172 Part 2
Cong Xia replied with a forced smile, "Breaking through to the Second Stage carries risks for everyone. If you really die, you can't blame it on me."
Zhuang Yao's face slightly changed, "Then do your best."
Cong Xia felt a sense of satisfaction in being able to retort back at him.
After Zhuang Yao opened the laboratory door, he saw Tang Yanqiu and raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Why isn't Cheng Tianbi here to guide me?"
Tang Yanqiu replied expressionlessly, "He's tired, so I'm here instead. Whether you live or die, it's up to you. It doesn't matter who guides you."
Zhuang Yu sneered and didn't say anything more. After exhausting all the water energy in his body, he found a comfortable position and officially began breaking through to the Second Stage.
Once the laboratory door closed, Cong Xia, Liu Fengyu, and Deng Xiao left. Cong Xia and Deng Xiao hurried to the vicinity of the arsenal where Cong Zhenzhong was held captive to confirm his exact location. Liu Fengyu, on the other hand, went with Cheng Tianbi to prepare for the final steps at Qiao Shan's residence. Zhuang Yao stayed in the laboratory as the overall commander.
Deng Xiao carried Cong Xia on his back as they ran towards the arsenal. When they arrived, they hid in the tall grass. The arsenal was guarded by two rows of soldiers, and they didn't dare to get too close. From a distance of more than five hundred meters, Cong Xia couldn't feel Cong Zhenzhong's energy fluctuations, but he could sense the energy stored in his energy jade pendant.
As the sun rose, they waited patiently for the night operation. Time passed quickly, and after a day of scorching sun, they finally welcomed the arrival of darkness. Zhuang Yao's voice came through their communicators, "Cheng Tianbi has successfully infiltrated the Commander's Mansion. He'll wait until the banquet ends to take Xu Ying away. Has Cong Zhenzhong been moved?"
"No, he hasn't."
"Very well, keep watching."
"How is Zhuang Yu doing?"
"It's a critical moment now. You must come back in four hours, or he might be in danger."
"Understood."
Deng Xiao muttered under his breath, "It'd be better if he died."
Cong Xia agreed, "Sooner or later."
They waited for another two hours. Zhuang Yao's voice came again, "Liu Fengyu and Cheng Tianbi have successfully taken Xu Ying out of the Commander's Mansion. They are heading to your location for the rendezvous."
Both of them became alert and anxiously waited.
Not long after, there was commotion near the arsenal, and the lights turned on. Cong Xia and Deng Xiao cautiously approached the entrance of the arsenal and saw Cheng Tianbi and Liu Fengyu holding Xu Ying, facing off with the guards at the entrance.
After a while, Xu Ying opened the arsenal, and Cong Zhenzhong was brought out. Cheng Tianbi continued to hold Xu Ying while retreating towards Cong Xia and Deng Xiao's direction.
They ran over, and Cong Xia called out urgently, "Uncle!"
Cong Zhenzhong calmly said, "Quickly leave this place. Where will Tang Tingzhi pick us up?"
"Three kilometers away."
Cheng Tianbi said, "I'll stay here to clean up. Deng Xiao and Liu Fengyu, take them and go quickly to meet Tang Tingzhi."
Cong Xia quickly said, "Tianbi, be careful!" and then hurriedly ran away with Cong Zhenzhong.
Xu Ying's face darkened as he watched them. He was still wearing pajamas and looked a little disheveled.
Cheng Tianbi held Xu Ying in place, and the people behind them also stopped, not daring to move forward.
The four of them began to run in the direction of Tang Tingzhi. However, they had only run less than a kilometer when they encountered an ambush. A crossbow bolt shot towards Deng Xiao, who was carrying Cong Zhenzhong at the front. Deng Xiao couldn't dodge it in time and was hit in the side. He groaned and fell to the ground.
Liu Fengyu shouted, and a large crimson petal bloomed in front of them, intercepting all the crossbow bolts. Then, the petals slowly dissolved the bolts with digestive fluid.
Deng Xiao quickly got up from the ground, pulling out the crossbow bolt. At the same time, he transformed, letting out a loud roar, and pounced in the direction where the crossbow bolts were shot from.
Cong Xia stood guard in front of Cong Zhenzhong with his pistol, nervously scanning the surrounding environment with his enhanced vision. Liu Fengyu's vision was not good, and he couldn't see beyond five meters at night, so he created multiple walls of petals around them.
Soon, a scream came from not far away, followed by intense gunfire. Some bullets pierced through the petals and landed beside the three of them, making them jump in fear.
