33: Chapter 5 "Rusty Iron" Aid

The freezing air, thick with a stench of rot and chemical agents, instantly filled Lin Feng's lungs, nearly suffocating him.

The dull thud of the airlock closing behind him seemed to seal off the previous world, temporarily silencing the roars of the pursuers and the whine of energy weapons.

Darkness was absolute, save for the faint light filtering through occasional cracks in the pipe walls from other areas of The Nest, outlining the twisted, grotesque contours of this massive circular sewage conduit.

Underfoot lay thick, slippery sludge, ankle-deep, making every step an arduous struggle.

The sound of flowing sewage echoed through the cavernous pipe, amplifying an unsettling silence.

＞ ＞ Environment : Main Sewage Conduit 3 . Toxicity : High . Oxygen Level : Low . Structural Integrity : Poor .

＞ ＞ Hostile Tracking : Signal Jamming Detected ( Origin : " The Engineer ' s " Facility ) . Estimated Safe Window : 15-20 Minutes .

The "Source" System's prompts were cold and objective.

High toxicity, low oxygen, concerning structural integrity, and the interference provided by The Engineer could buy them less than twenty minutes at most.

"Stay close! Don't fall behind!" Ling Yue's voice rang out in the darkness, kept very low.

A faint, cold-white beam of light ignited from her new mechanical arm, scanning the turbid air ahead and the even darker junction.

Her round shield was held before her, and her energy rifle was ready to fire at any moment.

Lei Kun held Xiao Qi tighter in his arms, using his own body to shield her from most of the filth and cold.

His breathing was ragged, but his pace remained steady; military-grade nanobots and an iron will were still sustaining him.

Xiao Qi trembled slightly in his arms, seemingly disturbed by the cold and stench, but she did not wake; the purple energy around her flickered weakly, like a candle in the wind.

Lin Feng followed closely behind, struggling to adapt to the darkness and stench while pushing the tactical vision provided by the "Source" System to its limit.

Overlaid on his vision were pale green outlines of the pipe structure, markers for potential structural weak points, and... the limited, real-time enemy intelligence that was The Engineer's final gift.

＞ ＞ Scanning Ahead ... 200m Clear . Junction P-7 Approaching . Left : To Treatment Plant ( Heavily Guarded ) . Right : To Outer Slums ( Unknown ) .

"Clear for 200 meters ahead. Approaching Junction P-7. Left leads to the treatment plant, heavily guarded; right leads to the outer slums, status unknown." Lin Feng reported quickly in a low voice, his words echoing slightly in the pipe.

"Right." Ling Yue made the decision without hesitation. The treatment plant was undoubtedly an area heavily fortified by the enemy.

They continued forward with difficulty. Cracks in the pipe walls grew more frequent; in some places, there were large collapses, revealing older brick structures or layers of earth behind them.

Other scents began to emerge in the air—the smell of burning trash, low-grade fuel, and... a faint, lingering trace of life belonging to a human settlement.

＞ ＞ Detecting Faint Audio Signatures : Voices , Machinery ( Crude ) , Distant Music . Source : Right Branch .

Faint human voices, the sound of crude machinery, and distant music drifted from the right branch. People were indeed active there.

＞ ＞ Warning : Hostile Signatures Detected at Junction P-7 ! Ambush Probability : High !

The "Source" System issued a shrill warning! Enemy signals at Junction P-7! Ambush probability extremely high!

"Stop!" Lin Feng hissed a warning, grabbing Ling Yue in front of him.

The three of them instantly pressed against the cold, damp pipe wall, holding their breath.

Ling Yue's mechanical eye adjusted its focus, and her cold beam of light carefully swept toward the junction. In the shadows at the entrance to the right branch of Junction P-7, several blurred infrared heat signatures were lying in wait, motionless! They had cleverly utilized a depression formed by a damaged section of the pipe as cover!

"Four... no, five..." Lin Feng saw them more clearly with his tactical vision. "Standard ambush formation: two high, three low, crossfire... They anticipated we'd come this way!"

Director Walker's men were indeed formidable, managing to predict their escape route and set an ambush in advance!

"Retreat? Switch to the left path?" Lin Feng asked in a low voice, cold sweat seeping from his palms. Although the left path was heavily guarded, perhaps they could carve a bloody path through with the element of surprise?

"Too late. Retreating might lead us straight into their main force." Ling Yue's voice was icy. "Besides, the left path has too many variables. We must get through here."

She quickly assessed the situation, her gaze sweeping over the enemy's hidden positions and the pipe environment. "Lin Feng, can you identify their weapon types?"

＞ ＞ Analysis : Standard Issue " The Cleaners " Assault Rifles ( x3 ) , Heavy Support Weapon ( x1 , likely squad automatic weapon ) , Unknown Energy Signature ( x1 , sidearm ? Non - Standard ) .

"Three assault rifles, one squad automatic weapon, and an unknown energy signature—looks like a non-standard sidearm," Lin Feng reported quickly.

Unknown energy signature? Ling Yue frowned slightly.

"Listen," she devised a plan rapidly. "On the count of three, I'll use the round shield to draw the first wave of fire while suppressing the automatic weapon gunner with my rifle. Lin Feng, call out the highest-threat targets! Lei Kun, protect Xiao Qi, get ready to sprint!"

