The whole nation: You're put to survive on a desolate planet, you'll be running an alien b

The rain poured down, the dense raindrops pounding furiously against the tin roof of the old factory building, creating a jarring roar. This temporary safe house, nestled deep within an abandoned industrial park on the outskirts of the city, was like a lone boat tossed about in a raging sea, surrounded by boundless darkness and clamor.

"Press here! Hemostat! Quick!"

In the dim emergency light, Qin Yue's voice trembled noticeably, yet it carried an undeniable resolve. Her hands were covered in blood, and the front of her surgical gown was already soaked in crimson—Liu Hu's blood.

The room reeked of blood and the acrid smell of alcohol. Liu Hu lay on a makeshift wooden table, his face as pale as a sheet of paper, his chest rising and falling so faintly it was almost imperceptible. A huge claw had pierced through his left shoulder; the wound was gruesome, the flesh torn open, deep enough to expose the bone. Without immediate treatment, hemorrhagic shock would soon claim the strong man's life.

Li Haotian stood to the side, clutching a towel tightly in his hand, wiping the fine beads of sweat from Qin Yue's forehead. His eyes were terrifyingly gloomy, fixed on the horrific wound on Liu Hu's chest, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force of his grip. Xiao Hei huddled in the shadows of the corner, its golden pupils narrowed to slits, watching the doorway warily, occasionally letting out a few uneasy low growls.

"Blood pressure is dropping... Damn it, a blood vessel ruptured!" Qin Yue gritted her teeth, her hands moving without the slightest hesitation as she swiftly probed deep into the wound with tweezers, searching for the severed blood vessel. Every movement she made was like dancing on the edge of a cliff; the slightest misstep would send Liu Hu plummeting into the abyss.

Time seemed to stretch out infinitely at this moment. Every passing second felt heavy and suffocating.

Finally, with a soft "click," the last hemostat clamped the ruptured blood vessel. The gushing blood finally stopped, and the dark red liquid slowly congealed at the wound.

Qin Yue let out a long breath, her whole body slumped against the wall as if her spine had been removed, panting heavily. She took off her blood-stained gloves, her hands still trembling slightly uncontrollably.

"His life is saved." She looked up at Li Haotian, whose nerves were still taut, and forced a weak smile. "But he has damaged nerves and lost too much blood. He needs to rest in bed for at least half a month. During this half month, he absolutely cannot have any more surgeries."

Li Haotian's tense shoulders finally relaxed slightly. He walked to the wooden table, looked at his brother who was usually full of energy but was now as quiet as a dead man, gently patted Liu Hu's intact right shoulder, and said in a low voice, "Good job, Hu Zi. Get a good night's sleep, leave the rest to me."

After covering Liu Hu with a blanket, Li Haotian turned and walked to the window, gazing out at the rainy night through the dusty glass. The rain washed over the ground, but couldn't wash away the nauseating, decaying stench in the air. The scenes underground—the enormous eyeballs, the writhing, fleshy machines, and Lin Mo's eerie gaze—were branded into his mind, indelible.

"Who is that?"

A sudden sound broke the deathly silence in the room.

Li Haotian whirled around, his hand instinctively reaching for the gun handle at his waist. In the corner, Lin Mo sat on a tattered cardboard box, a damp cloth in his hand, expressionlessly wiping the black bloodstains from his clothes. His movements were mechanical and slow, as if the bloodstains didn't belong to him, or as if he didn't even know what fear was.

When Lin Mo escaped from underground, he was unusually calm. He was so calm that he didn't seem like a human being; he was more like a machine executing a program.

"Lin Mo, are you alright?" Su Wan sat in front of another laptop, her fingers flying across the keyboard. She asked without turning her head when she heard the noise. Her voice was tired, and there was an undisguised anxiety in it.

"I'm fine," Lin Mo replied calmly, without even looking up. "I was just wondering why we stopped chasing those things."

Li Haotian stared at Lin Mo for a few seconds, then slowly released his grip on the gun. Now was not the time for infighting. He walked behind Su Wan, looked at the rapidly flowing data stream on the screen, and asked in a deep voice, "How's the situation? Any activity from Dragon Shield?"

Su Wan's fingers, which were typing on the keyboard, suddenly stopped. On the screen, a red warning box was flashing wildly, the blinding light reflecting on her pale, bloodless face.

"The situation... is terrible." Su Wan's voice was extremely dry. She swallowed hard, slowly turned her swivel chair around to face everyone, "It's a hundred times worse than we expected."

"Speak," Li Haotian uttered only one word, his tone as cold as ice.

"The underground tremors and collapses have attracted official attention. Ten minutes ago, the top brass of Dragon Shield held an emergency meeting." Su Wan took a deep breath and turned her laptop towards Li Haotian. The screen displayed a newly issued red notice, featuring photos of several of them. Below Li Haotian's photo, four large characters were highlighted in bold:

[Extremely dangerous].

