Infinite Ebullience
Chapter 417 - 40: Ghoul Leader and the Incubation Room

Chapter 417: Chapter 40: Ghoul Leader and the Incubation Room

The one who triggered the explosives was Lu Fan, and since Tang Zheng wasn’t a god, there was no way he could have perfectly sniped the pursuing Scorpion while also focusing on making an escape route.

Tang Zheng immediately activated all scanning systems attached to the Hellfire, but the sudden influx of data on the screen almost blinded him. He quickly turned them off, keeping only the infrared scanning and night vision equipment. The two powerful beams of light illuminated a 160-degree fan-shaped area in front of him, enough for him to see everything in the dark.

Of course, now Tang Zheng stood out like a lighthouse in the dark ocean, the ghouls wouldn’t need to search, they could just rush towards the light. Thus, along the path Tang Zheng ran, hundreds of corpses were left behind. He wanted to attract their offensive.

The shelter was the ghoul’s lair. No matter how fierce Tang Zheng’s firepower was, he couldn’t fully cover it. There would always be some monsters springing from unexpected corners and successfully getting close. If he had been wearing something like a Unicorn-type protective armor, he would have been bitten and dragged down into the nest as food. But now they were up against Hellfire. The ghouls opened their big mouths and bit at its neck, only to have their teeth shattered by the strong alloy.

Tang Zheng was rushing on, the time lag of a few seconds when firing the impact beam from his palm was a bit annoying. Ideally, he’d have combined it with the right-handed thunderstorm rifle attack. However, he had to continuously remove the ghouls clinging to him. They would grab his head, obscuring his view.

After spending two minutes and covering roughly a kilometer, crossing several passages, Tang Zheng arrived at the work area. Looking at the partially opened gate, he didn’t rush in but turned back the way he came.

Sheathing the Hellfire, Tang Zheng sprinted with a thunderstorm rifle in one hand and a tactical flashlight in the other. His enhanced stamina proved its worth again with his breathing steady and energy still abundant despite the prolonged combat.

Having estimated the speed of Lu Fan and the others, Tang Zheng slightly slowed down when he was about to make contact. He didn’t want to be mistaken for an enemy by his own group.

"Who’s there?" Hearing the footsteps coming from the passage ahead, Gao Yu at the front got a scare and immediately fired a clip in response.

"Do you want to kill uncle?" Lu Fan was also startled by Gao Yu’s drastic action and hence rushed in front, kicking toward his knee with her little leg.

"Are you seeking death, you little brat?" Gao Yu was about to kick Lu Fan in response, but held back upon seeing the rifle in the little Lolita’s hands. But he couldn’t swallow his anger and snapped back, "What if it’s a ghoul?"

"Idiot. After all this time, haven’t you learned to differentiate the footsteps of ghouls?" Lu Fan chastised, infuriated that Gao Yu actually intended to hit her. This was unforgivable.

Gao Yu had no retort. He’d only been concerned about escaping and hadn’t paid attention to distinguishing the sound. Even the female models exchanged glances in disbelief at his ignorance.

"Ghouls footsteps are light and rapid, without rhythm. The ones in the passage right now are the sounds of military boots." Said Qin Yan, growing impatient while keeping guard around them. "Enough with the nonsense, let’s keep moving."

"What’s going on? Why aren’t you moving?" On hearing the footsteps, Tang Zheng stopped, waiting to intersect with them. He hadn’t anticipated their halt and hence had to come back. He was too far away to notice the previous gunshots and the dispute between Gao Yu and Lu Fan.

"Tang Zheng, weren’t you worried we might have taken a wrong turn?" The humiliated Gao Yu directed his anger at Tang Zheng and yelled.

"If you’re not happy, you’re welcome to leave the team." Tang Zheng frowned. Had this guy lost his mind?

"What do you mean? Uncle risked his life to clear the path for you, and this is what he gets in return?" Lu Fan almost laughed in anger, and even Qin Yan’s face stiffened as she glared at Gao Yu.

"Enough, stop fighting. Let’s continue on." Tan Hui tried to mediate but ended up being scolded.

The female models all stayed silent, most finding Gao Yu’s behavior too much. But they were too exhausted from running and too busy adjusting their breaths to reproach him. However, despite everything, Wang Yu persisted in defending Tang Zheng, hoping to build a good impression in his heart.

"Gao Yu, this time, you’re in the wrong." Liu Qian also criticized Gao Yu, expecting him to apologize.

"Back off, it’s none of your business." Gao Yu snapped and growled, "Why pick on me? Is it wrong to be careful?"

Gao Yu wasn’t usually so impulsive. He knew he shouldn’t fall out with Tang Zheng at a critical time, but seeing the women defend Tang Zheng angered him.

"It would be fine if you were just an idiot, but blaming others is too much. The corpses of so many ghouls on the ground clearly tilts the scale in our favor. Look at them, and you will know how much uncle has done for you." Lu Fan’s words left Gao Yu speechless to the point of nearly passing out.

"Right, Tang Zheng, since you have the power armor, why didn’t you use it earlier? If you had, the young soldiers wouldn’t have had to die and we wouldn’t have to escape in such a pitiful state." Not being completely foolish, Gao Yu knew how to play to the crowd and oppose Tang Zheng.

Sure enough, the young soldiers fell silent. Although their expressions couldn’t be seen in the darkness, it was impossible for them to not have opinions.

"You bastard! Every time Hellfire is activated it consumes a huge amount of points. Do you want uncle fetched deep into negative?" Enraged, Lu Fan hit Gao Yu’s leg with the butt of her gun. "Give me a reason why uncle should spend points that are even more precious than his life to save a stupid bastard like you who slanders him."

Once again, Gao Yu was rendered speechless while Dantai glanced at Tang Zheng. He had guessed a long while ago that there were usage limits to the power armor, otherwise why wouldn’t Tang Zheng always be wearing it.