Desperate people, accept the seed of my soul!

The electric arc at Liu Zhen's fingertip suddenly flickered, becoming slightly brighter than before.

His pupils contracted slightly—he sensed it.

Deep within the ruins, a massive amount of electricity surged. Before, it was as if there was a thick wall between them, but now a crack appeared in the wall, and surging electrical energy flowed behind it, awaiting his command.

Cold sweat beaded on Meng Zhaowen's forehead, his temples throbbed, and his fingers remained firmly planted in the soil.

The roots continued to extend toward the second set of equipment, passing through more gravel and twisted steel bars, a longer distance and taking longer.

Two minutes later, the humming of the second device also stopped.

Liu Zhen closed his eyes, and the range of electricity he could sense expanded again. The wall was already half cracked, and the pulsation of the current was as clear as his own heartbeat.

The third set of equipment was located deep in the basement of the main building, more than 100 meters away, completely crushed by the collapsed walls.

A trickle of warm blood welled up from Meng Zhaowen's nose, dripping down his chin and onto the scorched earth, leaving a small, dark, damp stain.

He gritted his teeth, controlling his roots to penetrate through layers of ruins, finally touching the outer shell of the last piece of equipment.

The roots drilled into the heat dissipation holes and severed the wiring.

The buzzing sound completely disappeared.

Liu Zhen suddenly opened his eyes, his mental energy probing into the depths of the ruins without any hindrance—the entire area's power grid was clearly presented in his consciousness, and the current in the underground cables surged like rivers, emitting a deafening roar, waiting for his command.

A blinding arc of electricity leaped from his palm, brighter than ever before, the blue-white light making the fire in his eyes seem to burn out.

Meng Zhaowen leaned against the wall, wiped the blood from her nose, nodded to him, her lips moved but no sound came out, yet the meaning was clearly conveyed: It's done.

Looking at his ashen face and his full head of white hair, Liu Zhen felt a lump in his throat.

He reached out and pressed down on Meng Zhaowen's shoulder, his voice deep and resolute: "Leave the rest to me."

Meng Zhaowen nodded, slowly slid down against the wall, and began to cough violently. With each cough, a little blood foam spilled from the corner of his mouth.

He was simply too exhausted. The depletion of ten years of his lifespan, coupled with the extreme exhaustion of his mental energy, meant that he had only been able to hold on until now thanks to the hatred that had sustained him for seven years.

The firepower outside intensified, the enemy's footsteps grew closer, and their offensive was several times more ferocious than before. They were about to reach their hiding place.

Liu Zhen ignored the approaching danger, and simply spread his five fingers on his right hand, aiming at the high-voltage power line that was strung on the utility pole fifty meters away.

He could clearly sense the surging current inside; 100,000 volts was enough.

He was waiting, waiting for the moment when the enemy was most concentrated, waiting for them to think they could take this place soon and relax their vigilance.

……

Inside the command vehicle, Zhong Lin watched the increasingly fierce attack ahead, his face growing colder and colder.

He grabbed the walkie-talkie, his voice filled with undisguised murderous intent: "Charge straight in. We need to see them alive or dead."

"Roger that!" the commander responded, putting down the walkie-talkie and waving his hand sharply. "All units, fire suppressive fire! Assault teams, prepare to storm in!"

The commander's sharp shout tore through the night, and seventy guns roared simultaneously. Bullets rained down on the broken wall where the two were hiding, sending rubble flying and dust billowing everywhere. The entire wall swayed precariously under the impenetrable barrage of bullets, and concrete fragments, like sand and gravel whipped up by a gale, clattered and pelted around Liu Zhen and Meng Zhaowen.

Three orange-red fire dragons spewed out simultaneously from three directions, the heat waves licking across the ruins, distorting the air with heat, instantly carbonizing the already charred grass clippings, and the pungent smell of burnt fumes mixed with gunpowder smoke piercing the nose, making even breathing painful.

Under the cover of fire, six assault team members crouched down and crept up from the flank, their steps as light as cats, and they were now only ten meters away from the pillar where they were hiding.

Behind the pillar, Liu Zhen closed his eyes, the veins on his forehead bulging like twisting little snakes.

His mental energy probed into the depths of the ruins without any hindrance, and the electric grids whose filters had been removed by Meng Zhaowen were now as clear in his mind as the lines on his palm.

Buried underground, the 100,000 volts of current surged like a river, emitting a deafening roar. Every pulse of the current was synchronized with his heartbeat, waiting only for his command to unleash its power according to his will.

He was gathering his strength, pressing every bit of electricity he could get into his palm. The skin on his right arm began to crack due to the surge of overloaded energy, and fine beads of blood seeped out from the cracks, running down his forearm and dripping onto the scorched soil, spreading out small, dark, damp marks.

But he didn't stop. Instead, he pressed his mental energy even tighter, and the buzzing sound of the current surging in his palm grew louder and louder, even drowning out the buzzing sound in his ears.

"Go! Capture them!"

The leader's stern shouts were already close at hand. The six assault team members jumped out of their cover at the same time, their guns aimed at the back of the pillar.

From a distance, they saw Liu Zhen squatting on the ground, his right hand pressed against the ground, his head hanging down, his whole body motionless as if all his strength had been drained away. They all thought he had given up resisting, so they quickened their pace. The two in front even reached out to grab Liu Zhen's shoulders.

Just as their fingertips were less than half a meter from Liu Zhen's collar, Liu Zhen suddenly raised his head.

Those bloodshot eyes were now gleaming with a blue-white light more dazzling than the sun.

"die!"

Liu Zhen spread his right hand, and a blinding bolt of lightning shot out from his palm, as thick as a bucket and as bright as day, instantly engulfing the three assault team members at the forefront.

Before they could even scream, their bodies vaporized instantly in the intense heat, leaving not even a scrap of clothing behind. Only three charred human figures remained on the ground, still emitting wisps of smoke.

The lightning bolt didn't stop; like a lightning sword wielded by a giant, it swept across the path the assault team had taken.

The heavy bulletproof shield began to melt the moment it came into contact with the lightning. Molten iron dripped down the metal frame like a candle. The soldiers behind the shield didn't even have time to retreat before they were engulfed by the lightning. Their combat uniforms tore like paper, and their skin instantly carbonized under the high temperature.

The twelve people vaporized in an instant, leaving only charred marks on the ground. The shockwave blew people seven or eight meters away, slamming them hard against the twisted steel frame. The cracking sound of bones breaking mixed with screams echoed across the ruins.

The originally impenetrable encirclement was torn open by this lightning bolt, creating a gap twenty meters wide.

"Walk!"

Liu Zhen's right arm was still outstretched, and the blood vessels under his skin felt like they were about to burst. He gritted his teeth, grabbed Meng Zhaowen who was leaning against the wall with his left hand, and staggered toward the gap.

Meng Zhaowen's steps were unsteady, as if she were walking on cotton. Almost all of her weight was on Liu Zhen. Her white hair was whipped around by the hot wind, and her lips were cracked and bleeding, but she still gritted her teeth and tried her best to keep up with him.

The two stepped across the still-warm, charred ground, their shoes covered in melted rubber particles, each step making a slight sizzling sound.