Chapter 180.2 – Key (23)
◎ I can activate the central hub ◎
Bang, bang—!
The bodies on the ground constantly exploded with blood blossoms, and the sharp edges of the surrounding scenes diminished, becoming more rounded.
Zhuang Qingyan’s expression became solemn. As long as the “Blood-Red Building Blocks” existed, everything happening here would remain unknown, and they had to find a way to decipher it.
The teenager, Iron Chain, stared darkly at Song Ke, and a strange smile curled on his lips. “Is that so? But your teammates have already lost.”
Song Ke abruptly turned her head.
The situation of Lin Youyou and others was indeed not very good. It turned out that Fang Zhixu and Xu Xing were like little white rabbits in a pack of wolves, huddling together trembling.
A group of fierce awakeners rushed over. Lu Xiaoyu wielded the mechanical arm, while Zhuang Qingyan attacked with mental power to both attack and rescue.
Iron Chain spoke and transformed into a weapon again, entangling her like a shadow. She could only defend while saving others.
Song Ke rushed in front of Xu Xing like lightning using a horizontal slash to force the enemy back. However, in a moment of distraction, the dark tip pierced through her right forearm. Ignoring the injury, she swung the cold and jagged blade steadily, cutting through the chains with a deafening roar, and both of them retreated.
Song Ke looked down, and Xu Xing’s fair arms were covered in scars, dripping with blood.
“Does it hurt?” she asked softly.
“No, it doesn’t hurt!” Xu Xing replied resolutely.
“Can you still walk on your legs?”
Xu Xing’s lower leg had just been dislocated by the ice ability, even though Fang Zhixu helped to set it back, he couldn’t use it forcefully for a while. It hurt when he tried to stand.
“Sister, I’m fine!” Xu Xing shouted loudly. He knew the situation was critical, so he comforted Song Ke in return.
Song Ke patted his fluffy head, looked up at Fang Zhixu. His face was somewhat pale due to excessive use of abilities.
“You’re injured, let me treat you,” Fang Zhixu said hastily.
“No need, save some energy,” Song Ke pressed down his hand.
The small wounds on her back had already healed. She placed the two of them next to Zhuang Qingyan and Lu Xiaoyu, turned around to support Lin Youyou.
At this moment, Lin Youyou was too busy to take care of herself. Her face was full of shock and anger. There was actually a sound-type awakener specifically countering her. Her ability relied on lyrics, but as soon as she sang a few words, the opponent wailed like ghosts and howled like wolves. Lin Youyou’s lips were forcibly sealed, and she struggled to speak.
Without support, Su Cha struggled alone against A-level and S-level opponents, covered in wounds. Fang Zhixu couldn’t treat him in time.
Song Ke descended from the sky, kicking away the strongest S-level with one foot. As soon as she landed, she pressed the face of the middle-aged woman targeting Su Cha into the ground, snapped her neck, and then with a quick turn of her hand, thousands of plum blossom darts condensed out of thin air, piercing through the opponents instantly.
“(1215, 675, 988), (771, 1008, 321).”
In the earpiece, Zhuang Qingyan suddenly reported two coordinates. These were the calculated coordinates of the “Blood-Red Building Blocks” linked core. Once one set of coordinates moved, the other set would be next. If they wanted to escape, they just needed to wait for the “blocks” to move and seize the opportunity to step into another edge, immediately teleporting away.
Song Ke turned her head to meet his gaze. Apart from the two coordinates, Zhuang Qingyan didn’t say anything else.
Lin Youyou and others looked confused, but Song Ke instantly understood his intention.
Perhaps during this trip, Zhuang Qingyan had already sensed something, which was why he repeatedly reminded his teammates, “If there’s danger, you can escape.” Even in dire situations, he would find a way to create opportunities.
At a distance neither too far nor too near, Song Ke nodded firmly at him.
Zhuang Qingyan’s eyes softened, and he smiled beautifully.
