Chapter 106

After thoroughly searching the current residence, the two of them moved on to the next one. The film set was coming to an end, but there was still no sign or indication of anyone finding traces of Tang Jingzhi. No one fired a shot to signal his whereabouts.

There must be some kind of secret passage or hidden area in this film set. Tang Jingzhi, Shen Yao, and the rest of the Dragon Blood Kins couldn’t have simply vanished into thin air.

At that moment, the wireless earpieces they had been wearing suddenly emitted static noise. Approaching closer, they heard Tang Tingzhi’s urgent voice coming through, asking, “Oriole found the communication jammer, it has been disabled. You guys hurry to the southeast corner exit.”

Everyone who heard the instructions immediately ran in the southeast direction. While running, Shen Changze asked, “Tell us the situation.”

“Oriole planted M18A1 anti-personnel landmines at several exits of the film set. After the communication jammer was disrupted, he used satellite imagery to survey the surroundings. Just moments ago, one of the landmines at the southeast corner exit was triggered. The landmine was buried deep in the sand due to the strong winds, and they fell into the trap while rushing. A light-armored Hummer was overturned by the explosion, but Shen Yao and Tang Jingzhi weren’t among the people who came out of the vehicle, even though it was Shen Yao’s vehicle. Another vehicle came to a stop, suggesting that they may be attempting to evacuate from there. However… things seem suspicious.”

Oriole interjected, “The tire marks on the ground indicate that these two vehicles didn’t carry heavy laboratory equipment. If there were such equipment on board, the tire marks wouldn’t be so shallow. Tang Jingzhi wouldn’t have left without taking anything, right?”

Shan Ming frowned and said, “At a time like this, their life is more important, why would they bother carrying equipment?”

Tang Tingzhi calmly replied, “Some things are worth much more than life itself.”

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Fbld Ubydtgl pyke, “Sltyaezlpp, ol dlle vs ts yde vyjl y zssj.”

“Ls, xu pwttlpvksd kp vs przkv kdvs vos vlyxp. Xdl vlyx okzz ts vs vbl pswvblypv lmkv vs kdhlpvktyvl, obkzl vbl svbla vlyx okzz ts vs y tasnlau pvsal sd vbl pswvbolpv pkel vs vyjl y zssj.”

“Mbl tasnlau pvsal?” Fbld Ubydtgl yde Fbyd Ykdt lmnbydtle y tzydnl. “El fwpv plyanble vbyv rzynl, cwv eked’v qkde yduvbkdt.”

Xakszl kdvlaflnvle, “Sktbv yqvla R qswde vbl nsxxwdknyvksd fyxxla, R wdlmrlnvlezu ekpnshlale y caydnb sq vbl qkzx plv’p rsola pwrrzu pupvlx. Yspv sq vbl cwkzekdtp kd vbl qkzx plv yal okvbswv lzlnvaknkvu, lmnlrv qsa y qlo vbyv yal pvkzz rsolale. Tsolhla, vblal yal ds hkpkczl lzlnvaknyz yrrzkydnlp, yde kv’p dsv qlypkczl vs ekt ellr vs plyanb qsa okakdt. Fs, R nsdewnvle pltxldvle vlpvp sd vbl lzlnvasxytdlvkn oyhlp, yde yzxspv lhlau bwdeale xlvlap vblal kp y rsola pwrrzu caydnb. Mbl xykd ekalnvksd sq rsola vaydpxkppksd zlyep vs vbyv tasnlau pvsal. R pwttlpv usw ts cynj yde vyjl ydsvbla zssj. Rv nswze cl clnywpl vblka tldlayvsa kp zsnyvle vblal, cwv vblal’p y talyvla rsppkckzkvu vbyv Mydt Kkdtgbk’p zycsayvsau kp dlyacu.”

