Chapter 1 The Winding Tunnel

The passage twisted and turned, and after crouching for a while, the way ahead suddenly opened up.

Before them was a spacious underground tunnel. The exit of this hidden passage was at the top of the underground tunnel wall, about five meters above the ground.

The air was filled with dust and the smell of mildew, desolate and abandoned. Large patches of cobwebs hung on the walls. The main entrance to the underground tunnel was locked and had not been used for many years.

Hela jumped down with Aurora in her arms, raising a cloud of dust. Han Xiao also flipped and landed.

"This is an early underground tunnel. It was abandoned after the headquarters expanded and hasn't been maintained since. I dug a secret passage through the ventilation ducts to get here. The gates and cameras are gone, and the rails are broken. We have to walk out. The exit is a ground-level secret door on the edge of the headquarters base complex. The entire tunnel journey will take about four hours."

Han Xiao glanced back at the entrance. "Won't they chase us?"

"No one knows we're here, but it's best not to be careless." Hela carried Aurora on her back and strode forward.

Han Xiao followed, walking side by side. He casually threw out a few trigger-activated small landmines. If anyone followed, they could collapse the tunnel.

The three moved forward in silence.

The situation had been tense earlier, so there hadn't been time to delve into many things. Now that she had some free time, more doubts surfaced in Hela's mind, and she frequently looked at Han Xiao.

Hela had some questions to ask, but accustomed to her cold personality, she pursed her red lips and remained silent.

Aurora lay on Hela's back, burying her head in her older sister's dark red hair, inhaling her scent, her expression full of comfort and peace of mind. She timidly stared at Han Xiao sideways.

Han Xiao raised an eyebrow. "Hey, kid, why are you staring at me?"

Aurora whispered, "Don't you have a name, or are you just called Number Zero?"

Hela perked up her ears.

"Han Xiao, that's my name."

"My sister said you were brainwashed. She never knew how you escaped."

Han Xiao put on a mystical air and said meaningfully, "Everything is predetermined."

Hela secretly rolled her eyes.

"My sister said you're only in your twenties, but you look so old."

Han Xiao's face stiffened. *I'm wearing a disguise, you little brat. No sense of subtlety at all.*

Turning his gaze away, he saw Hela remaining silent. Han Xiao became interested in teasing her and smiled. "Don't you have anything to say to me?"

Hela adjusted Aurora on her back and said coldly, "Thanks."

"Your tone is too insincere." Han Xiao casually tossed a few bullets in his hand. "I came all this way to save your sister, risking my life in the heart of the enemy. If not tears of gratitude and offering yourself, at least be a little more polite."

Hela turned her head and frowned. "How did you find out about my sister, and what are your intentions?"

Now that the conversation had started, she might as well ask. She didn't believe Han Xiao's motive was purely to save people. He must have another purpose… She was right, but she couldn't guess that Han Xiao's target was her.

"Sounds like an interrogation. I'm your benefactor and teammate right now." Han Xiao raised an eyebrow and teased, "You need to be more polite when asking questions."

Hela hadn't adapted to the shift in their relationship. She remained silent for a while and realized that she still couldn't say the word "please." She said stiffly, "Tell me."

"What, do you suspect that I, like Germination, will control your sister to your disadvantage?" Han Xiao chuckled. "Maybe I'll give it a try."

Most things that are said aloud are not true. Hela relaxed a little and said expressionlessly, "What do you want?"

"I want world peace."

Hela gritted her teeth. After asking for so long, Han Xiao was just spouting nonsense and hadn't said anything substantive. She simply stopped talking.

Aurora asked curiously, "My sister told me your story. She said you're very powerful… Are those things true?"

*Oh, Hela actually praised me behind my back.*

Han Xiao turned to look. Hela didn't react at all, still wearing a cold expression, looking straight ahead without glancing at him. However, silence means agreement, as the saying goes.

"Of course, they are true."

"What did you experience after you escaped…" Aurora was very interested in Han Xiao. When she was imprisoned, her sister told her stories during their limited time together to let her know about the outside world, and Number Zero's story was the most memorable.

