The metal staircase beneath their feet groaned and twisted wildly under the constant, terrifying vibrations from the earth and the tsunami. With each violent jolt, it felt as if the entire passage would rip apart and collapse like noodles in an instant. The emergency lights had long since failed, leaving only the tactical flashlights on the team members' helmets, struggling to cut through the thick, choking smoke and dust, illuminating twisted pipes, peeling fireproofing, and a stream of murky water mixed with suspicious chemicals that seeped from the cracks in the ceiling.
"Ahem... Captain Jiang! Water! Water's coming up from down there!" a team member shouted hoarsely, sweeping the flashlight beam towards the bottom of the stairs. Turbid seawater, laden with all sorts of floating garbage and oil, surged upwards like a greedy tongue, snaking through the cracks in the stairs and through the broken pipes. The speed was despairing!
"Don't stop! Climb! The data center tower is built on an independent foundation! It's shock-resistant! Only the top has a chance!" Jiang Li's voice echoed from above, a breathless, life-depleting gasp. He carried me, each step incredibly heavy. My body slumped limply against his shoulders, my consciousness fluctuating between extreme weakness and the cold, dormant will within me. Every jolt sent a piercing pain through my body. The lines on the back of my neck felt like a living mark, sending faint yet distinct, cold pulses, a reminder of the terrifying parasite within me.
"Entropy...Logic core...Transfer progress...7%...Carrier's vital signs...Continue to deteriorate...Warning..." The cold voice whispered deep in my consciousness like a maggot on the tarsal bone.
"Shut up..." I used all my strength to roar silently in my heart, digging my nails deep into my palms, trying to use the pain to keep "Lin Xi" awake.
Sudden!
Boom——!!!
An explosion, closer and more violent than any before, suddenly erupted from several floors below us! The entire emergency passage, as if struck by a giant, suddenly rebounded upwards and then crashed back down! The metal structure emitted a sharp, teeth-grinding tearing sound!
"Ah!" A scream rang out! One team member lost his balance and fell directly from the edge of the broken stairs! The murky water below instantly swallowed him up, leaving only a few circles of desperate ripples and a few strings of bubbles!
"Old ghost!!" The team member next to him was furious and reached out to grab him, but he only grabbed a handful of air!
"It's the load-bearing structure! It's collapsed from below! Seawater is pouring in! Quick! The passage is going to be broken!!" Another team member screamed in horror, the flashlight beam shaking wildly, illuminating the huge and rapidly expanding crack at the connection of the stairs ahead!
The abyss of the rupture was right before his eyes! The surging seawater, carrying a biting chill of death, roared upward from below the rift!
"Jump over!" Jiang Li didn't hesitate at all, roaring like a beast towards the relatively intact staircase platform opposite the crack! He suddenly lifted me up, stepped back half a step, and his leg muscles instantly tensed!
Just when he was about to sprint and jump, the moment of life and death—
Dadadadada——!!!
A dense string of scorching, solid projectiles, like the tongues of a venomous snake, suddenly shot out from the shadows at the corner of the stairs above! The target was Jiang Li, who was gathering his strength!
"Captain Jiang, be careful!" A team member reacted extremely quickly and threw Jiang Li to the ground!
Puff puff puff!
Most of the scorching bullets missed, embedding themselves deeply into the metal wall behind them with a dull thud. But a few still managed to penetrate the back of the rescuer! His body suddenly stiffened, foamy blood gushing from his mouth, and he collapsed limply onto Jiang Li!
"Monkey!!" Jiang Li roared heartbreakingly! He embraced the body of the fallen teammate, his eyes instantly dyed red with murderous intent!
"Clear...threat...order...execute..." A cold, distorted electronic synthesized voice came from the corner above. Two figures walked out stiffly from the smoke and dust.
It's the technical director! And...Su Wan?!
No! Not them! Or rather, not them anymore!
The technical director's body still bore the marks of being crushed in the control room, his face smeared with dried blood. But at that moment, his eyes were hollow, a chaotic crimson light flickering deep within his pupils! One of his arms had been crudely modified, replaced with a smoking minigun! The muzzle was pointed directly at us! Su Wan, seemingly waking from a coma, her eyes unfocused, was being held tightly by the technical director (or rather, the thing controlling him) with his other intact hand, like a hostage, like a shield!
"Boss Su! Supervisor! You..." The surviving team members were in disbelief.
"They're under control!" Jiang Li instantly made his judgment, his voice icy cold. "It's those remaining clearance orders! Or... it's Chen Si's backup plan! Take down that machine gun arm! Watch out for Su Wan!"
"Clear...the threat...the highest...order..." The electronic voice of the technical director (the controlled entity) remained unchanged, and the minigun began to rotate and warm up again!
“No…let me go…” Su Wan seemed to have regained some consciousness, struggling weakly, his eyes filled with pain and confusion.
Below, the abyss widens! The muddy water has already reached my ankles! The cold is piercing! Above, the deadly muzzle of a gun is locked!
There are wolves in front and tigers behind! It's a truly desperate situation!
"Carrier...external threat...logical core transfer...interference...request...clear obstacles..." The cold voice in the head sounded again, with a hint of "impatience".
"Use... use me..." An extremely weak but extremely clear voice suddenly sounded in my ears.
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