N-M Chapter 168 Arrived One Step Too Late? The Sanctuary Guards Activated
Chapter 168 Arrived One Step Too Late? The Sanctuary Guards Activated
Suddenly a gust of wind swept by.
The wind howled as it passed through the rusty steel pipes, stirring up dust that mingled with a cloying, rotten smell that filled everyone's nostrils.
Lu Yan frowned.
This tastes off.
It wasn't just the smell of blood or the stench of corpses, but rather... the sweet, fishy smell of ripe fruit rotting on the ground, attracting countless flies and insects.
"What the hell?"
Zhao Leiguang held the Earth Pulse Double Shield in front of him, warily scanning the empty factory buildings around him.
"Where's the contact person we were supposed to meet? Did Mars Lee stand us up?"
He lowered his voice, but his gruff voice still carried far through the empty industrial area.
Lu Yan did not answer; his gaze fell on the roller shutter door of a huge warehouse not far away.
Those eyes that were secretly watching disappeared from there.
"Old Zhao, open the door."
"Alright."
Zhao Leiguang grunted, walked to the tightly closed warehouse door, used the corner of his shield to block the gap, and suddenly exerted force with his muscular arms.
"Squeak—"
With a sickening metallic scraping sound, he forcefully pushed the roller shutter door shut.
The sight behind the door made everyone hold their breath.
There were no ambushes as expected, nor any ferocious monsters.
The warehouse was filled with kneeling people.
Hundreds and thousands, densely packed.
They were dressed as ordinary citizens, men and women, young and old, all facing in one direction, kneeling on the cold concrete ground like the most devout believers.
His face was withered, his eyes were closed, and he was muttering incantations, repeatedly chanting some strange tune.
That cloying, rotten smell emanated from them.
They ignored the intruders at the door, completely absorbed in their own world.
"What...what is this? Performance art?"
Lin Chuxue poked her head out, her face full of disbelief.
Seeing this strange scene, a young member of the fourth detachment couldn't help but step forward and try to help up an elderly man with white hair who was kneeling at the front.
"Old sir, you..."
His hand had just touched the old man's shoulder.
The old man raised his head.
What kind of eyes were those?
There were no pupils, no whites of the eyes, only a scarlet red, like a red-hot branding iron.
"roar!"
The old man opened his mouth, but instead of a human voice, he let out a beast-like roar and bit down on the young team member's arm.
His teeth had become long and sharp, like the fangs of a wild beast, making him look like a living dead.
"Be careful!"
In a flash, Shen Xinglin moved.
The butt of the lance was precisely positioned to block the old man's mouth, preventing a fatal bite.
But this was like pressing a switch.
Whoosh!
At the same instant, all the kneeling "commoners" in the entire warehouse stood up.
They all turned their heads and stared intently at the Chinese soldiers at the door with their scarlet eyes.
The next second, they moved.
Like a marionette controlled by invisible threads, it rushed over stiffly and frantically.
"Fire, Captain?"
The young team member was so frightened that he took a step back and raised his weapon.
"Non-lethal weapon suppression."
Lu Yan's calm voice rang out, spreading across all communication channels.
"Establish a defensive line."
When the order was given, the logistics detachment had already dispersed.
They remained calm and composed, moving swiftly yet efficiently.
Dozens of specially made launchers were quickly set up.
"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—"
There was no explosion, only a slight whooshing sound.
Large nets, crackling with blue electric arcs, unfurled in the air, precisely covering the crowd rushing to the front.
"Sizzle—"
A blinding flash of lightning illuminated the scene, and the "fanatics" trapped within the electric grid convulsed violently, collapsing to the ground in droves, rendered incapable of movement.
Immediately afterwards, another group of logistics personnel fired tear gas.
Thick white smoke quickly spread out.
Although the fanatics were fearless, they could not suppress their physiological reactions. They were choked, their eyes and noses were running, and they coughed incessantly, causing their offensive to collapse.
The entire process was orderly and smooth.
From discovering the anomaly to establishing a defensive line and then suppressing the riot, not a single shot was fired and not a drop of blood was shed.
The third, fourth, and fifth detachments used the warehouse entrance as a base point and quickly expanded outwards, establishing a solid circular defense line and a temporary command post within just a few minutes.
In the distance, a few survivors of the Knights of the Round Table, who had managed to hide in the ruins, witnessed all of this and stared in disbelief.
They couldn't understand why this army from the East could be so calm, and even... so efficient, when facing these "holy people" transformed by the glory of "the Lord".
"All units, Team Two, 'Windrunner' take off, conduct low-altitude reconnaissance of the entire area."
"receive!"
The warriors of the second detachment hummed with the energy wings on their backs, transforming into streaks of light that skimmed the tops of the buildings and hurtled into the depths of the city.
Soon, the investigation results came back.
The entire city is just like this warehouse.
All the survivors were transformed into these "living dead" who only knew how to pray and attack heretics.
Just then, a scout made a new discovery.
"Report! A special mark has been found on the exterior wall of the Saint-Michel Church in the west of the city!"
On the screen, a highly concealed mark, painted with special pigments, was magnified.
That was the code agreed upon by Mars Lee.
The coded message pointed to a backup shelter beneath the church.
"First squad, follow me."
Lu Yan withdrew his gaze and led his team members to move quickly toward their target location.
As they were crossing a ruined street, a group of ragged, blood-soaked knights blocked their way.
Leading the group was none other than the white-haired Merlin.
He looked at the civilians behind the first squad, who had been subdued by electric fences and gas and were now tied up in groups. His eyes were bloodshot, and his expression was one of grief and indignation.
"Why not kill them!"
Merlin roared at Lu Yan, his voice hoarse like a broken bellows.
"They're beyond saving! Their souls have been devoured by the false god!"
"Keeping them around will only turn them into fertile ground for that thing to descend!"
soil?
Lu Yan stopped in his tracks. He noticed that the energy fluctuations emanating from these fanatics were almost identical to those he had encountered outside Pingjiang City with Huang Lu.
However, it's more violent and unstable here.
The true nature of the false god's invasion may lie within these "transformed" humans.
"Yun Qing, collect samples."
Su Yunqing nodded, took out a specially made sample collector, and carefully extracted some skin tissue and blood from a comatose fanatic.
Lu Yan ignored the distraught Merlin and led the team forward.
The most urgent task is to find Mars Lee.
The underground entrance to the Church of Saint-Michel is hidden inside a bombed-out confessional.
After recognizing the tokens carried by Lu Yan and his companions, the heavy alloy door slowly opened inwards with a dull hydraulic hum.
Behind the door, Marsley stood there, his face ashen, trembling all over.
He offered no greetings or pleasantries, but simply pointed with a trembling finger to a giant surveillance screen on the wall next to him.
One corner of the screen displays a live video feed of the abyss beneath the Basilica of St. Mary's.
The fragment of the Hun Tian Ling, which had been suppressed layer by layer by the angelic magic array, was now bursting with an unprecedented red light.
"It's too late..."
Mars Lee's voice was filled with endless despair.
"The Sanctuary Guard... has been activated."