Chapter 270
"The influence range of the Jade Shield is no more than six kilometers centered on me. However, each plot of land below is four to five kilometers long."
After we land, we'll need to split up for combat. I can only guarantee the absolute safety of those within the four areas in front, behind, to the left, and to the right. As for areas outside these areas, we'll need more powerful personnel.
There are six of you here, and we need two people to work alone. I won't force anyone; anyone who's willing can sign up now.
Texas and Exusiai have both been ruined. In their current state, they are incapable of fighting alone.
The remaining four—Xi, FrostNova, Mudrock, and Surtr —each possess formidable strength. Dealing with these Rhodes Island lackeys will be no problem at all.
Shi Lei wouldn't force anyone to go; he let them decide for themselves, and those who wanted to sign up could. What if the person he nominated didn't want to go? Wouldn't that put them in a difficult position?
After hearing his master's words, Mudrock stepped forward without hesitation and stood at the front of the crowd:
"Sir, count me in."
As a fragment of the 'Year' beast, Xi possesses considerable strength that allows her to fight without relying on the Jade Shield.
She wanted to stay by Shi Lei's side, but she also wanted to achieve something to win his favor. After thinking for a moment, she stepped forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Mudrock.
As Surtr walked out, she was about to step forward to register. Seeing that the other person had taken the lead, she seemed quite indifferent and pulled her foot back.
"Okay, the number of people is settled now."
With a wave of his hand, Shi Lei conjured six watch-like objects out of thin air and distributed them to everyone present.
This thing looks like a watch, but it's not a watch. There are no hour or minute hands on the dial, only one hand.
"I'm not sure if the chat software will work in Chernobyl. You guys wear this to locate your position. If we go beyond the Jade Shield's range, I'll tighten the strap to remind you. I'll also use the hands to indicate which direction we should advance."
Actually, both Mudrock and Texas have rings and Rock Sword that he crafted separately. But who would complain about having too many creations made by Shi Lei?
"Are you ready? If not, wait a little longer. Once you're ready, we can set off."
"Ready."
Me too.
Once the last person indicated they were ready, the Rock House beneath their feet suddenly vanished.
Shi Lei put Jade Shield on each of them and guided them to fall to different plots of land.
Since the Jade Shield's effect extends beyond one tile, he will throw the Mudrock and Sunset onto the edge of the second tile to avoid damage from the fall.
In an instant, the seven figures in the sky, like the seven Dragon Balls after making their wishes, flew off in different directions.
Hot Spring Park is located at the boundary between G Sector and Plot F.
While evacuating, ACE listened to local radio broadcasts on their mobile phones in an attempt to obtain real-time intelligence.
"Thanks to the tireless efforts of the military police and civilian police, the riots in Chernobyl are nearing their end. Rioters in almost every area have been suppressed. The situation has now almost stabilized..."
Upon hearing this, he couldn't help but complain:
"I never expected that the largest local radio station would broadcast such a distorted and misleading message."
The Dobermann next to him, however, didn't seem to care:
"That's normal. Sometimes the media is just the mouthpiece of the official propaganda. Spreading false information is to appease the people in the city who haven't evacuated. If you don't want to listen, just turn off the radio. We'll reach G Sector after we cross this park. When we meet up with the Nearl Squad, the pressure on us on the battlefield will be a little less."
The Doctor can walk now and has even changed into his Rhodes Island uniform. For some reason, he's wearing a black mask that completely covers his face.
Amiya lagged behind him by a step, like a comforting little cotton-padded jacket, constantly reassuring him:
"The Doctor, please rest assured. We just need to cross this park to rendezvous with Nearl Squad. Then we can call the Reconnaissance Squad and make a safe retreat."
As for the Rhodes Island's riots in the city, Rhodes Island was powerless to help.
The main problem is the huge disparity in numbers between the two sides; neither side has the resources to fight the other.
"Wait a moment!"
Ace stared ahead, signaling everyone to be alert:
"Be careful, the fog ahead is very thick."
Amiya looked around upon hearing this, the same question arising in her mind. It was almost nine o'clock; the morning mist in the park should have dissipated long ago.
"The fog is so thick, could it be Originium Arts?"
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately went on alert. The three teams formed a circle, surrounding the Doctor in the center.
"Clatter".
Suddenly, the two drones that Amiya and the others used to detect enemy activity above their heads were shot down.
Everyone panicked immediately, unsure of what to do. Fortunately, Instructor Dobermann was experienced and immediately told everyone to hide behind trees to avoid a surprise attack.
"Maintain formation, don't panic!"
"Look carefully before you act, don't hurt your own people!"
The White Mist in the park grew thicker and thicker, reducing visibility from five meters to about one meter.
Amiya reached out to grab the Doctor's hand, but grasped only air, causing her heart to skip a beat.
"The Doctor? The Doctor, where are you?"
Ace and Dobermann learned of his disappearance but were unable to locate the Doctor in the thick fog.
"The fog has lifted, be alert!"
For some reason, the thick fog dissipated on its own.
Amiya looked around and immediately spotted the Doctor lying on the grass not far away.
A red-haired Lupo wearing a hood appears to be arguing with a young, white-haired Liberi boy.
"Crownslayer, this is none of your business. Go back to your territory, and I can pretend I didn't see anything."
