NOVGO.NET Chapter 92 Acid trap
Chapter 92: Chapter 92 Acid trap
A shattering sound erupted from outside again as debris came crashing down more from the roof of the panic room. The supposedly impenetrable walls shook violently under the impact, sending small pieces of material scattering across the floor.
Another nightmare had been killed.
Whoever had created that weapon had truly done an incredible job because its quality was beyond anything Luna had ever seen in this world. It was powerful enough to pierce through the thick skin of those monstrous creatures as though their bodies were nothing more than paper.
It was almost as if the person who designed it had carefully studied the creatures, observed their weaknesses, and created the perfect weapon specifically to kill them.
But there was one eerily familiar detail that Luna couldn’t get out of her mind.
Why the hell did that weapon look so similar to the ones inside her space?
Not the exact shape.
The qualities.
That was what disturbed her.
Her supermarket possessed advanced tools and technology that shouldn’t exist in this era. Some of the equipment was so advanced that humanity wouldn’t naturally develop anything close to it for another two or three hundred years.
Yet somehow, weapons with remarkably similar properties existed here.
Luna’s system had already begun running scans.
Even though the weapon was nowhere near her and the supermarket space remained within her, the system could still analyze what it detected through the cameras and its connection to the surrounding environment.
The results appeared.
And they were exactly what she had feared.
The weapon was elongated, almost resembling an oversized gun, and the deafening sound of its ammunition was powerful enough to resemble an explosion. The bullets tore through the creatures with the same destructive force as some of the weapons she possessed in her space.
Luna’s eyes narrowed.
That wasn’t normal.
There was no way she could simply dismiss this as coincidence.
Someone had technology that shouldn’t exist.
Someone intelligent enough to recreate something similar to the weapons in her space.
And that immediately led Luna to one terrifying possibility.
There was someone else in this world with a cheat code.
Someone extremely intelligent who might have obtained a manual, blueprint, or some kind of advanced knowledge and used it to develop these weapons.
And if that person existed...
They could very well be the same person responsible for the experiments being conducted on awakened humans inside the special facilities at the government safe zone.
Wherever that place was.
Luna’s fingers tightened around her panel.
"Your face looks pale. Is something wrong?"
Rowan’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
He was standing close to her again, watching as she rapidly went through calculations on her system panel. Luna quickly noticed him staring and swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat.
"It’s nothing. Just something I discovered."
She casually waved it off.
Rowan didn’t believe her.
Something capable of making Luna Hart look this unsettled definitely wasn’t ordinary.
"And we don’t need to know?" he asked.
Luna looked at him.
"Wouldn’t it be in our best interest to know what’s bothering you?"
Before Luna could answer, another deafening sound ripped through the sky.
BOOM!
The entire mansion shook.
The force of the shot travelled through the foundation, making the walls tremble while warning signs immediately began appearing across Luna’s system panel.
[WARNING!! WARNING!!]
[Shield integrity compromised.]
[Invisibility mode deactivated.]
Luna’s expression changed.
"What?"
A low mechanical hum followed.
The system’s invisibility barrier disappeared.
And suddenly, the people operating the aircraft outside could see the mansion.
The soldiers inside the aircraft stared down in shock.
For what seemed like an eternity, they had been firing at the creatures around the mountain, believing there was nothing significant occupying the area.
Now, right beneath them, stood a massive mansion.
A mansion that had somehow been hidden from their detection this entire time.
They could see the structure clearly.
They could see the defenses.
And judging from the way the property had been maintained despite everything happening around it, there was no doubt in their minds that people were living inside.
Kai immediately moved closer to the monitor.
"Can anyone read their lips?"
The men on the aircraft were clearly speaking to each other, but the cameras couldn’t capture the audio clearly enough.
Kai narrowed his eyes and tried his best.
Nothing.
He couldn’t make out a single word.
Adrian squinted at the screen.
"They’re speaking too quickly."
Rowan moved closer.
"Nothing."
Ethan shook his head.
"Can’t understand them either."
The most frustrating part was that the soldiers had stopped focusing entirely on the creatures.
Their attention had shifted toward the mansion.
The remaining monsters were still being attacked, but several of the aircraft were now repositioning themselves.
They were preparing to investigate.
Luna’s system displayed the number of people surrounding the property.
Nearly two hundred soldiers.
Possibly more.
Kai’s expression darkened.
"If anyone can read their lips, now would be the perfect time."
Astrid, who had been quietly observing the screen from behind them, finally spoke.
"They’re ordering everyone to move toward the mansion."
Everyone turned.
Astrid continued.
"They’re saying the property is government-owned now and anyone found inside is to be removed and transported to the safe zone."
Ethan stared at him.
"You can understand them?"
Astrid nodded.
