The sirens blared like a doomsday bell, each blast more urgent than the last, as if determined to send this crumbling ruin to its final resting place.

The ceiling of the hall could no longer hold, and stones and dust poured down like rain, making people's scalps tingle.

The mechanical tentacles seemed to have gone mad, waving even more wildly, filling the air with a nauseating smell of machine oil and the burnt smell of electric arcs.

Lu Zhaoming narrowed his eyes, quickly scanning his surroundings, his brain working at lightning speed.

Time is running out; a decision must be made as soon as possible.

"Professor Lin, Afu!" he called out in a deep voice, not loud, but clearly reaching their ears, "You two are responsible for leading the evacuation. Remember the route I told you before, and don't look back!"

Professor Lin was pale and his legs were weak, but he still gritted his teeth and nodded: "Mr. Lu, what about you...?"

"I'll stay and destroy the core device," Lu Zhaoming said calmly, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

"No!" Su Li grabbed his arm, her charming face full of anxiety. "It's too dangerous. We have to go together!"

Lu Zhaoming turned his head and looked into her worried eyes, a warm feeling welling up in his heart.

He gently patted Su Li's hand, his tone reassuring: "Trust me, Su Li, I'm a professional. I've seen plenty of these kinds of situations. Besides, I haven't even had a chance to properly admire your beauty yet, how could I bear to die here?"

Su Li was taken aback by his nonchalant tone, but the worry in her eyes did not diminish at all.

She wanted to say something more, but Lu Zhaoming stopped her.

"Listen to me, lead everyone away." Lu Zhaoming's tone left no room for doubt. "Remember, you must get out alive and tell the people outside everything that happened here."

After saying that, he ignored Su Li and turned to walk towards the core device.

His back was upright and resolute, like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, radiating a reassuring light.

“That kid…” Su Li looked at Lu Zhaoming’s back, her heart filled with mixed feelings.

Knowing she couldn't persuade him, she could only stomp her foot angrily and lead everyone towards the evacuation route.

Lu Zhaoming dodged the falling rocks and waving mechanical tentacles as he finally arrived at the core device.

It is a huge metal sphere, its surface covered with intricate patterns and runes that shimmer with a ghostly blue light.

The system notification sounded as expected the instant he approached the core device:

"Encrypted file detected. Read?"

Lu Zhaoming's heart skipped a beat, and he chose "yes" without hesitation.

Segments of obscure and difficult-to-understand code flowed through his mind like a waterfall. Lu Zhaoming endured his headache and tried his best to decipher their meaning.

After a moment, he finally understood the contents of the document—

"Purification Plan!"

The Scorpion leadership actually attempted to use this so-called "purification plan" to restart global control over humanity.

They attempted to use some unknown technology to turn all the survivors into their puppets and completely control the entire wasteland world.

"This is utterly depraved!" Lu Zhaoming remained silent for a moment before making a decision—to completely destroy this information and not let the Scorpion's conspiracy succeed.

"System, destroy the core device!" he silently commanded in his mind.

"Warning! Destroying the core device will trigger a chain reaction, and the ruins will completely collapse in a short time. Please evacuate immediately!" the system warned.

"Chain reaction? Collapse?" Lu Zhaoming sneered. "Then let them see what a real trial is!"

Without further hesitation, he immediately initiated the destruction process.

The moment he started the program, several mechanical tentacles suddenly attacked from all directions, trying to stop him.

These tentacles are extremely fast and incredibly powerful; if you are hit by one, you will be severely injured, if not killed.

Lu Zhaoming was prepared. With a thought, the Blade of Judgment in his hand instantly transformed into a giant scythe, with flames burning fiercely on its blade.

"Let me show you the new form of the Blade of Judgment!" Lu Zhaoming roared, perfectly fusing his superpower with system skills, unleashing unprecedented power.

He brandished a flaming scythe, like the Grim Reaper descending, severing the incoming mechanical tentacles one by one.

Although those tentacles were incredibly hard, they were as fragile as tofu in the face of the Blade of Judgment.

However, his body also experienced severe pain due to overexertion, as if it were being torn apart.

He felt his legs were weak and he could barely stand.

"No, I can't fall!" Lu Zhaoming gritted his teeth, forcing himself to continue destroying the core device.

The core device began to disintegrate, and the eerie blue light on its surface gradually dimmed.

Lu Zhaoming knew that time was running out.

He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and followed the planned route to catch up with the group.

He must rejoin them as soon as possible, or the consequences will be dire.

Along the way, he saw countless stones and fragments falling from above, and the entire ruins were shaking violently, as if they were about to collapse completely at any moment.

Suddenly, he discovered that Xiaodao and Xiaocui were trapped in a collapsed passage.

A large number of rocks blocked their way, trapping them inside, leaving them with no way to move forward or backward.

"Brother Lu!" Xiao Dao shouted loudly as if he had seen a savior when he saw Lu Zhaoming.

Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Zhaoming rushed over immediately.

He concentrated his supernatural power and punched the stone blocking the passage.

"boom!"

With a loud crash, the rock shattered into pieces, revealing an escape route for the two.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!