Chapter 43

【Absolute Defense has expired. Current environment: Overcast, blizzard with strong winds, outdoor temperature -45°C, "Shadow" organization armed signals not yet detected.】

Eight o'clock in the morning.

Lin Chen was frozen awake by the chill on his face. As soon as he opened his eyes, he looked at the countdown for the Absolute Defense that had been hovering before him; it had already disappeared.

Replacing it was a blank space, and his heart sank instantly.

"The defense has failed." Lin Chen got up, walked to the window, and touched the glass; the chill came through his fingertips.

It was more than twice as cold as before. The furniture in the safe house was thickened; when the Absolute Defense was active,

the room could still maintain a bit of warmth. Now that the defense was gone, cold wind drilled in through the door cracks, and even their breath carried white mist.

Xia Nuan also woke up. Hearing "defense failed," her expression changed instantly: "Then... will the 'Shadow' organization come at any time?"

"Definitely." Lin Chen gritted his teeth and turned to rummage through the large cotton-padded coat in the wardrobe: "We can't delay any longer.

We must go to the research institute today, otherwise, when Black Crow brings people here,

we won't even have a chance to run. Although I don't know why he is fixated on us, if we drag this out any longer, it's just waiting for death."

Chen Mo and A Kai also woke up. Hearing that they were going out, Chen Mo immediately grabbed his backpack: "I'll go with you; an extra person means extra strength."

"No." Lin Chen waved his hand, put on the thickened sweater, and then wrapped himself in the large cotton-padded coat.

He even put on his scarf and gloves tightly: "You two stay in the safe house to watch the door.

Reinforce the doors and windows well; in case we come back late, it'll be good to have a retreat."

"Then what about me?" Xia Nuan also hurried to put on her cotton-padded coat: "I'll go with you; I'm not at ease with you going alone."

Lin Chen looked at her and hesitated for a few seconds. Taking Xia Nuan with him indeed carried risks, but leaving her in the safe house,

he was even more uneasy. Finally, he nodded: "Alright, you come with me. Stay close to me on the road, don't wander off."

Chen Mo and A Kai didn't insist further; they helped them stuff compressed biscuits, water, and weapons into their backpacks,

and piled the supply boxes at the entrance even higher: "You guys be careful. If you encounter danger, run back.

We'll provide support from inside the house."

Lin Chen nodded, took Xia Nuan's hand, and walked to the door. Just as he opened a crack,

the strong wind swirled with snow particles and poured in, stinging their faces. He quickly shielded Xia Nuan behind him,

and walked toward the stairwell against the wind: "Hold onto me tight, don't get blown away by the wind."

The snow outside was knee-deep, and the strong wind made it difficult to move an inch; every step required great effort. Xia Nuan gripped Lin Chen's hand tightly,

her face buried in her scarf, revealing only her eyes—the wind was too strong, even opening her eyes was a struggle.

"There's a shovel ahead!" Lin Chen suddenly saw an iron shovel left behind in the corner of the stairwell,

and hurried over to pick it up: "I'll shovel the snow, you follow me, don't step into a gap."

He bent down and started shoveling snow. The snow was blown back down by the strong wind; as soon as he cleared a path, it was quickly covered by snow again. Lin Chen gritted his teeth and accelerated his shoveling speed.

The sweat on his forehead soaked his scarf, but he didn't dare to stop. The Absolute Defense had already failed; for every minute they delayed, they faced more danger.

After walking for nearly half an hour, they finally reached the entrance of the residential complex's underground garage. Lin Chen pushed open the heavy rolling door and pulled Xia Nuan inside. There was no wind in the garage,

and it was much warmer than outside. He took the keys out of his pocket and walked toward a modified pickup truck in the corner:

"This was modified before; it has bulletproof tires and an added insulation layer. It should be able to drive."

