Night’s Nomenclature

"Stop."

Qing Chen stopped in the shadow of a building, everyone behind him stopping as well.

After several experiments, everyone had begun to learn to follow his lead.

At this time, someone in the team said, "Old Master, what's wrong with you?"

Qing Chen turned around, and he found an old man collapsed on the ground due to exhaustion. The old man pleaded, "Don't leave me behind, take me with you!"

Qing Chen calmly looked at Chen Lu's four bodyguards, "One of you carry him. If you can carry a woman, you can carry an old man. After a short rest here, we'll continue."

Wang and Jieyi, the two female stars, were on the bodyguards' backs, pretending not to hear anything.

Chen Lu instinctively wanted to object, but he cleverly chose to remain silent.

Without the support of the Garrison Troops, no communication, no vehicles, he knew that now he could only rely on this young man who was giving orders.

But unfortunately, 99.99% of the vehicles in this city were electric vehicles, using wireless charging technology, with pathetically small battery capacities. In the current trend of car manufacturers cutting corners, it would be lucky to drive even a kilometer.

Taking advantage of the rest time, Qing Chen turned and asked, "Among you, is there anyone named Yang Naixin or Yuan Gong?"

The refugees looked at each other, not knowing why he was looking for these two people.

Only Zhang Mengqian knew that the Boss wanted to find the widow of Neurotoxin Expert Yuan Yang.

The inability to reach that building to look for clues was the Boss's biggest regret at this moment.

Qing Chen repeated, "If anyone is named Yang Naixin or Yuan Gong, please come forward with your ID card. I guarantee to keep you alive until the Federation Army arrives."

However, no one came forward.

Zhang Mengqian felt a little sorry for the Boss, "No hope?"

The man who had planned everything for everyone hadn't been able to plan for himself?

However, Qing Chen shook his head, "Not sure, there's still a glimmer of hope."

Zhang Mengqian was stunned. They were fleeing towards District 6, getting farther and farther away from that building, so he didn't know where this glimmer of hope came from.

It's just that when he thought about the Boss's personality and how he was becoming more and more like the Shadow in his actions, he always felt that things weren't over yet.

The refugees hid in the shadows of the building, everyone watching. This was a rare moment of peace in the midst of the disaster.

At this time, Chen Lu slowly walked to Qing Chen in the darkness and said politely, "Hello, I want to discuss something."

Qing Chen gave a noncommittal "um."

Chen Lu said in a low voice, "With your skills and those of your subordinates, you must belong to some Conglomerate. I haven't seen you before, so it's definitely not the Chen Family. But it doesn't matter. From the escape until now, the team has grown from more than 300 people to more than 400 people, and the number may continue to increase. You certainly know that it's not easy to keep so many people alive. I want to make a deal with you. Why don't you just take a few of us away? On behalf of the Chen Family, I'm willing to exchange interests with the power behind you, just like the deal Koshima made with the Qing Family before. We can give up a little bit of core technology."

Chen Lu's posture was very low.

He wasn't sure about Qing Chen's level yet, but among his four bodyguards, one was C-Class, and the other three were D-Class.

The C-Class bodyguard said that he couldn't see the young man's strength; they hadn't even reacted when their guns were taken away.

In other words, the young man in front of him was likely a B-Class.

Chen Lu didn't think of A-Class, partly because A-Class was too rare, and partly because A-Class rarely acted alone.

Of course, even if Qing Chen was only B-Class, he was stronger than all his bodyguards.

Plus, Qing Chen's ability to hear the Rat Tide's movements in advance, Chen Lu knew that he had to rely on this young man to survive.

So, his posture became even lower.

Qing Chen leaned against the wall, running the first section of the Zhunti Method Breathing Technique, quickly recovering the Knight True Qi he had consumed when he infused the Marionette. He said casually, "You want me to abandon everyone and take you and your female stars away? As far as I know, you're just a figurehead for the Chen Family. What right do you have to make promises? Don't you think I'm just an ordinary intelligence officer who doesn't understand your Conglomerate's ways?"

