Chapter Sixteen: Even the God of War Fears Pollution
It's difficult to count exactly how many corpses of the fallen insects are in the power plant, but it may already be over a hundred.
Judging from the number of corpses, a battle between two armies must have taken place here.
However, apart from a factory building that caught fire, there were hardly any traces of artillery fire.
"Are there any other people who can help?" Zhuang Xiao murmured.
"No matter how many people there were, they must all be dead..." Su Qingran looked at the corpses covered in blood and gore.
Perhaps some of these fallen insects were teammates who mutated on the spot, and they couldn't recognize them.
The atmosphere plummeted to freezing point once again. The team members' face shields were no longer able to block the sandstorm and the overwhelming stench, and negative emotions swirled in everyone's minds.
"The closer you get to that cooling tower, the more the fatal wounds on the fallen insect corpses resemble knife wounds," Zhao Bohan said.
Qi Anze said, "Guessing will only make us anxious and frustrated. Let's follow the clues."
Yu Shuang took a deep breath, suppressing her agitation: "We've come all this way, whether Jiu is dead or alive, whether the mission is accomplished or not, we must reach a conclusion!"
Maintain formation and search towards the cooling tower!
Everyone immediately agreed, formed an assault formation, and advanced toward the cooling tower.
They entered the tower without any obstacles.
The outer layer of the cooling tower has been almost completely covered by climbing plants, leaving only withered yellow stems that resemble protruding blood vessels on the tower.
The tower is vast, and the pool, which is 100 meters square, has completely dried up. The dim sunlight and airflow leaking from the top create a swirling effect in the tower, producing a chilling and desolate sound.
There were still quite a few corpses here, their deaths even more bizarre. Qi An, lacking experience, couldn't make a judgment. Zhao Bohan frowned deeply, "Fighting among their own kind?"
The group dispersed to search the tower. Qi An sensed something was amiss and buried himself in thought, trying to figure out what was wrong.
Zhuang Xiao's voice rang out from behind, startled: "Holy crap, there are bugs too!"
Before the shout had even finished, gunshots rang out, a series of gunshots accompanied by a strange scream, echoing from the bottom of the pool all the way to the top of the tower!
Qi An turned his head and saw a rapidly wriggling black shadow darting away, climbing up the tower wall like a gecko.
Everyone shone their flashlights there, and all their firepower was concentrated there, but Qi An's unusual feeling suddenly became a reality!
“He is Jiu!” Qi An shouted.
Everyone was stunned. The gunfire stopped, and the flashlight beams became even more focused.
The "thing" was like a dark, writhing creature that feared light, and it darted away with a "whoosh".
However, in the instant they focused their attention, especially Zhuang Xiao and Yu Shuang, who had excellent eyesight, they had already noticed!
Although the thing had grown tentacles and mouth-opening organs, its lower body had not completely mutated, and its head still retained the outline of facial features!
The boy was originally incredibly handsome, but now he had changed so much that he could hardly be considered human anymore, with yellow saliva dripping from his mouth.
"Damn! The mutation assessment...it's at least level 4!" Yu Shuang said.
She gritted her teeth, raised her gun again, and said, "Kill him. Before he completely mutates, let him leave with some dignity. Old Zhao, record this on video."
Zhao Bohan lowered his eyes and took out a miniature camera from his tactical vest.
The highly mutated boy lay quietly in the shadows, and Qi An couldn't tell if he was trembling.
Why didn't he run away?
For some reason, Qi An seemed to substantially feel that painful rejection, the struggle between life and death, and the vast emptiness and loneliness that permeated the entire tower.
“I…I might be able to try to purify him,” Qi An said.
Zhao Bohan turned around in disbelief.
After her initial surprise, Yu Shuang resolutely refused: "No way! He's already at level 4 of the mutation level; we can't let you get dragged down with him!"
But Qi An's resolve hardened. "He doesn't seem to have any aggressive tendencies. Let me try calling out to him. If he responds and we can communicate, then let me purify him."
Her gaze was clear, and her words were rational. Yu Shuang glanced at Jiu, who remained quiet but whose transformation was clearly ongoing, and then looked at Zhao Bohan.
“Okay...we’ll take safety precautions.” Zhao Bohan frowned for two seconds, then nodded.
All the guns were still pointed at the young man, and the team members spread out into a position that surrounded each other and could support one another. Yu Shuang and Zhao Bohan stood closely behind Qi An.
Qi An reached out to the boy: "If you trust me, please come down, I can help you purify yourself."
The boy, instead, shrank further into the shadows.
But this action proves that he still has the ability to communicate.
Qi An took another step forward.
She stopped the two captains from following her, and instead walked alone into the same shadowy area, calmly saying, "I am a Purifier. If we resonate spiritually, I am sharing your fate. I dare to take it, but don't you?"
She stood quietly with her head tilted back, staring at the deformed eyes with a powerful gaze.
The boy's eyes seemed to be drawn to that gaze, and he trembled all over, emitting a sound that was both a scream and a sob.
He slowly and hesitantly climbed down.
Qi An retreated in rhythm, and when the tentacle that the boy's arm had mutated tentatively reached out, she touched it at the boundary between light and darkness, and then grasped it!
Her decisiveness at that moment amazed her teammates, but once Qi An made a decision, she did not hesitate. She grasped the "hand" that still had five fingers but no bones, and resonated with the boy!
The deep and empty space resembles a spiritual world deep within the universe, with a giant eye suspended at the highest point and hidden in the deepest part, peering into every corner.
This was the first time Qi An had delved so deeply into someone else's inner world, even going so far as to visualize it.
She saw eyes splitting apart, splitting everywhere, crowding from all directions toward the tiny figure at the center of the universe, trying to devour it!
Although the figure had been squeezed so much that it was almost invisible, it was still fighting back with all its might, swinging its knife!
A cacophony of voices echoed around: "If the mutation cannot be suppressed, then commit suicide. Loyal warriors should do so!"
The voice was incredibly loud, but a tiny voice also questioned, "Why? Why should I die?"
The noise continued, "Then what do you live for? Isn't your life as a human being pathetic? What is there to cherish?"
The tiny voice did not answer; the minuscule figure at the center of the universe seemed stunned and released the knife.
Qi An immediately released his spiritual power, and the immense force surged towards those eyes like a roaring wave!
A solid reef appeared where the tiny figure stood, the waves battled around him, yet the seawater gently enveloped him!
This process lasted a long time, and Qi An persevered! The waves grew stronger and more intense with each passing wave, until they completely suppressed and swallowed up all eyes and noise!
The surroundings gradually quieted down, the seawater barrier receded, and quietly flowed around the boy into a blue river with gentle waves.
Qi An also sat on the reef, facing the boy.
The boy stared at her, stunned.
“No one’s life is tragic, right? There’s always a reason to live,” Qi An said, his forehead touching the boy’s, conveying a gentle yet firm spiritual energy.
The boy began to tremble, his eyes disappeared, and the stars began to spin.
In this desolate and empty universe, at this moment, there were two people.
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