Chapter 298

Chapter 298: Chaos in the Sewers

While Lin Qingliu was engrossed in his self-directed performance, probing the depths of Hope City, the sewers of the inner city were far from tranquil.

As a legacy of a highly advanced civilization, the central spire naturally boasted its own sophisticated wastewater processing system, which also accounted for the circular design of the inner city’s sewers.

At this very moment, a fierce gunfight was erupting within the sewers.

Two hours prior, the plan devised by Captain Zhuang Mian of the Public Security Team was set into motion.

Her team divided into multiple units, each accompanied by peace officers, and began a comprehensive sweep of the sewers from various directions.

Zhuang Mian, as the Captain, personally led her team into the fray.

To alleviate her command burden, a junior from her academy volunteered to join the operation.

This young man, addressing her as "Senior," was well-versed in social etiquette, and Zhuang Mian, being no stranger to such courtesies, found it difficult to decline his offer.

Before the operation commenced, they established clear roles: Zhuang Mian would use her communicator to direct her teammates, while the junior, named Tang Qing, would oversee the coordination of the peace officers trailing behind.

With their responsibilities clearly defined, the Cleansing Operation began.

Though the sewer sweep appeared to be a game of chance akin to mine-sweeping, Zhuang Mian had already laid meticulous plans.

She had strategically positioned reliable subordinates at key locations agreed upon with El for focused sweeps, as she harbored no desire to ascend over the fallen bodies of her teammates.

The plan unfolded smoothly, and as expected, the hideouts along the critical routes began to be uncovered one by one.

The sewers, being an ideal hiding spot, were naturally guarded.

The elongated tunnels amplified even the faintest sounds manifold.

Thus, when the team entered the sewers in formation, their presence was inevitably exposed.

By now, three teams had already engaged in firefights, and Zhuang Mian couldn’t help but tense up.

Their turn was imminent!

Twenty meters ahead, around a bend in the sewer, El peered through a shattered mirror to observe the movements on the other side.

Meanwhile, Li Rui stood poised behind him, awaiting orders.

The scene was as eerie as it sounded, yet it paled in comparison to the shock Li Rui had experienced the previous night upon encountering "his" own corpse.

After a brief moment of terror, a deeper fear gripped Li Rui’s heart. He couldn’t fathom how such a lifelike replica could exist, nor could he imagine the nature of the entity backing El.

After El had fallen asleep, Li Rui had examined the corpse closely. Initially, he thought it was crafted from a material akin to rubber, but upon touching it, he found it indistinguishable from human flesh and skin.

Every detail—muscles, joints, even the hair—seemed identical to Li Rui’s own.

In the dead of night, the terrified man succumbed to an irrational impulse.

He pulled down the corpse’s pants to investigate when and how he had been replicated.

The discovery brought some relief; in areas not immediately visible, the corpse differed slightly from him.

This realization eased Li Rui’s mind somewhat.

Though he still couldn’t comprehend the origins of this macabre creation, the minor discrepancies suggested that the force behind El wasn’t all-knowing, which would have been far more terrifying…

After a restful sleep that extended well into the morning, the two finally arrived near the sewers to strategize their nighttime operation.

Now, Li Rui had been briefed by El on his task: to engage in a fierce gunfight and then use the nearby corpse to replicate his existence, allowing them both to make a seamless escape.

The Heart Snatcher would completely withdraw from the battlefield after this operation, vanishing from household registries to Wanted Notices.

Afterward, they would change their appearances and resurface in the gray areas, a specialty of Li Rui.

“Here it comes, listen carefully.”

“Okay.”

Li Rui’s reminiscence was interrupted by El’s voice, causing his heart to leap into his throat.

Crouching below, El appeared fearless, but in reality, he felt a slight panic.

Having spent so much time in the lower city, life-threatening situations no longer quickened this young man’s heartbeat, but acting on cue could, and the props could only be used once…

“Snap~ Ding!”

A crisp sound rang out, and a peace officer standing before Zhuang Mian looked down in surprise.

Just a second earlier, his right foot had stepped on a trip wire submerged in the sewer water.

On the other end of the trip wire, a fist-sized cylindrical object began to emit smoke.

“Alert!”

Zhuang Mian’s voice sounded exceptionally commanding, yet inside, she remained composed.

Everything was proceeding according to plan.

“Now is the time, move!”

Simultaneously, around the corner of the corridor a dozen meters away, El issued the command to act.

He and Li Rui, each holding a gun, leaped out from the corner and began a chaotic barrage.

The two had no intention of harming each other, so they aimed in different directions, sometimes firing deep into the empty corridor and other times shooting at the sludge formed over the years by unknown substances in the sewer.

Upon hearing the gunfire, Zhuang Mian, Tang Qing, and the others began drawing their weapons to return fire.

Naturally, due to the smoke, Zhuang Mian and her teammates couldn’t aim properly.

The gunfire erupted all around, but it soon grew sparse.

What’s going on?

Zhuang Mian abruptly turned her head, prompting Tang Qing to check the situation behind them.

“Captain, the smoke… cough cough! The smoke is toxic!”

A peace officer following Zhuang Mian clutched his throat and collapsed into the sludge and water.

“Aren’t there gas masks?”

Tang Qing felt a wave of dizziness—this was not what he had expected.

Zhuang Mian’s plan had received high praise from their teacher, so it should have been flawless.

Now, with just a trip wire smoke bomb, their teammates had nearly all lost their fighting capability.

He realized he had been fooled; this senior sister was not worth his jealousy—she was a complete disaster!

Thinking this, Tang Qing couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret. If he had known she was this incompetent, why had he come to join in the chaos?

Wasn’t it just to slap her in the face and seize the opportunity to take credit for her work?

Now, it turned out that their teammates were falling apart at the first contact, and he had become the biggest fool.

Only then did Zhuang Mian’s frustrated voice reach Tang Qing’s ears:

“Sigh, truly lacking in training. We’ve practiced for two days, yet they can’t even manage a basic operation like wearing gas masks.

“I really don’t know who their commander is; I need to check on that when we go back…”