Chapter 1197 - 397: 3 Layers of Defense, The Research Institute’s Catastrophe

"My god! What on earth is happening?! It feels like the end of the world."

Su Yue stood numbly in front of the Research Institute’s main gate. He was so shocked that he couldn’t even breathe. In just the blink of an eye, the world before him had drastically changed.

What was originally a bright, sunny day had now turned as dark as dusk. There was an eerie, distorted feeling to it. A giant face that blotted out the sky hung above like an ugly planet, directly blocking the sun and stealing the light from the world.

Furthermore, all the scenery before Su Yue’s eyes was completely different from before. Under the violent earthquake, the ground fractured rapidly. Countless fissures spread out into the distance like ugly scars.

This was a city on Earth, not the Wet Realm. The earth splitting apart would cause severe consequences, nothing short of a disaster. Underground pipes burst in large numbers, sending countless pillars of water spraying out of control. Many utility poles tilted haphazardly, and numerous high-voltage power lines snapped. Sparks flew everywhere, both in the air and on the ground.

Inside the Research Institute’s compound, the closely packed buildings also began to sway precariously. However, this was the Research Institute after all, and the buildings were not that fragile. Although there were many cracks on the ground, the buildings only tilted slightly; not a single one had collapsed yet.

In those few breaths of time, many people wearing white coats ran out of the buildings.

Su Yue observed them. Among these people, there were Qi and Blood Martial Artists, Combat Martial Artists, and quite a few ordinary people. The Combat Martial Artists were holding up somewhat better, but the Qi and Blood Martial Artists and the ordinary people had already lost their composure in the chaos.

A plump ordinary man misstepped and fell straight into a fissure. In an instant, he was buried by the collapsing rubble and soil. It happened in a mere flash. Even though there were Combat Martial Artists not far away, no one had the time to rescue him.

In the face of natural and man-made disasters, an ordinary person’s physical body was as fragile as a piece of paper, completely unable to withstand a single blow.

Su Yue’s pupils suddenly shrank, and the hairs on his body stood on end. He had witnessed the death of that ordinary researcher from start to finish, yet he couldn’t do a single thing about it. The distance was too far. But even if he had been close enough, it was impossible for him to react in time.

The bodies of ordinary people were truly too fragile. A falling rock, a high-voltage wire thrashing around like a snake, or a ruptured pipe in a fissure—all were fatal threats.

"Su Yue, a pinnacle expert of the Blood Boiling Race is attacking the Divine Land. Come with me to the shelter immediately," a Rank-8 Vice Admiral of the Zhenqin Corps said urgently, flashing over to him.

"You are?" Su Yue was taken aback. He didn’t recognize this Martial Artist at all.

"I am Vice Admiral Zhao Zhuangyuan of the Zhenqin Corps, in charge of guarding the Research Institute. You are a priority target for protection.

"With the Research Institute under attack, Dongdu City has initiated its highest state of alert. Come with me to the shelter immediately."

The Vice Admiral briefly introduced himself and presented his identification.

Su Yue paused. Sure enough, many Combat Martial Artists wearing the Zhenqin Corps uniform were rushing toward the Research Institute’s buildings like flying arrows. These Martial Artists possessed a fearlessness akin to those who knowingly charged into a tiger’s den.

Moreover, Su Yue observed another thing. A massive shield expanding from above the Research Institute had already covered nearly half of Dongdu City. And directly above the Research Institute itself, a blood-red shield had unexpectedly appeared.

The sky over Dongdu City now looked like an inverted transparent bowl. Meanwhile, the sky over the Research Institute was enveloped by an even smaller red bowl. One layer enclosing another, forming a double-layered defense—the security level of the Research Institute was indeed incredibly high.

During the few blinks of an eye that Su Yue spent in a daze, the first batch of Zhenqin Corps Martial Artists was already rushing out of the gates, carrying the first group of researchers. These researchers were mostly ordinary people.

In the main plaza of the Research Institute, a dozen Martial Artists were jointly executing a tactical maneuver. Another bowl-like cluster of light descended, finally stabilizing the ground in that area and blocking all debris falling from the sky.

The third layer of the shield was the smallest, covering a radius of just over fifty meters. But this was currently the safest zone in the Research Institute.

The first shield defended the entirety of Dongdu City; it was likely also holding off the pinnacle expert of the Blood Boiling Race.

The second shield protected the Research Institute, but it couldn’t shield against the disasters happening within its own perimeter.

The third shield was undoubtedly the immediate achievement of the Zhenqin Corps, though it was clearly quite fragile, only capable of blocking scattered rubble and stabilizing the ground.

"General, I’ll escape on my own. You go handle your important duties. Don’t worry, I won’t cause any trouble for you," Su Yue said hastily. In this kind of disaster, Su Yue knew his own strength was insignificant. Lingering at the Research Institute and refusing to leave would only distract the Zhenqin Corps; he would just be a nuisance.

SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH!

The Martial Artists rescuing people moved incredibly fast, having already vanished around the street corner with the first batch of researchers. Looking closely, Su Yue noticed that all of these researchers were injured, and a few had sustained critical wounds, leaving their lives hanging in the balance.

Under such circumstances, prioritizing the treatment of the wounded was an absolute necessity. Having a Vice Admiral specifically assigned to look after him was simply a waste of resources.

"That works, too. There’s a layer of protection above the Research Institute and another over Dongdu City. With your strength, you should be able to reach the shelter successfully.

"Su Yue, leave immediately. Listen to me." The Vice Admiral nodded.

He had just received intelligence that this disaster hadn’t spread to the main urban districts of Dongdu City. It seemed that this pinnacle expert of the Blood Boiling Race was primarily targeting the Research Institute.