Chapter 443 The Return of Darkness (Part Six)

During the waiting period.

Xiao Yunzhao was full and sleepy.

Xie Tu reclined the passenger seat, took out a small blanket, covered her with it, and coaxed her to sleep.

Even with her eyes half-closed, she stubbornly insisted, "Hot pot."

He promised!

Xie Tu hummed in agreement, "You'll be able to eat soon after you wake up."

Xiao Yunzhao then fell into a deep sleep, completely satisfied.

The little bluebird hopped over, perched on her shoulder and neck, and tilted its head to examine the shrunken, sleeping form.

It seems I still haven't figured it out.

Why would the original entity speak to itself in that tone?

The little bluebird was greatly disappointed.

*

Seeing that she was asleep, Xie Tu took the backpack and gave the compressed biscuits and drinking water inside to the sentries to share.

The reinforcements were equipped with gun magazines, but not backpacks.

The sentries had no food.

Feeding so many people is a problem.

Xie Tu didn't want to wake Xiao Yunzhao, so he took out his notebook and walked to a rock to sit down.

Two hours passed quickly.

Five more sentries arrived one after another during this time.

The sentries had no money or identification, and many of them ran there on foot. The distances varied, with those who came from afar taking a little longer.

Of the five new arrivals, four are members of Group Eight, and the other is a sentry from Group Seven.

There are now 16 people: 4 in group 7, 5 in group 8, 3 in group 9, 2 in group 10, and 2 in group 11.

Twenty-four sentries are still missing.

Of the seven people in the twelve groups, none have shown up yet.

The sentries could only console themselves.

Perhaps the other people appeared in places too far away, and no one noticed the Fire Phoenix.

Xie Tu, however, seemed unhurried. He slowly closed his laptop, his sharp eyes scanning the room, signaling everyone to move closer.

Sixteen sentries, including three smartly dressed female sentries, stood in two rows in front of him, awaiting his orders.

"Time is of the essence; we cannot remain here with these other people."

Xie Tu's voice was steady and powerful, striking straight to the heart, "I speculate that we are currently at the eve of the dark apocalypse, the date is unknown, and the dark apocalypse could happen at any time."

The sense of urgency conveyed in his words made the sentries' expressions even more solemn.

“Once darkness falls, we may face the entire city of mutants.”

Xie Tu's eyes were sharp as he said, "The five-star contaminated zones have existed for over a hundred years. It cannot be ruled out that there are S-class Sentinel mutants and advanced Guide mutants here. Everyone must be aware of this and prioritize the overall situation. From now on, follow orders."

"If you have any questions, you can ask them now."

A sentry raised his hand: "Team Leader Xie, should we collect supplies and ammunition next?"

Xie Tu calmly replied, "No, our strength is limited. We will go directly to the government to cooperate and rescue the 'people' here as much as possible."

These words caused an uproar and sparked a great deal of discussion.

Should we seek cooperation with governments from the old era?

But those people are all mutants or images.

What is the point of rescuing those people?

"Reporting to Captain Xie, this is a polluted area. Even if we change the course of Nanjing's history, it will only be our own self-indulgent fantasy."

Zhao Qiang mustered his courage to voice his concerns: "I think it's pointless because those are all dead people. I don't think it's necessary to be a hero in a contaminated area."

Several sentries nodded in agreement.

To risk one's own life to save a mutant that has already died?

The most urgent task is to seek self-preservation and then find a way to get out through the gatekeeper, isn't it?

The reinforcements had only completed missions in newly formed, low-level contaminated areas. Their usual style of operation, and the orders they received, were to go in and find the gatekeeper as soon as possible.

Why would someone risk sacrificing themselves to save a series of afterimages when they don't understand the high-risk nature of a five-star mission?

"Because we know the ending, the process doesn't matter?"

Xie Tu looked up at Zhao Qiang, his voice steady yet warm, "The more normal 'people' who retain consciousness in the city, the fewer mutants we will face. If there are S-class beings among the people we rescue, we are also saving our own lives."

