Desperate people, accept the seed of my soul!

Thirty kilometers away, in a signal monitoring vehicle, Zhong Lin stared at the still-blinding flash of lightning on the screen. His face showed no panic; instead, he leaned back in his seat and gently tugged at the corner of his mouth: "As expected, there was a backup plan."

Wang Hongyuan turned to look at him, his face showing obvious surprise: "You knew they could do this?"

"That plant-based character can awaken the roots of ancient trees, and Liu Zhen, an electrician, has worked as an electrician for fifteen years. What's so strange about him being able to unleash such an attack?"

Zhong Lin's gaze remained fixed on the screen, watching the two staggering figures rushing towards the gap. "That's why I didn't send everyone at once; I was waiting for this move."

"They've broken through again." Wang Hongyuan pointed at the shrinking gap on the screen, his brows furrowed in a deep frown.

"They can't break through." Zhong Lin's tone was full of confidence. "I've made preparations long ago and left enough reserves to plug any gaps."

He paused, watching the screen as Liu Zhen carried Meng Zhaowen as they ran, a hint of admiration even in his voice: "I admit, they are very capable and have a strong fighting spirit. An ordinary security team would have been overwhelmed long ago. What a pity..."

His voice turned cold: "Unfortunately, they encountered the elite of the Five Mountains Alliance. Two fists can't fight four hands. No matter how strong an individual is, they can't defeat our numbers."

As soon as he finished speaking, countless beams of tactical flashlights suddenly lit up in the darkness surrounding the ruins on the screen.

Forty reserve soldiers, all wearing fully enclosed bulletproof helmets, surged out from both sides simultaneously, spreading out in a fan shape. The sound of their boots hitting the gravel was as dense as drumbeats as they silently advanced in formation.

Their equipment was even better than the first wave of teams: the edges of their bulletproof shields were fitted with a high-temperature resistant ceramic layer with a slightly matte finish, specifically designed to withstand electric arc burns;

The flamethrower is military-grade, with a barrel nearly a third longer than before, a longer range, and a larger fuel tank.

Each person's helmet is equipped with a communication and life monitoring system, and their eyes behind the masks are as cold as ice, devoid of any extra emotion.

The shields in the front row landed simultaneously, the sound of metal hitting the ground was dull and rhythmic, like an impenetrable iron wall.

The flamethrowers in the middle row began to preheat, and the orange-red flames danced on the muzzles, making everyone's faces flicker between light and shadow.

The snipers in the back row had already taken up a high vantage point in the distance, their crosshairs firmly locked onto the gap.

The entire process took less than five seconds. Their tactical discipline was as precise as that of a well-oiled machine. No one spoke, no one retreated. They knew what they were facing, but they showed no fear whatsoever.

When Liu Zhen and Meng Zhaowen rushed to the edge of the breach, they ran right into the shield wall that had just closed.

The barrage of bullets instantly blocked their path. The bullets hit the mud at their feet, and the splashes of mud hit their faces, making them wince in pain.

Liu Zhen gritted his teeth, and an electric arc surged from his palm again, slamming it hard onto the shield at the front. Blue and white lightning exploded, and the mercenary holding the shield trembled and took a half step back. But the person next to him immediately stepped in, and a third person had already flanked from the side, the dark muzzle of his gun pointed at Liu Zhen's chest.

"Be careful!"

Meng Zhaowen suddenly grabbed him, and the bullet grazed Liu Zhen's arm, tearing a deep gash that exposed bone into his already scarred upper arm. Blood gushed out instantly, soaking his sleeve.

The bullets from the flanks had blocked all routes of advance, and Liu Zhen, supporting Meng Zhaowen, had no choice but to retreat and shrink back behind the steel frame deep within the ruins.

The opening that had just been torn open was sealed up again.

……

Liu Zhen leaned against the cold steel frame, panting heavily. His lungs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead, and each breath was accompanied by a tearing pain.

He looked down at his right arm, which was covered with cracked, bloody lines from his fingertips to his shoulder. Fine beads of blood seeped from his skin and trickled down his arm, turning it a frightening dark red. He barely had the strength to lift it.

He tried to channel his mental energy to discharge electricity again, but only a few faint arcs of electricity flickered from his fingertips and went out after a couple of flashes, like a candle flickering in the wind.

The wound on my left shoulder was still bleeding, and my clothes were soaked in blood and stiffened, sticking to my skin and causing a painful tearing sensation.

He tore off a relatively clean piece of clothing, bandaged it up simply, and the fabric was quickly soaked with blood, turning a glaring red.

Meng Zhaowen leaned against him, his consciousness beginning to blur. The precise manipulation of the root system to dismantle the filter had exhausted his last bit of mental energy. At this moment, his vision was severely blurred, and the ruins and the figures of the enemy in front of him were swaying as if he were looking through a layer of frosted glass.

Liu Zhen called his name, and it took him two seconds to react before he slowly raised his head. His cloudy eyes were covered with a layer of gray, and only when he looked at Liu Zhen did a faint light appear.

His hair was completely white, and the wrinkles on his face were as deep as if they had been carved by a knife. He was originally in his early thirties, but now he looked like an old man nearing seventy, and even his breath was mixed with fine blood foam.

Liu Zhen followed his gaze outside, his heart sinking lower and lower.

The reserve team of forty men was all intact, and the remaining thirty-odd men from the first wave had also regrouped, bringing the total to over seventy. The encirclement was thicker and denser than before, with shield walls stacked one on top of another, and flamethrowers flickered in the gaps, illuminating the entire ruins.

Although that attack killed twelve people, it did not shake the enemy's foundation. On the contrary, it made them more cautious in their tactics and more steady in their advance.

The two were forced to retreat to the deepest part of the ruins, where their living space had been compressed to a mere twenty meters square. Even changing their hiding place risked being hit by bullets.

……

Inside the command vehicle, Zhong Lin watched the two people on the screen, who were being driven to the brink of despair, and his smile grew wider and wider.

He leaned back in his chair, his tone relaxed as if he were watching a movie where he already knew the ending: "That should have been their last big move."

"An attack of this level would put an enormous strain on their bodies; they must be completely exhausted." Wang Hongyuan breathed a sigh of relief, extinguished his cigarette, and let the smoke drift out the window through the exhaust fan. "Seventy men are more than enough to deal with two who can't even stand up."

Zhong Lin nodded, grabbed the walkie-talkie, and his voice turned cold: "Move all out, leave no reserves. The officials are almost here, make this quick."

A synchronized response came through the walkie-talkie: "Roger!"

The next second, the firepower of seventy men poured out simultaneously, bullets raining down on the steel frame, sparks flying everywhere, making the steel frame hum.

Flamethrowers sprayed simultaneously from three directions, and orange-red fire swept back and forth in front of the steel frame where the two were hiding. The heat wave made their skin burn and even their hair began to char.

Thirty assault men formed a fan shape and charged in from the front. Their steps were steady, and their guns were always aimed at the back of the steel frame. The distance had been reduced to fifteen meters.