Chapter 661: Chapter 574: She Needs Dignity

The data entities in the small town were alarmed and swarmed toward the trio.

Outside the shrine.

In the distance, the rumbling sound of artillery fire could be heard, large unmanned transporters roared overhead, and the battle in the valley was nearing its end. The Revolutionary Army had recaptured Zone 26, with large weaponry rolling in from Zones 27, 25, and D6, expected to establish a defense line within ten hours.

Lu Shuhang, dressed in a black suit, held a black umbrella. The rain drenched the road in front of him, creating a distinct semicircle along the umbrella’s silhouette. His eyes, with an upward gaze, peered through the edge of the umbrella toward the distance, where a giant building stood against the pitch-black sky — the direction of the Ausen Technology Innovation building.

"Those two have reached an agreement with Su Sui, so there’s no immediate danger," Xiao Xinzhu stepped forward to say.

"Let’s hope there aren’t any surprises inside the shrine."

"Yu Lan, be careful not to alert that guy."

"Understood."

Their current location appeared to be a scrapyard. Abandoned machinery was piled into mountains, and Chaplin’s sign flickered in the rainy night, casting a faint, unsteady light.

"Would she really hide here?" Yu Lan said. "It doesn’t seem like her style."

"Maybe she likes these dark corners."

Lu Shuhang stepped over the road with his black boots, ignoring the bionic repairman model that emerged from under the canopy. He climbed a mountain of scrap in a few strides, noticing the light between the gaps in the scrap was extinguished. Lu Shuhang quickly moved forward.

He reached out, pulling away the scrap before him, revealing the figure of a blonde girl inside. This seemed to be her small nest, not large but complete with essentials, including a television and a hanging light bulb. The girl was half-crouched and curled up inside, her white dress a patchwork of stains. A pair of slender legs extended from the tattered hem, leaning against the television in front.

Light streamed in, and the blonde girl squinted, reaching out to press her forehead. Her amber eyes examined the people in front of her, those dull eyes reflecting light and radiating a stunning color.

"Who are you?" the girl asked hoarsely.

"Please come with us. We will take you to a safer place," Lu Shuhang extended his hand to the girl.

His calm voice always carried a tone of friendliness. The wariness in the girl’s eyes visibly eased slightly. Her brow furrowed briefly, then relaxed. Tentatively, she took the young man’s hand but, noticing her arm exposed to the light, covered in dirt and dust, she slowly withdrew it.

Lu Shuhang did not speak. He stepped forward, firmly gripping the hand that had withdrawn, lifting his determined gaze to the girl.

"Please come with us."

"We won’t harm you."

"I want..."

The blonde girl’s chapped lips moved, slowly parting.

"Dignity."

"I will grant you dignity."

Lu Shuhang draped a black trench coat he had long prepared over the girl’s shoulders, concealing her emaciated body. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"I promise."

"Let’s go quickly. The Revolutionary Army is coming," Yu Lan said, somewhat anxiously.

Hearing the word Revolutionary Army, the blonde girl’s expression changed, and she wanted to get up and leave.

"I was the one who brought them here," Lu Shuhang said.

The blonde girl stopped in her tracks.

"They aren’t N3 Faction people. I will negotiate with them," Lu Shuhang said.

"If the negotiation fails, I will also escort you out, with dignity and grace, out of this city."

Soon, the military vehicles of the Revolutionary Army surrounded this scrapyard.

...

Inside the shrine, the three fled southeast along the small town. The shrine had already recognized their identity as outsiders, with more and more data entities emerging from the ground and surrounding them from all directions.

The three hid in a small clock tower, with data entities following and pouring in. The scene inside the clock tower was bizarre, countless debris of buildings, and pages of books floated in the air, spiraling up to the top, where a bronze clock could be seen above.

They weaved between spiraling staircases and columns, with copper clock chains hanging down from above, producing a crisp sound when touched. In the darkness, chaotic footsteps mingled. Su Sui turned back and slashed with a single stroke, causing Zhou Zhao to scream. The approaching data entities were all cut down by the swiftly moving Four-leaf Phoenix Tail Willow Leaf Saber in front.

"Sis, watch out!"

Zhou Zhao said in this way, kicking down the data entities climbing up and standing at the edge of the stairs, he fired crazily at the data entities swarming from below.

Pixel light waves penetrated from inside the door, sweeping over swathes of data entities, knocking them down.

The next moment, as a rumbling sound filled the air, the platform they were on began to rise rapidly. The scenery around flickered with abnormal changes, revealing a Baroque-style extravagance like a kaleidoscope unfolding layer by layer.

Su Sui looked up, and at some point, many data entities had already climbed to the top. These creatures looked like pure white sculptures, without any adornment, their grey stone eyes dull and lifeless.

She was reminded of a type of monster called ’Weeping Angels,’ except these sculptures became more excited when seen by others.

The monsters leapt simultaneously from above.

Su Sui drew her sword and slashed diagonally, the blade swept across the air, in a matter of moments, space and the bodies of the creatures were sliced open, crisscrossed and divided, a myriad of slash marks appeared, followed by chaotic brilliance sweeping through from left to right.

The next moment, even the clock tower was split in half, with howling winds pouring in, and the vast majority of data entities were blown away.

Their attacks could only harm these creatures but not lethally. These data entities lacked health bars and could not be killed.

The platform continued to rise rapidly, allowing them to view the distance. A data storm raged above, and the edges of this small island continued to collapse. In less than two hours, the island would completely sink into the data sea.

Four-leaf Phoenix Tree’s Willow Leaf Blade pierced accurately, stabbing into the neck of a data entity, suspending it mid-air, and its claws were mere millimeters from his neck.

He pulled out the Willow Leaf Blade, tossing the data entity into the air, slightly exerting force in his legs, Divine Speed Power fully unleashed, transforming into golden lightning that darted back and forth. In less than a blink of an eye, the still airborne data entities scattered in all directions.

Zhou Zhao raised his Champion’s Hand upward.

Several Horn Gates unfolded along his fingertips, pixel light beams shot out, a beam of light blasted upward, creating waves of air pressure, then pierced through the ivory gates at the top and shot out from countless ivory gates unfolding from all directions.

Bouncing, accelerating, bouncing again, accelerating again! In the blink of an eye, those pixel bullets interwove into a giant net in the sky, penetrating all the data entities in its path, causing them to fall.

Countless data entities continued to charge, wave after wave, which the trio deflected. As the platform was about to ascend to the top, Zhou Zhao suddenly noticed something, turned back to shout:

"Four-leaf Phoenix Tree!"

A massive figure descended from the sky, crashing onto the platform they stood on, sending debris flying. On closer look, the muscles on the figure’s arms were knotted tightly, its face fierce and twisted, like a demon.

"Tsk, this guy, really sticks around."

Zhou Zhao lunged upward, reaching the edge of the clock tower’s top surface just before the platform collapsed. Quickly, he turned back to extend his hand, grabbing Su Sui and forcefully tossing her upward.

At the bottom, Four-leaf Phoenix Tree had just activated Divine Speed Power when a pair of large hands grabbed his legs, accompanied by the collapsing platform, pulling them straight down into the abyss below...