Liu Fengyu worried that Deng Xiao couldn't handle the situation. He gritted his teeth and said, "Xia, enhance my vision."
"Liu Ge, this kind of battle is not suitable for you. They have guns."
"Don't waste time. What kind of battle is suitable for a handsome man like me? It's all because I'm forced to. Hurry up."
Reluctantly, Cong Xia infused fire energy into Liu Fengyu, instantly enhancing his night vision. Liu Fengyu erected two more walls of petals around them and then ran out.
Cong Xia and Cong Zhenzhong hid behind the walls, almost fainting from the foul smell. If he knew how to suppress his sense of smell, it would be so much better, but unfortunately, he only knew how to enhance it.
Deng Xiao was chasing after a monkey in the forest, and yes, it was a monkey holding a crossbow. The monkey was flying between the trees at an astonishing speed, while Deng Xiao's climbing speed was obviously slower. Fortunately, the monkey, also an Evolver, had no intention of escaping. After circling around once, it circled back and tried to attack again.
Deng Xiao couldn't catch it and became furious. He lashed its tail hard against a tree where the monkey was standing with force. The tree shook violently, and the monkey's hand slipped, almost falling from the tree more than ten meters high. Deng Xiao was happy about it, but the monkey's tail suddenly wrapped around the tree, freeing its hands. It then shot an arrow fiercely towards Deng Xiao.
Deng Xiao quickly pounced to the side, hiding behind a tree. He now realized how annoying archers could be. Luckily, Tang Yanqiu was an ally, not an enemy. He was fortunate indeed.
The monkey swung from branch to branch, searching for Deng Xiao between the trees. Deng Xiao took a breath, rapidly thinking about how to deal with it.
The monkey taunted, "Why are you hiding, little lizard? Weren't you fierce just now?"
Using the cover of darkness, Deng Xiao quietly climbed up a thick tree that completely hid his body. His palms and soles were covered in soft suction cups, making no sound as he climbed. In the blink of an eye, he climbed to the top of a tree more than ten meters high. Both of them had devices to conceal their energy fluctuations, so neither could see the other. Deng Xiao could only rely on his hearing to sense the monkey's direction.
In the dark, they remained silent for more than ten seconds. Deng Xiao cautiously poked his head out. The monkey suddenly turned around, aiming the crossbow at him. Deng Xiao quickly retracted, and the force from the crossbow made the tree shudder.
Seizing the opportunity after the arrow was shot, Deng Xiao roared loudly and pounced towards the monkey.
The monkey quickly loaded another arrow and shot it at Deng Xiao. In mid-air, Deng Xiao had nowhere to hide. At the critical moment, he managed to twist his body to the side and fiercely bit down on the short but powerful arrow with his mouth. Several of his teeth were torn out by the force, leaving his mouth full of blood. Nevertheless, he finally reached the tree where the monkey was perched.
The monkey turned and leaped to another tree.
Ignoring his own limited jumping ability, Deng Xiao instinctively pounced ferociously at the monkey. At the last moment, he grabbed the monkey's tail and flung it forcefully to the ground.
The monkey let out a loud cry as it hit the ground. Deng Xiao landed like a wild beast and pounced on the monkey, his claws piercing the monkey's major artery.
The monkey convulsed a few times and transformed back into a human, gasping for breath. Soon after, it breathed its last.
Deng Xiao spat out the crossbow bolt, along with a mouthful of blood. His body was now completely numb from the pain. He didn't even know how many teeth he had lost; his mouth was swollen.
Liu Fengyu's arm was hit by a bullet, and the ambushers hid in the forest without showing themselves but didn't retreat either. He ran over to Deng Xiao, asking worriedly, "Hey, Xiaodeng, are you okay?"
Deng Xiao pointed to his mouth and pouted in pain.
Liu Fengyu opened his mouth, seeing Deng Xiao's bloodied oral cavity and several teeth forcefully pulled out. He felt a little heartache. He patted Deng Xiao's cheek and said, "It's okay. Let Cong Ge heal you later, and it won't affect eating."
Deng Xiao nodded with effort, feeling relieved.
"You can't speak now, right? There are probably more than ten of them. If we don't deal with them, we could be shot at any moment."
Deng Xiao struggled to say, "Ambush... forest."
"Don't worry. You carry me on your back to block the bullets, and we'll take them down together."
Deng Xiao nodded again.
Liu Fengyu jumped on his back, and Deng Xiao carried him as they ran into the forest. After running for a while, they suddenly saw two "wild fires" in the forest, one golden and one purple, moving at extremely high speed. Soon after, cries of misery echoed in the forest.