At this time, Qing Chen pointed at Chen Lu and said to the refugees, "This man wants to make a deal with me, asking me to only take him away. I wonder what you all think."

The refugees were shocked. They didn't expect this glamorous member of parliament on TV to do such a despicable thing.

The public sentiment was excited. They were really afraid that Qing Chen would abandon them.

"Keep your voices down," Qing Chen said expressionlessly, "Do you want to attract the rat swarms?"

The refugees quickly lowered their voices.

Seeing Qing Chen do this, Chen Lu said anxiously, "If the Conglomerate behind you knows that you abandoned the chance to make a deal with the Chen Family for a group of civilians, how will you explain it?"

Qing Chen looked at him, puzzled, "Haven't you been looking at my face properly? Take a good look at me now and see who I am."

Chen Lu froze. The city lights had been extinguished earlier, and Qing Chen had been facing away from everyone, so he hadn't had a chance to see Qing Chen's face clearly.

Now, the sky was turning gray and about to dawn, and a faint white light from the east shone on the young man's face.

Chen Lu finally saw the young man's face—Qing Chen!

The new leader of the Secret Spy Agency, the next leader of Knight, Qing Chen!

As one of the Chen Family's representatives on the political stage, Chen Lu, though not the most important one, couldn't possibly not know who Qing Chen was.

Moreover, he also knew that not long ago, his own Supreme Emperor, Chen Yu, had just teamed up with Koshima to encircle and suppress this Qing Chen!

That battle has not been exposed to this day. Federation's media only knew that Li Bingxi suddenly died, but not why!

Members of Parliament are the most glamorous professions in the Federation. They frequent high-society gatherings, act as spokespeople for the Conglomerate, and female stars who can't get close to the real Conglomerate big shots can only try to get close to them.

But such big shots are nothing compared to the leader of the Qing Clan Secret Intelligence Agency. Puppets are puppets after all. If they appear at the same banquet, Chen Lu wouldn't even be worthy of speaking to Qing Chen. Only the real big shots of the Chen Family would be able to speak to Qing Chen!

If Chen Lu took the initiative to talk to Qing Chen at a banquet, it would be considered a breach of etiquette within the Conglomerate.

Qing Chen was no longer the ordinary Time Traveler he once was, but a truly big shot whose identity alone could frighten a large number of people.

And these identities were not mere titles, but were all earned by him with his life.

It's just that Chen Lu couldn't figure out why such a big shot from the Secret Spy Agency would run to this kind of place to save a group of refugees.

Shouldn't Conglomerate big shots treat human life like grass?

Qing Chen didn't care about any etiquette. He just wanted Chen Lu to understand that a puppet of the Chen Family was not qualified to talk business with him.

He wouldn't make any deals with anyone from the Chen Family.

"Go back to the crowd," Qing Chen said with a cold smile, "I didn't kill you directly, you should be grateful. I still have use for you. When we reach a safe place, I'll find you."

Chen Lu's face turned pale, and the two female stars whispered, "What's wrong? Did he refuse the deal?"

Chen Lu whispered, "Shut up!"

At this time, the refugees also noticed Chen Lu's strangeness. They were curious about the identity of this young man, who could make even a member of parliament speechless and terrified, causing him to stumble backward.

Thus, the refugees also saw Qing Chen's face.

Wasn't this the ruthless Qing Family man who had killed his way out of the A0 Base?!

But the refugees' reaction was different from Chen Lu's. Their first reaction upon seeing Qing Chen was that they were saved!

This ruthless man could even bring more than 900 people out alive from a place like the A0 Base, so he could naturally bring them out alive now!

Qing Chen calmly said, "Keep moving. After prolonged exercise, don't rest for more than five minutes, and don't sit on the ground, or you won't be able to run later."

With that, the team continued to advance.

