Chapter 145: The Savior

It took Yichen several minutes to clear away a portion of the rubble and debris from the mechanism trap area.

This task proved far more arduous than he had imagined. Having fought against the Lurker and Lu Yu, and having been struck by electricity twice, his physical strength had long since reached its absolute limit.

What was even more fatal was that the corpse-transformation had triggered his potential to the fullest, elevating his physical strength to a terrifying, indescribably dreadful degree, which in turn brought severe bodily side effects.

To be honest, even lifting his hands and feet felt immensely heavy and required a tremendous amount of effort. Yet he could not rest; he had to persevere.

Liang Bing and Xueman were still buried within the trap, and their condition was unknown. Even if it meant facing the worst possible outcome, he had to see them with his own eyes before he would ever stop!

A series of hurried footsteps approached from afar, and Ling Lan and the others finally arrived on the scene.

Earlier, thanks to Ling Lan's insistence, Ling-Zhe had driven the car and brought everyone charging into the Old Slaughterhouse. After successfully passing through the umbrella-shaped pillar attraction, they were forced to get out of the car and proceed on foot at the corridor bridge space.

The pathways here were intricate and complex, with twenty-six steel inclined bridges connecting the outer corridors to the main building. For anyone coming here for the first time, it was completely impossible to figure out the way initially.

Ling Lan had visited Nanchuan during her college days and had toured the Old Slaughterhouse. Although some time had passed, she still retained a vague impression of the place.

Led by Ling Lan, the group ran forward anxiously. On one hand, their teammates were trapped in a crisis waiting for rescue; on the other hand... the zombies on the streets had also entered the Old Slaughterhouse while chasing their vehicle.

If they moved too slowly and were caught, it would be the end of them!

Perhaps favored by the heavens, the complex terrain inside the Old Slaughterhouse disoriented the zombies that had swarmed in behind them, gradually widening the distance between them.

Lacking the intelligence to cross obstacles or read map indicators, the zombies acted purely on their instinctual craving for flesh and blood, and they soon vanished from sight.

Ling Lan did not relax because of this. What worried her more was the twenty-meter-wide gap at the broken bridge that Cheng Xianglong had mentioned over the phone.

Their action had been hasty, leaving them no time to ponder or plan. How could they possibly have a good countermeasure?

Lacking suitable tools on hand, they had no choice but to pin their hopes on Chang Qing's "laser eyes."

Even if it meant he had to cut a slab of the ceiling from overhead to serve as a temporary "wall beam," as long as it allowed them to cross!

Chang Qing had already overused his eyes, and this request was clearly difficult for him to accept. Yet this was a desperate measure with no other alternative; unable to refuse, he could only bite the bullet and proceed.

To their utter astonishment, however, the path ahead proved completely unobstructed, and the broken bridge did not exist at all.

Thinking she had led them down the wrong path, Ling Lan was utterly bewildered. Yet, after wandering around for a short while, they reached the central courtyard.

The place was in complete disarray, making it easy to imagine the fierce intensity of the battle that had taken place earlier.

Ling Lan rushed to rescue the dying Cheng Xianglong, while the others stepped forward to help Yichen clear away the rubble. With many hands making light work, the clearance progress accelerated significantly!

"Didn't you encounter a broken bridge when you came here?" Yichen asked, feeling puzzled. Logically speaking, although the access path leading here was complex, there was only one. Who could have possibly restored the mechanism of the broken bridge?

And what could be the purpose of restoring it? Did the adversary suddenly develop a conscience and want to leave them a path to survive?

As soon as this hypothesis arose, Yichen scoffed at it with utter disdain.

He knew that nine times out of ten, this setup was related to Mu Qing's father, Mu Zongxing.

It was Mu Zongxing who had given his family the sightseeing tickets for this day. Moreover, the heavy traps hidden inside the Old Slaughterhouse revealed the other party's intentions and meticulous preparations.

Especially the high-voltage electrical room beneath the central courtyard—that must have been specifically set up to deal with him and the monsters!

Thinking of this, Yichen's eyes blazed with fury.

He would definitely settle this score with Mu Zongxing. Even if the man was Mu Qing's father, this matter had touched his absolute bottom line and was completely non-negotiable.

"Found it! Found it!" Zhu Youzheng strained as he moved a boulder aside, touching a patch of thin ice, and cried out in joyful surprise.

The air inside the Old Slaughterhouse circulated well, and the temperature was moderate, making it impossible for ice to form naturally. This had to be Xueman's superpower!

Working together with one heart, everyone swept away the obstacles in a single push, revealing a large, cracked ice wall before them.

This ice wall had shielded them from the crushing weight of the falling rubble, proving to be remarkably sturdy!

Yichen let out a sigh of relief. The reason he hadn't been able to sense Liang Bing and Xueman's auras earlier was undoubtedly due to its interference.

He knocked on the ice wall, and a response quickly came from within.

"We're fine!" Xueman's voice sounded somewhat emotional.

After Yichen leaped out of the mechanism trap, the two of them had quickly regained consciousness and recovered their mobility. However, with the fierce battle raging overhead, they hadn't been able to climb out of the several-meter-deep pit for the time being, so they simply chose to stay put quietly down below.

At that moment, Yichen had undergone a complete corpse-transformation with astonishing, overwhelming power, while Lu Yu had become a new monster boss, even more formidable than the previous Lurker! The two women were trapped right beneath the battlefield, trembling with fear.

Xueman had erected a total of three layers of ice walls for protection. Throughout the entire ordeal, they had endured two powerful impacts, and now only this final load-bearing layer remained.

They had sensed the end of the battle, but trapped by the heavy accumulation of rubble above, they had still been unable to dismantle the ice wall and escape.

The ice wall had saved their lives, but it had also muffled their voices, and due to his poor physical condition, Yichen had not heard the two women's cries for help.

Fortunately, the rescue came in time, and just before the third ice wall was about to give way, they saw the light of day once again.

"My poor little beauties, you've suffered. Quickly, let me inspect your bodies..." Chang Qing sneaked forward with a lecherous grin, trying to squeeze between the two women. No matter the time or place, he never failed to display his wretchedness.

"Get lost." Xueman slapped him on the head in annoyance. Thanks to their effective defense, she and Liang Bing had only suffered some minor grazes when they first fell into the trap and were struck by electricity; there was no serious harm.

"Let's get out of here as quickly as possible. If we drag this out any longer, those zombies might find their way here," Ling Lan urged, having Ling Zhe support Cheng Xianglong.

Based on her judgment, several members of the team were no longer capable of participating in combat. Especially Yichen, who was swaying slightly where he stood and urgently needed rest, food, and sustenance to recover his strength.

"Someone's coming!" Liang Bing and Xueman heard the sound of faltering footsteps.

An enemy? Yichen gripped his Shengxie sword tightly once more, his eyes fixed dead on the corner of the passageway from which the sound originated. The others grew tense as well.

A middle-aged man walked forward slowly, supporting himself against the wall. His face was as pale as paper, and his chest was stained with a patch of brilliant crimson.

Mu Zongxing?! Yichen was startled, his hand gripping the sword trembling uncontrollably.

Wasn't this the mastermind he had been searching for?!

Mu Zongxing had been shot and was heavily wounded, now hanging on by merely a breath. No one knew from where or for how long he had walked to get here.

Upon seeing Yichen, Mu Zongxing's previously dimming gaze re-ignited with a spark of vitality.

He tried to quicken his pace, but stumbled and fell flat to the ground. Yet this could not stop him.

He crawled with all his might to Yichen's feet, lowering his head humbly as he repeatedly kowtowed against the cold floor.

"Please... save my daughter..."