Chapter 305: The Net

Finally, he climbed onto the platform at the top of the signal tower. The wind was strong, blowing so hard he couldn't even stand steady. In the middle of the platform was a console, more than half of it smashed to pieces, with several thick cables dangling down, their broken ends still sparking with electricity.

Still powered?

A thought stirred in Xu Xiaochuan's mind. He took a few steps to the console and found a data port where the label was still legible. He pulled out the chip, which was running low on light, took a breath, and plugged it in.

Hum—!

The console screen flickered a few times, lighting up with static, then began to jump wildly with garbled code he couldn't understand. The blue light on the surface of the chip flared up suddenly; although not strong, it radiated steadily, as if connecting with something very far away.

Xu Xiaochuan stared fixedly at the screen, his heart pounding violently. Did it work? Was he connected to "Ark"? Or had he stirred up some other trouble?

Suddenly, the garbled code on the screen stopped, replaced by a line of text flashing rapidly.

【... Weak signal source connected... Underground Level 7... Coordinate lock failed... Repeat... Encryption mode: LY-Sigma... SOS...】

LY-Sigma? That was Lin Shu! The abbreviation for his commonly used personal encryption mode!

Lin Shu was still alive! He was underground!

A surge of immense joy overwhelmed Xu Xiaochuan's mind; he forgot the pain in his legs and forgot the pursuers behind him.

But the next second—

Woo—woo—woo—!!!

A sharp alarm sounded, suddenly echoing throughout the entire abandoned factory area! Around the signal tower, on the ground, countless red laser dots lit up instantly, all aimed at the top of the tower! From below came the urgent shouts of armed personnel and the sound of bolts being pulled back!

"Target locked! Top of the signal tower! Open fire!"

The ecstasy on Xu Xiaochuan's face froze instantly, leaving only a bone-chilling cold. The signal had been amplified, giving Lin Shu a glimmer of hope, but it had also sent him into a dead end.

He subconsciously lowered his head, looking at Xuanyuan Qing, who was unconscious in the corner of the platform.

Bullets poured down like a rainstorm onto the rusted steel frame of the signal tower, sparking densely! The sharp sound of metal twisting and deforming pierced his eardrums, and debris and rust flakes fell with a clatter. The entire tower was shaking, as if it would fall apart the next second.

Xu Xiaochuan lay flat behind the smashed console, the vibrations almost shaking him to pieces. Red laser beams swept across in front of and behind him, cutting charred marks into the concrete floor.

"They... their firepower is too heavy... can't go up... can't go down..." Xu Xiaochuan's teeth chattered, not from the cold, but from the instinctive reaction of a body pushed to its limits mixed with fear. The wound on his right leg was completely numb, leaving only a heavy, dull, tearing pain.

"The console... power supply... still usable..." Xuanyuan Qing's voice was intermittent, every word sounding like it was squeezed from the depths of her throat, hoarse and stained with blood foam, "Tear... those few... main cables... create... a short circuit..."

Xu Xiaochuan looked at those dangling, thick cables, their broken ends still sparking dangerously. He gritted his teeth, dragged his injured leg over, and picked up a half-section of a twisted metal pipe from the ground.

"Are you crazy! It'll blow this place up!" he roared, but still reached out with the metal pipe and stabbed it toward the nearest sparking cable end!

Zzzzt—!!!

Blinding electric arcs exploded! A massive current instantly conducted along the metal pipe; Xu Xiaochuan only felt his arm go numb, and his whole body was violently repelled, his back slamming into the cold railing, almost flipping over the edge.

But the move worked! The console's last backup power supply was forcibly short-circuited, and several damaged line interfaces around the edge of the platform exploded with dazzling arcs simultaneously, forming an unstable, crackling electric net!

From below came several screams and curses; clearly, some pursuers who had charged too close had suffered. The firepower experienced a momentary stagnation.

"The chip... give it to me..." Xuanyuan Qing raised her hand with effort, her fingertips trembling.

Xu Xiaochuan crawled back to her side and shoved the dim chip into her hand. Xuanyuan Qing used almost all her strength to grip the chip, while her other uninjured hand groped for an overlooked, dust-covered interface on the side of the console, plugging it in with difficulty.

"Interfere... with their... communications..." she gasped, cold sweat streaming down her forehead, "Need... you... to draw... fire... buy... time..."

Draw fire? Xu Xiaochuan looked at the shadowy figures below reorganizing their offensive, and the automatic weapon platforms that kept sweeping, his heart feeling as if it had been gripped. Going out meant death.

But not going out, being trapped here and dying, was also death.

He lowered his head and saw the burning stubbornness on Xuanyuan Qing's pale face. He remembered Xiao Ya's last serene smile, the back of Lin Shu as he pushed him away, and the line in his father's notebook: "Some responsibilities cannot be escaped."

"Damn it!" Xu Xiaochuan let out a low roar and grabbed a broken iron plate half a person high from beside him. He glanced at Xuanyuan Qing, then suddenly stood up, holding the iron plate, and charged toward the relatively open edge on the other side of the platform!

"I'm here! Come on!" he roared, his voice almost inaudible amidst the hail of bullets.

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat—!!!

All the firepower concentrated instantly! Bullets hammered crazily against the iron plate, making a deafening clanging sound! The iron plate was beaten into a pitted mess, its edges beginning to curl and deform. The massive impact force transmitted through the iron plate, shaking Xu Xiaochuan's arms numb, splitting the webbing between his thumb and index finger, and causing blood to flow freely.

He felt like a small boat in a violent storm, ready to be torn apart at any moment.

Just then, the mark on his back began to burn fiercely! A scorching heat flow, unlike anything before, exploded, instantly rushing through his limbs and bones! A strange blue halo appeared at the edge of his vision, and all the movements around him seemed to slow down.

A bullet grazed his scalp, the force of it burning his skin. Another bullet hit beside his feet, the splashing gravel cutting his trouser leg. He could clearly "see" the trajectory of the bullets and predict the landing point of the next wave of attacks!

His body reacted instinctively. An extreme side-step, an incredible low-profile roll! Bullets grazed his back and shoulders, tearing several holes in his combat suit, but failing to cause a fatal wound.

He wove and dodged through the dense rain of bullets like a ghost, his speed and reaction time completely exceeding human limits. Every dodge was accompanied by the groans of his overburdened bones and muscles, and every landing exacerbated the injury to his right leg. But he was still alive!

At the same time, Xuanyuan Qing's fingers trembled slightly on the chip, which was already burning hot. Garbled code scrolled crazily on the console screen. Suddenly, a few clear characters popped out, mixed in the chaotic data stream, and vanished in a flash:

【... Recovery... YA-001... consciousness backup... priority target...】

【... Cleanup protocol... initiated... all those in the know... erase...】

Xuanyuan Qing's eyes widened suddenly, the intense stimulation allowing her to briefly suppress the excruciating pain. She seized the gap while Xu Xiaochuan was dodging and shouted urgently: "They... what they want is the chip! Xiao Ya's backup! And... they want to kill us to silence us!" ===== CHAPTER 306 =====