Liu Fengyu was stunned, "Are they Dragonblood Clan members?"
Deng Xiao shook his head.
"It's better if they are. With that kind of strength, if they're not, we might not be able to leave here today. Let's go back and find Cong Xia and the others."
Deng Xiao quickly ran out of the forest and saw Dragonblood Clan members standing together with Cong Xia's group. Shan Ming was playing with flower petals, throwing stones at them like a target board. He seemed to be addicted to it and had even carved a ten-circle target on the petals.
Upon seeing them, Cong Xia let out a sigh of relief. "The Colonel has come to pick us up. Are you both injured? Come over here quickly."
Cong Xia swiftly healed their injuries. Just then, Shen Changze and Al also emerged from the forest. It turned out that the two ghost fires were caused by them, and they had transformed back into human forms after their encounter with the golden and purple-scaled monsters.
Tang Tingzhi said, "You all go back first. I'll lead a team to provide support for Cheng Tianbi."
With Dragonblood Clan members present, Cong Xia felt relieved. "Major Shen, I need to rush back to the laboratory now. Zhuang Yu is in the process of breaking through to the second stage, and time is tight. Can you help me?"
Shen Changze nodded. "I'll take you back." He unfolded a pair of wings and carried Cong Xia on his back, flying quickly towards the city.
It was the first time Cong Xia had been carried by a Dragonblood person while flying. He discovered that their scales were not as hot as he had imagined. Instead, they felt slightly cool, very smooth, hard, and thick, giving him a peculiar sensation. Unable to resist his curiosity, he reached out and touched Shen Changze's arm. Shen Changze coldly said, "Don't touch randomly."
Cong Xia awkwardly withdrew his hand.
Shen Changze's flying speed was not as fast as that of avian-type mutants. Like Tang Yanqiu, he couldn't transform into a bird-like creature, and his weight and body structure severely limited their flight speed. However, their speed was still considerable, and they reached the scientific institute in less than an hour.
As soon as Cong Xia entered the laboratory, Zhuang Yao said, "Go in; we are at the critical moment."
Cong Xia entered the laboratory and saw Zhuang Yu's twisted expression, covered in sweat, desperately restraining the pain.
172 Part 2
Cong Xia replied with a forced smile, "Breaking through to the Second Stage carries risks for everyone. If you really die, you can't blame it on me."
Zhuang Yao's face slightly changed, "Then do your best."
Cong Xia felt a sense of satisfaction in being able to retort back at him.
After Zhuang Yao opened the laboratory door, he saw Tang Yanqiu and raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Why isn't Cheng Tianbi here to guide me?"
Tang Yanqiu replied expressionlessly, "He's tired, so I'm here instead. Whether you live or die, it's up to you. It doesn't matter who guides you."
Zhuang Yu sneered and didn't say anything more. After exhausting all the water energy in his body, he found a comfortable position and officially began breaking through to the Second Stage.
Once the laboratory door closed, Cong Xia, Liu Fengyu, and Deng Xiao left. Cong Xia and Deng Xiao hurried to the vicinity of the arsenal where Cong Zhenzhong was held captive to confirm his exact location. Liu Fengyu, on the other hand, went with Cheng Tianbi to prepare for the final steps at Qiao Shan's residence. Zhuang Yao stayed in the laboratory as the overall commander.
Deng Xiao carried Cong Xia on his back as they ran towards the arsenal. When they arrived, they hid in the tall grass. The arsenal was guarded by two rows of soldiers, and they didn't dare to get too close. From a distance of more than five hundred meters, Cong Xia couldn't feel Cong Zhenzhong's energy fluctuations, but he could sense the energy stored in his energy jade pendant.
As the sun rose, they waited patiently for the night operation. Time passed quickly, and after a day of scorching sun, they finally welcomed the arrival of darkness. Zhuang Yao's voice came through their communicators, "Cheng Tianbi has successfully infiltrated the Commander's Mansion. He'll wait until the banquet ends to take Xu Ying away. Has Cong Zhenzhong been moved?"
"No, he hasn't."
"Very well, keep watching."
"How is Zhuang Yu doing?"
"It's a critical moment now. You must come back in four hours, or he might be in danger."
"Understood."
Deng Xiao muttered under his breath, "It'd be better if he died."
Cong Xia agreed, "Sooner or later."
They waited for another two hours. Zhuang Yao's voice came again, "Liu Fengyu and Cheng Tianbi have successfully taken Xu Ying out of the Commander's Mansion. They are heading to your location for the rendezvous."
