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Chapter 226 Your Abilities
"...A nuclear power plant?" Chen Xuan suddenly felt enlightened. "So that's how it is!"

"How's it going?" Lin Qing asked while speeding. On the city's roads with a speed limit of 60 km/h, she sped up to over 120 km/h, leaving many monsters behind before they could even block her way.

"Electric current is nourishment!"

"Huh?" Lin Qing frowned. "Can Shadow Demons directly absorb electric current?"

"No, I'm talking about a symbol! In Su Xingwan's understanding, electricity is a form of energy, so in her dream it manifests as something that can nourish the Shadow Demon," Chen Xuan said in one breath. "Summoning monsters requires energy for it, which manifests as unstable voltage throughout the city!"

Lin Qing jerked the steering wheel again, the tires screeching. With a loud bang, the right front of the car collided with a monster, sending it flying several meters away. The right headlight shattered. Amidst the near-out-of-control drift and collision, the two people in the back seat couldn't help but scream.

"So what does that prove?" she asked after straightening the steering wheel.

"Don't you understand? Cutting off the power might significantly weaken it!"

Chen Xuan opened the window, leaned half his body out, and summoned the Thousand Thoughts Sword to protect Lin Qing. Although the collision was decisive, this car was, after all, a civilian vehicle and couldn't withstand repeated abuse from his teammates.

By this time, the four were very close to the power plant. A wire mesh fence stood along the roadside, separating them from the monstrous shadow demon. The already enormous demon now appeared even larger, almost completely filling their field of vision; they had to crane their necks to see its form. It loomed over the power plant like a mountain, the dense network of streetlights barely illuminating its lower abdomen and toes.

If you keep driving forward, you'll reach the sea.

"I understand what you mean." Lin Qing turned left and sped onto the pedestrian crossing. "Hold on tight!"

With the accelerator floored, the four-wheel motors emitted a piercing scream, and the vehicle crashed into the wall at a speed exceeding 160 kilometers per hour, knocking down the barbed wire and anchor poles with a loud bang, and continued driving into the nuclear power plant with undiminished momentum.

Blue lightning crackled across the Shadow Demon's abdomen once more!

This time they could see it clearly: thousands of wires extended from its lower abdomen, connecting with the surrounding high-voltage power towers, as if these cables were a net woven by it! With the surge of current, a large number of sparks fell from above their heads, like a shower of stars.

This scene was breathtaking, but it was clearly not a good omen.

Chen Xuan sensed that the number of bright spots symbolizing monsters around him had doubled again, reaching at least a hundred!
He immediately summoned more Thousand Thought Swords to clear a path for Lin Qing.

The two had reached a consensus: to storm the nuclear power plant and shut it down from the inside.

The vehicle drove all the way to the entrance of the lobby before stopping.

“Nuclear power plants definitely use physical isolation, with the external network and internal network completely separated. I need to find the control center to infiltrate it,” Lin Qing judged. “You don’t need to come with me. Just protect the two of them.”

Chen Xuan also knew that this was the best choice—both he and the other party had the ability to stand on their own, but it was different to bring two ordinary high school students with them.

"Be careful, these monsters are summoned out of thin air by the Shadow Demons, so they may suddenly appear in any corner," he warned.

"Don't worry, I'm a professional." Lin Qing got out of the car and rushed into the depths of the building without looking back.

Su Xingwan vomited immediately after getting out of the car with Gu Zhaoning.

Clearly, their reckless driving had left them quite shaken.

"Where is Sister Lin... Sister Lin Qing? Why... why did she suddenly leave?" Gu Zhaoning asked, panting.

“She has her own plans.” Chen Xuan glanced outside the power station and saw a dense mass of figures converging on them, almost like a zombie apocalypse. But these monsters were not zombies; they were incredibly strong and fast when they attacked. If it weren't for the Thousand Thoughts Sword being able to be used in hand-to-hand combat, he really wouldn't be able to deal with so many enemies at the same time.

"We...we've crashed into a nuclear power plant?" Su Xingwan wiped the acid from her mouth. "I thought I was going to die just now."

"It's still early." Chen Xuan increased the number of LV5 Thousand Thoughts Swords to the maximum. A total of twelve Qi Swords flew up and down with the Heavenly Thunder Token, prioritizing the elimination of the milky white monsters that rushed over. "Su Xingwan, I need you to do something now."

