56
Chen Fei walked to the door of Consul General Su's office, listened to the noise inside, and then knocked twice on the door.
There was no sound from the door, and no response when I knocked.
Fade Chen opened the door and walked in.
There was no light on in the office, it was completely dark. The light from the blank surveillance screens on the wall next to Consul General Su's desk was dim and could only illuminate a blurry profile of Consul General Su.
"I need your authorization." Chen Fei said.
"Authorize what?" Consul General Su asked after a long silence.
"I need your authorization to call up teams numbered 1 to 10 under ez," Chen Fei put a document in his hand on his desk, "the other numbered teams are on standby."
"Such authorization requires the joint efforts of the heads of internal defense and training departments..." Consul General Su was interrupted before he could finish his words.
"We can't wait for them any longer. Xiao Lin has refused to cooperate for a long time. We don't have enough city guards," Chen Fei said. "Once the training department takes the initiative, we will have the opportunity to seize the main city at any time. In this situation, we need a strong army."
"Why don't you wait for Lianchuan's news?" General Su asked, "The condition of his deal with us is to find out the combat power of Ghost Town. Why don't you wait to find out?"
"Master Su," Fade Chen took two steps forward to the table, put his hands on the table, and stared at General Su, "Betelgeuse's spiritual power has disappeared! Gone! No one knows how Lian Chuan did it! We can no longer trust him to bring back any news! The survival of the main city now depends on us..."
"The main city has been destroyed." Consul General Su said.
"No," Chen Fei lowered his voice, "Wherever we are, that's the main city."
"Is there any news from the administrator?" Consul General Su did not answer him directly.
"No," Chen Fei said, "but I think the car driving in the wrong direction this time was a signal from the administrator."
"We all know that administrators cannot control these details," Consul General Su said.
"The car has never gone in the opposite direction," said Chen Fei.
"This is also the first time we have experienced a collapse." Consul General Su looked at him, "Commander Chen, face the reality. What we can do now is to maintain order in the main city and give the panicked people in the main city the final peace."
"Order? Peace?" Fade Chen raised his hand and pointed upwards. "Have you looked up there? What does the main city look like now? There will never be peace after a destruction! Those who don't fight in panic will die in panic."
Consul General Su looked at him.
"I am now officially taking over all numbered teams under ez," Chen Fei said, "From now on, please do not leave the office at will."
"You don't have the authorization password." Consul General Su said.
Just as he was about to leave, Fade Chen turned around and looked at him: "From the moment the administrator appointed you as the highest official in the main city, I couldn't understand why you were too weak and indecisive..."
"You have been planning this day from the beginning," Consul General Su sighed softly, "really?"
"Thank you for your trust in me." Chen Fei said, "This is also your biggest weakness, your failure."
"Who are the people around me arranged by you?" asked Consul General Su.
"There's no need for 'some'. The more people know, the easier it is to make mistakes," Chen Fei said. "Only one, just this one is enough."
Chief Constable Su glanced in the direction of the office door, slowly closed his eyes, and spoke after a while: "You go out."
Fade Chen turned and walked out of the office.
At the corner at the end of the corridor stood a man, almost reaching the ceiling in height, dressed in black.
Consul General Su’s guards.
"Any news?" Fade Chen asked as he walked past him.
"The car is back." The voice of the man in black seemed to float from the air.
"Go to the war reserve," Chen Fei said, "Except for the City Affairs Office, all authorizations are cancelled. All ezs are on standby, numbers 1 to 3 are activated, and all exits of Lost Valley are deployed."
"What about the training department?" asked the man in black.
"Leave it to Liu Dong," Chen Fei said, "but no one can fully trust him, so we have to make sure that EZ is under our control. We don't know what other cards Liu Dong has in his hand. He is the one who trained Betelgeuse."
"Understood." The man in black turned and left from the other end of the corridor.
When Chen Fei walked out of the City Affairs Hall, the city guards waiting at the door had already gathered, and he got in the car.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"We haven't gotten close yet. The city guards have surrounded the car and are waiting for the next order." Liu Dong answered while sitting in the back seat.
"No one got off the bus?" Chen Fei asked.
"No," Liu Dong said, "the car door is also blocked with iron plates."
"What's going on?" Fade Chen frowned. "Did you scan any information?"
"No."
The three carriages, just like when they set out, were quietly parked on the tracks outside the main city, surrounded by an increasingly thick black fog, making it impossible to see anything clearly.
After scanning again to confirm that there was no abnormal information, Chen Fei ordered the iron plate blocking the car door to be smashed.
A red light flashed.
The three iron plates blocking the car door fell down at the same time with a clang.
After waiting for a while, there was no movement in the carriage.
Chen Fei waved his hand and several flares flew into the carriage.
The moment the three carriages were illuminated, everyone gasped and was stunned.
The carriage was packed.
The city guards and ez team that were sent out earlier were all in the carriage.
His body was pierced by sharp black spikes and stuck to the wall of the carriage.
Like a moment of death depicted in black.
Chen Fei didn't say anything.
He just glanced at Liu Dong beside him.
Liu Dong was as familiar with this black spike as he was.