Both of them became alert and anxiously waited.
Not long after, there was commotion near the arsenal, and the lights turned on. Cong Xia and Deng Xiao cautiously approached the entrance of the arsenal and saw Cheng Tianbi and Liu Fengyu holding Xu Ying, facing off with the guards at the entrance.
After a while, Xu Ying opened the arsenal, and Cong Zhenzhong was brought out. Cheng Tianbi continued to hold Xu Ying while retreating towards Cong Xia and Deng Xiao's direction.
They ran over, and Cong Xia called out urgently, "Uncle!"
Cong Zhenzhong calmly said, "Quickly leave this place. Where will Tang Tingzhi pick us up?"
"Three kilometers away."
Cheng Tianbi said, "I'll stay here to clean up. Deng Xiao and Liu Fengyu, take them and go quickly to meet Tang Tingzhi."
Cong Xia quickly said, "Tianbi, be careful!" and then hurriedly ran away with Cong Zhenzhong.
Xu Ying's face darkened as he watched them. He was still wearing pajamas and looked a little disheveled.
Cheng Tianbi held Xu Ying in place, and the people behind them also stopped, not daring to move forward.
The four of them began to run in the direction of Tang Tingzhi. However, they had only run less than a kilometer when they encountered an ambush. A crossbow bolt shot towards Deng Xiao, who was carrying Cong Zhenzhong at the front. Deng Xiao couldn't dodge it in time and was hit in the side. He groaned and fell to the ground.
Liu Fengyu shouted, and a large crimson petal bloomed in front of them, intercepting all the crossbow bolts. Then, the petals slowly dissolved the bolts with digestive fluid.
Deng Xiao quickly got up from the ground, pulling out the crossbow bolt. At the same time, he transformed, letting out a loud roar, and pounced in the direction where the crossbow bolts were shot from.
Cong Xia stood guard in front of Cong Zhenzhong with his pistol, nervously scanning the surrounding environment with his enhanced vision. Liu Fengyu's vision was not good, and he couldn't see beyond five meters at night, so he created multiple walls of petals around them.
Soon, a scream came from not far away, followed by intense gunfire. Some bullets pierced through the petals and landed beside the three of them, making them jump in fear.
Liu Fengyu worried that Deng Xiao couldn't handle the situation. He gritted his teeth and said, "Xia, enhance my vision."
"Liu Ge, this kind of battle is not suitable for you. They have guns."
"Don't waste time. What kind of battle is suitable for a handsome man like me? It's all because I'm forced to. Hurry up."
Reluctantly, Cong Xia infused fire energy into Liu Fengyu, instantly enhancing his night vision. Liu Fengyu erected two more walls of petals around them and then ran out.
Cong Xia and Cong Zhenzhong hid behind the walls, almost fainting from the foul smell. If he knew how to suppress his sense of smell, it would be so much better, but unfortunately, he only knew how to enhance it.
Deng Xiao was chasing after a monkey in the forest, and yes, it was a monkey holding a crossbow. The monkey was flying between the trees at an astonishing speed, while Deng Xiao's climbing speed was obviously slower. Fortunately, the monkey, also an Evolver, had no intention of escaping. After circling around once, it circled back and tried to attack again.
Deng Xiao couldn't catch it and became furious. He lashed its tail hard against a tree where the monkey was standing with force. The tree shook violently, and the monkey's hand slipped, almost falling from the tree more than ten meters high. Deng Xiao was happy about it, but the monkey's tail suddenly wrapped around the tree, freeing its hands. It then shot an arrow fiercely towards Deng Xiao.
Deng Xiao quickly pounced to the side, hiding behind a tree. He now realized how annoying archers could be. Luckily, Tang Yanqiu was an ally, not an enemy. He was fortunate indeed.
The monkey swung from branch to branch, searching for Deng Xiao between the trees. Deng Xiao took a breath, rapidly thinking about how to deal with it.
The monkey taunted, "Why are you hiding, little lizard? Weren't you fierce just now?"
Using the cover of darkness, Deng Xiao quietly climbed up a thick tree that completely hid his body. His palms and soles were covered in soft suction cups, making no sound as he climbed. In the blink of an eye, he climbed to the top of a tree more than ten meters high. Both of them had devices to conceal their energy fluctuations, so neither could see the other. Deng Xiao could only rely on his hearing to sense the monkey's direction.
