Chapter 5 Disintegration

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"Target confirmed."

A mercenary waited outside, holding a set of monitoring devices.

"Check her vitals," Matteo said.

"Deeply unconscious, extremely weak," a mercenary scanned the Witch with the monitoring device.

Then, he took down a black bag similar to a body bag from the vehicle, and the mercenaries stuffed the Witch into it, just like packing a large animal.

"It's done," Matteo chuckled to Xu Yang.

"I thought you'd put her in something like... a cryo chamber or something."

"That thing, security checks are too troublesome, no need to draw attention at the port. The simpler the plan, the higher the success rate."

"Maybe."

"I'll give you the remaining 90 million." He handed the cash card to Xu Yang.

"Thank you," Xu Yang nodded.

"I hope we can work closely, really," Matteo looked sincerely at Xu Yang, "I think you've done well all the way, might consider joining our company, Black Fire Innovation."

Black Fire Innovation!

Also a giant corporation.

It was an infamous arms dealer providing private security services, with many large mercenary groups under its banner, the most notorious member of the Corporate Alliance in the past fifty years, active in all global terrorist activities and military violent operations.

Any worrisome malignant incidents that occurred could virtually always be traced back to Black Fire Innovation, and they would own up to it all, notorious for their extreme brutality and armed force.

As the largest arms dealer and security provider among the giant corporations, Black Fire Innovation's military power far exceeded that of other companies, with countless renowned secret weapons, Battle Witches, and mercenary troops under its command.

So I was helping Black Fire Innovation. Xu Yang forced an ugly smile. You can deal with anyone, just not with Black Fire Innovation...

The style of Black Fire Innovation prioritized efficiency above all; as long as one worked hard, one could get ahead. It was not a bad place for one to demonstrate their abilities. Moreover, it disliked complicated operations, always being straightforward and resolving issues with violence.

What they had in abundance were manpower and combat power.

"I'll think about it," Xu Yang nodded. No wonder the other party gave him the money so readily; it turned out to be an offer to recruit him, essentially giving Xu Yang a hefty salary to switch companies, another form of giant corporations poaching from each other.

"Think about it?" Matteo spread his hands. "Think is a very ambiguous word."

"You can't bind me to join," Xu Yang subtly widened the distance between them.

"You are a powerhouse in neural network technology, if we can't have you, we would not want to face you on the opposing side one day."

"Powerhouse? My jobs have all been taken by AIs," Xu Yang said.

"Humans have their advantages, creativity, and spirit; it's because of this that people within the company haven't wiped out autonomous consciousness or been brainwashed. And there are many positions that cannot be replaced by Synthetic Humans... We like Digital Mind technology; I believe Digital Mind is the key to human progress."

"I'm afraid it's because you can't develop AI powerful enough," Xu Yang realized they wanted to seize advanced technology.

"Black Fire Innovation will offer you paid annual leave, medical insurance, security services, a 150-square-meter apartment, handsome men and beautiful women private companions for you to choose."

"I've decided to stop working, to be honest. Life is so much more comfortable without having to go to work at fixed times. My skills are just a small cog in the company, but they have many uses outside."

"Your attitude towards leaving the company seems quite unwavering."

"Some answers can't be found within a company."

"Serve us, Xu."

"I've cooperated with you enough, I'll follow you, complete the job; that's no problem. But to keep giving my life, or even join your Black Fire Innovation, that's tough. I'm stating this clearly now, to avoid future disputes."

"—Even if it means getting killed, you don't care?"

"I'd rather die than submit."

"Relax, brother, think about it," Matteo's expression turned colder, "Some things need to be thought over several times, carefully."

"..."

"You asked me before, can a person succeed without a company? I gave you a dodging answer then, now I want to tell you, without a company, a person can't achieve anything."

"But I've decided to leave the company."

"If you don't join us, you will have to return all the money."

"..."

"Did you really think that 100 million would be easy to take away?" Matteo sneered, "Weight your own worth, kid. Do you think the world outside the company is Paradise? Earning money as easy as dreaming? However much I give you, I can take it back."

Watching Matteo, Xu Yang felt an intense anger inside.

