Chapter 559: Popup Attack

The formal start of this operation had no mishaps, aside from a flag‑planting farewell ceremony; everything was normal.

They chose to depart at dusk; although there was a chance of encountering nocturnal Aberrant Species on the road, they still managed to reach the outskirts of the Core Zone by early morning.

In recent years, the Church and the Dome have not given up probing the interior of the Eternal Silent Abyss, but because the Core is extremely dangerous, the dispatched teams have essentially never returned, so the intelligence they have is limited.

However, at dawn fewer Aberrant Species are active, which makes movement easier for them.

At least on this leg, aside from a few Aberrant Species attacks along the way, everything else was normal.

Qi Junyi sat in the off‑hand seat of the off‑road vehicle, glanced back at Chi Jinan in the rear seat; Chi leaned against the backrest, eyes tightly shut, appearing to still be resting.

That's fine; ideally, Chi Jinan can stay this quiet until we reach the destination.

The rare quiet made Qi Junyi think the Aberrant Species looked refined.

"Where are we?" Chi Jinan asked out of the blue; Qi Junyi shivered in surprise, turned back quickly, and found Chi's eyes were still closed.

When did this kid wake up?

"We're almost at the Core Zone; once we enter, we must stay on full alert—the Aberrant Species there are far harder to deal with than those outside."

"The Core Zone, huh..."

Chi Jinan slowly opened his jet‑black eyes and looked out at the sky, a weave of deep purple and dark red.

According to records, the interior of the Eternal Silent Abyss has no day‑night cycle; the sky constantly retains this strange hue, so they can only rely on their own watches to tell time.

"Then let's finish this early."

Before Qi Junyi could grasp what his words meant, he saw Chi Jinan swing the door open, and the cold morning wind instantly rushed into the warm vehicle.

He involuntarily shivered and immediately reached out to pull Chi Jinan back.

Qi Junyi understood: Chi Jinan had rested enough and was ready to cause trouble!

He could even guess who Chi Jinan was after; aside from the Ying Guang Lu kid who hasn't shown up yet, who else could it be!

But in the end, Qi Junyi got nothing.

Chi Jinan opened the door, performed a swift flip onto the roof, and firmly grasped the roof edge with his right hand to prevent being flung off by the speeding vehicle.

He glanced back; their convoy was quite long, with Church and Dome personnel interspersed together.

His gaze swept over the vehicles behind; suddenly, his pupils narrowed slightly as an invisible force centered on him spread outward rapidly.

Almost simultaneously, everyone in each vehicle sensed the overbearing murderous intent, tinged with a faint scent of blood.

It was obvious whose energy this was; everyone instantly heightened their alert, knowing they faced a tough battle before entering the Core Zone.

Luo Jinyou immediately looked at the nearby Ying Duo; Ying Duo hadn't rested all night, yet his face showed no fatigue, and he slowly lifted his golden eyes to stare at the pitch‑black roof.

It wasn't surprising that Chi Jinan would come back to trouble him; after all, the deeper they go, the more dangerous it gets. Chi Jinan is just crazy, not brainless.

If they waited until they were deep in the Core Zone to fight, they'd end up feeding the Aberrant Species together.

It's time to deal with him.

"Get out of the way."

Ying Duo spoke abruptly; before Xie Jingyan and Luo Jinyou could react, a dangerous, palpitating sensation enveloped them, and the two split left and right, each dodging to opposite sides.

The vehicle, which had been traveling at normal high speed, suddenly lost its driver and swayed left and right; the tires left two black streaks on the ground, and a massive Blood Crystal was hurled from the sky, as if sprouting from the deep‑purple and dark‑red woven heavens, like a natural disaster.

The huge Blood Crystal pinned the vehicle to the ground, and one could even hear the vehicle emit a strained groan, followed by an explosion, rendering the car completely wrecked.

The vehicle that had been tailing them suddenly slammed the steering wheel, and just as it was about to crash into the wreck ahead, it swerved aside.

Because the jump was abrupt, Luo Jinyou's shoe sole slipped on the ground, sending him sliding a short distance across the desert's gravel before finally managing to stop.

He was still holding a person in his hands—the driver from the car just moments ago; the driver hadn't yet figured out what was happening when Luo Jinyou pulled him out of the vehicle, and when he looked up, he saw the scene of the vehicle being struck by the massive Blood Crystal.

Xie Jingyan slid out from the other side of the car, also holding a backup driver in her hands, and immediately looked toward the direction of the attack.

Chi Jinan slowly landed beside the completely wrecked vehicle, glanced around, and did not see Ying Duo.

But according to his recent sensing, Ying Duo should be nearby.

He was about to use energy to scan Ying Duo's location again when he felt a sudden chill behind him; his pupils instantly contracted, and before he could discern what it was, his body already moved.

Chi Jinan lunged forward somewhat clumsily, rolled once on the ground and quickly got up; countless Blood Crystals, centered on him, surged along the ground toward the enemy that had just appeared behind him.

The black mech immediately activated its shield, raising Ying Guang Lu energy, successfully blocking it.

Chi Jinan was just about to continue when a black silhouette silently appeared above him; a massive cannon barrel was raised high by the youth, swinging like a giant hammer and slammed down straight at Chi Jinan.

"Boom!"

Chi Jinan instantly darted aside; facing Ying Duo's attack seemed only a slight tug at his clothing. Just as he was about to raise his hand to counter, a flood of Ying Guang Lu pop‑ups suddenly burst before his eyes.

【Player "Ying Duo" invites you to join the party, do you accept?】

【Yes/No?】

Crucially, the system pop‑ups in front of him weren't just one or two; in that instant, Chi Jinan's view was completely filled with countless semi‑transparent Ying Guang Lu pop‑ups.

Under this mental assault, Chi Jinan instantly lost any way to aim at the enemy; crucially, he couldn't resist the sudden psychic attack.

Chi Jinan was still experiencing this for the first time; the last time he also suffered a mental attack, he thought someone was covertly assisting Ying Duo, but now it seems more like Ying Duo's own ability.

With his vision completely blocked, only a sea of Ying Guang Lu, Chi Jinan could only grit his teeth as countless Blood Crystals enveloped him, centered on him, indiscriminately launching attacks outward.