Chapter 539: Taken By The Explosion 2

"You kissed me a moment ago without needing instructions."

Leng Pan looked at the wounds on his back and replied, "If I kiss you now, I might forget that I am supposed to remove the metal."

"I trust your ability to do both."

Despite her worry, amusement appeared in her eyes. "My husband has become shameless."

"Only with my wife."

Leng Pan leaned forward and kissed his cheek before removing the first metal fragment.

Lu Zhen’s muscles tightened, but he did not make a sound.

She cleaned the wound with spiritual spring water, then moved to the second fragment. This one was deeper, and blood flowed when she pulled it out.

Lu Zhen reached behind him and took her hand. "I am alright."

"You cannot see your back."

"I can see your face."

Leng Pan lowered her gaze.

He turned carefully and brought her hand to his lips. "Do not blame yourself. Entering the quarry was our decision."

"You were injured because you covered me."

"I would make the same choice again."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "That is not comforting."

"It is honest."

Leng Pan applied medicine to his wounds before wrapping his chest and back with bandages. "When we return home, you will rest until these injuries heal."

Lu Zhen pulled on a clean shirt. "We still have to survive the vessel and the zombie army."

"That does not change what will happen afterward."

"Yes, Madam Lu."

She looked at him suspiciously. "You agreed too quickly."

"I know when an argument cannot be won."

Little Vine shook its leaves as if it agreed with him.

Leng Pan pointed at the plant. "You also need to rest."

Little Vine immediately disappeared among the taller mutant plants.

Lu Zhen’s lips curved slightly. "It learned that from you."

"I do not hide when someone tells me to rest."

"You enter the space."

"That is different."

Before Lu Zhen could respond, a faint alarm came from outside the space.

They returned to the transport vessel.

More guardian units had gathered outside the recovery chamber, but the door had closed after they entered the space. The machines had not found a way inside yet.

Leng Pan checked the communicator.

Several messages from their team appeared at once.

Lu Tao’s was the first.

"Brother, Sister-in-law, can you hear me? The quarry exploded, and the transport vessel is still in the air. Where are you?"

Lu Zhen activated the communicator. "We are inside the vessel."

There was a long silence.

Lu Tao finally asked, "Did you capture it already?"

"No."

"Then why are you inside?"

"We were caught in the anchor’s spatial energy."

"Are you injured?"

"We are alive."

Lu Tao released a breath before his tone became lighter. "Mother does not need to know about this."

"She will know."

"Then please wait until we return home before telling her. It will be harder for her to hit us if she is too happy to see us."

Leng Pan smiled when she heard him. "How is the base?"

The humor disappeared from Lu Tao’s voice. "The first zombie army reached the northern wall. The giants are filling the trenches, and smaller zombies are climbing over them. Commander Han found the command subject, but it is hiding behind the horde."

Ouyang Jin joined the communication and said, "The other two zombie groups have also changed direction. They will arrive in less than three hours."

"What happened to the transport vessel after the explosion?" Lu Zhen asked.

Assistant Yao answered, "It lost altitude and several sections of its shield are down, but it is still operational. The explosion destroyed most of the gate anchor."

"Most?" Leng Pan asked.

"The central section remains intact. The transport vessel recovered it before the quarry collapsed."

Lu Zhen studied the alien map. A pulsing blue symbol appeared several levels above their current position.

The surviving part of the gate anchor had been moved inside the vessel.

Leng Pan looked at the ceiling. "They might repair it."

"They will," a voice said from behind them.

They turned.

The alien prisoner they had captured was standing inside the recovery chamber.

Sonny and Vanish were beside him, but Assistant Yao was not with them.

Vanish removed his hand from the prisoner’s shoulder and explained, "Assistant Yao brought the aircraft close enough for us to enter through a damaged section. He stayed outside to keep the guardian units distracted."

Sonny looked at Lu Zhen’s pale face. "You were injured."

"It has been treated."

The prisoner stared at Lu Zhen and Leng Pan before asking, "How did you survive the spatial collapse?"

Little Vine lifted its leaves toward him.

The alien quickly decided that he did not need an answer.

Lu Zhen pointed toward the blue symbol on the map. "Where will they take the anchor?"

The prisoner examined its position. "That section contains the vessel’s primary energy chamber. They will use the ship’s core to repair it."

"How long would that take?"

"If the damage is severe, perhaps one hour."

Leng Pan looked at Lu Zhen. "We should destroy it before they finish."

The prisoner shook his head. "You cannot enter the energy chamber without passing through the central control area. Most of the soldiers aboard the vessel will already be waiting there."

"That is useful," Lu Zhen replied.

The alien stared at him. "How is that useful?"

"If most of the soldiers are protecting the anchor, fewer will be guarding the ship’s engines."

Understanding appeared in Leng Pan’s eyes. "We will divide into two groups. One group will damage the engines while the other enters the energy chamber."

Vanish looked between them. "Which group will face most of the soldiers?"

Lu Zhen answered without hesitation, "Ours."

Leng Pan took his hand. "You mean our group."

His fingers tightened around hers before he gave her a helpless look. He already knew there was no point asking her to stay behind.

The alarm outside became louder.

Red lights spread across the recovery chamber as the alien vessel began rising away from Qinghe Base.

The prisoner looked at the translator and paled.

[Return route confirmed.]

[Destination: Primary Passage.]

Sonny frowned. "What does that mean?"

Leng Pan looked at the transport map before replying, "The vessel is returning to Tayi City."

The prisoner shook his head. "It is not only returning to the Passage. Once we enter it, the vessel will continue to the other side."

They had less than an hour to destroy the gate anchor and escape.

Otherwise, the alien transport vessel would carry them away from Earth.