Chapter 124: A Gift (Revised)

Forget it; if we don't go along with Ying Duo's idea, they don't know how much longer they'll have to stalemate here.

... Alright, I'll press it.

Luo Jinyou reached out, his fingertip touching the cold Hong Se An Niao, then pressed it down hard.

"Click."

A slight mechanical sound rang out.

The next second——

"Boom—!!!"

A deep, muffled roar boomed from the direction of the cave they had just fled.

Immediately after came continuous collapsing sounds.

Even though they were some distance away, he could clearly feel the obvious tremor coming from the ground beneath his feet.

Luo Jinyou jerked his head up; faintly visible through the dust and smoke, the original cave entrance twisted and deformed, finally buried completely by falling debris.

Not only the entrance; judging from the tremors and sounds, the base's interior likely suffered a chain‑like collapse.

Luo Jinyou was completely dazed, his mind blank, staring blankly at the collapse scene right before him, unable to snap out of it for a long while.

And the architect of all this calmly put away the button device that had fulfilled its mission.

He glanced at the spreading smoke and dust behind him, then, with a slightly stiff motion, turned toward Luo Jinyou and gave a thumbs‑up.

"I carefully calculated that this would cause the maximum collapse with the least supplies, which should take care of most of the enemies."

Ying Duo paused, as if recalling something, then added a sentence; Luo Jinyou heard not a trace of regret, only Ying Duo's full pride in his own ability.

"I have plenty of experience in this."

After all, during the entrance exam he used a similar method to blast the Aberrant Species' nest, and was chased by the big boss over that distance.

Come to think of it, he's now level 18; should he find time to revisit that dungeon? Will the dungeon respawn?

Luo Jinyou: '......'

Now his legs feel weak, and his head feels a bit fuzzy too.

Looking at Ying Duo's expressionless face that seemed to say 'Quick, praise me,' he actually just felt it was par for the course.

Is this right?

No, is this right?

——————————————

Not long ago, the pungent smoke in the passage finally drifted away, leaving the ground littered with debris and a group of Assault Team members still shaken.

Qi Hengyu leaned against the wall, still unable to stop coughing, his eyes irritated and blood‑red, tears streaming uncontrollably.

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind a bit.

To be honest, he also thought Ying Duo and Luo Jinyou would seize the perfect opportunity while he was hampered by the smoke, teaming up to eliminate him, the biggest threat.

However, those two ran off in a clean, decisive manner, without hesitation.

What scheme are they hatching?

Qi Hengyu's heart filled with bewilderment, yet he instinctively wanted to give chase, and immediately the terrifying speed of Ying Duo flashed in his mind.

If he forced a pursuit, the success rate in this complex‑terrain base would be too low, and he might instead be ambushed by them using the terrain.

Just like the Assault Team, despite their numbers, they were scared off by Ying Duo's bomb and dared not come through the passage.

Qi Hengyu suppressed the urge to chase, then reconsidered and regained a bit of confidence.

So what if they ran? Their strategic objective was basically achieved.

Manufacturing Department students couldn't possibly still have the time or resources to finish their assignments.

To ensure absolute safety, the Assault Team had drawn up several plans from the outset.

Besides the main force for a frontal assault, several squads were placed in ambush around possible escape routes of the base, so even if someone luckily slipped out through a secret tunnel, they'd be intercepted by the outer teammates.

More importantly, their evacuation time is limited; in this short while, could they possibly have moved all the materials away?

Thinking this, Qi Hengyu felt a little relieved, and his gaze unconsciously swept toward the area where the material crates had been stacked.

Upon seeing that, his whole body froze.

Empty as can be.

The crates that should have been neatly stacked, full of various parts and raw materials, have all vanished.

Only a few drag marks on the floor remained, proof that things had once been stored there.

ber？

Qi Hengyu's pupils contracted sharply.

No way, bro? So much, so heavy material, in such a short time really got completely moved out?

He immediately realized the opposition had a spatial-type Special Ability Practitioner.

A name sprang up again in his mind:

Ying Duo!

That brat again!

During the previous clash with Sha Yu Feng, he vaguely recalled Ying Duo displaying a similar spatial storage ability; those endless bombs and guns he usually produces were likely pulled from that space.

But...... could one person's storage space really be large enough to haul away all the base's materials?

Everyone's just starting to develop Aberrant Arts, so how are you, kid, pulling off a curve‑overtake?

An inexplicable chill crept up his spine unnoticed; since Ying Duo appeared, there has been an ominous premonition lingering, not dispelled by those two's departure but instead growing stronger.

No! There must be some trap here!

His gaze swiftly swept over the base's walls, cracked from the battle; after scanning around, his eyes locked onto several inconspicuous 'protuberances'.

Those protuberances were camouflaged well, their color nearly matching the wall, their surface deliberately aged; at first glance they looked like the wall's own decoration or wear from age.

But together with that intense feeling of palpitations, Qi Hengyu almost instantly realized something was amiss.

He rushed toward one spot, unable to mind the dust, and brushed away the floating dust on the surface with his hand.

Only to see that it was not a decoration at all; on its side, a tiny red indicator light was flashing wildly at an ever‑increasing speed.

Qi Hengyu's complexion turned ghost‑white in an instant, and without even thinking, he shouted out.

"There's a bomb! Everyone, get out!!!"

The surrounding Assault Team members, upon hearing another bomb, instinctively turned and sprinted toward the entrance of the passage they had come through.

Unfortunately, there was no time left.

"Boom!!!!"

The Explosives of Ying Duo had limited destructive power, but were precisely placed on several critical support structures.

As the explosion occurred, a cascade of debris and dust began to fall from above, followed by massive slabs of rock wall and ceiling crashing down.

"Run!"

The chaotic, desperate screams were drowned out by an even louder collapse.

Relying on his extraordinary reflexes and speed, Qi Hengyu lunged toward the passage the instant the explosion erupted, yet a scorching blast of air and splintering rocks struck his back, making his throat taste sweet.

He dared not look back; guided by memory and survival instinct, he rolled and crawled his way out of the passage entrance that was about to collapse completely.

When he staggered out of the stronghold, collapsed onto the open ground outside the cave, and, still shaken, looked back, he saw that the original entrance had been completely sealed by countless massive boulders.

Beside him, dozens more dust‑covered, wounded Assault Team members kept emerging, each with fear and terror written across their faces.

And many more… were forever 'left' beneath that ruin.

The defensive Rune on their bodies lit up at the last moment, announcing their 'demise'.

After tallying the numbers, a grim fact lay before them.

Their main force, originally the most numerous and seemingly assured of victory, ended up with the fewest survivors after the barrage and the explosive collapse.

Qi Hengyu stared at the ruin, his complexion ashen, his fists clenched with a crackling sound, as the vivid Ying Guang Lu and the opponent's calm, unruffled gaze seemed to flash before his eyes again.

Ying Duo......

"You're ruthless!"