Chapter 978: Capture

Chapter 978: Capture

Though Ye Shi spoke in a jesting tone, his actions were anything but a joke.

Blue arcs of electricity danced at the tips of his bionic fingers, flickering sparks like ghostly shadows, accompanied by the crackling sound of snapping dry twigs.

Flynn could no longer speak.

After the electroshock, he couldn't even beg for mercy, his whole body convulsing as if in an epileptic fit.

If it had been Old Bai, even disabling the power components of his power armor would likely have been useless.

But this guy was only impressive because of his gear; his base was probably just an average-level Awakener, maybe even with a specialization in reflex nerves.

Still, that ability to discharge electricity was pretty damn impressive!

Not only could he fire electromagnetic cannons with his bare hands, but he could also release electromagnetic pulses at close range and overload circuits, and then give his opponent a little electroshock therapy.

The portable reactor provided enough energy; if he wanted, he could keep it up all day.

"Hey buddy, cat got your tongue?"

Ye Shi, with his hand on the exoskeleton's shoulder armor, teased with a cheeky grin, while the man pinned under his hand was already convulsing and rolling his eyes inside the exoskeleton.

Just then, hurried footsteps approached from afar.

Jiang Xuezhou, finally catching up, leaned on her knees, panting as she shouted.

"Ye Shi! Don't... don't electrocute him into shock! We need to question him... take him alive!"

Ye Shi, who had been having fun, jolted and quickly withdrew his hand, the sparks dying out.

As the electrodes left his body, the man's shoulders stopped shaking, but he also went still, standing there rigidly.

"Damn, he's really out?!" Ye Shi felt a chill, mainly afraid he'd have to give the guy mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Feng Qing, held by the neck and dangling in midair, coughed weakly and said.

"...Could you... put me down first?"

Since her feet weren't on the ground, she hadn't been electrocuted much, but she was nearing her limit.

She felt if she hung there much longer, she'd be meeting the Administrator back in Dawn City.

"Ah! Hang on! I'll get you down!"

Seeing Feng Qing's eyes rolling back, Ye Shi quickly switched the arc welder on his bionic arm and made a circular cut around the "iron hand" gripping her neck.

Sparks flew, and just then, a weak cry came from a corner not far away.

"Medic! I need a medic! Cough... I'm dying!"

Though she couldn't understand what the person was shouting, seeing another wounded soldier lying by the wall, Jiang Xuezhou hurried over.

"I'll help!"

...

Half her body embedded in the twisted metal pipes, Gui Gui, who had just reconnected, felt like she was falling apart, with hardly any functional parts left.

That kick must have been at least level 50 in the Ox-Horse class, right?

No—

Maybe even level 60, her chest armor was completely bent inward like a "<" shape.

But thanks to the exoskeleton's protection, she only had a few broken ribs and some bruises.

With the help of a researcher from some academy, she finally freed herself from the half-destroyed exoskeleton.

As a nano-healing needle pierced her leg, she felt a warm current spread through her body, and she perked up, her sluggish limbs no longer so sluggish.

"Phew... saved! Ah, thank you... how much for this healing needle? I'll transfer it to you."

Hearing the heartfelt thanks, Jiang Xuezhou's face flushed with an embarrassed smile as she waved her hand.

"No need, no need... Our stuff is exchanged with G points, no money needed."

At that moment, Feng Qing also touched the ground with her feet, freed from the exoskeleton with Ye Shi's help.

Both her arms were fractured, but the bones weren't broken, just dislocated.

With Ye Shi's help, she reset her arms and bound them with bandages to stabilize the injury.

As for full treatment and swelling reduction, that would have to wait for the hibernation pod.

Though she'd have to lie in the pod for a day or two, it was still better than respawning back in Dawn City.

She hadn't explored the new map enough yet, and she and Gui Gui planned to visit Triumph City later.

Looking at the scattered wreckage of frames and mechanical parts, Ye Shi felt a pang of heartache.

Noticing his expression, Feng Qing nodded slightly in apology.

"Thank you... and sorry for ruining your loot."

"No worries, no worries, as long as everyone's safe," Ye Shi waved his hand politely, smiling. "I'll take it back to Boulder City and show it to Ibers; maybe it can be fixed... By the way, how did you end up in the sewers?"

