Chapter 7, Fortune or Misfortune

With a loud "bang," a ceiling light fell from the ceiling due to "loose screws," brushing past the body and landing heavily at Wang Lei's feet

Bai Yan endured the pain in her eardrums after the deafening blast, shakily getting up while brushing off some glass shards that had fallen on her. At this moment, the other officers around her also began to stand up. These well-trained police officers, after rising, were either checking their own bodies, busy rescuing the injured in the telecommunications hall, or shouting into their communication devices to call for support

Wang Lei spoke while walking to the outer door of the telecommunications building with his phone in hand. He then leaned against a large pillar to use it as cover. First, he looked up at the ceiling above to confirm whether there were any suspended decorative elements that might "accidentally loosen" and fall. Only after that did he turn his head back to the street and quickly scan the surroundings.

All those who can move freely and appear to be only lightly injured

Subsequently, the dust and flames produced by the explosion obscured everything, and the five individuals disappeared without a trace after the explosion

What happened

Bai Yan, Bai Ye, and the eight surrounding police officers, having received a warning from Wang Lei, promptly dropped to the ground and fortunately escaped this disaster. Aside from some glass shards on their bodies and their eardrums ringing from the deafening explosion, they did not suffer any further injuries

As Wang Lei spoke, he glanced again, and suddenly, he heard a faint cracking sound coming from the ceiling above him. To Wang Lei, this sound was akin to the firing of a starting gun; his leg muscles tensed abruptly, his toes pushed off forcefully, and his body shifted half a meter to the right.

Wang Lei fell silent for a few seconds, turning his head towards the street outside the hall, which was in utter disarray. In the wake of that deafening explosion, the entire road, extending over 300 meters, was upheaved by the blast. The buildings on either side of the road suffered severe damage, and the cars on the street were tossed about like playing cards in the wind due to the explosion. The 300-meter stretch of the explosion site was littered with the injured and the dead, sprawled in all directions. A rough count revealed that the number of injured and deceased within sight alone exceeded one hundred, not to mention the crowds injured by the shockwave and shards of glass within the buildings on either side.

Lin Shenhe, holding a dedicated phone, heard from the microphone news that was as shocking as the scene before his eyes, and even more shocking.

As for the three men and two women with the "four lines" that had previously caught Wang Lei's attention, by the time he regained his composure and stood up to look at the road, more than ten seconds had passed, and the mysterious trio had already "disappeared" from sight

This bastard

What their reaction was during the explosion, Wang Lei did not see. He also does not know what they did in those ten seconds; his attention is no longer here.

The people my eyes behold, apart from those who are "severely injured," those who appear to be intact, or only slightly wounded, all bear lines on their bodies that, like mine, are completely severed

Wang Lei shifted his gaze towards the telecommunications building, regretfully looking at Bai Yan and Bai Ye. He had a very good impression of Bai Yan, but this beautiful female police officer, like her cousin, had now also lost her connection.

In the frame, the tallest man suddenly expanded by one third, becoming even more towering and robust

However, these circumstances are not the reason for Wang Lei's expression to become extremely serious. Having been killed countless times by the 'Grim Reaper' and having witnessed living people 'die in a bloody manner' right before him on multiple occasions, Wang Lei today has long since become numb to 'the deaths of others'.

Wang Lei took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and then picked up the mobile phone that he had been holding onto. At the moment of the explosion, the phone was still in conversation with the mysterious "Director Lin." The communication between both parties did not get interrupted during the explosion, and while he was still holding the phone, he could hear the concerned voice of Director Lin Shenhe coming from the other end.

The splintered glass shards swept across all positions on the ground floor like bullets. After the shockwave, the telecommunications hall was in disarray. Several staff members at the counters were caught off guard, struck directly by the shards, their bodies blown away like fallen leaves, while being pierced by the fragments like hedgehogs, leaving them either dead or severely injured, a scene too horrific to behold

As he spoke, Lin Shenhe shifted his gaze to another dedicated phone in the room, which was already on speakerphone. The conversations of everyone present here were being transmitted through the dedicated line to Zhongnanhai, where the higher-ups, the "big shots," were equally attentive to what was happening here. The events taking place here might even be under simultaneous scrutiny by the senior officials of the United States and France.

