Chapter 241: The Father

The fierce battle in the passageway continued. The golden-masked man's fists whistled with the sound of tearing wind,

smashing again and again against Lin Chen's Absolute Territory barrier. The cracks on the barrier grew more numerous.

Fresh blood constantly spilled from the corners of Lin Chen's mouth; every block felt like he was overdrawing his very last shred of strength.

His vision began to blur, and the sounds of gunfire and shouting in his ears gradually grew distant. Only the image of Shi Potian falling kept flashing repeatedly in his mind.

The corpses of his team members were piled across the ground, and fresh blood seeped into the gaps of the ice layer, freezing into dark red, hard lumps.

The small squad that had rushed in to reinforce them was almost completely wiped out, with only a few members still able to move,

hiding in the shadows of the corners and firing cold shots at the golden-masked man. The bullets struck the opponent,

not even breaking the skin, but instead drawing the golden-masked man's sidelong glance. With a casual wave of his hand, a gust of wind swept past, and those few team members spat out blood and flew backward.

Lin Chen gritted his teeth, mobilizing all the cold Qi in his body, attempting to reinforce the Absolute Territory barrier.

But the golden-masked man's power was truly too strong; the cracks on the barrier continued to expand,

emitting a creaking sound, as if it would shatter completely the next second.

He knew he couldn't hold on for much longer. The communicator was still transmitting news of the safe zone being besieged; the sounds of killing and explosions rose and fell, each one like a heavy hammer striking his heart.

Just then, the golden-masked man suddenly stopped. He tilted his head to listen to the movement in the communicator,

the corners of his mouth curling into a cold sneer: "Lin Chen, your safe zone is about to fall.

You are wasting your time here.

What is the point?

You might as well surrender obediently,

and I might still leave you an intact corpse."

Lin Chen did not speak, only staring fixedly at the opponent, his grip on the ice blade in his hand tightening.

He knew the opponent was deliberately trying to disturb his focus, but he could not control his own thoughts—

the residents in the safe zone, Xia Nuan, and those brothers who had followed him through life and death—how were they doing now?

Seeing him remain silent, the golden-masked man lost his patience. He exerted force suddenly,

smashing a fist against the Absolute Territory barrier. With a *Crack! *, the barrier shattered completely.

A powerful shockwave struck, and Lin Chen flew backward again, slamming heavily into the wall, his consciousness instantly blurring by more than half.

"Lin Chen!"

Xia Nuan screamed as she rushed up. She was also covered in wounds, with bloodstains at the corners of her mouth, but she still blocked in front of Lin Chen regardless of everything, condensing several ice cones in her hands and aiming them at the golden-masked man.

The golden-masked man looked at her, his eyes filled with disdain: "Just by yourself,

you want to stop me?"

He raised his hand and waved it, and a gust of wind struck, sending Xia Nuan's body flying uncontrollably.

Seeing this scene, Lin Chen's eyes turned red instantly. He used his very last shred of strength,

struggling to crawl up from the ground, his ice blade pointing straight at the golden-masked man,

"If you have the ability, come at me!"

The golden-masked man walked toward him step by step, the smile on his face becoming increasingly cruel.

He raised his hand, aiming at Lin Chen's head, preparing to deliver the final blow.

Just at this moment, a violent explosion suddenly erupted from deep within the passageway,

and the entire passageway shook violently, with rubble from the ceiling falling continuously. The golden-masked man's expression changed. He turned his head to look deep into the passageway, a flash of shock and suspicion in his eyes.

"What is going on?"

He muttered to himself, his voice carrying a trace of imperceptible panic.

The explosions continued, and the light deep in the passageway grew brighter; faintly, one could hear people shouting and killing.

The golden-masked man hesitated for a moment, looked at Lin Chen on the ground, then looked at the depths of the passageway, and finally turned and ran toward the depths of the passageway. His speed was very fast, and in the blink of an eye, he disappeared at the end of the passageway.

Lin Chen watched his back, finally letting out a sigh of relief, his body going limp as he collapsed to the ground.

Xia Nuan struggled to crawl over, kneeling beside him, reaching out to support his head, her voice tearful: "Honey, are you okay?"

Lin Chen looked at her and opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he discovered that he didn't even have the strength to speak.

He could only shake his head, then close his eyes, his consciousness sinking completely into darkness.

He did not know how much time had passed before Lin Chen slowly opened his eyes. He found himself lying on a bed,

surrounded by a familiar environment; this was the medical room of the Starfire Group headquarters. The sunlight outside the window shone through the glass, landing on his face, feeling warm.

He moved his fingers, discovering his body was still very weak; even a slight movement

brought a wave of piercing pain. He turned his head to look at the bedside, where Xia Nuan was sleeping, slumped over the edge. Her face was weary, and her eyes were bloodshot.

