163: Chapter 163 Let him hit him, then it's time to register.

A gray light shot toward the center of Lin Yuan's forehead.

Director Li Wenhui held a B-grade yellow crystal core in his hand.

Fine cracks appeared on the surface of the crystal core.

That was his last trump card.

A B-grade mental Superpower.

Awakened via an incomplete serum from the Capital.

No physical enhancement.

No mental growth.

Every time he used it, it was like trading his life for a single chance to fire a gun.

But as long as Lin Yuan fell.

Everything would be worth it.

Gray light exploded in Director Li Wenhui's eyes.

In front of the second iron gate, several remaining soldiers from the South Suburbs clutched their heads simultaneously.

Some had nosebleeds.

Others fell to their knees and dry-heaved.

Captain Han Xue furrowed her brows.

Xiao Li's metal arm deployed, shielding her.

Grandmaster Ling Suzhen's expression changed.

"Retreat!"

"He can affect people's minds!"

Qin Yumo drew her twin blades.

Su Muxue condensed ice needles at her fingertips.

But Lin Yuan raised a hand.

"Let him attack."

Qin Yumo froze.

Su Muxue looked at Lin Yuan, the frost on her fingertips not dissipating.

Grandmaster Ling Suzhen stared at him.

Madman.

Mental attacks aren't blades or guns.

You can't see them.

You can't block them.

Once dragged into the brain domain, you'd be dazed at best, or become an idiot at worst.

Hearing this, Director Li Wenhui's mouth curled into a grin.

Arrogant?

Good.

He loved these kinds of arrogant Espers the most.

"Lin Yuan."

"You are too confident."

The gray light grew brighter.

Veins bulged on Director Li Wenhui's forehead, and the B-grade crystal core in his hand shattered into powder.

In his mind, he had already seen the next scene.

Lin Yuan falling.

Qin Yumo being suppressed by gun barrels.

Su Muxue kneeling before him.

Su Xiaonuan handing over the authority for Tiangong No. 1.

Captain Han Xue, that traitor, being put back on a leash.

The Jiangcheng Military Government being rebuilt.

He, Director Li Wenhui, would still be the supreme commander.

It wasn't a surrender.

It was a takeover.

The next second.

A mental spike pierced into Lin Yuan's consciousness.

The smile on Director Li Wenhui's face froze.

What he saw was not an ordinary person's mind.

It was a black ocean.

Boundless.

Without a shore.

On the surface of the sea, spatial rifts slowly opened.

Curtains of water pressed down from the sky.

Blood-colored beast shadows lurked in the waves.

Frost formed white lines along the sea surface.

Deeper within, there was a pair of small red eyes, as if watching him from across the darkness.

Director Li Wenhui's mental spike thrust in.

No sound.

No trace.

Like poking a steel plate with a toothpick.

"Impossible..."

Director Li Wenhui's lips trembled.

Lin Yuan lifted his eyes.

"Is that it?"

This single glance.

The black ocean surged backward.

The gray light was instantly swallowed.

A boom echoed inside Director Li Wenhui's head.

He saw the South Suburbs granary.

Flames.

Refugees.

The old people he had ordered to be shot.

The battalion commander of the Third Battalion he had executed.

And the negotiation team that he had sent to the East Suburbs abandoned port while carrying a white flag.

Those people crawled back one by one.

Bullet holes on their faces.

Holding tattered flags in their hands.

"Director Li Wenhui."

"We are not expendables."

"You aren't doing this for the greater good."

"You're just afraid of death."

Director Li Wenhui clutched his head and fell to his knees.

"Get away!"

"I am the commander!"

"I am trying to preserve the spark of Jiangcheng!"

He kowtowed.

Once.

Twice.

His forehead slammed against the concrete floor.

The remaining soldiers from the South Suburbs watched this scene, their last shred of illusion shattered.

This was the person they had once obeyed.

Shouting about righteousness on the radio.

Behind the scenes, selling female workers, sending them to the docks, executing his own people.

Now, he couldn't even bear to hear the names of the dead.

An old veteran dropped his gun.

Clang.

He knelt toward the second iron gate.

"I am willing to register."

"I will obey the rules of Tiangong No. 1."

The second one.

The third one.

The sound of firearms hitting the ground merged into a chorus.

Young soldiers lowered their heads.

"We won't follow him anymore."

"We just want to live."

Captain Han Xue showed no extra expression.

She raised her hand.

"Disarm."

"Separate the units."

"Register."

"Anyone who participated in the slaughter of survivors or colluded with the Japanese ninjas, surrendering is your only path to survival."

Xiao Li immediately led people forward.

Fat Dragon swallowed, and whispered to Fang Xiaoxiao: "You even have to queue to surrender in this place, it's quite professional."