This is Betelgeuse's weapon.
"It's confirmed." Liu Dong said.
"Is this a warning?" Fade Chen frowned.
“We shouldn’t have sent people there directly,” Liu Dong said. “We angered Lian Chuan.”
"Strengthen the defense," Chen Fei turned around, "They will definitely come over on the next train."
"If he joins forces with Ghost Town..." Liu Dong was a little worried.
"We'll drive them away again the same way we drove them away in the first place," said Chen Fei.
Liu Dong still felt uneasy: "But even..."
"The Traveler was not driven away by a Betelgeuse," Chen Fei looked at him, "You have been training Lian Chuan, think about his weaknesses."
"He didn't." Liu Dong said.
"He has." Chen Fei said.
"Chun San?" Liu Dong gave a bitter smile. "It's hard to say. No one knows how far Lian Chuan can go to survive."
Ning Gu dragged the two dead travelers and placed them next to the travelers who were already neatly lined up on the ground.
In this battle, they lost dozens of their companions.
Every wound on these travelers was like a flaming knife cut into his body.
Everyone was silent. The travelers, who used to remain crazy and excited in the face of everything, were so silent for the first time after a battle that only the sound of the wind could be heard.
After counting the number of casualties, Ning Gu glanced at Lian Chuan who was sitting nearby to rest, and walked over.
"Can I carry you?" he said.
"No need." Lian Chuan stood up.
"If you can walk," Ning Gu said, "come with me to the medical room."
"Hmm?" Lian Chuan looked at him.
"Li Xiang is injured. They are all in the medical room." Ning Gu turned and walked towards the shelter. "I want them to take off the collar around your neck, and also the restrictor."
Lian Chuan didn't move.
"They may have a way," Ning Gu turned his head, "The limiter must be removed."
Lian Chuan didn't say anything.
"I know you don't trust the captain and his men," Ning Gu said, "but now the main city has taken action first. No matter what the captain has planned, he needs your help."
"The main city is confirming Betelgeuse," Lian Chuan said, "As long as the captain hands me over, we can continue to cooperate with the main city."
"Where's your brain?" Ning Gu looked at him. "If the captain really wants to cooperate with the main city, does he still need to raise those troops?"
Lian Chuan spoke after a while: "You have never had a brain."
"A little bit from time to time." Ning Gu didn't understand what he meant.
"Those troops are the last card the captain has hidden," Lian Chuan said, "There's no point in breaking up with the main city before we find the exit."
Ning Gu stared at him for a long time: "I was wrong, wasn't I?"
"Not really," Lian Chuan walked forward, "We can talk."
"What if it's as you said?" Ning Gu followed.
"There are no ifs and whats," Lianchuan said. "If it's good for me to take these things away, then I'll take them away."
"Okay," Ning Gu nodded, "You won't die if you make the wrong choice, but you will die if you hesitate."
The entire shelter was very quiet. The travelers, who were usually restless even when sleeping, seemed to be collectively mute today. Everyone was silent.
Even though the lightning cracks had reached the metal cemetery before, they did not affect the travelers. However, the main city allowed everyone to see that the final scene had already begun.
With the firepower of the city guards and the strange combat capabilities of the main city, they are faced with a journey with absolutely no strategy.
"Why did you want to awaken Betelgeuse?" Ning Gu looked at Lian Chuan's face and confirmed that his current condition was not too bad. "Those monsters can still be repelled."
"Do you know why people in the main city are afraid of the cleanup team?" Lian Chuan said.
"Maybe they think you're killing civilians," Ning Gu said. "The security team and patrol team are there to maintain order in the main city, and the city guards fight against foreign enemies. Only your cleanup team kills ordinary people every day."
"Not only that," Lian Chuan said, "but no one who is going to die can escape. Once they are locked in, there is no second possibility."
Ning Gu was silent for a while: "It's fear."
Lian Chuan said nothing more. Even if he described his past life from such a bystander's perspective, it was not a pleasant thing.
"But they will definitely deploy defenses at the parking spot," Ning Gu said, "and increase their firepower. They will make some arrangements targeting you."
"So we have to find the team leader." Lian Chuan said.
Li Xiang was leaning on the bed in the clinic. He looked fine, but his movements were obviously limited. After all, his injury was on his waist, so every movement he made seemed a little slow.
Ning Gu felt a little uncomfortable watching this. This was the first time in his life that he saw Li Xiang injured so badly.
The other injured travelers had already treated their wounds and left. Apart from Li Xiang, only the group leader and Lin Fan were left in the medical center.
"Thank you very much." Li Xiang looked at Lian Chuan.
"No need." Lian Chuan said.
"Take this ring away," Ning Gu got straight to the point, "You probably won't be able to use this thing, even if it's in exchange for his help today."
"Okay." said the team leader.
This straightforward answer surprised Ning Gu a little, and he was unsure what to say next.
"I want to go back to the main city," Lian Chuan said, "No matter where the exit is, the main city has the answer, and I need someone to help me."
"Lost Valley?" Lin Fan asked.
"Yes." Lian Chuan said.
"How can I believe you?" The captain looked at him.
