Chapter 275
Texas ran towards the spot where they had disappeared, swinging her longsword as she went. She could smell a faint scent of blood in the air from afar.
Chernobyl, Block U.
After descending from the Planet Befall, Shi Lei quickly headed to the next plot of land. He used his Psychic Scan the surrounding plots and discovered that many people were still lingering there.
In particular, nearly a thousand people were gathered in one underground area. If I'm not mistaken, that should be the Azazel Clinic, right? With the Catastrophe looming, why haven't these infected people left yet?
Shi Lei flew at low altitude and arrived at an unfamiliar street. He saw more than fifty members of the Rhodes Island trying to attack the building on his left.
Besides the corpses of Rhodes Island members, there were also many corpses of infected people on the ground. Someone inside the building was cursing traitors, suggesting that these people who were currently launching the attack were previously Originium-related illness at the clinic.
Unexpectedly, after joining the Rhodes Island, these local infected individuals did not seek trouble with the military police and armed forces. Instead, they turned their knives on their fellow countrymen first.
Sometimes, the one who is harshest on you is not an outsider, but someone you've been through hardships with.
His clothes were stained with blood, and Hegre stood guard behind the door like a gatekeeper.
He is the administrator of the Azazel Clinic and its strongest line of defense.
After Shi Lei understood the situation, he decisively took action, and countless Rock Spear pierced the Rhodes Island members from behind, turning them into hedgehogs.
Hearing the commotion outside, Hegre used a mirror to investigate. Seeing the familiar golden mask, he immediately recognized the newcomer as Shi Lei.
Wasn't Doctor Zhong gone for several months?
Why would they return to Chernobyl when Catastrophe is about to strike?
Is it for the sake of us infected people?
Regardless of the reason, Hegre was extremely grateful. He opened the door and ran over, his attitude very respectful:
"Doctor Zhong, what brings you here?"
"I heard that the Rhodes Island rioted, looting, arson and vandalizing in the city, so I came to stop them. What are you still doing here? Catastrophe is coming soon."
Hegre grinned bitterly and pointed to the corpses of the Rhodes Island members:
"They wanted to take all the medicine from the clinic, and they brought a lot of people to rob us. No matter how we negotiated, it was no use; they didn't want to leave us a single bottle. We had no other choice, so..."
Shi Lei knew time was precious, so he interrupted:
"Thank you for your hard work. There are no military police or gendarmeries blocking the city anymore. Pack your things now; you should be able to leave in time."
"Okay, Doctor Zhong, thank you so much!"
Hegre knew time was short and there wasn't time for a proper thank you. Including this time, he had already owed the other party three favors.
"Maria, quickly tell everyone to evacuate. There are no more obstacles outside, so hurry!"
"Yes!"
As the crowd surged out, Shi Lei spotted an unexpected figure. Alexey, the Third Gendarmerie whom he had bribed, came over with his son to express his gratitude.
"Sir, thank you so much. This morning, the Rhodes Island launched an attack, and many military police units were captured. My son and I got wind of it and drove here to hide. If it weren't for providing shelter to the infected people a while ago, my son and I would probably be out here today."
Shi Lei didn't have time to reminisce with him, and asked:
"What other infected strongholds are there in the city? Could you give me a map? The Catastrophe is expected to arrive in about an hour, so there's not much time left to evacuate."
"Ah, I have this! I have this!"
Sweet Alexey pulled a crumpled map from his coat and explained:
"After that incident, the mayor conducted a thorough investigation of all the plots of land in the city. I hid all those infected people in the areas under my jurisdiction; these are their addresses."
Shi Lei took the map, glanced at it, said nothing, and left the scene.
Watching Doctor Zhong's departing figure, Hegre's expression was complicated as he silently made an important decision.
Genshin Impact beautiful pictures. jpg
341 The Death of Mephisto 4K
FrostNova, risking organ rupture, unleashed Originium Arts that allowed him to move and become invisible. He took Mephisto and quickly fled the ruins.
Although we have escaped temporarily, we cannot let our guard down. Those two might just track us down and catch up.
