Wen Shifei picked up Ajie's dropped shotgun and glanced around warily. A foul stench filled the air, and the silence was dead, save for the faint, unsettling rustling coming from the depths of the distant garbage mountain. She protected Lu Chensheng at their side. Like sinners carrying a cross, they trudged, step by step, with heavy steps and even heavier despair, deeper into the landfill, toward the west, where an even stronger, ominous aura emanated. On Lu Chensheng's chest, the tracker, pointed by Zero, flickered with a faint green light, like the eyes of a demon, silently watching them from the filth.
Deep inside the fortress, on the edge of area B-7, in an abandoned energy pipeline.
The sticky darkness was barely cut through by the pale green glow of a few emergency lights. The air was filthy, a mixture of the strong smell of rust, the pungent odor of leaking coolant, and a faint smell of... blood.
Zero's figure blended like a sculpture into the shadows, his back resting against a massive, rusted cooling pipe. His black-armored mechanical arm, like the strongest of cages, held the unconscious Lu Qingyi captive. The dark gray back of his uniform, a hideous patchwork of oil, dark purple contaminant, and dried blood, seemed to darken even deeper. The crimson electronic compound eyes on his mask warily scanned the deep darkness ahead of the pipe. Their light was dimmer than before, even gleaming with a subtle flicker—a sign of damage to internal components.
He placed Lu Qingyi in a relatively dry recess in the pipe wall, covered with his tattered dark gray uniform jacket. Her face remained pale, but her breathing had steadied slightly. After Zero forcefully injected the icy blue "mind anchor," the faint purple glow at the chip interface on the back of her neck had become extremely faint, like a candle in the wind, seemingly ready to go out at any moment. However, her brow remained furrowed, and even in her coma, her body occasionally twitched unconsciously, as if she were still resisting the mental contamination brought by the heavy pulsation from deep underground.
Zero's crimson electronic compound eyes withdrew from the darkness, resting on Lu Qingyi's pale, fragile face. His armored mechanical hand lifted ever so slightly, as if to brush a strand of sweat-soaked hair from her forehead. The movement paused in mid-air for a moment, then silently retracted. A cold electronic synthesized voice rang faintly in the silent pipes: "'Anchoring agent'... effectiveness... unstable... external interference... too strong..."
He called up the data from the micro-monitor implanted under Lu Qingyi's skin, connected to the chip. On the screen, the deep purple waveform representing the Burial Worm's mental radiation surged like a rising tide, repeatedly impacting the icy blue barrier formed by the "Consciousness Anchor." Each impact caused the barrier to fluctuate violently, and Lu Qingyi's physiological parameters briefly fluctuated. The barrier was slowly but steadily being eroded.
Buzz——!!!
A very slight, yet high-frequency, penetrating vibration suddenly emanated from the tactical panel on Zero's waist! An inconspicuous indicator light on the panel turned from green to red, flashing madly!
Zero's electronic compound eyes instantly contracted! A deep crimson light shone as sharp as a knife! He spun abruptly, completely shielding Lu Qingyi behind him. His black-armored mechanical arm lifted, and the blade popped out with a swish, flashing a chilling light! The cellular transmitter on his wrist instantly charged, emitting a low, deathly hum!
Almost at the moment when Zero completed his fighting stance!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Four searing red laser beams, pulsing with deadly energy, shot out without warning from four different shadowy corners in front of the pipe like the tongues of a venomous snake! The beams were incredibly precise, blocking all possible escape routes for Zero! The attack angles were cunning and brutal, clearly the work of an extremely professional hunter!
Zero's body moved just before the laser beams reached him! Not to dodge, but to swerve sideways and lunge forward like a ghost! His movements were so fast they left afterimages! Three laser beams grazed his armor, leaving charred holes in the pipe wall behind him! A fourth laser beam pierced the joints of his robotic arm protecting Lu Qingyi!
Zero's intact mechanical leg suddenly kicked the ground, twisting his body at an incredible angle, and using the heavy armor on his shoulders to withstand the attack!
laugh--!
The scorching high-energy laser instantly melted a small hole in the armor, and green smoke rose!
Zero's movements were unwavering! Withstanding the impact of the laser beam, he dashed towards the corner where the laser was coming from like an arrow from a bowstring! His arm blade slashed a cold arc of light!
In the shadows, a figure covered in matte black armor was forced to appear and block! Clang!!! The arm blade collided with the opponent's blocking laser rifle, sparks flying!
From the shadows in three other directions, three figures slid silently out like ghosts! Their movements were swift and coordinated, their coordination seamless! One wielded a massive pulse weapon, its muzzle blazing with a brilliant blue-white light! The other two flanked, their laser rifles locking onto Zero's exposed flanks and the back of his neck!
"Target confirmed. 'Ghost', 'Sample Zero'." A cold, emotionless, electronically altered command voice rang out within the pipe. "Execute the highest order: Capture the sample! Clear any obstacles!"
The pulse weapon's muzzle flash instantly reached its peak! A thick, blue-white beam, entwined with destructive arcs of electricity, tore through the darkness, screaming with a force that tore through space, heading straight for Zero's head! Simultaneously, laser beams from both sides shot out like venomous snakes!
A decisive game!
Zero's crimson electronic compound eyes instantly locked onto the deadly attacks coming from three directions! His core processor calculated an evasive path at breakneck speed, but the conclusion was—no solution! His severely injured body and the need to protect Lu Qingyi limited his maneuverability! To withstand the pulse beam head-on would be certain death! To dodge, Lu Qingyi would be instantly vaporized by the lasers!
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