CHAPTER 327: CHAPTER 207: RUTHLESS HANDS DESTROYING FLOWERS

Qu Jianlei spoke first, "Is this... an enemy attack on Central City?"

"It seems so," Xiao Moshan nodded, though he looked equally bewildered, "Who would raid Central City... the Gorge?"

Soon, the distant sounds of gunfire and cannons could be heard, starting sparse but becoming increasingly dense.

Soon after, there were intense explosions, far away yet powerful enough to cause tremors in the safe house.

The sound of gunfire lasted for over an hour, before becoming sparse again.

Up until two hours later, there were still occasional gunshots.

After another half hour, the gunfire suddenly intensified, like popping beans, though from another direction.

Then, the booming explosions followed, ringing incessantly, louder than before.

This time, the battle lasted until midnight, when the gunfire finally weakened.

But once the gunfire weakened, it ended fairly quickly, with the shots dying out in about ten minutes.

Finally, a loud bang was heard, and then everything fell silent.

"I understand now," Xiao Moshan spoke in a deep voice, "It’s the Rebel Army."

As soon as the battle began, the three were worried about being hunted down, so they stayed in the safe house, yet now he could identify the Rebel Army.

Bentley asked in surprise, "Rebel Army? There are Rebels in Central City?"

He was a native of Central City, although he’d only lived there for about twenty years, he knew very few things he wasn’t supposed to.

"It’s normal that you don’t know," Xiao Moshan spoke in a deep voice, "I didn’t expect them to be bold enough to attack Central City."

"I think that’s unusual," Bentley protested, "My ancestors lived in Central City, and I’ve never heard of this!"

Xiao Moshan gave him a helpless glance, "You’ve at least heard of the Fallen, right? They belong to the Rebel Army."

"Of course I know of the Fallen," Bentley said seriously, "But they’re wild... how could they be part of the Rebel Army?"

Xiao Moshan pondered for a moment, then slowly replied, "The first Fallen emerged from the Rebel Army."

"At that time, lacking food and drink, they resorted to consuming their deceased comrades, leading to many Fallen... the wild ones are few."

Qu Jianlei couldn’t help speaking out, "But the majority of the Fallen seem to be mentally unstable."

"Their intelligence isn’t affected much," Xiao Moshan replied coldly, "Eating too many people, anyone’s mind would become twisted."

"Those Fallen who are severely twisted aren’t accepted by the Rebel Army, they’re directly driven out."

Qu Jianlei pondered for a while then asked, "Rebel Army... what are they rebelling against?"

Xiao Moshan answered without hesitation, "They’re aiming to overthrow the current social order."

Isn’t that redundant? Qu Jianlei expressed silently, "Don’t they have their own political stance? They won’t get far otherwise."

"Is it necessary to talk about this?" Xiao Moshan replied indifferently, "As if you’re joining the Rebel Army."

"That’s absolutely impossible," Qu Jianlei stated without hesitation.

Without considering political stances, just the fact of cannibalism ensures he would never join the Rebel Army.

Bentley hadn’t even considered the issue, despite doing some ruthless things during his years of wandering.

But he was ultimately born in Central City, receiving decent education from a young age, his basic values weren’t problematic.

What concerned him was another point, "When did the Rebel Army manage to gather so many people?"

Xiao Moshan still seemed unconcerned, "How many people can there be? It only sounds big; just one A-level and above can handle it."

Qu Jianlei blinked, "A-level and above aren’t afraid of hot weapons?"

"Of course they are," Xiao Moshan continued, "But the Rebel Army... hehe, how powerful could their weapons be?"

Then he tilted his head to look at Qu Jianlei, "Since we’ve talked a lot today, let me say one last thing."

"You think the Gorge controls the cultivation method to target Central City? They’re preventing the Rebel Army from acquiring relevant knowledge."

Qu Jianlei’s brow furrowed, feeling there’s some logical issue in these words.

Yet Xiao Moshan indicated he wouldn’t say more, he never liked forcing people, so naturally, he wouldn’t ask again.

Anyway, the matter of the Rebel Army was far from him.

He recalled when Houjing was attacked by the Fallen, they underwent multiple inspections, exposing their residence.

His brow furrowed, "Will this safe house become unsafe?"

"It definitely will be thoroughly searched," Xiao Moshan replied helplessly, "This is such a big deal, the Gorge’s A-level and above should be mobilized."

Bentley’s brow furrowed, "To Central City?"

"Of course," Xiao Moshan replied without hesitation, "Definitely need to thoroughly check, we came at the wrong time."

Am I really bad luck... Qu Jianlei pouted helplessly, "Should we sneak into the city?"

"This idea might be worth trying," Xiao Moshan nodded.

"We are all wanted criminals, infamous, definitely not Rebels."

