Creepy Pharmacist: All my patients are scary!

Chapter 456: The Encirclement Rises Again

They were like parasites wriggling through the intestines of a colossal creature, sprinting wildly along the long underground Root Network, quickly putting great distance between themselves and the Aberration Fortress's location.

"Attention."

Just as they had moved nearly two kilometers away from that spot, Hei Xianyue, who was in a paralyzed state with her eyes closed, warned:

"Moving forward any further will take us out of the Energy Explosion's interference range."

She said only that and spoke no more.

But the implication was crystal clear.

From this moment on, there was an extremely high probability they would encounter Nano-Storm attacks again.

Furthermore, because nano-machines were nearly impossible to detect, it was also very easy for them to unknowingly fall into a Nano-Storm encirclement.

And, more importantly.

He, in all likelihood, had probably already been exposed within the Mechanical Cult's monitoring range.Lynn turned his head to look at the Commander, alertly asking:

"How much farther to the nearest exit?"

The Commander immediately extended a tentacle to touch the surrounding Flesh Walls. His flesh and blood instantly merged with the surrounding Flesh Walls. He closed his eyes, sensing:

"Still about five kilometers. The exit leads to a location in the southern district. If the Mechanical Cult hasn't launched a large-scale ground assault there, it should still be relatively safe."

Lynn nodded, his gaze shifting slightly.

"Good! Everyone, push harder. Whether we can Survive depends on these last few kilometers."

Everyone's mood was heavy, and their forward speed immediately increased a notch.

What they didn't know was that almost the moment they left the Energy Explosion's area of effect, their movements had already been marked on the Hive's monitoring network.

Lynn and the others had no idea that the moment they successfully thwarted the Mechanical Nano-Storm's attack, they had already been placed near the top of the highest-priority kill list.

The detection method was also very simple.

By simply conducting high-frequency information monitoring at various nodes within the interference range generated by the Energy Explosion, their coordinates were easily obtained.

"Target location locked—analyzing movement trajectory—estimated 94% probability target will pass through [Node 4525] to reach the surface in ten minutes—"

"Permissions granted—Respected Miss Intelligence Machine—the Fifth and Eleventh mechanical swarms within the target area are fully under your command—Good luck."

Somewhere in the Cursed City, a silver-haired girl with a fully mechanical body adjusted a device by her ear, her eyes streaming with torrents of data.

"Acknowledged—After completing the hunt for the target—I will proceed immediately to Area 1 to assist the legion's assault—over."

She activated a device on her body. Accompanied by shimmering waves of data light, her body instantly turned transparent.

Her mechanical helmet snapped down over her face.

A silver-white heavy sniper rifle quietly aimed at the location of the node leading to the surface.

She was like a leopard hiding in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike—dangerous and captivating.

And at this very moment, within the surging black fog above her.

Countless dark projectiles surged forth like a raging torrent of steel, heading towards the very center of the Cursed City. Meanwhile, on the other side of the city in the distance, that massive, black inverted-pyramid-shaped flying object was also slowly approaching.

And in the very heart of the Cursed City.

A colossal flesh-and-blood tree, towering so high it pierced the black fog, stood there imposingly, facing off against that enormous black inverted pyramid from afar.

War had broken out!

...

Underground, Root Network.

"We're here!"

The five-kilometer distance passed in a flash. Everyone suddenly looked up, gazing towards the top above.

What they could see was a vertical, esophagus-like flesh cavity leading straight upwards, its end not visible at a glance. This was clearly the node where the Root Network connected to the surface.

Without a doubt.

As long as they passed through here, they could reach the surface and escape the terrifying shadow of the nano-clusters.

"Doctor, shall we go up?!"

The Commander immediately turned his head urgently towards Lynn.

Lynn frowned slightly, turning to look into the dark depths of the Root Network in the distance, faintly sensing something unusual.

Could it be that the Mechanical Cult truly hadn't detected them?

Or perhaps they had already been discovered, but the outbreak of war left the Cult with no time to spare for them?

But regardless of which it was, the decision wasn't in their hands.

"The risk is significant."

Lynn looked up at the vertical passageway above.

"If the periphery of the Root Network has already been breached by the Mechanical Cult, then the fact that we haven't encountered any resistance along this entire journey is actually a very suspicious thing."

The best-case scenario was, of course, that the Mechanical Cult was too preoccupied to bother with them, allowing them to escape through here.

But if it was the worst-case scenario, then it was highly likely that an encirclement net had already quietly formed on the surface at this very moment. And not just on the surface—along the directions of the other two branching paths, a trap had probably long been prepared for them as well.

The premise for all this was.

That the Mechanical Cult considered them important enough.

"You think there might be Mechanical Cult minions blocking the way up there?"

The Commander inquired gravely.

Lynn looked up. "No, I wouldn't be concerned about ordinary machines. What I fear is that, because of this Nano-Storm failure, they might specially send a big shot after us. That would be troublesome."

And without a doubt.

Judging from the earlier encounter.

This Doctor before them had probably already made it onto the Mechanical Cult's blacklist.

And the Mechanical Cult's treatment of targets on that blacklist was almost without exception: no matter the time or place, they would inevitably be ruthlessly eliminated.

"Doctor, what about this idea?"

The Commander's eyes flickered as he spoke.

"We could send a portion of the group up first. If there really is an ambush, then the remaining people would still have a chance to preserve themselves. This way, we might be able to minimize the losses."

His words caused a stir among everyone.

Without a doubt.

This was another high-stakes gamble.

And one wagered with lives, because if there really were Mechanical Cult minions on the surface, that first group to go out would definitely be eliminated immediately.

Everyone looked at each other, all exchanging uncertain glances.

At times like this, the chaotic nature of the Flesh and Blood Cult was already clearly revealed. Because while they might cooperate fully when facing a common external enemy, the moment it involved their own personal safety, the situation would immediately change.

Everyone's eyes flickered incessantly, and for a moment, not a single person spoke.

The Commander watched their reactions. Narrowing his eyes, he stepped forward and said in a low, heavy voice:

"I'll be the first. Anyone willing to go with me, take a step forward."

For a moment, not a single person moved.

And the dozen or so deputy officers behind him were also all eyes flickering, hesitant and indecisive.