Han Xiao smiled without saying a word.

Hela thought Han Xiao had some unspeakable secrets. A thought flashed through her mind.

"Although I don't know why Zero… Han Xiao's strength has increased so rapidly, he wasn't that strong when he escaped from the base. After finally gaining freedom, he must have been terrified and worried about being hunted down by the organization, so he could only hide his identity and live in the shadows, avoiding Germination's surveillance, never daring to show himself, only spreading information in secret. Perhaps he's been hiding in some obscure place all along, which is why the organization has never been able to find him."

Seeing that Han Xiao didn't speak, Hela became more convinced that she was right. She had worked for Germination for a long time and knew about the fate of some traitors. Han Xiao must have had a difficult experience hiding and running.

After chatting for a few more sentences, Aurora fell soundly asleep. She was weak and exhausted from the sudden changes. Han Xiao and Hela stopped talking and focused on traveling.

They continued in silence. After about three hours, they reached a collapsed section of the tunnel that was impassable. The secret door exit was above them.

The two stepped onto the rubble. Hela reached out and groped for the wall above her, found a recessed mechanism, and flipped it. Suddenly, a square gap cracked open, dust falling down. The gap was dark and they couldn't see what was outside.

"Let's go up." Hela pushed open the secret door and jumped up.

It was pitch black and silent. After they adjusted, they could see that it was a large supply warehouse with rows of neatly stacked containers. The secret passage exit was in the corner of the warehouse, covered in a layer of dust.

"This warehouse stores less important supplies, and the security is very low. Head south, and you will reach the edge of the headquarters base complex’s alert zone. We'll be safe once we escape the alert zone."

Han Xiao remained noncommittal.

Cerberus had said that the leader had deployed a large number of people to deal with him, with countless troops on standby in positions within a few hundred miles. Although he had successfully escaped from headquarters, he had not yet escaped the encirclement set by the leader. If Cerberus's words were true, it was still too early to be completely safe.

Clenching the equipment bag, Han Xiao thought to himself, "My identity will be exposed sooner or later, so let's just do it here…"

Suddenly, information popped up on the panel.

[Your trigger-activated mine killed a Germination soldier. You gained 1 experience point.]

"The trap I left in the tunnel was triggered. Germination's people will be here soon," Han Xiao said in a deep voice.

Hela's expression tightened. "We need to speed up."

It was night, and the darkness was dim. They woke up Aurora, continued to carry her in the bag, and carefully left the warehouse, avoiding the patrolling soldiers, and headed towards the outer exit.

…

Troops converged at various directions of the headquarters’ ground base complex, and the level of alert had increased several levels. They were fully armed.

A few hours ago, Han Xiao and Hela disappeared from headquarters. The leader immediately issued the highest mobilization order, and all personnel on standby on the periphery began to act. He was convinced that Han Xiao was still in the headquarters area and first reinforced the outer perimeter, forbidding anyone from leaving.

The ambush force on the periphery outnumbered those inside the headquarters by tens or hundreds of times. The leader had initially deployed standby troops stretching hundreds of miles at any cost as a precaution, and now it came in handy.

The original person in charge of the southern position had been urgently replaced. The current commander was Kodel, a level 55 veteran executive. In response to Zero's soaring strength, the leader began to use older executives. Accompanying Kodel were more than a dozen executives, dozens of super soldiers, two or three hundred Esper troops, and thousands of ordinary soldiers.

In the noisy position, Kodel was listening to the leader's orders.

"Headquarters has discovered the direction in which the target escaped and is conducting a thorough search. The target is likely heading in your direction. You have full authority to deploy troops. If any suspicious person appears around the position, you can open fire at any time. I authorize you to directly kill the target. Absolutely do not let him leave the headquarters area!"

"If he dares to come to my position, it's a dead end." Kodel said in a deep voice, "What about Hela and her sister?"

"They betrayed the organization and do not need to be spared. If they get in the way, kill them as well."

The leader's tone was grim. Zero was the number one enemy, and sacrificing Aurora was also an option.