Chapter 287: Digging a Tunnel

Chapter 287: Digging a Tunnel

Under Ling Feng’s command, the entire ACE Special Forces team and the people from Xu Family Town were mobilized.

Ling Feng, Liang Yue, and Shi Dayong were responsible for launching the attack on the shelter. They noticed that the alternate space didn’t actively affect the human body, so they aimed to forcibly create an opening. Of course, their furious assault was mostly a ruse to confuse Zhang Yi. To make the act more convincing, they even called in a large number of special forces members, who attacked from a distance with various types of firepower. The only thing they didn’t use was high-yield explosives. Otherwise, the assault was fairly intense. If Zhang Yi hadn’t received an inside tip, he might have believed they’d gone mad.

Meanwhile, about 1,500 meters away at the river embankment, special forces members stood by with guns, overseeing the people of Xu Family Town as they started digging. Each of the villagers carried tools, but none of them knew exactly what they were doing. This was part of Ling Feng’s plan—to ensure they didn’t realize they were digging a 1,500-meter tunnel from the start. Otherwise, there would have been unrest. Ling Feng didn’t want to kill people just to make an example. He valued each worker, knowing that most of them would eventually be sent to West Hill Base to work in the Fourth Life Pod.

Since the villagers had no idea what they were doing and saw that the entire town was divided into teams for work, they didn’t feel too miserable about the situation. Professional engineers from the special forces stood by to guide them, teaching them how to dig properly.

In the underground shelter’s third level, Zhang Yi sat on a leather sofa, wearing loose-fitting sportswear. Beside him were women dressed even more casually, in nothing but pajamas. Zhang Yi had already informed them of the enemy’s plans, so upon learning there would be no large-scale attack for now, the women relaxed.

Using the cameras embedded in the wall, Zhang Yi could clearly see Ling Feng and the others furiously attacking the back wall. It was a shooting blind spot, making it impossible for Zhang Yi to counterattack with a sniper rifle. Even so, when Ling Feng punched the wall, all he managed to leave was a shallow mark on the thick, reinforced surface. Shi Dayong’s blows left even fainter marks; although his transformed state was terrifying, his strength was far below Ling Feng’s. As for Liang Yue, she swung her newly acquired Tang sword, leaving a slightly deeper but still very thin scratch. After one slash, she quickly retreated, feigning exhaustion.

Among the team’s captains, Zheng Xuerong wasn’t a strength-type Superhuman, so she simply kept watch and didn’t join the attack. At their current pace, even if they worked nonstop for 24 hours a day, it would take them years to break through.

Zhang Yi, sitting cross-legged on the sofa, watched the screen intently as if enjoying a show. Beside him were Zhou Ke’er and Yang Siyah, both dressed in alluring sleepwear, one on each side of him. They peeled nuts and fed them to him.

“Water,” Zhang Yi said lazily, spitting out a word. Yang Siyah quickly handed him a cup of warm water, while Zhou Ke’er, a step slower, shot her a disgruntled look.

The two women’s competition for his favor made Yang Xinxin and Lu Keran, sitting nearby, feel a bit awkward. Lu Keran scratched her head and broke the silence.

“These Superhumans are really strong! Their power has already surpassed many modern weapons. Are all Superhumans this tough?”

Crunching on some nuts, Zhang Yi replied, “These people are the elite of the elite from West Hill Base. It’s not surprising they’re this powerful.” Then, turning to the women around him, he added, “So you see, the world outside is full of danger, with monsters like them lurking around. We’d better stay here where we have food and drink. Isn’t that a better life?”

The women nodded in agreement. After hearing gunfire and explosions from outside for days, they had been on edge.

Yang Siyah asked curiously, “Zhang Yi, even though we know their plan, we can’t go out. How will we know how far they’ve dug?”

Zhang Yi smiled and glanced at Yang Xinxin, who was sitting elegantly. “Xinxin, care to explain?”

Yang Xinxin shot her cousin a proud look, lifting her chin slightly. “Sound travels faster through solids than air. Since they’re digging underground, we can detect the vibrations more clearly.”

“As long as we have a receiver, I can analyze their progress with my computer,” she said, taking a sip of coffee. “It’s a simple trick.”

