Chapter 388

“Boom!”

A tremendous explosion echoed in his ears, jarring his eardrums painfully. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, and devastation lay before him.

“Cough, cough!” Lin Yuan coughed violently, struggling to clamber up from the ground. He felt as though every bone in his body was about to shatter, and his head buzzed.

“Damn it… what happened?” Lin Yuan stumbled a few steps, steadying himself against a tree trunk that had been blasted apart. He looked around, his eyes filled with bewilderment.

This was a ruin. All the buildings had collapsed, leaving only charred debris and crumbling walls. A sickening smell of blood hung in the air. Lin Yuan looked down at himself; his clothes were in tatters, revealing large areas of burns. His left arm was unnaturally twisted, clearly fractured.

“Wasn’t I on a mission? How did this happen…”

His memory stopped at the point of a secret mission. He and his team had infiltrated an enemy base, preparing to destroy an important target. Everything had gone smoothly until they successfully planted the bomb and were about to withdraw. Suddenly, alarms blared, and countless enemies swarmed towards them. They were surrounded.

“Captain, you go first!” his teammates roared, shielding him from the pursuers. Lin Yuan knew this was their final farewell. Gritting his teeth, he detonated the bomb. And then… there was nothing.

Lin Yuan shook his head, trying hard to piece together the fragmented memories. He remembered the bomb exploding and being thrown by the blast wave. Logically, he should have died. But now…

Lin Yuan raised a hand and touched his face. The cold sensation, clear breathing, and the beating heart in his chest. He was alive. A strong will to survive surged within Lin Yuan. He had to live!

He struggled forward, each step accompanied by intense pain. He didn’t know where he was going, nor where this place was. But he knew he had to leave.

Just then, a roar echoed from the distance. Lin Yuan abruptly stopped, his body tensing. He heard it; it wasn’t a human sound. He carefully hid behind a broken wall, peering out through a crack. Several tall monsters appeared in his vision. Their bodies were covered in black scales, and their sharp claws and fangs glinted coldly in the sunlight. They emitted low growls, moving slowly forward, as if searching for something.

Lin Yuan’s heart sank sharply. Zombies! He recalled a type of creature mentioned back at the base, referred to as “Infected.” These monsters were the Infected. Lin Yuan clenched his fists tightly, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He was unarmed and utterly unable to fight these monsters. He had to run.

Lin Yuan took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. He cautiously observed his surroundings, searching for an escape route. He spotted a narrow alleyway that seemed to connect to a wider area at its end. This was the only way out.

Lin Yuan held his breath, silently creeping towards the alleyway. Every step he took was extremely careful, afraid of making the slightest sound. Finally, he entered the alley. The alley was pitch black, and a putrid, rotten stench filled the air. Lin Yuan suppressed his nausea and continued to grope his way forward. He didn’t know how long he walked until a faint glimmer of light finally appeared ahead. He quickened his pace, running towards the light.

When he burst out of the alley, the space before him suddenly opened up. This was a massive underground chamber. In the center of the chamber was a colossal circular altar. Around the altar, dense figures stood. They wore identical black robes, chanting in low voices and constantly rotating around the altar. Above the altar, a gigantic crystal ball, emitting an eerie red glow, floated. Something seemed to be pulsating at the center of the crystal ball.

Lin Yuan’s heart suddenly constricted. He had a bad feeling.

Just then, the crystal ball on the altar suddenly erupted with dazzling red light. The light illuminated the entire underground chamber, and the chanting figures stopped. They all turned in unison, revealing faces hidden by their hoods. Lin Yuan’s pupils sharply contracted. Those were not human faces. Their faces were covered with bizarre runes, and their eyes glowed with a scarlet light. They were…