by <unknown>
"The odds of Cultivators going mentally deranged because their brain overloads are still quite high. Therefore, although the annual charges on the maintenance of the 'brain health database' are somewhat extortionate, a lot of high-level Cultivators who are rich still make appointments in case anything goes wrong!
"For normal patients who are not premium members, do not have a medical record that suggests they have been treated for a long time in the major hospitals in the federation, and do not have the referrals of the local brain doctors, it is hardly possible for them to be transferred to Deep Blue Super Brain Hospital. The hospital does not admit patients who just knock on the door unannounced, either.
"Besides…"
Long Yangjun paused for a moment before saying, "According to the notification I saw on their website, they are running a large-scale upgrade on the medical system inside the hospital over three days. So, it is temporarily closed.
"For the safety of the patients in the hospital, even premium members, patients who are transferred to the hospital from other hospitals, and the family members of the vegetative patients in the hospital are not allowed to enter."
Li Yao immediately widened his eyes. "Temporarily closed over three days?"
"To be more exact, it's yesterday, today, and tomorrow," Long Yangjun said.
Li Yao drank up the soup in his bowl. "The final battle between the Star Glory Federation and the Black Wind Fleet may break out at any moment. Professor Mo Xuan's Tinder Plan will have the first launch tomorrow. Yet, Deep Blue Super Brain Hospital shuts its doors for three days at this exact moment for a system upgrade? There can't be such a coincidence in the world! That place must be my professor's nest! We must find a way to go to District 109!"
Hundred Flowers City, as a metropolis floating in space, was made of hundreds of ball-shaped space towns. Every ball-shaped space station that was dozens of kilometers in diameter was a district. The districts were connected to each other conveniently, but the transportation could be complicated, too.
They were currently in District 7, the central business area that had the densest population in Hundred Flowers City, but District 109 where Deep Blue Super Brain Hospital was located was at the periphery of the city. They could only reach the place after a shift of vacuum buses.
However, the stations of the vacuum buses had extremely strict security measures.
While the two of them were planning a route, they heard the people around them all exclaiming. Looking around, they noticed that all the customers were looking at the news light beam in the corner of the ceiling.
All the news media of Hundred Flowers City were broadcasting the same urgent news.
To cope with the large-scale invasion of the Imperium of True Human Beings, the garrison of Hundred Flowers City, together with the local police and militias, were holding a military drill of an enormous scale, including the procedure of 'air defense'. During the drill, Hundred Flowers City would enter the level-2 alert state. All citizens were instructed not to panic and to stay indoors as much as possible instead of going out on the street. Also, they were asked to avoid the use of vehicles.
The news also stated that the authorities would temporarily close the channels between some districts. The security checks in the major transportation centers and bus stations would be increased, too, to perform more thorough examinations on every passenger. It was all part of the drill. The authorities apologized for the inconvenience caused.
The drill would end in eight hours. Then, everything would be back to normal.
Li Yao and Long Yangjun looked at each other with equally awful expressions.
Wiping their mouths, they stood up and left the restaurant one after the other. Then, they noticed that a lot of soldiers of the federal army were roaming on the street questioning the passersby that they found suspicious.
Mechanical noises were echoing somewhere on the dome, too. Part of the channel from this district to the neighboring area must have been closed.
Although not all the channels that connected the downtown area and the outside world were blocked, the routes that they were free to choose were certainly greatly reduced.
Besides, every major road had been seriously jammed. If then intended to pretend to be ordinary people and reach Deep Blue Super Brain Hospital without alarming anyone, it would take a great deal more time.
Looking at the soldiers who were setting up sentry posts on the street not far away, Long Yangjun remarked, "We're in trouble now."
"I don't think so." Li Yao's eyes were glittering. "Although the time we spend on the road will slightly increase, it may be easier for us to find out the truth about Deep Blue Super Brain Hospital with the help of the federal soldiers!"
"Oh?" Long Yangjun raised her eyebrow. "How so?"
"It's simple. Professor Mo Xuan has perhaps controlled the leadership of the military, the Secret Sword Bureau, and the relevant departments of Hundred Flowers City through various kinds of secret arts, but he cannot control every soldier at the bottom level, can he?
"Those bottom-level soldiers, and even the middle- and low-level officers who are commanding them, are still loyal to the federation and on our side. They are simply misled by a wrong order."
Long Yangjun frowned. "But you can't explain yourself to them or fight them in the downtown area."
"I'm not saying that we are going to fight them in the downtown area, but things will be different in Deep Blue Super Brain Hospital." Li Yao smiled. "If the hospital is really Professor Mo Xuan's nest in which he is carrying out certain clandestine plans, such plans must not be exposed to most people.
"The official site of the hospital says that it is closed for three days. That's the best evidence suggesting that certain 'changes' that must not be seen by outsiders are happening in the hospital.
"Right now, our greatest advantage is that my professor is still expecting us in the Tinder Base and does not know that we are going to Deep Blue Super Brain Hospital!
"If we navigate the fooled soldiers to Deep Blue Super Brain Hospital and check what Professor Mo Xuan is up to exactly together with them, what do you think my dear professor will feel?"
…
Three hours passed.
District 109 of Hundred Flowers City was a most medical district, where a few most famous private hospitals of the federation were established.
In the middle of the beautiful landscape constructed by the Grand Illusionary Land, several delicate towers were standing, but they were just the tip of the iceberg. Buildings of an even larger scale, including the Deep Sustenance Treatment Center that maintained the lives of the vegetative patients, were all hidden 'below the ground', or rather, in the depths of the ball-shaped space station.
This was Deep Blue Super Brain Hospital!
Chapter 1733: Total War! |
Because of the blockades of the federal army, the Secret Sword Bureau, and other departments, and because Li Yao was setting up 'presents' while he was on the way to Deep Blue Super Brain Hospital, it took them three hours before they finally reached the top of another hospital that was five kilometers away from the target.
The hospital had nothing to do with either Professor Mo Xuan or Lei Yuqin. It was not as confidential as Deep Blue Super Brain Hospital and was still open. Therefore, the two of them snuck to the commanding height that they desired more than easily.
Zi! Zi! Zi!
The two of them were wearing penetrative telescopes crafted by Li Yao. Their eyes immediately turned into two green, fluorescent spots.
The telescope was made of nineteen layers of transparent lenses as a piece of high-level magical equipment designed for the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators. Together with the amazing eyesight of the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators, they would be able to clearly see a fly thousands of meters away. After switching to different lens modes, the telescope could even break optical illusions and directly sense the changes of heat and spiritual waves, allowing it to see through what was really behind the su
rface.
The two of them were crouching on a balcony on the top of the building. The optical camouflage cloth that they covered themselves in blended them with the bright gray environment perfectly.
Concentrating their attention, they carefully searched the parts of Deep Blue Super Brain Hospital that were exposed to the ground inch by inch.
The hospital five kilometers away seemed quiet and peaceful. Most of the buildings were hidden in the deeper parts. On the ground that was full of green, vigorous plants, a few gardeners were maintaining the artificial lawn. It seemed to be just another usual day.
However…
"Something's wrong with those people."
Holding his breath, Li Yao kept his hands almost perfectly still, but he was actually adjusting the lens carefully for a better focal length. Captured by his lens, the 'gardeners' were all magnified to the extent that every pore on their bodies were clearly visible.
The gardeners were too strong.
No. They were not strong because they had a lot of muscles. The Star Glory Federation had always attached great importance to fighting. Training facilities and strengthening drugs were popular nowadays, too. Even the most common workers were able to build themselves into brawny bears.
However, the bodies of the gardeners that were hidden below the sloppy work suits were in the most perfect inverted triangle. Their muscles were evenly distributed and forceful, and their bones were tough and concrete, like springs and machines that had been filled with strength. Even their veins and nerves were distributed in the most even, smooth, and perfect way!
It was the special body quality that could only be achieved after decades of hard training, when the internal organs and the limbs were repeatedly cleansed and nurtured by the spiritual energy. With the eyes of a professional, Li Yao could tell that, although they did not release a lot of spiritual waves, those 'gardeners' were likely very strong battle-type Cultivators!
Even if a private hospital did need to require a few tough security guards, did they really have to hire battle-type Cultivators as their gardeners?
Also, when Li Yao observed the gardeners carefully, he felt that they were somewhat weird or even creepy.
Although they were working and communicating normally, with laughter every now and then, their eyes were rigid and lifeless. Undisguisable black fog seemed to be spreading out of their eyes, making them look like…
"Hey. Do you feel that those guys are like a bunch of dead people?" Long Yangjun asked in a low voice.
"Exactly. Although they also breathe, their hearts beat, and their body temperature is no different from normal, I also feel like they are a bunch of dead people who have just crawled out of a grave."
Pondering for a moment, Li Yao frowned. "Or maybe, they are not dead people but puppets. Some sort of weird puppets…"
While they were talking, they sensed a chilly glare at the same time.
On the law five kilometers away, one of the 'gardeners' suddenly put down the mower. Bulging his black and empty eyes, he coldly stared straight in their direction.
With him as the lead, all the other 'gardeners' seemed to be attracted by a certain weird force and raised their heads simultaneously, too, gazing at the building five kilometers away.
It never occurred to Li Yao and Long Yangjun that their senses would be keen enough for them to detect the spying of two Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators so quickly.
"We've been caught," Long Yangjun said. "Those guys must not be underestimated. Are your arrangements all good? They won't go wrong, will they?"
"Absolutely not!" Narrowing his eyes, Li Yao raised his right hand slowly, while the cold and gloomy eyes were still focused on him from five kilometers away. He announced, one word after another, "Don't forget that other than being the Lord of Ventilation Tubes, I am also the legendary Prince of Crystal Bombs!"
Pa!
Li Yao snapped his finger.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The snap of his fingers was like an amazing order. Dozens of ear-splitting explosions echoed in a certain corner near Deep Blue Super Brain Hospital. Bright fireballs burst out and turned from orange fire into smoke that was as dark as ink in the next moment. Extending the limbs and claws, the smoke enshrouded the entire hospital quickly!