Crash! The ruins underfoot collapsed. Song Ke blocked a fatal blow for Su Cha, but her thigh was grazed by an iron chain, tearing off a large piece of flesh.
“Captain!”
“Song Ke!!”
“Song Ke?!”
Three different exclamations sounded simultaneously.
Clatter, the “Blood-Red Building Blocks” reconfigured.
Following the sound, Song Ke looked toward the third voice and coincidentally locked eyes with the dazed Duanmu Qi and Xiao Chen. In an instant, she understood their situation.
Duanmu Qi suddenly realized that the mission target of these people was V587, which is why they were treated as “witnesses” and eliminated.
Song Ke also understood. Once a domain-type ability descended, it would form an independent space. “Three Grandsons and One Grandpa” failed to escape in time and were implicated by them.
Suddenly, she thought of something and looked at Duanmu Qi again.
Duanmu Qi tightly held the camping lantern in his arms, covered in cutting wounds all over his body, with pursuers vaguely visible behind him.
Originally, he was silently screaming, “Save… save…” But upon seeing the scene before him, he suddenly fell silent, his eyes revealing despair.
V587’s situation was not much better, no, even worse.
In less than a fraction of a second, Song Ke made a decision.
She raised her hand, conjuring a giant fan. With a heavy sweep, dust and smoke filled the air, further blurring the already chaotic vision.
Song Ke gripped Lin Youyou’s hand and quickly said, “Next teleportation, go to the coordinates and leave.”
“Song Ke’er? Why are you like this too?” Lin Youyou’s cheeks flushed. “No, I won’t go. What is this? This is… betrayal.”
With Su Cha’s talent for hiding, blending into the environment was not a problem. He could keep Lin Youyou safe for a while, and as soon as the user of the “Blood-Red Building Blocks” died, they could escape.
Song Ke looked at her calmly, shaking her head earnestly. “The Mirror Lake matter has been settled; you don’t owe me.”
“We are teammates.”
Lin Youyou’s tears blurred instantly. Song Ke knew, even after so long, there had always been a knot in her heart.
“I can’t protect everyone.”
“Listen to the captain and leave first.” Song Ke smiled at Lin Youyou, like the adorable appearance she had when they first met. “Find a way to send a message.”
Su Cha wanted to say something, but Song Ke slapped him on the forehead and pushed him to Lin Youyou’s side. “Wait for me outside.”
Watching the two run towards the coordinates, Song Ke turned to find Lu Xiaoyu. “Lu—”
“I’m not going,” Lu Xiaoyu spoke first. “I have something I must do. Don’t stop me.”
His gaze was incredibly calm, faintly revealing an extreme madness.
As the dust settled, endless attacks continued to approach. Song Ke no longer insisted, pressing down on Fang Zhixu and Xu Xing’s wrists. In their moment of distraction, she lifted one with each hand.
Pass!
Two people were thrown into Duanmu Qi and Xiao Chen’s arms, subconsciously catching them.
Blood Bat and Wolf Spider chased after them. Without a second thought, Song Ke’s upper arm muscles surged, and the cold and jagged blade flew into the air, sweeping through the enemy. Faced with absolutely domineering awakened ability, the kite string and corrosive spider were nothing, all shattered to pieces.
Reaching into the space, Song Ke pulled out a tightly sealed hemp bag, tossing it to Duanmu Qi. “Take them and leave.”
The crimson light almost pierced through the surface, shocking Duanmu Qi into a daze. It was clearly— at least two hundred or more Level 4 crystals.
As they proudly displayed the life-saving treasure, Song Ke wrinkled her small face, tightly clutching her own purse, and grumbled, “Too expensive! I won’t use even one of them!!”
The penny-pinching captain, without hesitation, emptied all of her resources to ensure the escape of her teammates.
“Run first… I will take care of the domain-type awakener,” Song Ke said to Duanmu Qi with a serious expression.
