Black-clad soldiers in combat uniforms poured continuously through the breach.
In total, one squad leader and twenty-one soldiers entered, spreading out in three-man teams covering each other.
They cautiously fired at every pile of debris, toppled objects to check for hiding spots, then advanced further.
Within mere breaths, they had searched over half of the secret base no larger than two or three basketball courts combined.
"Squad leader, signs of habitation detected. Bloodstains on the floor indicate at least one other person besides Wei Jun and Li Chi."
"Squad leader! Situation here - we've found a spacesuit."
Reports kept coming through the comms channel. The mention of a spacesuit immediately raised their suspicions.
"Team 1, secure the entrance. Teams 2 and 3 maintain perimeter. Team 4 continues searching for additional exits. Teams 5 through 7, follow me to the spacesuit. If I'm not mistaken, Li Chi must be hiding inside."
Soon, nine soldiers from three teams formed a circle around the spacesuit, their black rifles raised.
The squad leader raised his arm and slashed it downward: "Fire!"
Muzzle flashes erupted as bullets instantly shredded the wooden crate to splinters. A hailstorm of metal rounds pounded against the spacesuit.
The next second, all bullets ricocheted off.
Caught off guard, several soldiers were hit by the rebounding fire.
"Cease fire!" the squad leader urgently commanded.
Gunfire ceased abruptly. The soldiers stared at their bullet-riddled vests, cold sweat beading on their foreheads.
One unfortunate soldier had taken a direct headshot and died instantly, while two others hit in the legs were receiving emergency treatment from their comrades.
Face dark with anger, the squad leader drew a pistol from his waist and approached the spacesuit.
He pressed the barrel against the dark glass visor and fired.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With each muzzle flash, the pistol was knocked from his hand.
Only a tiny white mark remained on the glass visor.
Snarling, the squad leader delivered a powerful kick to the spacesuit's midsection, sending it crashing backward onto the debris-covered floor.
"Hmph," he sneered. "Li Chi, don't think I don't know you're in there. What a pity - even wearing this strange spacesuit won't save a cripple like you."
Raising his arm, he signaled the other soldiers who began placing explosive charges around the toppled spacesuit.
The squad leader patted the dark visor mockingly: "Savor this fear."
Just then, a voice came through his earpiece: "Squad leader, we've found another exit. Dust patterns indicate someone left recently."
"No matter," the squad leader replied, pressing his earpiece. "We have people outside. He won't escape." Standing up, he ordered: "All teams withdraw. We're blowing this place."
"Sir!"
...
A few minutes earlier, Zhou Tianming hid behind a pile of debris, rapidly typing on his keyboard while keeping an eye on the entering soldiers from the corner of his vision.
Their excessive caution kept shrinking his room for maneuver, making it increasingly difficult to stay hidden.
Moreover, most of his focus was devoted to coding the OS, leaving little attention to spare. Left with no choice, he had to abandon Li Chi and make his escape alone.
Moving forward, he passed through the fans and entered the water plant's interior, finding an empty room to continue writing the OS.
Though his theoretical knowledge was sufficient, practical application posed significant challenges, with much of the data relying on speculation. He once again activated his Mental [Analyze] to assist in the coding.
Suddenly, sensing something, Tianming looked up toward the south before bolting out of the room.
Roughly ten seconds later, footsteps echoed from the distance.
"He noticed? How? After him!"
As he ran, Tianming felt a gaze upon him. Glancing up, he spotted a surveillance camera aimed directly at him from a corner of the ceiling.
Trouble. Had the water plant been taken over?
Narrowing his eyes, he was about to use Mental [Sense] to assess the situation when he abruptly paused. His consciousness turned inward, focusing on the golden sphere—Mental Power: 187/202.
His limit had surpassed 200. No wonder he'd suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of danger earlier.
Looking down at the nearly completed OS on his laptop, Tianming decided to conserve his Mental Power, keeping it above 200 to utilize Danger Perception while evading his enemies.
Boom!
A deafening roar accompanied by tremors shook the area.
Tianming's heart lurched as he turned toward the direction of the secret base.
His laptop screen displayed a red notification: "Connection Lost."
Was Li Chi still alive?
Had their plan failed?
Should he go back to check?
Or should he leave now?
...
Chaotic thoughts flooded his mind, but under the influence of Mental [Analyze], he quickly regained his composure.
Zhou Tianming stared at the [Trust] in his consciousness without a word.
For the next half hour, he relied on vague instincts to lead his pursuers on a chase through the water plant.
A few times, his senses failed him, and he was cornered—but instead of soldiers, he encountered plant workers who were no match for him and were easily knocked unconscious.
As he grew more adept at using Danger Perception, Tianming came to understand Zhou Hanxiang's strength—she could almost precisely sense impending threats.
And that was with her Mental Power still below 300.
This made Tianming briefly consider pushing his own Mental Power to 300 with a Mental Command to experience it for himself, but he quickly shook his head, dismissing the thought.
Better not. He might end up accidentally getting himself killed.
Suddenly, gunfire erupted from the other end of the corridor, bullets whistling through the air toward him.
At the critical moment, Tianming activated Mental [Overdrive], lunging forward and kicking off the wall to leap high into the air.
The bullets passed harmlessly beneath him.
He flipped backward, landing feet-first on the opposite wall before pushing off again.
A split second later, bullets struck the wall where his feet had been.
The moment his soles touched the ground, Tianming sprinted away in the opposite direction.
Black-clad soldiers rushed forward, raising their rifles to aim, but Tianming moved too fast, weaving unpredictably—their muzzles swung left and right, unable to keep up.
As Tianming neared the corridor's turn, one soldier pulled the trigger.
The bullet sparked against the corner wall, but Tianming had already vanished.
Zhou Tianming sprinted down the corridor, his Sense confirming what he already knew—the danger perception had vanished.
Tch.
He clicked his tongue in frustration.
Without his danger perception, Zhou Tianming found his movements increasingly hampered. He was cornered multiple times, but his small stature allowed him to slip through passages adults couldn't navigate.
Eventually, he was forced into an open square within the water plant grounds.
Black-clad soldiers closed in, their gun barrels trained on the small figure of Zhou Tianming.
The sky was just beginning to lighten.
"Quite the surprise," the squad leader remarked with a hint of awe. "You're still alive? I thought that report was just speculation, but it seems you really do have secrets."
Zhou Tianming leaned against the cold metal wall behind him, the chill seeping into his spine and sharpening his focus. Without looking up, he continued typing on the laptop cradled in his left hand.
The squad leader's expression darkened. "Not talking? Doesn't matter. We have ways to make you spill everything."
He gestured sharply. "Take him alive!"
Tap.
Zhou Tianming hit Enter and finally lifted his gaze. "How about a game? Let's call it... Battle Royale."
The squad leader paused, then sneered. "Playing mysterious, are we?"
"My secret base's passage is right beneath us."
"Hahaha!" The squad leader laughed mockingly. "Don't tell me you're waiting for that cripple Li Chi to save you? He's probably blown to bits by now. Even if that bulletproof spacesuit protected him, what then? Climb up here with his one remaining arm? Hah!"
Zhou Tianming smiled as the word "Connected" flashed on his screen, the progress bar reaching its end. "Who knows?"
The squad leader's face hardened. "Shoot his legs. Let's see how tough his mouth is then."
A soldier raised his gun and fired without hesitation. The bullet streaked through the air.
Suddenly—
A muffled thud erupted from the ground in front of Zhou Tianming. A skeletal metal arm burst through the concrete.
Fingers snapped shut.
Clang.
The bullet was caught midair.