Chapter 298: We'll Talk After You Complete the Great Unification!

A sudden explosive shock swept the seabed.

Countless dense black, electric-current-like spatial fissures instantly formed around the island base.

Space-time itself seemed to twist in that instant.

Frenzied anomalous energy spread at light speed, sweeping and agitating the global energy field.

Almost simultaneously, the base where Ning Jingli was located experienced an intense, unexplained tremor, as if an explosion had occurred somewhere in the base.

"Run fast!" Ning Jingli shouted.

The researchers, terrified, rushed in succession at top speed into the Time-Space Gate.

However, when they passed through the Time-Space Gate and emerged on the other side, they were surprised to find that they were no longer in the warehouse they had just left, but in an ancient-style temple.

The surrounding space was vast; nearly four hundred researchers standing together did not feel crowded.

"Such flourishing incense..."

"What temple is this?"

"Huh? It seems to worship only one Immortal; look, it's a female Immortal."

Everyone's attention was quickly drawn to the goddess statue by the wall; at a glance, it felt oddly familiar...

At the same time, Ning Jingli noticed an anomaly.

The Time-Space Gate she opened was clearly linked to a small factory warehouse, yet looking through the Fluorescent Vortex now, that side had become the Xianzi Temple of Lin Xian Cheng!

Indeed, it was the Jinli Fairy Temple that the locals had built in the cave where she first appeared.

The base's tremors continued.

However, no one panicked, waiting for the rescue team's next orders.

The rescue team was waiting for Ning Jingli's command.

Ning Jingli thought quickly and told the rescue team captain: "The Time-Space Gate's connection seems to have a problem; I'll go over there briefly and be right back."

With that, she dashed into the Time-Space Gate.

In the blink of an eye, she was also inside the Xianzi Temple.

During the rescue operation at the ruins of Kucherberg Nuclear Power Plant, she had once accidentally entered the intermediate connection zone of the Time-Space Gate.

She also saw that each Time-Space Gate contained an energy-state passage connection in its middle.

Therefore, this time the Time-Space Gate's docking was misaligned, likely also affected by the anomalous energy, so even she could not relocate the Spacetime Portal.

"Who are you!" the guard soldiers of the Xianzi Temple quickly discovered the many uninvited guests inside the temple.

【7】 The researchers were still stunned.

The researchers were still stunned.

Ning Jingli swiftly moved through the crowd and stood before the soldiers.

"Ah! Jinli Fairy!" the soldiers exclaimed.

"Fairy, you haven't been here for quite a while; the soldiers and the people all miss you!"

"Fairy, His Majesty—"

The soldiers chattered incoherently.

Ning Jingli had no time to say anything else and immediately said: "These people were brought by me, and they are all extremely important! First escort them, arrange rest, and absolutely ensure their safety; there must be no mishap!"

Everyone here obeyed Ning Jingli's orders unconditionally.

The soldiers asked nothing further and began to act.

Ning Jingli also told the researchers to stay here with peace of mind; after she figured out the situation, she would bring them back.

Having arranged this, Ning Jingli turned to head back to the base's safe zone.

She planned to transfer the remaining people entirely to Lin Xian Cheng; although the Time-Space Gate's docking was misaligned, preventing immediate transfer to Xinghan City, moving them here was still possible.

"Ning Jingli!" suddenly, a deep voice sounded.

Ning Jingli halted, hurriedly turned back, and instantly met Xiao Qidi's cold eyes.

"Qi..." Ning Jingli's lips barely opened, her expression shocked.

Xiao Qidi stepped forward, grabbed her shoulder, and said, "So you finally agreed to come see me?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Ning Jingli looked bewildered.

Xiao Qidi's emotions, though he tried to control them, still seeped from his seemingly cold eyes.

He had ridden nonstop from Royal City to Lin Xian Cheng, hoping to encounter Ning Jingli, and after arriving here, he simply settled beside the Xianzi Temple.

Thus, when a crowd suddenly appeared in the Xianzi Temple and soldiers reported the situation to him, he appeared before Ning Jingli so quickly.

"Jinli, I..." Xiao Qidi had too many words, but they got stuck in his throat.