Mephisto ran four or five hundred meters in one go and noticed that FrostNova had been shot in the leg. Seeing the wound bleeding profusely, he frowned and complained:
"How could you be so careless? A trail of blood will leave a mark, and that's how I got caught too."
FrostNova, having known Mephisto for many years, was aware of his duplicity. He might be expressing concern, yet deliberately say things that make others uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry, I didn't hide well enough. Let's hurry up and leave, they might catch up."
Mephisto gave him a disdainful look and commanded with an unquestionable air of authority:
"Pull open your clothes, let me see how badly you are injured."
"No, they'll catch up soon. Let's get to a safe place first..."
Mephisto ignored all of that and forcefully interrupted:
"Let me see!"
He immediately reached out and pulled up the man's pants. He quickly discovered the horrific wound caused by a live bullet. A normal person would feel pain after taking just a few steps after being shot in the leg, but FrostNova ran several hundred meters without uttering a sound.
Mephisto immediately crouched down, pressed his staff against the wound, and began chanting incantations to treat it.
Not long after, the bullet was forced out of the wound, and then it gradually healed.
The whole process was both itchy and painful, but FrostNova only broke out in a cold sweat and endured it without screaming. Because doing so would directly reveal their location.
"Okay, let's go."
After finishing his treatment, Mephisto stood up and said:
"Where are your Phantom Crossbowmen? Where have they been deployed? We need manpower right now, so call as many of these elite troops as you can."
FrostNova's current shooting skills were learned from these Phantom Crossbowmen. He became a cadre of the Rhodes Island entirely because of Mephisto.
FrostNova didn't send the Phantom Crossbowmen to participate in the attack on Chernobyl in order to protect them. With manpower stretched thin, he had no choice but to call them out.
"I... will contact them."
Mephisto seemed to have been waiting for this sentence, and responded instantly as soon as the other person finished speaking:
"Then you make the contact first, and we'll split up."
Should we split up?
Upon hearing this, FrostNova gave a strange look.
Without the protection of Herd and guards, Mephisto would be just an ordinary Medical Operator. If he were to travel alone, he could easily encounter misfortune halfway through.
With just a hesitant glance, Mephisto knew what his old friend was thinking:
"Don't make that face. It's not my fault if I can't protect you. You don't even have weapons now, how can you protect me? We might as well split up. You go and gather the Phantom Crossbowmen, and I'll go and meet up with the leader."
"No, Ino, we can't do that. If we split up, you'll be in danger!"
"Tsk, can't you say something nice?"
Mephisto knew that this fool wanted to protect his personal safety. If they encountered those two mysterious men wearing golden masks again later, Sasha would not hesitate to Originium Arts to help him escape.
But he had only used it once, and continuous use could very likely lead to serious injury or death on the spot.
Mephisto was extremely hypocritical, valuing his friends' lives above those of strangers. He knew FrostNova was stubborn and would insist on staying. His only option was to find a way to persuade his close friend to leave.
"Ugh, with you as a burden, I can't go far. Besides, your weapon is broken, so you're useless in combat. You'd better hurry up and gather the Phantom Crossbowmen, don't drag me down."
FrostNova grinned bitterly, knowing that it was a pipe dream to hear anything nice from Mephisto.
"Alright, I'll go gather the men now. Don't go looking for the leader alone, that's too dangerous. You'd better find a place to hide and not wander around. I'll come back for you as soon as I've gathered the Phantom Crossbowmen."
Mephisto was indifferent and refused to comply:
"What, are you trying to teach me how to do things?"
"No."
"When we attacked the city, we wiped out all the military police and civilian police. Only those few men wearing gold masks can pose a threat to us. Go and call for reinforcements, don't dawdle, we'll meet up later."
Seeing Mephisto turn and leave, FrostNova felt uneasy and asked:
"Ino, can you handle this by yourself?"
"Tsk, what do you mean by that?"
Mephisto stopped and turned to look at FrostNova with some anger.
"What? Do you think I'm weak? Can't even handle a tiny Originium Crawler?"
