Chapter 274: Welfare Institute

"Boom!"

The roar of the armored vehicle echoed through the forest, like a steel beast growling.

Its heavy tracks crushed countless branches and shrubs, ruthlessly tearing through this tranquil forest.

Shell after shell was fired at Chen Che and Su Xiao, who were leaping rapidly ahead; explosions rang out, the ground cracked open, and dense trees were blown to pieces.

Those shells, carrying True Qi, had an explosive power comparable to that of an expert in the Earth Master Realm.

Meanwhile, the soldiers on the vehicle held machine guns, eyes fixed ahead, firing mercilessly.

"Rat-tat-tat-tat..."

A dense barrage of bullets and shells fired simultaneously brought incomparable pressure upon Chen Che and Su Xiao.

The two used every ounce of their strength to flee, having absolutely no opportunity to counterattack or defend.

The roar of the armored vehicle drew closer, as if the scythe of death were swinging right by their ears.

On the trees on both sides, several Martial Artist soldiers were also leaping directly along the trunks, pursuing in a pincer formation.

The dark cyan light in Chen Che's pupils was as bright as a searchlight; he knew very clearly that if he didn't do something, it was only a matter of time before they were caught.

His brain raced, but every thought that emerged was promptly dismissed by him.

Just then, a small stream appeared ahead. The water was crystal clear, and the sound of the gurgling flow reached his ears; Chen Che finally made a decision.

"Su Xiao!"

Chen Che shouted, and Su Xiao looked over; she saw Chen Che point at the stream, then leap forward, stepping onto the water surface, his hands changing seals as he shouted: "Kan Water: Waterfall!"

The stream water was forcefully gathered together by an invisible power, a massive pillar of water shot into the sky, and then, like a waterfall, it poured down overhead.

The armored vehicle and the pursuing soldiers were all drenched like drowned rats; under the impact of the stream water, many soldiers fell flat on their backs, yet the armored vehicle and the Martial Artist soldiers were not affected in the slightest.

The water pillar collapsed, Chen Che leaped out of the water, and the armored vehicle and Martial Artist soldiers jumped into the stream to continue the pursuit.

However, Su Xiao understood Chen Che's intention here. She quickly released her True Qi, cold air spreading in all directions, and the water vapor in the air instantly condensed into ice crystals, turning into a vast expanse of white fog.

The bone-chilling fog continued to spread, and everything it passed turned into an ice sculpture.

This included the stream water, the surrounding trees, and the armored vehicle and Martial Artist soldiers who had just entered the stream.

This move seemed to exhaust all of Su Xiao's True Qi; she stumbled and fell to the side, but collided with a warm embrace.

"This can only hold them for a moment, let's go!"

Chen Che channeled True Qi into Su Xiao's body, helping her alleviate some of her exhaustion.

The two figures darted away rapidly and finally escaped the dense forest.

"Kula!"

A few seconds after the two had fled, the armored vehicle and the Martial Artist soldiers broke through the solid ice and resumed their pursuit.

Chen Che and Su Xiao rushed out of the dense forest and, having lost their way, arrived at an unknown open area.

The moonlight stretched their shadows long, making them easier to spot. But the change in terrain also meant their speed was no longer restricted, and they sped along.

The roar of the armored vehicle faintly came from behind again, along with the shouting and cursing of soldiers, and the sound of Martial Artist soldiers accelerating through the air.

Chen Che frowned and turned to look behind him; with the aid of his Pupil Technique, it was easy to calculate the distance.

With a gap like this, there was still a risk in trying to escape completely, not to mention the armored vehicle on the other side—that thing was too troublesome.

Once hit by a shell, or even just caught in the aftermath of an explosion, the True Qi rampaging within the shell would be enough to give them both a hard time.

If not for that armored vehicle, there might have been a possibility of a fight.

The only way now was to find a place to hide and think of other solutions when dawn broke.

Just as he was thinking this, Chen Che looked ahead, and a building came into view; on the sign above the gate was written: Shengxin Welfare Institute.

"Follow me!"

Chen Che shouted, and although Su Xiao didn't see the Welfare Institute in the distance because she lacked a Pupil Technique, she had absolute trust in Chen Che and followed closely behind without a moment's hesitation.

The two figures turned into two streaks of light, and in less than half a minute, they arrived in front of the Welfare Institute.

"Go in..."

Before Chen Che could finish his sentence, his vision went black, and he nearly collapsed.

The consumption of his Pupil Technique was too great, and combined with the intense flight, he was already exhausted.

Su Xiao hurriedly supported his swaying body, noticing that the dark cyan light on Chen Che's pupils had disappeared, and asked worriedly, "Are you alright?"

