The night before the promotion

Chapter 66 Coral Colony

On the eve of Typhoon Lin, the sea water on the shore became extremely agitated, with surging waves, hitting the shore again and again, making bursts of roars. The sky was covered by heavy clouds. It was clearly daytime, but it was as gloomy as if the night had fallen early and it was all gray.

Zhou Si stood on a high place, overlooking the wildly growing alleys. The staggered and stacked high and low houses looked like clusters of fungi growing on this abandoned old port.

"It's so cold."

Zhou Si tightened his collar. The cold wind blew in from the sea, bringing with it a bone-chilling chill, making a whistling sound.

There was an extremely oppressive atmosphere in the air, as if the whole world was holding its breath, waiting for the inevitable storm.

I don't know when the drizzle started to fall. At first it was just a gentle breeze, but soon it became dense and endless. The rain was fine and intertwined into a hazy curtain, shrouding everything in sight in a blur.

As Zhou Si recalled, the last time he came to Hidden Alley, it seemed to be covered in rain. Now that he has returned, nothing has changed, as if Zhou Si had never left.

The rain hit the ground, making a pattering sound. Li Weiyun and the scout incarnation followed, and together with Zhou Si, they walked down the rusty long ladder.

Walking into the hidden alley, many figures are walking through the narrow streets, as crowded as a canal blocked by mud.

"Why are there so many people?" Zhou Si noticed something strange.

"Due to the typhoon Linjiang," Li Weiyun explained, "in order to avoid the typhoon, the ships near the coast came ashore one after another and were trapped in the Anyan Port. They should be the crew members who stayed here."

Zhou Si observed the crowd carefully. They came from all over the world. Some spoke dialects that Zhou Si could not understand, and some had skin colors that were completely different from theirs.

"Let's go, go directly to Green Source for recycling."

Zhou Si turned into the alley and walked along the narrow road.

After turning around many times, Zhou Si and others came to the familiar alley. Unlike the crowded outside world, here, just like before, there were only a few people walking, and the shops on the street were also empty, with not many customers.

These shops are doing pretty good business, just like Madam Cui’s Dream Pond. This is just an external disguise; their real livelihood is hidden in the shadows deep within the Old Port.

Zhou Si and Li Weiyu walked into the Green Source Recycling shop. The scout incarnation stayed outside for a moment, and its visual system scanned the entire street. After confirming that there was no threat, it followed them into the room.

"Hey, friend, here I come again."

Zhou Si greeted the man behind the counter, hoping that he would not hold a grudge against him for his last violent act.

The man was wearing a knitted hat and his face was wrapped in circles of bandages, with only his two eyes exposed, like a mummy that had just been unearthed.

Seeing this scene, Zhou Si suddenly felt a little embarrassed. He remembered that he only broke the man's nose and the injury should not be so serious.

Zhou Si asked, "We want to see Madam Cui. Shouldn't we have to negotiate this time?"

The man looked at Zhou Si, then at Li Weiyu and the scout incarnation behind them.

Suddenly, the scout incarnation grabbed Zhou Si's shoulder and pulled him back, while Song Qiliang's voice sounded in their headphones.

"This guy is not human!"

The scout avatar scanned the man and found that the thermal map on the man's body did not match human characteristics at all.

Just as the scout incarnation took action, the man suddenly stood up, took out a pistol from his arms, and shot at Zhou Si.

The deafening gunshot and the sound of metal overlapped together. The scout incarnation stood in front of Zhou Si and blocked the bullet with his outstanding metal armor.

Then the scout incarnation quickly swung his arms, and the heavy metal arms, combined with the high power output, completely smashed the man's head with just one blow.

The knitted hat was knocked off, revealing a twisted mechanical head and flying metal fragments.

The sound of high-speed motors rang out above their heads. Zhou Si looked up and saw that the humanoid avatars hanging on the ceiling had already opened their eyes. Like bats upside down in a cave, countless eyes were staring at Zhou Si.

"This is a trap!" Song Qiliang shouted, "Get out of here!"

Before he finished speaking, the humanoid avatars fell down and landed heavily on the ground. Some of them had cracked arms and sharp blades popped out, while others picked up guns from somewhere and had already aimed their crosshairs at Zhou Si and the others.

