Chapter 297
Before White's troops could provide assistance, they were crammed together with the fleeing Ursus regulars.
This gave Mudrock an excellent opportunity, often allowing a single hammer blow to smash a large area.
"Back up, back up, back up! Quickly, back up!"
White found this Sarkaz very troublesome and quickly ordered his troops to return the way they came.
Since they couldn't get through here, they decided to try somewhere else. If they could break through one of the border checkpoints, they could enter the city and find a way to survive.
"Get out of my way! Don't block my way!"
En route the retreat, his troops were still affected by the sledgehammer. After losing more than ten lives, they took a detour to the next border checkpoint.
Twenty minutes later, White's forces successfully reached their destination. But the battle there was far more brutal than at the pass guarded by the white-haired Sarkaz.
Countless charred corpses lay on the ground in a fan shape, their respective groups completely indistinguishable. Upon closer inspection, burn marks could be found on the walls.
A red-haired Sarkaz Girl stood with her back to them, wielding a two-handed greatsword. Facing the weeping Lungmen Guard Department policewoman, she smiled and comforted her:
"Wipe your tears and hang in there a little longer. Lord Zhongli will be back soon."
The scene was quiet, allowing White to hear their conversation from a distance. He looked at them strangely, recalling that the white-haired Sarkaz had also called out that name.
Zhongli?
Just who is this guy?
"Oh! They're here!"
Seeing the large Lungmen Guard Department approaching, the female guard quickly retreated back into the defensive line. Surtr turned around, and her greatsword instantly burst into flames.
White's heart pounded, a strong sense of unease washing over him. Looking at the corpses strewn across the ground, not a single survivor, he quickly signaled for his troops to retreat, abandoning any direct confrontation.
"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"
Surtr's eyes sharpened, and he swung his greatsword from dozens of meters away. The flames spewing from Reine des Neiges's blade resembled a wave of fire, capable of ranged attacks!
Some of the Ursus regulars who couldn't dodge in time were accidentally hit and instantly turned into human torches. They rolled around on the ground in pain, trying to extinguish the flames on their bodies.
"Aaaaaaah, it's so hot, so hot!"
"Help me... Someone please help me!"
The heart-wrenching screams felt like an invisible hand gripping their hearts. Knowing he couldn't save them, White ran away without looking back.
It's not that I don't want to fight, it's that I simply can't win.
The Ursus regulars, positioned at the rear of the army, were all consumed by the flames. Surtr's long-range attack killed over a hundred men instantly.
White and his companions were in a daze, as if they were in a trance as they arrived at the next border crossing.
The white-haired Casters, who guards this place, Originium Arts that are exactly the opposite of the red-haired Sarkaz. Thick frost has formed everywhere in the corridors and on the floors of the quarantine area.
Countless Ursus regulars were frozen into ice sculptures of all sizes. Judging from their motionless state in the ice, even if they weren't dead, they were close to death.
This time, White learned his lesson and instead of sending out Suicide Squad to test the enemy's strength, he asked directly:
Are you one of Zhongli's subordinates?
FrostNova was taken aback, wondering how these Ursus regulars knew. Since it wasn't top-secret information, she responded truthfully:
"Yes."
"Damn it, get out of here, get out of here!"
Upon hearing this, White cursed inwardly. He quickly ordered his demoralized subordinates to evacuate the scene.
The corridor littered with corpses was enough to prove just how formidable the white-haired Casters. There was no need for him to add unnecessary complications, sacrificing soldiers' lives for an answer he already knew.
If the entrance to the city from the Lower City hadn't been blocked, White would have run away immediately. The connecting bridge was sealed off; jumping from that height would have meant certain death.
He no longer aspires to achieve great things; he just wants to get into the Upper City as soon as possible and find his way home.
Moreover, the soldiers under his command have completely lost their fighting spirit. The people guarding the border checkpoints are all monsters, far beyond the capabilities of ordinary mortals like them.
En route the retreat, White encountered an adjutant from the Third Army. After questioning him, he learned that their commander and all other adjutants had been killed in action.
"***, rather than this slow death, let's commit everyone. Find the weakest point in the defenses at the border and launch a full-scale assault!"
"Sir, you mustn't do that. Our commander thought the same thing. He committed a large number of troops, but still couldn't break through any defenses. In the end, he was killed by a red-haired Sarkaz with a single sword stroke."
White still felt a lingering fear when he recalled that red-haired Sarkaz:
"Which immigration checkpoints have you been to? I'd like to know which ones you haven't been to yet."
He'd already cleared six of the ten checkpoints. Sharing information would save them from taking unnecessary detours. Otherwise, staying in the Lower City meant certain death, and leaving the Lower City also meant certain death.
Since you're going to die anyway, you might as well go all out and see if you're destined to die.
"We've tried the first five border crossings, but we couldn't get through. You can try the last five."
After careful comparison, White eliminated two options. He currently has two levels he hasn't explored yet, located between the red-haired Sarkaz and the white-haired Sarkaz.
"Let's go, let's set off immediately."
If we don't find a way to break out, we might have to die here.
According to the adjutant of the Third Army, their casualties exceeded half, leaving only a few hundred men. The Fourth Army fared slightly better, but still had only about two or three thousand men remaining.
Along the way, White's forces absorbed some deserters and continued their march to the remaining two border crossings.
Upon arriving at his destination, he immediately spotted several Sarkaz men and felt a surge of apprehension. If the women were this powerful, wouldn't the men be even more formidable?
"Hey, are you Zhongli's men?"
"Yes, what's wrong?"
