death of hope

Chapter 1067 "Psionic Storm" (140) Closely Following

"Huff... huff..."

No... I can't run anymore...

Ryan Elsson gasped for breath, his legs felt like lead, his gums tasted blood, and he slowly leaned against the wall, bending down to lie face down.

"stand up!"

The corporate soldier glared at him angrily, disregarding the other party's "VIP" status, and smashed a rifle butt into his face:
"My lungs... are going to explode..."

Ryan mumbled weakly, "Can't I...can I just rest for a bit...?"

"I hate you bunch of bookworms the most. You never exercise, and you always mess things up when it matters. If you want to live, get up! Those tentacles could catch up to you at any moment!"

The corporate warrior kicked several times, but it was to no avail.
Dr. Ryan Elson lay sprawled on the ground like a dead dog, complaining, "What the hell are you doing! Just carry me!"

The corporate warrior was so angry he wanted to shoot the other guy: "To protect you, you piece of trash, I got stabbed by those tentacles and am covered in blood! I don't have the strength to carry you!"

“Hey, Mitchell, if you ask me…” another Corporate Warrior hesitated before offering a suggestion:

"Let's just abandon this piece of trash. That monster definitely has a grudge against him; he's chasing after us like crazy..."

“That won’t do. Although I’m annoyed with him too… the patriarch specifically asked for this grandson, and the eldest sister also ordered us to escort him out.”

"I'll say something I shouldn't... going one-on-one with that kind of monster... our boss... might already be dead..."

·
Just then, Higashiyama Ruriko's clear, sharp curse came through the communicator: "You damn bastard! Who dared to say I'm dead?!"

"Hold on? Boss?!"

The two corporate soldiers immediately perked up, grabbing the communicator as if it were a lifeline;
"Could it be... that you killed that thing?"

"Hehe..." Higashiyama Ruriko gave a wry smile:
"I'm the captain, not Superman. That thing is as stubborn as a piece of chewing gum; the damage I do to it doesn't even last as long as it heals on its own."
You can't kill them, you can't escape them. Even I can only fight and retreat, giving you some time to run away.

Hey, how's it going over there? Did you complete the mission?

"Uh... how should I put it..."

The corporate soldier stammered, "That kid Li Ang is as slippery as an eel...he kept turning and twisting...and disappeared somewhere with Zero."

The good news is that Dr. Lane is alive! That's the only good news... uh... but the brothers... were all killed by the pursuing tentacles, leaving only Robert and me still breathing, and we're both injured...

The passage to the elevator is blocked by tentacles; we can't escape…

"A bunch of good-for-nothings!"

While berating her subordinates, Higashiyama Ruriko marked points on the electronic map:

"Hurry! Gather at the location I marked!"

"Yes... it's the boss..."

·
The group met up, looked at each other in dismay, their previously imposing demeanor completely gone, and they all looked disheveled.

Ruriko Higashiyama's tactical greatsword was riddled with nicks, her body was covered in monster slime and emitted a foul stench, and her beautiful face looked somewhat ferocious. Two corporate warriors were also covered in wounds and carried the exhausted Ryan.

Ruriko Higashiyama frowned, staring at the wide-open cage, the handcuffs, shackles, and restraints lying on the ground, and the naked corpses of corporate warriors scattered haphazardly in the corridor.

"That kid Leon released the psionicist and took the weapons and equipment... wait, how did he unlock the cage?"

"It was his accomplice, that cybersecurity engineer, Tomino Yuki. He worked right next to the server; implanting a Trojan virus would be a piece of cake for him." "Fortunately, that engineer was killed, and that kid Li Ang and his group of old, weak, and disabled people couldn't have gone far."

"Strange...where did those tentacles go? The monster itself is also nowhere to be seen; it was clearly chasing us relentlessly before..."

"Listen, there are gunshots over there!"

"Chase!"

Higashiyama Ruriko, exuding murderous intent, wielded a tactical greatsword and raced wildly through the stairwell strewn with corpses.

Two wounded corporate warriors struggled to keep up with Dr. Ryan, groaning in exhaustion.

·
The group arrived at the hub hall, where traces of a fierce battle were everywhere;

The walls and pillars were riddled with bullet holes, the stainless steel railings bore scorch marks from energy weapons, the ceiling rippled with psionic energy attacks, and the floor was littered with brass shell casings and battery magazines, along with a large pool of sticky, greenish monster blood.

More than a dozen psionicists wearing hospital gowns were killed by the monster. Some were strangled by tentacles, some were pierced by bone spikes, and some were crushed into meat patties by the monster's main body.

Red human blood and monster slime mingled into a disgusting puddle, covered with numerous clear shoe prints pointing towards the elevator.

"I underestimated that kid Li Ang. He actually managed to lead a group of old, weak, sick and disabled people out of the fray."

As she spoke, Higashiyama Ruriko thrust her sword into the crack of the elevator door, pried it open forcefully, and stuck her head inside to look up:

"So that's how it is. It was Li Ang's accomplice, that electrician Hideaki Anno, who was up to no good. He tampered with the elevator shaft and left a back door on the control panel. Our reinforcements couldn't get down, but they could get up."

"Good thing we're going up there!" the corporate soldier laughed. "We'll catch you red-handed by our main force!"

"I hope so..." Higashiyama Ruriko looked around anxiously: "Where did the monster go?"

The corporate warrior glanced at Ryan, trying to scare him, and chuckled mischievously, saying, "Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. That thing won't rest until its grudge is settled."

·
Ryan Elsson, who was lying on the ground, was startled by these words and started trembling. He knew he had done something wrong and was afraid of retribution.

He, who had never believed in gods or Buddhas, now clasped his hands together and prayed devoutly: "Buddha... Guanyin... Jesus... Lady Pearl, please bless me..."

Teacher Qiao… You are a teacher for a day, a father for life… You are so magnanimous… Please forgive this unfilial son of yours…

"Go to heaven and rest in peace... spare my life... stop your supernatural powers, okay..."

Another corporate soldier followed the remains and discovered a large hole behind a pillar:

"Hey! Come over here right now!"

Higashiyama Ruriko ran over;
"Give me!"

Taking the tactical flashlight and looking up, I found clear claw marks on the reinforced concrete structure. A channel had been dug out of the sandstone layer, leaving a sticky trail like a snail.

The corporate warrior exclaimed, "Holy crap... this is outrageous... a biological tunnel boring machine, is it...?"

Liulizi narrowed her eyes: "What can't be killed is only made stronger. Although our army has a large number of people, we may not be its match."

"What do we do, boss?"

Ruriko Higashiyama walked towards the empty elevator and gave the order:

"Mitchell, you stay underground and take care of Dr. Lane."

"Robert, come with me up the steel cable. It doesn't matter if the monster lives or dies; we have to get Zero back!"