Chapter 98: 98, Entertainment activities of the experiment subjects

The countless experimental subjects in the forest darted through the shadows like a dense swarm of spiders, so numerous they resembled a writhing mass of eight-legged horrors. Even the seasoned warrior Xǔ Mán, hardened by countless battles, was paled by fear.

Xǔ Mán, knowing the situation, quickly realized the truth: perhaps "Xǔ Xiǎn Chǔ" had stumbled into the nest of the experimental subjects while fleeing, drawing them all out.

Those unaware of the circumstances might have assumed Rèn Xiǎo Sù was calling for reinforcements to exact revenge!

Yet Xǔ Mán’s certainty about Xǔ Xiǎn Chǔ’s identity grew stronger. After all, Liú Bù had once said that Xǔ Xiǎn Chǔ had used shadows to carry him effortlessly through the terrain.

To be honest, Rèn Xiǎo Sù had never imagined that Liú Bù, in his bumbling way, had helped conceal his identity—and paid the ultimate price with his selfless sacrifice…

The experimental subjects pursued Rèn Xiǎo Sù in a frenzy, their saliva splashing wildly as they crawled.

The moment Xǔ Mán witnessed this, he roared into the communication channel: "All units in the urban area, prepare defensive lines!"

The Qìngshì Consortium had many personnel in the forest, hundreds of them, yet it seemed the experimental subjects outnumbered them!

Yet at this moment, Xǔ Mán prioritized alerting the urban area to build defenses rather than ordering a retreat.

Xǔ Mán’s voice echoed through the communication channel: "All personnel, hold your positions and fire by squad! Buy time for the urban area!"

Rèn Xiǎo Sù sprinted desperately, watching from afar as the Qìngshì Consortium’s combat squads halted in unison, kneeling to open fire. Without fortifications to rely on, they had constructed a living barrier with their own bodies.

When the Qìngshì Consortium fired, Rèn Xiǎo Sù, riding the shadows, had already veered off their trajectory, evading their gunfire.

Yet Rèn Xiǎo Sù was stunned—was this the difference between the consortium’s troops and private forces? These soldiers were willing to sacrifice their lives and safety for their comrades!

What merit did that young man in the white suit possess to command such a force?

In truth, Rèn Xiǎo Sù had overestimated the consortium’s troops, or perhaps the soldiers under Qìng Zhěn had given him the illusion that all consortium soldiers were united and formidable. In reality, Qìng Zhěn’s troops were among the elite even within the consortium’s circles.

Xǔ Mán was a warrior of exceptional combat skill, but that did not mean he feared death.

One crucial aspect of combat prowess was the ability to judge the tide of battle!

He understood clearly: staying to delay the urban area would mean certain death, but retreating would doom more of his comrades in the city, who were unprepared.

Qìng Zhěn had long ordered his army to construct fortifications—simple bunkers and barriers—but they had miscalculated the number of experimental subjects in Jìng Shān. According to intelligence, there should have been fewer than a hundred.

The experimental subjects in the Huǒzhǒng Company’s lab had only totaled 87 living specimens!

Could it be that Huǒzhǒng, unable to breach the Qìngshì Consortium’s control, had deliberately leaked false information to trap Qìng Zhěn? After all, Qìng Zhěn had killed many of Huǒzhǒng’s people over the past two years.

Of course, Qìng Zhěn was no fool—he had brought several times the original number of troops here. He would not die in this place.

Xǔ Mán did not fear for Qìng Zhěn’s safety; he feared the 112th Rampart Combat Brigade had suffered heavy losses.

At this moment, Xǔ Mán’s communication channel was open to all, and he heard Qìng Zhěn’s calm voice in his helmet: "Save them. Retreat slowly to the city’s edge—I have preparations in place."

Relieved, Xǔ Mán bellowed through the regional channel: "Hold the line! Reinforcements are coming!"

As long as they held out long enough, they would not die. At least, most of them would not.

Had another consortium leader been in charge, they might have abandoned this isolated force at first opportunity.

Rèn Xiǎo Sù, seizing the chaos, fled southward—the same route back to the 113th Rampart.

Yáng Xiǎo Jǐn and Luò Xīn Yǔ had vanished, while Xǔ Xiǎn Chǔ had leisurely departed Jìng Shān by another path.

This adventure was more farce than triumph, yet it revealed to Rèn Xiǎo Sù the true vastness of the world.

Now he knew only of Huǒzhǒng and the Qìngshì Consortium, but other consortiums and ramparts existed beyond his imagination.

As Rèn Xiǎo Sù fled, he heard a rumbling from the volcano behind him. This time, the ground itself trembled.

Molten lava erupted from the crater like fireworks, ascending into the sky. The molten masses met the cold air and rapidly condensed into searing stones, followed by a meteor shower that engulfed the forest in flames!

……

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