"You don't have to trust me," Lian Chuan said, "just trust Ning Gu."
The team leader glanced at Ning Gu.
"Only he can awaken Betelgeuse." Lianchuan said.
The leader didn't say anything, and after a while he sighed, "What do you need us to do?"
"Travelers who are willing to go to the main city with me." Lian Chuan said.
"Have they left?" Jiuyi squatted on the black iron block, looking unhappy.
"No." A black ring replied.
On the day the car returned from the ghost town, the cleanup team stayed in the Black Iron Wasteland and had been there for several days with no intention of leaving.
The little bats who took advantage of the chaos to search for supplies in the main city no longer dared to go out.
"I'm so annoyed. What are these hyenas doing?" Jiuyi tapped his face lightly with his fingertips, making a thin tinkling sound. "I know it's no good when the caracals keep wandering around the Black Iron Wasteland. These cats and dogs... Fulu, go out and talk to them."
"I dare not." said Fulu.
Jiu Yi turned his head, his face full of disbelief: "What did you say?"
"He doesn't dare." Suki said.
Jiu Yi looked at him.
"I wouldn't dare either," said Suki.
"Waste." Jiuyi stood up, "I'll go."
"Boss, don't go!" Fulu and Suki jumped up at the same time and grabbed his clothes.
"They are here to negotiate." Jiuyi dragged Fulu and Shouxi slowly towards the exit. "Remember how they said the hyenas escorted Lianchuan to the City Affairs Office? The hyenas rebelled a long time ago."
"Treason!" Fulu and Shouxi lay on the ground, still holding on to Jiuyi's clothes.
When Jiu Yi slowly came out of the exit dragging two bats behind him, the members of the cleanup team activated their weapons at the same time.
"Is this Jiuyi?" Jiang Xiaogan's hesitant voice came from the intercom.
Bats are very common and are often encountered by cleanup teams during various missions. After all, if you want to leave the main city, you need bats to ferry you.
But almost no one has ever seen Jiuyi. He never leaves the Lost Valley, and the system doesn’t even have any information about him. Everyone just knows that there is such a person.
This way of appearance is indeed a bit confusing.
"Yes." Lei Yu got out of the car and slowly walked towards the exit.
Jiu Yi stood still, and two bats beside him crawled up from the ground and stood in front of him.
It was blocked very tightly, not a bit was left.
Jiuyi had to push them apart a little and looked at Lei Yu from the middle: "What a rare guest. I didn't expect that I would see Captain Lei again in the Black Iron Wasteland in my lifetime."
"The cleanup team will set up camp here." Lei Yu said.
"What?" Jiuyi pulled his ear and turned his head.
"If Lianchuan returns to the main city, he will definitely go to Lost Valley first," Lei Yu said, "We need to set up camp here and then pick him up."
"Then go ahead and stab it," Jiu Yi looked at him, "What are you standing here for?"
"We need supplies," said Lei Yu.
Jiu Yi was stunned for a moment, then burst into sharp laughter.
The cleanup team members behind Lei Yu raised their weapons at the same time.
"Why should I help you?" Jiu Yi stopped laughing and his voice turned cold. "Let bats help hyenas?"
"I don't know," Lei Yu said, "but you helped Lian Chuan when he was still a hyena."
A long whistle sounded from a distance.
Jiu Yi, who was about to speak, opened his mouth and stopped.
"Let your Black Ring team come out, and your firepower." Lei Yu turned around and ran two steps onto A01. "Half of my people will stay here to cooperate with you."
Jiu Yi closed his mouth but stood there without moving.
Lei Yu started the car: "Follow the original plan, the person who is supposed to pick me up will follow me!"
A blue light lit up, and A01 made a series of roars. The cleanup team was divided into several small teams. Some people followed Lei Yu and rushed towards the parking lot outside the main city.
"Here comes the car," said Fruth. "What are they going to do?"
"Go get support," Suki said, "I just said I'd go get support for Lianchuan."
Fulu jumped. He couldn't see the situation at the parking lot from here. "Is Lianchuan in the car? What about Ninggu..."
"Go," Jiuyi raised his index finger and shook it, "Notify all the Black Rings to guard the exit in the direction of the main city. All bats with weapons should come out and kill the city guards if they see them."
"Should we help the hyenas?" Suki asked.
"We are going to divide the main city." Jiuyi said.
The car stopped quietly on the track.
This time the carriage still has three sections, the same as last time, no changes.
Chen Fei looked at the monitor and all the data was still.
The carriage was empty.
"How is that possible?" Liu Dong whispered.
Flares were thrown into the carriage again at the same time, but still no one was seen.
"Prepare for the attack." Chen Fei gave the order.
"Target?" asked the city guard.
"The whole car." Chen Fei replied.
As soon as he said this, a golden light flashed in the middle carriage.
"Open fire!" Chen Fei roared.
But the surveillance footage was calm, with no gunshots and no red lights.
The picture didn't change at all, and even the sound disappeared.
"Release all three teams of ez!" Chen Fei spoke again, "Bring Chun San here."
Golden light instantly spread out from the car, filling the entire surveillance screen.