317: Chapter 317 Time to Get Down to Business

Three figures walked out from the grass.

Ye Qingyue was the first to greet them.

"Sister! Are you both okay? Lan Xin—"

She saw Lan Xin being supported by Ye Qingxue; her silver-blue hair was plastered wetly against her body, her dress was torn, and her arm was wrapped in makeshift bandages.

"I'm fine."

Lan Xin smiled at her; although her face was pale, her spirit was relatively stable.

"It's all thanks to Lin Yuan."

Ji Wushuang's gaze swept over Lan Xin and then turned to Lin Yuan.

"What's the situation over at the pool?"

"Two fish. One was lured away, and the other was killed."

Lin Yuan's tone was as casual as if he were talking about the weather.

Su Yuyan wanted to ask for details.

But seeing the subtle expression on Lan Xin's face that said, "Don't ask, it's embarrassing to say," she wisely shut her mouth.

"Alright. The person is rescued, what do we do next?"

Luo Qinghan stepped forward, her expression solemn.

"After you left earlier, I sensed again. The danger source in the East District is strengthening, and the Medical District... is even worse."

She frowned.

"Moreover, the range of my perception is too limited. After shrinking, the coverage radius of my Superpower is less than ten meters; I can only judge the general direction, I can't even lock onto the specific location."

"You don't need to lock onto it."

Lin Yuan said, and a flash of consciousness erupted in his mind.

Instantly, a semi-transparent light screen appeared in everyone's minds.

It was a map.

A map that was breathtakingly precise.

The entire overhead view of the base was completely presented—

The location of every building, every road, and every patch of grass was perfectly accurate.

But that wasn't the point.

The point was the dense markings on the map.

Red light dots—sources of threat.

Labeled with species, estimated size, movement trajectory, and danger level.

East District: A large centipede, danger level S.

Defense Tower Area: Ant colony, about three hundred in number, danger level A+, but because of their high level of cooperation, the overall threat is elevated to S.

Medical District: Two rats, danger level S+.

Pool: Cleared.

Living Area: Low threat, sporadic insects.

Green light dots—friendly life signals.

Next to every light dot, a name was labeled.

Murong Xueer, Xia Bingning, Xia Bingli—East District, gathered together, currently moving. In combat.

Qin Ziyan, Chen Hanyue—Defense Tower top floor, stationary. Holding position.

Bai Xingli, Lin Wanrou, Lin Ruoxue, Wang Yaqin—Medical District third floor, stationary. Trapped.

Chu Yanran, Luo Li, Tang Shiyun, Xia Muqing—Living Area, have already transferred to a safe location.

There were also a large number of signals from ordinary survivors scattered everywhere, marked with small blue dots.

Everyone was stunned.

Luo Qinghan's mouth opened slightly, and she didn't close it for a long time.

The information she had spent all her energy to perceive—

Vague directions, approximate danger levels—had been crushed into dust by Lin Yuan's map.

"You... when did you make this?"

"On the way here."

Lin Yuan's answer was understated.

"I scanned most of the places; I covered an area as I walked. On the way to the pool, I basically scanned more than half of the base."

Luo Qinghan fell silent.

She suddenly felt that her report of "I sensed again" from just now was a bit redundant.

No.

Very redundant.

"Alright, look at the map."

Lin Yuan didn't give anyone time to process their shock.

His finger tapped four locations on the light screen.

"There are currently four areas in the base that need rescue. Ranked by danger level—Medical District is the highest, East District is next, Defense Tower is third, Living Area is the lowest."

"Then should we go to the Medical District first?" Ye Qingyue asked.

"No."

Lin Yuan shook his head.

"Go to all four simultaneously."

"...Simultaneously?"

Su Yuyan was stunned for a moment.

"We only have a few people, how can we do it simultaneously?"

Lin Yuan didn't answer directly.

He flipped his hand in the air.

Four silver square packages appeared out of thin air, neatly arranged on the ground.

Each package was labeled with a number and a target location.

"What is this?" Ji Wushuang squatted down to examine them.

"Rescue kits."

Lin Yuan opened one in turn to show the internal structure.

The items inside were neatly arranged—

Two miniature sonic devices, with frequencies already preset.

A signal flare.

A tube of emergency medicine.

A separate map of that area, marking the best route, threat distribution, and evacuation points.

There was even a small pack of compressed rations.

"..."

Ye Qingyue looked at that pack of compressed rations, and the corner of her mouth twitched.

"You even prepared dry rations?"

"They've been trapped in the Medical District for half a day; some people might be exhausted. They can't make judgments in a state of hypoglycemia."

"So the dry rations aren't to fill them up, but to save their lives?"

"Mm."

Ye Qingyue opened her mouth, then closed it.

—The terrifying thing about this man isn't how strong he is.

It's that he thought of everything.

"Assignments."

Lin Yuan's tone left no room for negotiation.

"Team One, Ji Wushuang. Target is the East District, rescue Murong Xueer, Xia Bingning, and Xia Bingli. The centipede is an arthropod; the sonic device is tuned to a frequency that interferes with its ganglia. Once you arrive, activate the sonic device before approaching."

