had been, now it was just an expanse of ash. All life had been incinerated.
He hadn't seen any flames from the time of the explosion until his arrival, meaning this ash was created almost instantaneously. How extreme was the temperature?
He didn't even dare think about it. A human body in such conditions would be instantly turned to ash.
His armor insulated him from external temperatures. Soon, dark clouds gathered overhead and a torrential rain began.
At a location like the Life Base, one might not witness such heavy rainfall in decades, right?
Zhou You felt disinclined to proceed, standing motionless. The closer he got to the epicenter, the more devastating the scene, rendering any hope of finding anything increasingly bleak.
Why had he decided to land the aircraft earlier? A few more minutes, and maybe he could have seen Shao Qi and the others.
Why hadn't he arrived sooner?
Zhou You crouched and sifted through the ash. Beneath the top layer of ash lay charred earth, and only deeper did he find the natural soil color.
The smell of gunpowder lingered in the air. A conspiracy theory crossed Zhou You's mind: Had the real target been Shao Qi from the start?
By unleashing a swarm of mutated beasts to attack the base, Shao Qi would undoubtedly come to assist. After his arrival, any distraction could draw him closer.
But only a nuclear bomb could cause an explosion of this magnitude, right?
Although wars between nations have ceased in the modern world, it's inconceivable for nuclear weapons, the most destructive of arms, to vanish entirely.
But if a nation possessed the sophisticated means to launch such weapons, why wouldn't they target Dawn City directly?
On second thought, compared to the potency of a nuclear weapon, the affected area here seems too confined. Perhaps it's some kind of new explosive device.
Based on the footage he had captured, the enemies had both humans and beasts. Could they be luring Shao Qi into a mutual destruction?
This speculation isn't far-fetched, but he refuses to accept it.
"Shao... Qi..." Zhou You exclaimed with all his inner strength. His voice echoed across the vast landscape, resonating far and wide. Yet, he heard no response.
The rain intensified. The water refracted the light, and his visibility diminished. Unsure of which direction to take, Zhou You trusted his instincts and picked a path.
Chapter 222: Peril
"Cough... cough..." A sporadic cough emanated from a pit. After a while, a hand emerged from the pile of ashes, and soon after, a figure sat up.
Rainwater pooled in the pit, coating the man in a muddy gray layer. His vision blurred as he opened his eyes, his mind foggy, and he could hear nothing.
He tilted his head, allowing the rain to cleanse him. His body bore numerous wounds, mostly burns, and a deep gash marked his right cheek.
It took him a full ten minutes before he could take his first step, pain coursing through every inch of his body. He felt drained, and even lifting an arm was a struggle.
Shao Qi's clarity of thought gradually returned. His first instinct was to find his comrades. He had arrived with three subordinates and a vehicle, yet now he was alone.
He remembered shielding the others with a defensive barrier before the miniature nuclear explosion. He wondered if they had survived.
Crouching in the mud, he dug incessantly. Rain streamed down his face, lightning in the distance illuminating his blood-covered hands.
Rewinding to the previous afternoon, Shao Qi and his team had pursued their target. Ten miles wasn't a long distance, and they quickly closed the gap. However, they found no sign of their quarry.
With reconnaissance planes hovering overhead and no cell signal, they could only rely on gestures signaled from the aircraft.
Heading north in pursuit, they believed they were chasing the enemy when, in reality, they had fallen into a trap.
"General Shao, it's been a while. I should have suspected you wouldn't neglect surveillance on the two Ren children. Quite the scheme you've plotted; I'm impressed." A middle-aged man toyed with a USB drive—the very one they had replaced earlier.
"Mr. Li?" Shao Qi deduced from his gaze, also confirming something. "You're Master Wei, Wei Lanjun. So, you did survive."
"Hahaha..." Master Wei laughed uncontrollably, a manic grin on his face. "You're astute. How did you figure it was me?"