Duanmu Qi choked up and nodded, “Alright.”
Xu Xing realized what was happening, flailing his limbs, tears and snot smearing his face. “No! I won’t go! I want to be with my sister!”
“Xiao Xing, be good,” Song Ke smiled. “Sister is strong. Go outside and wait for me, okay?”
“No… I don’t want to…” The child refused to listen, struggling incessantly and being tightly held by Xiao Chen.
Duanmu Qi inserted crystals into a groove, activating random teleportation. The four of them disappeared on the spot.
Click, the “Blood-Red Building Blocks” moved again.
Zhuang Qingyan’s calculations were correct; Su Cha and Lin Youyou, standing on the edge, were smoothly teleported away.
Two unfamiliar starships appeared, and the doors opened. S-levels, extending endlessly into the distance, stared menacingly below.
The previous attack was indeed just a probe. With the final puzzle piece in place, the entire pursuing team revealed themselves.
Zhuang Qingyan’s heart sank gradually. This quantity… Did they transport all the S-levels from Utopia here?
On the starship hovering in the sky, cold commands were issued one after another.
“Prepare for a total assault, prioritize killing the S8.”
“Six people are escaping; Vulture team, clear them immediately, no witnesses.”
“Mr. Gu, ‘Flame’ is here.”
The chaotic scene now only had three people left: one S8 and two S6.
Song Ke’s skin was covered with dreadful lacerations, crisscrossing all over. Only her left leg remained intact.
Having spent too much awakened energy in the recent rescue, Song Ke reached into her pocket, pinched something inside, and looked ahead.
The second S7.
A stunning woman sat at the door of the starship, around twenty years old, wearing Vulture uniform, with a flame totem on her forehead. Her gaze firmly locked onto Song Ke. She was the highest-ranking awakener among the opponents, codenamed “Flame.”
The awakener codenamed “Flame” lightly opened her crimson lips, chanting a requiem for the departed souls.
Before this operation, they carefully studied the report of the assassination attempt on Ye Zheng. Even when Song Ke was still S7, she could single-handedly take on hundreds of opponents. Surrounding her with a crowd tactic would not work unless… her ability was severed.
But maintaining the severance of the ability of an S8 continuously was far beyond her ability.
With the chant of Flame, a continuous stream of crimson crystals was delivered into her hands, providing her with a source of energy.
Song Ke raised the cold and jagged blade to the level of her eyebrows, confronting the opponent head-on.
Flame’s ability was very simple, just “Flame.” She didn’t even have an offensive means, only serving as a support. However, with the most basic fire ability, she reached the level of S7, making her strength something that no one could underestimate.
Boom!
A towering flame engulfed Song Ke. Jennifer’s intense fire was nowhere near comparable. This was a fire attached deep within the soul, capable of burning away the source of all evils in the magnetic field. When it blazed, it could incinerate everything.
Blisters formed on Song Ke’s hands, and she quickly realized that she couldn’t condense the spiritual weapon into shape. Worse still, after the surrounding air burned away, it formed a vacuum-like area, isolating radiation. For a moment, Song Ke couldn’t even sense her own awakened energy.
Fire overcomes metal. When an ability is refined to the extreme, even facing an S8, it can temporarily suppress it.
In terms of strength, Flame was not Song Ke’s match, but her role was only to restrain and prevent Song Ke’s ability from taking effect.
Losing the formidable spiritual weapon and the domineering awakened energy, Song Ke was just an ordinary person with bare hands.
Song Ke’s pause was only a moment, but it was enough. Hundreds of S-levels rushed over like wolves.
She shattered the abdomen of the opponent in front of her with a punch, cleanly killing a dozen people. However, without weapons, she gradually fell into a disadvantage.
Iron Chain pierced through the wheelchair of Lu Xiaoyu, the dense code wall disappeared, and Lu Xiaoyu fell to the ground in a sorry state. The frail young man, who had lost his legs, couldn’t stand on his own and could only crawl on all fours.
