Chapter 81

Not far from the "Urban Smart Network Control Center," on a street, the mechanical monk Jingfa, dressed in a yellow monk's robe and a red kasaya, was monitoring the surroundings, searching for the source of the previous explosion.

Suddenly, the building with a sizable courtyard began to light up floor by floor, emitting a bright, slightly yellow glow.

In the dark, desolate city ruins, this was like a lighthouse illuminating an eternal dream.

The mechanical monk Jingfa turned his head to look and then ran over in large strides.

...

The moment the lights came on, Long Yuehong, Bai Chen, and Jiang Baimian instinctively closed their eyes to adapt to the sudden change in the environment.

Only Shang Jianyao struggled to keep his eyes open, almost tearing up from the brightness.

"You're quite alert," Jiang Baimian said, nodding in approval when she saw this.

"Because I don't have sunglasses," Shang Jianyao finally blinked.

Jiang Baimian couldn't follow his train of thought and could only sigh, "It feels a bit like we're back at the company now..."

Similarly, they were inside a building, similarly illuminated by something like fluorescent lights, and similarly had a spacious elevator waiting area.

The only difference was that the hall here was vast and spacious, similar to the "Activity Center" inside "Pangu Bio," with luxurious black stone tiles and transparent, dreamy chandeliers.

"Really?" Long Yuehong, at the stairwell, kept an eye on Qiao Chushang and didn't dare to turn her head.

"It's brighter than the company," Shang Jianyao simply described.

Hearing this, Jiang Baimian first smiled, then frowned, "In such a dark night, in this city of ruins, a brightly lit building, the only one, wouldn't it be very conspicuous?"

Bai Chen, aiming at the three elevators opposite, understood Jiang Baimian's concern and pondered, "Leader, are you worried that the mechanical monk Jingfa and other relic hunters will come over because of this?"

"Ordinary relic hunters don't need to be worried about; you said they would actively stay away from abnormal places," Jiang Baimian nodded lightly, "But we already know that Jingfa is here. His body is special, and he is bold and daring, likely to be attracted over. He also has a deep hatred for women. Also, the 'Hyena' bandits are likely to have entered this ruin; they like to loiter around abnormalities, waiting for opportunities."

Shang Jianyao thoughtfully said, "It depends on who has the worse name."

"Do you mean who is more unlucky?" Jiang Baimian chuckled, "You have such confidence in our 'Old Style Team.' What if it's the worst-case scenario? They all appear at the same time, and we are caught between two enemies."

After so many days together, she had figured out the relationship between having a bad name and having bad luck.

As soon as she finished speaking, Shang Jianyao suddenly asked, "How does Jingfa determine if someone is a woman?"

"He's already an 'Immortal,' so he definitely doesn't rely on his nose or eyes. Instead, he makes a comprehensive judgment based on various factors," Jiang Baimian replied instinctively, "You want to dress up as a woman to lure him away and then take off the disguise? Ha, I think that's a bit difficult."

Shang Jianyao answered seriously, "I was just thinking, if Jingfa encounters Qiao Chushang, what would happen?"

Jiang Baimian whispered, as if understanding, "Jingfa doesn't just hate women; he hates anyone who can trigger his lust and hit his weak spot. He can no longer alleviate the corresponding desire.

"Qiao Chushang's 'Charm' seems to be indiscriminate, effective not only on women but also on men, and even animals.

"Once Jingfa encounters Qiao Chushang, he will definitely be instantly charmed. His mind has been twisted for years, and he will only have one reaction:

"To torture the target that triggers his affection and desire, making them die a miserable death..."

Jiang Baimian's whisper was not low; everyone present heard it. Bai Chen nodded slightly and said expressionlessly, "I'm a bit looking forward to Jingfa encountering Qiao Chushang now..."

"You're so bad," Jiang Baimian laughed.

She then reined in her laughter and ordered, "In any case, while waiting for Qiao Chushang to come up, we must also be vigilant around us. We cannot relax our guard and must always be prepared for dangerous creatures to intrude."

As she spoke, Jiang Baimian stood up and opened a window deep in the elevator hall, revealing a garden overgrown with weeds.

"If Jingfa comes through the front door, I will use the grenade launcher to delay him for a while, and you can take this opportunity to leave through the window.

"Our current firepower is not enough to deal with a mechanical monk who is also an Awakened. This is a fact we must acknowledge; we cannot risk our lives."

Jiang Baimian returned to her previous position, leaned against the wall, and squatted down. "Qiao Chushang is almost here. He will definitely be faster coming from the underground server room to the elevator hall than from the stairwell to the underground server room."

At least the route is familiar.

As soon as Jiang Baimian finished speaking, she frowned again, "Can we determine the range of Qiao Chushang's depressing ability? I remember it can affect multiple targets.