Upon hearing this, White turned ashen-faced. He summoned his subordinates and they headed towards the last checkpoint they hadn't yet visited.
The adjutant of the Third Army was puzzled by this and asked curiously:
"Sir, what's the meaning behind asking that?"
As White ran, he explained to them:
"The white-haired Casters, the red-haired Sarkaz, and these Sarkaz men you encountered before were all subordinates of Zhongli."
They're all like monsters; fighting them wouldn't be a wise choice. Let's go, let's hurry and check the last border crossing. If Zhongli's men are still stationed there, then it can only be said that fate has decreed our doom!
More than ten minutes later, the two to three thousand Ursus regular army troops arrived at their destination in a disheveled state.
When White saw five Sarkaz surrounding a Red-haired Sarkaz, his heart skipped a beat:
Are you Zhongli's subordinates?
Exusiai took the initiative to speak, displaying a unique way of thinking:
"What? Are you Zhongli's friends?"
White, who had been in despair, suddenly felt as if he had grasped a lifeline:
"Ah, yes, yes, friend. Could you let us into the Upper City? We just want to find a way out of the city and get back to Ursus as soon as possible."
Sarkaz, fearing she might actually release the person, advised her:
"Exusiai, don't do anything reckless. They don't look like good people at all; they might be trying to scam you."
"Hehehe, I know. I was just bored and wanted to tease them a bit."
Only someone as cheerful Exusiai could joke around with the enemy during a massive battle.
White was extremely frustrated and his mood plummeted.
Now that all escape routes are cut off, are we really going to jump out from the edge of the Lower City?
If only this were the Upper City of Lungmen, not the Lower City. We could just kidnap a few more non-infected people and use them as leverage to leave safely.
The Lower City area is now full of infected people.
This group is already disliked by various countries, so using them to threaten the Longmen Governor will have no effect.
The other party might even be very grateful for the help in eliminating the infected individuals in Lungmen. This would reduce the overdraft on the Lower City and alleviate financial pressure.
Just as White was at his wit's end, he suddenly saw the Red-haired Sarkaz run out of the checkpoint:
"Zhongli, you've finally arrived!"
Upon hearing this name, White felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
Before he could give the order to fight to the death, his soldiers suddenly dropped their weapons and knelt down:
"Don't kill me, I surrender, I surrender!"
Huh?
Countless Ursus soldiers followed suit.
Since they were going to die anyway, surrendering might save their lives. Unlike their superiors, they weren't going to die for their country and leave behind a good reputation in a situation where certain death was inevitable.
Shi Lei, who had just arrived, looked at the Ursus regular army kneeling in a row and was filled with many thoughts.
I haven't even made a move yet, how come everyone has surrendered?
365 Hongmen Banquet 4K
January 5th, 6:40 pm
After being sent back to Lungmen by 'Zhongli's brother', Wei Yenwu did not linger at the Frontline. He summoned his shadow guards, gave them instructions, and then returned home.
Using the Longmen Governor's account, he logged into the internal database built within Yan. With privileges second only to the Great Yan Emperor, he searched for the information he desired.
First, I searched for Liyue City, but it wasn't found.
Searching for Shi Lei Zhongli again yielded no results.
When Wenyue saw that Wei Yenwu had actually returned, a fleeting look of surprise crossed her face. She came up behind her husband, gently squeezed his shoulder, and asked:
"Have all those issues been resolved?"
Wei Yenwu hummed in agreement, maintaining a serious expression unlike his usual doting demeanor towards his wife.
"Let me have some peace and quiet."
Upon hearing this, Wenyue's fingers froze. She glanced at her husband with a smile, then turned and walked into the kitchen.
"Okay, business comes first. I cooked your favorite dishes tonight. What time should we eat?"
Wei Yenwu has no appetite right now, his eyes glued to the computer screen.
"Madam, please eat first, don't worry about me."
"All right..."
Wenyue responded and didn't press the matter further. She knew her husband was busy with important matters and it was best not to disturb him.
Seeing that his search for keywords wasn't yielding the desired results, Wei Yenwu tried a different approach. After all, names could be faked, but Originium Arts couldn't.
He searched for keywords such as flying, summoning meteorites, and creating gold. Although he found some information, it had nothing to do with the Zhongli brothers.
In fact, Wei Yenwu had long suspected Zhongli's true identity because his physical characteristics were very different from those of a normal person.
It has neither any racial characteristics nor any signs of 'atavism' in its body.
The only thing worth noting is Zhongli's golden eyes.
Wei Yenwu remembered very clearly that it wasn't like this when they first met. They didn't contact each other for more than half a year, and this was how it was when they met again.
Those around Zhongli were not surprised by the change in the color of his pupils, as if it were the natural thing to be.
"Buzz buzz buzz".
Just then, the phone started vibrating continuously.
Wei Yenwu glanced at the caller ID, exited the Yan database, and went to the balcony to answer the call.
"Your Excellency!"
As soon as the communication was established, a shadow guard gave a work report from the other end of the microphone:
"The Ursus Army Group that instigated the riot in the Lower City has been successfully dealt with. According to approximate data provided by the Lungmen Guard Department, over Ursus soldiers have died, and over Ursus have surrendered. The remaining 2,000 have blended back into the refugee ranks and their whereabouts are currently unknown. Inspector Chen has stated that he will take charge of this matter and apprehend these Ursus soldiers as soon as possible. And..."
In fact, Wei Yenwu didn't care about the number of casualties in the Lower City at all; no matter how many died, it had nothing to do with him.
He was more concerned about the more than 3,000 soldiers who had surrendered than these numbers, and interrupted, saying: