Suddenly, Lu Chensheng's body stiffened!
"Ugh!" He let out a muffled groan of pain. His originally supported arm suddenly erupted with astonishing strength, violently pushing Ajie and the other soldier who were holding him away!
"Brother Lu!" Ajie was caught off guard and bumped into the wall of the pipe.
Lu Cheneng suddenly turned around, his back to them. He knelt on one knee, his right hand tightly gripping the hilt of the Demon Blade, his knuckles turning white from excessive force. His left hand tightly covered his left eye! His body trembled violently as if struck by a high-voltage electric current, and a painful, beast-like "ho-ho" sound emanated from his throat. Even more bizarre, through the gaps between his fingers covering his left eye, an ominous dark purple light, the same source as the Demon Blade itself, shone faintly!
"What's going on?!" Another soldier raised his gun in horror.
"Don't come near!" Wen Shifei shouted, forcing herself to take a few steps forward despite a headache. She saw Lu Chensheng suddenly raise his head. The dark purple in his uncovered right eye burned like a will-o'-the-wisp, filled with chaos, violence, and a kind of cold scrutiny that didn't belong to him! His eyes swept over Wen Shifei and Ajie as if he were looking at ants.
"Chen En! Look at me! Control it!" Wen Shifei's voice trembled with spiritual power, trying to penetrate the barrier contaminated by the Ark's energy. She could feel the Demon Blade frantically absorbing the remnants of the Ark's signal that permeated the passage. Lu Chen En's body and mind became the battlefield for this violent energy and the Demon Blade's own will!
Lu Chen's body convulsed violently, his terrifying right eye fixed on Wen Shifei, the confusion and violence in his eyes nearly overflowing. The muscles in his right arm, gripping the blade, tensed, and the purple lightning on the demonic blade crackled, as if he were about to swing out of control in the next second!
Wen Shifei's heart was in his throat, and his mental strength was concentrated to the extreme, ready to face the worst impact.
However, at this critical moment, Lu Chen's body suddenly arched, as if he had endured a powerful blow from within. Veins bulged on the back of his hand as he covered his left eye, and in his right eye, burning with purple flames, a flash of his own, extreme pain and struggle suddenly flashed!
"Ugh!" He let out a stifled roar, his body limp as if its bones had been ripped out. The demonic blade clanged off his hand and landed on the grating. The purple lightning on the blade dimmed, but didn't disappear completely. He huddled on the ground, panting heavily, his clothes soaked with sweat and blood.
"Brother Lu!" Ajie immediately rushed over and carefully helped him up together with another soldier.
Wen Shifei also breathed a sigh of relief. Her legs went weak, and her back was instantly drenched in cold sweat. She walked forward and squatted to check. Lu Cheneng had already passed out, his face ashen, his breathing weak and rapid. But the terrifying purple light in his right eye had temporarily receded.
"What was that just now?" Ajie looked at the magic blade on the ground with lingering fear.
"The Ark's energy... and the chip in his body... and this knife..." Wen Shifei's voice was filled with fatigue and fear. "They're fighting for control. He... has won this round for now." She looked at the unconscious Lu Cheneng, her heart heavy as lead. Every confrontation seemed to burn the essence of his life.
"Hurry! We can't stay here any longer!" Another soldier listened warily to the faint, dull tremors of a herd of beasts emanating from the depths of the tunnel—they were pursuers! They could be the chaebol's mechanical hounds, or perhaps they were members of the Fortress, completely mentally corrupted and reduced to beasts!
The three dared not delay any longer. Ajie carried the unconscious Lu Chenentang on his back, while Wen Shifei picked up the demonic blade, still emitting an ominous aura. It felt cold and heavy in her hand, and the subtle purple lightning made her fingertips numb. Another soldier, armed with a gun, covered her rear. They quickened their pace, fleeing for their lives through the dark, oppressive, and perilous tunnel. Wen Shifei's palms, gripping the demonic blade, were covered in sweat. The cold touch and faint pulse made her feel like she was holding a heart from the abyss, ready to explode at any moment.
Old town.
When Wen Shifei and his companions finally emerged from a hidden sewage outlet covered by thick, rusted iron plates, the sky had already turned leaden gray, the darkest hour before dawn. The icy, biting air, thick with the stench of industrial waste and rotting garbage, rushed into their lungs, bringing an eerie sense of "freshness" that diluted the stifling atmosphere of the underground passage.
The scene before me was more complete than just "ruins." This was a forgotten corner of civilization. Twisted and broken rebar, like the ribs of a giant beast, pierced the collapsed concrete floor, pointing towards the gray sky. The remaining walls were coated in a thick, greasy black grime and moss. The streets were completely blocked by rubble and the wreckage of abandoned vehicles. Even tenacious, twisted, mutant plants grew within the rusted hulls. A dead silence enveloped everything, only the whimpering of the cold wind as it passed through the shattered walls, like the sobs of countless dead souls. In the distance, the perpetual neon pollution of Sky City cast a sickly, blurred halo beneath the low-hanging leaden clouds, further highlighting the desolation and despair of this place.
"Safe point... Abandoned hospital in the old city... About... Southeast... About... Three kilometers..." Ajie panted, carrying Lu Chencheng on his back. Sweat streamed down his grime-stained face, rapidly cooling in the cold wind. He pointed to the shadow of a taller, dilapidated building in the distance, its outline barely discernible amidst the ruins.
Another soldier, tasked with covering the rear, warily scanned the silent ruins around them and whispered, "No tracking signal detected yet. But it's... too quiet here." The silence was unsettling. The old city wasn't completely deserted; there were always scavengers or Black Snake gang members roaming the fringes. This absolute silence itself was ominous.
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