Fantasy Game: Infinite City

Chapter 697 Unrestricted Entry Permit

Just as Zhao Hu was about to step onto the bridge, the black water below the chasm suddenly churned violently, splashing everywhere. A huge, dark purple tentacle shot out from the water, grabbing at Zhao Hu's ankle. The tentacle's surface was covered with sticky suckers that secreted a highly corrosive liquid, corroding the ground and creating pits wherever it went. "Watch out!" Lu Chen shouted anxiously. Zhao Hu reacted quickly, immediately raising his alloy shield in front of him. The tentacle slammed into the shield, producing a loud sizzling sound. Deep marks were corroded into the shield's surface, thick smoke billowed out, and Zhao Hu was also jolted back several steps by the force of the impact before regaining his footing.

"It's a large mutated creature from the seabed!" Li Na exclaimed. The screen of the detector in her hand showed a huge energy fluctuation, which covered the entire chasm area. "This creature is huge, at least ten meters long. It is hidden under the water flow, and we can't see its specific shape. We can only detect its energy fluctuation. Its target is very clear: our team."

Chen Mo immediately controlled three drones to fire high-frequency lasers at the tentacles. The lasers, carrying intense energy, struck the surface of the tentacles with a soft "whoosh," and black smoke billowed from their surface. A deep wound was burned by the laser, and black fluid spurted out. The tentacles twitched in pain and retracted back into the water. But only a few seconds later, more tentacles emerged from the water, wrapping around the makeshift floating bridge. The bridge creaked and groaned under the pull of the tentacles, and tiny cracks appeared at the joints between the alloy pipes and ropes, threatening to break at any moment. "The bridge is going to break! Reinforce it quickly!" Chen Mo shouted, rapidly maneuvering the robotic arms to secure more alloy pipes and ropes to the bridge, attempting to reinforce it and delay its collapse.

Lu Chen drew his tactical dagger from his waist. The dagger, wreathed in faint energy and glowing with a pale blue light, swiftly reached the edge of the bridge and slashed fiercely at the tentacles binding it. The dagger, incredibly sharp and amplified by the energy, easily severed a tentacle. Black sap splattered onto his protective suit, hissing loudly. Zhao Hu, meanwhile, brandished his alloy shield, repeatedly ramming the approaching tentacles and forcing them back, buying Chen Mo time to reinforce the bridge. The corrosion on the shield was worsening, and it was already showing signs of damage, but he gritted his teeth and persevered, using his body to form a defensive line. Ling Xue set up her sniper rifle on the opposite bank, aiming at the core area of ​​the creature beneath the current. She pulled the trigger, and a specially designed armor-piercing round whistled through the air as it entered the water. However, the current was swift, and the creature's massive size and rapid movement caused the bullet to be blocked by the current, failing to hit its target. "Underwater visibility is too poor, and the current is too strong, making it impossible to lock onto its core area. Armor-piercing rounds cannot cause effective damage!" Ling Xue shouted into the communicator, her voice filled with anxiety.

Li Na quickly racked her brains for a solution, her eyes fixed on the energy fluctuation trajectory on the hydrological detector screen. Suddenly, her eyes lit up: "I have an idea! This creature senses its prey's location by sensing the fluctuations in the water flow. The detector can simulate these fluctuations; I can create false energy fluctuations to draw its attention away from the bridge, buying us time to cross." As soon as she finished speaking, she swiftly operated the detector, adjusting the fluctuation frequency and releasing false energy fluctuations that spread downstream from the bridge. The mutated creature below the water was indeed attracted by the false fluctuations; its tentacles, which had been wrapped around the bridge, loosened and stretched towards the false fluctuations. The pressure on the bridge instantly lessened, and the swaying decreased.

"Hurry up and cross the bridge! Don't waste time!" Lu Chen shouted, giving Zhao Hu a wink. Zhao Hu nodded and stepped onto the bridge first, running quickly towards the other side. The bridge swayed slightly under his weight, but fortunately, it had been reinforced and showed no signs of breaking. Chen Mo followed closely behind, running while manipulating the robotic arm to continue reinforcing the bridge, ensuring Lu Chen could cross smoothly. The moment Chen Mo crossed the bridge, the remaining tentacles suddenly reacted, wrapping around the bridge again. The bridge was violently pulled by the tentacles, the alloy pipes snapped, the ropes broke, and the bridge instantly plunged into the water, quickly swallowed by the black water and corrosive substances, disappearing from sight. Lu Chen was the last to prepare to cross the bridge. By this time, the bridge had already broken, and he could only stand on the edge of the chasm, looking at his teammates on the other side. Just then, a tentacle suddenly emerged from the water and wrapped around his calf. Corrosive liquid seeped through his hazmat suit, penetrating his skin and causing intense pain, like being burned. "Captain Lu!" everyone exclaimed, their faces showing anxiety.

