The sirens screamed across the broken factory roofs.
Red lights flashed in the sky as Directorate drones descended in tight formation—dark metal shapes with spinning rotors and glowing sensors, scanning for targets.
Chen Gu shouted, "GO! LIE, MOVE—THEY'VE LOCKED ONTO US!"
Yin Lie didn't hesitate.
He tightened his hold around Qin Mian, who trembled in his arms, her thin fingers clutching his shirt.
Her voice shook.
"Please… don't let them take me…"
"I won't," Yin Lie growled, and he meant every syllable.
He sprinted toward the drainage tunnel entrance—
a rusted circular pipe half-buried beneath cracked concrete.
Thorne ran behind them in a panic, screaming, "THEY'RE AIMING AT US—THEY'RE AIMING AT US—!!"
Kai, limping from her injured ribs, shouted behind them:
"DON'T RUN IN A STRAIGHT LINE! THEY'LL TRACK YOUR HEAT!"
Yin Lie adjusted instantly—zigzagging across the field, dodging broken machinery and collapsed beams.
A drone fired.
PEW—!!!
A blue energy bolt slammed into the ground beside him, scorching the dirt.
Heat washed over his legs.
Qin Mian cried out in fear.
Yin Lie shifted her weight in his arms, shielding her with his body.
"Hold on to me," he whispered.
She buried her face into his shoulder.
Chen Gu reached the tunnel first and waved frantically.
"GET IN! HURRY!"
Yin Lie dove inside, sliding down the smooth metal interior.
The tunnel dropped steeply, cold and dark.
Thorne followed, slipping and yelling the whole way.
Kai slid in last, grabbing the tunnel edge to slow her fall.
Above them, drones circled the opening like hungry predators.
The moment all four disappeared inside—
BOOM—!!
An energy bolt sealed the tunnel entrance behind them with molten slag.
Thorne yelped.
"THAT'S NOT GOOD!"
Chen Gu panted, "No turning back now…"
Yin Lie adjusted Qin Mian in his arms.
Her breathing trembled, and she held onto him with both hands now, terrified of the echoing darkness.
He whispered to her:
"It's just a tunnel. Nothing will hurt you."
Qin Mian whispered back,
"…I believe you…"
Those three quiet words gave him strength he didn't know he still had.
A distant metallic scraping echoed down the tunnel.
Kai's expression darkened.
"They're coming in."
Thorne's eyes bulged. "THEY CAN FIT?! THESE THINGS HAVE LEGS?!"
He got his answer when the first drone crawled into view—
folding its wings inward, extending sharp spider-like limbs, its glowing red eye scanning the darkness.
Its metallic voice echoed:
"TARGETS DETECTED."
Then it fired.
PEW—PEW—PEW—!
Bolts of energy shot down the tunnel, lighting it in flashes of blue.
Kai grabbed Thorne by the collar and pushed him against the wall.
"MOVE or DIE!"
Yin Lie didn't look back.
He ran deeper into the tunnel, boots slipping on damp metal.
The walls around him shook as drones crawled after them.
Qin Mian pressed her forehead against his neck.
"Lie… they're too close…"
"I know."
Another bolt hit the ceiling, raining sparks.
Qin Mian whimpered.
Her psi-field flickered uncontrollably—drifting blue feathers of light floating off her skin.
Chen Gu noticed and yelled:
"Lie! If she panics, the tunnel will collapse!"
Yin Lie tightened his grip on her.
"Qin Mian. Hear my voice. Just breathe."
She tried—
but the drones' shrieking sensors made her flinch every time.
Her emotional energy rippled outward, warping the tunnel walls slightly.
Kai hissed, "KEEP HER UNDER CONTROL, LIE!"
"I'm trying!"
Ahead, the tunnel split into two paths—
Left: collapsed with rubble.
Right: narrow, twisting and half-flooded with shallow water.
Chen Gu pointed right.
"TAKE THAT ONE!"
"But it's tiny!" Thorne shouted.
"YOU'RE tiny—MOVE!"
Yin Lie ducked into the narrow passage first.
The tunnel walls were so close he could feel the metal scraping his shoulder as he squeezed through.
Water splashed under his boots.
Behind them—
Clank.
Clank.
Clank.
The drones shoved their bodies into the tight space, legs scraping against metal, sparks flying.
Qin Mian trembled violently.
"Lie… everything is loud…"
"I know," he whispered. "Just hold onto me. Don't look back."
She buried her face in his chest, eyes squeezed shut.
The tunnel suddenly opened into a larger chamber—
an old maintenance hub with rusted pipes and a drained reservoir.
Yin Lie stepped inside—
—and froze.
Because standing at the opposite end of the chamber…
were two heavy-model Directorate sentries.
Tall metal machines glowing with crimson lines.
Each pointed a heavy pulse cannon straight at him.
Kai whispered sharply behind him:
"Lie.
Down."
Yin Lie ducked instantly—
just as both cannons fired.
FOOOOM—!!!
Twin blasts shot over his head, exploding into the walls.
Chen Gu screamed, "RUN!"
But Qin Mian wrapped her arms tightly around Yin Lie's neck, terrified.
"Lie—don't leave me—don't leave—"
"I'm not!"
He stood, holding her with one arm—
and with the other, slammed his palm against the floor.
ICE surged outward in a rapid, twisting wave.
The reservoir floor froze solid—
then shattered—
—and a massive wall of broken ice and rusted pipes burst upward like a shield.
The cannons fired again—
FOOM—FOOM—!!
The ice shield absorbed the hits.
Kai didn't waste the moment.
She sprinted forward and leapt over the debris.
"LIE! THIS WAY!"
Yin Lie followed, pushing through the smoke and broken metal.
Thorne ran behind them yelling, "I'M TOO YOUNG TO BE LASERED—!!"
They reached a ladder leading upward to another drainage pipe.
Chen Gu shouted, "THIS GOES TO THE OUTER WALL!"
Kai climbed first with clear pain in her ribs.
Thorne scrambled up behind her, crying the whole time.
Yin Lie placed one foot on the ladder—
Then paused.
He looked down at Qin Mian.
She was shaking, but awake.
Her eyes glowing faintly.
Her hands gripping his neck like he was the last solid thing in all the world.
"Lie…?" she whispered.
He smiled.
"Told you I wouldn't let go."
And he climbed.
Step by step.
Pain burning through his ribs.
The tunnel shaking from cannon blasts below them.
Drones crawling closer.
But he climbed.
Until—
THUNK.
Kai pushed open a rusty hatch above.
Sunlight burst in.
Fresh wind rushed down the tunnel.
Thorne cheered, "WE'RE ALIVE—!!"
Chen Gu climbed out behind him.
Kai reached down and grabbed Yin Lie's arm to help him up.
"Come on, Ghost," she muttered.
"You're almost—"
A deafening metallic roar shook the tunnel.
A drone had crawled up right behind Yin Lie, its red eye glowing bright.
Kai's eyes widened.
"LIE—LOOK OUT—!!"
Yin Lie turned—
The drone fired.
Qin Mian screamed—
And everything exploded in blue light.
Chapter 69 Completed