Chapter 617: Azure Sky, Gray Cloud Layer

At that moment, the silence was so unreal.

Although the sky was a gloomy gray, the light of that pristine sky was already a sight they hadn't seen in ages.

Space leap......

Did it transfer the entire Tianmian City to another location via Space Law?

Shen Zexi raised his head in a daze, and the surrounding sky changed; what should have been midnight turned into a blue daytime sky.

Blue.......

The sky has always been this color since its birth, as if all the previous gloom and darkness were just a nightmare.

It's been a long time since I've seen such a beautiful sky.

The blue reflected in Shen Zexi's eyes; his blond hair was bathed in white light, forming a soft halo, and the bloodstains and dust on his face became especially conspicuous.

The communication Rune at his waist lit up briefly.

"Cannon platform area! Lower platform B-12!" The noise there was loud, but the situation was clear: "A group of Aberrant Species squeezed in through the floor gaps! Two Cannon Barrels have been destroyed, we can't hold—requesting support—"

Shen Zexi lowered his hand; the clear blue still hung overhead, but his yearning gaze withdrew, becoming sharp and alert again, focusing on the battlefield before him.

Qi Hengyu was retreating from a breach, carrying an unconscious Meng Kexin on his shoulder; her complexion was as white as paper, her lips colorless, and her whole body sagged softly onto Qi Hengyu's back.

Chen Mo Zhi stayed close to Qi Hengyu, one hand pressing on Meng Kexin's nape, his fingertips emitting a faint healing light.

"What's the situation?" Shen Zexi hurried over.

Chen Mo Zhi lifted his head, his brows tightly knit, the once shadowed brow now filled with worry.

"The moment the leap completed, she collapsed without any warning; her bodily functions were normal, but her consciousness seemed to have been taken away by something."

He paused, then hesitantly continued, "Perhaps it's a side effect of the Space leap......"

Regarding Meng Kexin's Undead status, Chen Mo Zhi might have guessed something, since they often appeared together, but never chose to point it out.

Shen Zexi clenched his hand at his side and said, "Qi Hengyu, take her to the rear; Chen Mo Zhi, follow and give her a thorough examination."

Qi Hengyu simply set Meng Kexin down; this spot was already close to the rear, so Chen Mo Zhi could carry her over.

"I have to watch that side." He lifted his chin toward the direction Qi Hengyu had just withdrawn, the area they were responsible for now empty, and Aberrant Species could launch an attack through that gap at any moment.

Qi Hengyu returned to hold the gap, and Chen Mo Zhi took Meng Kexin to the rear.

"Luo Jinyou, follow me."

Shen Zexi briefly assessed the situation; upon hearing his words, Luo Jinyou immediately leapt down from the arcade and kept step with Shen Zexi.

Luo Jinyou is no longer human; Shen Zexi and his group can disregard his status, but that doesn't mean others can, so they chose to operate independently as a Mercenary Corps.

However, one point is indisputable: after becoming an Aberrant Species, Luo Jinyou adapts to front‑line combat better than any of them, like a fish in water.

The cannon platform area lies deep in the lower levels of Tianmian City; one must descend the spiral stairs, passing through two corridors half‑blocked by rubble.

In the past this was Tianmian City's absolute forbidden zone, but after the true form of Tianmian City as a mobile fortress was revealed, many members of the Church now took part in its repair and use.

The deeper they went, the darker it became; the blue sky overhead was completely blocked by layer upon layer of floor plates and girders, and the two plunged headlong into the oppressive gloom.

Shen Zexi kept moving downward, listening to the sounds below; the situation in the cannon platform area was even more dire than they had imagined.

The massive Cannon Barrels originally mounted on the outer side of the floor plates had two of them ripped out by some external force, the jagged metal at the break twisting inward.

The barrier was pierced by an Aberrant Species from the air, and although it had self‑repaired, a portion of the Aberrant Species still managed to break through.

The ground was littered with severed limbs and shattered shells, as well as five or six guard corpses, their Church‑issued protective suits torn beyond shape by claws.

Those monsters!

The tacit understanding between Shen Zexi and Luo Jinyou no longer required words; he charged first, his dagger slashing from a low angle into the abdomen of the nearest Aberrant Species, while his other hand pinned the second one's head against a side wall, sparks of electricity flaring.

Luo Jinyou moved even faster, emerging like a shadow from behind Shen Zexi; he kicked one Aberrant Species away, then several ground spikes pierced the creature's joints, pinning it dead in place.

The Aberrant Species were quickly cleared.

Shen Zexi exhaled, pulling the blade from the Aberrant Species' chest cavity, then began inspecting the damage to the Cannon Barrels.

He wasn't proficient with Rune equipment, but could gauge the extent of damage from the Rune's condition.

Suddenly, the iron plates beneath them emitted a shrill screech, and Shen Zexi and Luo Jinyou both looked down.

The floor of the cannon platform area was assembled from special steel plates, and the seams between them were being pried open from below, a dim green glow seeping from the cracks.

A massive claw suddenly thrust out from the fissure, grasping the edge of an iron plate near Shen Zexi's foot and pulling downward, causing the whole plate to tilt up.

Shen Zexi stepped back, his footing reduced to half, causing him to stagger and nearly fall.

As an Aberrant Species himself, Luo Jinyou rarely became a target of Aberrant Species attacks; he leapt onto a Cannon Barrel, stood on its wall, and with several jade‑like long spikes formed in his hand, he drove them hard into the head of the approaching Aberrant Species.

The dagger pierced the shell gap of the Aberrant Species' head, most of it sinking in; just as Luo Jinyou was about to withdraw, a short cracking sound rang in his ear as a securing rivet fell out of the iron plate.

Seeing this, Shen Zexi's eyes widened, and he reached out toward Luo Jinyou, but his fingertips brushed Luo Jinyou's cuff, missing by an inch.

That inch seemed stretched infinitely; Luo Jinyou didn't give up, instead using the Aberrant Species and the dislodged Cannon Barrel for leverage, as several extremely long ground spikes protruded from Tianmian City's outer wall, allowing him to pull himself up.

But when he lowered his head, Luo Jinyou froze.

He stared beneath the cloud layer, as if dazed, as if something had possessed him.

Luo Jinyou only managed a glance at Shen Zexi before he and the Aberrant Species vanished into the fissure of the iron plate, falling downward.

Shen Zexi crouched on the edge of the cracked iron plate, looking down.

Below was a layer of grayish clouds, making it hard to discern the situation beneath.