I'm on the Ark, and I start out as Gretchen.

Meanwhile, in another block of the slum—

"Hey, Miss Phyllis, don't run so fast!"

An Suo, who was being dragged along by Pado at a frantic pace, couldn't help but let out a series of "wailing" sounds.

As for why the two, who were just in the restaurant, suddenly acted so hastily, we have to go back to when they were discussing those guys who were causing trouble.

Although Pado didn't get a definite answer from Ansuo about whether they had any mineral bombs, and she wasn't sure if the trio had left the slums, a subtle premonition still prompted her to take action.

The goal of this trip was to find out the neighborhood where those guys were most active...

By the way, Miss Purple Rabbit was initially very reluctant to lead the way, but she couldn't resist someone's money and "authority".

P.S.: This one has over 2600 views. I originally wanted to write one with 3000 views, but I just couldn't keep going. No charge for under 1000 views, damn it. I'm not fully recovered today, so only one update for now.

Chapter 32 Crisis and Imminent Loss? (A long chapter of over 4000 words)

Although time treats everyone equally, it occasionally shows favoritism to those who are less fortunate.

The man bared his fangs.

The cemetery in the Black Street is not in the usual form of tombstones or burial plots. The gangs that are all over the Lungmen slums will not treat traitors so well.

Most of those gang traitors were buried in the walls or foundations of unfinished buildings. Hoshiguma watched as the underworld was built up step by step.

That's why, being so familiar with this place, she also knows one of its "characteristics".

Whether due to its unique location or some other reason, when the wind blows through the unfinished buildings in the dark street, the sound it makes is always like a vengeful ghost demanding death, sending chills down one's spine. This phenomenon gradually came to be known among the people as the mournful cry of the traitors buried here.

For this reason, gang members generally avoid coming unless there's a specific reason, fearing they might be tainted by bad luck. Ordinary people are also unaccustomed to or hesitant to come, as the environment and atmosphere here always seem somewhat eerie.

So as time went by, the dark street gradually became uninhabited and unguarded.

Knowing this, Hoshiguma brought two of her friends and colleagues with her this time. This was the perfect spot, simply to test the people following behind.

Unfortunately, arriving at this deserted place not only failed to lure anyone out, but also made Hoshiguma, the slum know-it-all, re-evaluate this place that should have been deserted.

……

'We've been attacked!'

In just a moment, Hoshiguma and Chen realized this.

The sound of the wind would mask the whistling of crossbows, and the whistling wind would always be mixed with the smell of coal ash from the nearby incinerator. These smells would cause some races to lose their powerful sense of smell.

What's even more troublesome is that the Black Street only has an entrance and an exit.

If anyone were to attempt to jump from the edge of the ruins, the illegal structures would give even the most daring individuals a taste of the malice of the slums.

"Raise your shield!"

As a dragon, Chen sensed the hidden arrows in the ruins and patted Hoshiguma, forcibly turning her to the defensive side. Then, with a graceful turn, she used the scabbard of the Crimson Sky sword to deflect the incoming crossbow bolts.

Even though these crossbow bolts were deflected, the remaining force still penetrated two centimeters into the earthen wall.

Moments later, it became clear that Chen's judgment was absolutely correct. In just that short time, Hoshiguma's shield had blocked at least four crossbow bolts. If it weren't for the fact that the 'Hannya' shield was far superior to other shields, Swire, who was hiding next to her, would probably have died on the spot.

While carefully protecting those around her from treacherous attacks, Hoshiguma's battlefield instincts as a senior inspector also allowed her to quickly detect unfavorable situations.

There were almost no safe shelters on site, and the three of them still hadn't figured out where the crossbow bolts came from.

"Old Chen, build a bunker."

As soon as he finished speaking, Hoshiguma held a shield in one hand for protection and pulled Swire with the other, running towards the wall. During this process, when enemies tried to shoot them in the calves with crossbows, the little tiger wielding a chain mace successfully blocked the shots.

As the two were moving, Chen also quickly sprang into action.

