Chapter 633: Special Defense Department Falls
But this was not the end. There were far more xenomorphs outside than they had imagined, an almost endless stream. Xenomorphs leaped in through the windows, charging into the living room one after another. Because of their sheer numbers, they even started fighting among themselves as they entered!
Zheng Liang and the others did not have any large defensive items, so they had to move the sofa and table to block the corridor entrance, creating some distance to give their items room to work.
But they underestimated the xenomorphs' abilities. If they could smash the glass of a Dimension Train, wooden furniture was nothing. The sofa and table were pushed aside, and the xenomorphs surged toward them in a crush of bodies. A few items that worked on single individuals could not reverse the situation. At this point, they had no choice but to fight to the death!
Zheng Liang and the others swung their weapons and fought the xenomorphs, but in the increasingly cramped space, they had little room to maneuver.
"We have to get out!" Wen Xuelin shouted loudly. She didn't know how much black liquid had been splashed on her; her face and clothes were filthy. "We haven't been poisoned yet. The antidote might be enough to get us to a safe place!"
The other three agreed with this proposal and loudly asked for Xu Huo's opinion.
Xu Huo gestured for them to take the stairs. "There aren't many players outside. The stairs are relatively safe."
They retreated to the door. Once outside, Xu Huo used the door to create some distance, swept his hand across the ground, and cut twice on the floor before closing the door.
The room was packed with people. He pulled out the steel bars from the floor and cut through the wall edges. As the xenomorphs jumped up and down, the floorboards couldn't withstand the force. Within seconds of the door closing, a crashing sound came from inside.
Xu Huo and Zheng Liang's group didn't stop moving. Even if the xenomorphs fell to the next floor, it wouldn't cause fatal injuries.
During the descent, xenomorphs kept coming in through the windows, but not in large numbers.
"Luckily, the people near the headquarters left early. Otherwise, this place would be a living hell right now!" Brother Liang said with a grim face.
The others looked troubled. The clearing of personnel near the headquarters was purely coincidental, but this rain covered such a wide area—what had become of other places?
The issue of Special Defense Department players mutating could even be set aside for now. How many Special Defense Department members were active outside? And most of them were wearing protective suits, covering their eyes, ears, mouths, and noses tightly. What about the ordinary people?
How many people lived on a third of a city's land? And this rain had directly affected the drinking water supply!
"Emergency notice from the Special Defense Department: All city residents are forbidden from coming into contact with tap water in any form. Drinking, boiling, washing—all will cause infection! Do not use water! Do not use water! Do not use water!"
"It is known that some residents and stray animals will become violently insane after infection. All city residents must close all doors and windows and do not go outside! Close doors and windows, do not go outside!"
Emergency broadcasts sounded in various parts of the city. Xu Huo and the others heard them, of course, but in the heavy rain, the announcements came and went intermittently, as if trapped by the curtain of rain.
The group took shelter in the security room of a residential complex. From the surveillance footage, they could see the fast-moving shadows in the rain. Occasionally, they would stop on the street, their abnormal postures making it clear at a glance that they were mutated humans.
"There are many players near the headquarters," Brother Liang said. "I think the Special Defense Department is in deep trouble this time."
"In less than ten minutes since we came down, thirteen uniformed xenomorphs have appeared in the surveillance footage. They are all Special Defense Department players. With a large number of members suddenly mutating, the Special Defense Department's internal operations must be in chaos." Xu Huo's expression was serious. "Once the Special Defense Department falls into chaos, ordinary players have almost no chance of breaking out."
"The Special Defense Department and the military have sealed off the headquarters area and organized large-scale evacuations. These people haven't fully left the rain zone yet. The earliest outbreak of xenomorph attacks must have occurred within the main force. By now, even the military units maintaining order might have fallen. The xenomorphs will soon surge back from the blockade line."
In other words, until the Special Defense Department and the military organized new teams to suppress the xenomorphs, staying put was the safest option.
"These xenomorphs have very keen hearing. We can't move to another location for now," Zheng Liang said. "We can only hide here for the time being."
"What will the world become?" Wen Xuelin asked everyone with a hint of uncertainty.
No one could answer that question. But if even the players were so confused, what about the ordinary people who were almost helpless against the xenomorphs and the black rain?
Panic gripped the entire city.
The most direct consequence of the panic was that people in areas not affected by the rain began to flee en masse, causing a complete collapse of urban traffic. This greatly slowed down the military forces heading to rescue the Special Defense Department headquarters, as they had to use armored vehicles to clear the way the entire route.
In addition, there were small-scale incidents of water and food looting, but these were quickly suppressed.
Some people with ulterior motives also tried to cause chaos, but they too failed to stir up any real trouble.
Of course, none of this was the most critical issue. The collapse of the Special Defense Department was the most troublesome problem. Not only had they lost their ability to restrain players, but they were also consumed by the effort to control the internal player mutations.
Minister Fan's phone was ringing off the hook, but under the current circumstances, he was powerless. Everyone who could act had been sent out, but often, a mutated player would suddenly appear in the rescue teams, killing people by surprise. Not only did rescue and control of mutated players become a problem, but a crisis of trust had also arisen among Special Defense Department members.
Now, even the temporary command center was surrounded by xenomorphs. He and several team leaders were trapped here, listening to the sounds of fighting and roaring outside with fear and anxiety. At the same time, they were overwhelmed, because orders had come from above: even if it meant sacrificing the entire headquarters, they had to do their best to keep the mutated players within the blockade circle.
"Using the lives of Special Defense Department members to buy time," Minister Fan said, veins bulging on his forehead. But he was powerless. Just when it seemed tonight's events were about to wrap up, who could have expected this sudden twist?
"All the people we worked so hard to train—half of them will be lost this time." Team Leader Lu let out a long sigh.
"Half would be a good outcome," Team Leader Chang said quietly.
At that moment, a landline phone on the table rang. Minister Fan pressed the speakerphone button. "Go ahead."
"We just administered a detox fungus to a mutated player in an emergency, and they returned to normal. The research institute is now extracting effective components from their blood." Jiang Qiao brought good news. "But it will take some time."
"We can buy time. The worst thing would be having no antidote at all," Minister Fan said. "Tell the research institute to go all out!"
"Yes!" Jiang Qiao had just hung up when Nie Xuan called in. "David Pierce has mental issues, but he revealed an important piece of information. Country Y has a high-level item related to rain. According to internal rumors, this item is currently within the city."
(Chapter End)