If I made you a special forces soldier, would you become a terrestrial god?

As night fell, the hustle and bustle of H County's urban area was gradually quelled by the intense rescue efforts of the Kunlun warriors, and order spread across the ruins like ripples on water. But beneath this surface, deep within the core earthquake zone, an underground shelter that had once been hoped for remained tightly sealed off by endless darkness and despair, as if swallowed by the earth and isolated from the world.

Su Chen led Gao Dazhuang, Lei Kaihua, Liang Sanxi, and twenty elite Kunlun warriors, swift as arrows cutting through the air, traversing the layers of ruins. Their steps were silent, their movements as swift as the wind, avoiding all unnecessary obstacles, and they reached the coordinates of the refuge.

"Commander, this is it." Liang Sanxi pointed upwards to a mountain hollow completely covered by boulders and soil, its original shape almost unrecognizable.

Su Chen closed his eyes for a moment, his divine sense surging forth like a tidal wave, piercing through layers of rock and soil. This time, his perception far surpassed his previous abilities, no longer merely detecting a vague life force. He "saw" the main structure of the shelter, constructed of thick reinforced concrete, miraculously intact after the massive earthquake—a stroke of luck amidst misfortune. He could even discern the faint airflow circulating within and the area where supplies were stored. However, the only entrance and exit were completely blocked by boulders and tens of meters of mud brought by a landslide. Inside the shelter, oxygen gradually thinned, and panic spread like a plague. Even with water and food to sustain them, the mental pressure had already reached the brink of collapse.

"Gao Dazhuang, Lei Kaihua." Su Chen's eyes were focused as he pointed to the largest boulder above the shelter. "The two of you work together to clear this stubborn rock. Be steady and precise. When releasing your internal energy, make sure the vibrations don't spread and absolutely do not damage the shelter's internal structure."

"Understood!" Gao Dazhuang and Lei Kaihua responded and accepted the order. The two stood side by side, not exerting their strength rashly. They took a deep breath, pushed forward with both palms, and gathered their inner strength. The powerful energy did not bombard directly, but rather, like two torrents, silently seeped into the interior of the boulder from different directions.

"Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill!" Gao Dazhuang shouted in a low voice.

"Cloud-Dispelling Palm!" Lei Kaihua followed closely behind.

Two internal forces intertwined and swirled within the core of the boulder, not in an explosive burst, but rather like invisible hands, slowly and steadily dismantling the rock's molecular structure from the inside out. A deep hum emanated from the depths of the boulder, which began to tremble violently, yet its surface maintained an eerie calm. Internal fragments began to peel away, but guided precisely by the internal forces, they sank evenly along the boulder's perimeter, rather than scattering in all directions. The Kunlun warriors, witnessing this, held their breath; such exquisite control over power was truly breathtaking.

"Liang Sanxi, take some men and clear away the mud and rubble above," Su Chen instructed.

"Yes!" Liang Sanxi led his team, wielding specially made alloy shovels with ease. They did not rely entirely on brute force, but rather used the skillful techniques of the "Great Shift of Heaven and Earth" to gently push the scattered soil and rocks to both sides like quicksand, with extremely high efficiency.

Su Chen walked to the most direct entrance to the shelter. Here, layers of rock and soil, tens of meters thick, formed a near-insurmountable barrier. He took a deep breath, slowly extended his palms, and a dark blue halo condensed in his palms, emanating a chilling aura.

"Mystic Ice Palm!"

Blue light pierced through the rock strata, and visible frost rapidly spread from within the rock. The hard rock became brittle under the erosion of the frigid air. Su Chen withdrew his palm, then suddenly unleashed a powerful punch!

"boom!"

A deafening thud resounded. The frozen rock layer shattered instantly, sending shards of ice and rock flying like a torrential downpour. But a protective shield of true energy, barely perceptible to the naked eye, had already deployed in front of Su Chen, blocking all the flying debris, leaving the surrounding warriors unharmed. A narrow opening, barely wide enough for one person to pass through, was revealed. But this was not a passage; inside, there was still thick mud and scattered rocks.

"Keep digging at the same speed, clear a passage, but leave the last layer of soil to me," Su Chen ordered in a deep voice.

"yes!"

Twenty elite warriors, like the most experienced miners, immediately began digging. Their hands, tempered by the "Undying Golden Body Technique," were harder than steel, their fingertips like chisels. They broke through the earth and moved rocks with their bare hands, their movements swift and precise, more efficient than any heavy machinery.

Time ticked by. In the underground tunnel, only the soldiers' even, heavy breathing and the soft rustling of dirt and gravel could be heard, as if the whole world consisted only of this monotonous rescue rhythm.

Deep within the shelter, the trapped people's mental defenses were crumbling. Food and water were dwindling, and more deadly was the thin air, making every breath difficult. The fear of being completely forgotten and cut off from the outside world was the final straw that broke them.

"Daddy, are we really... going to die here?" A little girl, only four or five years old, asked weakly, clinging tightly to her father's arms.

The father hugged his daughter tightly, his eyes bloodshot and his throat dry, unable to utter a single word. He looked up at the ceiling, where there was only a cold concrete ceiling; hope seemed to have completely withered away.

Just then, a few soft, rhythmic tapping sounds came from above.

The sudden sound startled everyone in the shelter, their eyes filled with utter disbelief. Though faint, the sound was clear, possessing a penetrating power that transcended physical limitations, striking directly at the heartstrings of each person.

"There's someone outside! There's someone outside!" a voice cried out, trembling with sobs, yet filled with unbelievable ecstasy.

The long-suppressed fear and despair were instantly torn open by those few knocks, creating a narrow crack. A glimmer of light, a sliver of hope for survival, seeped in along the path of the sound, igniting the long-dormant will to live.

Su Chen sensed the sudden shift in the emotions of the people inside the shelter. He knew the time had come, and he had seized this opportunity to ignite hope perfectly.

He signaled all the soldiers to retreat, then gathered his inner strength again and unleashed a powerful punch at the last thin layer at the end of the passage!

"Boom!"

A truly deafening roar erupted. This time, it was an outpouring of power, not a collapse of restraint. The entire underground space trembled; the soil and rock remnants overhead, as if struck by an invisible giant hammer, instantly turned to dust and exploded. A fist-sized opening suddenly appeared on the roof of the shelter with a resolute gesture.

In that instant, the sunlight, that long-lost ray of light representing life and hope, pierced through the opening and poured down without hesitation!

The sunlight shone directly into the shelter, landing squarely on the blank face of the little girl. Her eyelashes were clearly visible in the beam. She froze, her previously unfocused pupils slowly refocusing under the sunlight, reflecting a golden glimmer of hope. The father, tears welling in his eyes, hugged his daughter tightly, murmuring words of gratitude for life and a testament to the miracle.

Above the cave entrance, Su Chen's figure stood tall and imposing amidst the dust and shadows. His mission had only just begun. He would lead his warriors to carve open this door to life, allowing all those trapped to see the light of day again.