Taking advantage of a lull in the enemy's firing, she drew her sword and slashed at the wooden scaffolding of an unfinished building. The sharp Chixiao sword cleaved the main pole, which was as big as a bowl, in a single instant. The perfect force caused the massive scaffolding to fall towards the three of them, and then it was used as a makeshift cover at a corner of the Black Street.

In this way, Chen Shengsheng created a makeshift shelter in the open space, using the walls and collapsed scaffolding as cover. Then, taking advantage of the moment when everyone's attention was drawn to the collapsing scaffolding, she quickly jumped behind the shelter.

Behind the bunker—

After catching their breath, Chen and Hoshiguma exchanged a glance before turning their gazes to Swire.

"As an expert in on-site police dispatch, Swire, do you have any ideas?" Chen quickly summarized the situation and asked Swire first.

In terms of combat, she no longer counted on Char Siu Cat. Come on, the appearance of these strange weapons was more threatening than their combat power.

Given the characteristics of that chain hammer, Chen Ke didn't expect her to play any role in this kind of escape battle.

"You idiot, I can see through your rude look. You can just say it." Swire said somewhat irritably after noticing the way someone was looking at her.

As she spoke, her head was inadvertently exposed outside the cover. Then, in the next instant, a crossbow bolt shot straight towards her head amidst a whistling sound.

Realizing this, Chen and Hoshiguma quickly pushed Swire back into cover, narrowly avoiding the crossbow bolt.

Looking at the arrow, which was so close to him, stuck in the wooden pole, its fletching still trembling, Hoshiguma couldn't help but frown slightly before examining it carefully.

After seeing the arrowhead clearly, she couldn't help but shrink her pupils in surprise, and then cursed, "Lungmen swear words, Originium arrowhead, the emergency operation code needs to add a new rule."

Upon hearing Hoshiguma's words, the two people beside her were initially startled, but they quickly forced themselves to calm down and continued doing what they were supposed to do.

After a moment, Swire observed the terrain carefully and then immediately shared her conclusions with the two people beside her:

"The area is gourd-shaped; we're on the front street, with a narrow passage in the middle that only allows two people to pass at a time, so we can exit from the back street."

open."

"The crossbow bolts came in from the entrance, so it must be blocked. We can't go straight down the narrow path from here. We'll make a way from the side. Hoshiguma, I'll leave the support and clearing the way to you."

Hoshiguma nodded knowingly after hearing Swire's instructions.

As a member of the special inspection team, she knew very well that there was no need for too much questioning during this period of coordination and cooperation; it was time to let her brain rest.

Not only Hoshiguma, but Chen also, in a sense, enjoyed working with Swire, provided they didn't argue.

The reason is that when faced with problems or crises, Swire can always analyze the situation at lightning speed and plan what needs to be done next, leaving others to simply execute and fix the problems.

Even Chen had to admit Swire's outstanding abilities in terms of analysis, planning, and command.

"Finally, you know how to play baseball, right, Buddy Dragon?" Swire said, while searching through the debris on the wall for a few stones that were roughly the same shape and form.

Upon hearing this and observing her behavior, Chen immediately understood what she meant.

"So……"

Swire wore a confident smile and raised his index, middle, and ring fingers to signal to Hoshiguma and Chen.

Third, Swire lowered his index finger. Chen and Hoshiguma were mentally calculating the shortest path.

Second, Swire lowered his middle finger, and Chen and Hoshiguma began to calculate the location where the crossbow bolt had been fired to increase the probability of defense and support.

First, Swire lowered all her fingers, her raised hand like a signal flare in a race against death. The next instant, the two leaped out of cover, then quickly separated, forcing the attacker to choose his target.

Chen's figure was like a blue lightning bolt, while Hoshiguma's movements were like a green torrent.

The crossbowmen unanimously chose to attack in a dispersed manner, but Chen had already calculated their attack angles. With a slight turn of his body, Chen Yilong's physique allowed him to perform a move that was difficult for ordinary people to achieve, narrowly avoiding the arrows.

