Chapter 538: Taken by the Explosion

The explosives beneath the gate anchor detonated.

Lu Zhen’s flames spread around Leng Pan at the same time, forming several protective layers. However, when the explosion struck the damaged anchor, it did not release ordinary fire.

The black ring shattered and released a wave of twisted silver energy across the quarry.

Space folded around them.

Leng Pan felt Lu Zhen’s arm tighten around her waist before the ground disappeared beneath their feet. The silver energy tore through his flame barrier and struck them from every direction.

She could not see anything.

She only felt Lu Zhen turn their bodies so that his back faced the centre of the explosion.

"Lu Zhen!" Leng Pan shouted as she tried to move around him.

"Stay still."

"Stop using yourself as a shield!"

"You can complain after we survive."

The spatial energy struck them.

A painful pressure covered Leng Pan’s body, and she felt as if an invisible force were pulling her apart. She tried opening her space again, but the shattered anchor continued blocking the connection.

Then the force dragging them downward suddenly changed direction.

They were thrown into darkness.

Leng Pan struck a hard metal surface with Lu Zhen beneath her. Although his body protected her from the worst of the fall, the impact still left her breathless.

For several seconds, neither of them moved.

A red emergency light began flashing above them, revealing a narrow room with silver walls.

Leng Pan pushed herself up and looked at Lu Zhen. "Are you hurt?"

"A little."

His answer came too quickly.

She placed her hands against his chest and checked his body. The front of his clothes had only suffered minor damage, but when she moved behind him, her expression changed.

Most of his coat had burned away.

Several deep wounds crossed his back, and blood was already soaking through his shirt.

Leng Pan’s fingers trembled as she touched the fabric near one of the wounds. "You call this a little?"

"It would have been worse if the energy struck you."

"That does not make your injuries small."

Lu Zhen turned and pulled her into his arms before she could continue examining him. "I am alive, and so are you. You may scold me after we leave this place."

Leng Pan knew he was trying to calm her, but the blood on his back had already covered her hands.

She held him more tightly. "If you do that again, I will be the one standing between you and the danger next time."

"You already do that too often."

"Then you should understand how I feel."

Lu Zhen lowered his head until his forehead rested against hers. His hand moved gently through her hair as he admitted, "I understand. That is why I cannot promise I will stop protecting you."

Leng Pan looked into his eyes before replying, "Then do not ask me to stop protecting you either."

"I will not."

She kissed him.

The kiss was not gentle. It carried her fear, anger, and relief at feeling him alive in her arms.

Lu Zhen responded just as strongly, drawing her closer until there was no space between them. For a brief moment, the alien invasion, the zombie army, and the unfamiliar room around them disappeared.

A mechanical voice interrupted them.

[Unauthorized life forms detected.]

[Containment protocol activated.]

Leng Pan slowly ended the kiss but remained close enough that her lips brushed against his as she muttered, "The aliens have terrible timing."

Lu Zhen glanced toward the flashing wall. "We will continue later."

"Is that a promise?"

His gaze returned to her face. "It is."

A section of the wall opened.

Four guardian machines entered the room with their weapons raised.

Leng Pan spun around and released several compressed water blades. The first attacks struck the machines’ shields while Lu Zhen’s flames followed from behind her.

His fire heated the barriers, and Leng Pan immediately lowered their temperature with cold water.

The rapid change caused the shields to crack.

Little Vine emerged from Leng Pan’s space as soon as the connection became available again. It wrapped around two machines and smashed them into each other.

Lu Zhen destroyed the remaining units with a concentrated line of fire.

The room became quiet again.

Leng Pan looked around. "Where are we?"

Lu Zhen studied the alien symbols on the wall before taking out the captured translator. The device needed several seconds to recognize their location.

[Transport Vessel Seven.]

[Lower recovery chamber.]

The explosion had not thrown them away from the quarry.

It had sent them directly into the alien transport vessel.

Leng Pan looked at the damaged guardian machines. "This might be useful."

"You nearly died."

"So did you."

"That does not make it useful."

"We wanted to stop the transport vessel from recovering the anchor. Now we can destroy it from the inside."

Lu Zhen knew that expression. His wife had already decided that being trapped inside the enemy’s vessel was an opportunity.

He touched her cheek and wiped away a streak of blood that had come from his own injuries. "Before you begin planning how to steal this ship, you should treat my back."

"I was not planning to steal it."

Lu Zhen raised an eyebrow.

Leng Pan paused before adding, "I was considering whether it would fit inside your second space."

"It would not."

"That is unfortunate."

She took him into her space before more guardian units could arrive.

The mutant plants gathered around them immediately. Several vines lifted their leaves toward Lu Zhen’s wounded back, but Leng Pan stopped them before they could touch him.

"He needs medicine, not curiosity."

Little Vine followed them to the storage area and brought a container of spiritual spring water.

Leng Pan removed the remains of Lu Zhen’s coat and carefully cut away his shirt. Once his back was exposed, she had to control her anger again.

Pieces of black metal were buried inside two of the wounds.

"This will hurt," she warned as she cleaned a pair of tweezers.

Lu Zhen sat on the edge of their bed and glanced at her over his shoulder. "You could distract me."

"How?"