The cold text on the phone screen, like an invitation from the Grim Reaper, chilled Su Nian to the bone. "Cleanup process," "preparatory stage," "decomposition from environment"... every word carried a heavy, icy aura belonging to the Main God Space.

They're here! They're really here! It's not a data scan in a game, it's a real-world "cleanup"! A huge fear gripped her; her fingers, gripping her phone, turned white from the force, the tips digging deep into her palms, causing a slight stinging pain that barely kept her conscious.

Xie Chen keenly noticed her face turn deathly pale and the undisguised horror in her eyes. He didn't look at her phone, but instead stepped forward, his tall figure almost completely enveloping her, blocking the gazes of the other team members in the training room. His gaze was as calm as an abyss, locked onto her.

"What's going on?" His voice was extremely low, carrying an undeniable and steady strength.

Su Nian looked up and met his eyes, which seemed to devour all her panic. Almost instinctively, she turned her phone screen towards him. In that moment, all pretense and probing were thrown to the back of her mind; the instinct for survival led her to choose the most direct path of seeking help.

Xie Chen quickly scanned the message, and when he saw the words "cleanup program," a sharp, cold glint flashed in his eyes. The aura around him, which had been suppressed by the rules of this world for a long time, stirred uncontrollably for a moment, like a sleeping beast whose scales had been touched! The lights in the training room seemed to flicker and dim for a moment!

Several team members who were packing up their equipment nearby looked up at the light with a puzzled expression.

Su Nian's heart nearly leaped into her throat. She could clearly feel the fleeting, familiar yet chilling pressure emanating from Xie Chen! It was the power of the Star Immortal Lord, and even when suppressed, its essence remained terrifying!

"Come with me." Xie Chen grabbed Su Nian's wrist without hesitation, his grip so strong that she couldn't break free. He didn't even greet the coach or manager, simply pulling her along and striding towards the training room.

His palms were burning hot, carrying an undeniable resolve. Su Nian was half-dragged along by him, staggering slightly, a clear pain shooting through her wrist, but strangely, she felt a sense of relief at that moment. This almost overbearing "protection" (or rather, "possession") had become the only lifeline she could cling to in this crisis.

Xie Chen didn't return to the dormitory. Instead, he pulled Su Nian straight towards the relatively secluded back gate of the base. His steps were extremely fast, and his sharp eyes scanned everything around him like a vigilant cheetah. The brooch pinned to Su Nian's collar emitted a continuous, slightly cool chill at this moment, as if resisting some kind of invisible pressure, and also clearing her mind slightly from the chaos caused by fear.

[Warning! Warning! High-priority threat detected...approaching...500 meters...and continuously decreasing...]

[Environmental regulations...slight disturbance...suspected...'cleanup process'...carrier approaching...]

[Suggestion... extreme avoidance... suggestion... activate... emergency plan... buzzing... this system... energy... cannot sustain...]

The intermittent alarm of 088 echoed in my mind, carrying an unprecedented urgency and... a trace of helpless despair.

"Emergency plan? What emergency plan do we have?!" Su Nian was practically screaming in her mind.

Option 1: Confess to the mission target...seek refuge...success rate...unknown...

[Option Two: Utilize the brooch...energy resonance...attempt...short-distance...spatial jump...high risk...possible...getting lost...]

[Option 3: Pray... *sizzle*...]

Su Nian: "..." I choose option one! What the heck is option three?!

Just then, Xie Chen suddenly pulled her into the shadows at the corner of the corridor and covered her mouth, signaling her to be quiet.

Su Nian held her breath and followed his gaze. On the street outside the base's back gate, two unmarked black vans had appeared. The doors opened, and several figures dressed in what appeared to be special operations uniforms, but with far superior equipment, moved almost silently, quickly exiting and spreading out in a fan shape. Their movements were professional and ruthless, directly encircling the base's back gate! Their eyes were vacant, carrying an inhuman indifference, and they carried not conventional weapons, but devices that shimmered with a ghostly blue energy, resembling capture net launchers!

"The Cleaners"! The execution unit of the Main God Space in this world!

As the "cleaners" were about to enter the base's perimeter, Xie Chen's pupils suddenly contracted! He tightened his grip on Su Nian's waist, pressing her firmly into his arms, while his other hand rapidly traced several extremely ancient and obscure rune paths in the void—marks belonging to the laws of the stars! Although greatly suppressed in this world, unable to draw upon the power of the stars, the "concepts" contained within the marks, transcending the rules of this realm, still produced a slight disturbance!

Buzz!

Centered on Xie Chen's finger, the air rippled outwards like the surface of water, creating a circle of ripples that were barely perceptible to the naked eye!

The "cleaners" who were about to storm in suddenly froze. The sensors on their helmets beeped rapidly, as if they had been subjected to some unknown interference and had briefly lost target lock. They cautiously stopped and began to scan their surroundings again with some kind of scanning device.

