Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Chen Rui rushed down the stairs, kicking the doors of each room. With a twist of his waist, he forcefully kicked one door open, accompanied by a loud noise that jolted everyone awake from their dreams.
In truth, no one had been in a deep sleep. Most were already in a bad mood, and half of the Support Team's members were on standby, ready to wake up at any moment. They were all kept in a state of light sleep.
"Don't rush out yet; turn off all the lights in your rooms first," Chen Rui said as he pushed Zhang Shi back into his room just as he was about to dash out. "After that, gather in the restaurant and share information."
When Chen Rui arrived at the restaurant, Zheng Hui, Zeng Zhi, and Ye Han were already there. Seeing Chen Rui approach, Zheng Hui immediately complained, "Boss, what are you doing? Even in our dreams, you're tormenting us. What's going on?"
"Shut up; you'll be the first to notice what's happening. I won't go into details; you know what to do," Chen Rui glanced at his watch. The cheap digital display read 4:00. "They're coming down soon. Support Team, is anyone using the elevator?"
"No, Boss!" Wang Conghui's voice from the Support Team echoed in Chen Rui's ear.
"Shut down the hotel's main power."
Without the special effects typical of movies, everything fell silent. Instantly, the entire hotel corridor switched from regular lighting to emergency lights, plunging all rooms into darkness. "Request completed."
"Thanks."
The sixth floor of the hotel had panoramic glass windows, and the pure white moonlight spilled in, illuminating a row of tables and chairs by the window. It was only then that Chen Rui noticed that all the seats by the window were for two people—each booth was just big enough for one person while also blocking outside views.
"Look! Quite romantic," Zeng Zhi said with a smile.
"This design must have taken a lot of thought; it seems you can only appreciate it when there's a full moon," Zheng Hui chuckled as she glanced at Zeng Zhi. "When are you getting married so I can have some peace?"
"What makes you think you can talk? You don't even have a boyfriend!"
"Whose fault is that? I don't have a boyfriend!"
"Well then, if you get one, you won't tell me," Zeng Zhi teased as she poked Zheng Hui's side. After a brief defense that proved ineffective, Zheng Hui suddenly remembered the saying 'the best defense is a good offense' and decisively retaliated by tickling Zeng Zhi's waist. The two girls began to chase each other around the restaurant.
"Someone's coming," Ye Han said as she looked toward the restaurant entrance.
Zheng Hui and Zeng Zhi immediately stopped their playful antics, straightened their appearances, and walked over to Ye Han. "The big sister is starting to look more like a big sister," Zheng Hui remarked with a grin.
"Exactly."
The first to enter the restaurant was Zhang Shi, who moved quickly, rivaling even a professional soldier. Without saying a word, Zhang Shi walked straight to the round table in front of Chen Rui and took a seat.
"Why are we still here? Why did we come to this place?" Guo Luxing's voice echoed, embodying the essence of someone whose presence is felt before they are seen.
"Lower your voice." "As you command, Your Majesty!"
Guo Luxing and Lin Yan entered the hall side by side. Even in the dim light, it was evident that Lin Yan's eyes were slightly swollen, while Guo Luxing whispered something quietly beside her.
The two approached the table and sat next to Zhang Shi. Zhang Shi sighed as he looked at them and said to Lin Yan, "Someone once told me, 'When you can hold hands, don't just stand shoulder to shoulder. When you can embrace each other, don't settle for just holding hands.' Fate is a mysterious thing; it shouldn't be complicated, yet it can vanish without a trace. Cherish what you have in front of you."
With that, Zhang Shi patted Guo Luxing on the shoulder before withdrawing his hand.
Guo Luxing cast a grateful glance at him because under the table, Lin Yan had already taken hold of Guo Luxing's broad palm.
The next few people entered together, their expressions heavy.
Once everyone was seated, before Chen Rui could speak, Liu Xiwen stood up and questioned directly, "We all felt that tremor. I believe the first thing we need to do is confirm the direction and path of that 'thing,' then determine if we need to evacuate this building immediately. Isn't it wasting time to gather us all here?"
Liu Xiwen's words carried a hint of anger; she was clearly dissatisfied with Chen Rui's current inaction. Chen Rui listened quietly until she finished before responding, "Please sit down. You’re right; next, Ye Han will analyze the situation for everyone." Chen Rui did not look at Liu Xiwen and sat down on his own.
At that moment, Liu Xiwen realized she had underestimated this Co-Pilot. Throughout this ordeal, he had remained the calmest among them, showcasing excellent leadership and decision-making skills. Although he might only be a leader in terms of scale, he was indeed exceptional among his peers.
From the moment they got into the vehicle, he had taken on a leadership role. His quick decisions during new crises had been crucial for everyone's safety thus far. Questioning someone like him was indeed a bit impulsive; she sat down with a wry smile and turned her gaze toward Ye Han, listening as Yu Shiming softly remarked beside her, "In this situation, your reaction is quite normal; after all..."
Liu Xiwen shot Yu Shiming a disdainful look as if to say "You don’t have the right." Yu Shiming felt uncomfortable under her gaze and ignored her, turning his attention to Ye Han while muttering softly, "No good deed goes unpunished." Liu Xiwen smirked and reached out to wrap her arm around Yu Shiming's. "I just love collecting donkey liver and lungs."
