Chapter 1199 - 397: Three Layers of Defense, the Research Institute’s Catastrophe

Su Yue spoke up hurriedly. He wiped his face. Since he was covered in dust and grime, the others shouldn’t have been able to recognize him.

"West Martial Su Yue, you need to leave here immediately. It’s too dangerous.

"The Underground City has an indiscriminate security system. Without authorization from the Zhenqin Corps and the Research Institute, you won’t be able to go down at all. Given the current emergency, there’s absolutely no time to process your authorization."

The Martial Artists were somewhat surprised upon recognizing Su Yue, but their expressions quickly turned to worry. Su Yue had good intentions, but he couldn’t help.

The Underground City housed the Divine Land’s most core technological data. Entering required passing through layers of rigorous screening. Even within the Zhenqin Corps, only a handful of individuals were qualified to go down, let alone other Combat Martial Artists—none of them were permitted. These fire hydrants were part of a computer-controlled defense mechanism designed to ward off spies trying to take advantage of the chaos. It wasn’t just the Wet Realm; even other countries on Earth coveted the Divine Land’s underground research facility. Thus, the Divine Land’s defense mechanisms were optimized to the absolute extreme. It was simply impossible for Su Yue to blindly force his way down. Even in the midst of this chaos, it couldn’t be done.

"I see. My apologies!" Su Yue nodded. He had been too presumptuous.

The Underground City was the most heavily guarded place in the Divine Land; how could they possibly allow him to casually stroll down? No wonder the Martial Artists who came to support the Research Institute were only carrying the wounded from the sealed zone to the shelters—they didn’t have clearance to enter the Underground City either. This was also why the researchers had to climb up on their own. The Zhenqin Corps’ limited Martial Artist forces still had to maintain basic order within the Underground City, otherwise, the situation would devolve into even greater chaos.

Su Yue sighed. Sure enough, everything had two sides. The Absolute Defense of the Underground City could prevent spies from infiltrating, but in times of crisis, it also blocked out a lot of rescue forces, especially in such a massive, chaotic scenario. However, Su Yue could understand the government’s decision. To the Divine Land, these research achievements were likely more important than anything else and had to be protected. After all, this was the result of several generations of blood, sweat, and tears. Unfortunately, granting authorization was a complex process, and it was obvious that the Research Institute and the Zhenqin Corps didn’t have the time to jump through such bureaucratic hoops right now.

"Student Su Yue, your status is different. You won’t be able to help much by staying here. If possible, please leave," the Rank-Six Major General said hurriedly. He was practically begging. Although everyone was equal, to them, Su Yue’s death would be a catastrophic disaster, and no one could bear that responsibility.

"Alright, I’ll leave right now." Su Yue sighed.

He was practically being treated like an endangered species now. Seeing the major general’s expression, he didn’t have the heart to stay and cause trouble. Truth be told, Su Yue felt a bit disappointed.

"I’ve trained so hard for so long, yet I’m the one being protected," he thought. "Am I a piece of Tang Monk’s flesh?"

"Student Su Yue, if it’s convenient for you, please go to the sealed zone, find two wounded individuals, and carry them to the shelter. There’s a hospital there. Thank you," the major general quickly added upon seeing Su Yue turn around.

"Sure, I can do that!" Su Yue nodded.

With a flash, he was already sprinting toward the third layer’s sealing barrier.

"Sigh, this kid has never listened to orders. If I didn’t assign him a task, he absolutely wouldn’t have left," the major general muttered, shaking his head. He didn’t believe for a second that Su Yue would leave on his own. By assigning him a rescue mission, Su Yue would take the wounded to the shelter. Once he arrived at the shelter, it wouldn’t be easy for him to come back.

"I wonder how Wang Qidan and the others are doing." On his way to the sealed zone, Su Yue looked up at the sky, his face full of worry.

The security guards were all Rank-Eight Martial Artists. When they leaped into the sky one after another, they had already revealed their respective Qi Blood cultivation levels. From the outer protective shield, Su Yue could faintly see several golden specks of light. The security guards were likely acting as the energy sources sustaining the protective shield.

"Seniors, I hope you all stay safe," he murmured.

He and Wang Qidan had only just met. Recalling how they had tried to prank him felt like a lifetime ago. Yet on second thought, it had actually only been a few minutes.

Looking at the Research Institute, now reduced to crumbling walls and ruins, Su Yue felt a surreal sense of dislocation. The deafening sounds of tremors, collapses, and crashes echoed everywhere. From all directions came screams, roars, and furious curses, making him feel agitated and suffocated. At this moment, Su Yue loathed war more than ever before, and his hatred for the alien races of the Wet Realm reached an unprecedented peak.

Although he had participated in countless battles, the main battlefield had always been the Wet Realm. That place held no sense of belonging for him; even if an entire mountain were leveled, Su Yue wouldn’t feel a thing.

But this was the Divine Land.

Seeing a perfectly fine small city reduced to rubble and witnessing the tragic deaths of many innocent civilians, the anger in Su Yue’s heart surged like an erupting volcano, becoming increasingly impossible to suppress.

"Su Yue, why haven’t you left yet?"

Just as he arrived at the third shield, Su Yue ran into Vice Admiral Zhao Zhuangyuan again. Zhao Zhuangyuan was drawing his bow and shooting arrows, trying his best to continuously shoot down falling debris from the sky, saving as many people as he could. Moreover, his task wasn’t just to destroy the falling objects. Bound to his waist was a device that was continuously siphoning away his Qi Blood. It was obvious that Zhao Zhuangyuan was the energy source keeping this small shield running. Although it looked simple, Su Yue knew very well that sustaining such a shield consumed not only Qi Blood but also Spiritual Power.

Seeing Su Yue, Zhao Zhuangyuan’s expression clearly showed his displeasure.

"Look at the time, and you’re still coming back to cause trouble?" he thought.

"Since I’m heading to the shelter anyway, I figured I’d take two wounded people with me before I leave. Leaving them to die doesn’t sit well with me," Su Yue smiled apologetically.

This Mr. Zhao Zhuangyuan was actually quite formidable. Although the arrows he shot didn’t seem as imposing as Gong Ling’s, they made up for it in sheer volume. A single shot would split into multiple arrows, raining down like a torrential downpour. Naturally, his accuracy suffered as a result; a few stray arrows even hit his fellow humans. Of course, since these were just regular arrows, they easily bounced off human helmets and armor—which was far better than being crushed by massive falling boulders. Despite the occasional misfires, his efforts were incredibly effective and had saved many fleeing humans.

"Alright, just make sure to stay safe."

Hearing this, Zhao Zhuangyuan’s mood softened, and he even felt a bit ashamed. He had misunderstood Su Yue. The kid was just kind-hearted and wanted to help save people. In the midst of all this chaos, his own mind was probably a little muddled. Even his aim was getting blurry.

"Damn it," he thought.

Zhao Zhuangyuan now suspected that this was a premeditated conspiracy by the Blood Boiling Race. Over the past few days, there had been frequent issues at the Divine Land’s borders, causing a significant portion of the Zhenqin Corps’ forces to be dispersed. Otherwise, the Research Institute’s defenses wouldn’t have been this weak. It was theoretically impossible for a single earthquake to cause such massive devastation.

The Divine Land must have been sabotaged.