Chapter 576: Unrivaled Dominance (1)

The blade flashed as a small tracking chip was extracted from the flesh. Ye Liuying’s expression didn’t change as she removed the tiny trackers embedded in her thigh, left shoulder, abdomen, and heel.

She then bandaged her wounds. They could see the pursuit of the rebels outside through the modified surveillance screen inside the cargo box. It also displayed the blockades ahead. On the screen, the flashing, glaring red dots represented the tracking and blockade units.

Ye Liuying glanced at the screen and said, "Turn left at the next intersection, then enter B235 Pedestrian Street."

"This deviates significantly from our original route," Liu Xiao said in surprise. "And there are too many civilians on the pedestrian street. If there's a firefight, it could lead to innocent casualties..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yan Chiyu had already issued the command to adjust their route. They would follow Ye Liuying's suggestion.

She glanced at Liu Xiao and explained, "It’s 5:57 p.m. right now. If we enter the pedestrian street after 6:00 p.m. but before 6:10 p.m., it will coincide with the street’s lockdown for cleaning."

Liu Xiao suddenly understood. He curiously glanced at Ye Liuying.

Why did she know Lanfu Base City so well?

"After crossing B235 Pedestrian Street, proceed to the F78 underground abandoned well. Use a gravity cannon to blast through the six stone walls along the way... Have your people evacuate from Lily Tower and head to Taigu District. Deploy the gravity minefield for indiscriminate damage."

"You do have gravity mines, don't you?"

as she finished speaking, Ye Liuying cast a glance at Yan Chiyu. The two stunning women exchanged glances.

The latter nodded and said, "It can be done."

Ye Liuying added, "Have them use a mechanical timer. Detonate thirty seconds after evacuation, and then head straight for the southeastern C99 gate. No need to breach the gate—just wait at the charging station five hundred meters from C99."

Yan Chiyu asked, "So, are we leaving Lanfu Base City through the C99 gate?"

Ye Liuying did not respond.

Moments later, the heavy cargo truck began altering its route. After several sharp turns, they successfully shook off most of the pursuing forces. The truck entered the F78 underground abandoned well.

Boom!

A deafening roar echoed as the gravity cannon blasted through the concrete wall sealing the well’s entrance. The heavy truck rumbled forward.

Ye Liuying remained silent as she took over the truck’s operating system. Her slender, fair fingers danced across the keyboard, leaving fleeting afterimages with each precise keystroke.

The truck's speed surged, narrowly navigating through every intersection in the maze-like mining tunnels. The F78 abandoned well was a deep and labyrinthine pit, originally carved out for extracting star-patterned ore during Lanfu Base City’s early days.

It had been abandoned for nearly a century and had been forgotten by most. Yet, Ye Liuying seemed intimately familiar with it. Her control of the truck was nothing short of a masterpiece. Each turn and drift was executed with flawless precision.

She launched heat fog grenades in quick succession. The crimson smoke, radiating intense heat, spread rapidly, cloaking the various tunnels. As a result, the enemy's thermal tracking systems were rendered useless.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of continuous explosions echoed through the tunnels. Flames erupted from the rear passages. The pursuers, in their desperation to maintain their speed, had recklessly accelerated. However, their power armor and aircraft had spiraled out of control and crashed into the stone walls with deafening explosions.

After about ten minutes, the pursuers were no longer in sight. It was clear that the labyrinth-like paths of the F78 abandoned well, combined with Ye Liuying’s godlike maneuvering, had completely left the enemy behind.

Yan Chiyu, Liu Xiao, and Nan Tianxing exchanged glances, a newfound respect evident on their faces. She truly lived up to the title of the Goddess. To think she could devise such a brilliant escape strategy on the fly.

Just as they thought the next step was to accelerate out of the mine and head toward the C99 gate for their breakout, Ye Liuying suddenly brought the truck to a halt.

“Get out,” she commanded, opening the truck's rear door.

“What?”

Everyone froze in surprise.

Ye Liuying unfastened her seatbelt and repeated firmly, “Get out immediately. We only have twenty seconds.”

The group donned their gear and stepped out of the truck. The heavy truck shifted into autonomous driving mode, roared to life, and sped off, disappearing down the tunnel's far end.

Yan Chiyu was stunned. She realized that while Ye Liuying had been navigating at high speed without a mapped route, she had also programmed a subsequent unmanned driving path.