Like a slow-motion scene from a movie, Song Ke rolled on the ground, the clear sounds of every rib breaking in her body echoing distinctly.
A foot stepped on her head, applying force downward. The sharp iron chain pierced through her shoulder blades. It was Iron Chain. His shapeshifting ability could transform any part of his body. The youth coldly said, “You’ve lost.”
As the iron chain was about to pierce through Song Ke, a bony and slender hand gripped the middle section, preventing it from taking the next step. Blood flowed down the chain, hot liquid dripping onto Song Ke’s eyelashes, turning her vision crimson.
It was Zhuang Qingyan.
He knelt in front of Song Ke, holding the wound that pierced through her, and said heavily, “Stop.”
Zhuang Qingyan looked towards the sky, his voice light and steady, “I can activate the central hub, but the condition is, release her first.”
As this statement was uttered, countless people in the starship instantly sat up straight.
Iron Chain received the order and reluctantly retracted the chain.
The central hub with the Qinglan logo quickly appeared and smoothly stopped in front.
Zhuang Qingyan took out a new wheelchair from the space and helped Lu Xiaoyu sit back.
Then he returned to the battered Song Ke, gently holding her and whispering by her ear like a lover, “Song Ke, at three o’clock direction, the third ship from the right, the user of the ‘Blood-Red Building Blocks’ is there. I’ll control Flame. You have thirty seconds to kill him.”
Song Ke nodded silently.
Zhuang Qingyan lifted her face, lightly kissed her forehead, and then stood up, striding towards the central hub.
“My father, the father of the Alliance’s genetic engineering, the founder of the Qinglan Research Institute, Vincent Zhuang, sealed all his life’s efforts and research results in this central hub. The core of the ‘Eternal Life Plan’ that you want,” Zhuang Qingyan lightly tapped the shell with his fingertip, and the small sound echoed in the entire open space, “…along with permanent life, powerful abilities, and clear consciousness, everything you desire.”
“—It’s all inside here.”
Zhuang Qingyan actually disclosed the secrets of the central hub.
The awakeners’ expressions on the scene changed in an instant. Many of them were not clear about the true purpose of this operation. Now that the mystery was revealed, greedy eyes stared closely at his every move.
Meanwhile, Song Ke and Lu Xiaoyu in the back row were being ignored.
Zhuang Qingyan calmly scanned his iris, fingerprint, and entered the authorization password.
The giant central hub that had been silent for thirteen years, under his operation, successfully rebooted. Two lines of text appeared successively:
“Recognition Successful”
“ROOT”
Soft white light illuminated, and after the startup music, the central hub entered the main page.
Someone couldn’t restrain themselves and stood up, that was the secret about eternal life!
The awakeners, each harboring their own intentions, were restless, eager to take advantage and sneak a peek.
Xie Ping’s voice trembled, “Quick, quickly connect, copy everything!”
Even “Mr. Gu” was no longer calm, “Synchronize the main page immediately.”
The artificial intelligence operated rapidly, extracting relevant data.
At the same time, Song Ke took something out of her pocket, bit open a vial, and injected herself with a sealing agent into her neck.
This was a miraculous potion developed by an A5-level healing awakener, capable of revitalizing the combat capabilities of disabled individuals.
After the loading of the page was complete, the entire area was filled with endless silence.
“How… how is this possible!!” Xie Ping’s hoarse exclamation cut through the night sky.
In Vincent’s preserved central hub, there were no files whatsoever.
An empty space.
“Was it deleted? It can be restored, it must be restorable!”
Amidst the chaotic background noise, Flame suddenly experienced a splitting headache, and her feet slipped, falling into mid-air.
At the same time, an agile figure leaped high.
Song Ke pounced towards the third starship on the right, a huge hammer appearing in her hand, and with terrifying strength, she shattered the porthole.
Boom! Xie Yinqi met a pair of cold eyes.
