The safety gate was the base's second line of defense, the very one mentioned in the distress call. But it wasn't all that sturdy. Remember back in H City, when they fought that mutated snake? The gate here wasn't much different.
Once the transparent blast-proof glass came up, it cut the main gate off from the base. The gate stood taller than a person, but it was only half a door. With a chair to stand on, someone could stick their head and arms through. It could stall the mutated creatures for a while, but it wasn't a long-term solution. Still, if the goal was to hold out, then it was worth trying.
After the safety gate rose, Lan Jin and Huang Jinghe rallied the base's soldiers and held the line from behind it. They watched as the creatures climbed over the panther's corpse to squeeze into the base. Standing on chairs, they struck at the ones that managed to crawl through.
One soldier asked, "Why don't we just raise the third gate? I don't think this second one will hold long."
"But what if another giant creature shows up? If it smashes the third gate, then we'll be left with nothing."
Having no gate was small compared to letting creatures pour in without resistance. Lan Jin said, "Let's hold it for now. If we really can't, then we'll raise the third one."
Then she lifted her walkie-talkie. "We need ice ability users in the main hall. Send them now."
After a few more explosions shook the area behind them, several ice ability users rushed in. They ran up to her and asked, "We're the ice types. What do you need us to do?"
"Fill the gaps above the panther with ice. Build a wall, seal it up, don't let the creatures keep coming in."
It sounded simple, but none of them had power like Ling Jiang's. They couldn't manage it.
Seeing them hesitate, she asked, "What's wrong?"
They didn't answer. They just aimed at the gaps and tried anyway.
The ice wall did form, but their power was too weak. The moment a few creatures slammed into it, the wall shattered.
Lan Jin froze, stunned. She knew her abilities were stronger than most, but she hadn't realized the gap was this wide.
She understood they were doing their best, but—
Before she could say anything, the ice users apologized. "Sorry, it's no use."
Lan Jin quickly reassured them. "It's fine, it's fine."
Moments later, Ling Jiang arrived. One look told her everything. She raised her hand, and with a surge of power, a solid ice wall sealed the panther's body completely. The creatures were blocked outside at last.
Lan Jin let out a heavy sigh of relief and stepped down from her chair. "What're you doing here?"
"It's almost done over there. Captain Zhang's already gone after the last source point. Lao Gao can handle things, so I rushed over. I came just in time, didn't I?" Ling Jiang said with a smile.
"In time, in time. Stay here and—" Lan Jin's words cut off mid-sentence. Her face went pale. "Wait, no. The creatures have thinned out, but the kids are still there. What if something happens?"
"The moment you left, the soldiers moved them to the safehouse. It's way more secure in there. Don't worry." Ling Jiang leaned close and whispered, "The problem people were taken away too. The kids got split into big, middle, and small groups, so they'll be fine. Otherwise, I wouldn't have dared to leave."
That finally eased her heart. "Good. As long as they're safe."
…
Distant explosions echoed again. Lan Jin said, "By the sound of it, that should be the last of them, right?"
"Yeah. There were only a few sectors left. Now there's nowhere else to bomb."
Right then, Captain Zhang's voice came through the walkie-talkie. "All marked walls with mutated creatures have been destroyed. Requesting drones to sweep again for any missed spots."
But the drones had been searching nonstop. No new targets showed up. The voice on the other end replied, "Nothing for now. Head to the main hall, all of you. There's still a situation here. Everyone gather."
The mutated creatures outside were one problem. Inside the hall, the people they'd singled out as suspicious were another.
There were a lot of them. Too many. Lan Jin didn't know most of their faces, so she couldn't tell who was clean and who wasn't. She barely exchanged greetings, then joined Ling Jiang in a corner to wait for Captain Zhang's team.
The air in the hall grew heavy.
The group of troublemakers clearly weren't unprepared. At first they stayed quiet, waiting for a signal. Then, all at once, they lashed out.
The base's soldiers raised their weapons immediately. "Stop! Down on the ground! If you want to live, don't move!"
But they didn't listen.
Lan Jin raised her hand, lightning flashing over their heads. It made no sound, but everyone who'd seen her fight froze. Not one of them dared move.
They thought she might fry them where they stood. But then, out of nowhere, a man in thick insulating gear rushed her flank. Before she could react, he grabbed her.
The cold blade pressed against her throat. His voice roared out, "Don't move! Anyone moves and I'll slit her throat. She's the strongest person in A City's base. Without her, you won't survive those creatures outside!"
The moment she was taken hostage, soldiers in the hall and leaders watching through the monitors all jumped to their feet in shock. Because the man wasn't wrong. Even one more panther would be more than they could handle.
But was Lan Jin afraid? Not at all. The man wore insulation gear and was built like a tank, but she wasn't someone who only relied on her abilities.