NOVPUB
Chapter 124: Chapter 124 Construction Site
This was an unfinished building, with nothing but cement floors, and without windows or doors installed, let alone elevators.
Wang Mengyi led the way, with Han Jiaojiao and Tian Xinyue in the middle, and Wei Jie bringing up the rear. The four of them were continuously climbing upward.
When they reached around the eleventh floor, Tian Xinyue’s legs gave out, and she stumbled onto the cement steps!
"Xinyue!" Han Jiaojiao quickly grabbed her to prevent her from falling.
Drenched in sweat, Tian Xinyue almost breathlessly said, "Jiaojiao, I can’t go on..."
Han Jiaojiao was also exhausted, and the two boys had been tired for quite some time. They had run all the way here, and after entering the building, they had hardly rested before starting to climb the stairs. The physical exertion was immense, and now both were gasping for air and couldn’t talk much.
"Then let’s rest right here for a while, and try to keep our voices down; this place is too hollow, and it’s easy to create echoes." Though utterly exhausted, Han Jiaojiao dared not sit down immediately; she just leaned against the cement wall and rested silently.
"How many floors do we have to climb?" Tian Xinyue asked her.
"The higher, the better." Han Jiaojiao looked up; they had come in so hastily that they had no idea how many floors there were in total. From what they could estimate from outside, the building seemed to have over twenty floors.
"The Alien Species’ route of movement is horizontal; they usually don’t go to very high areas, so the higher we go, the safer we will be." Han Jiaojiao explained to them, then looked at Tian Xinyue and asked, "Xinyue, keep using your Ability to listen for any movement nearby."
Upon hearing this, Tian Xinyue closed her eyes and concentrated on capturing the sounds around them.
Wang Mengyi and Wei Jie exchanged glances, involuntarily holding their breaths, worried they might disturb Tian Xinyue.
Tiny beads of sweat rolled down Tian Xinyue’s face, and with a pale face, she opened her eyes, her lips trembling as she whispered, "...so many... they are out... they are all out..."
"How is that possible?!" Wei Jie said incredulously, "The military regularly sweeps the area near the base, even if Alien Species appear, there shouldn’t be many."
Wang Mengyi struggled to lift his head, his face grim, "Xiaojie, it’s Li Qian... The smell of blood has attracted the Alien Species."
It wasn’t just the smell. The recent attack by the Mutant Bird, with gunshots and bird calls, had already drawn the attention of the Alien Species. Coupled with the sudden change in weather, the Alien Species had begun moving in this direction...
Now, all they could do was pray that the Alien Species, having found nothing, would not linger nearby.
Han Jiaojiao took a deep breath and spoke in a hushed tone, "From now on, try not to speak, step lightly, and let’s continue going up."
She helped Tian Xinyue to stand, then added, "Xinyue, keep using your Ability to monitor our surroundings."
The four of them continued heading upward with their heads down.
As Han Jiaojiao supported Tian Xinyue, she rapidly thought about what they should do next.
Competing against Alien Species, she had experience from two lifetimes, past and present. To date, probably not even the researchers at the Science Academy understood the Alien Species as well as she did.
—Alien Species loved this humid and cold rainy weather.
This behavior was similar to frogs in a lotus pond, which would become particularly excited during the rainy season of mid-summer. The Alien Species would be even more excited, and their appetite... would also greatly increase.
The three members of the Special Training Team were; Wei Jie had no Ability, Tian Xinyue had Enhanced Hearing, and Wang Mengyi had Enhanced Speed, all Support Type Abilities, which meant they could neither fight nor defend. Their ammunition was limited... Additionally, shooting in this weather was clearly a bad idea, as the noise would attract more Alien Species, and without any transportation, their only outcome would be a dead end...
What should they do?...
"Jiaojiao..." Tian Xinyue suddenly spoke, "It’s them, they... they’re coming this way..."
Everyone halted their movements and turned to Han Jiaojiao.
"Can you tell how many there are?" Han Jiaojiao asked.
"...ten, no, not ten... there are about a dozen... twenty..." Tian Xinyue stopped, defeated, "It’s no use, the footsteps are too chaotic, compounded by the sound of rain... I can’t make it out."
Han Jiaojiao thought for a moment and said, "Don’t panic, they might not come in, and even if they do, it’s not certain they’ll come upstairs. Let’s rest here and focus on regaining our strength first."
They desperately needed to rest. Before the Alien Species arrived, they had to conserve their energy to deal with them.
— Alien Species that leave their nest to search for food usually move in teams. The size of the group depends on the size of the nest, ranging from two or three to over twenty.
Their foraging behavior is similar to that of ants; if one ant finds food, other nearby ants will quickly converge.
Han Jiaojiao felt Tian Xinyue’s grip tighten on her hand more and more until her whole body was trembling.
"They’re so fast... Jiaojiao, are we going to die here..."
Han Jiaojiao knew that Tian Xinyue was experiencing the fear of the Alien Species drawing closer. — The sounds grew louder and clearer, the breath exhaled by the Alien Species seemed to whistle past her ear... This intense fear was something nobody could alleviate for Tian Xinyue.
All Han Jiaojiao could do was hold her hand even tighter.
"We’re not going to die! The torrential rain won’t last long, as long as we can hold out until the sun comes up, we’ll be safe! Xinyue, we’re not going to die!"
As long as the sun was out, the mobility of the Alien Species would be hindered, giving them a better chance at survival.
Tian Xinyue’s face was pale as she gave a bitter smile, "I’m afraid we won’t last until the sun comes up... once the rain stops, it might already be dark."
"They’re coming." Wei Jie suddenly said.
This time, they didn’t need Tian Xinyue’s Ability to hear; through the unsealed balcony, they could already see shadows pacing below.
The Alien Species were searching for them.
It was inevitable. When they had broken through the flock of Mutant Birds earlier, everyone’s hands and arms had been more or less scratched by the birds, and although these were only superficial wounds, to the Alien Species, even such a slight scent of blood and flesh was enough to guide them here.
"Wei Jie, you take Xinyue and lead the way." Han Jiaojiao drew her Dagger, "Wang Mengyi and I will cover the rear. Everyone, remember, try not to use guns unless absolutely necessary."
"...They’re inside," Tian Xinyue said, her face ghastly pale.
"Keep moving up, don’t mind them."
Soon, the distinct growls of the Alien Species began to echo through the spacious building, the suppressed, nearly agitated deep roars reverberated in the corridors unceasingly.
The four of them pretended not to hear and continued upward. Han Jiaojiao moved alongside Wang Mengyi and whispered, "When the Alien Species catch up, stab at the base of their neck, has Sister Red taught you that?"
Wang Mengyi tensed his face and nodded once.
"Then you should know that spot. You’re fast; if you don’t hit it the first time, keep stabbing. The knee joint can also be targeted. The corridor is narrow here, they can’t all crowd up at once, we’ll take them out one by one..."
As Han Jiaojiao spoke, she also demonstrated, pointing out several defensive positions to him.
Wang Mengyi murmured, almost voicelessly, "Aren’t you afraid?"
Han Jiaojiao shook her head. It wasn’t that she wasn’t afraid; fear was just useless, and she had no time for it. If she couldn’t even handle a few Alien Species, how could she later go after Qin Wenhao and Qin Nanyi?
Those two frightened her more than the Alien Species.
A rank gust rushed up from the stairwell, the rapid, beastly panting mixed with swift footsteps creating a terrifying echo in the corridor.
— They had arrived.