Yang Siyah nodded in understanding. “So basically, we don’t need to do anything? We just wait?”

Zhang Yi nodded. “Yes, essentially, there’s nothing for us to do. What they’re doing is a complete waste of time.”

“We’ll just conserve our strength and watch them waste time—and lives.”

It wasn’t that Zhang Yi didn’t want to act; it was just that being on defense meant waiting for the enemy to make the first mistake before responding. This was the wisest strategy. All he needed to do was stay vigilant and not miss any suspicious movement. After all, he couldn’t completely rule out the possibility that Liang Yue was a double agent.

The first day passed peacefully. To keep up appearances, Zhang Yi showed his face, fired a few sniper shots, and quickly retreated back to the basement, where he passed the time playing cards with the women.

After a few days of practice, the women’s card skills had improved enough to make a decent game, especially Yang Xinxin, whose sharp mind and near-photographic memory made her the best card player in the shelter. They made their games more interesting by adding forfeits instead of betting money—losers had to perform tricks or share embarrassing stories.

While Zhang Yi’s group enjoyed their quiet life, the people outside had it much harder. Even the soldiers from West Hill Base couldn’t endure the conditions forever. Despite their specialized suits with excellent cold resistance, the extreme cold couldn’t be ignored. Regular soldiers had to rotate out after two-hour shifts to warm up indoors, while Superhumans like Ling Feng found a corner and built an igloo.

The igloo was built by Zheng Xuerong, whose ability differed from Fatty Xu’s. She could condense water molecules from the air to create ice structures, even without snow or ice in the environment. Though their powers were similar, they had key differences. Fatty Xu’s ability was more terrain-dependent, only usable in icy areas, but his range was much larger. Since he used local materials, his energy consumption was lower. In contrast, Zheng Xuerong could create ice anywhere but at a higher energy cost. Her igloo, however, was sturdier and could even withstand small artillery fire if needed.

Inside the igloo, the group gathered around a fire, warming up before resuming their harassment of Zhang Yi. After a full day, they had only left shallow marks on the outer wall, with no real progress. Yet, Ling Feng remained patient. While roasting preserved pork from Xu Family Town over the fire, he started telling stories from his days as a soldier in Xichuan.

When not fighting, Ling Feng seemed like a modest, approachable man. He wasn’t tall and didn’t appear to be a ruthless special forces captain, but beneath his unassuming appearance was the heart of a pure soldier.

“When I first joined the army, the company commander taught us an important lesson. He said, ‘A good soldier doesn’t need his own thoughts.’”

“Of course, he didn’t mean combat strategies, but strategic-level thinking. In war, the worst thing is letting personal will override collective purpose. Even if you know something is wrong, everyone has to move in the same direction to win. If everyone follows their own ideas, it’s over.”

As Ling Feng said this, he glanced at Liang Yue with a smile. “Internal division is always the most lethal for any organization.”

Liang Yue tossed a piece of wood into the fire. “But if we keep doing the wrong thing, isn’t that worse? You know the saying about pulling in the wrong direction, right?” she said, alluding to Ling Feng’s disregard for the villagers’ lives as he forced them to dig the tunnel.

Ling Feng traced a circle with his hand and joked, “Don’t forget, the world is round. Even if we head in the wrong direction, we’ll eventually come back around.”

After his sly remark, he grew serious. “But if the group loses its unity, even if we find the right direction, we won’t succeed.”

“We’ve tried too many things already. We can’t afford another failure.”

Ling Feng didn’t need to explain himself to Liang Yue, just as he didn’t owe any explanation to Zheng Xuerong or Shi Dayong. Yet, he showed Liang Yue extra patience because she wasn’t a career soldier, and her abilities were exceptional. He wanted her to respect and trust him, making future management easier.

Liang Yue remained silent for a long time before looking at Ling Feng with a playful smile. “So, do you think we’ll succeed this time? If we fail, and many people die from exhaustion and frostbite, who will take responsibility?”

The atmosphere inside the igloo turned heavy. Ling Feng lowered his head in thought for a moment before saying quietly, “I will.”

Then he lifted his head and smiled brightly. “I’ll remember those who died and live well enough for all of them.”

Author's Note