Chapter 275: This Time It Was Thanks to the Undercurrent

Or… wait until we reach the ground and then think of a way?

The Slum is a chaotic jumble, and the Dome has eyes there; as long as we find an opportunity, we might be able to send the news back.

Determining which side they're on is simple; we just need Ying Duo to roam the world and cause trouble everywhere.

"Energy coordination complete, Teleportation Array activation countdown: ten, nine, eight........"

The array's light flared, the deep‑blue energy flowing like water along the intricate Rune pathways; the powerful spatial disturbance made the air emit a low hum, and the hall's illumination began to warp.

"Three, two, one! Teleportation activated!"

Boom—!!!

A massive surge of energy shot upward, completely engulfing the few people within the array; their vision was filled with pure white light, and an intense sense of weightlessness enveloped everyone.

After a few seconds, the white light gradually faded, and they finally regained the feeling of solid ground beneath their feet.

At the same time came the scent of blood and burnt odor lingering in the air.

They arrived.

The Slum's First District, also the only area beneath Tianmian City where a Church has been established.

Ying Duo blinked slowly, quickly adapting to the light that was far dimmer than that of Tianmian City here.

He looked around; it was the interior of a rather old church, the space small, the walls made of rough gray stone, the stained‑glass windows partially shattered, appearing to have broken not long ago.

Through those broken windows, what met the eye was a scene that could be called tragic.

The Slum, which could not even be called a street, was completely unrecognizable; countless houses cobbled together from scrap metal plates were twisted and deformed, and charred wooden beams lay in a chaotic heap.

On the open ground outside the church, people were packed in densely.

The vast majority of them bore injuries, some minor, some severe; Church personnel in simple white robes moved among the wounded, using limited medicines and bandages to treat and dress them.

Chi Jinan stood at the platform's edge, nothing in his black eyes; he turned his head toward the few people outside the window who had just completed the teleportation, his expression varied as he sized them up, and finally his gaze settled on Ying Duo's face.

At that moment, a rapid footstep sound arrived.

A middle‑aged man in a Church uniform stained with blood rushed in; seeing the light of the Teleportation Array inside the church, he thought the long‑awaited reinforcements had arrived, but when he burst in and looked, he was instantly stunned.

The Teleportation Array's light had completely gone out; on the platform, aside from three youths and a Judge with a terrifying aura, there were only some wooden crates piled nearby.

"This... Mr. Min?"

The middle‑aged man recognized Min Tianyou, his confusion greater than his joy.

"Support personnel... just, just these? And... Judge Chi?"

Seeing Chi Jinan also there, his voice involuntarily lowered a notch, and his eyes showed obvious fear.

To the rank‑and‑file Church staff below, Chi Jinan was a living Yan King‑level presence.

Min Tianyou felt a bit awkward; normally, employing such a massive Church Teleportation Array would be for transporting large numbers of personnel or supplies.

But Chi Jinan stubbornly paid a huge amount of Source Crystals out of his own pocket to send down the few of them.

The squad leader in charge of operating the Teleportation Array was clever; knowing the Slum lacked everything, he forced an extra batch of medicines and food into the array.

"Ahem," Min Tianyou cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed, and explained, "These supplies were urgently requisitioned for aid, with Judge Chi and us responsible for escorting them."

"As for personnel... we have another mission on this trip, primarily to investigate the remnants of the Co‑Absorption faction lurking in the Slum after last night's explosion, preventing them from exploiting the chaos to cause further incidents."

The middle‑aged man, Lao Luo, was also one of the senior pastors of this church.

He instantly understood upon hearing that, yet his gaze toward Chi Jinan remained filled with apprehension.

Lao Luo hurriedly called over a few still‑able helpers outside: "Quickly move the supplies out, let the people outside distribute them to each area!"

A few ragged‑clothed yet relatively bright‑eyed youths immediately ran in at the sound, and under his command began carefully moving those wooden crates.

Taking advantage of the transport lull, Lao Luo wiped the sweat from his forehead and, at a rapid pace, reported the situation in the Slum to Min Tianyou, his voice tinged with fatigue.

"Mr. Min, you can see it too; the ground's condition now is terrible."

"Last night's explosion was too sudden; broken tracks, burning debris, they fell like rain carrying Mutation."

"We were relatively lucky here; the church structure is sturdy and wasn't directly hit in the Core area, but the surroundings are... sigh."

He sighed, "The Slum's people are tough and used to dealing with Mutation, many were directly crushed or buried, but the more troublesome part is the Mutation contamination."

"Many people's Mutation Value spiked dramatically after exposure; some lost control on the spot and turned into monsters, and many more manifested various Mutation symptoms, suffering unbearably."

"We have too few hands and scarce medicines; we can only prioritize treating the seriously wounded and those on the brink of Mutation."

Lao Luo's expression grew somewhat complex at this point.

"But... this time it was indeed thanks to the Undercurrent people."

"Undercurrent?" Min Tianyou's eyes flickered slightly.

"Yes, the Undercurrent Mercenary Corps," Lao Luo nodded.

"When chaos erupted, they broke out, moving faster than us, splitting into several squads to specifically clear the stronger Aberrant Species, stabilizing several zones that were on the verge of losing control."

"They also supplied a good amount of reserve medicines and food, saying... 'the Church purchased them from them at a high price, allowing us to use them freely.'"

As Lao Luo spoke, his face showed a blend of gratitude and subtlety.

Although no one says it openly, everyone knows how fiercely the Undercurrent's Regiment Leader fought with that Captain Yue.

"Undercurrent's own deeds are never clean, and this time their generosity surely hides their own calculations, but regardless, these supplies and aid are tangible."

Min Tianyou nodded, his expression calm, as if he had long anticipated this information.

"Hmm, the Church has already reached a temporary emergency procurement and cooperation agreement with the Undercurrent; for any place needing assistance, you can directly request it from them, and within reasonable limits they will cooperate."

Only then did Lao Luo sigh in relief, murmuring with a sigh.

"That's good, that's good... this time it truly was thanks to them; otherwise, relying only on us we couldn't control the situation at all, but... I don't know how much the Church paid this time..."

To make the Undercurrent so "generous," the Church must have promised costly terms.

Before Min Tianyou could further inquire in detail about the Slum's conditions, the usually composed Chi Jinan began to act.

He took a few steps to Ying Duo's side, without a word grabbed Ying Duo and turned toward a small side door of the church.