Lin Chen's heart felt a pang of soreness. He raised his hand, gently stroking Xia Nuan's hair. Xia Nuan woke up immediately, and seeing him awake, a look of surprise appeared on her face,

"You're awake!

That's great,

you finally woke up!"

Lin Chen nodded, his voice hoarse: "How is the safe zone?"

"The safe zone is fine," Xia Nuan said, the smile on her face gradually fading,

"During the three days you were in a coma, the main force of the Black Scorpion Organization besieged the safe zone, but we held it. And the explosion deep in the passageway was our people detonating the Black Scorpion Organization's arsenal; the golden-masked man was also blown to death."

Lin Chen let out a sigh of relief, his hanging heart finally dropping. He thought of Shi Potian again,

thought of those dead team members, and the expression on his face turned sorrowful once more.

Xia Nuan seemed to see through his thoughts. She held his hand and said softly: "We have already collected Shi Potian's body and buried it in the safe zone's hero cemetery; all the dead team members were buried there."

Lin Chen nodded without speaking, but tears could not help but flow down.

Just then, the door to the medical room was pushed open, and a team member walked in, holding a report: "Team Leader Lin, Sister Xia, the order in the safe zone has been restored, but something happened in the bottom-level shantytown."

Lin Chen looked at him, frowning: "What happened?"

"It's Lin Guodong," the team member said, the expression on his face somewhat complex, "He didn't die. That day in the valley, he just fainted and was rescued by our people. He is now in the bottom-level shantytown, doing the most menial work for a bite to eat, cleaning toilets and garbage. Someone saw him being bullied by a few children who snatched the steamed bun from his hand, and he didn't even dare to resist."

Lin Chen's eyes flickered, his heart filled with mixed feelings. He thought of Lin Guodong's former appearance, thought of how he used to throw his weight around with the Iron Hand Group, and then thought of his current situation; he felt no sympathy, only an indescribable feeling.

"He deserves it," Xia Nuan said, her voice carrying a trace of coldness, "He caused so many people to die; ending up like this is his just deserts."

Lin Chen did not speak, only turning his head to look out the window. The sunlight outside was bright; on the streets of the safe zone, residents were already walking about, and patrol members were patrolling the streets. Everything was slowly returning to normal.

He knew that this battle was not over yet; the remnants of the Black Scorpion Organization had not been completely cleared, and there would be more battles in the future. But he also knew that as long as he was alive, and as long as the Starfire Group existed, he would definitely protect this safe zone well and protect every person here.

The team member looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and then said: "Team Leader Lin, there is one more thing. When we were clearing out the Black Scorpion Organization's stronghold, we found a document stating that the mastermind behind the Black Scorpion Organization is actually..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the door to the medical room was pushed open again, and a patrol member ran in, his face panicked: "Team Leader Lin, it's bad! A riot broke out in the bottom-level shantytown; people are looting supplies and have even beaten up our patrol members."

Lin Chen's expression changed, and he struggled to get up from the bed: "Prepare the vehicle; I'm going to the bottom-level shantytown."

Xia Nuan hurriedly pressed him down: "You just woke up, your body is still very weak; you can't go."

"I must go," Lin Chen said, his eyes filled with determination, "The bottom-level shantytown is part of the safe zone, and the residents there are also our people. I cannot watch them get into trouble."

Xia Nuan looked at him, knowing she couldn't persuade him, and could only nod: "Fine, I'll go with you."

The team members immediately went to prepare the vehicle, and Xia Nuan supported Lin Chen as they slowly walked out of the medical room. The sunlight shone on them, casting two long shadows. The residents on the street saw them and stopped their steps one after another, waving to them in greeting. Lin Chen looked at them, a trace of a smile appearing on his face.

He knew that as long as the people's hearts remained, the Starfire Group would not fall, and the safe zone would not fall.

The off-road vehicle soon drove to the bottom-level shantytown, and from afar, one could hear the sounds of arguing and shouting. Lin Chen pushed open the car door and stepped out. He saw a group of people looting supplies in the open space of the shantytown, with several patrol members surrounded in the middle, all of them covered in wounds.

His eyes turned cold, and just as he was about to step forward, he saw a familiar figure in the crowd, huddled in a corner, holding a cold, hard steamed bun in his arms and gnawing on it. It was Lin Guodong. His hair was messy, his clothes were tattered and stained with filth. Seeing Lin Chen, his body trembled violently, and he immediately lowered his head, not daring to look again.

Lin Chen looked at him without speaking, only shouting loudly at those who were looting the supplies: "Everyone stop!" ===== CHAPTER 242 =====