Chapter 945: Struggle and Escape
The instance only required delivering the living sample to W37 Base City, nothing else was specified. Every base city certainly had its own established procedures for dealing with mutant creatures suddenly appearing within the city.
According to what the Ponytail Man said, a living mutant would definitely be sent to the laboratory first.
Gao Xiaoyan's face darkened slightly. "Notify the Enforcement Team to put the laboratory under surveillance."
The Ponytail Man nodded to the Lightning Pattern Man and withdrew from the vehicle. But just as Gao Xiaoyan was about to get out of the car, Shangguan Xi blocked her. "You want to leave before the matter is resolved?"
Gao Xiaoyan was displeased with him but didn't resort to violence. Instead, she said, "There's a problem inside W37. Mr. Xu wouldn't be so unreasonable, would he?"
"If you want to investigate the mole, that's fine," Xu Huo said, unlike Shangguan Xi's anger or Zhu Feiyun's disappointment and wariness. He remained calm. "But I plan to take the sample to the base city first."
Not only Gao Xiaoyan, but Shangguan Xi and the others also looked at him in surprise.
"The certification on the cage hasn't disappeared yet. It's worth a try." Xu Huo shook his bracelet. "I was planning to go to the base city anyway. As for your so-called 'redemption,' let's discuss it when we get there."
Gao Xiaoyan stared coldly at him. "You can't take the mutant's corpse away. How it was killed is a lead for investigation."
Xu Huo glanced at the layers upon layers of players surrounding them. "Miss Gao intends to go back on your word?"
"If a dead mutant could clear the instance, why would you go through all the trouble to transport it alive?" Gao Xiaoyan said. "Since it's impossible to clear the instance, what's the use of taking it to the base city?"
"If Mr. Xu insists on doing this, I have to suspect you have ulterior motives!"
The moment these words were spoken, the atmosphere instantly became tense. Someone shouted "Fire!" and the weapons atop the building began indiscriminate strafing. The players scrambled to dodge in all directions. Gao Xiaoyan and the Lightning Pattern Man also broke away from Shangguan Xi and left the vehicle at the first opportunity.
"Who started this?!" As soon as her feet touched the ground, Gao Xiaoyan said angrily, "Cease fire...!"
Unfortunately, her command didn't reach the training building. Before she could finish speaking, several grenades and smoke bombs flew out. Accompanied by deafening explosions, thick smoke mixed with flying stone debris covered the entire small square in front of the building, rapidly obscuring everyone's vision!
"Vroom!" The off-road vehicle's distinctive engine roar sounded. Gao Xiaoyan saw the car's silhouette flash through the thick fog and quickly gave chase, using her communicator to contact other players. "Close the gates! Block them! Don't let them leave!"
As she spoke, she had already leaped onto the car roof. After using an item, the wheels skidded, veering off the lane. She took the opportunity to jump into the car and came face to face with the players inside!
"Pair up!" She clapped her hands, and Shangguan Xi and Zhu Feiyun, who were already close together, were pressed face to face. The same happened to Kuang Wenjun and Pan Qiao. Teacher Ai beside them was not a threat. She glanced at Xu Huo driving ahead, then leaped backward out of the car.
She didn't confront Xu Huo directly, but after she jumped out, the metal cage inside the car was also pulled out by an invisible force!
As soon as the mutant came down, Gao Xiaoyan broke away from the pursuing team. But just as she was about to leave with the corpse, she discovered the cage was empty!
The mutant was still in the car!
Gao Xiaoyan kicked the metal cage away, used an item to accelerate, and caught up to the car again. This time, she held nothing back. She first slapped the ground, causing the road ahead to tilt up like a seesaw toy, flipping the car back. Then, from a distance, she reached out: "Crushing Overwhelm!"
"Crack!" The tilted ground was crushed into a hole, but the off-road vehicle irregularly shifted sideways, not only avoiding this attack but also knocking aside two nearby players!
"Nice one!" A player steadied his companion and angrily charged at the off-road vehicle, shouting to the others, "Don't hold back! Kill them!"
The seesaw item lost its effect after that heavy blow, so the car righted itself again. Watching the relentless attackers, Gao Xiaoyan loudly warned them to be careful. But before she could finish, the first group of players approaching the car suddenly froze in place. Less than a second later, seven heads flew off in unison!
The change was unexpected. Before Gao Xiaoyan could figure out what was happening, six more players stiffened near the car and died in the same manner!
Gao Xiaoyan's pupils sharply contracted. She immediately pulled out an arm-thick metal rod and hurled it at the rear of the car: "Super Firing Pin!"
"Boom!" The item collided with the car's tail, and the off-road vehicle shot forward dozens of meters, instantly creating distance from the other players.
"Don't chase!" Gao Xiaoyan stopped those behind her. "You're no match for him. Notify the base city to intercept them. Don't let them cause trouble in the city..."
As she spoke, she caught a glimpse of the person standing beside her out of the corner of her eye. Her eyelids twitched. She turned her head to look at her side, and her expression visibly shifted to shock. Before the person beside her could ask, she looked forward again. The traces left by the explosion and the seesaw were still there. The long black skid marks from the off-road vehicle's tires extended into the distance—a gate on the right side of the building leading to the base city hadn't been lowered. The car, which should have been less than a hundred meters away, had actually run several hundred meters off. And those players who had just been decapitated were alive and well!
The fight that had lasted nearly half a minute seemed both real and fake, leaving Gao Xiaoyan momentarily unable to distinguish truth from illusion!
Her face dark, she took out a whistle and blew it. The golden item emitted a sharp, piercing sound, sobering some players trapped in the illusion. The Ponytail Man appeared ahead, twisting a toy car-shaped item: "Reverse Drive!"
The off-road vehicle speeding ahead automatically turned around and drove back toward the building. At that moment, the Lightning Pattern Man stepped forward, and a bolt of lightning struck along the ground. However, as the electric light flashed, the off-road vehicle vanished from its spot!
"We're still in the illusion!" The Ponytail Man realized and immediately urged people to check the gate, because mental interference had a range—this proved that Xu Huo and the others hadn't actually run far.
But just then, a Level 1 alarm sounded from within the building. In an instant, the entire building was plunged into another kind of tension!
"All base personnel, abandon all current tasks and immediately enter the hibernation chamber!" Gao Xiaoyan glanced at the car that had already driven far away and had no choice but to give up and run with the main group toward the emergency hibernation chamber that had automatically risen from underground across from the building.
Although they were already far beyond the range of Xu Huo's spiritual realm, looking back, they could still see the chaos continuing at the building. Seeing no one chasing them, Shangguan Xi couldn't help but ask, "What's going on?"
"It's a Super Virus Alert. They don't have time to deal with us now," Xu Huo said.
(Chapter End)