"They've labeled the previous bombings, and tonight's underground tremors, all as 'terrorist attacks.'" Su Wan's voice carried a hint of unbelievable absurdity. "The wanted poster says we're an extremist terrorist organization called 'Mirror,' intending to sabotage the city's underground infrastructure and create social panic."

"Ha." Li Haotian let out a short, piercing laugh, a violent killing intent flashing in his eyes. "Terrorists? While we were risking our lives down there, these high and mighty men were probably drinking coffee, right? They had no idea what was buried underground, and to cover up the truth, they actually pinned the blame on us."

"What's worse is..." Su Wan continued, swiping her finger across the action plan at the bottom of the screen, "Dragon Shield has mobilized the 'Ghost' special operations team to conduct a city-wide manhunt. All exits from the city have been blocked, and even thermal imaging drones have been deployed. Li Haotian, we are not only being hunted by a mysterious organization, but also facing the strangulation of the entire national machinery."

The air inside the room seemed to freeze instantly.

Qin Yue leaned against the wall, her brows furrowed; Lin Mo in the corner continued to slowly wipe his clothes, as if none of this concerned him; and Liu Hu, who was unconscious, let out a faint murmur in his sleep.

Beset by internal and external troubles, surrounded by enemies on all sides.

Just then, a sharp, piercing siren pierced through the rain, growing louder as it approached, echoing mournfully at the edge of the quiet industrial park. The red and blue beams of the siren's lights shone through the cracks in the windows, casting flickering shadows on the ceiling.

"They're here." Su Wan closed her laptop, her face pale. "The search in this area is going much faster than expected."

Li Haotian walked to the window and looked out through the gap in the curtains. Two police cars were slowly driving into the main road of the industrial park, their searchlights piercing the rain like swords, scanning the abandoned factory buildings on both sides. And in the distant night sky, the faint buzzing sound of propellers cutting through the air could be heard—it was a drone.

"Looks like we can't stay here any longer." Li Haotian turned around, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the room. Qin Yue was exhausted, Liu Hu was critically injured and on the verge of death, Su Wan was on edge, and Lin Mo... remained a mystery.

If they try to break through with Liu Hu, the severely wounded Liu Hu will undoubtedly die in a firefight. If they stay here and wait for the police to search, they'll be trapped like fish in a barrel.

dilemma.

"Li Haotian, what should we do?" Qin Yue struggled to stand up straight. Although she was weak, her eyes were firm. "As long as there is a glimmer of hope, we cannot sit and wait to die."

Li Haotian did not answer immediately. He walked to the table, picked up the pistol that had been reloaded countless times that night, checked the last bullet, and then cocked it with a "click".

The cool metallic touch cooled his feverish brain a little.

The events of the past few days flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern. From the ghost market in the antique street to the bronze mirror deep underground, and now to being wanted by the entire city. They had been on the run, always hiding, eking out a living like rats in dark corners. But what was the result?

Retreat will not bring peace, and hiding will not bring survival. The enemy will not let you go just because you are weak; on the contrary, they will devour you with even greater ferocity.

"Qin Yue, you take Su Wan and Xiao Hei and protect Liu Hu. Escape through the sewer at the back door," Li Haotian suddenly said, his voice so calm it was chilling.

"And what about you?" Qin Yue suddenly looked up, as if realizing something. "What are you going to do?"

A sinister smile curled at the corner of Li Haotian's lips, a smile devoid of any warmth, only a chilling madness. He pointed to the approaching police lights outside the window, then to the burning rage within his chest.

"Since they call me a terrorist, and since they're trying to drive me to the brink, I might as well live up to that reputation."

He grabbed the black tactical vest from the table, pulled it tightly over his body, and fastened the buckle.

"Those idiots in the government have been blinded by this mysterious person and want to use us as scapegoats. Well, I'll show them what real terror is."

Li Haotian walked to the door and placed his hand on the doorknob. The wind of the rainy night blew in through the crack in the door, ruffling his hair, but it couldn't dispel the chilling, knife-like murderous aura emanating from him.

"I'll draw their attention and make this fire burn even brighter." Li Haotian turned back to look at everyone one last time, his gaze lingering on Lin Mo for a moment, then he took a deep breath. "In this chaotic world, if you want to survive, you can no longer think about hiding."

"We need to take the initiative."

"Bang!"

The heavy iron gate was kicked open, and Li Haotian, like a lone wolf hunting its prey, charged headlong into the night, amidst the raging wind and rain and the sirens of police cars. Behind him, lightning flashed across the darkness, illuminating his resolute figure and the madness of the night that was about to descend upon him.