Zhao Hu immediately turned around, raised his alloy shield, and slammed it down on the tentacle. The shield struck the tentacle heavily, slightly loosening it. Ling Xue also immediately adjusted her sniper rifle's aim, targeting the base of the tentacle, and pulled the trigger. The specially designed armor-piercing round accurately hit the base of the tentacle, piercing it, and black fluid spurted out. Lu Chen endured the intense pain, gripped his tactical knife, and slashed fiercely at the tentacle wrapped around his calf. The knife severed the tentacle, and he seized the opportunity to leap, using his superior physical abilities to jump towards the opposite bank. Zhao Hu quickly reached out, grabbed his arm, and pulled him to the other side. Although Wen Wan's medical kit was not there, Li Na carried a first-aid kit. She immediately took out the kit and quickly treated Lu Chen's wound. Unbuttoning the pant leg of his hazmat suit, she found that the skin around the wound was red, swollen, and black, with severe corrosion. Fortunately, the hazmat suit blocked most of the corrosion, preventing damage to the bones and muscles. "Fortunately, the hazmat suit blocked most of the corrosion. Only the epidermis and superficial muscles were injured, so it won't affect your movement. I'll apply some hemostatic and antiseptic ointment and bandage the wound. This will effectively inhibit corrosion and relieve the pain." As Li Na spoke, she skillfully applied the ointment to Lu Chen and bandaged the wound with sterile gauze.

The five dared not linger. After quickly treating their wounds, they immediately continued towards the television tower. By this time, the surrounding water level had risen to their ankles. Black water flowed over the road, corroding the cement with a hissing sound. The cracks in the road surface were widening, threatening to cause a secondary collapse at any moment. The coastal streets in the distance were completely submerged. Some players who had not been able to evacuate struggled in the water, crying out in despair. Some were not wearing protective suits, and their skin immediately ulcerated upon contact with the water, causing them excruciating pain. Others were attacked by mutated creatures in the water, letting out shrill screams, but were quickly swallowed by the current, leaving only bubbles on the surface and floating fragments of protective suits and weapon debris.

"Those players...should we go save them?" Zhao Hu clenched his fists, his eyes filled with pity as he looked at the players struggling in the water, wanting to rush over to their aid. But Lu Chen stopped him, his tone icy and tinged with helplessness: "We don't have time to save them. The flood is getting worse, and the water level is rising rapidly. If we don't leave soon, we'll be submerged too. Besides, there are too many mutated creatures in the water, and their strength is unknown. We simply can't handle both. We can only take care of ourselves first and get to the TV tower as soon as possible." Lu Chen's eyes also showed pity, but as the team leader, he had to make the most rational decision to ensure the team's safety.

Along the way, they saw players in different states, presenting drastically different situations: some players, wearing hazmat suits, were in small groups, supporting each other as they struggled to make their way uphill, their faces showing vigilance and anxiety. They had clearly sensed the strangeness of the dungeon and knew that danger lurked behind the flood. Other players, unaware of the severity of the danger, were still playing and splashing in the water, bending over to collect submerged supplies, completely oblivious to the mutated creatures and corrosive water around them. Some even deliberately touched the water, quickly screaming in agony from skin corrosion and being attacked by the mutated creatures in the water. Still others, although they sensed something was wrong, feeling the corrosive water and the strange energy fluctuations on the seabed, thought it was just the dungeon's flood mechanism. Following the normal dungeon strategy, they searched for quest items and hidden clues, unaware of the dark power hidden behind the flood, and did not speed up their journey to higher ground, ultimately becoming trapped by the rising water.