In the dark, they remained silent for more than ten seconds. Deng Xiao cautiously poked his head out. The monkey suddenly turned around, aiming the crossbow at him. Deng Xiao quickly retracted, and the force from the crossbow made the tree shudder.
Seizing the opportunity after the arrow was shot, Deng Xiao roared loudly and pounced towards the monkey.
The monkey quickly loaded another arrow and shot it at Deng Xiao. In mid-air, Deng Xiao had nowhere to hide. At the critical moment, he managed to twist his body to the side and fiercely bit down on the short but powerful arrow with his mouth. Several of his teeth were torn out by the force, leaving his mouth full of blood. Nevertheless, he finally reached the tree where the monkey was perched.
The monkey turned and leaped to another tree.
Ignoring his own limited jumping ability, Deng Xiao instinctively pounced ferociously at the monkey. At the last moment, he grabbed the monkey's tail and flung it forcefully to the ground.
The monkey let out a loud cry as it hit the ground. Deng Xiao landed like a wild beast and pounced on the monkey, his claws piercing the monkey's major artery.
The monkey convulsed a few times and transformed back into a human, gasping for breath. Soon after, it breathed its last.
Deng Xiao spat out the crossbow bolt, along with a mouthful of blood. His body was now completely numb from the pain. He didn't even know how many teeth he had lost; his mouth was swollen.
Liu Fengyu's arm was hit by a bullet, and the ambushers hid in the forest without showing themselves but didn't retreat either. He ran over to Deng Xiao, asking worriedly, "Hey, Xiaodeng, are you okay?"
Deng Xiao pointed to his mouth and pouted in pain.
Liu Fengyu opened his mouth, seeing Deng Xiao's bloodied oral cavity and several teeth forcefully pulled out. He felt a little heartache. He patted Deng Xiao's cheek and said, "It's okay. Let Cong Ge heal you later, and it won't affect eating."
Deng Xiao nodded with effort, feeling relieved.
"You can't speak now, right? There are probably more than ten of them. If we don't deal with them, we could be shot at any moment."
Deng Xiao struggled to say, "Ambush... forest."
"Don't worry. You carry me on your back to block the bullets, and we'll take them down together."
Deng Xiao nodded again.
Liu Fengyu jumped on his back, and Deng Xiao carried him as they ran into the forest. After running for a while, they suddenly saw two "wild fires" in the forest, one golden and one purple, moving at extremely high speed. Soon after, cries of misery echoed in the forest.
Liu Fengyu was stunned, "Are they Dragonblood Clan members?"
Deng Xiao shook his head.
"It's better if they are. With that kind of strength, if they're not, we might not be able to leave here today. Let's go back and find Cong Xia and the others."
Deng Xiao quickly ran out of the forest and saw Dragonblood Clan members standing together with Cong Xia's group. Shan Ming was playing with flower petals, throwing stones at them like a target board. He seemed to be addicted to it and had even carved a ten-circle target on the petals.
Upon seeing them, Cong Xia let out a sigh of relief. "The Colonel has come to pick us up. Are you both injured? Come over here quickly."
Cong Xia swiftly healed their injuries. Just then, Shen Changze and Al also emerged from the forest. It turned out that the two ghost fires were caused by them, and they had transformed back into human forms after their encounter with the golden and purple-scaled monsters.
Tang Tingzhi said, "You all go back first. I'll lead a team to provide support for Cheng Tianbi."
With Dragonblood Clan members present, Cong Xia felt relieved. "Major Shen, I need to rush back to the laboratory now. Zhuang Yu is in the process of breaking through to the second stage, and time is tight. Can you help me?"
Shen Changze nodded. "I'll take you back." He unfolded a pair of wings and carried Cong Xia on his back, flying quickly towards the city.
It was the first time Cong Xia had been carried by a Dragonblood person while flying. He discovered that their scales were not as hot as he had imagined. Instead, they felt slightly cool, very smooth, hard, and thick, giving him a peculiar sensation. Unable to resist his curiosity, he reached out and touched Shen Changze's arm. Shen Changze coldly said, "Don't touch randomly."
Cong Xia awkwardly withdrew his hand.
Shen Changze's flying speed was not as fast as that of avian-type mutants. Like Tang Yanqiu, he couldn't transform into a bird-like creature, and his weight and body structure severely limited their flight speed. However, their speed was still considerable, and they reached the scientific institute in less than an hour.
As soon as Cong Xia entered the laboratory, Zhuang Yao said, "Go in; we are at the critical moment."
Cong Xia entered the laboratory and saw Zhuang Yu's twisted expression, covered in sweat, desperately restraining the pain.