Is this even a feat a human could accomplish? What kind of reaction speed and mental processing power does that require?

“Activate thermal interference. We’re heading back,” Ye Liuying ordered, activating a temperature-regulating device on the shoulder of her combat suit.

The others followed suit. They quickly followed Ye Liuying through another path, a rocky crevice likely formed by an earthquake, and began retracing their steps.

About five minutes later, they peered through the narrow gaps in the rock and saw the swarm of power-armor pursuit troops rushing into the depths of the abandoned well.

Moments later, a tremor shook the ground as the gravity minefield detonated. Even from a hundred meters underground, the seismic activity was palpable.

𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

The Taigu District was Lanfu Base City’s affluent area. More specifically, it was the exclusive residential zone of the Xie family. Detonating the gravity minefield on the outskirts of Taigu District was enough to send all the major factions in the city scrambling to respond to the crisis.

Ye Liuying led the group through the rocky crevices until they resurfaced less than twenty minutes later. They made some minor modifications to their gear and arrived at the B235 district.

Since it had just completed cleaning, the famous pedestrian shopping street of Lanfu Base City was now bustling with life. Crowds surged through, and the area was thriving once again. Despite their ruthless massacres and plundering across other base cities, the Xie family rebels seemed to manage their home city with care. Everything appeared unchanged from the past.

"Send someone to inform your people that they can evacuate through the C99 gate," Ye Liuying instructed.

By now, Yan Chiyu and the others had developed an unwavering trust and admiration for the Goddess of Liuhe, Ye Liuying. An initially rushed rescue mission, fraught with risky retreat plans and high chances of failure, had turned into a smooth escape under Ye Liuying’s command. The group had effortlessly eluded their pursuers and emerged unscathed from a perilous operation.

At that moment, the advertising screens and hovering projection panels on both sides of the pedestrian street suddenly switched to a breaking news alert. Images of Ye Liuying and Yu Youyu began playing in a continuous loop.

"Breaking news: Two extremely dangerous high-profile convicts have escaped..."

"Report hotline..."

"Contact email..."

"Anyone providing leads will receive a substantial reward from the City Leader’s Office, the Starry Sky Hotel, and the Xie family..."

The bounty announcement was repeatedly broadcast. However, Ye Liuying and her group had already completed their disguises. Their appearances and clothing had been entirely altered.

Even as pedestrians passed by them on the bustling street, no one could connect them to the fugitives displayed on the screens.

"I'm a bit hungry. Let's order some food first," Ye Liuying said casually.

The group entered a small restaurant and sat down to eat. Since her cultivation was crippled and her inner qi scattered, Ye Liuying found herself easily fatigued after even moderate physical exertion. Hunger followed quickly.

As they ate, the bounty announcements on the news screens were updated. Yan Chiyu, Liu Xiao, and Nan Tianxing were now added to the wanted list. Their hearts sank.

So fast?

The Xie family’s intelligence network was terrifying. They had taken less than half an hour to uncover and broadcast all their identities. Trouble was undoubtedly on the horizon.

"Your people are likely already captured," Ye Liuying remarked, her gaze shifting away from the news screen. "It’s most likely the work of agents from the Realm of Traces. I suggest you cease all contact and avoid returning to your previous safe locations for now."

Yan Chiyu and the others grew visibly tense. Concern for their comrades weighed heavily on their minds. If the Realm of Traces had truly intervened, nowhere would be safe anymore.

It might have seemed like Li Xiaofei had easily dealt with the agents of the Realm of Traces in Liuhe Base City before, but that was only due to his overwhelming strength.

For most martial experts, encountering agents from the Realm of Traces usually meant certain capture. The Star Council stood lofty and untouchable while the Inquisition was ruthless and brutal.

Members of the Realm of Traces were masters of absolute tracking and investigation techniques. In some cases, they even wielded inexplicable supernatural abilities beyond the reach of science.

The mention of the Realm of Traces was enough to weigh heavily on the hearts of Yan Chiyu and the others. After all, they were merely university students who hadn’t even graduated yet.

The group began silently pondering their next steps. The best option would be to leave Lanfu Base City entirely. This city was the stronghold of the Xie family, and staying here meant inevitable exposure during a search.

But if they left Lanfu Base City, where could they go? The northwestern region of Great Xia had already fallen entirely under the Xie family’s control. Even if they hid in the wilderness, how long could they truly remain undetected? A deep sense of sorrow and uncertainty settled in their hearts.