Ji Wushuang took the rescue kit and nodded.

"Team Two, Su Yuyan. Target is the Defense Tower, rendezvous with Qin Ziyan and Chen Hanyue. Just disperse the ant colony with the sonic device; there's no need to engage in a prolonged battle."

Su Yuyan took the package.

"Team Three, Luo Qinghan. Target is the Medical District."

Lin Yuan's tone deepened slightly here.

"The situation there is the most dangerous. All four people have relatively weak combat power and are trapped on the third floor by two rats. Lin Ruoxue's ice wall can probably hold for another twenty minutes. You are the fastest; activate the sonic device the moment you arrive. Rats are extremely sensitive to high-frequency sonic waves, which can buy enough time for evacuation."

Luo Qinghan took the package, her expression serious.

"Team Four, Ye Qingyue. Living Area. Chu Yanran foresaw the danger in advance and has already led people to transfer to a safe location. You go over to confirm the situation and bring them back."

Ye Qingyue took the package, then looked at the expressions of the other three teams, and then looked at the light task in her own hands.

"So... the team I'm going to pick up is the safest one?"

"Correct."

"Chu Yanran and the others have already transferred themselves?"

"Correct."

"So I'm actually just going to... check in?"

"You can interpret it as picking people up."

"..."

Ye Qingyue had the feeling of being arranged to be a mascot.

But she quickly let it go.

Her combat power was indeed in the weakest tier present, and going to the safest area was the most reasonable deployment.

Lin Yuan wouldn't assign tasks based on closeness. He only looked at efficiency.

"Ye Qingxue stays here with me."

Lin Yuan said at last.

"I need her Dark Attribute Ability to cooperate with the system to complete the scanning of the remaining areas. Lan Xin stays behind to rest. If there is any abnormality, launch a signal flare, and I will be there immediately."

He scanned everyone.

"Any other questions?"

No one spoke.

It wasn't that there were no questions.

It was that after seeing that map and those four rescue kits—no one felt there was anything left to add.

This man had already arranged everything.

They only needed to execute.

"Go!"

The four teams disappeared into the grass simultaneously.

...

East District.

By the time Ji Wushuang arrived, the battle was still ongoing.

An adult centipede.

To them in their shrunken state, this thing was like a dark red train, dozens of legs scraping against the ground making a piercing sound.

Murong Xueer stood at the very front.

SSS-rank Stars Shifting fully activated.

Her figure kept flickering around the centipede.

Every time she appeared, it was accompanied by a precise strike—she was attacking the soft tissue between the centipede's leg joints, which was one of the few weaknesses of the centipede.

Her judgment and combat experience were indeed worthy of SSS-rank.

Even in the shrunken state, she still kept the situation within a controllable range.

But the problem lay with the other two people.

Xia Bingning was slumped behind a rock, her face ashen.

She had previously undergone Dragon Transformation once and tore open a section of the centipede's shell—but the centipede's body fluid was highly toxic.

In the Dragon Transformation state, she hadn't managed to dodge in time, and the toxin seeped in through the wound.

Xia Bingli guarded her sister, her knuckles white from gripping her dagger.

Her stamina had bottomed out after hours of a war of attrition, and she was barely able to stand steadily now.

Ji Wushuang didn't waste words.

She pressed the sonic device.

High-frequency sonic waves instantly dispersed.

The centipede seemed to have its brain pierced by an invisible needle; its entire body curled up in spasms, and dozens of legs twitched wildly.

Murong Xueer seized this window, used Stars Shifting to teleport to the centipede's head—and smashed its head segment with a palm strike.

The centipede's body was still twitching, but it was already dead.

Ji Wushuang walked over and handed the emergency medicine to Xia Bingli.

"Antidote. Use it for your sister."

Xia Bingli's hand was shaking as she took the medicine.

Not because of fear.

It was because she knew—if this rescue kit had arrived ten minutes later, her sister might not have held on.

—

When Su Yuyan arrived, she saw a scene that left a deep impression on her.

Qin Ziyan was standing alone at the edge of the tower's top platform.

Her body was covered in wounds from ant bites.

Fresh blood dripped down her arms.

But her stance didn't move an inch—SS-rank Ultimate Strengthening activated to the limit.

The density of her muscles and bones far exceeded that of ordinary people; the ants' mandibles couldn't penetrate her vital points at all.

She just stood like that.

Like a wall.

Behind her was Chen Hanyue.

S-rank Mental Suppression Superpower was fully operational, her Spiritual Power was like an invisible net.

Constantly interfering with the ant colony's pheromone communication.

The originally highly collaborative ant colony became chaotic under her interference, and their attack rhythm couldn't coordinate at all.

The coordination between the two was perfect—Qin Ziyan blocked physical damage, Chen Hanyue disintegrated the ant colony's cooperation.

But it was only "holding on."

The number of ants was too large.

Three hundred ants, even without cooperation, could grind a person to death just by their numbers.

Su Yuyan activated the sonic device.

The effect was even better than expected.

Ants have an extremely high sensitivity to sonic waves.

