Chapter 188: 188, Sewer experiment subject

The dark sewer was fraught with peril, and as Ren Xiaoxu and the others fled, manhole covers were constantly lifted open above them by the arriving experimental subjects, who then joined the pursuit.

The shadow wielding the black blade was deadly, but lingering was not an option—the shadow fought and retreated from the experimental subjects behind him, for the creatures in the sewer would only multiply.

Yang Xiao Min carried Ren Xiaoxu through the sewer, her footsteps splashing in the filthy water, and he could hear her heavy, ragged breathing. He knew she was at her limit; carrying someone while running was too much.

Ren Xiaoxu said, "Maybe you should put me down..."

Before he could finish, Yang Xiao Min stubbornly replied, "No way."

Just like that day in Jingshan, this girl’s resolve was harder than a man’s.

The shadow clashed back and forth in the sewer to avoid being pinned by the experimental subjects. When one lunged at his back, the shadow slammed into the wall, crushing the creature to pieces.

For a moment, Ren Xiaoxu’s shadow single-handedly blocked the five or six experimental subjects that had just entered the sewer, and the two grew farther from their pursuers.

But more experimental subjects were drawn by the noise, and Ren Xiaoxu didn’t know how long the shadow could hold out.

"If we die here, it’ll be a bit undignified," Ren Xiaoxu sighed.

Yang Xiao Min said, "We won’t die here. I’ll carry you out."

Suddenly, a rough voice echoed ahead: "Haha, these stupid experimental subjects never expected their boss was hiding right under their noses..."

Tang Zhou’s voice followed: "Right, right, the boss is right."

Luo Lan frowned: "Uh, did you hear something?!"

Yang Xiao Min turned left at a crossroads in the sewer, just in time to see Luo Lan and the others, stunned, aiming their guns cautiously.

When they shone their flashlights on Ren Xiaoxu and Yang Xiao Min, Luo Lan grinned: "Ren Xiaoxu, you’ve had your day?"

Ren Xiaoxu had no patience to explain; he could only gasp, "Run!"

Luo Lan froze, confused: "Run what?"

Before he could react, the experimental subjects’ screams erupted behind them, and Luo Lan’s face twisted as he bolted: "Damn it, why does nothing good happen when we meet you?!"

Yang Xiao Min shouted, "Luo Lan, you know the underground! Take us to the courtyard we rented!"

Luo Lan, still running, stammered, "How would I know where your courtyard is? I wasn’t spying on you!"

Seeing Luo Lan feign ignorance, Yang Xiao Min snapped, "Do you want to live or not?!"

Luo Lan glanced back at the approaching experimental subjects and yelled, "Turn left!"

The group sprinted desperately through the sewer. The Qingshi operatives had already formed a makeshift fire line at the rear, firing intermittently to slow the experimental subjects.

But their shots were wild, sometimes hitting the shadow.

It wasn’t a matter of accuracy—Ren Xiaoxu understood no one had time to aim in such chaos.

The real problem was that the bullets hurt the shadow.

The barrage left Ren Xiaoxu grimacing, sweat pouring down his face, but he couldn’t speak.

Luo Lan, glancing back, muttered, "Didn’t expect Xu Xianchu was still in the wall. Where’s his real body? They say the shadow’s immune to bullets—turns out it’s true."

Ren Xiaoxu watched Luo Lan’s plump back silently, etching the debt in his mind.

Luo Lan checked their position and bellowed, "We’re here—climb up!"

They ascended the rust-stained ladder, while over a hundred Qingshi operatives formed a fire line below.

They knelt in the sewer’s filth, taking turns to fire. When the first row finished, the second immediately took their place.

Only this way could they hold back the experimental subjects. Even these bulletproof creatures dared not charge into such a hail of gunfire.

Ren Xiaoxu forced the shadow to break through, the pain of being shot nearly knocking him out. Now that the shadow no longer needed to intercept, it hoisted him and Yang Xiao Min onto its shoulders again.

Ren Xiaoxu knew Yang Xiao Min was near her limit—she had barely made it this far on sheer willpower.

The group took turns climbing, but the experimental subjects couldn’t breach the Qingshi fire line. Yet as more people climbed up, fewer remained to hold the line below.

Eventually, someone had to stay in the well—those who had blocked the experimental subjects for others now had no one to block for them.

The experimental subjects below noticed the weakening firepower and began to stir, eager to charge.

Luo Lan shouted from above, "Hurry up!"

But the five remaining in the sewer tore the pins from their hand grenades and laughed: "Boss, we’re out of time—go on, have a drink for us."

"Cut the crap, you trying to get me killed?" Luo Lan cursed.

He tried to climb back down, but Tang Zhou grabbed him: "Boss, if you go back, you’ll die!"

"Death? Let’s die together!" Luo Lan cursed, struggling.

At that moment, the shadow set the two down and leaped back into the sewer, the black blade in hand, standing before the five Qingshi operatives as the experimental subjects surged forward.

The shadow waved them off: "Go."

The Qingshi operatives exchanged glances, stunned by the turn of events. They mumbled thanks and scrambled up the ladder, while the shadow was instantly engulfed by the experimental subjects.

The creatures swarmed over the shadow like spiders, and even its formidable physique couldn’t mount an effective resistance.

Ren Xiaoxu growled, "Blow them up."

Luo Lan hesitated: "Xu Xianchu’s shadow is still down there."

But Yang Xiao Min didn’t hesitate—she knew Ren Xiaoxu had his reasons, and she didn’t need to ask what they were.