Ning Jingli, flustered, pushed his hand away, "I'm busy! Don't cause trouble for no reason!"

Xiao Qidi froze; the little flame in his heart that had been rising even stronger was instantly doused as if a bucket of ice water had been poured on it.

"Ning Jingli!" Xiao Qidi's eyes reddened, he gritted his teeth and said, "I'll ask you one thing: will you marry me or not!"

Ning Jingli's mind was filled with the thousands of people still in danger; she had no thought for such matters, and casually replied, "We'll talk after you achieve Huaxia's great unification!" then, without looking back, she rushed into the Time-Space Gate.

Xiao Qidi watched her silhouette pass through the Fluorescent Vortex; before his mind could process, his legs had already moved, instinctively trying to chase after her.

But in an instant, the Time-Space Gate vanished.

Leaving only Xiao Qidi standing there, stunned.

"Come! Everyone, go through this Time-Space Gate!" Ning Jingli shouted loudly after returning to the base's safe zone.

"Miss Ning..." the rescue team captain patted her shoulder, indicating her to look back.

When Ning Jingli turned back, she was stunned.

She hadn't done anything, yet the Time-Space Gate... disappeared on its own?!

This was the first time such a situation occurred!

Needless to say, it must be related to the anomalous energy's influence.

The trouble M Guo caused not only affected the global energy field, but also caused all sorts of distortions in the Time‑Space Gate she opened.

Ning Jinli took a deep breath, circulated her inner power, and tried to open another Time‑Space Gate.

At that moment, a harsh, piercing alarm sounded within the safety zone.

Everyone's complexion changed dramatically upon hearing it.

Swish—

A new ring of Fluorescent Vortex appeared before Ning Jinli; it was clear that opposite her was her factory's small warehouse.

"Everyone! It's ready!" Ning Jinli called out loudly. "While the Spacetime Portal is still relatively stable, hurry and go!"

However, the crowd that had already lined up did not move a step.

Ning Jinli exclaimed in surprise, "What's wrong with you? The alarm's blaring, hurry up!"

The leader of the Special Forces Protection Corps stepped before her, his expression extremely grave. "Miss Ning, that alarm just now means the base's largest nuclear reactor has suffered a Level‑One accident."

Ning Jinli was startled. "Then we can't waste any more time! Go quickly!"

"Miss Ning," the rescue team leader began, "If this hadn't happened, we could leave, but now we actually can't go."

"Huh? Wh—why?" Ning Jinli said, her face full of bewilderment.

The corps leader said calmly, "A Level‑One accident means that if not dealt with promptly, there will be severe nuclear leakage or even a massive explosion. Given this base's nuclear capacity, it could turn our entire Northwest region into a wasteland. That would become the worst disaster in human history, thousands of times more severe than the nuclear plant explosion that destroyed a town in Kucheberg."

Ning Jinli felt a chill run through her. "So you mean…"

The rescue team leader nodded. "We must stay here for emergency handling; although we can't fully contain the accident, we should be able to significantly slow its total loss of control."

"You…" Ning Jinli's eyes widened as she looked at the densely packed crowd of over four thousand people around her. "What about them? Are they…"

The corps leader said, "Don't underestimate them just because they're logisticians and a Special Forces unit responsible for protection. They may not match the few hundred top researchers in cutting‑edge science, but if they were assigned to other research fields, each of them could hold their own. Moreover, they know every single screw in this base like the back of their hand."

The implication was clear: everyone would stay behind to deal with the sudden Level‑One accident.

Without needing to ask, it was obvious that staying meant essentially throwing one's life to the wind.

Everyone present understood this, yet not a single person showed a fearful expression.

"Miss Ning," the rescue team leader said, "After you leave, please inform General Shangguan of the situation as soon as possible. As long as we can ultimately control the accident's destructiveness, our effort won't be in vain."

The corps leader raised an eyebrow. "Hm? You're staying too?"

The rescue team leader grinned, "What, you think my rescue team is beneath you?"

"To hell with you!" the corps leader hammered his shoulder. "Do you know more about nuclear accident response than us? Grab your people and get the hell out! Stop getting in the way here!"

