As long as they weren't specifically made to target the underground world, even the most potent of radars couldn't detect something that was over 100 meters underground.
Gu Yue lay flat against Tang Wulin's back with her arms around his neck while Tang Wulin continued to dig through the earth with his golden dragon claws.
He had chosen to travel toward this direction as he'd seen a river up ahead when he was jumping out of the fortress. This was supposed to be a river that ran through the Star Dou Forest, but it had been exposed due to deforestation. The river was roughly 100 meters wide and unfathomably deep, so this was the ideal escape route for them.
"We've completely lost them."
"Conduct an exhaustive search! Use the underground sensors!"
Troops from the Spirit Pagoda quickly surrounded the entire forest, but none of their equipment was able to detect the presence of Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena. It was as if they'd vanished into thin air.
Several minutes later, the hole opening of the tunnel that Tang Wulin had dug was discovered, but the tunnel had already been sealed and had to be dug out again. However, there was no way to ensure that they could dig the tunnel so that it matched the original route.
15 minutes had already passed by the time all of the underground sensors had been activated, and no large life forms were discovered underground in a radius of several dozens of kilometers. As far as they were concerned, Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena had truly disappeared.
"Splash..." Tang Wulin and Gu Yue's head poked out of the water at almost the exact same moment.
The cool and refreshing water of the river carried their bodies onward, and Tang Wulin looked back to discover that the Star Dou Fortress was already several dozens of kilometers behind them.
He had dug the tunnel all the way to this river, and he was using its flowing water to carry them away. That way, he wouldn't have to expend energy by constantly fleeing from the scene.
Tang Wulin latched onto Gu Yue's hand before pulling her into his embrace, and he asked in a gentle voice, "Are you cold?"
Gu Yue shook her head. She was suffering from amnesia, but she still had all of her power, so she was very resistant to the cold.
"You were so scary back there, Father. Even I was scared when you were yelling at them," Gu Yue said in a displeased manner.
Tang Wulin smiled, and said, "If I didn't do that, how was I supposed to convince them that I was actually threatening to kill you? It's alright, they won't be able to find us now. After we go a bit further upstream, we'll get out of this river. After that, I'll disguise both of us, and we'll change our clothes. No one will be able to find us then."
"Alright, but I'm hungry, Father." Gu Yue wound her arms around his neck, and their clothes were soaking wet at this point, so as soon as she pressed her body against his, Tang Wulin felt a scorching sensation surge throughout his entire body. Gu Yue's soft and supple body was presenting him with a lot of stimulus.
"Gu Yue, can you remember why they're calling you Gu Yuena?" Tang Wulin asked? This question had lingered in his heart this entire time, and it refused to go away.
Gu Yue shook her head in response and continued to hold him tightly in her arms.
Tang Wulin heaved a faint internal sigh. It appeared that this question would only be answered after Gu Yue recovered her memories.
They continued to allow themselves to be carried away by the river for close to three kilometers, and they finally got out onto the riverbank after Tang Wulin caught sight of a highway intersection nearby.
"Change into some dry clothes. Fa... I'll take you to find something to eat." Tang Wulin almost instinctively referred to himself as her father, and that was making him feel very awkward.
"Father, I don't know how." Gu Yue's large eyes were filled with innocence.
Tang Wulin's lips twitched upon hearing this. She didn't know how to change her clothes?
At this moment, her clothes were completely soaked, and she was as good as naked as she stood in front of him. Just the sight of her brought a blush to Tang Wulin's face, and he could feel his heart rate accelerating at an alarming rate.
"You really are a troublesome little minx!" Tang Wulin sighed before taking Gu Yue to a discrete corner beside the highway. He quickly pulled out a set of clothes from her storage bracelet before changing her into it, blushing heavily the entire time. Gu Yue displayed no reaction to this at all, but that was certainly not the case for Tang Wulin.
"Father, are you feeling very hot? Why is your face so red?" Gu Yue asked with wide eyes.
"Slap!" Tang Wulin slapped her on the backside. "Shush!"
"Ngh!" Gu Yue pouted in a displeased manner.
The amount of willpower it took for him to refrain from doing something rash to her was comparable to the amount of willpower it took for him to withstand the agony of breaking his Golden Dragon King seals.
They both loved each other, but even so, he didn't want to do something to Gu Yue in her current state.