Fang Xiaoxiao didn't smile.

Xu Qiangwei watched Lin Yuan, her gaze lowered further.

Jiang University talks about hope.

Tiangong No. 1 talks about results.

In the apocalypse, results put food on the table.

Director Li Wenhui was still kneeling on the ground.

He suddenly stopped.

His hand reached for his holster.

Grandmaster Ling Suzhen's sleeve moved.

Qin Yumo was also about to draw her blade.

Lin Yuan didn't move.

Director Li Wenhui's fingers had just touched the gun handle.

Pfft.

Blood sprayed from his nose.

Then from the corners of his eyes.

Ears.

Mouth.

He looked up at Lin Yuan, his eyes bloodshot.

"You..."

"What kind of monster are you..."

Lin Yuan walked up to him.

"Guess."

Director Li Wenhui's mouth opened.

His head tilted to the side.

He was dead.

He died without ever getting an answer.

No last words.

No judgment.

The last old power figure of the South Suburb Military District died from the backlash of his own sneak attack.

There was dead silence at the entrance.

Fat Dragon, with a cigarette in his mouth, finally couldn't help but curse.

"That's it?"

"I even tightened my belt, and he ended up self-destructing."

Tang Qiqi ran over carrying an ammunition box, panting until her face was pale.

But unlike the logistics personnel nearby, she had an extra communicator in her hand.

"Combat Logistics Pikachu requests to speak."

Su Xiaonuan said coldly over the comms: "Denied, keep moving."

"..."

Su Xiaonuan's voice continued.

"One hundred and seventy-three remaining soldiers from the South Suburbs."

"After initial registration, weapons are to be put into storage."

"Vehicle maintenance team to take over."

"Survivors are to be diverted to the temporary shed area on the outer perimeter."

"Pregnant women, children, and the wounded are to be prioritized for medical examinations."

"If anyone has been bitten by a zombie, report it voluntarily. We have serum; don't drag yourself to death."

The remaining soldiers from the South Suburbs listened while kneeling.

No one objected.

They had just witnessed Director Li Wenhui's fate.

Old military ranks weren't worth a meal ticket here.

Grandmaster Ling Suzhen walked to Director Li Wenhui's corpse.

She crouched down and took a look at the shattered B-grade crystal core powder.

"A Superpower forced out by an incomplete serum."

"Use it once, burn a B-grade crystal core."

"He was really willing to spend."

Lin Yuan looked at her.

"You said earlier, no wonder the Capital has been keeping an eye on me."

Grandmaster Ling Suzhen stood up.

"Did I say that?"

Qin Yumo turned the tip of her blade.

Grandmaster Ling Suzhen smiled.

"Don't be so nervous."

"Lin Yuan, I am not your enemy right now."

Lin Yuan's voice was very calm.

"Whether you are an enemy or not is not for you to decide."

Grandmaster Ling Suzhen didn't answer.

Liu Qing's voice cut in.

"Master."

"There is a new situation at sea."

The big screen switched.

On the satellite image, a massive black ship was changing course at sea.

The hull was even larger than the one from the Ninja Guild.

There was a black marking on the deck.

It looked like a fish bone.

And also like an open mouth.

Liu Qing continued: "Its original course was directed toward Jiangcheng."

"It changed course fifteen minutes ago."

"The target is likely Shanghai."

Lin Yuan watched the screen.

"Sea Ghost Unit."

The Ninja elder had said before dying.

In three days, the Sea Ghost Unit would arrive.

Now the East Suburbs altar had been destroyed.

The elder was dead.

Chiba Sakura was captured.

The enemy knew Jiangcheng was a hard nut to crack.

So they changed locations.

Fat Dragon frowned.

"Shanghai's population is several times larger than Jiangcheng's."

"If they build an altar there..."

Grandmaster Ling Suzhen stared at that ship.

"I want to go to Shanghai."

Lin Yuan looked at her.

"You alone are not enough."

"I naturally have my ways."

Grandmaster Ling Suzhen said in a low voice: "I won't blame you for Shen Qingyue's death."

"She died at your hands because she was incompetent."

"Wait until I finish clearing out the devils."

"The matters regarding the Capital, the Emergency Response Team, and the Players."

"I will tell you everything."

The air stilled for a second.

Su Muxue looked at Grandmaster Ling Suzhen.

Qin Yumo gripped the hilt of her blade.

Su Xiaonuan's voice came over the comms, for the first time not so steady.

"Boss Lin, did she say... Players?"

Lin Yuan looked at Grandmaster Ling Suzhen.

"You really do know."

Grandmaster Ling Suzhen smiled.

"Lin Yuan."

"Did you think you young people were the only ones who were reborn?"