The sky gradually turned gray. Qing Chen led the refugees, stopping and starting, and finally, after four hours, led the refugees to the border between District 4 and District 6.

As long as they crossed the more than 30 kilometers of District 6, they could reach the Lower Three Districts.

Along the way, Qing Chen also used three puppets to fight off small groups of the Rat Tide. The rat swarms were scattered throughout the city, and it was impossible for him to avoid all of them.

Moreover, new refugees would occasionally bring rat swarms with them.

Fortunately, Qing Chen remained relatively low-key and did not attract the attention of the Rat King.

The number of refugees slowly reached 600.

They quietly waited behind Qing Chen, and the refugees would tell the newly joined refugees: Be sure to follow orders, we are alive because we followed orders. This is Qing Chen, yes, the Qing Chen who killed his way out of the A0 Base and kidnapped Shendai Jing Cheng.

Now, the A0 Base and Shendai Jing Cheng have become the backdrop of Qing Chen's reputation, forever nailed to the pillar of shame.

Qing Chen raised his right arm.

Without further explanation, the 600-plus-person rapid march team stopped on the long street.

Qing Chen listened quietly.

They had reached District 6, but the Rat Tide's feeding efficiency was not as fast as Qing Chen had imagined. He could still hear the sound of rats gnawing on flesh in some buildings.

But Qing Chen's strategy was not wrong. The number of rat swarms in District 6 was already far less than in District 4.

He planned to find an unoccupied building to stop with the refugees. On the one hand, everyone had been marching for more than six hours, and the refugees needed to rest to regain some strength before continuing their journey.

On the other hand, he guessed that after a while, the number of Rat Tides in District 6 would be even smaller.

Finding a place to lay low was their best option at the moment.

At this moment, a rumbling sound suddenly came from behind them.

Everyone looked back in surprise, only to find that Chen Lu was already sitting in an Off-road Vehicle on the side of the road, and a bodyguard was opening the hood and starting the diesel engine.

It was a Wildlanders vehicle. To improve survivability in the wilderness, such Off-road Vehicles had as few electronic devices as possible to reduce the failure rate.

And the engine could even be started manually to avoid being unable to start after the battery runs out.

Chen Lu didn't know what luck he had, but he had found such a vehicle by chance on the roadside.

The member of parliament sat in the back of the vehicle, observing Qing Chen's expression while telling the bodyguard, "Hurry, hurry, get in the car, leave here!"

The bodyguards dropped the two female stars and quickly got into the car. Wang and Jieyi struggled to get up and open the car door, "Congressman, take us with you!"

But Chen Lu kicked Wang away, "Don't you see there are only five seats? Liu Chong, get in the car!"

Chen Lu looked at his C-Class bodyguard leader, but he was surprised to find that Liu Chong stood quietly beside Qing Chen, completely ignoring his words.

Liu Chong looked at Qing Chen, "Boss, Kestrel from Secret Spy Agency reporting in, operation number 17."

Qing Chen nodded, "No need for the number. I've seen your file, I remember you."

This scene made Chen Lu's scalp tingle. Apparently, there had always been people from the Qing Clan Secret Intelligence Agency around him!

Chen Lu gritted his teeth and slammed the car door shut. Even if there was an empty seat, he had no intention of taking Wang and Jieyi away.

At this time, the bodyguard and the speed of the car were the most important. In this man's worldview, as long as he could survive, what kind of woman couldn't he find?

Wang and Jieyi fell to the ground in despair, watching the vehicle drive away. The two of them reacted quickly; without the help of their bodyguards, they turned their attention to Qing Chen.

But Qing Chen ignored them, only saying softly, "Let this car lure the Rat Tide away, then we'll move immediately."

Of course, he had noticed Chen Lu trying to escape.

According to the original plan, Qing Chen was going to use the Marionette to control Chen Lu to record a video, using the Chen Family's political spokesperson to expose the Shendai Consortium's conspiracy.

That's why Qing Chen left him alive.

