019. Incoming
Boom——
The gate of the Shelter was blasted open, and snow mixed with sand instantly surged in, hindering the guards who had come to block the entrance. The security personnel of Mingji Humanity had just raised their guns, trying to lock on to the figures amidst the snowstorm with their holographic sights, when a screw shot forth with lightning speed, swept through from the sight, pierced through the skull, and exited with brain matter and blood.
Thud.
Bodies fell to the ground, followed by a barrage of gunfire that suppressed Mingji Humanity's security personnel.
"Anton——damn it, where are these attackers from?!"
"The alarm has already been sounded, physicians will be here to support us soon, just hold out a little longer!"
Several security personnel encouraged each other and took cover behind the walls of the Shelter, relying on the terrain to repel the attackers. Before long, the gunfire from the other side had noticeably thinned out.
"They're out of bullets!"
The hearts of Mingji Humanity's security lifted with joy. It seemed the attackers didn't have the overwhelming firepower they had imagined, and since they were inside, unaffected by the freezing sand, repelling the attackers didn't seem like a difficult task.
Just as they were regaining their morale and preparing to counterattack, they heard a hoarse voice rise from within the frosty sandstorm:
"Zonia, you go."
The next moment, through their sights, Mingji Humanity's security witnessed a Mysterious sight: a petite, frail figure slowly emerged from the icy wastelands.
It was a girl of about fifteen or sixteen, wearing a thick military coat, walking barefoot, her feet covered in frostbite and purple bruises, her exposed skin wrapped in dirty bandages. She slowly stepped into the corridor of the Shelter, her right hand seemingly pulling at the coat's collar, while her left sleeve swung emptily with the wind, revealing that she was a Disabled one-armed person.
She lifted her head, only a pair of lifeless, Void eyes visible on her face tightly bound with bandages. As her vision focused, Mingji Humanity's security clearly saw her eyes swiftly turn from clear black and white to a frenzied, savage red and black. At the same time, the space seemed to churn with an asphyxiating Strength.
"It's——an Infected!"
Ratatatata!
Mingji Humanity's security finally reacted. They immediately pulled the triggers, and a barrage of bullets riddled the girl, turning her into a sieve. Someone, reacting incredibly fast, switched to Armor Piercing incendiary rounds. In an instant under the relentless tearing of modern technology, the girl's figure became riddled with wounds. The bullet's force caused her body to sway and pitch, like a solitary boat in a raging storm, dominated and manipulated by the force of science.
Crack——
After a volley of concentrated fire, the girl referred to as Zonia kneeled, her whole body devoid of intact Flesh. The Metal Ether bullets, squeezed by the muscle, coupled with lingering warm steam, were ejected from her frail body.
What defied belief was that not a single drop of blood flowed from the countless bullet holes, as if the girl before them was just an empty puppet. And what was more unsettling was that—the oppressive force in the space had not dissipated with Zonia's fall. Instead, it had become tangibly substantial, transforming into dark shadows that poured forth unabashedly from her body!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh pop!
The shadows arrived in an instant, ignoring cover, instantly penetrating the security's Exoskeleton Armor and slamming several security personnel harshly against the wall behind them with the monstrous force of a locomotive. Before they could even scream, their heads were flattened by the irresistible force, their blood and bones crushed and squished into several nauseating clumps against the wall.
Seven Fully Armed security personnel were annihilated.
Sigh...
The frost-laden sandstorm slowly brought forth a group of figures in mismatched Armored Suits and cold protection gear, who only removed their skull-like protective masks when they entered the Shelter, revealing sickly pale faces under the orangish-yellow lights—casting a Mysterious halo.
The lean-cheeked leader, his face covered in pockmarks and scars from the sand and ice, raised his prosthetic arm and gently patted the head of the kneeling Zonia, saying lightly:
"Truly a good dog, the money was well spent."
His subordinate snorted and, carrying a homemade Wolf Fang Club, disdainfully kicked the corpses of the security personnel on the ground:
"Boss, are these the people from Mingji Humanity rumored to conduct Evil experiments and create genetic weapons? They seem too weak to bear!
I, with our brothers from the White Fang Guild, could just take a shot and storm right in, wiping them all out. Do we really need to use the dog?"
"Why waste bullets if you can save them? Wasteful fool."
The leader laughed and scolded, patting the bullet-ridden face of Zonia, and then sighed:
"Get up, I didn't buy you to fall here."
Zonia's body trembled slightly. The dark shadow she had released was instantly recalled, seeping through the torn wounds and bullet holes back into her body.
"Uh..."
