Chapter 306: Desperate Situation at the Tower Top and a Glimmer of Hope

Xu Xiaochuan's heart sank. Just as expected.

"Communication... interference successful... thirty seconds..." Xuanyuan Qing's voice was urgent and weak, the chip in her hand completely losing its luster and becoming scorching hot, "Tower body... west side... maintenance passage... hurry!"

Xu Xiaochuan did not hesitate, scooped up Xuanyuan Qing, and rushed toward the direction she indicated. There was indeed a square opening covered by a rusted iron plate. He used all his strength to pry open the iron plate, revealing a narrow, oil-stained slide leading vertically downward.

He held Xuanyuan Qing and jumped down without hesitation.

And deep underground, beneath them, in an abandoned maintenance station, Lin Yu suddenly raised his head. The dense gunfire and muffled explosions vaguely coming from above, although faint, were enough for him to judge the approximate location and intensity.

"Xiaochuan..." he whispered, leaning against the wall to stand up. The wound was still throbbing with pain, but the potent healing agent was slowly taking effect. He checked the weapons he had at hand—a "Scavenger" arm blade he had pried off, and the section of metal pipe serving as a splint.

He walked to the only ventilation duct opening in the maintenance station that looked relatively intact and listened. In the wind, there was the sound of gunfire from above, getting closer and closer, and the sound of something falling at high speed and rubbing against the walls.

Lin Yu gripped the arm blade in his hand tightly.

At the bottom of the slide, the darkness brought not the hoped-for safety, but a heavier smell of mold, and the dampness became increasingly cold.

Xu Xiaochuan rolled onto the ground in a sorry state, holding Xuanyuan Qing, his whole body instantly covered in gravel and oil stains.

He didn't even have time to catch his breath; urgent footsteps and shouts were already approaching from the other end of the passage!

"Over there! Block them!"

Beams of light flashed wildly, and several figures blocked the path ahead.

Xu Xiaochuan instinctively wanted to protect Xuanyuan Qing behind him, but his right leg twitched with pain, and his body instantly lost control and knelt down.

It's over, everything is over.

The heat flow on his back that had supported his actions had long since dissipated, leaving only cold exhaustion and bone-gnawing pain.

Xuanyuan Qing trembled slightly in his arms and then went still.

Her body was shockingly hot, and her breathing was so weak it had almost vanished.

"Cough... cough..." Xu Xiaochuan choked, wanting to stand up, but his legs felt as if they had been welded shut, and every struggle was in vain.

The footsteps stopped right in front of him.

Metal boot soles ground against the gravel, harsh and despair-inducing.

The leader, wearing a heavy exoskeleton assistance device, had only cold red indicator lights flashing beneath his helmet visor.

"Run, why aren't you running anymore?" The voice, processed by a voice changer, hummed with the mockery of a cat playing with a mouse, "The YA-001 backup, and that 'mark' on you, are both treasures left behind by the Doctor."

He raised his mechanical arm, and thick metal fingers slowly opened, aiming at Xu Xiaochuan's pocket.

"Hand it over, and I can let you die quickly."

Xu Xiaochuan clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms, blood seeping out.

He raised his head with difficulty, staring fixedly at that flickering red light.

Resist? How could he resist? He couldn't even stand up.

"Or... should I twist her head off first?" The mechanical arm turned toward the unconscious Xuanyuan Qing.

"No—!" Xu Xiaochuan roared with his last ounce of strength, wanting to pounce, but was slammed hard in the back by another pursuer with a rifle butt, his body uncontrollably falling forward, his cheek grazing the rough ground, burning with pain.

The pursuer captain let out a low laugh, and the mechanical arm reached for Xuanyuan Qing's neck without hesitation.

Just at this moment of life and death—

Whoosh!

Above, a sharp sound of wind suddenly exploded!

A black shadow, like a weightless fallen leaf, fell vertically from the broken ventilation shaft opening above!

Thud! Thud!

Two muffled sounds rang out almost simultaneously!