"I'm sorry, that's not what I meant. Ino, you go ahead, I'll come and meet you as soon as possible."
When the two first parted ways, FrostNova was very worried and reluctant to leave, turning back almost every two or three steps. He gazed at Mephisto's retreating figure until they had both walked quite a distance before quickening his pace and hurrying away.
Mephisto, on the other hand, didn't look back when he left. Only after walking a considerable distance did he turn around to look at FrostNova's retreating figure.
Sasha, we promised to live well. Even after I'm gone, you must live well too.
Mephisto turned and walked a few dozen meters when suddenly bright red blood dripped down his trouser leg onto the ground. He too had been shot, but had stubbornly remained silent.
This wound cannot be treated at the moment.
If the healing is administered too early, the person wearing the golden mask has a chance of catching up with FrostNova. Mephisto needs blood to guide their pursuit.
Sasha, a man of few words, was not very familiar with the other cadres. He probably didn't know that a large number of cadres had already sacrificed their lives in the Rhodes Island.
Currently, it seems that only three groups are still alive: the guerrillas outside the city keeping an eye on the Ursus Army Group, Talulah's direct forces, and W's Sarkaz squad.
The others either perished or disappeared without a trace, most likely dying in some inconspicuous place.
Although Mephisto was unwilling to accept it, the Rhodes Island was now defunct in name only.
The guerrilla leader, Patriot, frequently contradicted Talulah. This was an open secret among the officers. Perhaps seeing that the Rhodes Island was losing momentum, the guerrillas would seek new allies.
The Patriot had previously defected from Kazdel to serve the Ursus Emperor. Later, they betrayed Ursus and established their own power base in the northwestern ice plains. Given this precedent, Mephisto was not at all surprised by their sudden betrayal.
And then there's W, she's the type to adapt her tactics to the situation. The moment things start to look bad, she's the first to run away.
If these two teams were to break away from the organization, it would mean that the Rhodes Island would be left with only Talulah.
However, with her limited manpower and the newly recruited infected minions, she couldn't accomplish anything significant.
When Mephisto realized that the Rhodes Island was doomed, he became even more reluctant to involve FrostNova.
He wanted to use himself as bait to buy time for his best friend.
A devastating Catastrophe is imminent. If FrostNova returns and can't find anyone, he'll naturally leave the city. After all, he can't defeat those wearing golden masks; surely he wouldn't be foolish enough to seek revenge?
"Aha!"
Mephisto turned around at the sound and saw the Female Lupo and the androgynous Sarkaz standing behind him.
Texas, a former elite member of a mafia family, was highly skilled at tracking and concealing her tracks. Following the faint scent of blood in the air, she and Exusiai tracked them all the way here.
Mephisto squinted, his body instinctively backing away. Without FrostNova's Originium Arts, he knew it was impossible to escape from their pursuit.
As Female Lupo and Sarkaz approached, hundreds of Rhodes Island members suddenly emerged from the crossroads behind them, instantly disrupting the balance of power between the two sides.
Mephisto was overjoyed at the sight and quickly stepped forward to reveal his identity:
"Hey friends. Do you know me? I'm Mephisto, a cadre of the Rhodes Island. Help me kill those two, and I'll give you 500,000 dollars per head!"
These men were Talulah's Guard, assigned to patrol the surrounding areas. Now that they saw their own officers being hunted down, how could they possibly stand idly by?
They were all incredibly excited, determined to get the bounty promised by Mephisto.
After all, the Royal Guard had eliminated countless military police and soldiers along the way, and they couldn't find any rivals in the city.
The only troublesome Ursus Army Group is being watched by Patriot guerrillas, so they won't come into the city to cause trouble.
Mephisto is a Doctor, and without protection, his fighting ability is very weak. It's not surprising that he asked them for help.
The captain of the guard was still puzzled as to why Mephisto had no guards around him.
Could it be that they were wiped out by these two people?
"Be careful, it might be a tough spot."
This group of personal guards were handpicked by Talulah from among the infected. In terms of individual combat ability, they are far superior to ordinary infected.