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Chapter 133: A massive force field, all top-tier combatants have fallen! (55 chapters out of 2 words, please vote!)

"Get ready to get off."

Fang Qingyu's voice rang out again, and the atmosphere inside the car had improved considerably.

The car came to a stop in front of the brightly lit building of the Sanctuary of the Necropolis.

It was evening, and the leaden sky pressed down heavily. The rain was light, but it carried a biting chill.

The hall, which was usually orderly, was now bustling with noise. Countless staff members in uniforms or casual clothes walked hurriedly with solemn expressions, carrying documents and pushing equipment. The air was filled with disinfectant, sweat and an invisible anxiety.

When Fang Qingyu and his group of five stepped into the hall, their bodies covered in blood, mud, and tattered combat uniforms, along with the lingering smell of gunpowder and blood, seemed to carry the biting cold wind of returning from the battlefield, instantly silencing the surrounding noise.

All eyes turned to them, a mixture of astonishment and awe flowing silently between them.

The crowd instinctively made way for them, their eyes following these warriors who had just crawled back from the brink of death as they headed for the elevator.

The elevator slowly came to a stop on the 28th floor, and the doors slid open silently.

At this time of day, the 28th-floor lounge area should be a bustling sea of ​​noise, filled with game sound effects, laughter, the aroma of instant noodles, and shouts of people teaming up for games.

But today, they were met with a suffocating silence.

The lights were only half on, making it somewhat dim.

Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, the city's neon lights blurred into hazy spots in the rain, illuminating the few figures inside.

There were fewer than ten people scattered on the sofas.

No one was talking, and no one was playing games.

Several people had their heads down, their fingers unconsciously picking at the edge of the sofa, or staring blankly at the water glasses in front of them that had long since gone cold.

In the corner, a team member was mechanically wiping the dull blade of his short knife over and over again with a blood-stained cloth, as if it were the only thing he could hold onto.

The air was thick with the smell of disinfectant and the oppressive feeling of waiting.

The slight sound of the elevator door opening.

Like a pebble thrown into a stagnant pool.

The group of people suddenly raised their heads, their eyes flashing with intense hope. But when they saw that it was Fang Qingyu and his group who had walked in, instead of the figures they had been hoping for, the light quickly dimmed, leaving only a deeper weariness and an undisguised sense of loss.

A team member with abrasions on his face and a sling around his arm forced a smile and spoke in a hoarse voice, "...Qingzi? Lao Qin? You...are back?" He glanced at the horrific state of the others and added, with a complex mix of relief and relief, "It's good that you're alive, it's good that you're back."

Fang Qingyu nodded silently in response.

Qin Hui and Lao Qiao didn't say anything either. They just silently walked to the empty sofa in the corner and sat down. Their bodies sank into the soft backrest, as if a heavy burden had been lifted off their shoulders, and a sense of exhaustion instantly swept over them.

Qi Hao and Lü Chen also found their own seats, lay down, and closed their eyes to rest.

Time flowed slowly in the oppressive silence.

The sky outside the window was completely dark, and the sound of raindrops hitting the glass was clearly audible.

Staff members occasionally came in and out, bringing news about the follow-up cleanup and the care of the wounded.

Fang Qingyu leaned back on the sofa, holding the sleeping Jiang Wei in his arms, his eyes closed.

Just as this sense of oppression was about to solidify into something tangible.
The door to the lounge area was suddenly pushed open.

A tall but unusually tired figure appeared at the door.

It's Duan Ling!
Her combat uniform was covered in dark stains and congealed blood, with several tears revealing her equally stained inner lining.

There were no scars on his face, but his complexion was a pale, worn-out gray, his lips were chapped, and his eyes held an undisguised heaviness and a numb weariness.

Rainwater dampened the ends of her hair, strands sticking to her forehead and cheeks.

Her appearance instantly attracted everyone's attention!
"Sister Duan!"

"Sister Duan!"

Several team members suddenly stood up, their eyes gleaming with surprise.

Duan Ling's gaze quickly swept across the lounge area. When she saw that Fang Qingyu was still alive and sitting there, her tense jawline seemed to relax slightly, and a faint, almost imperceptible, light of relief flashed deep in her eyes.

But then, when she saw that there were only a dozen or so familiar figures in the entire recreation area, and almost all of them were injured, with many of them carrying a sorrow that they could not completely hide, that glimmer of light was instantly covered by a deeper gloom.

She didn't go to anyone, but dragged her heavy steps to an empty sofa near the bed, almost collapsing into it. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, as if trying to expel all the stale air and fatigue from her lungs.

Fang Qingyu looked at her but did not ask immediately.