Xia Nuan looked at the pickup, and her eyes brightened. The body was black, the windows had explosion-proof film,

and the tires were a circle thicker than ordinary pickups; it was indeed very sturdy. Lin Chen opened the car door,

let Xia Nuan sit in first, then walked around to the driver's seat, inserted the key, and turned it. The engine gave a "hum" and actually started.

"Great! It works!" Lin Chen breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to shift gears, he didn't notice that in a small cabinet deep in the garage,

a pair of eyes was watching them. The cabinet door quietly opened a crack,

and a black shadow threw out a small black object, which landed right under the pickup truck without making a sound.

Neither Lin Chen nor Xia Nuan noticed. The pickup slowly drove out of the underground garage and merged into the wind and snow.

Visibility outside the car windows was very low. Lin Chen slowed down and stared at the road ahead. The research institute wasn't far from the complex,

and it would take ten minutes to drive normally, but now because of the wind and snow, it was estimated to take half an hour.

Xia Nuan sat in the passenger seat, clutching a crossbow in her hand, looking out the window vigilantly: "Do you think the 'Shadow' organization will be waiting for us on the road?"

"It's possible." Lin Chen frowned and gripped the steering wheel: "But the wind and snow are heavy now,

they probably didn't expect us to go out, so they shouldn't be here so soon."

Although he said that, Lin Chen still accelerated. After driving for another ten minutes, they finally saw the gate of the research institute. The gate was made of iron,

covered in rust, and a section of the surrounding wall had collapsed, clearly showing that someone had been here before.

Lin Chen parked the car next to the gate and pulled the handbrake: "We're going in to find rare supplies. Strike fast and finish quickly; once we find them, we leave."

Xia Nuan nodded and followed him out of the car. The two had just walked to the entrance of the research institute,

when they suddenly heard a "humming" roar from afar—it was the sound of helicopters! And not just one, but getting closer and closer!

"Not good! It's the 'Shadow' organization!" Lin Chen's heart sank, and he quickly pulled Xia Nuan to run into the research institute: "Hurry, go inside and hide!"

They had just rushed into the lobby of the research institute when they heard the "da-da-da" sound of gunfire outside, followed by the roar of helicopters—looking up out the window,

the sky was pitch black with at least several thousand helicopters, and on the ground, hundreds of modified vehicles were driving toward them.

Hundreds of "Shadow" organization members jumped out of the vehicles, holding guns and charging toward the research institute.

"How could it be so fast!" Xia Nuan gripped Lin Chen's hand tightly, her voice tight: "How did they know we were here?"

Lin Chen was also stunned. Their departure was very covert,

and they hadn't told anyone they were going to the research institute. How could the "Shadow" organization catch up so quickly? Could someone have been tracking them?

Just then, another kind of roar came from outside—it wasn't the "Shadow" organization's helicopters! Lin Chen quickly looked out the window and saw that in the distant sky,

dozens of helicopters appeared, with the "Dawn" logo engraved on their fuselages, flying toward them!

"It's Chen Mo and the others! The Dawn Squad is here!" Xia Nuan shouted in surprise.

Lin Chen also breathed a sigh of relief, but soon frowned again—although the Dawn Squad had arrived,

the "Shadow" organization had too many people; with thousands of helicopters and hundreds of vehicles, they were simply no match.

The gunfire outside was getting closer. The "Shadow" organization members had already reached the entrance of the research institute and started smashing the door.

Lin Chen pulled Xia Nuan to run to the second floor of the research institute: "Let's find a place to hide first, wait for the Dawn Squad to engage them, and then find a chance to look for rare supplies!"

The two ran along the stairs to the second floor. Just as they reached the corner, they heard a "bang" from downstairs—the gate of the research institute had been smashed open. The roar of "Shadow" organization members came up: "Lin Chen! Xia Nuan! You can't run! Come out and die!"

Lin Chen ignored them and pulled Xia Nuan to keep running up, but in his heart, he was thinking: Why is the "Shadow" organization so fixated on them? And,

who leaked their whereabouts? And what was that black thing under the car?