Night's Nomenclature
Chapter 534: Deluge and Iron Curtain

“Go, go faster!” Shendai soldiers jeeringly urged the prisoners, forcing them into a long line to march towards the snowy wilderness.

Qing Chen silently watched everything unfold. From afar in the prison area, Shendai Yunzhi looked towards the pigsty, a slight smirk playing on his lips...

He enjoyed watching Qing Chen’s inability to change the situation; no matter how many prisoners he killed, the other could only obediently stay in the pigsty.

Shendai Yunzhi didn't notice that Qing Chen had already stood up and was pondering something.

Arriving at the entrance of a02 Base, the giant gate slowly rose.

This prison, entirely constructed from two-meter-wide and four-meter-high black stone walls, was a small fortress.

Inside was hell, but outside might not be heaven.

Giant searchlights in the prison cast white beams of light; snowflakes drifted in the beams, like murky dust.

Shendai Yunzhi loudly emphasized to the prisoners: “Remember, I’ll only give you two hours to escape. This is your most precious opportunity. Those who escape will live; those who don’t will die!”

The prisoners looked at each other. In the sub-zero winter night, running for two hours outside, regardless of whether they could escape, the cold alone might kill them before any pursuers.

When the Shendai soldiers caught up, they would Face^[-] unarmed, exhausted prisoners.

Therefore, this graduation ceremony at Shendai a02 Base was never about testing the trainees’ abilities but forcing them to massacre the weak, severing their heads, and eradicating the last bit of sympathy and humanity from their hearts.

It was said that another secret base specialized in training female spies; their graduation ceremony involved Shendai soldiers helping them erase their last shred of decency.

Intelligence agents trained by such an organization were inherently brutal.

Therefore, in the Outer World, even Shinguji Maki didn’t want to spare those Time Travelers who had undergone training.

At this time, Shendai Yunzhi drew his saber from his waist. The saber was adorned with golden tassels, a symbol of status and position within the Shendai Consortium.

He raised his long saber and shouted, “Begin, slaves.”

Shendai soldiers behind the prisoners fired into the air row by row. The gunshots startled the prisoners, who scrambled to run.

Someone whispered, “How many of us will die this time?”

Lao Li pondered, “Probably all of us. If Tiedan didn’t deceive us, then Qing Chen Supervisor must have prepared to leave; someone will come to save him, which is why he uncharacteristically ate and conserved his energy. Shendai must also know this. The coming battle will destroy this a02 Base. To avoid our three thousand people being an eyesore, they’ll kill us all beforehand.”

Hearing Lao Li’s words, many prisoners panicked.

In previous winter hunts, at least some survived; this year, it seemed everyone would die.

Lao Li glanced at the nearby Qing Family intelligence agents; their expressions were solemn but determined. He looked at an elder: “Hey, Qing Ling, aren’t you going to try something? Perhaps those who come to save him can take you with them.”

Qing Ling looked at Lao Li: “Do you have a way to take away more than nine hundred people from here? Where are we? This is the Shendai Consortium’s rear; even if a god came, they couldn’t take us away. So don’t think too much; die honorably and don’t cause trouble for others.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Lao Li said angrily.

Qing Ling led the team forward: “You’re not from Qing Family, so you don’t understand.”

This remark infuriated Lao Li: “Are the Li Clan people any worse than you Qing Family people? Who are you trying to belittle?”

As he spoke, he glanced back towards a02 Base. The young man was standing in the pigsty, head bowed, lost in thought.

Lao Li turned and led the Li Clan people towards the southwest; for nineteen years, he had participated in the winter hunt annually, so he knew the terrain well.

He was going to a specific place.

The Li Clan intelligence agents saw that Lao Li was leading them in the wrong direction. Someone suddenly asked, “Lao Li, have you thought this through?”

Lao Li calmly said, “I have.”

...

...

In a02 Base, Shendai Yunzhi coldly watched the prisoners escape into the icy wilderness and dark forests.

After only half an hour, he told the 1600 waiting Shendai soldiers, “Depart; leave none alive.”