We know, we have seen everything through the monitors on the road

On the other end, Director Lin Shenhe also responded to Wang Lei with a serious expression. While speaking, his gaze was not fixed on the video of Wang Lei coming from the telecommunications building, but rather turned to another computer in the office, which was repeatedly playing footage captured half a minute ago at the moment of the explosion, showing the five "multilineers" as recorded by cameras set up on the street.

After scanning the surroundings, Wang Lei's expression became increasingly serious. Bai Yan, noticing her gaze directed at him, observed that he had noticeably furrowed his brows.

Lying on the ground, Bai Ye noticed that from this angle, the serious and solemn Wang Lei was exuding an aura that unconsciously brought her a sense of tranquility. The anger she had felt earlier from his inappropriate advance had also unknowingly diminished significantly at this moment

Wang Lei, who was pinned down by Bai Ye, shook his head and propped himself up with his arms to get up, only to suddenly realize that the sensation in his left hand was remarkably pleasant. It turned out that when he had tackled Bai Ye earlier, one of his hands had pressed against her chest. It was now October, and the autumn heat was still fierce. This area near the South China Sea had high temperatures, and Bai Ye's clothing was not thick. Earlier, in his haste to save her, Wang Lei had inadvertently "grasped" a "great benefit".

If it were not for the previous EMP panic, which reduced the pedestrian density on the road by 70%, the casualties would have been even more severe

Although Bai Ye sometimes seems a bit absent-minded, he is still a sensible person. He understands that Wang Lei did not glare at him intentionally just now out of a sense of embarrassment and anger. However, he realizes that the man who had just saved her life is not focused on her at this moment; instead, he is vigilantly scanning the surroundings with his eyes.

The sound of Wang Lei's relaxed sigh came through the phone. After catching his breath, he brought the topic back to its original point: "On the road, in the cars, the seriously injured individuals, as long as they are not dead, their lines are still intact. However, those who appear to be 'almost unscathed' lucky ones, their lines are all severed! The specific number, just from what I saw, exceeds one hundred..."

Oh!

Although it was merely a brief shot lasting less than half a second, the footage captured by a high-speed camera, when played back frame by frame, clearly conveyed to the authorities: everything was just as the Americans had recently warned, that there exists a "post-human" presence in Xihai City

In slow-motion playback, it is shown that approximately 0.3 seconds before the explosion occurred, the bodies of the five individuals had already initiated protective reactions.

He forced himself to remain calm and asked: "How many people do you estimate?"

"The line is broken, Director Lin! My eyes see not only the people around my body..."

The loud noise startled Lin Shenhe on the opposite side, but fortunately, he saw from the surveillance footage that Wang Lei was safe and sound

Suddenly, the slender woman in the scene conjured an object resembling a magical staff from an online game. Then, the camera captured the moment of the explosion, where the bodies of these five individuals were suddenly enveloped by a visible, light green protective shield.

In the telecommunications building, the floor is covered with shards of broken glass

On the other end of the phone, Lin Shenhe shivered with a chill

Is it all broken?

Hello, is this Director Lin? We have encountered a major incident here

Ah, I have finally escaped today's calamity

Wang Lei, realizing that his hand was "in the wrong place," instinctively squeezed tightly, only to then realize that this action seemed to compound his mistake. Coming to his senses, he withdrew his hand as if he had been electrocuted, and then jumped up from the ground like a rabbit

At this moment, Bai Ye was still stunned into a blank state by the deafening explosion. Even when Wang Lei's "salty pig hand" instinctively pinched him again, he was unaware that he had gained quite an advantage. It was only after Wang Lei stood up that Bai Ye's delayed reflexes finally registered the unusual sensation in his chest.