Chapter 100 - 95: Rescuing the Prisoner

Chapter 100: Chapter 95: Rescuing the Prisoner

Return Day. 9:00 a.m.

The convoy transporting Ian rolled out of Guard Corps Headquarters.

It was a formidable procession — one armored prison transport, six armed off-road vehicles, and two low-altitude armed flyers flanking the column — cutting long black shadows through the neon haze of Night City.

The streets on both sides had already been placed under martial lockdown, a fully armed Guard Team soldier posted every fifty meters.

The lead vehicle’s turret rotated slowly, its searchlight sweeping across the rooftops lining the route, while a swarm of drones wove a seamless net overhead.

Blood Clan residents living nearby whispered among themselves, speculating about who was inside the prison transport. It had been a long time since anyone had seen this level of security for an S-Class criminal.

The members of Nan Jiamu’s squad, embedded within the escort formation, tugged their tactical helmets down and swept their eyes across the surroundings.

Everyone except Ye Se — and Xian Yu, who had been missing and unreachable — had been slipped into the convoy by Adeline.

Trouble sent Nan Jiamu a message on the squad channel.

"Just left the Guard Corps Building. Everything normal so far. Estimated arrival at West Coast Pier in forty minutes."

The edge of the West Coast dome.

Atop an abandoned construction crane, Nan Jiamu had her assembled sniper rifle resting on the railing, stock pressed firmly into her shoulder, the crosshairs in her scope locked steadily onto the only road the convoy could take.

The wind came in and dragged her hair back. Her face was ashen, lips drained of color, dark circles carved deep beneath her eyes.

Ye Se stood behind her, weapon raised and on guard. He had originally planned to return to the Rebel Army that day to gather intelligence, but Nan Jiamu had suddenly collapsed, so he never left.

He’d waited through the entire night. When Nan Jiamu finally came to, Xian Yu still hadn’t come back — and they couldn’t reach him through the forum or the squad chat channel.

Gathering intel and saving people both mattered, but she couldn’t throw Ye Se back into the fire just to go after Xian Yu. Instead, she’d used a divination Item and confirmed that Xian Yu wasn’t in any life-threatening danger.

She had originally been saving that divination Item to read the outcome of today’s operation, but for the sake of her teammate, Nan Jiamu didn’t think it was wasted.

The reason she kept Ye Se by her side was simple: she needed someone there in case a pain episode hit her in the middle of the operation.

Through her scope, Nan Jiamu studied the pale grey road below. Low-rise slum buildings stretched out on either side — no cover, no obstacles, open sight lines for hundreds of meters in every direction.

It was the perfect ambush position. For her, and for Zoe.

Zoe’s Water Extraordinary Ability could draw on the ocean itself — once Ian was free, she could vanish in seconds.

Nan Jiamu couldn’t get close to Zoe. But a bullet could.

...

Inside the prison transport at the center of the convoy.

Adeline sat across from Ian, her Inspector General’s deep-blue uniform crisp and sharp. One leg crossed over the other, she turned a lighter idly between her fingers, her face unreadable — though her eyes never stopped tracking the street outside. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

Victor was supposed to be the one handling the escort today, but the Rebel Army had been acting completely unhinged the past few days — bombing targets left and right, destroying a significant chunk of the company’s critical assets, and even deploying multiple A-level Extraordinary Ability Users to assassinate several Guard Team Squad Leaders.

The council had come down on Victor hard, demanding answers, and he’d had no choice but to personally lead a pursuit team after those A-level Extraordinary Ability Users — leaving Adeline in charge of today’s transfer.

Fugui, Fugui — what the hell are you up to?

Adeline was troubled. She had no idea whether her old partner was going to blow the whole operation. The woman still hadn’t shown up, and all she’d sent back was a single line: *I’ll be there when it counts.*

You tell me you’re an introvert, and now you’re actually going to pull that introvert act on me?!

And then there was Nan Jiamu — who had promised to find a way into the Saint Group’s underground secret laboratory, only to beg off these past few days because her injury hadn’t healed, leaving this Special event completely stalled.

Across from the increasingly irritated Adeline, Ian sat with his back perfectly straight.

He’d been changed into a presentable set of clothes. The bloodstains were gone, and the wounds on his face had been closed by Extraordinary Ability, leaving no trace. The only thing that reminded anyone he wasn’t simply a passenger was the collar locked around his neck — the one that could detonate at any moment.

Ian wasn’t wearing those decorative glasses of his anymore. The emerald of his irises had faded considerably, leaving only a faint wash of green — like the first shoots of grass pushing up in early spring — with the deep brown of a Huaxia person’s eyes showing through underneath. Every time Adeline looked at him, she got an uncomfortable feeling, like she was persecuting one of her own people.

"She’s not coming."

Adeline’s hand paused on the lighter. "What did you say?"

A faint smile pulled at Ian’s lips. "She’s not coming. Your plan isn’t going to work."

Adeline frowned at him. Those faded eyes held no defiance — only calm.

"Worry about yourself first."

