One minute earlier.
Cheng Yunze, who was constantly monitoring Yang Zicang’s movements, quickly learned from scouts positioned outside to interfere with the Bound Spirit hunt that the enemy was likely attempting to capture one of his team members.
However, none of his team members were isolated.
“Captain, could it be that they’re targeting that lone operative in our city?”
“It’s highly possible. Their mental scanning range is too wide—they might have detected him long ago and are now luring him into a trap.”
“Should we save him?”
Cheng Yunze hesitated as Bai Xiaoshou approached him.
“I think we should save him. If we can recruit someone like that into our team, we could better handle the year-end ranking battle. Additionally, it would allow us to continue suppressing the influence of the Red Model forces in the city.”
The Four-Phase Team was not composed solely of Silver-White Model members; there were also a few regular members affiliated with the Red Model.
A burly man named Wang Chun in the team said, “But it could be a trick. They probably know that someone from our side has entered and is beyond our control. No one can confirm whether that person is, in fact, an imposter.”
He added,
“Maybe Yang Zicang’s daily disappearances during the day are deliberately designed to create the illusion that he isn’t around, tricking us into falling into a trap.”
Cheng Yunze nodded in deep agreement.
“You both make fair points. After all, some of the intel we’ve been able to purchase was voluntarily leaked by that individual named Luo Bin.”
After a moment’s thought, he waved his hand and summoned a subordinate.
“Let Wu Yun spread the model to warn that person. Also, prepare some of our people to head over and adapt to the situation. After all, our main goal this time is to make contact with them. Since that fatty is among the crowd, this is an opportunity.”
Even if there’s a chance of being sent away, the necessary losses must be accepted. Anyway, there are still two months left to recruit new members to make up for the loss in strength.
Several people said, “Captain, don’t go yourself. Let us handle it.”
“Alright, Zhang Quantou, you’ll lead this time, with Wang Chun as the vice captain. Xiao Shou will stay here to provide remote support. Also, Jiajia, give the extracted Light Gate Ability Sphere to the fist. If it’s ultimately confirmed to be that person, open the passage and let him enter.”
“Yeah.”
Ning Jiajia nodded.
That mysterious person not only moved freely on the isolated island but also managed to survive for over ten days in the 11th City, which is full of Bound Spirits. Ning Jiajia, who was always keeping an eye on Cheng Yunze, had long noticed that her team captain’s regard for this person was akin to how he viewed Yang Zicang.
Consequently, she grew increasingly curious about this person’s skill.
……
Both sides were approaching the location by various means.
Zhang Zhihui’s team entered the door spinning faint light beside the campsite and rapidly headed to the main hall of the former chief team’s station in the 11th City.
Luo Bin group, on the other hand, originally knew someone would enter that hall today, and Yang Zicang had already drawn a relatively safe route in the sky. After some commotion, they gradually got closer based on the simple map.
……
Hong Haocheng was driven deep into the main hall by the two men’s pursuit.
A beam of flashlight cut through the darkness.
“Do you even know what this place is, to dare come here alone?”
“You up ahead, don’t run. Our people are on their way. If you surrender quietly, Yang Zicang won’t take your life recklessly.”
“Cooperate with him to go to the Lost Frequency Zone, and after the city battle, you can return to City 11—back to your city!”
This time, the two were quite courteous in their coaxing pleas, like people trying to coax a cat that had strayed into a house.
Having wandered the hall for some time, Hong Haocheng gradually figured out its layout. Beyond the upstairs, there were also several passages leading underground.
As the light shone on his back again, a glowing ring appeared in the young man’s eyes. He nimbly ducked into a room whose door had long been removed. His voice echoed from deep within the hall.
“I just don’t want to kill you. Don’t push your luck, the both of you.”
The two men didn’t doubt he was telling the truth. Over the past ten-plus minutes, they had gathered from communications roughly what kind of person they were chasing.
Red broken lines flashed again.
{Are you still inside? If so, answer me. We’re coming to save you.}
“I’d sooner believe I’m the First Emperor than trust you.”
Hong Haocheng muttered under his breath, craning his neck to peek outside. The light was drawing closer.
He couldn’t place any hope in others, especially not in the Four-Phase Team—the ones behind the Red Models’ tragic fate in City 23. Trusting them was no better than trusting their enemies.
The floor inside the room before him had already collapsed, and a large opening to the underground lay at the junction where the wide wall met the ground. An inexplicably heavy, stagnant aura emanated from the pitch-black passageway, as if even the air inside was unusually dense.
“No choice, I’m going for it!”