In contrast, Hoshiguma's thick shield is her best cover, and she can always block any crossbow bolts.

Swire, who had been hiding behind cover, quickly moved out of cover and joined Hoshiguma after hearing the sound of her shield being hit.

After seeing Chen narrowly avoid the crossbow bolts again, she quickly threw the stone in her hand at him and shouted, "Chen, strike!"

Chi Xiao raised an eyebrow, and a thin line cleaved the stone. Chen did not intend to cut the stone, so she used the back of the knife.

After receiving the force, the stone hurtled towards the marked location almost like a bullet. As it struck the unfinished building, the exaggerated force shattered a corner of the window and sent the stone flying into the room.

Chen couldn't be sure if the enemy was dead, but at least this move had eliminated one of their firing positions.

Finding their operation effective, Swire and Chen continued to use the same tactic, drawing the enemy's attack before knocking down the crossbow firing positions as if they were playing baseball.

This action deterred the enemy from launching another surprise attack; the exaggerated swordplay instilled fear in them, as if they had kicked a hornet's nest. While they hesitated, the three had already sprinted to the end of the main street.

"Go through the windows of unfinished buildings; the chances of someone getting trapped in that 'gourd-shaped' opening are extremely high," Swire shouted immediately, worried that the two might have other ideas.

Without any hesitation, Hoshiguma and Chen chose to believe her. The three of them jumped into the unfinished building, intending to enter the backstreet from there and quickly leave this place of trouble.

Unfortunately, the inspectors in this investigation seemed to have bad luck; they stumbled into another terrible place.

"..."

Inside the unfinished building without partitions, more than twenty people stared at the three people who had suddenly barged in.

They haven't received the message yet; should they take action? Of course, they may never receive it.

Because they had kicked a hornet's nest, the argument had completely disrupted the command system. The higher-ups behind the scenes did not intend to make enemies of Lungmen's Royal Guard; the superior martial arts they had just witnessed made them realize that if they were left here, the Royal Guard would inflict the most cruel experience upon them.

But the boss stubbornly believed that since they had already become enemies, it would be better to leave the person there permanently rather than kicking them out.

Whether they are kidnapped or killed, once they leave, death will be the same for them.

The dilemmas at the top have no effect on those at the bottom; the stagnation on both sides lasts only a moment.

"Damn it, get these cops out of here!" A junior leader charged at the three men, wielding an axe that gleamed with a mysterious luster.

"???"

The three of them were momentarily stunned as they watched a group of guys charging toward them with broken weapons modified from Originium and Ore.

But they quickly realized what was happening and made adjustments, the three of them turning around in unison.

In such a confined space, close combat and fighting in shifts are a clear disadvantage for the side with fewer people. Moreover, if they are cut by the weapons they are carrying, infection will be their only option.

Therefore, both logically and emotionally, the three of them decisively chose to run away.

With a running start, Hoshiguma used Hannya to smash a hole in the unfinished wall, and the three of them immediately jumped through the hole.

They filed out.

The three of them trudged through the narrow alley connecting the front and back streets... and just as they were about to quickly cross the alley, the intersection was blocked by people.

More than thirty people were waiting at the intersection of the back street, eyeing the three of them menacingly.

Not only that, but even more people ran out of the hole and attacked them—

The tranquility of the Black Street was completely shattered by the clamor of voices. Hoshiguma really couldn't figure out where all these people came from. She even suspected that someone had turned this place into a base without her knowledge.

But now is not the time to figure these things out—

Hoshiguma and Chen stood side by side and began to break through the vast crowd. Fortunately, it was a narrow alley, so their contact with the enemy was not large.

With Chixiao and Banruo flying about, the thugs were no match for them. Their weapons always accurately struck down those who tried to attack.

If any are missed, Swire's chain hammer will teach them what a hammer is...

The group attacking them was dwindling at a visible rate. Even though some of them started handling their crossbows again, they couldn't avoid hitting their own comrades in close combat.