The two pursuers closest to Xuanyuan Qing didn't even have time to react before they were violently knocked away by the black shadow with incredible speed and power, slamming into the wall, the sound of breaking bones clearly audible!

A sudden turn of events!

The pursuer captain suddenly retracted his mechanical arm, spun around, and raised his gun!

But that figure was faster!

The moment he landed, there was not the slightest pause, and he closed in like a shadow!

He didn't even see the opponent's movement, only feeling an irresistible force slamming into his gun-wielding arm!

Crack!

The bone-cracking sound made his scalp tingle!

The captain's arm twisted at a strange angle, and the firearm slipped from his hand!

The excruciating pain made the captain grunt, and his other mechanical arm, carrying the force of the wind, smashed toward the opponent's head!

The figure didn't dodge or evade, his left hand reaching out like lightning, his five fingers precisely locking onto the incoming mechanical arm, at the weakest node of the joint connection!

With a twist!

Creak—Zzzzt!

Metal twisted, sparks splashed!

The entire mechanical arm was actually torn off!

"Ah—!" The captain screamed, retreating repeatedly.

The remaining pursuers were horrified and subconsciously raised their guns.

Rat-tat-tat!

Bullets poured onto the figure's tattered combat suit, like stones sinking into the sea; the opponent only swayed, his footsteps not stopping, flashing and shifting like a ghost, every strike accompanied by the crisp sound of breaking bones and the muffled sound of bodies hitting the ground.

Fists, elbows, knees, legs, no wasted movements, every attack precise and fatal.

Firearms in front of him seemed to have become scrap metal, unable to lock onto him at all.

Within a few breaths, except for the armless captain, all the pursuers had fallen, their fate unknown.

Xu Xiaochuan lay on the ground, dumbfounded, the scene before him like an art of slaughter.

The figure finally stopped and turned slowly.

Tattered combat suit, blood-stained, left arm fixed crudely with metal plates and bandages, blood seeping from his right leg.

But he stood straight, like a weathered javelin.

On a face intertwined with smoke, dust, and bloodstains, a pair of eyes were as cold as a Siberian cold front.

Lin Yu!

Lin Yu's gaze swept over Xu Xiaochuan on the ground and then landed on the unconscious, dying Xuanyuan Qing, his brows furrowing imperceptibly.

He didn't ask questions, walking straight toward the armless captain who was still struggling to retreat.

In the captain's eyes, despair spread; he wanted to activate the exoskeleton's emergency defense mode.

Lin Yu stepped forward, his right hand as fast as lightning, grabbing the captain's only remaining mechanical arm, pulling and twisting with force!

Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!

Four bone-cracking sounds exploded in succession!

The captain's limbs were instantly broken, and he collapsed limply, leaving only heavy breathing and irrepressible groans of pain.

Only then did Lin Yu walk to Xu Xiaochuan, crouch down, and check Xuanyuan Qing's carotid artery.

"Where are the coordinates?" The voice was low and hoarse, with unquestionable urgency, "She can't hold on."

Lin Yu crouched down, his fingers pressing on the side of Xuanyuan Qing's neck, motionless for several seconds.

His other hand lifted the blood-stained cloth covering the broken arm, and after just one glance, his brows knitted into a knot.

The edges of the wound were a frightening dark purple, still spreading upward, the skin shockingly hot, and a faint smell of decay drilled into his nostrils.

Sepsis, the internal organs couldn't hold on much longer.

Xu Xiaochuan's heart sank, looking at Xuanyuan Qing's sallow face and the weak rise and fall of her chest, a sense of despair surging over him.

Lin Yu didn't speak, his movements as fast as a gust of wind, quickly searching the fallen pursuers.

He tore off two first-aid kits and pulled a tube of military antibiotics and a high-energy nutritional supplement from the armless captain's vest.

His movements were too practiced; he didn't look like someone who had just killed people, but rather like a seasoned battlefield doctor. ===== CHAPTER 307 =====