The high-frequency vibration directly interfered with their antenna perception—three hundred ants turned around and scattered almost simultaneously.

Qin Ziyan, who had maintained Ultimate Strengthening for the whole day, finally relaxed, knelt on one knee, and gasped for breath.

Chen Hanyue supported her shoulder, the two looked at each other, and said nothing.

No need to say anything.

Surviving was enough.

...

Luo Qinghan arrived running.

She sensed that the danger signal on the third floor of the Medical District was rising sharply.

After arriving, the scene she saw made her heart tighten.

At the end of the third-floor corridor, a thin ice wall lay across it.

The ice wall was full of cracks.

A gray rat was crazily gnawing at the surface of the ice wall, each bite taking down a large chunk of ice.

Another one squatted behind it, its red eyes staring fixedly at the prey behind the ice wall.

To them now, these two rats were like two gray giant beasts.

Behind the ice wall—

Lin Ruoxue pressed her hands against the wall, her face as pale as paper.

Her Ice-type Superpower was almost exhausted; maintaining this ice wall was already overdrawing her life force.

Lin Wanrou was on the side using her Amplification Superpower to sustain her, but the amplification was also reaching its limit.

Bai Xingli was huddled in a corner holding Wang Yaqin.

There was a deep bite mark on Wang Yaqin's shoulder.

Previously, the rats had broken through once, and she had blocked them with her body.

Bai Xingli couldn't stop shaking while healing her.

None of the four people were front-line combat Ability Users.

It was already a miracle that they had held on until now.

The ice wall cracked again.

The rat's claw reached in through the crack, only a few centimeters away from Lin Ruoxue's fingers.

"Ruoxue... I can't hold on..."

Lin Ruoxue's voice was very light.

It wasn't a cry for help.

It was a farewell.

Lin Wanrou bit her lip, tears sliding down silently.

Bai Xingli shielded Wang Yaqin behind her and took a deep breath.

The four of them, at this moment, were prepared for the worst.

Then—

A high-frequency sonic wave, sharp enough to almost pierce the eardrums, exploded.

The two rats let out a shrill scream simultaneously.

They covered their ears—no, they clutched their heads, spinning around like crazy. Then they turned and ran.

They didn't hesitate for even a second.

That speed was even faster than when they came.

Behind the ice wall, the four of them stared blankly at the backs of the two rats fleeing in panic.

Lin Ruoxue's hands slid off the ice wall, and her whole body collapsed to the ground.

The ice wall lost its Superpower support, silently shattered, and turned into a pile of ice shards.

Luo Qinghan's figure appeared at the end of the corridor.

In her hand, she held a small device that was still buzzing and vibrating.

"...Sister Luo?"

Bai Xingli's voice carried an unreal tremor.

"Lin Yuan sent me here."

Luo Qinghan put down the rescue kit and squatted beside Lin Ruoxue to check her condition.

"Emergency medicine, use it for Wang Yaqin. Eat one piece of ration each, replenish blood sugar first."

When Lin Wanrou took the rations, her hand shook so much she almost dropped them.

She didn't say thank you.

Because she knew—if it had been five minutes later, there would be no need to thank anyone.

...

On the other side,

When Ye Qingyue arrived.

Chu Yanran was sitting cross-legged in the shadow of a leaf, eyes closed.

Beside her were Luo Li, Tang Shiyun, and Xia Muqing, the three of them sitting quietly.

No injuries. No disarray. Not even tense expressions.

"...Sister Yanran?"

Chu Yanran opened her eyes.

"Qingyue? You're here."

Her tone was as calm as if she were entertaining guests in her own living room.

"I foresaw the danger three hours ago and led them to transfer here. There are no large threat sources around this area."

Ye Qingyue looked around.

It was indeed very quiet.

She looked again at the heavy rescue kit in her hand, which contained the sonic device, signal flare, emergency medicine, and compressed rations.

"Uh... well, this is the rescue kit Lin Yuan asked me to bring you."

Chu Yanran took it, glanced at it, and smiled slightly.

"He's always like this. Even if he knows we're safe, he'll still make full preparations."

Ye Qingyue scratched her head.

She suddenly felt that her trip here was indeed just to... check in.

Forty minutes.

From the moment Lin Yuan issued the instructions until all four routes reported back—forty minutes.

All survivors in the base were confirmed safe.

Not a single person died.

The news was transmitted back to the meeting point one by one via signal flares.

Lin Yuan stood on a rock, watching the last green signal flare in the sky slowly descend.

Ye Qingxue stood beside him, looking at his profile.

"You intended to go four ways simultaneously from the beginning?"

"Mm."

"Why didn't you go to the most dangerous one yourself?"

"Not needed."

Lin Yuan withdrew his gaze.

"The sonic device is enough to solve the problem. Using people to take risks is the least efficient choice."

Ye Qingxue was silent for a moment.

"Then you stayed here just to accompany me to complete the scanning?"

"The main purpose is scanning."

Lin Yuan didn't hide it.

"I need time to do other things. Running to each one is too slow."

"What things?"

Lin Yuan didn't answer.

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

When all four teams returned—

It was time to get down to business.