After a grueling half-hour trek, the five finally arrived at the foot of the TV tower. The tower's doors were tightly shut, constructed of heavy alloy. Engraved on them were the same symbols found by the first team—a coiled snake and a flying bird—but these symbols were a dark blue, matching the color of the seawater. Their surface shimmered with a faint blue light, radiating energy fluctuations similar to those found on the seabed. Chen Mo walked to the doors and manipulated the mechanical arm, slamming it against them with tremendous force. The arm's power was immense, but the doors remained unmoved, as if integrated with the ground and the tower itself, without the slightest tremor. "The doors are sealed by powerful energy. The symbols on the doors are the core of the seal. The energy emanating from the symbols is consistent with the energy fluctuations on the seabed, resonating with each other," Chen Mo explained to the others after carefully examining the doors. "My mechanical energy cannot break this seal. I can only try to find the corresponding key, or destroy the symbols on the doors to weaken the sealing energy."

Li Na walked to the gate, reached out, and gently touched the symbol on it. The symbol instantly emitted a strong blue light, and a stream of cold water seeped from it, wrapping around her wrist. The water carried a slight corrosive quality, but it wasn't enough to penetrate her hazmat suit. "The symbol is closely connected to the seawater and the energy of the seabed. The energy source is the dark fluctuations of the seabed. The symbol acts as an energy transfer station, transmitting energy from the seabed to the television tower, maintaining the seal," Li Na explained to the others, carefully sensing the energy flow of the symbol. "I can try to interfere with the energy flow of the symbol with a detector, redirecting the energy and weakening the seal, but this process will take time and may attract more mutated sea creatures, as they are very sensitive to the energy fluctuations of the symbol."

Lu Chen nodded and quickly made arrangements: "We can try this; it's the only way right now. Chen Mo, release all the remaining drones and keep watch around the TV tower. If any mutated creatures approach, immediately use lasers to attack them and disrupt their movements. Ling Xue, take up the high ground around the TV tower and lock onto any potential targets, especially underwater movements. If any mutated creatures approach, snipe them immediately. Zhao Hu, guard the gate and use your shield to protect Li Na and prevent mutated creatures from attacking. I'll be responsible for observing the surrounding water level changes and energy fluctuations. If things go wrong, immediately order an evacuation."

Li Na nodded, quickly operating the detector, adjusting its parameters, and releasing a reverse energy wave that precisely targeted the symbol on the door. The blue light of the symbol gradually weakened, flickering erratically. The door began to sway slightly, emitting a "click-clack" sound, indicating that the sealed energy was being weakened. At the same time, however, the energy fluctuations on the seabed intensified, the surrounding water level rose rapidly again, now reaching knee-deep, the currents became more turbulent, and more mutated creatures extended tentacles from the water, approaching the television tower in increasing numbers, eventually surrounding it completely.

"There are more and more mutated creatures! They've been attracted by the energy fluctuations of the symbols, and there are too many of them. The drones can't hold them off any longer!" Ling Xue shouted into the communicator from her high vantage point, firing her sniper rifle continuously. Each shot hit a tentacle, but more tentacles kept emerging from the water. "Their target isn't just us, but also the symbols on the door. It seems they want to destroy the symbols and break the seal!"

Zhao Hu brandished his alloy shield, relentlessly ramming the approaching tentacles and forcing them back. The corrosion on the shield's surface worsened, resulting in extensive damage and a significant decrease in its defensive capabilities. His arms ached from the continuous impacts, but he gritted his teeth and persevered, firmly guarding Li Na's side. Chen Mo's drones were also gradually entangled and destroyed by the tentacles; three drones crashed one after another, unable to provide any further warning or attack support. They could only rely on Ling Xue's sniping and Zhao Hu's defense to hold off the mutated creatures' attack. "The gate is about to open! The symbol's energy has weakened to its lowest point! Hold on for one more minute!" Li Na shouted, increasing the intensity of the reverse energy fluctuations. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead; her mental and physical strength were rapidly depleting.

Finally, the blue light from the symbols on the door completely disappeared, the seal was weakened, and the door slowly opened inward, revealing a dark passage inside. "Go in quickly!" Lu Chen shouted, and the five of them rushed into the passage. Zhao Hu was the last to enter, using his alloy shield to block the door and prevent the tentacles from reaching in. Only after everyone had entered the passage did he quickly close the door and lock it securely with a device he carried. The passage was pitch black, without any light, and emitted a faint metallic smell and the salty smell of the sea. The walls were covered with blue patterns, within which a faint blue light flowed, like water flowing on the walls.