Netherworld Retrograde

Chapter 148: Chapter 67: Strong Attack!_2

As a fellow newcomer Processor, she was genuinely curious to know how Li Yelai managed to overcome his fear.

Could it be that this person never knew terror, never felt afraid?

Li Yelai was taken aback, then nodded and told the truth, ”Actually... I’m also very afraid, but sometimes, it seems there’s no other choice.”

Facing Void Realm Creatures, if Li Yelai didn’t take action, including Cheese and the other rookies, everyone would be in danger.

Li Yelai would now also lose these friends.

That security Abnormality... Li Yelai couldn’t just watch it slaughter everyone with a swing of its chain, could he?

A full-power resistance still held a glimmer of hope.

If drowned by fear, all would truly be lost.

Of course, Li Yelai didn’t explain too much.

He couldn’t just say that with Mr. Shadow footing the bill, he could use his abilities to their fullest and appear very brave, right?

Thinking of this, Li Yelai spoke seriously, ”During the following operation, if I encounter danger, such as being chased by a powerful enemy, don’t risk saving me. I have an ultimate trump card that can only be used when a certain teammate is not around!”

When necessary, he would trade with Mr. Shadow; he couldn’t drag his teammates down.

The Heavy Knight frowned upon hearing this, seemingly remembering Li Yelai’s Calamity, and nodded with a grave face, ”I hope you don’t have to use that kind of trump card! I fear a collapse...”

”You really have a crow’s mouth with those inner thoughts!” Li Yelai retorted.

Soon, as the battlefield was cleared, control points and entrances to the underground network were all in the hands of the authorities.

Thus, at the same time, the paths to the Underground Branch were opened together.

With the opening of the basement’s large door, Li Yelai revealed a narrow staircase leading underground.

This was the path from this control point to the sub-branch.

Due to the extremely complex internal structure within the embryonic form of the Underground City, with pipes crisscrossing everywhere.

If it wasn’t for the intelligence from the Dark Pile, it might have been easy for everyone to get lost upon entering.

But now, the authorities knew the exact locations of the Guards and the Dark Guards.

This had made sufficient preparations for the authorities’ surprise assaults!

In front of Li Yelai, two teams of Border Iron Guards as well as a group of Ye Boshou’s squad filed in.

Similarly, at the other control points, Captain-Level powerhouses also led elite squads into the underground.

These powerful individuals intended to eliminate as many Guards and Dark Guards as possible.

To approach the sub-branch as closely as possible before the enemy detected them.

Leaving the enemy no chance to react!

Afterward, it was Li Yelai and his group’s turn. They would head to and clear each underground network node, completely cutting off any escape routes for the believers.

Ten minutes after the first team went underground, Li Yelai and the rest followed a group of combat personnel down beneath.

After walking down a roughly ten-meter-long underground staircase, the space in front of Li Yelai suddenly opened up.

The underground area that this control point led to was a vast passage.

It appeared to be an underground corridor for transporting equipment, quite spacious, much like a tunnel.

Giant fans turned on the walls, and occasionally flickering white light bulbs hung from the ceiling.

This was the proto-construction of the Underground City, which was discovered and transformed by the Ember Church into their subterranean fortress.

If they had received an early alert, this place would probably already be riddled with defensive works and guarded by a large number of Spiritual Ability Users.

But now... they still didn’t know the authorities had begun their assault.

Following orders, Li Yelai continued to push deeper with the team.

After a few minutes, they found a corpse around a corner.

Fortunately, the corpse wasn’t from their side.

It was a middle-aged bald man wearing a deep red robe, with strange red patterns on his face.

It seemed that while walking, he was suddenly attacked from the side, a direct kick snapping his neck and embedding him into the wall. His drooping head resembled an overripe persimmon, as blood dripped down from all seven orifices.

”It must’ve been a patrolling sentry, killed by Ye Boshou in one strike. He didn’t even get a chance to sound any alerts.” Ben Lei gave a glance at the body, not surprised; this was exactly Ye Boshou’s mission. Their task was to eliminate as many Guards and Dark Guards as possible, allowing the main force to safely infiltrate deeper.