The Shendai soldiers seemed to have known the departure time would be advanced; upon receiving the order, the three battalions immediately set off in three directions.

The soldiers wore self-heating uniforms, wore well-made boots, and carried black, lethal automatic rifles, forming a stark contrast to the disheveled prisoners.

This well-trained army could easily kill three thousand unarmed prisoners, or even three times that number.

This was an unequal massacre; the soldiers emerging from this would lose what it meant to be “human.”

This nation’s most wondrous and most despicable trait was its mastery in turning docile sheep into wolves.

Shendai Yunzhi slowly walked towards the pigsty. He held the hilt of his saber, his posture as proud as a victorious general.

He arrived outside the pigsty and smiled, “After tonight, they’ll all die because of you. What are your thoughts?”

Qing Chen, standing in the pigsty, looked down, “I’ve been waiting; waiting for the right moment.”

Shendai Yunzhi was taken aback. He suddenly felt a strange emotion enveloping him; it felt like he wasn’t facing a prisoner but a warrior awaiting victory.

But the other party had clearly surrendered.

“I waited for you to drive the prisoners out of the camp, so I wouldn’t risk harming innocents.”

“I waited for you to let the Shendai soldiers chase them out, so a02 Base would be undefended...”

Qing Chen’s voice grew fainter, almost inaudible in the cold wind.

Shendai Yunzhi involuntarily took a couple of steps forward to hear Qing Chen clearly, but quickly stopped.

He smiled, “You want to lure me over to kill you to vent your anger? Not so easy. Besides, you think a02 Base is undefended? Have you seen the 24 Metal Storms on the black walls? They’ve already locked onto your life signs; once you step out of this pigsty, they’ll open fire. And there are 24 ‘Ama-tera-1’ War Robots, each comparable to Gene Soldiers!”

Shendai Yunzhi continued, “Of course, you’re shackled, so you can’t leave the pigsty.”

At that moment, Qing Chen smiled and looked up, “Really?”

The sound of metal shackles breaking suddenly echoed from the pigsty; chains fell into the mud.

Shendai Yunzhi’s heart leaped. Before he could react, Qing Chen’s shackles were completely open!

Only then did Shendai Yunzhi notice a black ring on Qing Chen’s finger; it appeared sometime between.

That ring, called “Power,” was legendary in North America for opening any door in the world.

But that description wasn't entirely accurate; it could also open any lock!

Qing Chen calmly said, “When I was in school, although my grades were good, I couldn't fully grasp the meaning of the poems I read. But during my seven days of darkness in Osaka, I somehow recalled Xin Qiji’s line, ‘Drunk, I lift the lamp to look at my sword, dreaming I hear the horns in the camp. Eight hundred miles away, I divide the roasted meat among my men, and fifty strings play the sounds of the northern border.’ I don’t know why, but it just felt so heroic.”

Shendai Yunzhi didn’t understand why Qing Chen said these seemingly random things; he fearfully backed away, his Face^[-] contorted, “I advise you not to come out; don’t seek your own death.”

Qing Chen suddenly asked, “I promised Wang Yuchao and Zhao Mingke that they’d be born in a peaceful era in their next lives, where the weak wouldn’t be bullied. They’ll probably be reincarnated soon, so I have to hurry.”

Shendai Yunzhi roared, “War Robots, seize him!”

Qing Chen rubbed his wrists and smiled, “Yi.”

The 24 ‘Ama-tera-1’ War Robots turned towards Shendai Yunzhi, “I’m here.”

At that moment, Shendai Yunzhi felt like he’d fallen into an ice cave; his body was freezing cold!

How could these 24 War Robots, which he’d applied for with such difficulty, suddenly obey Qing Chen’s orders?

The next moment, Qing Chen no longer looked as listless as before. Instead, he suddenly leaped out of the pigsty, charging madly towards Shendai Yunzhi.

However, between him and Shendai Yunzhi were 24 Metal Storms.

Although Yi had seized the opportunity to control the 24 War Robots, these Metal Storms belonged to the independent military defense system of the a02 secret military base. They were controlled by cables, not susceptible to wireless network intrusion.