"We cannot only consider the charm and ignore his other Awakened abilities."

Shang Jianyao immediately answered, "Similar abilities should be weakened by obstacles like walls and metal doors."

"But we can't be sure that the weakening won't affect us. If even Bai Chen's position is affected, how can we snipe Qiao Chushang? At that time, we will all be so depressed that we want to give up and wait to die." Jiang Baimian said quickly.

Before she finished speaking, she stood up, "Key information is unclear; this operation is terminated."

"Go to the rooftop to snipe?" Bai Chen suggested.

Jiang Baimian asked quickly, "How confident are you in sniping a target wearing a military exoskeleton suit?

"We only have one gun with sniping capabilities."

Bai Chen didn't boast and said with a slightly darkened expression, "Not very confident."

"Then evacuate immediately and look for another opportunity later." Jiang Baimian gave the order.

"Yes, Leader!" Shang Jianyao and the others didn't say more to avoid wasting precious time.

While observing the environment, Jiang Baimian muttered to herself, "Why, even after getting away from Qiao Chushang, is my thinking still affected, not as logically rigorous as usual, always overlooking some issues..."

At this moment, Xiao Chong, carrying a red backpack, followed back to the elevator hall, looking disappointed and raising his head to ask, "Not playing anymore?"

"Next time." Jiang Baimian pointed to the window, "Leave from here to avoid running into anyone coming through the front door. Shang Jianyao, carry Xiao Chong and go first. Hurry, someone is coming."

As she spoke, Jiang Baimian raised her grenade launcher and aimed at the front door area.

Shang Jianyao picked up Xiao Chong, ran a few steps, and jumped directly through the window, landing outside.

Long Yuehong and Bai Chen followed, one after another, flipping out the window.

At this moment, Jiang Baimian saw the mechanical monk Jingfa, dressed in a yellow monk's robe and a red kasaya, running over with his eyes glowing red after hearing a woman's voice.

Without hesitation, Jiang Baimian pulled the trigger and fired a grenade.

Boom!

In the front door area, flames rose, and debris flew, causing Jingfa to instinctively dodge.

Jiang Baimian seized the opportunity and ran quickly to the window, leaping out with a single bound.

A second or two later, the mechanical monk Jingfa broke through the glass wall of the front door area and ran in from the side.

He was about to fire a grenade at the window when his head suddenly turned halfway, looking at one of the elevators.

Then, he ran over madly, his eyes glowing red like blood.

The elevator soon stopped at the first floor, and the doors slowly opened.

Jingfa raised his arms, aiming all his offensive weapons at the inside.

However, there was only a cold, gray metal wall inside, with no one in sight.

Stunned, Jingfa watched as the elevator doors closed again and continued to ascend.

On the top of the elevator, in the dark and deep space near the main steel cable, Qiao Chushang, wearing a military exoskeleton suit, stood quietly.

He looked down, his lips tightly pressed together.

In the elevator hall on the first floor, Jingfa finally reacted.

He seemed to understand something and pressed the buttons frantically, trying to call other elevators.

...

In the courtyard behind the "Urban Smart Network Control Center."

Jiang Baimian crouched and quickly moved in the areas not illuminated by the building's lights.

Soon, she followed Bai Chen and the others based on the electrical signals.

Shang Jianyao squatted in a corner and said in a low voice, "Xiao Chong is gone."

"Where did he go?" Jiang Baimian asked in a hushed tone.

Shang Jianyao summarized, "When we got here, I put him down. He said he needed to go to the bathroom and ran into the bushes, then disappeared."

Jiang Baimian thought for a moment and said with a serious expression, "It's a bit strange. Let's leave here as soon as possible."

Shang Jianyao and the others immediately acted without further words.

Led by Jiang Baimian, they headed for the side, trying to climb over the fence and find a way back.

They moved through the trees and flowers, getting closer to their goal.

At this moment, the desolate, hoarse roar sounded again from not far away.

The roar was even louder than before, as if it was right in their ears.

Jiang Baimian and the others' minds instantly went blank, and their hearts seemed to be tightly gripped by a familiar, overwhelming fear, unable to beat.

After an unknown amount of time, they suddenly heard a gentle voice, "Don't be afraid, stay calm."

Shang Jianyao and the others trembled slightly and finally regained their senses, feeling the fear recede like a tide.

They then looked in the direction of the voice and saw someone crouching in the shadow of the fence.

The person was wearing a loose black robe, with long hair and a neatly trimmed beard, looking both gentle and solemn.

This person was familiar to Shang Jianyao and the others; they had met him in the wilderness before:

Du Heng, who claimed to be an antiquities scholar and historian.

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