Bai Ye licked his lips, looking at the crystalline figures, feeling a bit troublesome.
If Bai Ye were alone, it would be easy; he could just charge through. But the problem was that charging through alone wouldn't help. He needed to cover everyone else's entry into Laboratory Number Three.
Moreover, it wasn't just about charging; it was also about protection.
Allen, Davis, and Gonzalez were decent enough. Ji Ruyue's combat ability was limited to picking up a gun and shooting, and her marksmanship was average.
Of course, this wasn't the most troublesome part; they didn't lack Ji Ruyue's firepower. The troublesome part was that Ji Ruyue was a fragile target, requiring careful protection.
Bai Ye took a deep breath, preparing to unleash a fierce assault to see if he could carve a path.
Just then…
*Bang!*
A gunshot suddenly rang out!
The next instant, the head of a crystalline figure exploded, pierced by a single shot, creating a large hole before it fell to its side.
Bai Ye's eyebrows shot up as he looked towards a tall building in the distance.
"Yimi?"
Bai Ye muttered, his brow furrowed as he pondered the man's intentions.
Bai Ye had never been clear about Yimi's stance. The man had killed Li Chengjie, which suggested he was on their side, or at least likely to share their stance.
However, when Bai Ye had clashed with Yimi, he had attempted to make contact, but Yimi had refused.
If they truly shared the same stance, Bai Ye felt there was no reason for Yimi to refuse an opportunity to cooperate.
Given the natural alliance of shared stances or the strength Bai Ye had displayed, it shouldn't have led to such a rejection.
Therefore, Yimi was still likely to be an antagonist.
Yet, he had just killed a crystalline figure, clearly helping to clear a path.
"What is this guy doing?"
Bai Ye's head ached.
He was confident in his ability to handle the hidden quests and restricted zones of the Ruined City.
After all, Bai Ye had visited the Ruined City in his previous life and successfully completed the hidden quest, earning the qualification to initiate the Wish Quest.
But now, Yimi's appearance was a clear x-factor, making things less straightforward.
However…
While Bai Ye's thoughts raced, he immediately leaped forward, his Thunderclap and Violet Lightning slashing down.
Regardless of Yimi's intentions, their current goal was the same: getting Allen and the others into Laboratory Number Three.
*Zzzt!*
A bolt of electricity flashed and struck forward. Immediately, Bai Ye severed the arm of a crystalline figure, then followed up with a punch to its chest.
*Crack!*
As the current surged, the crystal in the crystalline figure's chest shattered, and the entire being disintegrated.
As the surrounding crystalline figures closed in on Bai Ye again…
*Bang!*
Yimi fired again, and another crystalline figure's head exploded.
At the same time…
A massive red magic circle suddenly appeared ahead, and a fiery crimson dragon emerged from its center, soaring forward.
Magic…
Bai Ye narrowed his eyes. As expected, there were two people with Yimi. Yimi himself didn't possess magic area abilities; the one skilled in magic was someone else.
No, Bai Ye thought he should make a more accurate judgment. There were at least two of them.
Typically, a two-person team would adopt a strategy of one being overt and the other covert. Now that Yimi and the magic-user had revealed themselves, it was possible there was a third person hidden.
It was even possible that Yimi had a small team.
Meanwhile…
Allen approached Bai Ye, his expression a mixture of confusion and wariness. "Isn't this the person who attacked us in the abandoned factory?"
Bai Ye nodded. "Mmm!"
Allen frowned. "What do they want?"
Bai Ye replied, "I don't know what they want. However, compared to being surrounded by those robots and crystalline figures, the situation is clearly worse. So, whatever they intend, at least for now, they can help us reach Laboratory Number Three faster."
Allen pondered for a moment, finding Bai Ye's words reasonable. He immediately waved to the others, "Let's move forward!"
The fire dragon charged ahead, igniting the surroundings in flames. Robots on the street exploded, and the crystalline figures' bodies cracked under the impact of the explosions.
Bai Ye pressed forward, his twin swords continuously slashing, cutting down the disintegrating crystalline figures.
Allen, while firing, asked Gonzalez, "Where is Laboratory Number Three?"
Gonzalez replied, "Follow this street forward; there's a white domed building. That's Laboratory Number Three."
Davis remarked, "Given the current situation, Rhein Company is almost certainly up to something. And they're building a laboratory so openly?"
"I don't know if they're building it openly," Gonzalez shrugged, firing his weapon. "But they're openly recruiting artificial humans for experiments, what's stopping them from being open about their labs?"
Ji Ruyue sneered, "Hmph, the affluent district is Rhein Company's territory, of course, they have no qualms. They find experimental subjects from the slums, they don't consider people outside that wall as human!"
The others shrugged.
Being artificial humans living in the slums, none of them liked Rhein Company. But life was often difficult; who could blame them when Rhein Company controlled so many resources beneath the wasteland?
Gonzalez also disliked Rhein Company, but when they offered to recruit experimental subjects, he was tempted.
It wasn't that Gonzalez lacked backbone, but rather that the offer was too generous.
With the addition of Yimi and his companion, the pace of their advance finally picked up.
Initially, Bai Ye had to choose between providing protection or leading the charge. Even with the constant teleportation of the Thunder-Thunder Fruit, he struggled to cover both.
Now, he didn't have that worry. Bai Ye focused solely on charging.
Of course, Bai Ye did suspect Yimi might have ulterior motives.
For example, using this "alliance" to make him lower his guard, with the real target being someone in their group.
But despite his thoughts, Bai Ye made no move.
Or rather, if Yimi truly intended something like that, it would serve as a test for Bai Ye.
Let Yimi kill one person. As long as Allen survived, at worst, the completion rate of the hidden quest would decrease, but Bai Ye could definitively determine Yimi's stance, and whether his mission was a two-way mission, an overlapping mission, or an opposing mission.
Just then, the domed building Gonzalez had mentioned finally appeared before them. As it was a newly constructed building, it was exceptionally conspicuous. That was…
Laboratory Number Three!