For a moment, fire was soaring into the sky, and black smoke was spreading everywhere. Alarms were ringing nonstop. The whole of District 109 and even the few districts nearby all sensed the unprecedented great explosion!
Shua! Shua! Shua! Shua! Shua! Shua!
The illusions of the beautiful landscape around were first riddled with twisted ripples. Then, they became tinted and mottled in different colors. One light beam after another perished, revealing the silver wall of the cabin and the cold truth that they were in fact in the middle of an enormous metal ball.
Li Yao grinned and looked at the result of his sabotage with great satisfaction. "We monitored the situation while we were on our way here. At least three groups are stationed near District 109. They will soon arrive after hearing such violent explosions."
"Look!" Long Yangjun said. "They have given themselves away."
Deep Blue Super Brain Hospital was the focus of the serial explosions.
The bombs that Li Yao adopted were mostly smoke grenades and stun grenades, which might not boast much damage but certainly looked very intimidating. The sound was echoing even to this moment, as if thousands of soldiers were attacking the hospital.
The smoke grenades that he had specifically prepared were added with venomous fog from the Southland of Sorcerers of the Ancient Sages Sector. They consumed the ground part of the hospital and disrupted all the probe magical equipment that could possibly exist on the ground.
Under the unexpected sudden assault, the 'gardeners' all summoned their crystal suits at the earliest chance due to their natural intuition, turning themselves into fully-armed, awesome-looking warriors!
Li Yao analyzed the model of their crystal suits immediately. The crystal suits were all heavy crystal suits developed in the last ten to twenty years, with very professional upgrades and modifications based on their personal features.
Even regular low-level Cultivators could barely afford that, not to mention gardeners!
Besides, two round parts on the green man-made lawn sank abruptly and retreated helically, revealing two dark giant holes.
Countless silver puppets that looked like the Grand Illusionary Soldiers swarmed out like bees and landed near the 'gardeners' after a few giant leaps.
One gardener, plus eight to seven puppets, made a battle unit.
More than twenty battle units controlled every corner of the ground part of Deep Blue Super Brain Hospital.
The establishment of the whole tactical defense system only took less than ten seconds.
"Even the gardeners of your household can't be as tough as them, right?" Long Yangjun asked.
"Exactly."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Long Yangjun said. "This is the place. I've been holding it back for a long time. Let's make it big!"
Shua!
Shua!
Li Yao and Long Yangjun both removed the stealth camouflage cloth and rose up abruptly. Two seemingly ordinary crystal suits immediately covered them without a gap. One on the left and the other on the right, they fell on one of their knees and prepared to run. Then, they sprinted forward!
Boom!
Flames of spiritual energy that resembled a volcanic eruption burst out of their backs and their feet. Although their crystal suits were ordinary with mediocre performance, boosted by the spiritual energy of two Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators, the crystal suits' limits were soon surpassed. The five kilometers was swallowed in no time. The two of them smashed into the garden of Deep Blue Super Brain Hospital like two shooting stars. The few silver puppets that were bold enough to stand in their way were all blown into scrap metal!
The other hundreds of puppets, as well as the twent
y or so Exos who were pretending to be gardeners, lunged at them without a sound.
Zi! Zi! Zi! Zi!
Li Yao straightened his left arm. An ivory ball of light was quickly condensed in the middle of his palm and turned into a dazzling pillar of light in the next moment. It pierced through two battle puppets in the front immediately but was then blocked by the spiritual shield released by the third battle puppet. Li Yao slightly frowned. "Those are no ordinary puppets. Their spiritual shield is very powerful, even with some sort of ability to twist the force field!"
"Those guys are no ordinary gardeners, either!" Long Yangjun's body was twisted into a weird curve before she blinked out of the siege of five puppets in a seemingly impossibly way. Then, her longsword turned into a colorful arc as she pierced at the gap between the skull and the torso of the crystal suit of a 'gardener'. Outside her expectations, the 'gardener' was strong enough to see through the trajectory of Long Yangjun's attack and raise his saber in time, clashing with Long Yangjun's weapon head on!
Although the enemy's saber was shattered after the clash, and he was blown away, Long Yangjun was still slightly dazed.
She was a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator. Although the previous attack was not carried out with the maximum strength of the peak of the Nascent Soul Stage, it was in the beginning level of the Nascent Soul Stage at least. And yet, the enemy was able to resist the attack without getting killed?
"Let me see what you are exactly!" Li Yao sniffed. The bright green fire of spiritual energy around his body was expanding nonstop, pushing him to dash toward where the enemies were densest. The three or four battle puppets on his way were all blown up together with their spiritual shields by him. He flashed to the front of one of the 'gardeners' instantly.
Hu!
Li Yao extended his right hand and opened his fingers. His spiritual energy surged out like torrents and a ferocious beast, completely suppressing the enemy and making it impossible for him to move. Even the crystal suit on the enemy's body was spluttering and breaking apart!