bookrandom Chapter 83 A Glimmer of Hope
Chapter 83 A Glimmer of Hope
Qi Te had looked up the levels of self-healing abilities online. The test results were very close to level C, but probably not quite there yet; they were more like level D+.
I was only F-rank before, so why did I rise so quickly?
After a moment's thought, Zite roughly guessed that this wouldn't happen overnight. He died three times, once gaining the same superpower, and the other two times most likely involved improving his self-healing ability.
Having reached this conclusion, Qi Te quickly took out his phone; it was 15:39 PM.
Including the minute that was just used, to be precise, the time of this rewind should be 15:38.
It was 10 minutes later than the third playthrough.
Why is this happening?
In the past, each backtracking was based on the first one, moving forward 5-10 minutes.
Previously, it was speculated that the [Death Rewind] ability level had been upgraded, which would explain the phenomenon of the 20-minute advance.
It now appears that this conjecture has been refuted.
After quickly reviewing the events, Qi Te soon identified a key element—voluntarily facing death.
In his second playthrough, he could have rushed out of the tall grass and into the buffer zone, but he gave up.
Could that be the reason?
This conjecture cannot be verified at the moment; the most important thing right now is to break the deadlock.
Why would a defensive tower with the built-in ability to lock onto and track abnormal creatures attack a convoy?
No, strictly speaking, it was an indiscriminate attack.
The relentless beast tide was also swept away by a hail of bullets.
Judging from this result, in the second playthrough, even if he didn't choose to die and escaped into the buffer zone with the survivors, he would still eventually be riddled with bullets.
Qi Te recalled the three people who had advanced deeper into the tall grass, and the hint from the girl in the baseball cap.
Don't go.
So, the other side already knew that the turrets would attack vehicles?
This is highly likely. After all, when encountering a large number of abnormal creatures, unless someone is completely out of their mind, they would definitely escape into the buffer zone rather than venture deep into the tall grass.
The camouflage uniforms worn by those three people must have a temperature-regulating effect, but there are plenty of such equipment online, making them indistinguishable from other items.
However, the three men were not wearing epaulets or badges, so the military can be ruled out as an option.
Thinking about this, Qi Te suddenly realized a problem: those three guys weren't driving.
Is it serious that they're hiking into the border area in this freezing weather?
No.
Something unusual must be going on. There must be a reason why someone would deliberately choose to walk.
The most likely explanation is that it's to avoid detection. After all, vehicles are large targets.
Furthermore, the opponent had clearly just entered the high grass from the buffer zone, so how did they manage to come out of the buffer zone alive?
Those three should all be of a high level, but unless they are at level A, they cannot withstand the attack with their flesh and blood alone.
The Federation attaches great importance to military industry. The defensive towers standing on the buffer zone wasteland protect the safety of every city and cannot possibly go out of control without a reason.
Having reasoned this far, the answer is now clear.
The reason the defensive towers attacked indiscriminately must be related to those three people.
The only ones capable of doing something like that are the rebels!
.........................
Zite carried the collection box, which already contained poison arrow toads, and strode quickly through the rainforest.
This "little cutie" has played a certain role in every escape. Although it cannot change the outcome, this fixed prop still needs to be brought along.
The perfect strategy is indeed effective.
They successfully evaded the bounty hunters and avoided the pursuit of the golden dragon. They avoided the peak of the beast tide, used incendiary bombs to flatten the tall grass in advance, escaped the deadly chain strikes of the Devouring Insect swarm, and did not accidentally enter the territory of the Queen Vine, only being entangled by the vines at the edge for a moment.
Approximately eight Blue Shield members were killed, but this minimized the casualties and was the best possible outcome compared to the previous two devastating battles.
Unexpectedly, they ultimately fell to the full firepower of the defensive towers.
Three evacuations, three complete annihilation – nothing could be more devastating.
Based on the three failed attempts, it can be basically determined that there are still about 20 minutes until the first wave of the beast tide breaks out.
During the second playthrough, Captain Xu Su had artificial intelligence analyze data from satellite images of the border area. The results showed that the outbreak point was not in the old city, but about five kilometers away from the middle of the mountain range where Whisper Valley is located.
The first group to appear on the surveillance footage were more than a dozen black salamanders.
It's easy to deduce that the golden dragon salamanders were awakened by the theft of their eggs, and driven by this, the salamander swarm quickly emerged from their cave. In their search for the "egg thief," they disturbed the hibernating creatures lurking in their respective burrows.
In addition, the black dragon salamander, which has been hibernating for more than two months, is also in a state of hunger. As one of the top predators in the border area, it will inevitably choose to eat any animal it can find.
The salamanders searched and hunted, and the heavy smell of blood and the sounds of fighting awakened a large number of unusual creatures.
The cause of the beast tide has been roughly figured out, but how do we break it?
Just as they were about to leave the rainforest, Qi Te stopped and dialed Jiang Luo's number.
