Chapter 48 - 44: Special Task Force

Chapter 48: Chapter 44: Special Task Force

Two hours later, the command center had everything prepared.

A Diving Suit made of Special materials felt cool and smooth to the touch, like the skin of some deep-sea fish. Its toughness and ductility were excellent, and it could also isolate the Special scent of the Blood Clan so they wouldn’t be recognized by Mutants.

It came with five built-in vials of blood source element. When needed, they could be injected for rapid healing by simply pressing a button on the wrist.

There was also a specially made helmet. The visor had been treated with a dark coating. Since sunlight struck the sea directly during the day, the Blood Clan could not withstand such burning.

The commander personally checked Yin Zhen’s equipment. As he did, he said, "During the day, Mutants will dive back into the seawater to hide, and the reactions of the β-type Biomass Aggregation will become sluggish or even dormant. You must be careful. Absolutely do not expose your skin while on the move; the sunlight on the sea is incredibly intense."

No matter how powerful a member of the Blood Clan was, exposure to sunlight would burn them within three seconds. In under thirty seconds, they would inevitably be reduced to ashes. This was the greatest and most unsolvable weakness of the entire Blood Clan.

"It has occupied an entire oil rig to use as its shell. Its biomass core must be somewhere inside the rig. We previously sent two decapitation strike teams to try and destroy its core, but both failed. Getting close to that thing causes hallucinations. It has many spore-like substances on its body. You must not inhale them, nor let them enter your wounds."

Yin Zhen remained silent. Lucia was parasitized and mutated precisely because of those spore-like substances.

The commander handed the helmet to Yin Zhen. "Miss Lucia, if the situation turns bad, please evacuate immediately. Your survival is more important than the mission!"

The commander was truly terrified. If Victor hadn’t refrained from opposing this operation, he really wouldn’t have dared to send Lucia to such a dangerous place again. If another accident happened, he might as well die alongside her.

The life of a noble like Lucia was more valuable than all the Dusk People in the West District combined.

Yin Zhen took the helmet and snapped it on. The dark visor covered most of her face, revealing only a pair of pale red eyes.

White Phosphorus stood behind her. She had already changed into her Diving Suit and was tucking her hair into her helmet.

The blood silk at Tuner’s fingertips flickered in and out of sight, ensuring his abilities wouldn’t be suppressed by the Diving Suit, nor would they slice the suit open during use.

Lighthouse carried that Alloy Shield—which was wider than his body—on his back like he was carrying a door. In addition, he hauled a box of explosives, spare guns, ammunition, and a light Flame Thrower. He looked like a mobile armory.

The red light emitted by the β-type Biomass Aggregation would cause all electronic devices and cybernetics to fail. To prevent a repeat of that situation, none of them brought too many high-tech Weapons.

"Lucia, I brought your Weapon for you."

Tuner handed over a Hand Axe. It was made of silvery-white metal. The handle, curved to fit the palm, was engraved with the thorn crest of the Dracula family. One end had a spiked point, while the other was a normal axe blade. The blade showed signs of wear from long-term use, but it was still sharp enough to reflect a person’s silhouette.

Yin Zhen took it and weighed it in her hand. It was much heavier than Night Song. Gripping it awakened memories in her mind of Lucia fighting with an axe in her right hand and a gun in her left—a combat style that was wild and possessed a profound aesthetic of violence.

Yin Zhen slipped the Hand Axe into the right belt buckle at her waist. On her left was Night Song, given to her by Adeline, and she slung a submachine gun across her back.

"I’m going too."

Adeline had already changed into her Diving Suit. She leaned against the wall, holding her helmet, her long platinum-blonde hair cascading down as she smiled lazily.

"Old friend, you won’t refuse me, will you? Or do you need me to order you using my Identity as Inspector General?"

Yin Zhen knew that Adeline would definitely follow her because of the Slaughter incident and the Silver Card incident. Moreover, Bai Qiang, acting as Adeline, had the inherent mission from the Cavendish family to clear out the West Coast. Yin Zhen had no reason or stance to stop Adeline.

"If you don’t want to die at the bottom of the sea, don’t follow me."

Adeline smiled elegantly. "Just don’t cry and beg me for help when the time comes."

White Phosphorus listened from the side, her eyelids twitching. She poked Tuner hard, trying to get him to distract Lucia.

However, after being shot by Yin Zhen, Tuner had become much more cowardly. He didn’t dare interject easily, especially when Adeline was present.

He was truly afraid that Lucia would suddenly ask him, "Are you helping Adeline?" Thinking of this, Tuner shivered.

Could he even continue this romance? His heart ached so much!

Footsteps came from the doorway, breaking the tense atmosphere.

Everyone looked in that direction. The Saint Group’s task force had arrived.

