Eunuch, do you really know these martial arts?

Jiang Nian carried Ling as they sped through the dimly lit underground cavern.

The ground beneath my feet was uneven rock, and occasionally cold water droplets fell from above.

It's clear that no one has been here for a long time.

Everywhere there were messy rocks and lava.
The air was filled with a musty smell, a mixture of rust and dust.

However, to Jiang Nian's surprise, although the place had been abandoned for a long time, some old lamps embedded in the rock wall were still stubbornly flickering, providing a weak and unstable light source.

These lights were one of their few opportunities, allowing them to move forward naturally.

“Father, they are behind us, two of them. Twenty-seven meters to the left rear and thirty-one meters to the right rear, and they are moving very fast.”

Ling lay on Jiang Nian's shoulder, her voice ringing clearly in his ear.

His perception seemed to be more effective than Jiang Nian's divine sense in this complex environment, and was almost undisturbed.

It can even provide precise reports on each individual.

It's even more precise than a computer.

Jiang Nian felt a chill run down his spine.

Zero's precise spatial perception ability once again proves his extraordinary talent.

Even he would find it difficult to provide such accurate intelligence reports.

And the fact that he was able to do it suggests that his clone is, in some situations, even more powerful than himself.

He hummed in agreement, his gaze rapidly scanning the intricate network of forks in the road ahead.

This place is like a giant maze.

Abandoned laboratory cubicles, moss-covered control consoles, and huge metal canisters of unknown purpose are scattered throughout the cave, forming natural obstacles.

It was precisely because of the complex terrain that he was confident he could escape from the clutches of these scavengers.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two dark red energy beams grazed Jiang Nian's back and struck the rock wall beside him, instantly melting two charred pits into the rock.

The hot fragments of rock that were ejected hit Jiang Nian's protective aura, making a popping sound.

If he hadn't used his internal energy to create a barrier beforehand...

He's probably in for a lot of trouble with all that splattered liquid.

What a precise shot!

Jiang Nian's eyes were icy cold; these two cleaners were more troublesome than he had expected.

They were not only well-equipped, but also highly skilled in combat, maintaining efficient pursuit and firepower suppression even in this unfamiliar environment.

We can't keep taking hits!
Since there are only two opponents, we must find a way to eliminate them, and there are even more opponents behind them.

Jiang Nian suddenly made a sharp turn and rushed into a narrow passage filled with discarded equipment, while simultaneously unleashing several condensed finger strikes with his backhand.

It wasn't aimed at the scavenger, but rather at several seemingly loose rock structures overhead.

Jiang Nian frowned, unsure whether these people had any means to isolate his internal energy.

Moreover, there are other enemies behind us, so the best approach is to prevent any of them from catching up.

"Boom!"

Gravel and dust fell in a flurry, temporarily obstructing the vision and movement of the pursuing troops behind them.

Taking advantage of this brief gap, Jiang Nian and Ling darted behind a partially collapsed metal compartment.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his severely depleted internal energy and rapid breathing.

Continuous high-intensity escape and confrontation.

Even he felt immense pressure!

"Father, you're running out of strength."

The continuous battles and constant running around took their toll on Jiang Nian.

Zero looked up, a hint of worry in her eyes, "Is there anything I can do?"

Jiang Nian looked at Ling, her mind racing.

Zero possesses the same power as him, though he doesn't know how to use it, its very existence might be a weapon in itself?
Is the organization so eager to have him simply because he is the perfect clone?

Or does he possess some kind of inherent characteristic?
"Can you sense their weaknesses?"

Jiang Nian asked in a low voice.

He needed more intelligence.

Zero closed his eyes, then opened them a few seconds later: "Their external protection is very strong. The energy core is located on the right side of the chest cavity, but it is protected by multiple layers of armor."

"Joint connections are relatively fragile, especially the energy transmission joints in the neck and knee. In addition, their communication relies on a high-frequency shortwave, which can be interfered with by a strong energy field, but the interference source needs to be very close."

The weaknesses are in the joints and communications!

A glint of light flashed in Jiang Nian's eyes.

The information provided by Zero is crucial!

Moreover, he didn't expect that he would actually be able to successfully analyze it.

Sure enough, the brains of clones are different from those of ordinary people!
Just then, two cleaners, having cleared away the fallen rocks, appeared at either end of the passage like ghosts, one on the left and one on the right.