The others remained silent as well; they could all see that Duan Ling was in very poor condition, and it wasn't just physical exhaustion.

After a long while, Duan Ling finally raised her head, her gaze falling on Fang Qingyu. Her voice was terribly hoarse, carrying the dryness of someone who had just traveled a long distance:
“The situation outside is temporarily under control. You’ve done a great job.” She paused, seemingly organizing her thoughts or calming some turbulent emotions. “However, the trouble in Qingjian City is not over yet.”

Her gaze became unusually solemn, even carrying an indescribable heaviness.

"While Team Leader Lin was clearing out the large, monstrous-level demigods on the outskirts, in the direction of the 'Old Port District' in the west of the city," Duan Ling's voice lowered, carrying a sense of powerlessness in the face of a colossal object, "...a super-large force field unfolded without warning."

She raised her hand and wearily rubbed her temples: "Coverage area. Preliminary estimate: close to half the size of Qingjian City."

"Half a city?!" Fang Qingyu frowned slightly.

The faces of the others instantly turned extremely ugly, and a suppressed gasp rang out.

Duan Ling nodded heavily: "Yes, half the city. Every captain is equipped with such a super-large force field." She raised her head, her eyes sharp and cold, "It's to prevent encountering super-large life ghosts, or groups of life ghosts! The bureau's top combat forces, including the deputy director, the captains of several other squads, and some special support experts have formed an assault team, and they're all trapped inside."

She looked at everyone present: "They can't get away anytime soon. The pressure of defending and clearing out the entire Qingjian City now rests on those of us who can still move." She closed her eyes wearily and leaned back on the sofa. "I was kicked out by Captain Lin to rest. That other battlefield is the real meat grinder."

The news exploded like a bombshell in the otherwise silent recreation area.

A massive force field! Half a city! A horde of ghouls!? Even top-tier combatants are unable to escape!?
The sense of relief that I had just barely survived the extraordinary bloodbath was instantly replaced by this even grander and more desperate shadow.

It turns out that what they had just experienced was merely the prelude to this disaster, or rather, the aftermath of an even more terrifying catastrophe.

"You don't need to worry about that side. It's just that we'll need to trouble everyone to switch to two shifts these days."

After Duan Ling finished speaking, he seemed to have exhausted the last bit of strength to explain. He closed his eyes again, his chest rising and falling slightly, clearly exhausted and unable to resist taking a rest.

The rest area fell into an even deeper silence once again.

Time passed by minute by minute.

The rain outside the window seemed to have stopped completely, but the night grew even darker.

The hands of the clock quietly slid toward midnight.

One after another, some members of the third team dragged their exhausted and battered bodies back to the 28th-floor lounge area.

Everyone who pushed open the door was covered in grime and blood, their faces etched with the numbness of surviving a catastrophe and unspeakable grief. Their eyes searched for familiar faces in the crowd; some, upon finding one, would rush forward to embrace them tightly, silently weeping.

Some people glanced around, their eyes dimmed completely, and they silently walked to a corner and curled up.

The once empty recreation area was gradually filled with these figures who had returned from the brink of death.

However, when Duan Ling opened her tired eyes again, her gaze slowly swept across the entire area.

Her body suddenly froze.

She sat up abruptly, her gaze like a searchlight, filled with disbelief and a growing chill, sweeping over those familiar yet disheveled faces again and again.

One, two, five, ten
She counted silently in her mind, her fingers unconsciously gripping the sofa armrests, her knuckles turning white from the force.

It's gone! It's gone!
Some of those vivid faces she remembered! Some of her teammates who used to laugh and joke, shout during training, and eagerly volunteer for missions... they're gone!!

Finally, her gaze settled on Fang Qingyu and his group, then swept over the wounded soldiers who had been there the longest, before finally looking at the last few team members who staggered in.
In the entire recreation area, the only official members of her team were the mere ten or so people in front of her.

And almost everyone was injured!

a dozen people
When the operation began, they were a fully staffed, elite action team renowned throughout the Bureau of Justice!

At the start, the dozen or so young faces inside the bureau were full of fighting spirit, a little nervous, but mostly trust and passion.
Now, only a dozen or so battered figures remain before me, their eyes weary and even vacant.
"Where are they?" Duan Ling's voice was extremely low, trembling without her even realizing it, as if she were asking herself, or questioning this cold reality, "...Where are the others?"

No one answered.

Only suppressed, uncontrollable sobs and choking sounds echoed in the deathly silent corner of the lounge area.

"I'm asking you a question!!" Duan Ling suddenly stood up! Her voice rose sharply, so shrill it seemed to tear her throat apart, carrying a madness and rage on the verge of collapse!
The weariness on his face was instantly replaced by an extreme pain and rage, and his ashen face flushed with a sickly red from the excitement!