The scout incarnation stepped forward, tore off the raincoat covering his body, and picked up the electromagnetic rifle hidden underneath it. On one hand, it used as a cover to help Zhou Si and Li Weiyu block the rain of bullets, and on the other hand, it fired back.

Suddenly, gunshots rang out, like dense thunder exploding in this closed room.

Zhou Si and Li Weiyu turned around and rushed out of the store. If they were in the city, they might be able to fight an offensive and defensive battle with the enemy, but this was a hidden alley full of good and bad people, and no one knew what kind of creature would emerge from the corner.

Rushing into the alley, Zhou Si stopped and looked towards the beginning and end of the alley with a serious expression. He saw that the alley, which was slightly empty when he came here, was now filled with human-shaped avatars at the first position. They looked tattered, covered with cracks and rust, as if they were reassembled from discarded parts in a garbage dump.

"There are also Elysium spies in the investigation team," Zhou Si gritted his teeth and said, "From the beginning of the operation, we have been under the enemy's attention."

After saying that, Zhou Si released the Bt-24. It flapped its wings and disappeared in the misty drizzle.

A sudden sound was heard, and the scout incarnation rushed out of the store, its camouflage had been torn, revealing a cold metallic color.

In the instantaneous exchange of fire, the shell of the scout incarnation was pitted by the rain of bullets, but that was all; it did not suffer any substantial damage.

After taking a quick look around and understanding the situation, Song Qiliang's voice rang out.

"I'll help you buy time, quickly find a way to evacuate."

After saying that, the scout incarnation opened fire at the approaching humanoid incarnations. The bullets pierced through one humanoid incarnation after another. They staggered a few times and then fell to the ground.

But then, more incarnations crawled out from the shadows. They were no longer familiar human forms, but various distorted postures, like deformed objects made up of countless discarded parts and broken metal fragments. They gathered together to form a hideous and huge group of metal corals.

They were staggering towards the crowd.

Zhou Si nervously clenched the handle of the gun under his raincoat. The situation before him seemed even more dangerous than the night in the golden dream. "Xiang Ji, Song Qiliang," Zhou Si's voice rang out in the channel, "We have fallen into a trap, and you are also very likely to be in danger..."

"Take care of yourself first, Dr. Zhou," Xiang Ji replied quickly, "I have already driven away from the original location."

Xiang Ji was driving the RV, running wildly on the road. He seemed to be in a panic, but his movement was very purposeful. He kept wandering around the hidden alleys to avoid staying in one place for a long time and attracting the attention of the enemy.

"I have already requested support. Try your best to break through to the edge. I will find a way to support you."

Xiang Ji’s voice faded away from his ears. Zhou Si and Li Weiyu looked at each other and ran towards the other end of the alley.

Heavy and high-frequency footsteps sounded from behind, and the scout incarnation passed the two of them and rushed towards the incarnation bodies that were blocking the way like an angry bull.

The scout incarnation does not need any defense. Its solid metal material is the best shield. As it charges forward, the humanoid incarnations that are in the way are knocked away one after another, and the mechanical structure shatters to the ground.

Breaking out of the encirclement, sporadic gunfire was heard from behind.

At the moment, the only thing Zhou Si felt fortunate about was that most of these humanoid avatars were pieced together from parts, their overall strength was not high, and they did not carry many thermal weapons.

The scout incarnations blocked the narrow road, one man at a time, and the electromagnetic rifles fired continuously. One humanoid incarnation after another fell down, piling up into a mountain.

But soon, the scout incarnation ran out of bullets, and even the power of the electromagnetic rifle was in danger.

Song Qiliang had thought about having a conflict in the hidden alley, but he never imagined that he would encounter such a large-scale hunt.

Immediately, a strong sense of excitement rose from Song Qiliang's heart. He also did not expect that he would be able to control the armed incarnation to kill people so soon.

The scout incarnation jumped up nimbly and punched the humanoid incarnation in front of him through with a heavy punch. He grabbed a twisted piece of iron and swung it vigorously like a dagger, making a snapping sound.

Gradually, the scout incarnation was surrounded by more and more steel bodies. In the hazy rain and fog, Zhou Si could not see anything clearly.