There was no time to hesitate. Lin Feng took a deep breath of the foul air and nodded heavily. Lei Kun pulled Xiao Qi closer, his body sinking slightly as he prepared to sprint.

"Three... two... one!"

Ling Yue violently hurled the round shield in her hand forward! The shield spun, emitting a buzzing sound, instantly drawing the attention of all the lurkers at the junction!

Almost simultaneously, the muzzles at the ambush point spat out searing tongues of fire! A dense rain of bullets poured toward the spinning shield like water, striking it and sending sparks flying everywhere!

Ling Yue had already flashed out from behind cover, her mechanical arm steadying her energy rifle. A precise beam of energy fired instantly, aiming straight for the gunner who had just raised the automatic weapon!

Bang! Argh—!

A burst of electric sparks exploded from the automatic weapon gunner's helmet, and he fell backward with a scream!

"Second one, top left! Rifleman!" Lin Feng's command rang out almost simultaneously!

Ling Yue made a slight adjustment to her aim, and a second energy beam fired! The rifleman hiding above the damaged pipe fell as struck!

The ambush circle was instantly torn open!

"Go!" Ling Yue roared, suppressing the remaining enemies with continuous fire while charging forward!

Lei Kun, holding Xiao Qi, shot forward like a cannonball, sprinting along the shadows of the pipe wall! Lin Feng followed closely behind, dagger gripped tightly in hand!

The remaining three enemies reacted extremely quickly, immediately turning their muzzles! Bullets whizzed by, striking the pipe wall around Lei Kun and sending up sprays of mud and debris!

"Directly ahead, low position! The last one!" Lin Feng shouted, his tactical vision locking onto the final clear target.

But Ling Yue's third shot missed! The enemy had cunningly ducked back behind cover!

Just then, the enemy who hadn't been locked on—the one with the unknown energy signature—suddenly flashed out from another angle! He wasn't holding a standard weapon, but a device that looked like some kind of **sonic generator**, aimed directly at the sprinting Lei Kun and Lin Feng!

＞ ＞ Extreme Sonic Attack Imminent !

"Look out!" Lin Feng only had time to shout this!

Hum—!!!

A visible, high-intensity sonic pulse that distorted the air burst forth like an invisible heavy hammer, slamming violently into Lin Feng and Lei Kun!

Lin Feng felt as if his brain had been instantly shredded; a tearing pain pierced his eardrums, the world spun, and he vomited a mouthful of blood, collapsing to his knees!

Although Lei Kun had superior physical stats, he also let out a muffled groan. His sprinting motion stalled, he stumbled, and Xiao Qi nearly slipped from his arms! His desperate effort to protect Xiao Qi left his own back completely exposed!

The rifleman who had dodged the shot seized the opportunity, raising his muzzle to aim at Lei Kun's unprotected back!

At that critical moment—

Swoosh! Crack!

A sharp, abrupt sound like a slingshot firing! A metal screw, looking rusty but trailing faint electromagnetic sparks, shot out from some dark corner and struck the rifleman's scope with precision!

"Argh!" The rifleman screamed as his scope shattered, fragments slicing into his eyes!

Immediately after, a cacophony of angry shouts erupted from behind the crisscrossing maintenance ladders and gaps above the pipe:

"Fuck! Who allowed The Cleaners' dogs to run wild on my turf?!"

"Kill them!"

"For the Rust-Iron Gang!"

Along with the shouts, all sorts of "weapons" rained down from the darkness—rusty wrenches, sharpened rebar, and even smoking, homemade Molotov cocktails!

These attacks were chaotic and far less powerful than standard weapons, but they were so sudden and dense that they instantly threw the remaining two "Cleaners" into disarray, leaving them in a sorry state!

The member holding the sonic generator tried to adjust his aim to attack above, but was hit squarely by a precisely thrown canister filled with waste oil. The slick grease caused him to lose his balance instantly, and he fell to the ground!

Opportunity!

Although Ling Yue was also startled by this sudden turn of events, her reaction was lightning-fast. She seized the opportunity, firing two precise shots that finished off the last two chaotic "Cleaners."

The battle began as abruptly as it ended, lasting only a few seconds.

Silence returned to the pipe, leaving only the sound of flowing sewage and the heavy breathing and metallic scraping coming from above.

Lin Feng struggled to climb up from the ground, his ears still ringing incessantly. He looked warily toward the dark gaps above the pipe.

Figures began to emerge from the shadows. They wore tattered, patched-up clothes, with almost no advanced cybernetics visible, only basic mechanical assistance or crude physical modifications. They carried a motley assortment of homemade weapons, their faces marked by the exhaustion and vigilance of long-term survival, yet their eyes burned with a wild, inviolable light.

The leader was a tall, bearded man with a stubbly chin, an old mechanical prosthetic over his left eye, and a massive hydraulic cutter slung over his shoulder. He glanced at the dead "Cleaners" below, then at the disheveled group of four—especially the energy rifle in Ling Yue's hand, which was clearly high-end—and spoke in a gruff voice:

"Who the hell are you lot? How did you piss off an elite squad of 'The Cleaners' and end up running into my turf?"