He (judging from his build) wore a dark gray jumpsuit that looked out of place in the fortress, stained with the typical stains of sewers. Made of neither cloth nor leather, it possessed a strange matte finish that effectively absorbed light, almost blending into the shadows in the dim environment. His face was covered by a simple black metal mask, revealing only his eyes and mouth. Its lines were cold and rigid, devoid of any ornamentation. The only difference was that two crimson electronic eyepieces, like insect eyes, were embedded in the eye sockets, which now shone with a cold, faint light.
The most striking thing was the matte black armored mechanical arm that replaced the right arm. It lacked the rugged industrial style common in fortresses, instead displaying a sophisticated, streamlined, and murderous aesthetic. Its joints were covered in a honeycomb-like shock-absorbing structure, and its fingers were slender and flexible, their tips gleaming with a cold metallic sheen. At this moment, the mechanical arm held the unconscious Lu Qingyi tightly like an iron clamp.
"You...!" Wen Shifei had just been pulled back from the brink of death and was still in shock. Looking at this mysterious man who suddenly appeared and had strange and unpredictable means, he subconsciously took half a step back. His mental strength instinctively gathered, but he felt dizzy due to injuries and overdraft.
Ajie supported Lu Cheneng, who was a little conscious and bleeding from the corner of his mouth. His shotgun had long since fallen out of his hand. He could only stare at the mysterious man, his eyes filled with vigilance and hostility: "Let her go! Who are you?!"
The mysterious figure's crimson electronic compound eyes scanned Wen Shifei and Ajie, finally resting on Lu Cheneng, who was supported by Ajie. The energy cracks on his left mithril arm were visibly visible, and his aura was extremely weak. An electronic synthesized voice emanated from beneath the mask, cold and flat, devoid of any emotion, as if a machine were broadcasting: "Target: Lu Qingyi. Status: Forced Activation Out of Control. Threat Level: Extremely High. Capture Completed."
His gaze lingered on Wen Shifei's bandaged and bloodstained arms for an extremely brief moment. The light in his compound eyes seemed to fluctuate extremely slightly, but it was too fast to be captured.
"Capture your mother!" Ajie was furious. He supported Lu Chenshang and wanted to rush forward, but was held back tightly by Wen Shifei.
"Don't be impulsive! Ajie!" Wen Shifei's voice was hoarse and rapid, his eyes fixed on the mysterious man's mechanical arm that was restraining Lu Qingyi, then at the strange pulse gun in his hand, which still emitted a remnant of blue and white arcs. "He...he just saved Qingyi and me! That gun...can forcibly interrupt the chip's energy!"
Her mind raced. Who was this person? A recovery force sent by a chaebol? Unlikely! This style of equipment and methods had never appeared in the fortress's records. Black market mercenaries? It was impossible for them to possess such advanced weapons capable of directly suppressing a chaebol chip! Furthermore, the location and timing of his appearance just now… it was as if he had been lurking in the shadows, waiting for this single, fleeting opportunity!
"Purpose?" Lu Cheneng's voice suddenly rang out, hoarse like sandpaper, yet carrying a chilling, penetrating force. He forcibly suppressed the agonizing pain surging through his brain and the bruises on his body. Through his sweat-soaked, blood-soaked hair, his only remaining right eye locked with the crimson, electronic eyes on the mysterious man's mask. Their gaze, sharp as a knife, seemed to penetrate the mask and see into the man's soul. Mithril's left arm drooped, the white mist emanating from the energy rifts fading slightly, but the hilt of the demonic blade was tightly gripped in his remaining right hand.
The mysterious man's electronic compound eye met Lu Chen's bloodshot right eye, burning with pain and scrutiny. The smoke and the stench of blood in the passage seemed to freeze. A few seconds of suffocating silence passed.
"Leave." The cold electronic synthesized voice sounded again, concise and to the point, without answering Lu Chen's question. "Pursuers. Three minutes."
As if to confirm his words.
Woo-woo-woo-woo!!!
A shrill, sharp, and penetrating alarm, like the wail of a dying beast, suddenly exploded from every corner of the fortress! It was no longer the localized alarm of the previous quarantine zone, but the highest level, a "beehive" level alarm, indicating a full-scale invasion of the fortress or severe damage to its core facilities!
At the same time, from the entrance came the dense, heavy sound of footsteps, the clinking of metal equipment, and the distinctive low hum of energy weapons charging! Judging from the sound, their numbers far exceeded the previous security team! And they were filled with a well-trained, ruthless, and murderous aura!
"The chaebol's armed forces!" Wen Shifei's face changed drastically, and he instantly understood what the mysterious man meant by "pursuers"! "How did they react so quickly?! Could it be that inside the fortress..."
She didn't finish her words, but the meaning was self-evident—there were chaebol inside the fortress! And they had extremely high authority! Otherwise, it would be impossible for them to mobilize such a large-scale armed force and precisely block this passage in the short time since the incident in the energy core area and their return!
"Fuck!" Ajie cursed, quickly picking up his shotgun from the ground, cocked it with a click, and positioned himself in front of Lu Chentang and Wen Shifei, his eyes fixed fiercely on the approaching clamor from the tunnel entrance. But his slightly trembling fingers and pale face betrayed his inner nervousness. He knew that given their current state—Lu Chentang was critically injured, Wen Shifei's hands were injured from mental exhaustion, and he himself had old injuries—a head-on confrontation against the chaebol's elite armed squad would be a sure death!
The mysterious figure seemed unfazed by the sudden threat. His cold mechanical arm still held the unconscious Lu Qingyi firmly in place, while his other hand rapidly manipulated a matte black tactical panel at his waist. The panel lit up with a faint blue glow.
"Route. Breakout." His cold electronic voice sounded again, and at the same time, a tiny, flickering holographic arrow was suddenly projected on the ground under Wen Shifei's feet, pointing to an inconspicuous round metal cover covered with thick oil and rust on the wall on one side of the passage - it looked like an old ventilation duct inspection port that had been abandoned for many years.
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