Chapter 684: Shelter

Red Dust Main City.

A convoy of muddy black cars roared through the deserted streets.

Huang Suyue sat in the back seat, her eyes watching the familiar buildings passing by outside the window, her heart filled with mixed feelings... She had returned after all.

The convoy's speed was not slow. It hadn't taken long from the decision to return to arriving back in the city, and fortunately, they were one step ahead and didn't encounter the Sorcery Association that followed, otherwise, they probably wouldn't have been able to enter the city at all.

The towering flames were reflected in the rearview mirror, flickering constantly. The direction of the city gate had turned into a purgatory, with billowing black smoke connecting to the sky.

"Miss, we're back... What do you plan to do next?" Uncle Quan asked, puzzled.

"...Stop the car."

"What? Now?"

"Yes, stop."

The convoy stopped slowly at the intersection. Huang Suyue pushed the door open and stepped out. Carrying her briefcase, her yellow dress fluttering in the wind at the street corner, she ran straight toward several police officers who were evacuating refugees.

At this moment, the officers were shouting something to the many refugees, while pointing in a certain direction:

"See that intersection ahead? Turn there, there's a staircase to an underground shelter. Go there."

"If that shelter is full, go southeast. There's a wine cellar a few dozen meters away, and you can hide underground there too."

"Those silver monsters aren't familiar with the terrain, so they won't find the shelter easily. Once you're inside, you must not make any loud noises, understand?"

"Once you're in, you absolutely cannot come out again! No one can guarantee when those guys will appear on the road. If they see you and find the location of the shelter, they'll kill everyone inside!"

"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Make it quick!!"

“……”

Residents from various towns outside the main city were being orderly evacuated to different locations by the officers, for fear that if they ran too late, they would be attacked by those silver monsters and the whole family would perish.

Several officers were checking the maps in their hands marked with various symbols. Just as they were about to turn back after sending off a group of people, they saw a figure in yellow running toward them.

"What's going on? Why haven't you gone to the shelter yet??"

"Officers, I'm not here to take shelter." Huang Suyue stopped and spoke solemnly. "I am Huang Suyue, chairwoman of the Huang Consortium. I want to buy something from you."

"Huang Consortium?" The officers were stunned, their peripheral vision glancing at the convoy on the side, their expressions puzzled. "What do you want to buy?"

"This."

Huang Suyue pointed to the maps marked with symbols in their hands.

"This isn't for sale." The officer shook his head decisively. "I don't care who you are. This is a special period. Please go to the nearest shelter immediately!"

"No, listen to me. I need this map for another purpose! The Red Dust Main City is too big, and you don't have enough manpower, so..."

"You don't need to worry about the safety of the main city..."

"Give her one."

A deep voice came from afar.

Everyone turned to look and saw Wang Jincheng, covered in wounds, walking over with a weary body. His gaze landed on Huang Suyue. "We have plenty of these maps; we don't lack this one... Miss Huang is a well-known philanthropist in the main city. I believe she won't do anything detrimental to the main city."

"Director Wang??" Seeing who it was, the officers immediately stood straight.

"Director Wang... long time no see." Huang Suyue studied Wang Jincheng. "How did you get so badly hurt?"

"Had a fight with a guy from the Sorcery Association, almost died... but it's not a big problem." Wang Jincheng took a map from an officer and handed it to Huang Suyue. "I heard you left the city, but you came back?"

"Yes, I want to do something for the Red Dust."

Huang Suyue took the map, a faint light flickering in her eyes. She immediately opened the small briefcase in her hand. "How much for this map?"

"No need."

Wang Jincheng waved his hand indifferently. Then, as if remembering something, he squinted at Huang Suyue. "However, next time you run into Six of Hearts, remember to give him a message for me... The matter of him playing me for a fool isn't over."

Huang Suyue was stunned for a moment, then bowed deeply to Wang Jincheng with the map in her hands and ran quickly toward the convoy.

Clang—

The car door closed.

"Miss, what are you..." Uncle Quan looked at the map in Huang Suyue's hand and asked blankly.

Huang Suyue didn't have time to explain to Uncle Quan. The short run had left sweat on the tip of her nose. She looked at the map in her hand earnestly, her eyes flashing with brilliance, not knowing what she was thinking.

"Uncle Quan, let's go."

"Where to this time?"

Huang Suyue put down the map and spoke word by word:

"Dinglu Consortium."

……

Dinglu Consortium, underground.

In the dim light, intricate roads intertwined like a magnificent underground palace. At this moment, in the central area of the underground palace, dozens of figures were gathered together, silent.

A marble round table was placed in the center, with three luxuriously dressed figures sitting on three sides. The incandescent lamp overhead flickered with the tremors of the earth, making their shadows on the ground sway unsteadily.

Lu Yuanzheng, Chairman of the Dinglu Consortium; Pang Shan, Chairman of the Paradise Consortium; and Su Xiaohong, Chairwoman of the Whale Shark Consortium.

Behind the three were numerous bodyguards with great oppressive force, like an unbreakable city wall surrounding them. Further out were countless shelves.

These shelves were almost filled with reserve supplies, including canned food, compressed biscuits, and other long-term reserve rations, as well as bread, fruit, rice, and flour for short-term improvement. At this moment, a plate of crystal-clear grapes was placed on the marble round table for the three to enjoy.

"How is the situation outside?" Su Xiaohong looked back.

A bodyguard walked up quickly and said softly:

"Just received news that those people from the Sorcery Association have fought their way to the east city gate... The people from the Floating Life Painting are still resisting desperately, but the situation doesn't look good... I heard a batch of silver monsters has entered the city."

"Silver monsters?" Pang Shan was shocked. "Are they very powerful?"

"They have combat power roughly equivalent to Second or Third Rank, and they all rely on vision to lock onto enemies. They shouldn't be a threat to the underground shelter in the short term."

Pang Shan breathed a sigh of relief. He looked back at his bodyguards, who were on average Third or Fourth Rank, and his heart felt more at ease... He leaned back in his chair and popped a grape into his mouth.

"Fortunately, we are safe."

"Isn't your safety brought about by our Dinglu Consortium?" Lu Yuanzheng snorted coldly, his face a bit gloomy. "If I hadn't taken you in, I'm afraid you'd be like those commoners, squeezed into public shelters... or exposed on the surface, potentially being wiped out by the Sorcery Association at any time."