Chapter 345: Air Raid

"Wait, bro... Bro? Why are we sparring all of a sudden?" The utterly confused Ji Taixian was led to the adjacent room by a politely smiling Gu Chen.

Soon, everyone heard a series of blood-curdling screams coming from the earthen cave next door.

"Oh my, what’s wrong?" Grandma Song paced back and forth, wanting to go take a look.

Xie Ning’s lips twitched. She quickly reached out to stop the old lady. "Grandma, it’s probably nothing. Xiao Gu is likely just doing a spot check on how his subordinate’s training is coming along."

"Are they actually fighting?" The old lady glanced worriedly at the earthen cave next door. "He won’t get seriously hurt, will he?"

Lu Wei shook his head, holding back a laugh. "He won’t, Grandma."

Just as everyone was chatting and laughing, they suddenly heard a muffled boom from above, and the ground shook slightly.

Gu Chen rushed over from the adjacent earthen cave like the wind, catching his girlfriend’s slightly swaying body.

Cres, who had been slouching, was knocked to the ground by the tremor, smearing half a piece of cake across his face. He spat in frustration, "PTUI! PTUI! PTUI!"

Before everyone could steady themselves and speak, they heard more muffled booms from above.

WOO! WOO! WOO! The sound of an alarm suddenly blared across the sky above the base.

"What’s going on?!"

"An air raid?" Zuo Li frowned. "I’m going out to take a look."

"It’s too dangerous for you to go out like that." Xie Ning hurried over, took out a Metal Shield, and handed it to Zuo Li. "I’ll go with you."

Gu Chen glanced at his own empty hands, then at Zuo Li, and followed them with a blank expression.

’My feelings are complicated.’

’My girlfriend always seems to think her best friend is a little more important than me.’

’It’s a good thing Zuo Li is her best friend. Otherwise, I feel like my rival would be quite a handful.’

"You guys stay here and don’t move."

"Wait for our word before you come out," Lu Wei instructed hurriedly, then rushed to catch up with Gu Chen and Xie Ning’s group.

The four of them quickly put on anti-freeze protective suits, then quietly lifted the partition and climbed into the main house.

After lowering the metal partition door, the four of them stood still. The sound of the bombing from above grew steadily louder.

The siren, interspersed with the continuous bombing, sounded intermittent.

Xie Ning casually pulled two more Metal Shields from her Space and handed them to Gu Chen and Lu Wei. The four of them then cautiously approached the door to the main house.

Zuo Li pushed the door open with one hand and was immediately hit by a blast of hot air.

"Son of a bitch! They’re actually bombing the base!" Zuo Li cursed, her face flushed with anger.

The four of them quickly shut the main house’s door, rushed out into the yard, and looked up. They saw that the Survivor Center building had been bombed and was collapsing.

"It’s those scumbags from Chaoyang Base." Zuo Li narrowed her eyes as she identified the bomber model in the sky. "It has to be them."

"Are they insane? Don’t they have anything better to do than come here and cause trouble?"

"Wait, don’t go over there yet," Xie Ning said, grabbing her.

They watched as the two bombers circled in the sky for a few moments before suddenly pitching forward. Spewing thick black smoke from their tails, they plummeted straight into the Survivor Center building.

"Holy shit!" Zuo Li cursed, her eyes wide with anger. "They destroyed a perfectly good building just like that."

"What’s with Chaoyang Base? What’s the point of sending two bombers over? Just to blow up the Survivor Center?"

"I don’t think it’s that simple." Xie Ning narrowed her eyes slightly and glanced at the grim-faced Gu Chen. "Let’s go take a look."

Xie Ning took out a brand-new, modified military SUV, and the four of them sped toward the Survivor Center like a bolt of lightning.

This SUV was a gift from Xiao Gu. Its performance was excellent after being modified, so Xie Ning rarely brought herself to drive it.

’Her usual ride was the little Jinbei van...’

’It’s not that she’s stingy.’

’Being frugal is a virtue.’

Just a few minutes later, the four of them jumped out of the SUV and arrived at the collapsed Survivor Center.

Xie Ning detected a few faint fluctuations ahead with her spiritual power and quickly raised a hand to return the SUV to her underground garage.

At the same time, not far from the Survivor Center, the ground lifted slightly, and several grimy figures scrambled out of a sewer drain.

"Dad, why are you coming out of there?" Zuo Li shot her unreliable father a cool glance.

Zuo Dazhu repeatedly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and spat out mouthfuls of dirt. "PTUI! PTUI! I had no choice, did I? What happened? I’ve already ordered our forces to scramble fighter jets and prepare—"

"Don’t bother. They dropped a couple of bombs and then decided to crash and burn."

"Why?" Zuo Dazhu asked, looking completely lost. "Who bombed our base?"

"I saw the Chaoyang Base insignia. It’s definitely those sons of bitches, no doubt about it," Zuo Li said grimly, striding toward the Survivor Center.

Xie Ning and the others followed, each carrying a Metal Shield with a grim expression.

Seeing everyone on high alert, Zuo Dazhu quickly ducked behind Xie Ning and Gu Chen, peering around nervously. "Is there some kind of danger?"

"Of course there’s danger. If you’re scared, just go back now."

"What a way to talk to your elder!" Zuo Dazhu put on a stern face and coughed. "How could your father possibly be scared? As the commander of the Golden City Base, I must lead from the front and put the people first! Ouch!"

Zuo Dazhu leaped up and scrambled over to Lu Wei’s side. "Something’s at my feet!"

Everyone looked down to see a swarm of red-eyed rats scurrying toward them.

To experts of the Fourth and Fifth Ranks, these creatures were nothing more than adorable little free kills.

A couple of Thunderballs would be enough to finish them off.

Zuo Dazhu gave a silly laugh. "Young Master Gu, Miss Xie, have your superpowers advanced again?"

No one paid him any mind. Before them lay the enormous crater left by the crashed bomber.

One bomber was already a smoldering wreck, burned down to its frame. In the cockpit of the other, a pilot was hanging halfway out, his face contorted as he struggled to free himself.

"Whoa, is that a zombie or a person?" Zuo Dazhu cried out, startled.

Zuo Li took a step forward, but Zuo Dazhu quickly grabbed her. "Xiao Li, be careful."

Xie Ning rushed forward ahead of them. She poked the thing on the ground a few times with a Metal Spike. Seeing that it was still trying to crawl, she turned and tilted her head. "Definitely not human anymore."

"What?" Zuo Dazhu was stunned. "Miss Xie, are you saying that zombies can fly bombers now?!"

"It’s definitely not a zombie." Zuo Li could barely stop herself from roasting her moronic father.

’What is he thinking?’

’Zombies are just rotting, thoughtless corpses. How could one pilot a plane?’

Zuo Li walked forward slowly, her gaze cold. She took the three-meter-long Metal Spike from Xie Ning, viciously stabbed it into the body on the ground, and dragged it forcefully toward her.

Soon, a red, blood-like thread emerged from the man’s back.

To be precise, it was a thread-like object, a vibrant, blood-like crimson. It shot out from the pilot’s back, writhing menacingly.

"This...?" Xie Ning suddenly spoke up. "Isn’t that person the deputy commander, Teng Hongming?"