Hong Haocheng charged toward the hole, dropped a piece of rubble in to gauge the depth after detecting no high echo, and immediately jumped down.
Before long, the two reached the doorway. With a sweep of their light, they spotted the huge pit and shrugged helplessly, forming rings with their hands:
“You see that, right? He’s gone underground. Since there’s only the two of us, we’re not going down there.”
Among those hurrying along, the newcomer Luo Bin looked tense.
{You two stay put at the entrance. The other routes down below were already blocked off by someone from Lost Illusion Company. He won’t escape!}
The others stared at Luo Bin in bewilderment. How did this guy know about the Lost Illusion Company?
“Uncle Luo, how did you know Lost Illusion Company sealed off that area below? 0”
“Oh, you want to know? This is top-secret info—worth a thousand years.”
The rushing party exchanged speechless glances at this nimble fat man; what kind of lousy intel costs a thousand Amplitudes of Chrono?
……
Hong Haocheng had no idea where he had ended up. Seeing only pitch-black darkness underground, and relying on the faint glow of Amplified Chrono, he managed to barely tepid there.
“No path; this way is also blocked.”
He felt up the thick wall that blocked the stairway ahead.
Many of the walls in this underground room had been smashed open, but the paths that clearly led back upward were ironically sealed shut. It seemed the only way to descend was the hole he himself had just come through.
“Damn it.” He couldn’t help muttering to himself, thinking that if Xufei were here, he wouldn’t have to suffer such humiliation.
He sensed the light point representing the Wish Talisman within the ring.
Hong Haocheng gritted his teeth and continued forward, resolving that at worst, he would make a wish to travel to a new Fate Track.
He passed through another broken wall, the stones behind it haphazardly piled on both sides of the room as before, the upward staircase still blocked.
The more Hong Haocheng walked, the more he felt something was off.
Why had these walls been demolished? Their stones were stacked on either side, as if someone had cleared a path leading deeper inside.
Staring at the wide gaping hole, a sudden idea struck him: the reason the ground had been torn open and the walls here broken down was that whatever was being brought in simply couldn’t be transported down the stairs!
It couldn’t pass through a door frame, so they had to smash through the walls to make way!
“Such a big hole.”
A chill suddenly ran down the Boy’s back.
He abruptly wondered if, in the surrounding darkness, a giant Bound Spirit might suddenly charge out and seize him.
At that thought, Hong Haocheng nearly made a wish and fled on the spot.
Thump, thump-thump-thump.
From behind came faint sounds of footsteps, shouts, and the noise of explosions.
Outside, Zhang Zhiquan and Luo Bin’s teams had clashed head-on, colliding like two torrents. After a brief pause, they deployed their Amplified Chrono and force fields. Wavy lines of triangles and quadrilaterals spread out in pulses, like invisible water surfaces rippling with rain-like geometric patterns.
Luo Bin, among the crowd, huddled at the rear.
[Wang Yu’an! Protect me! Keep an eye on the others, but not too closely.]
{Master Bin, rest assured completely.}
Seeing the trajectories swinging toward them, Luo Bin crushed one Ability Sphere after another provided by Yang Zicang, causing the blades and swords striking at everyone to veer off course. Yet, a twisted splash of water droplets still landed on him.
[I offset 150N.]
Luo Bin’s face turned pale. A mere few droplets of water were actually imbued with Chrono power, but fortunately, the opposing side clearly didn’t intend to go for the kill. Still, he discreetly took a step back.
“All that bluster, and that’s all the Chrono amplification you’ve got?” someone shouted.
Red light began to flash on everyone in succession, but instead, the ethereal flames of the weapons shifted more from gold to white.
Amid the chaos, Zhang Zhiquan’s furious voice pierced through:
“It’s you! I’d remember your voice even if I were a ghost!”
“That fat guy is over there!”
Several figures charged toward the stone steps of the hall, rushing inside. Meanwhile, Zhang Quantou, nearly losing his temper, was leading a few people to seek trouble with Luo Bin in the melee.
“Quantou, watch out for their talismans!”
A member of his group warned, fearing he might lose his reason.
No sooner had the man spoken than several dull blows of clubs rained down on him. The two others beside him brandished their Chrono Weapons and rushed forward to parry these attacks.
Zhang Zhiquan glanced at the boastful face of the fatty, who figured he might as well show off now that he was exposed, and roared:
“Just you wait. At the end of the year—in the arena—I’m going to beat you until you’re crying for your mommy and daddy.”
“So, how about stepping aside and letting us through now? There’s someone in there we’re looking for.”
“Like hell we will!”
Two figures clashed head-on with a resounding crash.
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