Earlier, he and Jiang Xuezhou had wandered through the alleys for a while, finding no one from the Enlightenment Society, only two small-time thugs.

Perhaps thinking they were easy targets, the two thugs clichédly came up to ask for money, only to be beaten up by Ye Shi and thrown into a roadside trash can.

Recently, Avant City's demand for workers had surged, causing a spike in foot traffic, and the survivors flooding in were of mixed backgrounds, inevitably including a few dishonest types.

Though they hadn't caught any Enlightenment Society agents, teaching those two thugs a lesson was still a contribution to Avant City's public order.

But shortly after he did that, gunfire suddenly erupted from a manhole cover not far away. He had a flash of inspiration that they hadn't searched below, so he dragged Jiang Xuezhou down with him.

As it turned out, his instinct was right.

And soon after he descended, Gui Gui, who had been kicked offline, posted on the official forum.

Following the sound of explosions, he quickly found this place, and a single blow from behind ended the fight.

Compared to the Disciple he had encountered in Vault 0, this guy was much weaker—still bragging when Ye Shi was almost right behind him.

Feng Qing caught her breath and briefly explained their situation.

"We took a mission from Mosquito to clear out a xenomorph nest, but we didn't expect the sewers to have more than just xenomorphs."

She paused, glanced around, and said seriously.

"This guy is probably a Disciple of the Enlightenment Society. There might be more than one here... We'd better be careful."

"Don't worry," Jiang Xuezhou said, helping the injured Gui Gui over, a confident smirk on her lips as she interjected. "I'll never be ambushed by someone in optical camouflage again."

Optical camouflage could create visual invisibility, but it couldn't hide electromagnetic field changes.

Ever since the incident in Vault 0, she had installed a magnetic sensor on herself, constantly detecting all working electronic components and electromagnetic wave sources within a twenty-meter radius.

There was no method in this world that could simultaneously achieve electronic shielding and optical invisibility.

Combined with Ye Shi's almost supernatural perception, she was one hundred percent confident they could prevent any trouble!

Yet, for some reason, Ye Shi, who had been so sure he wouldn't be ambushed, suddenly lost confidence after hearing her words. He coughed and said.

"Don't say that. I thought the same way... but your flag is making me nervous."

Seeing him undermining her again, Jiang Xuezhou raised an eyebrow and glared at him.

"What nonsense are you spouting now? What Frege? I'm talking about serious things, alright!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." He brushed it off with a perfunctory reply, then glanced at Feng Qing and shrugged. "Anyway, the Academy has some black tech that can detect optical camouflage—not very reliable, but with my perception talent, it's passable."

Feng Qing and Gui Gui exchanged a look, both sighing in admiration.

"Black tech..."

"How nice."

Unable to follow the conversation between Ye Shi and the other shelter residents, Jiang Xuezhou frowned suspiciously.

"Are you secretly badmouthing me?"

"How could I? Am I that kind of person?" Ye Shi said, half-laughing, half-crying, but Jiang Xuezhou's expression grew even more skeptical, clearly not buying his explanation.

"Really? Then translate what you just said!"

"I said the Academy's science and technology are number one in the world!" Ye Shi shamelessly declared without hesitation.

"Hmph, you know what's good for you..."

Her heart felt as sweet as chocolate, and Jiang Xuezhou proudly curled her lips.

But her smugness didn't last a second before she caught something in the expression of the girl named Gui Gui beside her, and then both her curled lips and raised eyebrows drooped.

"Wait, you're lying! You said the same thing last time! But the pronunciation was completely different!"

She hated liars more than anything in this world.

Realizing she'd been fooled, Jiang Xuezhou's face flushed with anger as she stretched out her foot to kick his shin, only to miss as he dodged aside.

"Hahaha! Sorry! I was just joking, haha! I can't believe you actually fell for it!"

He knew he sounded insufferable, but there was no helping it—Xiao Jiang's flustered look was just too adorable, and Ye Shi couldn't help but let out a pig-like snort of laughter.

Seeing his cocky attitude, Jiang Xuezhou, who had only been mildly annoyed before, grew angrier the more she thought about it. Letting go of Gui Gui's arm, she chased after him.

"You bastard... Stop right there! I'll... knock your head off!"

"Laugh all you want! Catch me first!"

