Wang Daoshang thought he might get a chance to ride the free central elevator. But unexpectedly, they still had to take the fire escape.
In the dark, seven figures with various lighting gear moved down the narrow fire escape in a formation. Ling Tong and a heavily armed officer led the way, followed by Wang Jixuan, Zhou Zhengde, and a female officer in the middle, while Zheng Shiduo and another strong man brought up the rear.
The seven of them carried a lot of ammunition and emergency medical supplies. The two strong officers were shouldering "the village's best sniper rifles"—two portable multi-launch rocket launchers.
Zhou Zhengde wore lightweight protective gear that allowed him to move freely, but it made him look bulkier. In comparison, Wang Jixuan and Zheng Shiduo were much more tired. They each carried a huge black metal box weighing around sixty to seventy kilograms. This was Ling Tong's specialized equipment.
The fire escape was old and narrow, so the two all-terrain machines couldn't enter, leaving the heavy lifting to them. Wang Jixuan also carried a small-caliber sniper rifle and an automatic rifle. C-level psychic Zheng Shiduo didn’t carry any weapons… he had enough confidence in Ling Tong's abilities.
At the front of the group, Ling Tong had small, bright spotlights on her shoulders. The heavily armed officer beside her held a stun gun in one hand and a 3D radar in the other, carefully scanning the surroundings.
Zhou Zhengde muttered, "Mu Liang, how long until we get to the bottom?"
"At this speed, about two more hours," came the reply.
Wang Jixuan quietly reminded, "If you're tired, take a break. Otherwise, your legs will start shaking, and we might need to fight when we get down."
"I'm not tired," Zhou Zhengde pointed to the "floaties" on him. "I feel like a nitrogen-packed loaf of bread… I'm a proud retired soldier and have never stopped training."
Zheng Shiduo chimed in from the back, "Heh, no wonder Zhou's got such a great figure."
The strong man next to Zheng Shiduo twitched his mouth, thinking about how this guy carried that thing around, so he moved a bit away.
Zheng Shiduo contacted over the radio, "Ling Tong, can the old man switch positions? I want to get closer to Team Leader Mu Liang."
Wang Jixuan found it a bit strange to hear the simultaneous voices in his ear and around him.
Ling Tong reminded, "You two keep your distance. The structure here isn't very stable, and you both have too much weight."
"Got it!"
The female officer protecting Zhou Zhengde paused to wait while Zheng Shiduo dashed ahead with his metal box. His eyes glowed a faint green, clearly adapted to the environment.
Zheng Shiduo moved past Zhou Zhengde and Mu Liang, walking in front of them, making sure his every move was visible to both of them. He was trying hard to show he meant no harm.
"Team Leader Mu, can you communicate mentally? That way they won't hear our plans to destroy the world."
"Doesn't seem like it."
"Okay, then we'll keep our voices low."
Ling Tong's voice came through the earpiece: "You can’t take off your headsets during the operation."
"Alright, alright!"
Zheng Shiduo rolled his eyes and turned to Wang Jixuan, pointing at Ling Tong and making a fierce face.
Zhou Zhengde almost laughed out loud.
Wang Jixuan stayed alert, ready to act at any moment. He couldn't help it; being close to Zheng Shiduo made his instincts jump.
Zheng Shiduo wanted to say something but couldn't find the right topic, so he shouted, "Team Leader Ling Tong, why can't we take the elevator?"
A small round hole opened behind Ling Tong's shoulder, and a bee-like drone flew out. It hovered upward and reached the three in front, shooting out beams of light that formed a blurry display screen.
The screen showed a cross-section of the fortress, revealing forty-nine floors above and below, with dozens of blinking lights scattered throughout.
Ling Tong explained calmly, "This is real-time data from the fortress's internal monitoring system, sourced from the frontline command center. Six hours ago, there were thirty-eight psychics inside the fortress. Half an hour ago, there were fifty-four, with new unidentified psychic codes. All elevators are tightly monitored by them."
Wang Jixuan and Zhou Zhengde exchanged serious looks.
"Huh?" Zheng Shiduo frowned. "What's going on? Is Kong Nu really trying to make a big deal out of this?"
Ling Tong simply stated, "Current assessment puts the psychic out-of-control level at Fortress 76 at level three, which falls under special cleaning regulations. I will eliminate any psychics attempting to attack us, as well as any armed forces they control."
"Level three incident? Wasn't it a level two before? Wait! I need to contact Professor Zhuang!"
Zheng Shiduo hurriedly said, "Every C-level psychic is a valuable asset. They're not like D or E-level expendables! Ling Tong, you usually go too far! Let me contact Old Zhuang!"
"You cannot contact any psychics or psychic organizations right now, unless you want me to eliminate you immediately," Ling Tong's voice was calm but cold.
Zheng Shiduo suddenly felt several red dots appear on his forehead, heart, and joints.
Wang Jixuan's eyes lit up. He saw that Ling Tong's arms had sprouted various miniature weapons.
Was this the high-end combat power humans had against the Blade Beasts? How was it possible? She clearly had no energy inside her.
Zheng Shiduo anxiously rubbed his forehead.
Zhou Zhengde asked, "Is Kong Nu really that capable?"
Ling Tong replied, "Due to historical reasons, the multi-level management system of the Thirteen Institutes is very chaotic. Although he's just a station manager, he has the authority to contact the Psychic Capital."
"I actually knew about this before I came; Professor Zhuang secretly told me."
Zheng Shiduo pondered for a moment. "According to our internal investigation, Kong Nu has been supplying materials to other fortresses for over twenty years, forming cliques and aligning with some powerful figures I can't name. This is likely why he has the confidence to retaliate against us today."
Zhou Zhengde asked, "What kind of materials?"
