Chapter 657: Charge Out (2)

Chapter 657 Charge Out Part 2

Three figures hurried along a passageway leading to the main hall.

However, as the three figures were about to make their way out of the passageway, Chen Xiaolian suddenly raised his hand. Turning, he looked behind them with an alarmed expression. “Wait!”

“What is it?” Qiao Qiao, who had stopped moving forward, turned to look at Chen Xiaolian.

“Just now, when we were here, we had killed the Irregularity leading us…” Chen Xiaolian moved to the entrance of the passageway and looked back. There was a solemn expression on his face. “But… … where did his corpse go?”

“Could you have… … remembered the wrong spot?” asked Qiao Qiao with a frown.

“Impossible.” Having realized the issue as well, Bluesea was quick to shake his head. “This passageway is a straight path without any turns. There is no way we could have been mistaken. Besides, we had clearly initiated a sneak attack on the Irregularity, cutting him into four pieces.”

“Or perhaps… the dead in World’s End will be refreshed away by the system?” After considering the issue, Qiao Qiao forwarded another possibility.

“No.” Chen Xiaolian shook his head. “Mr Bluesea and I have seen dead Irregularities before. Their corpses will not disappear. At least, not so soon.”

“If so… … you’ve been discovered?” Sensing that something was amiss, Qiao Qiao cautiously surveyed their surroundings. They had clear vision of both ends of the long passageway. However, there was nothing.

“Forget it. Don’t worry about this first.” Chen Xiaolian made up his mind and strode toward the exit. “It doesn’t matter who is behind it. Since they are unwilling to show themselves, we will just continue with our plan. We cannot simply stay here due to fright!”

Bluesea and Qiao Qiao exchanged glances before nodding to each other. Then, they followed Chen Xiaolian.

As they approached the entrance of main hall, they heard the sound of artillery coming from the outside.

“Thunderstorm Tank? Sentinel mechs? How did they acquire so many high-end stuffs?”

Qiao Qiao’s gaze swept across the square. Looking at the large-scale machines firing non-stop toward the sky, she turned to Chen Xiaolian with widened eyes. “I had never seen Irregularities sporting so many quality goods when I first arrived!” 

“Recently, some stuff happened in the outside world. We don’t have time to go into it right now. I will tell you about it when we return.” Chen Xiaolian sighed to himself, not knowing how to inform Qiao Qiao about Zero City’s destruction. “Run at an average pace but be ready to run with everything you have at any moment. Everyone ready?”

The three of them exchanged glances and nodded their heads. Then, their feet kicked the ground as they ran into the square.

The Irregularities in the square had seen the plasma rifle-bearing Irregularity lead Chen Xiaolian and Bluesea into the Pantheon Temple earlier. Although they had not recognized Chen Xiaolian and Bluesea by face, they had not dwelled too much on it at the time. They had simply assumed the two to be members of the Coalition. 

Thus, they did not feel too concerned after noticing those two running out from the Pantheon Temple. They assumed that the two were simply coming to provide extra fire support after having acquired weapons from the temple.

Chen Xiaolian and Bluesea were running side by side while Qiao Qiao had pulled up the hood of her white robe over her head. Her hair was tied up and tucked behind her head as she followed the two. She lowered her head to conceal as much of her figure as possible.

In order to not interrupt one another, the Irregularities in the square were scattered around the square, a good distance between each of them. Thus, they were covering almost all of the square.

The three of them made their way through the gaps between the Irregularities, putting a sufficient distance between them and the surrounding Irregularities. 

Unfortunately, they had only managed to cover one third of the way before someone realized that something was amiss.

An Irregularity in greyish silver protective suit who was operating an anti-air gun turned to shout at the three. “Hey! What are you running for? Just fire from that position… … eh? No! You are that…”

“Start!”

Chen Xiaolian shouted, raising his own firearm to aim at the Irregularity. Before he could pull the trigger, Bluesea’s left arm had already transformed into an organic hi-temperature blaster.

The three of them picked up the pace and went into full-on running mode.

A laser beam shot out from the muzzle of Chen Xiaolian’s firearm to accurately hit the Irregularity’s left chest area. However, the laser beam failed to penetrate the Irregularity’s protective suit and was only capable of leaving a scorch mark on the protective suit.

Immediately after that, however, the high-temperature beam from Bluesea’s blaster struck the Irregularity. The muzzle of his organic blaster was far bigger compared to that of the laser rifle, allowing the beam he unleashed to engulf the entirety of the Irregularity’s body.

The Irregularity had not the time to even finish what he was saying before the high-temperature beam shot toward him, engulfing him whole. A large circular hole appeared on the alloy anti-air gun that the Irregularity was on.