"I learned sign language before all this happened. Part of that training involved reading lips. It helped when information couldn’t be communicated verbally."
Kai’s face immediately brightened.
"I told you, Luna!"
He pointed toward Astrid.
"I said we shouldn’t attack him because he might turn out to be useful. Look at him! He’s already helping us."
Luna scoffed.
"My system was already decoding their words."
Kai’s smile dropped.
"You really know how to ruin someone’s moment."
"I wasn’t trying to give you one."
Kai grumbled under his breath.
Luna ignored him and looked around at everyone.
"This is it."
Her tone changed.
The playful edge disappeared completely.
"We know what we’re dealing with now. They’re coming here, and they’re not coming to negotiate."
Everyone became silent.
"Our priority is protecting this place. No matter what happens, we defend the mansion."
Her gaze moved toward Miles.
"And Miles."
The young man hurried over and bowed slightly.
"Yes?"
"When I tell you to monitor the cameras, you monitor everything. The full security system stays active for now."
Miles nodded.
"But once we go outside, turn off the defenses that could affect us. I don’t want our own traps interfering while we’re fighting."
He nodded again.
"When I give you the signal, turn everything back on."
"I understand."
"Good."
Luna immediately turned back toward the others.
Her system was already calculating the cost of everything she had purchased.
The numbers were dropping rapidly.
She had spent an absurd amount on the advanced weapons alone.
Then Luna made one final purchase.
Power-leveling crystals.
Four crystals materialized in her hands.
One for each of her men.
Astrid was deliberately excluded.
Luna pressed the activation button.
The crystals instantly dissolved into their bodies.
The four men cried out.
Their bodies stiffened as the energy surged directly into their cores. Their necks twisted slightly from the intensity while their eyes began glowing with their respective powers.
The air inside the room changed.
Their auras expanded.
The power surrounding them became so dense that even Astrid could feel it pressing against his skin.
After a few seconds, the energy stabilized.
They were ready.
Luna looked toward Astrid.
"I would have given you one too, but I don’t understand how your ability is programmed."
Astrid blinked.
"You mean my power?"
"Whatever."
She folded her arms.
"You awakened an SSS-rank core directly. My men weren’t originally at that level. I had to strengthen their cores myself."
Her gaze sharpened.
"If I feed you a crystal without knowing how your core functions, it might damage you instead."
Astrid remained silent.
Luna shrugged.
"So you’re staying as you are for now. I believe you can still do well."
Astrid stared at her.
That might have been one of the kindest things Luna had ever said to him.
He almost smiled.
Meanwhile, the system deducted the cost of the purchases.
Three hundred million points disappeared from Luna’s balance for the advanced weapons.
Her remaining balance dropped to 598,600,000 points.
Luna stared at the number for a second.
"That hurts."
Kai raised a brow.
"You’re talking about hundreds of millions like you just lost pocket change."
"Do you want to pay me back?"
Kai immediately shut up.
Adrian stepped forward.
"Enough. They’re coming."
He lifted his hands.
A dark portal immediately opened in front of them, its edges twisting with dimensional energy.
Luna looked at everyone.
"Move."
One after another, they entered.
The portal swallowed them.
*****
Outside, the government forces had already begun their assault.
A ladder was lowered from one of the aircraft, dangling toward the mansion’s front porch.
Soldiers began climbing down.
One.
Two.
Five.
Then dozens.
They landed on the porch with their weapons raised, carefully surveying the surroundings.
They immediately noticed the smell.
Rot, Blood and Decomposition.
The remains of the soldiers and awakened who had been massacred earlier were scattered across the area.
Some bodies had been torn apart.
Others were barely recognizable.
Pieces of equipment were broken across the ground.
The soldiers exchanged uneasy looks but continued moving.
They had no idea that they were already standing inside the first layer of Luna’s defense system.
They didn’t know the ground beneath their feet had changed.
They didn’t notice the subtle movement underneath the surface.
A liquid began flowing through hidden channels beneath the porch.
Slowly.
Quietly.
Waiting.
One soldier took another step.
Then another.
Suddenly—
WHOOSH!
A powerful stream erupted from the ground.
The soldiers barely had time to react before the liquid slammed directly into them.
Their screams exploded across the porch.
"AAAAAAAH!"
The substance splashed across their armor and exposed skin.
Almost instantly, the material began melting.
Armor dissolved.
Fabric burned away.
Skin blistered and peeled.
The soldiers stumbled backward in horror, desperately trying to escape the substance as their screams echoed throughout the mountain.
"What the hell is this?!"
"GET BACK!"
"IT’S ACID!"
But it was already too late.
The first defensive stage had been activated.
Luna’s acid traps.
And this was only the beginning.
More hidden mechanisms began activating beneath the mansion.