Watching the two of them chase each other around in the sewer, Feng Qing pressed her temple with a subtle expression.

She thought she was already pretty unserious when it came to gaming, but compared to these top players, she was still a novice.

This was a sewer, after all.

Couldn't they flirt somewhere more romantic?

Gui Gui limped over to her side, pinching her nose with her index finger, looking pained.

"Damn... I'd just gotten used to the sewer smell, and now it's even more sour and stinky."

She'd already been force-fed a mouthful of dog food up on the surface this morning, and now she was getting another dose down here.

Feng Qing sighed and gave her friend a helpless look.

"He did save your life, you know. Just bear with it."

Stumped by that remark, Gui Gui wore a grimace as if she had a complaint she couldn't voice, and finally pressed her hand to her flat chest.

"Ugh... just kill me."

Feng Qing tilted her head, not quite getting whatever meme she was referencing.

But that wasn't the point.

Glancing at the Enlightened disciple standing there like a statue, Feng Qing then looked at Ye Shi, who was now pinned to the ground by Jiang Xuezhou, and pointed to the side.

"I hate to interrupt your little game... but what do we do about this guy?"

Jiang Xuezhou blushed and stopped her movements. Ye Shi, finally catching his breath, twisted his head with effort and coughed.

"Let's take him up first... If nothing else, he's probably the only one stationed around here. Rather than searching slowly, we might as well have him lead the way."

When he'd helped Feng Qing out of the exoskeleton earlier, he'd checked—the guy they'd captured still had a pulse; he might even be awake by now.

But he'd already pulled the battery from the exoskeleton the guy was wearing, locked the moving parts, and given him a shot.

Even if the guy woke up, he couldn't move; he'd just stand there glaring at them helplessly.

"Good idea," Feng Qing gave a thumbs-up. "Then Gui Gui and I will head up? You two... carry on?"

She said the last part in Common, the language Jiang Xuezhou could understand.

Catching the barely concealed teasing, Jiang Xuezhou shot Ye Shi one last vicious glare, then coughed as if nothing had happened, blushing as she stood up.

"Carry on, my foot! I'm going up!"

Seeing her face so hot it looked ready to steam, Feng Qing couldn't help but smile like an indulgent aunt.

Were all Academy friends this innocent?

She couldn't help but think of Boss Xia, who could argue with players for an entire afternoon.

Come to think of it, the weapon shop in the Linghu Wetland Park had changed NPCs several times, but she still missed the first one—the red-haired girl.

"Then let's all go up together. I was just worried Gui Gui and I couldn't handle this guy alone."

Just as Feng Qing was about to leave, Gui Gui suddenly looked up as if remembering something.

"Oh, right—what about the mutant nest mission? Are we just ignoring the little mouse we sent out?"

Feng Qing paused, clearly having forgotten about that too. After a moment's thought, she said,

"We'll come back down anyway."

"We'll see what that little guy found when we do."

At the tavern by the talent market entrance, Fang Chang, sipping coffee, suddenly got a call from Old Bai.

"You've caught him?"

He widened his eyes in surprise, pushed back his chair, and stood up.

"Alright... I'll be right there."

Dolly, who was writing an article, stopped her pen and looked at him curiously.

"Already found him? That fast!"

She'd been about to suggest using the newspaper's influence, but it seemed the man had already been caught.

"In the sewer on 17th Street. That's probably their fixed hideout, like the one beneath Eternal Night Harbor. There might be clues inside... but first, we need to get that disciple to talk."

As he spoke, Fang Chang grabbed his coat draped over the chair back, shrugged it on, and buttoned it up, looking at Dolly.

"I'll head over now. I should be back before evening. If you get hungry, feel free to order first."

Dolly smiled and waved him off.

"Go on, go on. Be careful on the way... Oh, and if there's any breaking news, make sure to contact me!"

Seeing her playful expression, Fang Chang gave a gentle smile.

"I will... And you too, try to stay near the military camp. The security in this settlement hasn't been great lately—not just the Enlightened issue, but also wastelanders from other places."

Dolly raised an eyebrow, speaking in a teasing tone.

"Could the public security be any worse than in the old Boulder City? Don't worry, I'm not someone who's easily pushed around."

Fang Chang smiled and reached out to ruffle her fluffy emerald-green hair.

"I believe you. Wait for me to come back."