This blocked Jiang Nian's escape route.

They raised their dark red energy guns again, their chilling killing intent locking onto them.

"Give up the resistance," the cleaner said in a completely emotionless voice.

"You guys?" Jiang Nian sneered, and the little internal energy he had left began to circulate faster.

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Nian made his move!
Instead of breaking through, he moved with lightning speed, like a cheetah pouncing on its prey, and charged towards the cleaner on the left!

This caught the two cleaners completely off guard.

The scavenger on the right immediately raised his gun and aimed, but Jiang Nian was too fast and closed in on his companion on the left in an instant, making him hesitant to fire.

The scavenger on the left reacted extremely quickly, pressing down the muzzle of its energy gun and aiming it at Jiang Nian's leg.

Jiang Nian seemed to have anticipated his movements, his forward momentum suddenly halted, and his body twisted at an incredible angle, narrowly avoiding the energy beam.

At the same time, he brought his right index and middle fingers together, transforming them into a sharp, almost invisible energy blast. Instead of aiming at the opponent's energy core, he precisely targeted the Cleaner's neck joint!

"Pfft!"

A soft, tearing sound, like leather being torn, rang out.

The scavenger's movements suddenly froze, a small spark burst from the neck armor connection, his head tilted unnaturally to one side, and the red light in his eyes flickered violently a few times before quickly dimming.

His massive body swayed, then crashed to the ground, the energy gun slipping from his hand.

One shot, and it worked!
Zero's intelligence was indeed correct!

Jiang Nian felt no joy at all, because the energy beam from the right-side cleaner had already reached his back!
He forcefully twisted his body, maximizing his protective aura, while tightly holding Ling in his arms.

"boom!"

The dark red energy beam slammed into Jiang Nian's vest!

Even with the protective energy blocking it, a scorching and violent force still penetrated his body, and Jiang Nian felt a sweet taste in his throat, almost spitting out a mouthful of blood.

The force of the impact sent him flying forward, crashing heavily onto the cold, rocky ground.

"Father!" Ling exclaimed, breaking free from Jiang Nian's embrace and tightly gripping his arm with her small hands.

Despite the excruciating pain from his displaced internal organs, Jiang Nian rolled over and knelt down, shielding Zero behind him once more, his gaze fixed on the last remaining cleaner.

The cleaner clearly hadn't expected his companion to be eliminated so quickly, nor did he expect Jiang Nian to be able to stand up after taking a hit from him.

The energy gun in his hand lit up again.

But this time, he seemed much more cautious.

Instead, they slowly approached, the sensors firmly locking onto Jiang Nian and Ling.

The atmosphere inside the passageway was extremely tense.

Jiang's internal energy was greatly depleted, and he also suffered internal injuries. Facing a fully healthy and elite cleaner, his situation was extremely precarious.

At this critical moment, Zero suddenly peeked out from behind Jiang Nian.

It emitted a peculiar high-frequency wave towards the cleaner, which did not travel through the air but acted directly on energy!

This fluctuation was so subtle that even Jiang Nian only vaguely noticed it.

But the cleaner suddenly stopped, the raised energy gun froze in mid-air, and the red light of the sensors under the visor flashed wildly, as if the internal system was experiencing some kind of violent conflict.

opportunity!

Although Jiang Nian didn't know what Ling had done, he would never miss this fleeting opportunity!

He mustered his last bit of internal energy and shot out like an arrow, aiming for the Cleaner's knee joint!

"Crack!"

With a sickening metallic cracking sound, Jiang Nian's hand chopped hard into the side of the Cleaner's knee!
That's exactly the energy conduction joint that Zero mentioned!

The scavenger's massive body lost its balance and it knelt on one knee.

He tried to raise his arm to retaliate, but his movements became unusually slow and stiff.

Jiang Nian showed no mercy, pointing his fingers like a sword, gathering his last bit of strength, and precisely striking the same spot on his neck!

"Fuck-"

A burst of electric sparks erupted, and the red light in the second scavenger's eyes went out completely. His heavy body crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The battle is over.

Jiang Nian leaned against the rock wall, panting heavily, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

"Father, you're injured!"

Ling ran to his side, her little hands hesitantly wanting to touch his back, yet too afraid.