Still, that did not lower the power behind the high-temperature beam from Bluesea. The beam shot through the anti-air gun before hitting the Thunderstorm Tank that was in its path. However, the Thunderstorm Tank had long since activated its protective shield. With a flash of light, the high-temperature beam split into two, moving past the Thunderstorm Tank from either side as they left two lines of scorch marks on the durable marble tiles on the ground.

The Thunderstorm Tank’s protective shield then flickered slightly. Clearly, it had grown much dimmer compared to earlier.

Chen Xiaolian watched in shock.

In the earlier fight against Sebast, Bluesea had used the organic high-temperature blaster to destroy the summoned blood hands. However, back then, Chen Xiaolian had only assumed that it was because the blood hands composed of liquid and was easy to evaporate. He had not expected it to be so powerful.

The Irregularity who had called them out earlier was wearing a greyish silver protective suit. That suit was something that Chen Xiaolian had seen before. Although it was not some high-tier gear, it was still a [B] class gear. Yet, it had failed to stop Bluesea’s high-temperature beam for even half a second.

Not to mention, after incinerating him, the beam could still visibly knock down the power of the Thunderstorm Tank’s protective shield.

This power unleashed by Bluesea was at least of the [A] class.

Additionally, the present him was neither an Irregularity nor an Awakened. Rather, he was just an ordinary human.

That Bug Armour, just how powerful is it?!

Before Chen Xiaolian could say anything, though, he saw that Bluesea was stumbling slightly and his rate of breathing had turned heavy.

“It is all right.” Bluesea’s show of weakness persisted for only a moment before he quickly regained his balance. Turning to face Chen Xiaolian, he shook his head. However, his face appeared somewhat pale. It would appear that he had turned up the power too much for the earlier attack, causing him to grow slightly weaker for a moment.

Although the Bug Armour was very strong, its sustainability was simply terrible. The one the Bug Armour was fused with was an ordinary human, after all.

A chill ran through Chen Xiaolian’s back. Having no time to ponder it, he leapt to the side and rolled through the ground. 

At the very same moment that Chen Xiaolian had leapt away, an energy beam the shape of an arrow landed at the very spot that he had been standing on. Despite not being a tangible object, the arrow beam was shockingly sharp, capable of cracking open the ground and shaking up numerous pieces of gravel.

Chen Xiaolian jumped to his feet and increased his pace by three notches. Without looking back, he turned to Bluesea and shouted, “Another blast!”

There was no need to look back. He already knew that the one to fire the arrow beam was the one he saw earlier, the Irregularity with the silver longbow, a thin man with sinister, hawk-like face.

Without a word, Bluesea aimed his left arm backward, his legs not stopping as he did so. Several tentacles emerged from his left shoulder area to form several tiny compound eyes.

Despite not looking backward, Bluesea was still able to aim accurately at the Irregularity with the silver bow. Then, with a flash of light, his organic high-temperature blaster fired out once more at the same output as earlier.

At the same time, the bow-wielding Irregularity, who had seen the high-temperature blaster firing at him, chose not to dodge. Instead, he raised his longbow up high before thrusting it heavily down the ground before him.

The high-temperature beam shot across the square. However, just before it struck the Irregularity, the silver longbow suddenly flashed to create a translucent barrier before him.

The high-temperature beam struck the barrier but was unable to break through. All it managed to do was to push both the barrier and the Irregularity behind it back.

As for the Irregularity, he kept his legs firmly planted on the ground, not moving them in the slightest. His two legs and the longbow that were thrust into the ground thus created three deep gullies on the marble tiles. It wasn’t until the gullies were over 10 metres long did it stop.

Chen Xiaolian quickly took a few steps forward and used his shoulder to prop up Bluesea, who was clearly forcing himself forward by then. Propping Bluesea with his shoulder, he shouted.

“Don't look back, move it!”

That fellow… … is too strong!

Regardless if that was the Irregularity’s own power or if he was relying on the power of the silver longbow in his hand, staying in the square would mean becoming a live target.

“Qiao Qiao! Hold Mr Bluesea!”

With a swing of his arm, Chen Xiaolian sent Bluesea toward Qiao Qiao, who caught and propped Bluesea without any hesitation. Her movements were so smooth, it did not even affect their rate of advance.

Although the three of them were already halfway through the square, there was still one Irregularity between them and the mountain path.

As for the other Irregularities in the square, they too, had all came to. Temporarily halting their supporting fire, the aimed instead at Chen Xiaolian’s group.

The first to aim at Chen Xiaolian was the Thunderstorm Tank. The turret made a half turn. Then, after its muzzle was lowered, light particles began gathering before the opening of the turret muzzle.

…