Red-haired Lupo, codenamed Crownslayer, is in trouble when he hears a cry for help from his subordinate over the Walkie-Talkie:
"Boss, come back quick! There's a Lupo here who's really tough, none of us brothers can handle him..."
Mephisto heard the conversation on the Walkie-Talkie. He grinned and sneered without any attempt to hide it.
"You can't even protect your own territory, yet you come here to mine? Tsk, how greedy you are."
The Crownslayer glared at him, seemingly wanting to kill him. Before leaving, he didn't forget to utter a harsh threat:
"You'll regret this; just wait and see what happens!"
Mephisto seemed completely unconcerned, staring at their disheveled figures with a mocking smile.
He then surprisingly composed himself, waving to the Rhodes Island team in a very polite manner.
"Hey, friends. Please forgive that idiot Crownslayer for his rude behavior. Is this your commander? Bring him back quickly."
Upon hearing this, Amiya rushed over and helped the Doctor back to the group.
Ace and Dobermann were quite surprised; they hadn't expected the Rhodes Island to be less united than they'd imagined. This cadre who returned the Doctor's doctorship was actually quite nice.
But the next second, Mephisto, who had been laughing and joking, suddenly turned serious.
"Alright, everyone's here now. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mephisto, and I hope we can play a fun game together today."
Game?
Dobermann gripped the whip tightly, his brow furrowing.
"Tsk, this guy really won't let us leave easily. You guys retreat first. I'll cover you."
"I never said you could leave."
As the warning was given, a large number of Rhodes Island members suddenly poured out of the park.
Mephisto's smile widened even further:
"To be honest, I'm very interested in you. Before coming to Chernobyl, I specifically looked into Rhodes Island. You're supposed to be a pharmaceutical company, but you rarely do anything like manipulating test tubes."
I was originally going to let your commander go. But now, I've changed my mind. How about we have a fun game? My men will try to tear you to pieces. And you'll need to defeat them to leave the park. Simple rules, right?
Amiya looked at the Liberi boy, who was about her age, and found his behavior incomprehensible:
"Why do you have to play games? Catastrophe is coming soon, aren't you going to leave?"
"Catastrophe? Ha."
Mephisto's smile vanished abruptly, instantly turning serious:
"Precisely because of the Catastrophe, we should celebrate even more! Come on, I can't wait to start this game, you..."
Before he could finish speaking, FrostNova's voice suddenly came through the Walkie-Talkie at his waist.
"Big Adam just asked me for backup. I can't provide remote assistance from the park anymore. You should be okay on your own, right?"
Heavy armored warriors like Big Adam possess top-tier offensive and defensive capabilities. Their only drawback is their slow movement speed, making them easily manipulated by enemies.
He sought help from FrostNova, perhaps because he had encountered a very agile target.
Mephisto was disappointed, but he didn't stop his friend from supporting the other executives.
"Okay, then go ahead, don't worry about me."
After saying that, he immediately cut off the communication.
He then gestured with one hand, directing more than ten Rhodes Island members to fill the gaps in his front line of defense.
Ace looked around, his expression grave. The members of the Rhodes Island were moving stiffly.
"Be careful, these guys are weird."
Mephisto lost his gentlemanly patience and let out a mad, ear-piercing laugh:
"Heh heh heh, please hold on a little longer. Let me enjoy this, don't be too disappointed. Charge!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Rhodes Island members on the scene grabbed their weapons and rushed over in a swarm.
ACE and the others had no intention of staying here to fight the madman, and they exchanged a glance with each other.
Seeing that the two sides were about to engage in close combat, they suddenly pulled the pins and threw the smoke grenades on the ground. Under the cover of the smoke, they quickly ran towards the other exit of the park.
The mission to locate and awaken the Doctor in the Core City has been accomplished. All that remains is a safe evacuation, and the operation will conclude perfectly. There's absolutely no need to engage the Rhodes Island and inflict unnecessary casualties.
"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"
Seeing the Rhodes Island operator moving through the smoke, Mephisto grinned and sneered:
"How could you escape using the same tactics as Crownslayer? How utterly pathetic! Warlock, attack C5!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a Spell Shockwave precisely struck the Rhodes Island operator, who immediately collapsed to the ground.
What's going on? This is inside the smoke!
"Next, B6!"
Hearing his companions' screams, Ace had no choice but to raise his sturdy shield and stay Rearguard.
Rhodes Island's plan to escape in the chaos failed, and they were surrounded by hundreds of Rhodes Island members.
Mephisto approached and kindly suggested:
"How about this, if you can kill this commander, I might consider sparing your lives."
The 65 Operator involved in this rescue all entered Chernobyl with a death wish. Now, faced with a test of humanity, they will not give up easily.
"Tsk, boring."
Mephisto gradually lost patience and ordered his subordinates to launch a simultaneous attack:
"Come on, please hold on a little longer. I really want to see your painful, twisted wails."
Chernobyl, J Sector.
After making a deal with Scott, W quickly ran off to catch up with the Sarkaz team.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one else was around, Heredrey asked in a low voice what had just happened. But she refused to answer, only saying that he and Ines would find out later.
Three minutes later, the squad passed the intersection. The sudden sound of gunfire shattered the silence.
"Bang!"
Sarkaz-Galsen, who was walking at the very front, was shot in the head with a live bullet. Blood was flowing freely from his neck down, and he appeared to have lost all vital signs.
But the next second, an even more grotesque and terrifying head popped out from Garson's neck.