The Hollow entrance was hidden deep within a secluded alleyway.
Cracks on the walls surged with an eerie dark purple halo, while black-green aether crystals spread wildly all around.
The air was filled with a cold, pungent aether scent that made one shudder.
Zhu Yuan had already completed the handover with the association personnel.
Disregarding her teammates’ dissuasion that it was “too dangerous and we should wait for backup,” her gaze was resolute as she insisted on entering the fissure alone to rush into danger.
The aether energy was still rising, and Zhu Yuan could no longer wait.
She never allowed herself to back down, and now she was even less willing to let the citizens wait a single extra second.
Fu Hua remained concealed in the shadows.
After most of the Public Security Bureau’s forces entered, she silently bypassed the blockade line and stepped into the Hollow.
Inside the Hollow, space was chaotic and distorted, with rubble suspended in the air and roars rising one after another.
Dense swarms of Ethereals covered the surroundings, making the scene extremely perilous.
“System, give me guidance and help me find where Zhu Yuan went.
By the way, check if there are any unsearched stragglers and point them all out!”
[Command received!
Executing now]
“?
When did you install the Fairy template?”
[Hehe~]
Relying on the extraordinary combat instinct accumulated over fifty thousand years by this body, Fu Hua nimbly shuttled through the gaps between the Ethereals with a light figure.
Secretly eliminating the Ethereals approaching the victims’ direction, she simultaneously left clues for the rescue team behind.
Following the guidance provided by the system, Fu Hua quickly caught sight of that familiar figure.
Returning to half an hour ago—
Zhu Yuan was standing on a fractured floating stone platform, her posture upright and police uniform crisp.
Facing the dense sea of Ethereals ahead, her gaze was as sharp as a blade.
The tongues of flame from the Riot Suppressor in her hands leaped continuously, blocking the approach of the Ethereals.
“Over here!
Stay close to me!” Zhu Yuan shouted to the trapped civilians below the stone platform, her voice clear and penetrating.
With a side sliding step, her long, powerful legs accurately kicked an intermediate Ethereal that leaped up.
After kicking it away, she casually fired a follow-up shot to shatter its aether structure, then turned around to signal the civilians to evacuate along the newly calculated temporary path.
Fu Hua was hiding behind another boulder, quietly observing.
She saw that Zhu Yuan’s movements were crisp and her tactical awareness was extremely strong.
Every shot and every positioning was buying escape time for the civilians.
Wave after wave of Ethereals surged forth, and she acted like an indestructible barrier, firmly blocking the danger in front of her.
Facing a family of three trapped by a building collapse, Zhu Yuan forcefully tore a path through the swarm of Ethereals to escort them to the temporary station of the Public Security Bureau support zone.
Encountering several injured public security officers, she used a leader’s tone to forcibly treat their wounds simply and guide them to the evacuation point.
Finally, facing a group of panicked students, she slowed down her attack rhythm, comforted them with as gentle a tone as possible, and led them to quickly relocate.
Three waves of rescue, smooth as flowing water, crisp and decisive.
Sweat oozed from Zhu Yuan’s temples, and more than half of her physical strength had been consumed.
Sweat trickled all the way into her tight police uniform, and her uniform had long been stained by aether smoke and dust, yet she never backed down in the slightest.
Just as Zhu Yuan escorted the last batch of students away and prepared to evacuate herself, a sudden change occurred.
Dozens of intermediate and advanced Ethereals surged out from the depths of the Hollow like a tide, completely sealing off her retreat path.
Reinforced by the concentration of aether energy, these Ethereals had even more distorted appearances and much more violent attacks.
“Oh no…” Zhu Yuan’s pupils constricted.
Subconsciously tightening her grip on her police baton and backing against the rock wall, she prepared to make a last-ditch stand.
At this moment, Zhu Yuan had long lost her composure and aloofness from the Public Security Bureau, her body covered in disarray and wounds.
She was tightly besieged by a dozen hideously shaped Ethereals.
Her tactical pistol fired accurately, with every bullet hitting the Ethereals’ vital points, but she couldn’t withstand the endless emergence of Ethereals pouring out from various fissures, seemingly inexhaustible.
As a large number of Ethereals gathered, the aether energy concentration in this area had reached Class A.
On Zhu Yuan’s arm, black-green aether erosion patterns also began to spread, climbing upward along her skin and bringing waves of bone-corroding pain.
What was even worse was that while dodging an Ethereal’s attack earlier, she was heavily struck on her right arm by flying sharp gravel.
The bone dislocation caused intense pain, resulting in a severe fracture.
The outer side of her thigh was slashed open by an Ethereal with a long wound deep to the bone; fresh blood gushed out endlessly, instantly soaking her dark trousers and dripping down her trouser cuffs.
Every movement and every lift of her hand pulled at the wounds and fracture, and the excruciating pain made her brow twitch slightly, her movements becoming increasingly sluggish and her breathing hurried and disordered.
