Ch. 25 - Rescue

Han Shu reluctantly picked up the intercom. "Sir, you're right. The Pillar of Star indeed won't grow legs and run away. But you may not be aware that there are some dark creatures, such as the Level 3 Propagator, that are not afraid of the light emitted by the Pillar of Star. On the contrary, once they spot the Pillar of Star, they will do everything in their power to destroy it."

"Furthermore, there are many exploration teams in the metropolis, and the base can make the most appropriate arrangements based on the situation and locations of these teams. I believe it won't take us much longer to get there."

Chen Liu said with a disappointed tone, "Captain Han, has the cold and darkness of the Inverse Universe seeped into your bones? I never expected you would say such things. If your colleagues heard this, what do you think they would think?"

"Forget it, if you won't go, I will! As an officer of the fortress, I won't abandon anyone!"

Han Shu covered the intercom and muttered softly, "Are those office workers thinking with their buttocks?"

A few laughs sounded in the vehicle.

Han Shu picked up the intercom again and said, "Sir, we can't confirm the identity of the other party. It might be a trap."

Chen Liu sneered. "Captain Han, not only do you lack courage, but your judgment has also become impaired. A trap? Whose trap? Are you trying to tell me that those dark creatures can speak our language? Absurd!"

Han Shu habitually grabbed a handful of his hair. "Sir, we never know how many secrets are hidden in the Inverse Universe. Even if we know a lot, who can guarantee that those dark abominations won't speak and learn our language?"

Chen Liu angrily said, "Enough! I truly doubt what the higher-ups of the Night Walkers are thinking, letting someone like you be the operational commander. Captain Han, you can continue with your mission. After I save the people, I will naturally catch up with you. That's all."

"Sir? Sir?"

Han Shu called a few times, but Chen Liu didn't respond. He shook his head and muttered, "Idiot."

Then he picked up the intercom and said, "Change course; we're going to rescue the people!"

"Copy."

"Understood."

Putting down the intercom, Han Shu sat back in his seat with a helpless expression on his face.

The young man with a ponytail in the back couldn't help but speak up, "Captain, why do you care about that idiot? If he wants to show off, just let him go!"

Han Shu shook his head and said, "The Strategic Department has been dissatisfied with us all along. If their officer encounters trouble under my command, it will implicate Commander Chu. Do you think I'm willing to comply with him in his madness? I have no choice."

He shrugged.

In this way, the convoy turned at the next intersection and headed towards the coordinates of the distress signal.

A massive number of buildings appeared in front of the convoy.

The convoy stopped on the road, and to their left was a circular plaza. The ground of the plaza had intersecting curved patterns, seemingly some kind of decoration.

There were some pillars on both sides, and behind them seemed to be a green area, but those places were now only filled with brown gravel, with no trace of vegetation visible.

In the distance, there were two spherical buildings, one large and one small, and it was unclear what they were used for.

Han Shu got out of the car and looked at the plaza not far from the highway, feeling a sense of lamentation. "The residents of the Inverse Universe are truly fortunate. Look, they leave such a large area vacant. It's not even a park!"

At this moment, the sound of the 5th Generation Armament activities rang out.

Having previously eliminated a group of prowlers, the shooting-type armed units moved at low power, propelled by rollers under their three-meter-tall bodies, slowly driving towards a passage leading to the spherical building in the rear.

Chen Liu and several soldiers followed behind the armed units, and at the end of the line was a Night Walker squad codenamed "Highland Eagle."

Han Shu leaned against the car and opened a holographic projection. The image showed the squad's progress.

The image was taken in real-time by a recording device on one of the Highland Eagle squad’s soldiers, giving the remaining personnel a chance to watch the entire rescue operation.

After bypassing the plaza, a parking lot appeared in front of the squad. The armored vehicles of the Inverse Universe were parked haphazardly. Most of the vehicles were nothing more than empty shells, and on many car wrecks, signs of destruction could still be seen.

The uneven ground was covered with peculiar fungi unique to the Inverse Universe, forming irregular patches on the road, some of which even engulfed the car wrecks.

Twelve minutes later, the rescue squad arrived at a spherical building, the source of the distress signal. They passed through a large gate and entered a dilapidated hall. Following the passage and passing through another door, they appeared on a tiered platform.

By the way, it was evident that the passage behind the hall had not considered the passage of three-dimensional armed units. The 2.5-meter height forced the shooting-type armed unit to turn back and find another entrance into the building.

In the holographic projection, Tianyang looked at the tiered platform and couldn't help but say, "This can accommodate thousands, no, possibly more. Look over there, there's another identical platform. My goodness, is this an arena? I heard that the War God fortress has a large arena that can accommodate up to three hundred spectators."

"Look below." Lao Xu pointed at the area beneath the platform.

Underneath the platform was an open space, the size of which already equaled a training ground in the Lighthouse Base.

Around the open space, there was a distinguishable area, paved with some material in a circular shape, with a circle of protrusions along the inner edge.

This area was divided into several sections, with Inverse Universe symbols appearing as markings.

Lao Xu said. "I bet the residents of the Inverse Universe lead a leisurely life; otherwise, they wouldn't have built such a place for entertainment. Obviously, this is where they kill their time."

Tianyang felt a similar sentiment and nodded.

Before the Inverse Universe turned to this ghostly state, perhaps the residents of this city had a better life than the Upper Citizens in the fortress.

A voice sounded from the holographic projection. "Captain Han, we have received another distress signal. We have locked onto the signal's location and are now proceeding with the rescue."

It was Liang Sen, the Captain of the Highland Eagle Squad.

"Be careful, Captain Liang. If anything seems amiss, report immediately," Han Shu said.

Liang Sen acknowledged with a "Got it." In the image, the rescue squadbegan to move.

They turned into a passage from the platform and proceeded cautiously until they reached a large door. Next to the door, there was a sign with a symbol—a little person sitting on a chair, appearing to be resting.

Captain Liang Sen, wearing a black uniform with a slightly receding hairline, raised his hand in a gesture of caution.

He gently pushed open the door, and in the projection, a creaking and squeaking sound ensued.

After a lot of effort, the door finally opened, revealing a room with several rows of chairs. As the rescue squad's lighting equipment moved, Tianyang saw a row of iron cabinets on the left side of the room, with many small compartments that appeared to be simple storage lockers.

On the other side, there was a screen hanging on the wall. The surface of the screen was already shattered, revealing the electronic board inside. Below the screen, there was a cabinet.

Right next to the cabinet, a person was crouching. He had his back to the rescue squad and mechanically, hoarsely said, "...Can anyone hear me... trapped... requesting support, coordinates as follows..."

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