"Where are our team members?! Huh?!"

Her gaze was like a burning knife, scraping across the faces of every team member present, before finally emphatically addressing the reserve members who had returned but whose core leader was absent.

"Speak up! Are you all mute?! Where is everyone else?!"

"Sister Duan..." From the corner, a young team member could no longer hold back, his voice trembling with tears, "Brother Li was... he was poisoned by that damned thing's corrosive liquid while covering our retreat."

"Brother Wu was trapped under the collapsed steel frame. When we dug him out..."

"Brother Wang, Sister Liu, and the others"

Her broken, sobbing words were like red-hot knives, stabbing fiercely into Duan Ling's heart!
Every name represents a once vibrant face; the disappearance of every name signifies that the heavy responsibility on her shoulders has been shattered.
"enough!!!"

Duan Ling let out a shrill scream that was so loud it broke her voice.

She was like a mother beast that had been completely enraged and lost her cubs, her whole body trembling violently.

The fatigue, worry, and depression that had accumulated over several hours, along with the pain and anger of the confirmed massive casualties that were now crashing down like a tsunami, completely overwhelmed her rationality!
"Liar! They're all liars!!"

She turned abruptly and rushed toward the entrance of the lounge area, her eyes filled with madness.

"Bullshit higher-ups! Bullshit bureau chief!!" she roared, her voice echoing through the empty building, filled with deep-seated hatred and a fierce determination. "Where's your intelligence?! Where's your reconnaissance?! Didn't you fucking say it was just a monstrous fluctuation?!"

"Our people!! Our people are not expendable! They are not just numbers!!!"

She rushed to the elevator door and kicked the heavy metal frame hard, making a loud "bang," but Fang Qingyu pulled her down in time.

"The people who compensated me, come here!! Give them all back to me!!" Duan Ling's tears finally burst forth like a flood breaking through a dam, mixing with the filth on her face, leaving behind a disheveled and desperate look.

She slid down against the doorframe, pounding her fists on the ground, and let out a heart-wrenching wail like a helpless child.
"Wu Yu, I'll fuck you to death!!!"

Fang Qingyu stood silently to the side, watching Duan Ling break down and cry without saying a word.

Top floor of the Sanctuary Building, Director's Office.

Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, the lights of Qingjian City spread out at my feet in the rain, like a blurry galaxy wet with rain.

But at this moment, no one is there to appreciate this magnificent night view.

The atmosphere in the office was so heavy it was almost palpable.

Director Wu Yu stood with his back to the door, his hands clasped behind his back.

His tall figure appeared particularly heavy in the dim light streaming through the window.

His weathered face, marked by a deep scar, was expressionless, except for his hawk-like, sharp gaze, which was fixed intently on the direction of the massive force field.

There was a gentle knock on the heavy office door, which was then pushed open a crack.

A young secretary in a crisp uniform, with a serious expression, strode in. His footsteps were light, but still clearly audible in the deathly quiet space.

"Director," the secretary said in a low voice, with a hint of nervousness and a desire for instructions, "Deputy Captain Duan Ling on the 28th floor has lost control of her emotions."

Wu Yu did not turn around immediately.

He continued to gaze into the distance, as if he could penetrate that energy barrier and see the fierce battle taking place inside.

He took a deep drag on his cigarette, and the red glow of the cigarette butt suddenly brightened in the dim light.

After a few seconds of suffocating silence, Wu Yu slowly spoke, his voice low and hoarse, carrying an indescribable weariness and a hint of understanding:
"There's no need to stop it."

The secretary was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting this answer.

Wu Yu slowly turned around. His bloodshot eyes held no anger, only a deep weariness, as if he were carrying a heavy burden.

"Let her curse." Wu Yu's voice was calm, yet as heavy as a rock. "She deserves to curse."

His gaze swept over the secretary, and the young secretary involuntarily held her breath.

"The intelligence was indeed wrong, and the accuracy of the survey was too low. It was a major oversight in our work." Wu Yu's voice carried an undeniable frankness.

"So, just ignore her."

The secretary bowed solemnly and replied, "Yes, Director."

Wu Yu waved his hand, indicating that his secretary could leave.

After the secretary quietly left and gently closed the door, Wu Yu was once again left alone in the large office.

He walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, the cigarette butt in his hand glowing between his fingertips.

Outside the window, the city's neon lights still flickered, but in his eyes, all this prosperity was shrouded in a huge shadow that covered half the city.

　Since I started writing, I've never managed to collect 1000 monthly votes in a single month. I wonder if I can achieve that while updating 2 words a day.
　　Xiao Qiu is begging for monthly votes!!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)