The sentries suddenly realized and replied in unison, "Yes, sir!"

The voice was too loud.

Xie Tu subconsciously looked at the person sleeping inside the car.

Xiao Yunzhao was not woken up and was sleeping soundly.

"The five-star gatekeeper is extremely well hidden. Focusing all your efforts on finding it in the early stages will only reduce your survival rate."

Xie Tu's voice was deep but clear, "First, survive; only then should we try to get out."

The sentries were about to agree.

Xie Tu raised his hand, signaling them to keep their voices down.

“Yes…” A group of people glanced at the pink Beetle out of the corner of their eyes and answered in a low voice.

It sounds rather unimpressive.

Next is the action plan.

Xie Tu chose to gather in this remote place first, as if he had made two plans.

No one is certain whether government officials will still have self-awareness and be able to cooperate in the face of a dark apocalypse.

If things get out of control, they must have a way out.

Xie Tu then chose this place as the temporary defensive outpost.

Huo Feng has already checked it out. The occupancy rate of the nearby villa area is not high. Many wealthy people have bought houses here but do not live in them.

These villas prioritize privacy, are walled, fully equipped, and include basements. The surrounding area is sparsely populated, making them excellent defensive locations to date.

Xie Tu left ten sentries there to reinforce the houses and stockpile supplies.

Even if the supplies are not used, they can still be taken out in the end.

The other six followed him back to the city.

They went straight to the Nanjing government.

*

Xiao Yunzhao was awakened by the noise of the city.

She sat up groggily, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and looked out the car window, only to realize that they had returned to the city.

In the old days, night and day seemed to be indistinguishable.

Pedestrians thronged the streets, and neon lights on both sides flashed with colorful lights, illuminating the entire street as if it were daytime.

"Shall we go eat hot pot?"

Xie Tu had changed into his combat uniform at some point. He was driving and said, "Well, I have some serious business to attend to first. We'll have hot pot soon after that."

Xiao Yunzhao yawned. She had eaten a lot of snacks and wasn't hungry at all.

But if a man promises something, he must keep it.

She doesn't eat it, but she can't live without it.

Just as Xiao Yunzhao was about to speak, she caught a glimpse of a large head that was almost touching her head out of the corner of her eye.

She turned her head and stared intently at the back seat.

The small Beetle had six Sentinels crammed into the back. Because the passenger seat was folded down, the six people occupied very little space, and they were squeezed together in an odd, stacked-up manner.

The three sentries at the top met her gaze and gave her awkward smiles.

Xiao Yunzhao proudly raised her chin, "Ugh, those annoying sentries."

Sentinels: "..."

Xie Tu focused on driving.

Along the way, strange phenomena occurred from time to time. Be careful of vehicles suddenly going out of control from all sides. The pink beetle was not moving very fast.

The pollution concentration has reached 41%.

Based on the pollution concentration, Xie Tu deduced that darkness would not fall until tonight, and there should be enough time.

The car passed through Jiangning District and arrived at Xuanwu District, stopping in front of the government building.

The building was still brightly lit at night.

The soldiers on duty at the gate stood motionless, their eyes fixed straight ahead.

Xie Tu signaled to the sentries to get out of the car with their guns drawn.

Seven sentries dressed in black appeared, each carrying a variety of heavy weapons.

The two soldiers on duty recognized that these weapons were real guns and live ammunition, and reacted instantly.

One of them had a sudden change in expression and shouted sternly, "Halt! Weapons are prohibited from approaching without permission! Put down your weapons immediately and submit to inspection!"

The city has already become something is wrong.

During this special period, military forces were secretly stationed around the government building.

As he shouted, the security forces hidden in the shadows instantly appeared, spreading out in a fan shape, pointing their guns at them, and surrounding the eight men.

Xie Tu remained calm, holding Xiao Yunzhao and standing tall at the front.

He began, "Xie Tu, an S-class sentinel from Dawn Base, comes from two hundred years in the future and wishes to meet with the highest leader of the government."