Unless physically connected to the network, Yi had no way to seize control.

At this moment, the Metal Storms on the black walls began to hum with electricity; their six barrels spun rapidly.

The heavy firepower weapon, firing 3600 rounds per minute, unleashed a torrent of bullets like a river.

In Federation history, humanity had invented Metal Storms firing a million rounds per minute, but people eventually discovered that using a million rounds per minute in a frontal battlefield was even more expensive than electromagnetic cannons, and ineffective shots accounted for over 99% of the firepower.

In fact, a Metal Storm firing 3600 rounds per minute is the optimal solution.

Within a given ammunition capacity, it could cover an entire area within 4500 meters.

In the darkness, the metal deluge of bullets created a curtain, covering the entire square outside the prison area.

But an astonishing thing happened: the 24 black War Robots cleverly formed a black iron curtain, blocking the metal deluge.

Yi, using its supreme computing power, made them move with Qing Chen but always positioned them in the path of the Metal Storm’s fire.

Like 24 heroic warriors, they bore the heavens on their shoulders!

Bullets clattered against the War Robots; their alloy armor was no longer smooth and flat, riddled with bullet holes.

Some War Robots’ hydraulic transmission systems were damaged; blue liquid from the hydraulic pipes flowed on the snow, yet the robot persisted, limping, protecting Qing Chen.

Some War Robots’ mechanical eyes were hit, but they could share vision with other War Robots.

Some War Robots’ chest alloy armor was shattered by the metal deluge; they immediately turned around, retreated while walking backward, using their rear armor to withstand the attack.

The destructive power of the twenty-four “cloud-waterfall” Metal Storms was forcefully blocked by these 24 war machines.

Their tilted postures resembled flood-fighting heroes, protecting Qing Chen as he swiftly moved against the current!

The Shendai’s most proud, impregnable alloy bodies had become Qing Chen’s most robust mobile fortress!

These War Robots were protecting Qing Chen without regard for cost or damage!

Yi didn’t need to communicate with Qing Chen; the tacit understanding between the two most calculating “individuals” in the world meant they knew what the other would do. There was only one optimal solution; they knew what each other would choose.

There was only one choice.

Shendai Yunzhi fled madly; although he was protected by such powerful firepower, he felt fear.

He felt he might die tonight!

However, the next moment, Qing Chen silently counted down 10, 9, 8, 7… 3, 2, 1!

This was the attack interval of the cloud-waterfall Metal Storm. Even the most powerful mechanical firearms in the world must consider cooling and reloading.

Even the most powerful coolant has a specific heat capacity limit; therefore, each electromagnetic Metal Storm is designed to ensure that the mechanism doesn't overheat; a pre-set optimal time for changing coolant and magazines is set.

Every minute, there are 5 seconds.

When Qing Chen finished his countdown, these 24 Metal Storms fired in an overlapping pattern. So when two Metal Storms entered cooling, the remaining 22 were still spitting fire.

But for Qing Chen and Yi, that was enough.

With two stopped, a gap appeared in the originally designed coverage trajectory.

Qing Chen seemed to have returned to Prison 18; the Metal Storms in the sky poured down a rain of bullets, yet not a single drop fell on him.

This incredible calculation was a breeze for Qing Chen and Yi!

In the midst of the torrential metal deluge,

The moment Qing Chen finished his countdown, the 24 War Robots abruptly changed formation. 23 of them, on the verge of destruction, once again formed a new iron curtain, while the last one, along with Qing Chen, moved through the gaps in the metal deluge, rushing into the interior of the a02 secret military base.

The moment the last War Robot rushed into the building, it inserted its finger into a circuit.

0.1 seconds later, the external Metal Storms all stopped firing; the black barrels hung down like the heads of beasts.

This drooping head symbolized that Yi had completely conquered a02 Base’s independent military network.

Qing Chen looked at it, and Yi said, “There are still 180 soldiers guarding the base; Shendai Yunzhi is heading towards the underground emergency shelter. I can open the alloy gate for you, but I promised my father I wouldn’t kill anyone.”

“Thank you.”

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