Chapter 47 - 43: Side Quest

Chapter 47: Chapter 43: Side Quest

The "enemy" in the task requirements didn’t necessarily refer to Lucia’s nemesis, Adeline; it could also refer to the Guard Team’s enemy, the Rebel Army. Adeline’s momentary frown just now—did she receive the same event?

Just then, an eerie, blood-red luminescence flashed across the surface of the sea. It swept across the entire coast, as fast as a silent bolt of lightning.

A sharp ringing exploded in Yin Zhen’s head. She grimaced in pain, turning her head as the woman’s delirious ravings echoed in her ears once more.

The Mutants on the shore halted in unison, as if someone had hit a pause button. A second later, they all turned their heads and roared toward the coast. Directional and purposeful, as if they had received an order, they charged forward faster and madder than before.

At the same time, all electronic devices died simultaneously. The kinetic energy cannons fell silent, and the mechas froze. Only the harsh crackle of static remained in the comms channels; even the anti-jamming devices had failed. Soldiers equipped with cybernetic prosthetics suddenly dropped to their knees in droves. Someone yelled that his arm wasn’t responding, another screamed about his legs, and others simply collapsed to the ground, unable to get back up.

"EMP?" someone shouted.

"It was that light just now!"

As the glow vanished, the entire surface of the sea surged upward, as if scooped from below. A massive tsunami that blotted out the sky crashed down toward the coastline.

The commander’s voice blared over the loudspeakers: "All experimental subjects, hold the defense line to the death! Everyone else, retreat!"

White Phosphorus’s face paled drastically. She grabbed Yin Zhen’s arm. "Captain, let’s go!"

Yin Zhen didn’t move. She stared at the experimental subjects on the coastline. They stood in a row at the very front of the defense line—no cybernetics, no mechas, only bulletproof vests and sidearms. Behind them, the elite soldiers of the Guard Team were retreating, supporting their officers whose prosthetics had failed, fleeing inland without a single backward glance.

The experimental subjects couldn’t retreat. Their loyalty protocols dictated that orders were paramount! In this Red Corpse World where biotechnology was highly advanced, the cost of manufacturing experimental subjects was far cheaper than tech-based Weapons. Naturally, experimental subjects became expendable commodities to be sacrificed first.

The first wave of Mutants surged forward. The experimental subjects opened fire, mowing down a large swath of them, but more immediately rushed in to fill the gap. One experimental subject was ensnared by tentacles, dragged into the horde of Mutants, and torn apart. Another had his neck bitten in half; blood sprayed into the air before he was trampled into the sand by the advancing beasts.

Watching the experimental subjects, Yin Zhen remembered when she had first crawled out of a culture vat. Designation S717, an asset of the Saint Group. Obeying orders was the only correct choice. If she hadn’t been chosen by Lucia, she would be standing there right now, wearing the same gray Combat Uniform, gripping the same standard-issue pistol, waiting to be torn apart, devoured, and trampled into the sand.

The tsunami was drawing closer. White Phosphorus tugged at her again. "Captain! Hurry!"

Yin Zhen turned around. Without hesitation, she joined the retreating tide of people fleeing inland. Adeline was running too, her white and Golden hair whipping in the wind. She was running even faster than Yin Zhen.

They possessed the compassion of normal human beings, but neither of them were the type to throw their lives away for others. To the Guard Team, the lives of the experimental subjects meant nothing. And to the invasion game, their lives meant nothing either!

A wall of water dozens of meters high—carrying frenzied Mutants, straggling experimental subjects, and dead mechas and turrets—crashed down mercilessly.

Yin Zhen cast one last glance back. The coastline was gone, the command post was gone, and the experimental subjects were gone.

The moment the water wall came crashing down, Yin Zhen leaped into a hovercar. Surprisingly, Adeline used Shadow Instant Teleportation to board her vehicle as well, looking poised and graceful.

Yin Zhen glared at her, but Adeline merely offered a breezy smile. "Don’t be so stingy, old friend!"

Before the doors were even fully closed, White Phosphorus slammed the accelerator to the floor. The hovercar blasted away, practically scraping against the wall of water. In the rearview mirror, the entire coastline was swallowed by black seawater, and that β-type Biomass Aggregation was rising from the depths. It was taller and closer than before. The luminescence across its body resembled countless eyes, all staring in the direction of Night City. Or, to be more precise, in the direction of the Saint Group tower.

After a bout of chaos, the command center temporarily relocated to a building on the outskirts of the West District. When Yin Zhen and Adeline walked in one after the other, the place was already a chaotic mess. Signalers were shouting, staff officers were slamming tables, and several bloodied officers were arguing over something.

Seeing the two of them, the commander paused for a moment before hurrying over. "Inspector General, Captain, the situation is extremely grim! We don’t know what provoked them, but the Fallen Species in the West District have all crawled out of the sewers and are attacking civilians everywhere. Our brothers over there are barely holding on."

White Phosphorus couldn’t help but ask, "Is it because of the β-type Biomass Aggregation?"

Yin Zhen scoffed. "Obviously. That thing is behind all this!"

Adeline rested her chin in her hand. "This kind of situation has never occurred before. Could there be something inside the β-type Biomass Aggregation that influences the Fallen Species?" As she spoke, Adeline couldn’t help but look over at Yin Zhen. Their eyes met once more, and then, in unspoken unison, they both rolled their eyes.

White Phosphorus felt so tense she could barely breathe. She wondered why the Tuner hadn’t arrived yet; if he was here, he could draw some of the fire.

Explosions continually echoed from the direction of the West District. The glow of the fires reflected off the sky above Night City, flickering alongside the neon lights. The wind was fierce, carrying the briny scent of seawater and the stench of rotting flesh.

There was no high-tech dome shielding the coastline, and the sun was slowly cresting the horizon. Its rays calmed the Mutants, prompting them to dive back beneath the waves to rest. The Mutants wouldn’t be harmed by the sunlight, but having consumed too much of the Blood Clan’s genetic waste, an instinctive aversion to the sun was ingrained in their very bones.

Yin Zhen pushed past Adeline, who was standing by the table. "I’ll lead a team inside the β-type Biomass Aggregation myself to find out what’s going on, and then I’ll look for a chance to blow it up!"

With the arrow already nocked, she had to let it fly. Yin Zhen had no other choice. This was a Silver Card event, a Slaughter mission, and the "results" she absolutely had to deliver to Victor!