Chapter 104: Underground Passage

“Captain Cao, I truly admire your trust in your brothers. Under these circumstances, you still let them leave like that—did you never consider that they might never return?” After the two had left, Chu Wei finally found an opportunity to speak, her tone tinged with confusion and puzzlement.

From Chu Wei’s perspective, this was Cao Fusheng’s trust in his brothers, but it could very well be their betrayal of him.

The rain continued to pour relentlessly, its roar muffling other sounds. Such rare quietude granted them ample space for contemplation.

After an initial wave of profound shock hidden deep within, Cao Fusheng’s heart had now settled back into calm.

“To be honest, the thought you mentioned did flash through my mind briefly. I’m no saint. Everything I’ve been through before has often left me with trust issues and a tendency toward suspicion,” Cao Fusheng said, wiping the rain that had slid down his cheek. “Chu Wei, tell me—if you were in my position now, and even though you knew your brothers, who have shared life and death with you, were abandoning you, what would you do? Would you kill them on the spot?”

Chu Wei frowned in thought. She hadn’t expected Cao Fusheng to throw the question back at her, but after a short moment, she followed her heart and answered, “I wouldn’t…”

“That’s it. Everyone has the will to live, especially one’s own brothers. Why would you strip them of that? Besides, they didn’t take any extreme action against me; it can hardly be called betrayal. Most importantly, I believe in Shen Dong and Gao Yi—they will come back, and bring surprises with them. I just don’t know how exactly,” Cao Fusheng said with a self-deprecating smile. He had ultimately chosen to trust them, precisely because he had once suffered betrayal and had become hypersensitive about trust.

Perhaps it was for this very reason, in that dream at the chemical plant, that the mysterious man in the trench coat had warned him to try trusting others, to not harbor hostility and distrust toward everyone.

“All right, all right, let’s not dwell on such a heavy topic for now. The rain’s getting heavier. I think we should go inside the building first; otherwise, we’ll all catch a cold—especially you, Chu Wei. You’re not fully recovered yet; you can’t afford to get chilled,” Han Shuqing said, grasping Cao Fusheng’s large hand. She quietly raised her eyes, her gentle gaze fixed on him.

It was as if to tell him, no matter who leaves you, at least I am always here.

Cao Fusheng nodded slightly and took Han Shuqing’s hand, leading her inside. Chu Wei watched from behind, filled with envy.

In truth, though Chu Wei appeared capable and her looks were not lacking, she had never truly experienced love.

Everything she knew was limited to books and hearsay; the deepest she had gone was witnessing it firsthand.

Since the advent of the Collapse Era, she had been among the earliest to enter the Sky Pillar, strictly abiding by its cold survival laws.

Especially the prohibition of free love—that line was an insurmountable red line for countless couples. Anyone who violated it faced execution by fire.

The Sky Pillar’s survival laws were enforced thoroughly from top to bottom; even high-ranking ministers had to comply.

As for the legendary Sky Pillar Boss, no one had ever seen his true face, and whether he actually existed was a mystery.

“Sigh, I really wish I’d have the chance to experience that kind of feeling someday, but I guess I won’t… Male and female comrades in the task force often grow close on missions, but in the end, they’re forced apart. Even holding hands together gets punished… But if that’s the case, would their fate in the Sky Pillar be any better? According to its rules, Captain Cao can’t even be with Sister Han.”

“Heh… why worry about that now? Whether we make it back is another matter. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. After the darkest hour comes the dawn!” Chu Wei made a cheering gesture and smiled as she stepped into the building.

“Tell me, if we have to break through the Sky Pillar’s holy light zone at all costs, what methods do we have? Let’s not talk about success rates; just the most reliable approaches,” Cao Fusheng said.

The top floor of the New Mart building was a private business residence. Despite the time elapsed, except for some dust, everything was still as it had been—one of the few rooms in the building kept clean and orderly.

At that moment, Cao Fusheng was half-reclined on the bed, hands behind his head, looking at the two women.

“Honestly, the most direct and safest way, in my opinion, would be to find a plane. We could fly over the predators’ heads,” Han Shuqing’s eyes lit up. She had thought of that idea long ago but knew it was difficult to pull off—where would they find a plane?

And even if they had one, it wasn’t certain they could fly through.

“No, based on the intel I received earlier, the task force also used fighter jets during their breakout. Not to mention the shrinking range of the holy light’s protection for aircraft, the moment a plane appears, the predators use all means to shoot it down,” Chu Wei countered, citing what she knew.

“Besides, though flying seems safer than breaking through on land and has a higher chance of success, if the plane is shot down mid-air, death is inevitable,” Han Shuqing added thoughtfully. “This unrealistic idea shouldn’t even be mentioned. Even if we could fly over, where would we get a plane? And we’d need a pilot, too. Since flying’s out, what about land?”

Given the current situation, trying to break through on land was nearly impossible without an unexpected advantage.

If a column of armored tanks could grind their way through with firepower, maybe a path could be cleared.

But though sturdy, these machines were designed to resist ordinary undead. Against the half-formed beasts and advanced undead of the horde, they were no match.

They were tough but not agile and easily got stuck or disabled.

“Land is even less viable, unless the horde withdraws themselves, or we have some extraordinarily powerful weapons, reinforcements, or something that can clear a wide path. Otherwise, relying on manpower alone, there’s no hope of breaking in,” Chu Wei said with concern.

Cao Fusheng listened quietly to their conversation. These were the stark realities and honest assessments. But what exactly had Shen Dong gone off to do?

Of course, he hoped to hear good news when the two returned, but he dared not hold too high an expectation.

“What if we tried approaching from underground? Wouldn’t that be a good method?” Cao Fusheng recalled what Party Wei had said about the team digging tunnels. From the looks of it, going underground was the most practical and likely to succeed.

“Underground? There’s a sewer pipe about sixty meters from the Sky Pillar in a straight line, connecting to the surface, sealed with a manhole cover. It used to be a safe distance because the holy light covered a hundred meters, but now it’s trampled under countless undead... No chance of passing,” Chu Wei explained.

“Also, underground is no less dangerous than on the surface. The pipes are narrow, filled with foul odors and swamp gas, which would explode at the slightest spark,” she continued, laying out all the information she had. According to her, there were reasons why the surface, underground, and even the air were all impassable.

But Cao Fusheng was not so pessimistic, nor was he one to wait idly for news from Shen Dong and the others.

“Tell me, where’s the entrance? This time, I’ll go myself. You two wait here for Shen Dong and Gao Yi to return.”