However, Zhou Si was not worried about Song Qiliang's safety. The real Song Qiliang was not here, but at the edge of the hidden alley, lying comfortably in the RV, running wildly with Xiang Ji.

Zhou Si and Li Weiyu moved to an open space. Several humanoid avatars climbed onto the roof. Their movements were agile, obviously different from those pieced-together scraps. Li Weiyu fired at the roof, trying to shoot them down, but they dodged cleverly and hid in the shadows.

Zhou Si gestured, "Don't worry about them, just go."

At this moment, the entire hidden alley is no longer safe. The investigation is terminated and all the two have to do is find a way to escape.

Just as we were about to move forward, a large number of crooked incarnation shells appeared in front of us. Some of them looked like twisted tree stumps, while others looked like incomplete wreckage. The surface was covered with uneven welding marks, rust spots and exposed wires, each of which revealed the desolation and desolation of industrial waste.

The way they moved was clumsy and strange, and every step was accompanied by the sound of metal rubbing against metal and parts creaking, like a low groan from the depths of hell.

Zhou Si decisively ejected the narrow blade. The deadly shattering sword was enough to cut through the rusty metal, but Zhou Si did not do so. Instead, he turned around and rushed to another shop with Li Weiyu.

"Come with me!"

The shop owner probably noticed something was wrong with Hidden Alley today and closed the shop early, but Zhou Si didn't care. He split the door open with a sword and broke in with Li Weiyu.

There were bursts of exclamations coming from the shadows, and Zhou Si rushed out of the back door of the shop without stopping.

The architectural layout of the hidden alleys is extremely intricate, with narrow alleys and winding paths interweaving with each other like a dense network of blood vessels, with various building structures stacked on top of each other, tightly and chaotically connected together.

Because the buildings were built at different times, you can even see buildings of different ages and styles standing side by side, ranging from ancient wooden structures to modern concrete high-rises.

Without a local to lead the way, outsiders can easily get lost in this maze, not to mention facing pursuit.

Fortunately, Zhou Si is a kind-hearted doctor who has been practicing medicine in this hidden alley for many years. Even though the architectural layout here changes to a certain extent every year, their general outlines are still deeply engraved in Zhou Si's mind.

"Be careful, don't miss a step!"

While giving instructions, Zhou Si pushed open a window on the roadside. After climbing over, they found themselves on a three-story scaffolding.

The gaps between high-rise buildings and low houses are filled with various temporary structures, which are either simple stalls, crowded living spaces, or even intricate sky corridors that connect different floors to form a unique sky street.

During the day, the sun can only penetrate through sparse gaps, bringing a hint of light to this airtight building complex. In the gloom of this typhoon day, everything seems even darker, and you can't see your hand in front of you, with only the sound of dripping water.

After climbing down the scaffolding, Zhou Si turned on his mobile phone. After connecting to the signal of the Bt-24, a bird's-eye view from the sky appeared on his screen. After determining his position, Zhou Si was about to continue the action when a burst of gunfire rang out above their heads.

"Take cover!"

Li Weiyun shouted and pushed Zhou Si into the corner of the wall. Then, two humanoid avatars fell from the sky accompanied by a rain of bullets. Their pale paint looked like ghosts in the rain.

"Go away!"

Zhou Si cursed and swung out the narrow blade. After a rapid flash, the nanotubes dragged the sharp edge like a zigzag lightning, chopping the two humanoid incarnations into pieces.

Before Zhou Si could catch his breath, fierce gunfire rang out from behind the wall behind the two of them.

The bullets easily penetrated the fragile wall, weaving into deadly threads that crisscrossed and intertwined around the two people.

Zhou Si couldn't see the enemy behind the wall, but he still decisively raised his electromagnetic pistol to fight back. The fierce gun battle was gone in an instant, and in an instant, the surroundings became quiet again, with only the sound of dripping rain.

After checking his body, Zhou Si was found to have only some scratches and was not hit by any bullets. He then looked at Li Weiyu who was standing beside him. His face had turned pale and his body was leaning against the wall.

"I think... I was shot."

As Li Weiyu said this, he covered his collarbone tightly, and traces of blood flowed out from between his fingers.

(End of this chapter)