Chapter 467 The Return of Darkness (Twenty-Nine)

Outside.

The seven sentries were stunned by the news.

For a moment, everyone felt a chill run down their spines, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze.

Old Gao opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something.

But in the end, he just swallowed hard and asked in a dry voice, "Captain Xie, you mean... the gatekeeper is Nanjing City? This... how is this possible?"

"That's right, the gatekeeper is Nanjing City."

Xie Tu's gaze swept over the crowd. "Its obsession is closely related to this city. You could even say that every blade of grass, every brick and tile in this city is an extension of its will."

The sentries' expressions turned serious.

Faced with this truth, everyone felt a chill run down their spine.

If the gatekeeper is truly a city, then their enemy is no longer a specific individual, but the will of the entire city.

This invisible, omnipresent existence is far more terrifying than any concrete monster.

The sentries turned to look at the surrounding streets, feeling as if a pair of eyes were staring at them, radiating a cold aura.

The more I think about it, the more terrifying it becomes.

I couldn't help but shiver.

“But… how can a city have a will?” a young sentry couldn’t help but ask, his voice trembling slightly.

No one answered.

Because no one knows why a city can develop such an obsession.

Perhaps it is because it has experienced too much pain and witnessed too many historical changes and human vicissitudes.

Over the long years, it has witnessed countless people's joys and sorrows, their life and death.

From its glorious past as the capital of six dynasties to the brutality of modern wars, every brick and every street is steeped in memories of blood and tears.

Xie Tu was still pondering: "Have you ever thought about why this city maintained a certain order after the disaster?"

Why do those image distortion variants appear in this form?

"Why did the situation worsen after we restored power?"

The sentries remained silent.

They simply don't understand this contaminated area.

Xie Tu continued, "The gatekeeper's obsession is to prevent this city from falling. It uses its power to maintain a certain balance, and even conjures those image mutations in an attempt to protect the city."

"Perhaps when we restored power, while bringing light, we also disrupted the balance it maintained, causing those image distortions to get out of control."

It seems that only this explanation makes sense.

Following his words, Lao Gao pondered and said, "Does that mean the gatekeeper's obsession goes beyond just wanting light in this city?"

"That's right."

Xie Tu said, "But it's still unclear what it's thinking. We can only take it one step at a time."

He said he wanted to take the walkie-talkie to ask about the situation on the ninth group's side.

He reached for his waist but found nothing.

Xie Tu then remembered that the walkie-talkie was inside the car and subconsciously glanced in the direction of the car.

Yun Zhao is still inside.

Sun Chao, confused, followed his gaze to the chariot.

The little bluebird, perched alone on the roof of the car, noticed the sentry's gaze and stood up, cursing under its breath.

The bird, no bigger than the palm of your hand, looks smaller than the spotlight on the car roof, and its insults have no power to intimidate you.

The searchlights were on.

Not only that, all the car lights were on, which was extremely dazzling.

The sentries were a little confused.

Is Captain Xie trying to use the light source to attract the monster?

It must be inconvenient for Team Leader Xie to be traveling with his child, driving, and cleaning up the mutants.

"So what should we do next?"

Old Gao hadn't noticed, but he quickly reported the situation: "Many people are still alive here. After they mutated, they were attracted by the commotion on the street and rushed out without breaking into any other houses..."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but feel relieved, saying, "Fortunately, we separated and isolated everyone in advance."

Otherwise, I don't even dare to imagine what a living hell it would be if a riot broke out.

Xie Tu frowned. "Stay here for now, clear out the mutated monsters in the buffer zone, make sure they don't spread to other areas, and then decide what to do next."

“Okay, sure,” the sentries replied.

Sun Chao glanced at the vehicle and offered, "How about we split up and go with you, Captain Xie? It's inconvenient for you to be with your child. We can help you drive and do chores."

The sentries chimed in, "Yes, let Lao Gao and Li Yingkai go with Captain Xie. Otherwise, we won't be able to clear out those mutants while driving."

To his surprise, Xie Tu refused very decisively, "No need."

Sentinels: "?"

Xie Tu paused for a moment, "I can handle it. Just be careful to prevent the emergence of advanced mutants. Don't scatter too far apart, just keep your distance and keep up."

"yes."

The sentries didn't think much of it; perhaps Captain Xie simply didn't want to trouble them too much.

Inside the car.

Yun Zhao didn't say anything. She noticed that the walkie-talkie next to her was lit up, so she asked Little Bluebird to call Xie Tu back.

A group of sentries stood on the street discussing their mission, making them very conspicuous.

Every now and then, a few mutants would appear, howling as they charged in.

The phoenix spread its wings to block the monster, which was being eroded very quickly, with the surrounding black energy constantly entering its body through contact.

The little bluebird tilted its head and thought for a moment, then perfunctorily flapped its wings to create a barrier for the fire phoenix, keeping out the trash.

At the same time, the spiritual threads began to purify the dark matter within the Fire Phoenix's body.

This made Fire Phoenix extremely happy.

【Qingluan really cares about me!】

The little bluebird gave it a disdainful look.

Xie Tu completely ignored him.

Fire Phoenix: [Ah, she told you to go back quickly.]

Upon hearing this, Xie Tu said something to the sentries and quickly returned to the car.

With the sentries outside, fearing they might be overheard, Yun Zhao had no choice but to build another barrier to block out their senses.

"The walkie-talkie keeps flashing; I'm afraid there might be important news." Yun Zhao handed him the walkie-talkie.

Xie Tu took the walkie-talkie and said casually, "The tank is manually operated. Depress the clutch and push the gear lever to the position marked 'R' to engage reverse gear."

Yun Zhao: "..."

Xie Tu chuckled softly before turning on the walkie-talkie.

"Captain Xie! An anomaly has also appeared in the safe zone. The mutation is accelerating. We've received news from Zhongshan that mutated creatures have been spotted!"

Xie Tu's smile vanished instantly.

...

In the pitch-black environment, it was impossible to distinguish between day and night.

Time quickly came to eight o'clock in the evening.

On the edge of the buffer zone, the army is engaged in fierce fighting with the mutants.

The sentries simply couldn't get through there to reach the safe zone.

The safe zone is densely populated, and if it gets out of control, the casualties will definitely be very heavy.

"Just when we think we have the situation under control, reality always hits us hard..."

Commander Zhong's weary voice came through, "This city carries too many painful memories. Captain Xie, you have come from the future. Can you tell me how we can protect Nanjing?"

Xie Tu remained silent for a moment upon hearing Commander Zhong's voice.

His gaze pierced through the darkness of the night, looking towards the chaotic battlefield in the distance.

Firelight flickered in the darkness, and the sounds of gunfire, explosions, and monster roars mingled together.

Commander Zhong received no response and sighed, "The current situation is beyond our control. The number of mutants is increasing, and the casualties among our soldiers are also rising."

"If this continues, Nanjing... I'm afraid it really won't be able to hold out."