Chapter 181: 181, Wait for me

However, Li Shen Ta suddenly laughed and said, "I know that something terribly frightening is rushing toward the 109 Barrier. Yet the Li Clan's army, which should have been the main force defending the barrier, has instead cowered in a university, regardless of everything, because of your arrival. When those terrible things come, who will defend the city? How many do you think will die by their hands? Whose responsibility is this?"

"Ruffians, Qing Clan, Yang Clan, Fire Seed," Li Shen Ta asked, "Who among you has the right to criticize me?"

Luo Xinyu remained silent.

"We are all sinners," Li Shen Ta sighed.

"Then now that you've avenged yourself, can't you stop?" Luo Xinyu said, "You must believe that justice, though sometimes late, never fails to appear."

Li Shen Ta seemed to hear something amusing: "That famous quote isn't quite what you say. The original words are: Delayed justice is no longer justice."

Luo Xinyu suddenly asked, "What do you think is the essence of the extraordinary?"

"Isn't that what your ruffians advocate so eloquently?" Li Shen Ta smiled. "When disaster strikes, mental will is humanity's first weapon against peril. But my understanding of mental will is... the development of the brain realm."

Luo Xinyu said calmly, "But brain development was already disproven before the catastrophe."

"Anything without rigorous argument is mere rumor. To this day, humanity has yet to discover which part of the brain corresponds to emotion—how dare we claim to fully understand the brain?" Li Shen Ta said earnestly, "However, I'm still uncertain whether the extraordinary have unlocked a new region of the brain or merely improved the percentage of development. For now, 'mental will' is a more fitting term."

"Then according to your logic," Luo Xinyu said, "the stronger an extraordinary's abilities, the closer they are to self-destruction."

"Theoretically, yes," Li Shen Ta replied. "When one achieves 100% brain realm development, humanity might transform into the will of a deity, and their body would collapse, unable to serve as a vessel for such vast will. Or perhaps this begins when development exceeds 70%."

Yet Li Shen Ta suddenly recalled a youth's figure, his expression tinged with doubt: "But there seems to be an exception. So the question we discuss now has no real meaning. Only when humanity truly evolves to that stage can we know the answer."

With that, Li Shen Ta ignored Luo Xinyu and continued leading the Shadow People toward the university, intent on witnessing the Li Clan's army's destruction within the 109 Barrier.

Luo Xinyu did not press further, for she had more urgent matters to attend to, and time was running out.

Even a tightly-knit, formidable organization like the Ruffians could not fathom all the world's secrets. Today's discussion required meticulous documentation, so the organization could adjust its research direction.

But at that moment, the once-quiet remaining districts of the Barrier erupted in chaos, as if some horrifying event had occurred. All who knew the truth were startled—the experimental subjects had arrived ahead of schedule!

Luo Xinyu paid no heed, standing outside the school and closing the Shadow Door beside Li Shen Ta. When she reopened it, she leaped inside.

She crossed a single step and found herself in a high-tech, enclosed laboratory. Luo Xinyu surveyed her surroundings.

What she sought was here.

She held a firearm, vigilant against potential threats from the lab's internal security, but the people within had vanished, seemingly fleeing in panic at the commotion outside.

The entire lab was desolate.

Then she spotted a mobile hard drive locked inside a transparent bulletproof glass case. Luo Xinyu raised her hand and fired repeatedly, shattering the glass to retrieve the drive and open the Shadow Door.

But the next moment, the lab's ceiling blazed with intense light, illuminating every corner of the room with no shadows left.

She tried to open the Shadow Door to leave, but under this shadowless light, it could not take shape.

The Shadow Door she had opened was reduced to a dim, fleeting shadow, flickering twice before dissolving like foam.

The lab had anti-theft measures specifically designed to counter her abilities!

Luo Xinyu frowned, intending to open the lab's gate, but she suddenly realized she didn't even know how to operate the thick steel gate.

Frankly, Luo Xinyu felt a rare sense of helplessness. This was her first encounter with methods tailored specifically for her!

Yet at this moment, her concern was not for herself, but for Yang Xiaojin, waiting on the rooftop of the building to meet her...

Ren Xiaosu, carrying a bicycle, led the group at the front. Along the way, they saw several residents controlled by Li Shen Ta sprinting past, but those residents didn't even glance at them.