But now, District 6 was just ahead, but thousands of rats were still feeding there, and someone had to lure the rat swarms away.

Otherwise, even if Qing Chen killed all the rat swarms, he would probably attract the Rat King's attention, and no one would be able to survive.

The next moment, the roaring sound of the vehicle exploded on the street, and the rats that had been feeding opened their crimson eyes and rushed toward the direction where the vehicle was leaving!

"Advance!" Qing Chen took a step and walked.

He had already seen the Qing Family bank's headquarters in City 10, a bank that could accommodate more than 600 refugees for several hours.

When the Rat Tide in District 6 all ran to other administrative districts, it would be time for them to reach the Lower Three Districts and join the Home Families.

The Home Families had promised to protect the life channel of the Lower Three Districts with their lives. Qing Chen couldn't let them fight alone.

As Qing Chen passed the intersection, he glanced at the Rat Tide chasing after the Off-road Vehicle. He had a feeling that the real crisis was slowly approaching.

In the Wildlanders Off-road Vehicle, Chen Lu looked back at the Rat Tide behind him and slapped the driver's seat hard, "Hurry, hurry, damn it, don't let those rats catch up!"

A bodyguard said, "Boss, if we follow their team, we might survive. That Qing Chen is very powerful. Since he could bring so many intelligence officers out of A0…"

Even the bodyguards thought that following Qing Chen would have a higher chance of survival.

Chen Lu roared, "What do you know? The Chen Family just encircled and suppressed him in the wilderness a few days ago. Koshima and Li Bingxi died in that battle, Chen Yu also lost half his life, and the Chen Family lost two air fleets and a field army. So many people couldn't kill him, do you think he'll let me go? He kept me alive, he must have other plans, and you'll all die with me! So we can't stay there, staying there is a dead end, running away is a glimmer of hope, hurry, drive to the border checkpoint, as long as we can leave the city, there's still a way to live!"

The bodyguards were shocked to hear this secret, that Qing Chen was even more ferocious than they had imagined!

If they had known this, they should have abandoned Chen Lu, but it was too late now!

The Rat Tide seemed to have a great animosity towards all vehicles. The black tide gathered behind them like a snowball, and the bodyguards didn't even dare to look in the rearview mirror.

"How much gas is left in the car?" Chen Lu said.

"Full tank! I just checked, there are two more barrels of oil in the trunk, it's definitely enough!"

"Great," Chen Lu was delighted, "After leaving the city, drive to City 7, we're going back to headquarters!"

The Off-road Vehicle gradually approached the border checkpoint. They could even see the towering walls from inside the car.

But the driver gradually felt something was wrong. He looked at the end of the road, and countless human skeletons were piled up in the direction of the border checkpoint, densely packed and terrifying.

Those white bones must have been left behind by the Rat Tide, but the bodyguards couldn't understand why so many corpses were piled up here, scattered in a regular pattern.

"Boss, something's wrong."

"Rush through!" Chen Lu said, "Don't stop!"

With a bang, the Off-road Vehicle smashed through the bone wall in front, the bones were smashed to pieces and flew into the sky.

The next moment, the bodyguard suddenly saw the terrifying Metal Storm 500 meters away on the city wall, automatically turning around and firmly locking onto their trajectory!

The roar erupted, and the Metal Storm spewed out a rain of bullets, and yellow bullet casings ejected one after another, covering the city wall with a thick layer.

In just one second, the Metal Storm had turned the Off-road Vehicle into a sieve!

Chen Lu didn't understand until his death that he didn't die at the hands of Qing Chen, nor did he die from the Rat Tide, but instead died at the hands of the pride of human industrial civilization.

The Rat Tide approached and submerged the Off-road Vehicle.

And the Metal Storm, which had been fiercely spitting just now on the city wall, was now asleep, ignoring the Rat Tide.

Too many people had died here.

Countless refugees wanted to escape the city, but they were stopped by the conspiracy at the city wall.