Within the spatial fissure, a massive superior Ethereal close to the high-risk level, known as the “Goblin,” suddenly appeared.
Its heavy crystalline carapace was impervious to blades and guns, possessing extremely strong defense.
Its giant bone hammer hands swept over with the momentum of breaking the wind, carrying a fierce murderous intent.
Zhu Yuan struggled to dodge, but was seized the opportunity of by an Ethereal named “Apeka” lurking nearby, which struck her lower back.
She fell heavily onto the hard gravel ground, and her pistol instantly flew out of her hand.
A heart-rending pain came from the fracture on her right arm, turning her face pale instantly.
Her thigh wound was rubbed against the gravel on the ground, intensifying the pain severalfold.
Her strength seemed to be drained completely, leaving her unable to stand up anymore.
She could only tense her body with her remaining will and stare fiercely at the Ethereals before her.
The “Goblin” roared and raised its heavy arm with a fatal murderous intent, about to bring it down fiercely.
At that critical juncture, a grayish-white figure suddenly rushed over like a startled swan.
Fu Hua stepped forward quickly, one hand steadily embracing Zhu Yuan’s back while her palm firmly supported her waist, and her other hand passing through the bend of her knees.
Bending down, she scooped her up horizontally in a clean and secure princess carry, perfectly avoiding the dual hammers’ fatal attack as gravel splashed around them, kicking up bursts of dust.
She firmly protected Zhu Yuan in her arms, a faint golden Honkai Energy halo glowing around her body, easily blocking away the surrounding Ethereal attacks and isolating all danger outside.
The sudden elevation made Zhu Yuan’s mind go blank instantly, and all the pain in her body seemed to briefly pause for a split second.
As the head of the Criminal Investigation Special Response Team, she had always been the one rushing to the front lines to protect others—tough and aloof, never allowing outsiders to see a shred of her vulnerability.
Now, she was suddenly picked up like this, and in such an intimate princess carry.
Subconsciously tensing her entire body, her muscles were in a state of high alert.
Her tone carried a forced majesty and cold rigidity, attempting to maintain her dignity as a security officer, but the tips of her ears uncontrollably turned red, spreading all the way to her cheeks, giving her pale complexion a tinge of rosy blush.
“Put me down quickly!
I’ll hold off these Ethereals, you run quickly!”
“Don’t push yourself.”
Fu Hua’s voice was gentle yet carried an unquestionable strength.
Looking down at Zhu Yuan in her arms, her azure eyes were filled with undisguised worry and concern.
When her gaze fell upon Zhu Yuan’s bleeding wounds and swollen, dislocated right arm, her brows furrowed slightly, filled with heartache.
“Your right arm is severely fractured, and your thigh wound is torn too badly.
If you force yourself to walk and stubbornly fight on, you will only tear the wounds open further, worsen the aether erosion, and ultimately drag yourself down.”
As her words fell, Fu Hua said no more, holding her as they quickly evacuated.
The faint Honkai Energy flowing around her body forced back the Ethereals wandering nearby.
Her movements were gentle and secure, deliberately avoiding all of Zhu Yuan’s wounds throughout the journey.
Every step she took was extremely steady, preventing any jolting from causing extra pain.
Fu Hua’s aura was gentle and clean, carrying a faint, reassuring, light fragrance, completely different from the pungent aether scent inside the Hollow.
The warmth in her arms was cozy and solid, instantly enveloping Zhu Yuan, who was shivering and covered in disarray.
Leaning in Fu Hua’s warm embrace, Zhu Yuan could clearly feel the other person’s steady and powerful heartbeat, as well as the warm body heat transmitted through her clothes.
Her body, which had been tense due to severe pain and alertness, unconsciously relaxed a bit.
She looked at Fu Hua’s gentle brows and eyes close at hand.
In those clear azure eyes, there was no disdain, no contempt, only pure worry and concern—it was like the unreserved care one would give to a junior or a child.
Zhu Yuan’s heart beat wildly out of control at this moment.
The thrill of life and death, the sudden redemption, and the close-range intimate contact—catalyzed by the suspension bridge effect, ambiguous feelings quietly sprouted, sending ripples through the depths of her heart.
Subconsciously, she gripped the corner of Fu Hua’s clothes in front of her chest, her fingertips trembling slightly.
Her mouth remained stubborn, but her tone lacked its previous rigidity, replaced instead by a hint of imperceptible panic.
“I am a public security officer, I can handle it myself…
Who are you?
Why are you here?”
Vigilance and duty were still carved into her bones, but looking at Fu Hua’s gentle and resolute eyes, and feeling her steady protection, that hard psychological defense quietly cracked open a gap.
Fu Hua looked down at her tightly pressed lips and pale cheeks, her tone growing even gentler, carrying an elder-like tolerance and appeasement.
While staying vigilant against the surrounding Ethereals, she responded softly.
“I am just a martial artist who accidentally got trapped here.
Seeing you in danger, I couldn’t just stand by and watch.”