Chapter 261 The Final Mass Evacuation

The red lights in the fortress's command center cast a blood-like glow on the ceiling.

"Seven assembly points in the East District, 4,000 people." Jiang Hui's face flickered on the video screen. "The military has blocked all roads out of the city. Armored vehicles are lined up for half a kilometer at the highway exit, and helicopters are circling every ten minutes."

Lu Zhao tapped the holographic map in front of him. The blue marks formed a network at the edge of the city: "Three blockade lines. The outermost is the highway toll station, the middle is the national highway checkpoint, and the innermost is stuck in the bridge tunnel out of the city. There are drones patrolling in the air and thermal imagers on the ground."

Lin Che moved the chair forward, and blue lines crawled from the cuffs to the back of his hands: "I can now stabilize small-scale time anomalies and communicate with mutant creatures."

He pointed to the sewer icon on the map and said, "Go underground. The abandoned tunnel connects to the mining area in the north of the city. You can bypass the checkpoint."

Su Wanqing called up the system interface, and the rebate points were only 8,200: "The system can interfere with military communications for six minutes, with a half-hour interval each time."

She swiped the screen, "Three-route plan: the east route goes through the sewers, Lin Che and I will lead; the north route goes through the industrial area, Xiao Ran and Jiang Hui will lead; the west route uses the unmanned vehicle as bait."

"Xiao Ling and Xiao Yu, keep an eye on the time field." Lu Zhao pushed up his glasses. "I'll monitor the military's movements here. Notify me immediately if there's anything unusual."

Jiang Hui nodded on the screen: "The East District meeting point will be ready at six o'clock."

Su Wanqing bit her lip and clicked to confirm the consumption of 5,000 rebate points: "I bought five portable time stabilizers, twenty medical kits, and a military coat for camouflage."

She pushed the equipment box in front of Lin Che and said, "It's ready."

At exactly six o'clock, the iron gate of the abandoned school at the East Road gathering point creaked open.

Lin Che stood on the steps, blue lines covering his right shoulder, his golden left eye shining like a light bulb.

"Divide into five groups, twenty people in each group." Su Wanqing held up the megaphone, "Old people and children, young and middle-aged people around the age of 20."

As the first group reached the edge of the playground, three mutant dogs suddenly jumped out from the corner.

They were covered with barbs and had green saliva dripping from their mouths, but they stopped two meters away from the crowd and made a low moan in their throats.

Lin Che took two steps forward and uttered short syllables similar to the chirping of a bird.

The mutant dogs' ears moved. One of them turned and ran out of the playground, while the other two squatted on both sides of the crowd, sweeping two shallow grooves on the ground with their tails.

"Let's go." Su Wanqing patted the old man at the head of the line, "Follow the dog."

The sewer outlet is at the back wall of the school, and the iron fence is so rusty that it falls off at the slightest touch.

Lin Che squatted down and pressed his hands on the slippery brick wall. The blue lines crawled into the tunnel along the cracks in the bricks.

"There are three time anomalies inside." He stood up. "The first one is 300 meters away, the second one is at the turning point, and the third one is near the checkpoint."

As the team descended into the tunnel, Xiao Ling's voice exploded from the intercom: "Attention, East Road, there is a time crack fifty meters ahead!"

Lin Che quickly stepped forward and pressed his left hand on the edge of the crack. The blue veins seemed to come alive and entered the crack, and the distorted air slowly calmed down.

As the crowd pressed past him, blue sweat oozed from his forehead, dripping onto the ground with a hissing sound and emitting green smoke.

After passing the second abnormal point, the tunnel suddenly opened up. Su Wanqing shone her flashlight upwards and saw rusty pipes hanging on the cement wall, with water droplets dripping into the stagnant water.

"There are still three hundred meters to the checkpoint." Lin Che glanced at his watch, "The military patrol will arrive in five minutes."

As soon as he finished speaking, the roar of an armored vehicle came from above. Su Wanqing took out a portable time stabilizer, and the red button in his palm became hot: "Get ready."