The rescue team leader returned a punch, "Do you think those who become special rescue troops just eat dry rice? If you can risk your lives to handle the accident, so can we! Stop whining! Move quickly!"

The corps leader was silent for two seconds, his eyes reddening, then laughed, "Alright, if we survive, I'll buy you a drink!"

"Deal!" the rescue team leader, his eyes also reddened, extended his right hand. "The finest wine! And we'll treat everyone here!"

The corps leader grasped his hand firmly. "Mm, deal!"

Their right hands clasped tightly, they both glanced at Ning Jinli, their eyes telling her it was time to go.

Ning Jinli knew they had made their decision; even though her heart ached, she could only nod through the pain and stride resolutely into the Time‑Space Gate.

Now, the Time‑Space Gate she opened could be seen by everyone.

This also meant that any material could pass through it.

To prevent a possible base explosion, the destructive nuclear energy surged through the Time‑Space Gate, and Ning Jinli clenched her teeth and shut it down.

She then immediately called Shangguan Ying to report the situation.

Within ten minutes after that call was placed, the highest‑level accident emergency response was launched.

Although the global energy field is now disrupted, the closer aircraft get to nuclear‑facility zones, the more likely unpredictable failures become, yet higher‑ups still dispatched squadrons of planes, ferrying batch after batch of personnel and equipment at top speed toward the deep desert…

…

Ning Jinli cradled her phone, sitting in the small warehouse.

Each second felt longer than a century to her, and more agonizing.

According to the records.

The Kucheberg nuclear power plant accident that occurred decades ago in a European country is, to date, the most severe nuclear incident in human history.

At the time, dozens died on the spot from massive radiation, and later hundreds of thousands took part in rescue efforts, with over ten thousand succumbing to radiation‑induced illness within just five years after the accident.

Countless other residents were also exposed to nuclear radiation; the number of people directly or indirectly killed or injured by that accident is incalculable.

The small town where the Kucheberg nuclear plant stood remains a human exclusion zone to this day.

Given these facts, and recalling the corps leader's words, Ning Jinli truly could not imagine what the scene would be like if this accident couldn't be contained in time, resulting in a disaster thousands of times worse than the Kucheberg plant explosion.

Half an hour later.

Ning Jinli was startled back to herself by her phone's vibration, saw it was Shangguan Ying calling, and answered at once. "Sister Ying! How's it going? Is there any way I can help?!"

"We've already deployed as much manpower and material as possible to try to prevent the accident's damage from expanding…" Shangguan Ying's tone was especially heavy. "But this situation is too special, severely limiting our rescue operations, and I still don't know how things stand now."

Those words gave Ning Jinli a sense of helplessness as if falling into an abyss.

Then Shangguan Ying added, "We have just confirmed that the problem originated at the M Guo island base, causing the impact here. We applied extreme pressure on M Guo's top officials, and they reluctantly revealed a bit of the truth."

Ning Jinli, nerves taut, asked, "What situation?"

The tone of Shangguan Ying was icy, teeth clenched, "M Guo admitted they were conducting experiments in the Pacific Ocean, but refused to say what kind. Moreover, they said this situation exceeded their expectations; it seems a minor overload fault triggered a chain reaction, causing their energy station to lose control, with massive energy continuously leaking out."

Ning Jinli placed a hand on her forehead. "M Guo… they… basically said nothing. Now a huge problem has arisen; can't they just stop the experiment?"

"We can't stop it," Shangguan Ying forced down her anger. "M Guo's top officials even want us to help control the island base's problem. According to them, an unprecedented high‑energy field has appeared around the entire island base; any of their warships that approach are instantly shattered by the field. They've also lost contact with the tens of thousands inside the base. Now… the island at the center of the Pacific could be brewing a disaster that would bring about an apocalyptic catastrophe for all humanity… We hadn't expected that the scenario we analyzed not long ago is now on the brink of becoming reality."

Ning Jinli was both shocked and angry; M Guo has always acted arbitrarily and recklessly without regard for consequences—this is now a global consensus, yet no one expected them to go this far.

"Sister Ying…" Ning Jinli's voice trembled with anger. "Now do we have to both rescue and control our own accident, and also… also help M Guo clean up their mess?!"