The students, seeing their frenzied appearances, grew frightened. Ren Xiaosu intended to comfort them: "Don't be afraid. The entire Xicheng District is like this—they won't attack us."

When the students realized the whole Xicheng District was in such a state, their fear deepened.

In less than two minutes, Ren Xiaosu and the others arrived beneath the Barrier's gate. By now, alarms had already sounded within the Barrier, as if some terrifying force had assaulted it.

Or perhaps those terrible things had already arrived, but only now, with the chaos beginning, did they launch a full-scale attack.

The experimental subjects had breached the Barrier through its drainage system, infiltrating it. Yet they showed no haste to attack, instead choosing to lie in wait.

Now, they deemed the moment ripe.

Luo Ran should have been grateful she had only walked a short distance underground; otherwise, she might have encountered a large group of experimental subjects.

Within the Barrier, the private forces guarding the gate had rushed toward the university after the bell rang, leaving it empty.

Yan Liuyuan frowned and said, "Brother, how do we open this gate?"

Ren Xiaosu thought for a moment and replied, "It's fine. I have bombs."

Yan Liuyuan and the others looked at Ren Xiaosu expectantly, only to watch him pull out four 3s from his pocket...

Wang Fugui: "???"

Wang Dalong: "???"

Chen Wudi: "???"

This is the legendary bomb? Can this thing blow open the gate?

What's the deal? You go up to the gate and throw four 3s, and it says, 'I can't afford it,' and opens the door?

Yan Liuyuan's face darkened then: "Brother, can you be serious for once?"

"Don't panic, it's not a big deal!" Ren Xiaosu waved his hand to send the others back, then pressed the four cards against the gate, rushing far away afterward.

At that moment, Ren Xiaosu thought in his mind: "Boom!"

Suddenly, the four 3s plastered on the gate erupted in a blinding flash and heat. A thunderous boom echoed, and smoke and dust rose from the gate.

The unparalleled explosive force instantly hurled a massive cloud of debris toward them, the gate's fragments flying everywhere. Yan Liuyuan and the others felt the ground tremble beneath their feet!

Ren Xiaosu peeked and said, "It worked!"

A huge hole had been blasted into the gate.

Wang Fugui was stunned. So fighting the landlord was this dangerous?

"Let's get out of the city quickly. We'll head north," Ren Xiaosu said, preparing to lead the escape. Whatever happened within the Barrier now had nothing to do with him.

But when he turned to glance back at the Barrier, he suddenly saw, in the distance, over a dozen experimental subjects climbing up the building where Yang Xiaojin was, like spiders. Ren Xiaosu froze—why hadn't Luo Xinyu come to meet Yang Xiaojin?

This wasn't what he'd expected. According to convention, Yang Xiaojin's faction should have been the easiest to retreat.

Yet now, Yang Xiaojin stood on a ten-story rooftop, like a solitary leaf adrift in a black ocean!

At any moment, it might capsize!

Ren Xiaosu hesitated only a moment before turning back to Wang Fugui and the others, resolutely saying, "You go ahead. I need to return to the Barrier. Chen Wudi, protect everyone!"

When Wang Fugui heard this, he panicked: "Xiaosu, there's no room for living souls in the Barrier now."

Ren Xiaosu looked at their firm faces and said, "Head north. Don't look back! I'll catch up with you!"

With that, Ren Xiaosu turned and walked into the city that had become a hell.

In truth, Ren Xiaosu didn't know why he was returning.

Perhaps it was because, coming from the wilderness, he felt a kinship with beasts and wished to keep them company.

Perhaps it was because he liked the night scenery of this city and wanted to see more of its sights.

Or maybe he had simply forgotten his wallet.

Alright, Ren Xiaosu knew these were all terrible excuses. Perhaps he simply didn't want that girl to die here.

Ren Xiaosu ran faster, his clothes rustling in the wind like a lion on the hunt.

He gazed toward the summit of the tower, and the girl perched there seemed to be watching him in silence.

Around him erupted the chaos of gunfire and the hungry maws of experimental subjects; the world had grown absurd.

The dark sky itself appeared ready to cleave in two.

But none of it mattered.

Wait for me.