Being a wanted criminal becomes a credential? Qu Jianlei was speechless, but this statement... the logic seems off?

Bentley asked earnestly, "Under the cover of night... leave now?"

"It’s the middle of the night. If we’re discovered, we’ll be under heavy fire," Xiao Moshan replied sullenly.

"Qu Jianlei most likely won’t have a problem, and my odds of sneaking past are not bad, but you... you might be in danger."

"That’s how you put it," Bentley rolled his eyes at the remark.

But in the end, he still agreed, "Then let’s wait until dawn to leave. Hopefully, it’ll be a bit better."

As dawn faintly broke, the three set out on their way. Fortunately, there was a tricycle in the safe house, just enough for the three of them.

The safe house wasn’t too far from the highway. Qu Jianlei pushed the tricycle onto the road, trying to avoid using attribute elements.

Xiao Moshan and Bentley did the same, trudging along with uneven steps.

Just then, an excited shout came from across the road, "Jian Lei~"

Qu Jianlei looked over in surprise, only to see a young woman with her arm in a sling.

She smiled brightly, standing by the roadside, waving at him with her good hand.

Qu Jianlei furrowed his brow in confusion, so happy to see a wanted fugitive? "May I ask who you are?"

"I’m from the Security Team," the woman happily approached him, "We met last time."

"I got injured while capturing fugitives and got separated from my team. Can you help notify them for me?"

Qu Jianlei pointed to his nose, asking with a strange expression, "Are you sure you want a fugitive like me to pass on a message?"

"Who doesn’t know you’re wronged?" the woman responded with a grin, "A lot of people sympathize with you, don’t you know?"

"Oh," Qu Jianlei nodded, then drew the hand cannon from his waist and fired without hesitation.

The woman’s smile froze on her face, and her head exploded with a "bang," scattering red and white everywhere.

Bentley glanced at him in surprise but said nothing.

Xiao Moshan waved his hand, sniffing the air, and showed a look of disgust, "Indeed, it’s the aura of the Fallen... sensed with spiritual perception?"

Qu Jianlei casually replied, "I don’t remember seeing her, so I shot first."

Bentley gave him another surprised look, "Is your memory really that good?"

Earlier, he refrained from judging his partner’s actions out of trust, but now he was genuinely astonished.

Qu Jianlei rolled his eyes at him, "Not just a good memory? Get in the car; that shot will draw attention."

His brain excelled at calculations, but it wasn’t super-memory; however... his outings in Central City were limited.

Moreover, he was quite sensitive to members of the Security Team, given their significant animosity.

Are there sympathizers in the Security Team? Certainly, but not many.

In addition, this woman’s sudden appearance and overly enthusiastic behavior led him to strike first without hesitation.

In fact, he could have used spiritual power to perceive the situation and make a better judgment.

But encountering such a major incident, unaware of the potential complications, he decided to conserve his spiritual power.

The tricycle sped along the highway, with unusually few vehicles on the road today.

At least fifty kilometers from Central City, they could see a checkpoint in the distance.

Qu Jianlei was pondering how to get past the checkpoint when his eyes suddenly lit up, "Oh, Black Panther?"

Black Panther was originally with the Law Enforcement Team; after his legs were broken, he became essentially a disabled person, receiving a pension from the team.

It wasn’t until he advanced to B-level, significantly increasing his strength, that he rejoined the team.

However, as he was permanently disabled, he faced some inconveniences, so he remained a minor leader.

Now he was stationed here as a checkpoint backup with a subordinate and two modified warriors.

Qu Jianlei stopped the vehicle, retrieved a watch, and began calling Black Panther.

In fact, the checkpoint guards had noticed the tricycle stopping from afar.

Black Panther answered the watch, and upon hearing it was Jian Lei, he thought for a moment and said, "Come over; I’ll make sure you’re fine."

To be cautious, as Qu Jianlei approached the checkpoint, he cast a blinding technique on the three of them.

However, this technique had little effect on Black Panther, who was naturally attuned to perception with his wind attribute, and he’d been forewarned.

Seeing the motorcycle approach, Black Panther waved at them, "That vehicle, come over... let me check."

He performed a perfunctory inspection, then nodded, "Hmm, no problem, you can go."

"Go where?" Xiao Moshan said with a smile, "Don’t pretend not to know us. Let’s have a drink after your shift."

The other guards were puzzled—why would the Law Enforcement Team personally conduct a check? Once they heard, they realized these men were acquaintances.

Black Panther could only manage a bitter smile, "After my shift? That’ll be at night... it’s been crazy busy these days."

Qu Jianlei wasn’t skilled in socializing, but at this moment, he had a sudden inspiration.

"So busy? I’ll bring some food and drink over for you later."

Black Panther gave him a helpless look, "Getting food delivered... fine, but make sure to bring plenty. The brothers are working hard."

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