Chapter 474: Paparazzi Squad

The only problem is power; how can they get this power source, which has been dormant for years and whose many parts have been wrecked by the rampaging Aberrant Species, to work again?

Sha Yufeng pulls a communicator from his pocket, lights up the screen; outside the city proper, the communicator is just a useless ornament.

His communicator can still turn on, but Die Yuzhe and Xie Jingyan were either knocked off or smashed by branches in that rapid plunge just now.

He follows the direction of the elevator shaft, his gaze landing on a spot nearby.

Sha Yufeng reaches behind his waist, pulls out a short knife, pries up the stone slab, and indeed finds a backup power device underneath.

"Repairable."

Sha Yufeng hasn't learned any advanced modification techniques, nor can he do Engraving or Rune work, but he does know some basic survival skills.

After all, he previously made a living on the border between the Church and the Dome jurisdictions, where technology was not very advanced; old-fashioned freight elevators like this were rare.

But places frequented by Aberrant Species usually have a backup power device on hand.

Sha Yufeng removes a few relatively intact iron chains from the side, pulls a coin from his pocket, sharpens its edge to use as a screwdriver.

Unlike Sha Yufeng, who often fights outside, Die Yuzhe normally spends the year beside Lingxiao; compared with Field Operations work, many of his duties involve dealing with people.

And Xie Jingyan is even less so; she has no talent in this area, and whenever she shows any, her father would immediately send her to the most heavily guarded laboratory to idle.

Sha Yufeng attaches the last segment of the iron chain, picks up the Aberrant Species Core that Die Yuzhe fetched from outside, and stuffs it into the power device.

He tightens the screw, pulls the switch down.

A low rumble comes from deep within the shaft; clearly the device has been reactivated.

Although Aberrant Species Cores are not normally used as power sources, extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.

The iron chain starts moving, pulling the platform up grid by grid; the rusted iron‑frame platform rises slowly from the bottom, the elevator car is covered in rust and debris, and even the edge railings have a few broken bars.

"Come up."

Sha Yufeng steps onto the platform; it wobbles, and the iron chain creaks.

After steadying himself, he turns and pulls Xie Jingyan up, then Die Yuzhe.

Wind rushes down from the shaft mouth, the ground receding farther away as they slowly move toward the Heavenly Dome City high above.

A close call, but no danger.

The platform stops at the shaft opening, still about a meter above the ground of Heavenly Dome City.

At least they returned safely to Heavenly Dome City, without another free fall from the sky.

Sha Yufeng grabs the shaft railing, flips himself up, then turns to catch the two delicate "misses".

"First, determine our position," Xie Jingyan says.

The abandoned districts of Heavenly Dome City are clustered together, so pinpointing their location isn't hard; after all, the Dome Headquarters standing there is the best landmark.

Especially now, with a hole opened and ongoing repairs.

That layer of repair net serves as a reference, making direction even easier to discern.

"The factory lies that way, a bit far, but with energy acceleration we can get there quickly."

Clearly, Xie Jingyan intends to rush back and kill for revenge.

Sha Yufeng pulls the communicator from his pocket, glances at it, and since there's signal, he simply sends a message to his superior, transmitting the factory's coordinates.

Never mind whether Xie Jingyan will return to Dome Headquarters; he's definitely going to haul those people out for a beating.

"I think we should rendezvous with the Field Operations Department first; that would be safer..."

Die Yuzhe tries to struggle, feeling that today's exertion far exceeds any previous training.

But because of Xie Jingyan's Aberrant Arts, they can mercilessly push this body to its limits.

Die Yuzhe truly doesn't want to follow the two, but clearly his choice matters not; the pair have already charged out.

Not far behind them on the dirt road, a deliberately weathered gray car is parked behind the bushes.

A slit opens in the car window, and a telephoto lens protrudes, aimed at the alley the three just emerged from.

Just minutes earlier they were about to retreat, and no one expected fate to hand the pie right to their mouths.

"I say... why don't we head back first? This place is oddly cold and sickly."

Pang Zi Gouzi points with his finger out the car window; they've been holed up here for almost a day, having followed Qi Ran to this area and then completely lost track.

They can only confirm the target is still in the area and hasn't left, but the place is huge—who knows where she slipped away.

"What do you know?" the thin one's voice is deeper, "Qi Ran is currently the hottest idol group member of the Dome, and she specifically runs into these abandoned zones that even Aberrant Species avoid—there must be a special reason."

He pauses, zooms the lens out, trying to capture more, "As long as we can dig up this scoop, we're set."

The fat man's lips move slightly; he lifts the viewfinder from his eye, catches something out of the corner of his eye, immediately shuts his mouth, and focuses intently on the frame.

Soon after, they happen to see the three emerge from an unnamed alley, exchange a brief glance, and sprint together toward the distance.

"Got it?" the fat man's voice trembles.

Shou Zi gives no reply, lowering his head to stare at the photo on the camera screen; the screen's light reflects on his face, casting his expression in shifting light.

"Got it, and it's quite clear."

He looks at the camera screen, never expecting to find such an unexpected delight at a moment when they were about to give up.

Although they didn't locate Qi Ran, they discovered Xie Jingyan, whose hype exceeds Qi Ran's and is even more talk‑worthy!

And she's in tattered clothes, hair a mess, and the two men with her are no better—truly a picture where the content is all fabricated.

Just the sight of Xie Jingyan and the two men outside already generates plenty of buzz, and her face is especially clear in the photo.

"Then... should we head back now?" the fat man says, visibly excited, clearly aware of the traffic Xie Jingyan could bring them.

"Stupid!" Shou Zi shouts angrily, his eyes full of greedy light.

"They clearly have other destinations; don't just stand there, let's chase them and snap more shots. Are the gear calibrated? If not, we'll just go live on the spot!"

Perhaps due to prolonged battles with Aberrant Species, the three's minds are too exhausted, and none of them notice the ordinary person hidden in the shadows.

Sometimes, fate just plays tricks on people.