Chapter 635: The Weight and Fragility of Life
(To be revised later) "The opponent has advanced items, probably not easy to deal with," Team Leader Wu said into the phone. "Can we convince Li Chun to help?"
"I've already sent people to contact him," Nie Xuan replied. "David Pierce provided some leads, and I've contacted the armed police to search for him. But the rain has already started, and even if we find him, we can't change the current situation for now. The key is to prepare for the upcoming mutant beast tide."
"Someone is already working on that. You only have one task—catch the lurking player!" Minister Fan finished speaking and hung up.
Outside, the sound of gunfire and explosions continued. Soon, a military officer walked in. "Minister, the temporary command post can't hold out any longer. We need to prepare for evacuation!"
Minister Fan walked to the door and saw various vehicles forming a wall outside the command post. Members of the Special Defense Department and arriving rescue personnel held their ground on the car roofs, their guns firing almost nonstop. Two shifts of people had even eliminated the need for reloading pauses. Despite this, it still seemed like a drop in the bucket against the endless waves of mutants.
The vehicles at the front had been battered out of shape, with some places even breached open. Special Defense Department members had to use their own bodies to fill the gaps. They needed to change guns and reload, and activating items and traits took time, but the frenzied people needed no rest. Their pain perception was dulled—as long as it wasn't a fatal wound, even if shot in the body or having both legs blown off, they could still get up and bite people!
"Ahhh!" Some rescue personnel were bitten on the arms and thighs. If they couldn't kill the mutant in time, a chunk of flesh and skin would be torn off immediately. Those unlucky enough to be bitten on the neck were almost hopeless.
The temporary command post was built near the blockade line, so it was the first to be attacked by people mutated by the rain. This blockade line had actually been breached long ago, but the command post had cordoned off a small area, attracting many mutants. However, more mutants had already charged into the city, spreading out on both sides of the blockade.
"According to the research institute, these people can be saved." Team Leader Lu walked behind Minister Fan, his eyes cold. "But before that, how many people will we have to die?"
The area near the Special Defense Department headquarters had been almost cleared, which was a good thing. Even if mutants entered this area, they wouldn't cause too many casualties, and it made cleanup easier—as long as they were willing to use high-lethality weapons. But that meant basically giving up on the people currently poisoned and frenzied.
The rescue personnel had already prepared the vehicles and urged them to board. Minister Fan finally gritted his teeth and said, "I can't make this decision alone. I need to report to higher-ups. But contact the military and have them prepare to drive all the frenzied people toward the headquarters!"
The personnel of the temporary command post got into the vehicles, using armored cars to lead the way, slowly heading toward the blockade line.
But just then, a earth-shattering explosion came from the direction of the Special Defense Department headquarters building. The fifty-story building visibly shifted, tilted, and finally collapsed with a thunderous roar!
The Special Defense Department members gritted their teeth in hatred but could only turn around and leave.
Xu Huo also witnessed the collapse of the headquarters building. Massive amounts of dust surged into the black rain, making the visibility even murkier. In the dim light, almost nothing could be seen clearly.
"They even blew up the Special Defense Department building!" Zheng Liang was stunned. "Are we fighting a world war?"
"Otherwise, what do you think is happening?" Xu Huo had his back to them, his eyes quickly moving across several surveillance screens.
Affected by the mutants, only four screens remained, with limited surveillance content. Still, he saw Special Defense Department rescue personnel carrying two children as they passed through the corner of the frame.
"I'm going out for a while." He put on his protective suit as he spoke to the others. "The security room won't hold out much longer. There should be frenzied rat swarms nearby. Take this time to find a safe place to evacuate."
"If I find a safe place in advance, I'll contact you too."
"What are you going to do? We'll come with you," Brother Liang immediately said. "We've been splashed by some rain too, and we're still fine. Probably because of the antidote. Instead of hiding here, we might as well go out and do something."
"I don't mind if you want to go out and save people, but it's not convenient for me to take you along," Xu Huo said directly. "You're too slow."
The few of them knew that following Xu Huo would definitely be the safest option, but they also understood that Xu Huo thought they would hold him back, so they had to give up.
Xu Huo put on "Oxygen Supply" and walked out of the security room.
There were wandering mutants nearby. He accelerated out of the residential area, first following the direction the Special Defense Department member had gone. He hadn't gone far when he heard someone calling for help—a young couple hiding on a high floor of a residential building.
Xu Huo only glanced at them and kept going. The "Straight Line Distance" trait allowed him to quickly search nearby streets in a short time. Soon, he found the injured Special Defense Department member. She was standing on top of a truck with two children, lifting one of them toward a third-floor window.
The two children were wearing face-covering raincoats with an extra layer of protective suits, showing no signs of poisoning. In contrast, the player's arms and neck had black veins, and blood was flowing nonstop from her legs.
The two children covered their own mouths. She carefully lifted them up, but the sound of the rain masked their movements. No one was receiving them above. When the child reached out, they knocked over a flowerpot on the balcony. The shattering sound immediately attracted three mutants—likely mutated players, judging by their speed!
"Ladies' Seat!" The female player tossed the child upward, freed a hand to pull out a pink glow stick, and drew a pink circle around the vehicle. The first mutant to step on the pink circle line had its feet burned, screaming as it lunged forward and grabbed onto the truck wall.
"Hurry!" The child clinging to the railing jumped into the balcony on their own. The female player lifted the second child, but the mutant that had broken through the defense had already leaped onto the roof. She could only choose between saving herself or saving the child.
She jumped with all her might, raising both hands to throw the child, but she fell back onto the roof. As she descended, she pulled the last grenade from her waist...
"Wait." Xu Huo appeared on the roof, pressed down her hand, raised the water blade gun, and shot all three mutants in the forehead.
* * *
The mutants fell to the ground, but more were rushing over from farther away. Xu Huo shoved the string into the female player's hand. "Don't let go. The third floor isn't safe. Take the two children and leave."
The female player looked exhausted, but her eyes were bright. "I'm beyond saving. You take the two children. I'll buy time!"
"No need." Xu Huo raised two fingers and lifted her to the third floor. Once the two children were tied to her, he manipulated the string to send them high into the air, then turned to deal with the mutants himself.
The rain curtain also counted as an obstacle, so the Crimson Sword could only be used for close combat. Instead, he used the water blade gun for ranged attacks. Combined with his traits, killing mutants took little effort.
After the first wave of mutant attacks ended, the female player reminded him that he could take the opportunity to escape. At that moment, although more mutants were coming from afar, there was a brief window of time sufficient for him to get away.