After finding the best way to communicate with the robot girl, that familiar voice quickly came through the receiver.
After succinctly explaining what was about to happen, Qi Te asked directly, "Are there military personnel with you?"
"Yes"
"Three rebels, using some unknown method, caused the defensive towers to indiscriminately attack any target entering the buffer zone."
Just like the subway incident, Jiang Luo didn't ask him how he knew that rebels had infiltrated the Haicheng buffer zone. Instead, he simply and decisively replied, "Understood. I will have them contact the Haicheng city defense forces immediately."
"As far as you know, why would a defensive tower go out of control?"
Military facilities are inaccessible to ordinary people, and G4's explanation was only a general overview; Zit knew nothing about how the defensive towers worked.
"Each city's defense headquarters has a central control room called the Think Tank. The AI of the defense towers is monitored by the Think Tank, and it will issue an alarm if it detects any anomalies. It's impossible for the defense towers to be hacked without anyone noticing to be remotely controlled."
After Jiang Luo finished speaking, Yuan Sheng immediately added, "Black magic."
Yuan Sheng didn't hear Qi Te's voice, but with his intelligence, he could almost immediately tell what the two were discussing based on Jiang Luo's reply.
Qi Te paused for a moment on the other end of the phone, and then the clear male voice came through the receiver again.
"A guy who calls himself a magician wrote a virus code targeting the defensive towers."
"The council lady is right. If you want to hack the defense tower, remote control will definitely trigger an alarm and activate anti-tracking. And the black magic virus is stored on a medium such as a hard drive. Once inserted, it can replace the control system within 120 seconds."
Yuan Sheng frowned and said, "Furthermore, the carrier will initiate a self-destruction half an hour after it takes effect."
"The world's three most notorious rebel groups have all purchased magic from mages. The destruction of many defensive towers outside the city was that guy's 'masterpiece'."
"Since the carrier was completely destroyed, there were no clues left. However, I visited a destroyed defensive tower and examined the site. My personal guess is that the so-called virus code is some kind of electronic worm."
"Note," Yuan Sheng emphasized, "this is not a metaphor, but a real worm, an electronic life form with vital signs."
"You mean, that magician created electronic life?"
Jiang Luo was somewhat surprised, while Yuan Sheng nodded solemnly: "You could say that."
In the global era of superpowers, in addition to common sequences, many people with superpowers are also showing off their bizarre abilities online.
The most famous example is a boxer who won several championship belts with his "100% evasion" technique. After retiring, this boxer became a livestreaming influencer, where he demonstrated dodging bullets at close range. Some netizens questioned whether the AI was faking it, but most viewers believed it was real.
And then there's the Fried Rice Guy who can cook the most amazing fried rice ever, the Three-Second Guy who can control someone for three seconds just by accurately calling out their name... and other bizarre superpowers. Some are completely useless, while others are so bad that they hurt the enemy a hundred times but also hurt yourself two hundred and fifty times, so it's better to have no power at all.
If Yuan Sheng's deduction is true, then that "magician" is undoubtedly a terrifying being. The miraculous ability to create electronic life has refreshed Qi Te's understanding of supernatural abilities.
"Every year during the winter break, the garrison sends over a hundred soldiers to the defensive towers for routine maintenance. This year's schedule..." Yuan Sheng checked his phone and frowned, "It's this afternoon, they've already set off!"
Hu Zizai immediately dialed the city's garrison commander's number, while Qi Te glanced at the rapidly changing time on his phone screen and said quickly, "So, even if we contact them in time, there's no way to intervene. The defensive towers will still attack indiscriminately and eventually be destroyed, right?"
At this moment, Jiang Luo had already turned on speakerphone, and Yuan Sheng immediately gave Qi Te a somewhat desperate answer.
"yes!"
......................
Judging from the timing, those three rebel members should have already infiltrated the defensive tower by now.
Although it is unclear what methods the other party used to bypass the turret's scan and enter, the fact that the buffer zone has now become a no-man's land is a foregone conclusion.
Their only way out had been completely cut off.
Qi Te glanced at his phone: 15:42 PM. Time was of the essence, but no matter where he fled, he couldn't escape the overwhelming tide of beasts and birds of prey.
What should I do?
What to do!
Is it really impossible to leave this border area alive?
No, there is still a glimmer of hope.
Qi Te quickly opened the satellite map, found the coordinates, and sent them.
"Go here, avoid the mountains where Whistle Valley is located, and head southeast."
"it is good"
Jiang Luo acted without hesitation, just like the previous two times.
"And you?"
"I'm going to inform my teammates to head over there too. Contact me anytime if anything happens."
After hanging up the phone, Qi Te emerged from the rainforest and ran towards Captain Xu, who was directing his team to move supplies.
After resting for only half an hour at Outpost No. 3, the convoy set off again.
This time, Xu Su made the decision to retreat almost without hesitation.
The destination is no longer the buffer zone, but the old city!