Chapter 551: Objected To Separating

"Then stop pretending this is an easy decision."

Vanish looked between them. "I might be able to take both of you if you remain close, but I cannot guarantee where we will land."

Lu Zhen immediately refused. "We are not risking an unstable jump."

Leng Pan looked at Vanish. "Take Lu Zhen first."

Her husband frowned. "You just objected to separating."

"I did, but one of us has to go first. Your wounds will slow you down if he cannot return, while I can use water to travel faster."

Lu Zhen stepped closer and lowered his voice. "I dislike how reasonable that sounds."

"You dislike any plan that places me outside your reach."

"That is because you have a habit of confronting dangerous things before I arrive."

Leng Pan adjusted his collar and smiled. "Then give me a reason to wait for you."

He bent down and kissed her. The kiss was brief but deep enough to make Vanish turn toward the approaching zombies and pretend he had seen something interesting.

When Lu Zhen lifted his head, his thumb moved across her lower lip. "Wait for me before entering the tunnel. If you disappear underground alone, the bed will not be the only place where someone is tied after this battle."

Leng Pan’s eyebrows rose. "Are you threatening your wife?"

"I am reminding her that I can also make unreasonable rules when I am worried."

"Fine. I will wait, but Vanish should bring you back quickly. I cannot promise to remain patient while a command subject moves beneath thousands of civilians."

Vanish placed one hand on Lu Zhen’s shoulder, and both men disappeared.

Leng Pan watched the empty space for two seconds before turning toward the barricade.

A giant zombie lifted part of a destroyed vehicle and threw it toward them.

She caught the metal inside a sphere of water and sent it back. The vehicle struck the giant’s chest and forced it into the zombies behind it.

Ouyang Jin glanced at her. "You appear irritated."

"My husband made me promise to wait."

"That sounds sensible."

Leng Pan looked at him.

Ouyang Jin raised both hands. "I did not say you enjoy sensible decisions."

Vanish reappeared and held out his hand. "Lu Zhen said I should tell you he is counting the seconds."

"He could have saved his energy."

"He also said you would say that."

Leng Pan took Vanish’s hand, and the northern barricade disappeared.

They appeared beside the eastern training grounds.

Thousands of civilians had gathered across the open field. Soldiers were directing them toward the southern buildings, but fear had already spread after they heard about the fallen wall.

Lu Zhen waited near a crack running through the centre of the training grounds.

The moment Leng Pan appeared, he pulled her toward him and examined her face and arms.

"I fought one giant zombie," she told him. "It did not touch me."

"You took longer than expected."

"It was less than a minute."

"It felt longer."

Leng Pan softened and slipped her hand into his. "I waited as promised."

"I know."

"Does that mean I have earned a reward?"

Lu Zhen glanced at the surrounding soldiers and frightened civilians. "You may choose it after we return home."

"I intend to."

A deep sound came from beneath them before either could say more.

The crack across the field widened.

Several civilians screamed and ran, but the ground near the southern side began collapsing beneath their feet.

Leng Pan spread her water ability across the area. Thick streams wrapped around the falling survivors and lifted them toward solid ground.

Lu Zhen created a ring of fire around the widening hole, forcing the crowd away without burning anyone.

Lu Hao arrived with Shade as the first section collapsed completely. "The signal is directly below us."

"Take the civilians farther south," Lu Zhen ordered. "Do not enter the tunnel unless we call you."

Lu Hao looked at the hole. "I could reach the command subject faster."

"You could also bring the tunnel down on everyone above it if you release too much electricity."

Although reluctant, Lu Hao turned toward the civilians. Shade remained beside the opening and growled at the darkness below.

Little Vine’s voice could not travel through the communicator, but Captain Wei spoke for it. "The controller has noticed us. It is sending a signal toward the affected survivors."

Across the training grounds, dozens of people stopped moving.

Their bodies stiffened as silver light appeared in their eyes.

Leng Pan looked at the alien prisoner, who had followed Vanish during the final trip. "How do we block it?"

"The command subject must have an amplifier inside its body. Destroying the controller will stop the signal, but if it reaches full strength first, every affected person could attack."

"How long do we have?"

"Perhaps three minutes."

Lu Zhen released several metal cables from his space and tied one end around a concrete pillar. "We are going down."

Leng Pan examined the dark tunnel. "Your back will not survive climbing."

"I am not climbing."

He wrapped one arm around her waist as flames gathered beneath his feet.

Leng Pan quickly created a water barrier around them. "You could have explained that before pulling me toward a hole."

"If I explained every time I wanted to hold you, we would spend too much time talking."

"I enjoy talking to you."

"So do I, but not while controlled survivors are preparing to attack us."

They descended into the tunnel as fire slowed their fall.

Shade jumped after them before Lu Hao could stop him.

The wolf landed on a stone ledge and continued into the darkness.

The tunnel had changed since the burrowing unit passed through it. Black cables covered the walls, and silver control particles floated through the air.

Leng Pan kept the water barrier around herself and Lu Zhen. "Do not breathe until I push the particles away."

"I can hold my breath, but explaining that to Shade might be difficult."

The wolf sneezed ahead of them.

Little Vine’s tendril emerged from Leng Pan’s wrist and expanded through the tunnel. It absorbed the silver particles before they could reach Shade.

The plant’s leaves trembled, but it continued moving.

The tunnel opened into a large underground chamber.

An armored vehicle stood in the centre.

It was the same vehicle that had carried the command subject through the gate in the western horde.

Leng Pan stopped. "That vehicle entered the alien world."

Lu Zhen understood the problem immediately. "Then how is it beneath Qinghe Base?"

The alien prisoner stared at the black metal covering the vehicle. "This is not the same one. The command network must have prepared several carriers."

The door opened.

A thin figure stepped out.