Chen Che shook his head and said, "Go in, hide."

The two climbed over the wall into the Welfare Institute and entered a room silently.

One minute later, Ouyang Long arrived at the Welfare Institute with his men; looking at the dead-silent Welfare Institute, he ordered everyone to stay quiet, and even the armored vehicle cut its engine and went silent.

Ouyang Long frowned and pondered for a while, then took out his phone and dialed a number.

Chen Che and Su Xiao watched Ouyang Long and the others' every move through the glass; they saw Ouyang Long make a call, and afterward, he didn't take any action, but instead stayed where he was, as if waiting for someone.

"It seems there is no danger for the moment."

Chen Che said in a low voice.

Su Xiao let out a sigh of relief, but her foot slipped, and she accidentally kicked something, making a clattering sound.

The two took out their phones and turned on the flashlights, discovering it was an aluminum rice bowl.

Lifting their gaze from the floor to look around, they realized this was a kitchen, and there was leftover food in the large iron pot on the stove.

"This is a Welfare Institute; it looks like the children eat quite well."

Su Xiao walked slowly to the side of the stove and glanced at the food in the pot, "It's just that the cook is too lazy; they didn't even clean up after eating."

Chen Che, however, furrowed his brows, because he smelled a strange, familiar odor.

Following the scent to the stove, Chen Che used a ladle to scoop up some food and brought it to his nose to sniff.

"What is it?"

Su Xiao asked softly.

Chen Che said, "It tastes the same as the Pill from the Martial Arts Alliance."

"Could you be mistaken? How could that be?"

Su Xiao could not believe it; this was meant for children to eat.

Chen Che also harbored doubts, so he opened his mouth and tasted a bite; it was normal vegetables, but something had indeed been added, and the taste was exactly the same as the tablet on Ding Xu.

Chen Che put down the spoon and glanced outside; Ouyang Long was still waiting.

Chen Che fell into deep thought; the location where this Welfare Institute was established was a bit too remote, and recalling the escape along the way, the Welfare Institute was not far from the Medicine Garden, plus those children buried in the soil of the Medicine Garden...

Chen Che suddenly raised his head, his eyes wide open.

A hair-raising and terrifying thought emerged in Chen Che's mind.

"Creak—"

A sound of a door opening came, and Chen Che and Su Xiao entered a state of alert in a second.

Looking through the window again, a bloated middle-aged man walked out from a room two or three doors away from the kitchen.

The middle-aged man was clearly disturbed from a good dream, his face full of irritation, shuffling in slippers, wearing a coat, and putting on his pants as he walked.

The man walked to the gate of the Welfare Institute, opened the door to go out, and began to talk face-to-face with Ouyang Long.

"Not sleeping in the middle of the night, are you hunting ghosts?!"

The man said with dissatisfaction.

Ouyang Long's expression remained as usual, and he asked, "Have you heard any suspicious sounds or seen any suspicious people?"

"Of course not. This is a Welfare Institute, and it's so remote. Besides, this is the property of the Ding Family; who would dare to come and cause trouble."

The man said.

Ouyang Long frowned, glanced at the still silent Welfare Institute, and said, "Something happened at the Botanical Garden, you can't stay here anymore either. Transfer those children tomorrow; don't leave any traces behind."

The man was stunned and instantly became alert; he swept a glance behind Ouyang Long and only then discovered that even armored vehicles had been dispatched.

"What happened?"

The man asked uneasily.

"The less you know, the better it is for you."

Ouyang Long gave a final instruction: "Ding Yuan, remember, you must transfer them tomorrow. Also, if you discover any suspicious people, notify me immediately."

After speaking, Ouyang Long led his men away.

Ding Yuan wrapped his clothes around himself, looking incredulous, and turned to walk back.

Seeing that Ouyang Long and the others had left, Chen Che and Su Xiao exchanged a look, then immediately left the kitchen and snuck into Ding Yuan's room.

The light was on in Ding Yuan's room; the two of them tensed their nerves the moment they entered, but after seeing the situation clearly, their expressions became dazed and stunned.

On the bed, a little girl of twelve or thirteen years old sat in the corner against the wall; her hair was disheveled, there were bruises and scratch marks on her face, and she was curled up in a thin blanket, looking at Chen Che and Su Xiao with a face full of panic and vigilance.

Chen Che and Su Xiao were filled with horror, staring at her at a loss for what to do, but at this moment, they discovered that the bedsheet was stained with a patch of crimson.

"Beast!"

Su Xiao trembled all over, clenched her fists, and cursed in a low voice.

Chen Che also gritted his teeth, anger surging in his chest like a raging fire.

"Creak—"

At this moment, Ding Yuan pushed the door open and returned.

………