After changing Gu Yue's clothes, Tang Wulin also quickly changed into a set of dry clothes himself. Only then did he emerge onto the road with Gu Yue. After that, he released his Tang Sect battle vehicle, and it disguised itself to resemble a normal car before he quickly drove it away
With the battle vehicle, they were able to travel a lot more quickly, and Tang Wulin quickly deduced from the street signs that they were driving toward the eastern direction.
Instead of returning to Shrek City, he drove the battle vehicle along the highway to the nearest small city they passed by before disguising himself and Gu Yue in the car.
"Father, why did you become old?" Gu Yue asked with her brows slightly furrowed as she looked at Tang Wulin, who had disguised himself as an old man.
A resigned look appeared on Tang Wulin's face. "You always call me father, so this makes things more natural. After we get out of the car, try to talk as little as possible ."
"Alright, but you don't look good like this," Gu Yue mumbled.
Both of them got out of the car before walking into a small hotel and getting two rooms.
After turning on the soul television in the room, a grim expression appeared on Tang Wulin's face.
Following the disaster that had just struck Shrek City, all of the channels would undoubtedly be broadcasting news about the event.
Following that tragic event and everything that had transpired in the Star Dou Forest, Tang Wulin had completely calmed down. The event had already taken place, so there was no point in basking in grief and pain. What he had to do now was ascertain the current situation, then think of ways to change it. This was why he decided to get rooms at this hotel, he was planning to stay here and organize his thoughts so he could devise a future course of action.
He knew that Gu Yue's presence had played a major role in his ability to adjust so quickly. Having his lover by his side gave him the utmost motivation.
"Shrek City has suffered a disaster of unprecedented proportions, and the federation is being held responsible. The federal parliament has disbanded, and a new general election is imminent."
"The current death count in Shrek City has already exceeded 12,000,000 with roughly 2,000,000 injured. Less than a third of the city remains, and the damage is immeasurable. Both Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect headquarters have been completely destroyed, and according to witnesses at the scene, as well as satellite images, in the final moments of the attack, the current Sea God's Pavilion Master, Atlas Douluo Yun Ming did everything in his power to reduce the damage being done by the two Godslayer missiles. Even the nearby Spirit Pagoda headquarters has most likely been impacted by the explosions."
"The federal military has already assembled an investigation team to find out the reason behind the disappearance of the two Godslayer missiles, and the army commander-in-chief has stated that they're going to find the perpetrators at all costs. Such a heinous and horrendous crime has never been witnessed on this continent before, and the military expresses its deepest condolences to those affected by this tragic event."
"Shrek Academy alumni all over the continent are holding mourning events to grieve over the destruction of Shrek Academy and the passing of all of the victims of the attack."
"The Tang Sect has declared war on the Holy Spirit Cult, but according to insider information, the sect has suffered severely in the aftermath of the attack. The sect's headquarters have been destroyed, and at least four of their Hall Masters have perished. The whereabouts of the master of the Tang Sect's Douluo Hall remains unknown as of yet, and our reporters are following up on the latest news."
"The Holy Spirit Cult has declared that they were responsible for this recent terrorist attack, but no traces of the perpetrators have been found as of yet. We implore all members of the general public to immediately report any suspicious individuals to the relevant authorities."
"There are rumors circulating that the third Godslayer missile has also disappeared along with the other two. If these rumors prove to be true, then which city will be attacked next by this Godslayer missile? What has the federal government been doing all this time?"
All types of chaotic reports were constantly being broadcasted on all of the channels, and as Tang Wulin watched these reports, his hands reflexively balled up into tight fists, and he was completely oblivious to the fact that his fingernails had dug through the skin on the heels of his palms.
Prior to this, he had still been clinging desperately onto the tiniest sliver of hope that everything had been an illusion. He was hoping against hope that everything would be a nightmare conjured up by the old demons on the demonic island, but the undeniable truth was being laid out right before his eyes, and this was undoubtedly not a dream.
He looked at the two gargantuan craters within Shrek City and the severely ravaged state that the rest of the city was in, and tears began to well up in his eyes.
12,000,000 people had perished during the attack! Those were 12,000,000 human lives, erased in a matter of minutes!
The number one city on the entire continent, the Infallible Shrek, and Shrek Academy, which had stood for over 20,000 years, had both been wiped off the face of this world.
Just how cruel and heinous were their enemies?
Tang Wulin turned off the television and sat still in his chair for a long while. He was trying to calm his emotions, and also to analyze all of the information that he'd just heard.