Given the Special changes that had occurred on the West Coast, as well as the anomalies of the Fallen Species in the West District, the Saint Group quickly assembled a five-person squad upon hearing that Lucia would personally lead a team to investigate the β-type Biomass Aggregation.

It consisted of three elite security personnel and two sample collectors.

Walking at the forefront was Ian. He wore a dark blue hazmat suit and carried a Sampling Box in his hand.

He looked the same as always. His curly black hair and emerald pupils, hidden behind his glasses, were as tranquil as a pool of stagnant water.

The moment they saw Ian, both Yin Zhen and Adeline’s brows twitched slightly.

Yin Zhen even formulated a bold hypothesis: could this Ian be the male lead of the Red Corpse World?

So far, he had been present in every key plotline.

The system had issued her that damn Heartbeat Event Card, claiming that "romance is a mandatory element for hit novels." Knowing how these things went, there was definitely a romance subplot in the storyline of the Red Corpse World.

A woman stepped out from behind Ian. She looked to be in her early twenties, with a sweet appearance and long chestnut hair tied in a high ponytail. She was chewing gum.

She wore the same hazmat suit as Ian, but the zipper was pulled very low, revealing a pink T-shirt printed with a cartoon octopus underneath.

"Hi!" She actively waved at Yin Zhen and the others, grinning. "Hello, everyone. I’m Amelia. I specialize in Mutant creature research. I have a C-level speed-type Extraordinary Ability. If we run into danger, I’ll run away on my own. I won’t hold everyone back!"

White Phosphorus scrutinized her suspiciously. Noticing the camera around her neck, he frowned and asked, "Are you sure you aren’t here for a vacation?"

"Absolutely sure." Amelia didn’t mind White Phosphorus’s sarcasm at all. "I run really fast, honestly."

Yin Zhen stared at Amelia for two seconds. Following Amelia, the three elite security guards walked in one by one.

Leading them was a one-eyed male from the Blood Clan with messy, broken brown curls. Two fangs, slightly longer than average, peeked from the corners of his mouth. Although he looked fierce, his appearance was actually on par with Tuner’s. The eye patch over his missing eye gave him a rugged, battle-damaged charm.

Yin Zhen had seen this man before. He was the assignment officer who had allocated her to her squad on her first day reporting to the Guard Team.

Adeline spoke up first. "Cole, how did you get transferred here?"

The one-eyed Cole smiled helplessly. His good eye narrowed, instantly diminishing most of his fierce look. "Who told my Extraordinary Ability to be so Special?"

Cole didn’t explain what his ability was, and Adeline didn’t say anything more. The two exchanged a glance, as if reaching some sort of tacit understanding.

Yin Zhen noted the name in her mind: Cole, Special ability.

Behind Cole were a man and a woman. Unlike most other company security personnel who had undergone cybernetic modifications, these two were normal members of the Blood Clan.

The man had an old scar stretching diagonally from his brow bone to his jaw. The woman was petite but lean and capable, fully equipped. Neither had spoken a single word from beginning to end.

Both were unsmiling. Standing together, they resembled two swords sheathed in their scabbards.

Yin Zhen knew they were Victor’s people. They had no names, only designations. The woman was Z13, and the man was Z47. They were the two most outstanding subjects of the Z-series combat experimental types and were deeply trusted by Victor.

Yin Zhen suddenly felt pressured. She didn’t know if these two were here to monitor her or to protect Ian.

Victor and Ian had an excellent relationship. Yin Zhen roughly knew that during the outbreak of the Blood Plague, Victor had brought Ian back to Night City from the East. They most likely shared a life-and-death camaraderie.

Ian adjusted his glasses. "Everyone is here. Are there any other issues to be aware of before we depart?"

"Just make sure you don’t die in front of me!" Yin Zhen snapped irritably.

She turned and walked out, with White Phosphorus and the others quickly following.

On this mission, among all these people, who exactly was the "enemy" mentioned in the Event Card?

Dark clouds gathered in Yin Zhen’s heart!

The coastline was a complete mess. The high-tech dome built by the Blood Clan ended here; beyond it was the exposed sky.

The sun had just risen from the horizon not long ago. The light was still tangerine, shining on the water like a layer of crushed gold.

But to the Blood Clan, this crushed gold was a blade.

Several armed helicopters swept across the coastline. The further they went, the murkier the seawater became. Some sort of grayish-brown flocculent matter floated on the surface, suspended in the water in clumps like rotting cotton batting.

A massive dark shadow floated in the murky seawater, with more than half of an oil rig embedded on top of it. It looked like a mountain formed from a mixture of flesh and steel.

Clammy tentacles and indescribable fleshy masses writhed slowly in the water, emitting an eerie, pulsating luminescence that mimicked the rhythm of breathing.

"We have arrived above the target. Prepare to rappel!"