The team continued forward, and at an intersection in a passageway, Li Yelai and the others saw more corpses.

This spot was a junction of two underground corridors and a defense point established by the Ember Church.

The area was heavily fortified with numerous automatic defense facilities, and inside, three Spiritual Ability User believers were on guard.

But now, those three believers cloaked in dark red robes had been killed within the defensive works.

Their necks were broken, their hearts pierced through, their heads severed... Each had died a different death, but all had been dispatched with a single blow.

The others were no longer surprised; instead, after identifying the direction, they pressed on.

They encountered even more bodies, their expressions growing solemn.

They found two Iron Guards, severely injured and unable to proceed, and a Ye Boshou member on the spot, bandaging a wound after losing an arm.

”How’s it going?” Ben Lei approached the Ye Boshou and asked.

”We ran into a patrol of no small strength, managed to take them down. But we paid a price,” Ye Boshou slowly shook his head.

Beside him, an Iron Guard had been sliced open by some sharp blade; his Power Armor thoroughly cut open, blood drenched the armor, and now he lay slumped against the wall, silent.

Li Yelai’s heart sank; he always felt that he recognized the fallen Iron Guard. But the Iron Guards’ attire was identical, and he simply couldn’t distinguish them.

Yet he heard another heavily injured Iron Guard speak up, ”Night General? Is that you?”

Was that... Old Chen? Was he the seasoned Iron Guard who guarded one of the branch entrances?

He was one of the only two Iron Guards Li Yelai was familiar with.

Li Yelai stared blankly at Chen Tiewei.

Somewhat in disbelief; if that was Old Chen, then the familiar Iron Guard must be...

”Stop looking, Old Wang... He took out several Awakened Spirit Users with a hot melt bomb, creating an opportunity for the team; his death was not in vain,” Chen Tiewei leaned against the wall, speaking gravely: ”Keep moving, don’t linger! Go and kill more of humanity’s foes!”

Once again witnessing the sacrifice of someone he knew, Li Yelai felt a heavy pressure in his chest.

He tried to nod vigorously, then silently continued to move forward with the team.

Watching Li Yelai’s retreating figure, Chen Tiewei sighed softly, patting the Iron Guard’s corpse beside him: ”Old Wang... Old Wang... you saw that... my judgment was still sound. Ah... why did you have to die?”

...

Elsewhere, as the team pressed on.

About half an hour after the main force had penetrated deep underground, the piercing sound of the alarm finally echoed throughout the subterranean space.

The infiltrating team had been discovered after all.

But this was expected.

Thus, the official team changed their infiltration strategy, starting a strong attack on the Church Branch!

And the Ember Church, having stealthily wiped out dozens of outposts and a considerable number of believers, finally began to resist.

”How did they manage to approach this closely? Why was there no warning at all?”

”Our surface outposts have been breached? All of them?”

”The people who were planted inside the Giant City’s mechanisms, why didn’t they send out an alarm?”

”There’s a traitor among us!”

”Enough!” someone said coldly: ”Not only has the location of the sub-branch been discovered, but our retreat has been quietly cut off. Now, what’s there to argue about? Sheep Head, release the Black Zombie Army, I’ll start the ritual, and you all prepare to break out! Buy me time!”

”Yes, my lord!” the man in the Sheep Head Mask bowed respectfully, his heart pounding.

He remembered the Dark Pile he had killed a few hours ago.

Could it be that all that was happening now was because of him? But how did he manage to take so much information out?

The Sheep-Headed Man grew increasingly panicked and uneasy, not daring to linger in the sub-branch.

He immediately left with his men to organize a defensive force.

On the other hand, the team Li Yelai was with had finally encountered the enemy.

These enemies were entirely black, their bodies hard, devoid of vitality and breath.

They were hidden in every corner, within the ceilings and pipes.

They had eluded detection by everyone. And as the team crossed the path, they suddenly launched a deadly attack from the shadows!

However, all of them smashed against the solid Shield Wall!

Behind the Shield Wall, Li Yelai looked indifferently at these creatures.

His Red Dragon Spear danced in his hands.

(Sorry, I’m unwell and didn’t make it)