It was this brief pause!

Without any hesitation, Xie Chen, carrying Su Nian, retreated rapidly along the shadows like a ghost! He didn't choose to force his way through the back door, but instead turned into a more secluded passage leading to the base's backup generator room and storage room!

"This way!" His voice was low and urgent as he led Su Nian quickly through the dimly lit, pipe-filled passageway. His movements were incredibly agile, and his familiarity with the base's structure far exceeded Su Nian's expectations, as if he had already rehearsed it countless times in his mind.

Su Nian was held tightly in his arms, her cheek pressed against his firm, warm chest. She could clearly hear his strong, slightly rapid heartbeat, and her nose was filled with his clean, crisp scent, mixed with a hint of tense sweat. This extreme closeness and dependence, in the life-or-death race against time, gave rise to an indescribable, twisted sense of security.

Is this... what it feels like to be on the run with a yandere tycoon? In the extremely tense atmosphere, Su Nian's inner吐槽 (tu cao, a form of humorous commentary) was still stubbornly working. It doesn't seem... so bad? If you ignore the deadly guys behind them!

They had just passed through the generator room when they heard a faint but clear sound of a door being broken down and footsteps behind them! The "Cleaners" had broken through the interference and tracked them down!

Xie Chen's eyes narrowed, and he abruptly pushed Su Nian into a corner of the storage room filled with old keyboards and monitors, while he quickly pulled over a heavy metal shelf to block the entrance.

"Stay here, don't make a sound, don't come out!" He spoke very quickly, his voice carrying an unquestionable tone of command, his eyes so deep they seemed to draw her in.

After speaking, he gave her a deep look, his gaze complex and unfathomable, containing determination, worry, and a hint of… an obsession that Su Nian couldn't understand, as if it wanted to etch her into the depths of his soul. Then, he resolutely turned around and walked out, heading in the direction from which the footsteps were coming!

"Xie Chen!" Su Nian exclaimed subconsciously, her heart clenching.

What is he going to do? Lead them away?

Outside the storage room, short, intense sounds of fighting quickly rang out! It wasn't gunfire, but the buzzing of some kind of energy weapon being activated, the muffled thuds of flesh colliding, and the ear-piercing noise of shelves being knocked over!

Su Nian huddled in the shadows of the corner, covering her mouth tightly with her hand to stifle a scream. She clutched the brooch to her chest, its cool touch her only solace. She could feel the brooch slightly warming, as if resonating with the battle outside.

[Detected... Mission target... Energy activity... Rapidly increased... Rule suppression... Briefly... Loosened...]

[Battle assessment... Target... is... at a... disadvantage... but... 'Cleanser'... cannot... complete... capture... in a short time...]

[Host...opportunity...now...leave...through...ventilation duct...coordinates...sent...]

088's voice was filled with static, providing guidance intermittently.

Ventilation duct? Su Nian looked up at the dark, dusty ventilation opening above the storage room.

Outside, the sounds of fighting seemed to intensify, interspersed with a suppressed groan from Xie Chen!

Su Nian felt as if an invisible hand was gripping his heart tightly! He was injured?!

No! She can't run away alone!

She glanced at the ventilation duct, then at the doorway blocked by shelves and the constant banging sounds coming from it, a resolute glint in her eyes.

She took a deep breath, clutching the brooch tightly in her hand; its cool touch seemed to give her courage. She was no longer the Su Nian who could only be protected and wait for rescue! She was Su Nian who had experienced life and death, possessed the Ice Soul Essence, and whose soul was connected to his!

She carefully moved a few boxes aside, stood on tiptoe, and tried to reach the vent's grille.

Just then—

Bang!

The door to the storage room was violently flung open by a tremendous force! The shelves blocking the door crashed to the ground!

A "cleaner" dressed in combat gear with a cold gaze appeared at the door, his dark blue capture device aimed directly at Su Nian, who was huddled in the corner and had no time to hide!

Su Nian's pupils contracted sharply, and her whole body went ice cold!

It’s over!

However, just as the "cleaner" was about to pull the trigger, a figure, like an out-of-control train, crashed into the side at a speed too fast for the naked eye to perceive!

It's Xie Chen!

With a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, his eyes were as ferocious as a dying beast, filled with a world-destroying madness. He directly slammed the "cleaner" and his equipment away, sending them crashing heavily into the opposite wall!

But he himself, exhausted and injured, collapsed to one knee, panting heavily.

He looked up at the terrified Su Nian, her pale, frightened face clearly reflected in his bloodshot, crazed eyes. He reached out to her, his voice hoarse and broken, yet carrying a chilling, undeniable possessiveness:

"Come here...come to my side..."

(End of Chapter 81)