Lin Che whistled, and the mutant dog suddenly rushed forward, splashing in the water.

The searchlight on the armored vehicle swept over, and the machine gun muzzle turned towards the tunnel entrance.

"Three, two, one." Su Wanqing pressed the button.

Time seemed to be slowed down. The muzzle of the armored vehicle's machine gun slowly rose, the soldier's mouth opened into an O shape, and even the splashing water seemed frozen.

Lin Che dragged the child at the front of the line and Su Wanqing pushed the old man behind. The team of twenty people squeezed through the blockade in the "frozen" world.

When the blue light of the time stabilizer went out, the armored vehicle's machine gun was still stuck in the raised position.

The team has entered the northern tunnel entrance.

The abandoned industrial area on North Road smelled of rust. Xiao Ranmao was behind a rusted gas tank, holding up a telescope: "The drone is 300 meters overhead, scanning with thermal imaging."

"Those holding the child should squat down." Jiang Hui lowered his voice, "Those wearing dark clothes should move forward."

He tugged at his gray coat and said, "Put away the reflective items."

The buzzing sound of the drone gradually faded away, and the crowd moved along the outer wall of the factory.

Suddenly, Xiao Ran grabbed Jiang Hui's sleeve and said, "There are footsteps fifty meters to the right."

Seven or eight soldiers in camouflage uniforms came out from the corner, with rifles hanging across their chests.

The leading captain saw the crowd and put his hand on the walkie-talkie at his waist.

"We are civilians." Jiang Hui took two steps forward, "We want to leave the city and seek refuge."

The captain stared into his eyes for three seconds, then lowered his head and kicked away the scrap metal at his feet. "The second pipe shaft in front, go down and turn right."

He tugged at the name tag on his collar, "Don't say I put it there."

Xiao Ran pulled Jiang Hui back two steps, and the crowd filed down the pipeline shaft.

When the last person disappeared into the well, the captain turned and shouted to the soldiers: "Keep patrolling!"

Suddenly, a sharp electric sound rang out from the intercom. Lu Zhao's voice squeezed in: "The bait car on the west route has been intercepted, and the military has sent two more platoons to the east route!"

Su Wanqing touched the time stabilizers in her pocket and found only two left.

Lin Che's blue lines had already reached his neck, and the light in his golden left eye dimmed. "There are two more abnormal spots ahead."

The water in the tunnel suddenly surged. Lin Che squatted down and dipped his hand into the water. Blue lines rushed forward along with the water flow.

He looked up suddenly: "Mutated crocodile! Eighty meters ahead!"

The crowd began to stir. Su Wanqing raised the megaphone: "Don't run! Follow Lin Che!"

Lin Che stood up and let out a low roar. The water suddenly became quiet, and a crocodile half a man's height emerged from the water, its eyes were a gentle dark brown.

It flicked its tail, turned around and swam deeper into the tunnel.

“Let’s go.” Lin Che wiped the blue sweat off his face, “Follow it.”

Just as the team bypassed the crocodile, Xiao Ling’s voice rang out again: “Watch out on the east road!

The military is coming in from the south entrance of the tunnel! Three minutes left!"

Su Wanqing glanced at her watch - there were still 9 hours and 12 minutes before the nuclear strike.

She took out the last time stabilizer, and the red button left a mark on her palm.

Lin Che suddenly grabbed her wrist: "I'll do it." His blue lines crawled up their clasped hands, "I can hold on longer this time."

The light in the golden left eye surged. The air in the tunnel began to distort, and the silhouettes of the military soldiers became blurred in the distortion.

The crowd stumbled forward, and Su Wanqing counted the number of people - 97, 98, 99

"One hundred!" shouted the old man at the front of the line.

Lin Che's knees bent, and Su Wanqing quickly supported him. The blue lines retreated from his neck to his wrist, and the light in his golden left eye dimmed as if it was about to go out.

From the south entrance of the tunnel came the shouting of soldiers, mixed with the roar of armored vehicles.

“Run!” Su Wanqing grabbed Lin Che’s arm, “The northern exit is just ahead!”