Chapter 163: Chapter 151: It Only Works on Me Once
Vine grabbed Gu Ning and turned her to face him. He looked her over for a moment, then leaned in slightly and sniffed her carefully.
Emergency lights were on in the tunnel, so Gu Ning could clearly see Vine’s actions and expression.
Taking advantage of his momentary lapse, she struggled free from his grasp and stumbled back a few steps, her back hitting a stack of material crates.
"You’re Cook?"
Vine’s eyes showed confusion, along with a barely perceptible coldness.
Hearing the slight doubt in his tone, Gu Ning’s heart skipped a beat. Her intuition told her this was not good.
She was certain now that he definitely knew Cook.
’But what is his relationship with Cook? Can I tell him the truth?’
’No, he’s an enemy of Alex and the others.’
"Answer me," Vine said, taking a step forward.
His tone and expression reminded Gu Ning of the stern, unsmiling drill instructors from her university military training. One wrong move in her stance would earn a death glare. It was utterly intimidating.
The tall, broad Beastman before her was even more intimidating.
Vine stared straight at her, his gaze seemingly able to pierce right through her.
Gu Ning had the feeling that if she lied, he would see through her immediately.
She averted her gaze and pulled the badge she had just used on him from her pocket.
’This was something I found in Cyril’s room. I figured his rank in the Military Department must be pretty high, so it might be useful to have. I never expected it to actually come in handy.’
She held the badge out to Vine as if it were a get-out-of-jail-free card.
Right now, Gu Ning hoped the badge could make Vine obey her commands, or at least take her to Alex.
However, she had hoped for too much. Vine snatched the badge from her hand. "This thing only works on me once."
Gu Ning: "..."
’So this thing is a one-time-use item.’
Seeing the little Mixed Breed shrink back slightly, having lost her earlier defiance, Vine’s tone softened a little. "Can you speak?"
Gu Ning shook her head.
Remembering she still had to save Cook and the others, Gu Ning pulled out a pen and paper. Just as she wrote down Cook’s name, several figures entered the tunnel, rushing toward them.
"Boss!"
The arrival of his subordinates interrupted them.
Gu Ning put down the pen and paper.
"Boss, this is bad."
Vine turned to his subordinates. "What happened?"
The lead Beastman said worriedly, "1366 has escaped. The Bird Team is searching everywhere."
Vine’s expression tensed. "What’s the situation on the wall?"
"A swarm of flying Mutant Species destroyed the electric fence. We couldn’t hold the breach, and a lot of Mutant Species have already poured inside the walls, but the King Seed hasn’t appeared yet."
As he spoke, a few Mutant Species charged into the tunnel. Vine and his subordinates drew their knives and swiftly dealt with them.
"We have to find that Mimic Mixed Species," Vine said, looking at the dead Mutant Species on the ground.
A subordinate said, "Right. If we don’t find it, our mission will fail. And who knows how the Dog Team will laugh at us then."
"If we don’t find it, the consequences will be a hundred times more severe than that," Vine said, shooting a cold glare at the subordinate who had spoken.
The subordinates immediately understood.
A Mimic Mixed Species that could be used as bait was the highest-level kind. They were the most dangerous of weapons. Many Beastmen had become their prey during the training process. No matter how well-trained they were, their craving for the flesh of those with superior genes could never be changed. They would do anything to devour such individuals, even feigning domestication.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, the Military Department would never deploy them, precisely for fear of a situation like this occurring.
Escaping under these circumstances meant this Mimic Mixed Species could now potentially take on anyone’s appearance.
Vine returned to Gu Ning’s side, grabbed her arm, and began half-dragging, half-pulling her toward the tunnel exit.
Gu Ning resisted and broke free from Vine’s grip.
Vine turned his head. "If you don’t come with us, you’ll be a little snack for the Mutant Species in less than two minutes."
Gu Ning quickly wrote on the slip of paper: "Where are you taking me?"
Vine glanced down at the note the little Mixed Breed handed him. His suspicion toward her lessened slightly. He asked his subordinate, "Where’s Andrew?"
"He’s on the wall, commanding," the subordinate replied.
Vine grabbed Gu Ning’s shoulder and pulled her forward.
Gu Ning pushed his hand away and wrote: Take me to see Alex
Vine said nothing. He simply wrapped an arm around her waist and carried her under his arm toward the tunnel exit.
...
「The sky was beginning to lighten.」
Outside, Mutant Species were everywhere—flying in the sky, running on the ground, a dense, swarming mass.
The moment Gu Ning and the others emerged from the tunnel, the Mutant Species swarmed them like beasts that had scented fresh meat, shrieking as they pounced.
Seeing the situation, Vine immediately gave up on the idea of taking Gu Ning to the top of the wall.
’The number of Mutant Species on the wall would only be greater.’
After dealing with the Mutant Species outside, he handed Gu Ning to a subordinate. He pulled out a vial of Beast Repelling Potion, crushed it, and sprinkled the contents around them, dabbing a little on Gu Ning as well. "You and two others stay here and protect it."
"Yes, Boss."
"..."
Gu Ning watched Vine leap nimbly onto the wall, then glanced around at her surroundings.
’I can’t waste any more time here.’
’Alex and the others are probably busy fighting Mutant Species right now. They can’t help me. I have to find a way to get to Cook and Barto myself.’
"Just stay here and don’t run off."
One of the Beastmen who stayed behind pulled a piece of candy from his pocket and offered it to Gu Ning, trying to placate the little Mixed Breed.
Gu Ning remained silent. After observing the situation outside, she walked over to a pile of toolboxes and began rummaging through them.
The three Beastmen guarding her saw the little Mixed Breed rummaging through things on her own, ignoring them. They decided to let her be, as long as she didn’t cause trouble or try to run off.
The three men stood guard diligently at the edge of the tunnel entrance. Although the Beast Repelling Potion was effective in the short term and the Mutant Species wouldn’t approach the scent, there was no guarantee it would be foolproof with so many of them around.
Sure enough, before long, a few flying Mutant Species flew over and attacked them ferociously.
The three men, armed with Crystal Stone Knives and guns loaded with Crystal Stone Bullets, quickly took care of this wave of Mutant Species.
"Where’d she go?!"
After finishing off the Mutant Species, they looked behind them. The little Mixed Breed was nowhere to be seen.
...
With some effort, Gu Ning turned the handle of the heavy gate in front of her, opening the connecting door between the two tunnels.
She gripped the gun in her hand and cautiously peeked into the other tunnel.
No one. Only the sounds of the battle between Beastmen and Mutant Species outside echoed through the tunnel.
Gu Ning let out a breath, steadied her nerves, and walked quickly toward the tunnel’s exit.
CLACK... CLACK...
A flying Mutant Species landed at the tunnel entrance.
Gu Ning immediately ducked behind a nearby pile of materials.
She watched the Mutant Species at the entrance through a gap. It stretched its head inside for a look, then flapped its wings and left.
Gu Ning waited a moment. Just as she was about to get up, a sharp CLANG suddenly rang out close by.
A piece of welding material rolled clattering onto the ground.
She was instantly on alert.
Just then, another sound reached her ears—a soft rustle, right beside her.
A chill ran down Gu Ning’s spine. She slowly turned her head toward the sound and came face-to-face with a pair of glittering, amber eyes.