Fbld Ubydtgl pyke, “Zydt Qwyd, vyjl Fiwye Mball vs vbl pswvblypv nsadla lmkv vs nblnj swv vbspl vos sqq-asye hlbknzlp. Mbl alpv sq usw, alvalyv. El ts vs vbl tasnlau pvsal yde byhl y zssj.”

Zydt Qwyd alprsdele, “Usru vbyv. El’al yzalyeu yrrasynbkdt vbl lmkv.”

Mydt Mkdtgbk oyadle, “Jl nywvkswp. Rv’p bktbzu zkjlzu vs cl y vayr.”

Fbld Ubydtgl, ynnsxrydkle cu Fbyd Ykdt yde vos svbla prlnkyz qsanlp xlxclap, sdl bwxyd yde sdl Paytsd Jzsse Ikd, alldvlale vbl tasnlau pvsal. “Frzkv wr yde plyanb. Slrsav kxxlekyvlzu kq usw pll yduvbkdt pwprknkswp.”

“Yes.”

The four of them dispersed, reexamining the seemingly ordinary grocery store. The items on display were covered in a thick layer of dust, and the weathered bread crumbled at the slightest touch. Every step on the floor creaked, and the fragile wooden floor seemed like it could break at any moment.

As they were highly suspicious of this place, they examined it with extra caution. Finally, Shan Ming noticed something peculiar about a carved antelope mural on the wall. The eyes of the antelope were noticeably brighter than the dusty merchandise around it. Since the mural was raised and protruding, it wasn’t surprising that it didn’t accumulate dust uniformly. However, upon careful observation in the dim light, it became apparent that there was hardly any dust above the eye area.

Indeed, such a tiny detail would go unnoticed without careful observation.

Shan Ming approached the mural, standing about a meter away, carefully observing the eye.

Suddenly, the pupil of the eye seemed to move. Shan Ming leaned closer and, looking through that eye, saw a slowly rotating mechanical rifling inside the gun barrel!

Shan Ming swiftly lunged to the right, narrowly evading a barrage of bullets that shattered the shelving where he had just been standing.

Shan Ming rolled to the side in a disheveled manner as the machine gun continued to tear through the entire wall. Hearing the commotion, the others rushed over. Shen Changze quickly pulled Shan Ming to safety. Shielding their heads, all of them huddled in the blind spot of the machine gun’s sweep, waiting for it to exhaust its ammunition.

It appeared that a machine gun was embedded in the wall, triggered by some unknown action. With a firing rate of 400 rounds per minute, it quickly riddled the grocery store with holes. After a little over two minutes, the machine gun finally ran out of ammunition, and they cautiously emerged from their hiding spots in the corner. The store was left in shambles.

One of the special forces soldiers asked Shan Ming, “What did you do just now?”

Shan Ming, in a disheveled state, spat out the dust from his mouth and made a disgusted expression. “I didn’t do anything, damn, I just walked over there.”

Several of them approached the spot where Shan Ming had been standing moments ago. They cleared away the scattered debris around it. Retrieving a multi-tool from their vest, they began prying open the decayed floorboards one by one. A trigger switch was revealed beneath the floor as they reached the fourth piece.

Shan Ming took a look, “It’s not a bomb, it seems to be a pressure-sensitive switch. It requires continuous pressure for at least five seconds to activate.”

“What if stepping on it triggers another machine gun?”.

“So leave it to him,” Shan Ming said as he pulled two of them up from the ground and retreated to a safe corner. The three of them anxiously watched Shen Changze, waiting for him to take action.

Shen Changze brushed off the dust from his hands and stood up from the ground. Without hesitation, he firmly stepped on the switch.

Three seconds, four seconds, five seconds…

Suddenly, the two outer rows of shelves parted, revealing a three-meter-square hole in the ground. In the center, there was a staircase leading down, while the sides remained hollow and pitch black, with no visible bottom.

All four of them reacted swiftly, jumping to safety and avoiding falling into the hole.

Shen Changze crouched down and examined the hole. He communicated through the radio with Tang Tingzhi, saying, “We might have found the laboratory. How is it going on your end, Yang Guan?”