Ye Han stood up with a bottle of red wine in hand and poured out a map on the round table. Everyone was astonished to see a map formed from liquid; it was far more challenging than sand art in both difficulty and precision. The most remarkable aspect was that such artwork could not be modified significantly—if it was drawn incorrectly, they would have to start over—leaving everyone in awe.
"This is our current location," Ye Han pointed to the central square on the map. "And this is roughly where we first observed the monster; it's about three hundred fifty meters away in a straight line. We deduce that the monster must have been in some sort of dormant state; otherwise, it wouldn't have approached us so silently."
Ye Han then pointed his index finger at another liquid square, gently sliding his hand across the table surface. The liquid flowed in response to the external force, and chunks of the square were 'broken apart,' forming a shape reminiscent of skewers on the table.
"This is its movement route. Strictly speaking, it is moving further away from us, currently at about forty degrees northwest, approximately twelve hundred meters away."
"Since it is advancing along the road, we haven't observed its destructive capabilities or specific size. However, based on the previous two observations, we can be fairly certain that its body resembles that of an ape-like creature, with a minimum height of over fifty meters."
At this statement, the entire room was stunned. A fifty-meter-tall ape-like creature? What kind of concept was that? To him, Optimus Prime was merely a toy.
"How did you determine it's fifty meters?" Liu Xiwen still had some doubts. Ordinary people could hardly judge the height of something much taller than themselves from an upward angle. Liu Xiwen only hoped that Ye Han had miscalculated.
"Definitely more than fifty meters," Ye Han said with a wry smile. "I was on the rooftop at the time, and when that monster stood up, it was basically at my height, maybe even taller."
"At least it's moving away from us; we don't need to worry about its threat for now," Chen Rui's words brought everyone back to reality. Yes, it had moved far away; what was there to worry about?
Suddenly, a loud crashing sound came from outside the floor-to-ceiling window. The area outside was already shrouded in smoke due to the collapse of a wall. Yet under the moonlight, everyone could still clearly see a monster that was alarmingly close to them. The previous monster's path had not changed; now there was another one outside!
The creature wasn't as close as they thought; it was in another area. The massive noise had likely come from a twelve-story residential building collapsing as a result of its rising.
"Quiet! It hasn't noticed us," Chen Rui said. "As long as we don't attract its attention, we should be fine."
After rising, the monster did not immediately start moving but symbolically turned around in place before locking onto the direction of Chen Rui and his group’s hotel and began advancing while clearly navigating around obstacles—the buildings.
"This is unbelievable," Xu Yao said with a bitter smile.
"That's a brilliant idea," Yu Shiming added.
"Stop joking around and hurry up!" Liu Xiwen pulled Yu Shiming and rushed downstairs.
"Quickly down to the lower floors!" Chen Rui urged everyone downwards. He knew those lower buildings wouldn't hold up against the monster for long. This one was obviously larger than the last; those twelve-story buildings barely reached its waist. Considering they were viewing from a sixth-floor angle, those twelve-story structures might only reach its groin level. Thinking this way, he estimated that the monster's height could reach ten meters.
When they arrived at the underground parking lot, they found many car doors were open, with several even having their keys still in them. No wonder those people had quickly driven away; this must have been related to the city being deserted.
At this point, it was futile to dwell on the past. The group split into two cars: Xu Yao, Xu Tao, Zhang Shi, and Yu Shiming took the Audi S8, while Zheng Hui, Zeng Zhi, Ye Han, Chen Rui, Guo Luxing, and Lin Yan piled into a Cadillac. Both vehicles were high-performance machines.
Chen Rui didn’t take the driver’s seat; instead, he slid into the passenger seat. Ye Han expertly took the wheel and pressed down on the accelerator. Chen Rui turned around and said, “Make sure everyone fastens their seatbelts, or we might get thrown out.”
The 6-liter V8 engine propelled the car out of the parking space. Ye Han skillfully maneuvered the steering wheel without any intention of hitting the brakes. “Don’t be fooled; she only brakes when parking,” Chen Rui chuckled.
The Audi S8 sped out of the parking lot right behind the Cadillac. The S8 was a sportier version of the A8, equipped with a 4-liter twin-turbocharged engine. Although it had a displacement of only 4 liters, it could sustain maximum torque between 1,400 and 5,000 RPMs. The engine's power was measured at 600 horsepower, allowing it to reach 100 kilometers per hour in just four seconds—twice as fast as the Cadillac. In theory, it should have been able to easily outrun the Cadillac, but on city roads and considering the driver's skill difference, it could only trail behind and inhale its exhaust fumes.
Within half a minute of leaving the parking lot, Chen Rui caught sight of their former hotel being demolished in the rearview mirror. The monster had clearly sensed their presence and continued to follow closely behind.
Perhaps unable to catch up with the two cars in the narrow alleyway, the creature let out a loud roar that echoed back with multiple responses, sending chills down everyone’s spine.
“Drive towards the airport while ensuring our safety,” Chen Rui instructed Ye Han.
“It’s fine; we’ll be out of reach soon,” Guo Luxing reassured Lin Yan.
“If you can’t keep up with that car ahead, I’ll take over,” Xu Yao said to Xu Tao.
“We’re not dying here today. Even if we meet our end eventually, it won’t be now,” Yu Shiming told Liu Xiwen.
“The boss is getting all philosophical again,” Zheng Hui remarked to Zeng Zhi.
Though the atmosphere felt somewhat off-kilter, this grand journey for survival had officially begun.
Comment 0 Comment Count