Ian gave a quiet laugh. Then, without warning, he switched to Mandarin — pronunciation flawless, every tone precise. "You’re an Invader too, aren’t you?"

Adeline’s pupils contracted sharply. Under the table, her hand closed into a fist.

Ian continued in Mandarin, voice low, words meant only for the two of them.

"Victor has known about everything I’ve been doing for years. He’s been turning a blind eye this whole time. The only reason he’d suddenly arrest me is if someone told the council what I was planning — someone who put him in a position where he couldn’t protect me anymore. The only person who could have done that is Amelia. She’s your leader, isn’t she? And her goal is to kill Zoe."

Adeline’s expression gave nothing away. She was still working out how to respond when — BOOM.

An explosion from the front of the convoy. Close. Close enough to jolt the entire vehicle.

Adeline was on her feet in an instant. Cole’s voice detonated in her head.

"What the hell?! They’re not sticking to the plan — they’re already moving, right next to the Guard Corps Building?!"

Adeline leaned past Ian to look through the rear window. She took in the scene outside and said, low and steady, "She’s here."

Ian spun around to look, his composure cracking for just a moment.

Through the smoke, a woman dropped from a massive billboard on the building alongside the road, her entire body wrapped in a black Combat Uniform, face completely hidden behind a mask — and her hair, a blazing cascade of red, streaming behind her like a banner through the haze.

The moment her feet hit the ground, she drew her weapon and fired on the nearest Guard Team soldier.

Then——

Another woman burst from an alley on the opposite side. Same black Combat Uniform. Same mask. Same red hair.

A third. A fourth. A fifth. Climbing up through manhole covers. Pouring out of buildings along the road. One after another.

Identical outfits. Identical red hair.

They emerged through explosions and gunfire like a meticulously choreographed performance — all spectacle and precision.

"What the hell?!"

Trouble, standing guard outside the prison transport, let out a stunned shout. Everywhere he looked — red hair.

Ian settled back in his seat. The smile that spread across his face wasn’t something he could stop.

"She’s smarter than I gave her credit for."

Those eyes flashed across his mind — dangerous, lethal. His smile deepened. Something warm and strange rose from somewhere in his chest, and it filled him with an almost overwhelming sense of delight.

Nan Jiamu’s squad channel erupted.

[Naming is Too Troublesome]: Captain! There are red-haired women everywhere!! Which one is S704?!

[Signal Not Great]: I took one down. Stranger under the mask.

[I Want to Quit]: Is S704 mixed in with them, or is none of them her?!

[Winter Night Fire]: Watch for Water Extraordinary Ability! I’m almost there!

Nan Jiamu told Ye Se to bring the flyer around. She stowed the sniper rifle into her game inventory in one quick motion and pushed herself to her feet — and then her heart seized with a sharp, wrenching pain.

Her knees buckled. She hit the ground, cold sweat breaking instantly at her temples. She gritted her teeth and tried to stand, but her legs were shaking, her hands were shaking, and the pain — God, it was so much worse than last time.

"Damn it... why now, of all times... am I even... supposed to be the main character?!"

The convoy was trapped at the intersection.

The lead vehicle had been hit and lay on its side in the middle of the road, wheels still spinning.

The armed flyers circled overhead, trying to line up a shot, when a Rebel Army-modified drone screamed down from a rooftop and slammed straight into one of them.

BOOM.

Fire exploded outward. The flyer dropped, smashing into a building on the side of the road. The secondary blast lit up the entire street.

Rebel Army fighters poured in from every direction — trained, disciplined, and relentless.

One shouldered a modified Electromagnetic Cannon and blew the front wheel clean off an armored vehicle. Others took high ground and pinned down Guard Team firing positions.

A handful of Extraordinary Ability Users moved through the chaos alongside them. One of the women — dyed red hair, playing the part of Zoe — drove an arc of electricity through two Guard Team soldiers, leaving them convulsing on the pavement.

A tall, wiry figure slipped through the battle lines like a ghost, casually dropping grenade after grenade as they went.

Several bioroids stayed in the shadows, fingers flying across holographic screens projected from their forearms. The Guard Team’s comms channel filled with shrieking static — orders couldn’t get through, calls for backup couldn’t get out.

The armed drones overhead suddenly went haywire. Searchlights spun wildly. Their autocannons raked the sky at random, spent casings raining down like hail.

But the Guard Team wasn’t entirely without teeth.

Several Squad Leader Level Extraordinary Ability Users jumped from the vehicles. One threw up an Energy Shield, and Rebel Army bullets flattened harmlessly against it.

Another manipulated the asphalt beneath their feet, softening the road surface into a black, sucking bog that swallowed Rebel Army fighters mid-charge.

A group of Squad Leaders with full-body cybernetic modifications moved fast, activating jamming devices they’d prepared in advance. The bioroids’ data intrusion cut out. The armed drones snapped back under command and opened fire on the Rebel Army.

Explosions. Screaming. The whole street was burning.

Red-haired figures darted through the firelight — blow one down, and another appeared, impossible to tell apart.

And at this moment, the real Zoe was already moving with Yin Zhen, heading straight for the Saint Group’s underground secret laboratory.