Yang Guan responded briefly, “Encountered Dragon Blood Kins.”

A battle had probably already begun on Yang Guan’s side. Shen Changze said, “Let’s go take a look.”

Tang Tingzhi emphasized, “Be extremely cautious.”

The four of them cautiously descended into the basement, holding their guns tightly. Due to the darkness below, visibility became almost non-existent after descending a couple of meters. They activated their illumination devices, but the light only reached a dozen meters before being devoured by the darkness. The surrounding space was so quiet that they could only hear each other’s breathing.

They continued descending for about four to five minutes, feeling a sense of unease. Due to the darkness, it was difficult to determine their direction, and they were uncertain if they were still descending. Then, Shen Changze suddenly felt his foot touch the ground. At that moment, the surroundings instantly became brightly lit, as if it were daytime. Overwhelmed by the sudden brightness, all four of them instinctively closed their eyes in discomfort.

A familiar voice sounded behind them, saying, “You’ve finally found your way here.”

The four of them opened their eyes and found themselves in a large hall of the underground laboratory. Its design bore some resemblance to the one they had destroyed in the Sahara, but this one was even larger. Tang Jingzhi stood about forty to fifty meters away from them, alone and without anyone by his side.

They all looked at Tang Jingzhi with a sense of surprise.

Tang Jingzhi held a silver handgun in his hand, his expression calm. He said to Shen Changze, “I want to have a few words with him.”

Although Tang Jingzhi did not explicitly mention who “him” referred to, everyone understood that he was referring to Tang Tingzhi.

Shen Changze glared at him fiercely, “What trick are you playing now?”

“Nothing much, just let me talk to him.”

Shen Changze activated the radio’s speaker function, and Tang Tingzhi’s calm voice came through, “What do you want to say to me?”

“I want to tell you that you shouldn’t think you’ve won. I won’t return to China with you, and your troubles are far from over.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“Shen Yao has already left. He took my Dragon Blood Kins and crucial experimental data with him. Those Dragon Blood Kina see him as their leader. We have significant differences in our opinions and can no longer cooperate. So, I have failed. But that doesn’t mean you have succeeded.”

Tang Tingzhi’s voice echoed through the hall, saying, “I cannot comprehend your notion of failure and success. You have always been focused on defeating me, but I have never considered you as an enemy. We should be researchers dedicated to serving our country, rather than rivals fighting against each other.”

Tang Jingzhi gritted his teeth and replied, “Only you think that way, because you have never regarded me highly. In your eyes, I am not even deserving to be your opponent.”

Tang Tingzhi responded in a deep voice, “Jingzhi, I cannot understand you, you are completely wrong.”

“That’s right, only you’re always right. Now no one can stop Shen Yao anymore. I really want to see how much trouble he will bring you. Haha, I would love to witness the fascinating scenes that would appear on your emotionless face.”

“Jingzhi, have you gone mad?”

Tang Jingzhi’s expression was incredibly abnormal. He said fiercely, “That’s right, living in a world with you, I will always be second, always be a madman. Your existence disgusts me.” His gaze grew increasingly crazed. “Now, I’m going to take away the most important person to you. I will make you taste complete and utter failure.”

Tang Tingzhi exclaimed urgently, “Jingzhi, what are you planning to do? If you come back to China with me, I can guarantee that you’ll stay alive. Don’t make any more mistakes!”

“I won’t go back with you! I won’t pray like a dog for them to give me a way out!” Tang Jingzhi extended his left hand, which had been kept behind his back all along. In his hand, he held a metallic remote control. He grinned menacingly at Shen Changze and the others. “Join me in going to hell!”

It was impossible to stop it anymore. Tang Jingzhi pressed the button on the remote control in his hand, and a series of explosions deafened everyone’s ears. The ground began to shake violently, and the entire space started to crumble. The falling boulders buried everyone beneath them!