326: Chapter 326 Only the dead can sleep

Chapter 326: Only the Dead Can Sleep. "Boss?"

The Old Blind Man sensed something was wrong. "Are you alright, Boss? We have to run! This place is about to collapse!"

"I can't run anymore."

Chen Mo looked at the cracks opening in the ceiling.

Groundwater was seeping through the cracks, dripping onto his face.

It was cold.

"Leave me here."

Chen Mo said, "Get out of here yourself. You're a ball anyway, you roll fast."

"What nonsense are you talking!"

The Old Blind Man grew anxious. "I don't even have damn hands or feet, how am I supposed to roll with just my head? Besides, if I leave you here and that girl finds out, won't she kick my head around like a soccer ball?"

That girl.

Chen Mo's eyes flickered.

He struggled to lift the stump of his severed left arm and pointed at the smoking wreckage of the prosthetic body.

"Go take a look."

"What?"

"That interface."

Chen Mo's voice was very soft. "Take out the crystal chip inside."

"Boss, what time do you think it is? Why do you still want a crystal chip?"

"Go."

Chen Mo closed his eyes. "That's her dowry."

That was the core code left behind by Chen Nian.

It was also the key to destroying Eden.

And even more... it was the last trace of her existence in this world.

How could it be left in this trash heap?

"Damn."

The Old Blind Man cursed.

The glass dome suddenly moved.

Several tiny mechanical legs extended from underneath.

Those were emergency mobility devices originally connected to the base; the Old Blind Man had actually hacked into them.

This old fellow really did have a trick up his sleeve.

The glass dome crawled toward the pile of scrap metal like a giant spider, clunking along.

Two minutes later.

The Old Blind Man crawled back.

Clutched in a mechanical leg was a green crystal chip the size of a fingernail.

"Got it."

The Old Blind Man panted, "Boss, shall we go?"

Chen Mo looked at the crystal chip.

It was glowing green.

It looked just like the hairpin Chen Nian loved most when she was a child.

Strength.

Strength from an unknown source.

Perhaps it was a final burst of energy before death, perhaps the t-10 system's backup power, or perhaps simply because he didn't want to die here.

Chen Mo gritted his teeth and used one hand to push himself up, propping up his battered and broken frame.

"Let's go."

He stuffed the crystal chip into his mouth, tucking it under his tongue.

It was the best safe.

Then he grabbed the Old Blind Man's glass dome and tucked it under his arm.

"Hold on tight."

Chen Mo staggered toward the hall exit.

Behind him.

The massive circular hall began to collapse.

Dozens of tons of concrete blocks crashed down, completely burying the shattered prosthetic body along with the so-called "Eden."

Dust chased at their heels.

But Chen Mo didn't look back.

Because he heard it.

At the end of the dark corridor ahead.

Besides the sound of wind and water.

There was a new sound.

It was the sound of the elevator gears turning.

And...

The sound of rain.

Real acid rain from the surface.

That was the sound of freedom.

"Old Blind Man."

Chen Mo muttered indistinctly as he walked.

"What?"

"Once we're back, get me a better hand."

"As long as there's money, I can even install a rocket launcher for you."

"And."

"Hmm?"

"Don't tell her I almost died just now."

The Old Blind Man was silent for a moment.

He looked at Chen Mo's bloodied profile.

"Boss."

"What?"

"You have the crystal chip in your mouth; your speech is slurring."

"...Shut up."

The grinding of the gears was loud.

Click, clack.

Like a dying old man grinding his teeth.

This freight elevator probably hadn't been maintained in fifty years; as it ascended, the cabin rocked like a skiff in a storm.

Chen Mo leaned against the corner of the cabin.

He couldn't get up.

Excessive blood loss had sapped his body heat; now he felt like a piece of frozen meat just taken out of a freezer.

Only his mouth was warm.

That was the crystal chip.

Its edges were sharp, cutting his tongue.

The taste of rust and blood mingled, trickling down his throat.

"Boss."

The Old Blind Man's voice came from the glass jar, trembling, "Don't close your eyes."

Chen Mo's eyelids were indeed heavy.

The t-10 system's interface had already gone gray.

The red bar representing his vital signs was as short as a cigarette butt, ready to go out at any moment.

"I'm not sleeping."

Chen Mo said indistinctly.

"Your eyes are almost squinted into slits!"

The Old Blind Man manipulated the mechanical legs under the glass jar, dancing a jig in front of Chen Mo, trying to catch his attention.

"Let's chat, shall we? Talk about your sister? Or what to eat tonight?"

"I want to eat noodles."

Chen Mo said.

"Alright, alright, noodles it is."

The Old Blind Man quickly followed up, "Extra chili and extra vinegar. I know a place in the West District. Even though the lady boss is a cyborg, her cooking is superb..."

"Shut up."

Chen Mo interrupted him.

It wasn't because he thought it was too noisy.

It was because he heard other sounds.

Overhead.

About fifty meters up.

Through the elevator shaft, the sound of dense footsteps drifted down.

It wasn't just footsteps.

There was also the sound of bolts being pulled.

The sound of weapons being chambered.

And... the sound of hearts pounding wildly.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

Very fast.

Very chaotic.

Signs of an adrenaline surge.

There were people up there.

And many of them.

"Looks like we won't be able to eat noodles in peace."

Chen Mo struggled to move his right hand.

His fingers were stiff.

That high-frequency vibration blade had long since lost its edge; now it was no different from a piece of scrap metal.

"Huh?"

The Old Blind Man paused, "What do you mean?"

"There's a welcoming ceremony upstairs."

Chen Mo leaned his head against the cabin wall, feeling the vibrations. "About twenty people. Fully armed."

The Old Blind Man's face, submerged in the water, instantly turned pale.

"Then... then should we go back down?"

The mechanical legs began to retract. "I think it's actually quite nice underground, nice and cool..."

"There's no going back."

Chen Mo watched the floor indicator numbers tick by overhead.

B1.

Ground floor is next.

"When the doors open in a moment,"

Chen Mo took a breath, his lungs feeling as if they were on fire, "find a place and roll far away on your own."

"What about you?"

"I'll draw their fire."

"Boss, you're in such a state, how can you still draw fire?"

The Old Blind Man was on the verge of tears. "Right now, you're just a slightly tougher target!"

Ding.

A crisp chime.

The elevator stopped.

All sounds vanished in an instant.

Only the massive iron doors remained, slowly sliding open to both sides under the push of hydraulic rods.

Whoosh—

The wind rushed in.

Mingled with the stench of acid rain and the distinct dusty smell of the wasteland.

It was very pungent.

But it was fresh.

Chen Mo opened his eyes.

Outside was a ruined square.

Searchlight beams were like sharp swords, instantly piercing the darkness within the elevator.

Over over a dozen red laser sights fell densely upon Chen Mo's body.

Especially between his eyebrows.

At least three red dots overlapped there.

"Don't move!"

The voice from the loudspeaker was somewhat distorted by the sound of the rain. "Hands behind your head! Get on your knees!"

It was indeed a welcoming ceremony.

Chen Mo squinted, adjusting to the bright light.

He saw clearly.

They were a group of mercenaries in black combat suits.

Emblazoned on their chests was a familiar logo—Oracle Technology.

It was the private armed force of that old monster, Chen Yuan.

"Target confirmed."

The squad leader held his gun, his voice tense. "It's Subject 007. Condition... extremely poor. Appears to have lost combat capability."

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