Chapter 225: Fleeing

Ying Duo sat on the cold floor of the dormitory, having downed three bottles of energy recovery elixir in a row, and the nearly empty blue energy gauge finally began to crawl upward at a snail's pace.

Yang Yixie opened the mission panel to check the current quest progress.

【Side quest status updated: Destroy Air Train】

【Mission description: After completing the initial infiltration, you discovered that it was all just an unfinished trap, and now the Supervision Bureau is fully pursuing you】

【Mission objective: Successfully halt the Air Train (incomplete)】

【Mission reward: Unlimited Equipment Item Experience Card (3 min) ×1】

【Warning: You caused massive destruction within Church jurisdiction, and your hostility level rose sharply.】

Did we fail? Not entirely.

At least we blew it up with gusto and scavenged a lot of junk.

But Yang Yixie was really eyeing that quest reward; only later did he realize how great the experience card was, yet thereafter no quest ever triggered that reward again.

Since the mission hasn't been marked as failed, we must find a way to claim the reward.

He shifted his focus to the mini‑map in the corner of the screen, where two green arrows for Bai Mu Yun and Lu Mu darted through a tangled network of roads.

Red light dots continuously swarmed around them, moving in orderly trails—clearly an organized encirclement.

"Got boxed in…" Yang Yixie muttered. Those two NPCs are still crucial; my later Level Up will depend on them.

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The air in the passage was oppressive and murky, and only the two of their increasingly rapid breaths echoed in their ears.

"The path forks ahead!"

Lu Mu whispered, stopping before a three‑way junction.

All three tunnels were pitch‑black, their destinations unknown.

Bai Mu Yun quickly glanced at the mini‑map supplied by the party system—damn, this crude map is almost useless in the tangled network, only showing their rough current direction.

But the situation now allowed no hesitation; he had to decide on the fly using the rough map in his memory.

"Take the middle!"

They barely entered the middle passage when dense footfalls and the charging of energy weapons rang from behind.

"Target located! In the C-7 Zone maintenance tunnel!"

"Seal all exits!"

"Prioritize live capture!"

The pursuers arrived! And by the sound, there were quite a few of them!

"Damn, they came fast!"

Lu Mu cursed, then turned, unleashing a burst of black feathers from the wings hidden at his waist, drenching the corner of the rear passage like a black downpour.

A few muffled thuds of hits and the crisp crack of an energy shield being pierced sounded, and Lu Mu's attack temporarily stalled the pursuers.

Yet after blocking Lu Mu's strike, the Supervision Bureau squad reacted instantly; in the brief gap, more energy beams shot toward him, forcing Lu Mu to dodge frantically, leaving charred marks on the tunnel walls.

"Can't stop! Move!"

Bai Mu Yun let out a low growl, using the pure‑energy dagger in his hand to block several stray shots while unleashing a wide‑area illusion.

For a moment, four or five after‑images of the two of them materialized in the passage, fleeing in different directions, and the Supervision Bureau agents were thrown into confusion, unsure which direction to attack.

This bought them a precious few seconds.

They seized the chance to speed up, with Lu Mu leading Bai Mu Yun straight toward a maintenance shaft opening overhead.

However, just as they were about to dive into the shaft and escape to safety,

"Buzz!"

A pale gold energy barrier suddenly lit up at the shaft entrance, completely sealing their exit.

At the same time, the walls on both sides creaked open, revealing several defense towers equipped with binding energy‑line emitters.

"Another trap!" Lu Mu's pupils narrowed.

MD! This TMD is only a prototype trap; he can't imagine what the finished version would look like.

All the money the Church levied ended up being spent here, right?!

"Force a breakthrough!"

Bai Mu Yun's eyes hardened; the black dagger in his hand gathered a dazzling layer of golden energy, forming a massive cross slash that hammered the energy barrier blocking their path.

"Boom!"

The barrier's glow dimmed slightly, but it did not shatter.

The side towers already fired several blue‑white energy lines, slithering toward them like living venomous snakes.

Lu Mu's figure flickered, narrowly evading several strikes, yet one energy line grazed his calf, instantly numbing him and binding his movement.

Seeing this, Bai Mu Yun decisively abandoned further attacks on the barrier, turned, slashed through several energy lines aimed at Lu Mu, and drew a fist‑sized metal sphere with his other hand.

Although most of the supplies had been taken by Ying Duo, Bai Mu Yun still carried a few items on his person.

"Close your eyes!" Bai Mu Yun barked, smashing the metal sphere onto the ground beneath them while unleashing his own illusion barrier to envelop the two of them.

"Bang—!!!"

High‑intensity compressed energy shockwaves and blinding flash erupted, the entire passage humming, and the side towers' targeting systems failed instantly.

The energy lines danced chaotically, firing indiscriminately at friend and foe, even the pursuers' footsteps faltered.

Seizing the brief chaos, Bai Mu Yun grabbed Lu Mu and barreled head‑first into the now‑dimmed energy barrier.

"Crack… splash!"

The barrier finally gave way, shattering apart.

Fortunately the energy lines missed Lu Mu's wings; his leg remained numb, yet it didn't stop him from soaring upward with Bai Mu Yun.

"Cough… Xiao Bai, next time you use this thing, could you give a heads‑up?"

Lu Mu coughed while complaining, his ears still buzzing.

"Cut the chatter, fly quickly! They'll catch up soon!" Bai Mu Yun urged, his energy consumption huge, his complexion now a bit pale.

The upright well wasn't very tall; after Lu Mu and Bai Mu Yun flew upward for a dozen meters, Lu Mu directly smashed a heavy metal well cover and returned to the ground.

It looks like the interior of another factory in the abandoned industrial zone of Tianmian City.

In the distance, thick smoke and flames could still be seen rising from the direction of the old Weather Station, but the alarm sounds and searchlight beams had already begun sweeping over the area they were in.

MD, Bai Mu Yun hasn't looked this disheveled since becoming an Aberrant Species.

"Can't linger, head to Backup Point 7!" Bai Mu Yun checked the direction, just as he was about to move he abruptly stopped, his complexion turning even worse.

On the edge of the mini‑map, a new red dot appeared again, and it was flanking from the direction of the planned Point 7.

"The backup point is now impossible to reach…" Lu Mu gritted his teeth, "We've been plotted against to the death!"

Bai Mu Yun's heart sank; the opponent seemed to have a considerable understanding of their movement patterns, perhaps even of their ability traits.

If Ying Duo is also here, then he has to suspect that the Dome might be selling counterfeit liquor.