Ling Chen slowly raised his head, his gaze seemingly penetrating the thick alloy and earth, seeing… the scene outside.
The Ling Family Villa… No! It was the core area of the entire Linghui Academy Ruins! At this moment… it had probably… turned into a… burning… scorched earth!
The Boulder's retaliation… came so quickly! So fiercely! So… utterly!
“Heh…”
A faint chuckle, tinged with cold mockery, escaped Ling Chen’s throat.
He slowly closed his eyes, the cold curve of his lips lingering.
“Good… very good…” he murmured to himself, his voice hoarse and cold, “The Boulder… this ‘grand gift’… I… remember it.”
After a moment of silence, Ling Chen suddenly opened his eyes! In his dark red pupils, all emotions instantly receded!
Only… a kind of… resolute determination and… calculation… like ten-thousand-year-old ice… remained!
This place… was worthless! It had become… a dead end!
He slowly squatted down, looking at Tang Yinmeng, who was curled up and trembling on the ground.
“Can you still move?” His voice had returned to calm, showing no emotion.
Tang Yinmeng struggled to raise her head, her molten-gold eyes filled with tears, bloodshot, and… deep fear.
She opened her mouth, trying to say something, but only let out a violent cough.
Ling Chen didn't ask further.
He reached out his hand, not gently, but not intentionally rough either, helping Tang Yinmeng up again and letting her lean against him.
“Zhuang Han!” Ling Chen’s voice instantly transmitted through the Bloodline Slave Mark!
A moment later, a deep roar, suppressing pain and rage, sounded in Ling Chen’s consciousness:
“Master… Roar… Your subordinate… is still alive… But… the Ghoul Legion… suffered… heavy losses… Roar…”
“Hold this place.”
Ling Chen’s voice was cold and decisive, “Create chaos! Attract their attention! Make them think… I… am still here!”
“Roar! Yes! Master!” Zhuang Han’s roar was filled with resolute loyalty! He understood his master's meaning! This was… covering the retreat! It was… sacrifice!
Ling Chen no longer hesitated. Supporting the weak Tang Yinmeng, he turned and walked towards the depths of the shelter. There… was an… extremely hidden… escape passage!
Leading to… the depths of the wilderness… far from the Linghui Academy Ruins!
Target — Shenjing Area!
A new chessboard… had already… unfolded!
Base exposed: Linghui Academy Ruins, as a base camp and training ground, had been completely exposed to The Boulder's firepower.
Zhuang Han and the remaining Ghoul Legion were like lambs to the slaughter before The Boulder's heavily armored units and aerial bombardment! Annihilation… was only a matter of time!
Thunder Wings was damaged, with internal organ tremors, and its combat power was reduced by nearly 30%. The reverse scale pendant could not be used temporarily. Tang Yinmeng had just advanced and was in a weak state; although she had time-space silver foil, her combat power was limited.
The Boulder had clearly listed Ling Chen as a top-priority threat, not hesitating to use heavy firepower for destructive strikes. Subsequent encirclement and pursuit would only be more rigorous! More frantic!
This place… had no… value… for sentiment or… holding out!
Continuing to stay here would only lead to being… slowly… ground down by The Boulder's heavily armored units and aerial forces!
Or… being directly… wiped off the map… by their even more terrifying heavy weapons!
Must… go!
Immediately! Right now!
Where… was the target?
Ling Chen’s dark red pupils suddenly opened! Like two cold laser beams! Instantly locking onto… an extremely distant coordinate on the screen!
Shenjing Area!
That behemoth where the Central Special Task Force was entrenched! That… absolute overlord… possessing the Roushou warship and the Gui Xu Silent Extinction Cannon! That… terrifying existence… capable of instantly obliterating even a Limit Breaking Stage peak Zu Long Avatar… with a single bombardment!
Would The Boulder dare to deploy heavily armored units and missiles… right under the nose… of the Shenjing Area?
The answer… was obvious!
Moreover… there was another spiritual artifact there, about to awaken.
“Shenjing…” Ling Chen uttered the two words in a low voice, a hint of determination in his tone!
He suddenly turned! His gaze fell on Tang Yinmeng, who was still in shock!
“Ten minutes for you.” Ling Chen’s voice was cold and urgent, carrying an unquestionable command! “Treat your wounds! Restore your spiritual energy! Prepare for… a long journey!”
“Long… long journey?” Tang Yinmeng looked up, her molten-gold eyes filled with confusion and… a hint of… unease. “Where… where are we going?”
“Shenjing.” Ling Chen’s voice was decisive! “A place where The Boulder’s claws… cannot reach!”
He no longer paid attention to Tang Yinmeng’s reaction, quickly walking to an inconspicuous alloy cabinet in the corner of the shelter. He entered a complex password.
Click!
The cabinet door slid open! Revealing several sets of casual clothes neatly arranged inside! Some identity chips and… documents for disguise! And a small, dark gold-patterned… metal briefcase!
Ling Chen quickly changed into a set of casual clothes, his movements smooth and swift.
He quickly put some important items from the shelter—including several high-purity energy crystal cores, a small bottle of dark red liquid (Soul Jade Physique blood essence reserve), and several encrypted data chips—into the case.
After doing all this, he checked the time. Nine minutes.
He walked to the control panel, his fingers rapidly tapping on the virtual keyboard again! Entering a series of extremely complex commands!
Buzz—!!!
In the depths of the shelter! A low hum of machinery resounded!
“Zhuang Han.” Ling Chen’s voice transmitted through a special communication channel, cold and direct. “Plan changed. Abandon the nest. Hold back The Boulder’s forces.
Create chaos. Cover… our departure.”
On the other end of the communication channel, there was a moment of silence. Then, a low… roar… filled with brutality and… resolve… rang out!
“Roar—!!! Understood! Master! Go—!!!”
In his voice… there was no hesitation! No fear! Only… absolute… obedience! And… a hint of… madness… of burning everything for a mission!
Ling Chen cut off the communication. In the depths of his dark red pupils, there was no ripple. Zhuang Han… was his most loyal tool!
He turned! Looking at Tang Yinmeng, who had struggled to her feet. She had already simply treated her wounds with an emergency medical kit and changed into clean clothes. Although her face was still pale, there was a hint of… forced… resilience… in her molten-gold eyes.
“Ready?” Ling Chen asked.
Tang Yinmeng nodded vigorously, gripping the time-space silver foil pendant in her hand.
“Go!”
Ling Chen stopped wasting words! He grabbed Tang Yinmeng’s wrist! His other hand picked up the dark gold spatial compression case! He strode towards the depths of the shelter!
There! An… alloy gate… covered with thick lead plates and etched with complex spatial runes on its surface… was… slowly… sliding open!
Beyond the gate! It was not a passage! But a magic array inscribed on the metal!
Those dark red lines were drawn by Ling Chen with his own blood.
With spatial spiritual energy, he could try to create some low-level magic arrays.
This was Ling Chen’s final… trump card! And also… the starting point… towards… the unknown path ahead!