"It's okay, I'm not going to die yet."

Jiang Nian waved his hand, his gaze towards Ling filled with surprise and inquiry, "What did you just do to him?"

Zero blinked, seemingly thinking as well, then said somewhat uncertainly, "I don't know. I just felt he shouldn't have hurt you. And then I think I told him that. In a way they could understand."

"How do you understand?"

Jiang Nian was deeply shocked.

Zero is able to directly interfere with, and even to some extent command, these highly mechanized scavengers?
This cannot be explained by a simple clone!
What exactly was implanted in his body?
Or is it that it is itself some kind of higher-level instruction unit?
Those fragmented pieces of information swirled in Jiang Nian's mind, making him feel an even deeper chill about Zero's identity and the organization's true purpose.

We must leave here as soon as possible and bring Zero back; these new discoveries are crucial!

He managed to stand up straight and assessed the extent of his injuries.

His internal energy was almost exhausted, and he suffered serious internal injuries, but he was still able to move.

He walked over to the scavenger who had been left undisturbed and examined him carefully.

Sure enough, at its neck and knee joints, a connecting structure much weaker than that of conventional armor was found.

The perception of zero is frighteningly precise.

He attempted to dismantle the Scavenger's weapons or communication equipment, only to discover that these devices were equipped with self-destruct programs. Shortly after the host lost vital signs, black smoke billowed out, and the internal structure was completely burned.

The organization handles tasks flawlessly, as always.

"We have to go, it's not safe here."

Jiang Nian took Ling's hand, checked the direction, and walked deeper into the cave.

He remembered Bai Yongxu mentioning that this early base had a backup emergency evacuation route that led directly to the other side of the mountain, perhaps somewhere in this abandoned area.

Ling followed him obediently, no longer speaking, but occasionally observing the surrounding environment and Jiang Nian's slightly unsteady steps with her clear eyes.

The two struggled to make their way through the maze-like abandoned base.

With his exceptional memory and sense of direction, combined with Zero's almost superhuman spatial awareness, Jiang Nian avoided several areas that had collapsed due to their age.

Along the way, they saw more abandoned experimental facilities.

Some of the culture tanks were broken, leaving only dried stains and a few unidentifiable bone fragments.

Some control panels still have faded and worn-out instruction manuals, the pages of which have long since turned yellow and become brittle.

Even in a relatively intact room, they found some old-fashioned computers that relied on magnetic tape to store data.

The technology here is clearly decades behind the flint research institute on the ground, and it is more like a secret research base from the Cold War era.

This may have been the precursor to the Flint Research Institute, or an early project that was either absorbed or abandoned.

After walking for about half an hour, Jiang Nian finally stopped in front of a rock wall covered with moss and vines.

Based on his calculations and confirmation of zero, there should be an empty space behind it, with a slight airflow exchange.

"It should be right here."

Jiang Nian took a deep breath, enduring the pain, and circulated his remaining internal energy, pressing his palms against the rock wall.

He needs to find the hidden mechanism, or...

Ling stepped forward, stretched out her small hand, and pressed a few times on a seemingly ordinary protruding rock on the rock wall. Her movements were smooth and natural, as if she already knew what to do.

"Click."

A slight click of a mechanism was heard, and the rock caved inward.

Then, the entire rock wall emitted a low, grinding sound and slowly slid to one side, revealing a narrow, upward-sloping passage that could only accommodate one person at a time!

A cool breeze carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees blew in from the entrance of the passage.

Jiang Nian looked at Ling with a complicated expression.

Ling turned around and gave him a smile that carried a hint of smugness: "Father, the door is open."

He definitely has some connection to this place!

Perhaps he was instilled with these messages when he was created?

Or is it that his "prototype" was originally closely related to this ancient base?
Without time to investigate further, Jiang Nian pulled Ling along and quickly slipped into the passage. Behind them, the rock wall slowly closed again, returning to its original state.

The passage is long and steeply ascends, seemingly a man-made escape staircase.

After climbing for more than ten minutes, light finally appeared ahead.

Pushing open the exit disguised as rock at the end, the blinding sunlight and the biting mountain wind instantly enveloped the two of them.

They were on a secluded mountainside, with lush primeval forests below and the outline of the mountain range where the research institute was located in the distance.

They have successfully escaped the research institute's premises! (End of Chapter)