Era of Magic and Martial Arts

Chapter 571 - 555: Dead End

The air in the underground tunnel was damp and oppressive, mixed with the smell of rust and decay.

Feng Yuhuai was sprinting ahead, closely followed by her grandfather, father, and the few remaining siblings.

Her speed was so fast that she nearly crashed into the rusted pipe walls, yet the engines of the pursuers were still closing in. The azure tail flames of the boosters illuminated the faces of the pipe soldiers, casting them in and out of shadow, making them seem like monsters.

Technology turns people into monsters from the outside!

Evil Sacrifice tempts people to transform into monsters from the inside!

Feng Yuhuai and the pursuers behind her simultaneously uttered the same word: "Monster!"

Four special forces warriors moved swiftly through the dim tunnel, the hydraulic systems of their exoskeleton armor emitting a low hum. In the infrared vision of their tactical helmets, the scarlet figure ahead was still fleeing.

"The target has taken a left out of sight, throw the grenade!" The captain shouted sharply, flinging a high-explosive grenade.

With a thunderous explosion, an orange-red fireball expanded within the narrow pipe.

Feng Yuhuai, who was crouched against the base of the wall, was violently flung by the blast, crashing like a ragged cloth doll against the rusting metal pipe wall.

Her body twisted grotesquely upon impact but instantly recomposed itself upon landing, with countless scarlet threads writhing frantically, swiftly weaving and repairing the damaged tissue.

Her family was not so fortunate.

In the explosion’s firelight, her father and grandfather instinctively grabbed the children beside them to shield themselves.

After two dull thuds, the remaining siblings instantly turned into a mist of blood and shattered bone fragments, which splattered all over the passage.

Now, it truly was just grandfather, father, and granddaughter left.

Feng Yuhuai’s face twisted in determination, attempting to turn back for a surprise attack, but as soon as she turned around, another warrior had already predicted her move, with a shoulder-mounted mini rocket launcher locking onto her instantly.

Bang!

Her upper body was blown into a mist of blood, with red lines scattering everywhere.

The explosive flames continued to rage in the pipeline, the high temperature scorching the crimson threads, producing a teeth-gritting "sizzle" as they fearlessly penetrated the fire barrier, darting towards the nearest special forces warrior like venomous snakes.

The surface of the exoskeleton armor was more stubborn than the scales of ordinary monsters, the red lines could only scratch out harsh sounds, leaving behind shallow white marks.

But even the hardest armor has weak points. As the red lines found the gaps at the joints and burrow in, the warrior inside let out a blood-curdling scream.

Their body withered at a speed visible to the naked eye, turning into a mummified corpse within the armor in the blink of an eye.

Boom—!

The self-destruct sequence activated at the moment of death.

The close-range explosion caused the entire underground tunnel to shake violently, with countless red lines turning into foul-smelling adhesive in the more terrifying high temperatures.

The shockwave flung several other warriors meters away, but they quickly mechanically got back up and stepped out from the burning flames to continue their pursuit.

The exoskeleton surface emitted a dangerous red glow due to the high temperature, contrasting with Feng Yuhuai, who had numerous red lines burned off, her dress visibly having lost some of its blood color, now becoming dull and lifeless.

"Maintain tactical distance, continue calling for ground support."

The captain’s voice was still cold, with his gaze under the mask fixed on the crawling shadow of flesh ahead,

"Switch to a triangular defensive formation, activate the thermal barrier."

The communication channel responded only with harsh static noise.

They were unaware that the reinforcements that were supposed to support them had already moved several kilometers away.

However, Feng Yuhuai also couldn’t intercept the opponent’s lost communication channel and didn’t know about the situation above ground, only believing that if she didn’t hurry and escape, she would fall into an encirclement.

"Damn it!"

Feng Yuhuai roared furiously, her toes forcefully pressing against the ground, as her dark form suddenly soared up, seemingly ready to perish alongside the remaining special forces warriors.

Yet the opponents were well-prepared, with the boosters of the three warriors simultaneously changing direction, intertwining at the front to form a wall of deathly flame.

The beautifully warped blue distorted the air, the damp air tinted into palpable ripples.

The crimson threads sizzled and melted as soon as they touched the flame wall, turning into pools of foul-smelling adhesive.

"Fire!"

On the captain’s command, the three special forces warriors began shooting simultaneously.

The narrow tunnel was immediately filled with a dense rain of bullets. Although it couldn’t compare to the heavy fire control systems of armored vehicles, in such an enclosed space, the metal storm formed by three intersecting lines of fire turned Feng Yuhuai into a sieve in a second.

After all, these were special forces warriors of the Investigation Corps, having battled numerous grotesque alien creatures in the Hidden Sect ruins.

Although they didn’t anticipate pursuing a humanoid monster when they entered the sewer, their rich combat experience allowed them to remain terrifyingly calm when faced with unexpected changes.

Feng Yuhuai could clearly feel that these warriors were different from all the previous enemies she had encountered.

The pressure they exerted might not be as terrifying as Zuo Bai and [Mask], but they gave her an entirely new sense of despair.

Every attack was anticipated, every killing move neutralized.

The enemies coordinated, continuously adjusting their tactics during the battle, slowly dismantling all of her skills.

Even though she felt she had the upper hand and could win this round, she was always countered at the crucial moment.

It felt like a moth caught in a cobweb, struggling only to get increasingly entangled and suffocated.

It was like being able to win a fight but slowly being exhausted to death by being drowned.

The red lines coalesced once more, with Feng Yuhuai’s body visibly regenerating at a rapid pace.

A sickly greenish hue emerged on her pallid face, her pupils’ coils dimming like dying embers.

A severe sense of hunger churned within her abdomen—the previous frenzy in creating "family," the severe injuries from grandfather’s beating, compounded by the current ongoing battle of attrition...

She felt she was about to be completely exhausted.

"The target’s regeneration speed is decreasing, maintain suppression."

The captain’s voice was frighteningly calm,

"Don’t be impulsive, maintain a safe distance, continue to call for support."

Feng Yuhuai felt a pang of dread; if even her best performances couldn’t deceive them, then she had no choice but to...

"Dad... protect me!"

Tears stained Feng Yuhuai’s face as a red line shot into the back of Ge Qingming’s head, with the other end trailing behind her like a kite, her grandfather following beside her.

In the face of life and death, a daughter relies on her father, a grandfather depends on his son—rightfully so, as the father is the pillar of the family, that’s indisputable.

A father’s love is as immense as a mountain, with Ge Qingming’s body blocking the tunnel like a mountain range, enduring a metallic storm for a full three seconds.

As the azure flame wall burned his features to ashes bit by bit, a tear flowed from his dead white eyes, whose coils had dissipated.

The red line pulled by Feng Yuhuai’s pinky snapped, yet she had no time to mourn, as a more despairing sight entered her eyes—a wall lay ahead.

But this time, there was no father on the other side of the wall desperately trying to break through to save her.

On both sides were also walls.

So, ahead was a dead end, with only the flame wall pursuing her from behind like the footsteps of the Death God...