She let out a low moan of Pain. The retraction of the shadow appeared to be causing her significant Damage, as her skin immediately developed spreading rot, and an overwhelmingly putrid scent quickly filled the air, causing the thugs of White Fang to cover their noses and mouths.
Bang!
The leader immediately threw a punch without restraint, knocking Zonia to the ground.
"Get up." The leader's eyes were emotionlessly dark red. "I haven't given you permission to die yet——or would you rather have your brother take your place?"
Zonia slowly lifted her slender arm, propping up her body against the ground, and used her reed-like arms to support her upper body. The corrupt black blood had been spilling from her mouth and nose, but as she silently got to her feet, that bad blood gradually retracted back into her body.
Zonia stood up stiffly, reaching up to press her dislodged eyeball back into its socket, then quietly stood by the leader's side, as though nothing had happened.
"Pack up, continue moving."
The leader split his cracked lips into a grin, revealing a mouth full of pitch-black teeth. His eyes were filled with frenzy and anticipation:
"Look! Electricity, purified water, carbon fiber materials, heating, fluorescent lights—those inhumane doctors hold such excellent resources, yet they use them for evil research. Such a waste of good resources!"
The thugs of the White Fang Guild sheathed their guns and instead drew out knives, swords, and clubs, close combat weapons. Their lips curled greedily, and it was evident they were ravenous.
They didn't plan on simply looting and burning; a shelter so well-equipped naturally had to be preserved intact to retain its value.
The surveillance camera captured the advancing footage of the White Fang Guild's thugs but was powerless to stop the formidable tide of hundreds surging underground like a pack of wolves.
Their equipment was clearly superior to that of the White Fang, and it wasn't even inferior to the regular army.
But compared to the bandits who routinely killed and robbed in this desolate land, the combat strength of Mingji Humanity was too weak. The majority of the organization's members were physicians and nurses; their will to fight and ruthlessness were insufficient to confront the enemy calmly and rationally.
Within moments, the physicians and the rescue team inside the Shelter were slaughtered, and blood flowed freely.
"Look, white bread! It's white bread, indeed! I've never eaten it in my life!"
"There are vegetables in the cafeteria, even canned food."
"We've struck it rich, they even have a greenhouse; we can eat our fill!"
"Loot at will, lads! Everything here is ours!"
The leader, arms crossed, was very pleased with the raid; Zonia, in whom he had invested heavily, also performed exceptionally in combat.
The nursing physicians and security guards were no match for Zonia. As she approached, the physicians grew softhearted, unable to raise a hand against a girl riddled with wounds. In that moment of hesitation, a shadow struck instantly, slapping the kind-hearted physicians to the ground, turning them into a pile of meat.
The defenders were instantly crushed; the helpless female nurses and physicians were immediately targeted by the vicious raiders. Their fair arms were twisted and soon dragged into desolate corners.
'Still, we should keep a few alive. Physicians are precious talents, and these flowers in the greenhouse are quite delightful to look at too...'
'But isn't this defense a bit too weak?'
As he contemplated keeping a few delightfully playful female physicians and nurses, a deadly chill suddenly rose behind him.
Boom!
The steel-reinforced concrete walls were instantly shattered; Head Nurse Nodley's ferocious punch continuously smashed the bodies of the thugs beside the leader. The blood evaporated in a violent aura, and the punch, undiminished, aimed precisely at the leader's head.
Clang!
The leader lifted his left arm to pull up Zonia, using her as a shield to block the punch. Nodley showed no mercy, her fist landing on Zonia with a dull clang of metal against metal.
Immediately after, Zonia's head jerked back, spitting out a few organ fragments. The Monstrous Strength seeped into her body, causing her serious damage.
Zonia lay on the ground with a fractured body, while the leader, his prosthetic arm slightly deformed, looked serious:
"I was wondering why the defense was so feeble, turns out Mingji Humanity was hiding a master like you."
Nodley wasted no words—her body's Qi Energy exploded with both fists thrusting out, fists stirring up a powerful wind, her momentum fierce like a tiger choosing its prey!
An Alpha Level Martial Artist, ordinary firearms could no longer cause fatal injuries to her.
If a round of gunfire doesn't kill her and the Martial Artist charges into the ranks, everybody dies!
Unperturbed by the situation, the leader casually kicked the Zonia on the ground and sneered:
"Get up, dog."
Zonia struggled to lift her fingers as wounds on her body split open, ejecting numerous shadows. The shadows merged together, carrying terrifying Monstrous Strength, and in an instant, like an indestructible barrier, they blocked Head Nurse Nodley's mighty blow.
Clang————
Sonic booms echoed with terrifying waves in the corridor, and bystanders close by merely affected by the shockwave immediately whitened and passed out.
In the battle between Transcendents, Mortals could not intervene.