"People, human beings themselves."
Zheng Shiduo shrugged and simply said, "I can't disclose specifics due to confidentiality regulations… The Thirteen Institutes are divided into three or four command systems. Kong Nu and I are not in the same system; I'm directly under Professor Zhuang's command.
"Kong Nu's cleverness lies in not sending all the materials to the Psychic Capital. Instead, he distributed them to nearby fortresses, building connections and steadily advancing. His ambition is quite large. I suspect the sudden influx of psychics in the fortress is because he borrowed them from partners."
Zhou Zhengde frowned. "Can we determine which fortress they came from?"
"Probably Fortress 82. The senior researcher there is a close ally of Kong Nu. Honestly, I really don't get why these researchers at the Thirteen Institutes are getting into politics. They're a bunch of idiots who can't even understand the principles of psychic energy."
Zheng Shiduo chuckled and seriously suggested, "We should really try to contact Professor Zhuang and resolve this peacefully with Kong Nu. Every psychic is a life lost; it would be a pity to waste them in infighting. They should be sent to the front lines."
Wang Jixuan quietly said, "Can't we just capture Kong Nu directly?"
"There are necessary procedures," Ling Tong said. "We need to gather evidence, submit it to the command center, and get authorization to act against Kong Nu beyond the fortress."
"Hehehe." Zheng Shiduo shot a flirtatious glance at Wang Jixuan. "I've shared so much intel; Team Leader Mu, can you share a bit about your intel? How did you get here?"
All eyes turned to Wang Jixuan, and Zhou Zhengde stepped forward.
...
"Universe? Rays? Exposure? Mutation?"
Zheng Shiduo kept muttering, not speaking for half an hour. He was seriously considering the possibility of what had happened.
The one who explained earlier was Zhou Zhengde, who spun a lie about an aurora hitting Mu Liang, claiming he saw it with his own eyes.
When they took a break on a steel platform, Zheng Shiduo slowly exhaled. "Actually, you're not a psychic but a mutated individual. The biological energy reaction in you is probably that of an E-level psychic, which is indeed very low… So how did you take down An Qian and heavily injure Wen Heisen?"
Wang Jixuan looked at Zhou Zhengde.
The latter immediately replied, "I prepared various weapons and equipment for him. He actually went into the Black Fire Gang's territory to gather evidence of Kong Nu's crimes."
Zheng Shiduo asked again, "That's impossible. D-level psychics don't have weapons?"
"Surprise attack," Zhou Zhengde laughed. "Of course, he couldn't take them on head-on, and An Qian's death was due to her serious violations. We also broke a rule by using a large-caliber sniper rifle."
"I just saw a photo of An Qian's corpse. Wow, she had a rough end… When she was younger, I was just a simple bisexual open type and even wanted to pursue her."
Zheng Shiduo frowned at Zhou Zhengde and muttered, "But, Young Master Zhou, are you this guy's spokesperson?"
"We're good buddies, the kind you can trust with your back on the battlefield," Zhou Zhengde answered seriously. "Mu Liang is more… shy, socially anxious, and not good at communicating with people."
Ling Tong, who was on guard not far away, turned to look into the darkness.
Wang Jixuan had been observing everyone's actions and the surrounding environment, clearly catching a moment when Ling Tong almost smiled.
Alright. It was indeed a bit awkward to have confused the date.
Zheng Shiduo chuckled, "Good thing we're on the battlefield. If we were in the shower and could trust each other with our backs, that would be… hehehe."
Wang Jixuan's ears suddenly perked up, and he flicked a nut in his palm.
Whoosh!
A sharp sound broke the air as a "cockroach" hiding in the dark corner was shot away, tiny arcs of electricity dancing on it, releasing a bit of white mist.
Ling Tong calmly said, "We've been exposed."
"Damn it!" Zheng Shiduo dropped his playful demeanor, shining his headlamp on the mechanical cockroach, cursing, "What level of reinforcements did that idiot Kong Nu call? How does he even have this kind of bionic detector? This thing is used to explore Blade Beast caves, and now it's detecting us?"
"By the way… Team Leader Mu, how did you spot it?"
Zheng Shiduo looked at Wang Jixuan.
Wang Daoshang shrugged, "I just really dislike cockroaches and shot it on a whim."
"Should we go back?" the female officer quickly asked. "Although the forty-ninth floor has cleansing troops stationed, it's only in certain areas. If they want to ambush our investigation team, there are large areas they can attack us from later."
Zheng Shiduo suggested, "How about I go stabilize Kong Nu? This matter is better solved with our own psychic methods."
"Split into two teams." Ling Tong had already made battle arrangements. "Captain Zheng will act with me, continuing down into the fortress's lower city to… investigate and gather evidence.
"Everyone else should head to the thirty-second floor of the fortress. Captain Zhou, actively contact trusted military support for you, while the four of you ensure Captain Zhou's safety.
"Captain Zheng will swap supply boxes with Team Leader Mu."
Wang Jixuan wanted to volunteer to lead the way, but before he could speak, Zhou Zhengde pressed his arm down.
The military only follows orders.
"Yes! Major!" everyone responded in unison.
Zheng Shiduo walked toward the box Wang Jixuan had been carrying, frowning and mumbling, "Something's off. You're acting strange, Ling Tong. The box I'm carrying isn’t even your core equipment! My God, you don't trust your old comrade! Instead, you trust a handsome guy you just met!
"Handsome guys are all scumbags, you know? I really hate acting with you. I'm a dignified C-level high-tier psychic, and I can only be your logistics mechanic, carrying your heavy stuff..."
As this psychic uncle bent down to grab the box, a pendant slipped out from his collar.
Clink, clink, clink.
Wang Jixuan's pupils suddenly shrank.
(End of Chapter)