97: Chapter 97 The Hound Squad

Ventilation Shaft Bottom · Δ-13 Reserve Level · Condensation Waste Section

The residual warmth in the pipes was slowly dissipating. A thin layer of moisture accumulated on the metal floor, and a musty metallic smell lingered in the air, like old organs left abandoned for too long, silently decaying.

The surrounding air pressure system still operated slowly, emitting a faint yet irregular breathing sound, like some colossal creature slumbering in the darkness.

Chu Yunting squatted before a broken track, pushing aside discarded materials to reveal an arched metal door.

The door was covered in rust, its edges warped, and there was a clear sign of it being pried open by hand at the seam.

But most crucially, there was a crack only half a meter wide.

Like an exit forgotten by the world.

His eyes narrowed slightly, and he pressed his palm against the doorframe, sensing the airflow fluctuations behind the cold metal.

...It's a train passage.

An escape route—it should be a disused main line left over from early construction.

He spoke steadily.

Yet, with a hint of unconfirmed caution.

Such passages might not be marked on blueprints, and even the engineers from back then might not remember them.

Once you step into a place like this, it's like—falling from order into chaos.

He looked up at Ye Nanxing.

She was leaning against the wall, her eyes open, but she didn't respond.

Chu Yunting frowned slightly, trying to discern some emotion in her eyes.

There was no anger, no indifference.

Only a profound stillness.

Like the unruffled clarity found deep beneath the sea.

Can you still hold on? he asked in a low voice.

Ye Nanxing neither nodded nor shook her head.

She merely reached out and slowly pulled Yan closer.

That was her answer.

She wouldn't leave, and she wouldn't fall.

Ye Nanxing's voice was gone.

It wasn't just hoarseness, but a complete sense of being disconnected.

Her throat was dry, and airflow passed through silently, as if a crucial part of her sensory existence had been stripped away.

Even worse—her spatial ability was also sputtering.

That sense of energy, once readily available, was now sealed within ice, sunk into some unreachable deep well.

Leaning against the wall, her entire being was almost motionless.

But Yan didn't leave her side.

The Child still clutched her arm, his small face pressed tightly against her side, as if using his remaining body heat—to guard her flame.

Just as she had carried him out of the abyss amidst the chaos.

Now, it was his turn to protect her.

Ye Nanxing's voice was gone at this moment.

Not only that, but her spatial ability was still in a 'stalled state'.

And Yan—the Child had never left her side, hugging her arm, his small face pressed close, as if using his body temperature to sustain her spiritual flame.

At this moment.

Yan suddenly looked up.

His eyes were very bright.

The next second, a voiceless sound echoed in Chu Yunting's mind.

A pure mental wave, light as a feather, settled like clear water entering a lake.

She's hurt.

Can't move anymore.

...Don't push her.

Chu Yunting abruptly paused, then twisted his head to look at Yan.

You—

Yan was looking at him, his dark eyes as calm as a deep pool, yet devoid of hostility.

But the power of that mental wave was not something an ordinary Child could possess.

Not language.

Not sound waves.

It was—a combined 'emotion + concept' signal directly implanted into the brain.

And it was perfectly clear, without any interference.

He was a complete psionic entity.

Chu Yunting pressed a hand to his temple, taking a deep breath.

What's your name?

I... am called 'Yan'.

The voice appeared again, still voiceless, yet extremely clear, carrying a hint of shyness and... dependence.

Just then, a 'tap' sounded from the upper level of the ventilation shaft in the distance.

As if someone had stepped onto a metal platform.

Then came a second sound.

A third.

The rhythm was even, with a sense of oppression.

Chu Yunting instantly looked up, drawing the Armed Electromagnetic Dagger from his waist.

They're here.

He said in a deep voice.

The distant passage lights suddenly flickered.

From their original dim orange-yellow, they abruptly switched to a cold white alert color.

Three infrared beams swept down like venomous snakes, precisely locking onto the abandoned passage entrance.

The air temperature dropped instantly.

Mist surged like a tide, and several figures could vaguely be seen approaching through it.

Each figure was clad in black combat suits, wearing composite masks. The masks had no numbers, no identification codes, only a thin red line running across from the left eye.

They didn't speak.

Nor did they stop.

Their footsteps were extremely light, yet they created an unnatural 'rhythmic pulse' on the ground.

It was a synchronized stride algorithm.

They weren't 'pursuing'.

They were—eliminating targets.

Bang!

The weapons in their hands activated simultaneously.

Amidst surging blue electricity, electromagnetic long blades flipped out from arm guards, resting on their shoulders in a reverse grip.

Another raised a Vibrating Shrapnel Gun, loading it in just one second.

No shouting.

No countdown.

Only—killing intent.

Chu Yunting's eyes turned cold.

He glanced at the locator and said in a low voice:

Four in the vanguard.

There's a second wave coming.

It wasn't a question, but a judgment.

The next second, he pulled a modified heat source fuse from the side of his backpack and deftly threw it into the spare condensing tank on the right side of the passage.

Boom—!

An explosion roared!

High-temperature water vapor instantly filled the entire passage, forming a powerful white mist obscuration zone.

The water vapor, carrying metal fragments, slammed against the walls, and steam rushed to the ceiling, churning and swirling in the air, like a sudden cloudburst trap.

Visibility instantly dropped to zero.

He looked back behind him—

Ye Nanxing was still leaning against the curved corner of the pipe, Yan clinging to her like a spark, quietly pressed against her.

She looked at him.

She didn't move, but her eyes were extremely cold.

He left her with just two words:

Don't come out.

Then he turned and rushed into the mist.

Deep within the white mist.

Chu Yunting's body, like a shadow, instantly slid out along the wall.

With a push of his left foot, his entire body arced, flipping down from between the ceiling and the corner.

First strike—

He swept past a Hound Squad member from above, his short knife breaking the sound barrier as it descended, cutting directly into the main control chip at the back of the neck.

Pfft!

The opponent's mask emitted a 'zzz' short-circuiting sound, and their movement paused for an instant.

And in that instant, Chu Yunting spun in the air, connecting an elbow strike with a knee blow, a three-hit combo that slammed the person into the passage wall.

The remaining three reacted immediately.

The gunman raised his shrapnel gun, aiming—

—Wrong.

Chu Yunting sneered, tossing a Static Detonation Grenade with a backhand throw, landing precisely at the feet of the three.

Zzzz—bang!!

A powerful flash exploded in the mist!

Vision, perception, and motor nerves all jammed!

Chu Yunting seized the moment, sliding along the ground, slashing at the knee joint of the second person, then twisting their neck.

Meanwhile, Ye Nanxing held Yan's back tightly, partly shielding him in her embrace.

Her gaze never left the direction of the mist.

Although she couldn't hear, speak, or move, her hand—clutched the tactical dagger on the pipe wall, her fingertips white.

She knew.

He was fighting desperately.

Fighting desperately... for her.

And she had to recover.

Even at the cost of biting off her tongue—

She had to stand up.