The girl perked up, "Dr. Chen, please go ahead."

"Imagine that there are actually survivors in the city."

"Huh?" Su Xingwan was taken aback.

"A rescue team, having lost contact, took refuge inside the Asia-Pacific Nuclear Power Plant. They are currently hiding in this building and came to check the situation after hearing the crash."

"Wh...what do you mean? I don't quite understand..."

"Just think of it this way! Remember, this is a dream you created, so you can essentially control it!" Chen Xuan emphasized. "Don't be afraid. Just think about what it would be like if there were still survivors in the city!"

If his guess was correct, Su Xingwan was undoubtedly the most important component of the nightmare. In other words, her will could influence the changes in the dream to a certain extent. "I... understand, I'll try my best!" Su Xingwan finally understood Chen Xuan's request. She sat down against the car, closed her eyes, and began to ponder deeply.

However, nothing unusual happened.

This is indeed not an easy task.

But Chen Xuan didn't care and deliberately fooled him, saying, "Very good, continue. I can feel the change!"

"Yes!"

“Dr. Chen… this is…” Gu Zhaoning looked bewildered.

"Just watch quietly. I believe your friend will succeed." Chen Xuan gestured for her to be quiet.

zizi...

Suddenly, the sky outside brightened dramatically, casting a bluish hue over the ground. At the same time, the lights in the hall flickered violently, and several lamps shattered into pieces!
"Ah!" Gu Zhaoning was startled. The flying glass shards made her instinctively hug her friend, using her body as a shield.

This is the third time the Shadow Demon has summoned an assistant.

"What...what happened?" Su Xingwan asked in a panic with her eyes closed.

"Never mind that! How far have you gotten?" Chen Xuan turned around, summoned back his two flying swords, and slashed at the humanoid monster that had suddenly appeared in the hall—now not only were there a lot of enemies outside, but the house was also becoming less safe.

"I'm picturing what these people will look like! The leading officer will be around thirty years old, with extremely rich combat experience, and has participated in numerous evacuation operations..."

Chen Xuan raised an eyebrow in surprise. Good heavens... He only asked her to imagine that there were people here, but he didn't expect Su Xingwan to have considered such details.
Just then, he caught a faint sound of footsteps coming from another corridor connecting the main hall.

"His team, leading over a hundred people, evacuated into the nuclear power plant, but unexpectedly encountered giant spiders and became trapped here. Now, these people have discovered us and are heading this way..."

The footsteps were getting closer!

At the same time, I could also hear hurried conversations.

"Uh... I can't think of anything else after that!" Su Xingwan couldn't help but exclaim, "Have you sensed any more changes?"

"No need, this is enough," Chen Xuan said confidently. "Look."

As soon as he finished speaking, a group of fully armed soldiers rushed out of the corridor and opened fire on the enemies surging from the depths of the building!
Intense gunfire suddenly echoed throughout the building!

"Come over here, it's safe here!" the leader shouted at them. Just as Su Xingwan had described, he was a man in camouflage military uniform, about thirty years old.

"No way..." Su Xingwan opened her eyes, utterly shocked. "The reinforcements have actually arrived?"

As expected, Chen Xuan's suspicions were confirmed.

"Let's go! Do as they say!"

He shouted, covering the two as they retreated into the corridor to rejoin the reinforcements. They then fought their way back to the underground parking lot of the power plant.

There were actually hundreds of refugees hiding here! Judging from their clothing, some were ordinary citizens, while others were nuclear power plant workers.

"Are all these people... just figments of my imagination?" Su Xingwan found it hard to accept this fact.

“That’s right.” Chen Xuan nodded. “Actually, the transformation of Shencheng from a populated city to a deserted one in your dream was also determined by your subconscious. Deep down, you were afraid that people would be slaughtered by monsters, and you didn’t want to see blood and death, which is why the city has become what it is today.”

"If they die here... wouldn't I become a murderer?!" Her face turned pale instantly.

"Calm down," Chen Xuan said, pressing her shoulder. "This is still just your dream, and death is just an illusion. No one but you will truly die from a nightmare."

"Dr. Chen, is her dream caused by that giant monster above us?" Gu Zhaoning asked softly.

“No, the Shadow Demon can’t do that,” Chen Xuan replied confidently. “This dream itself is your friend’s ability.”

(End of this chapter)