Thinking because you have the backing of a large company, you can do whatever you want? I didn't leave one company just to serve another!

All these corporate people, the same style, the same attitude; I've had enough of this life!

If someone has to die today, it definitely won't be Xu Yang. Squeezed dry for so many years, Xu Yang's heart was furious, unwilling to easily submit.

All the equipment on the site was in a hair-trigger state, waiting for Xu Yang to signal to open fire.

I won't be slaughtered by anyone.

"Alright, alright," Bax quickly said, "Xu, Matteo, after all..."

—"Let me out!" A sharp female shout erupted.

Matteo turned swiftly, seeing the body bag writhing.

"She's awake!"

"Come over here!"

"What?"

The Ancient Witch had awakened! Xu Yang felt surprised; the ancient living body, which had been sleeping for so long, seemed to be very energetic, showing no signs of dormancy.

As the Witch captured the mercenaries' attention for an instant, he retreated, leaning against the tracks of a giant industrial excavator, using it as cover. If an unexpected situation occurred, he would have a chance to escape.

"Keep her quiet," Matteo said, "I still want to talk with Xu."

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"Die!"

"Keep it down!" Mercenaries brutally kicked the body bag, aiming kicks at the approximate location of the Witch's head.

After several heavy kicks, the Witch's movements slowed down. She emitted painful moans, her human form inside the bag moving sluggishly, writhing in agony.

"It hurts—so much pain—" she whimpered with a crying tone, low and mournful.

Soon, she lay still.

But she hadn't given up struggling; after catching her breath, she started to tear at the body bag again.

"Let me out!" she screamed.

"Open the bag, inject her with a sedative," Matteo ordered.

A mercenary pulled the zipper of the bag open, grabbing a wildly squirming arm from inside, ripping her golden sleeve, while another reached out and clamped her arm like a pair of iron pincers.

Immediately after, a mercenary took a specially made syringe, quickly pressed it against her arm, and pumped the clear liquid from the syringe into her body.

However, the Witch's resistance continued; she roared in defiance, desperately trying to crawl out, like a bound and trapped beast.

"The reaction is still strong!"

"Isn't that thing supposed to anesthetize a whale? The dosage can't be wrong."

"Other witches usually went down with one dose, and no matter what you did, they wouldn't wake up."

"She's not a Battle Witch! How can she have such a constitution?"

"Use the Anti-Witch Weapon," Matteo said. "First, neutralize her."

A mercenary understood, loading a dark golden bullet into his gun and aiming at the Witch.

—Glimmer.

Xu Yang's eyes widened as the Witch thrust out her right hand, which flashed with a fearsome grey light.

In an instant, the five mercenaries around her were sent flying by an invisible shockwave, as if they had been hit by a massive cargo truck, disappearing without a trace and landing in the distance, shattered to pieces.

The mercenary standing a bit farther away was not destroyed by the shockwave, but he was immobilized, bleeding from his mouth and nose, his expression frozen, as if marked by death. After a few short seconds, his head exploded, and blood sprayed high from his headless neck.

Six killed instantly.

Gruesome!

The familiar sense of dread once again surged in his heart.

Like a devil crawling out of hell, the Witch tore open the zipper and climbed out of the body bag, hair disheveled, eyes blood red, standing upright.

Xu Yang immediately retreated while continuing to observe the scene through a connected camera.

The only mercenaries left alive were Matteo and Bax.

Bax stood beside Matteo, his face pale with shock.

"Asking... for help?" Bax's teeth chattered. "Sally? Xu? Huang Feng?"

"Do your job, or you won't grow," Matteo said.

Bax pulled out a large-caliber submachine gun and rapidly fired at the Witch.

Under the concentrated fire of the bullets, the Witch was instantly shot to pieces, her body ripped in two and collapsing to the ground.

Is she dead just like that? Xu Yang thought, startled.

But the next second, he saw something even stranger.

The Witch, who had previously been torn in half, instantly recovered completely onscreen, as if she hadn't been hurt at all. No, could that be possible? Did I miss something? Xu Yang hesitated to trust his own eyes for a moment.

"Die!" the Witch roared with vengeful anger, her right hand releasing another burst of grey light.

Hiss!

Accompanied by a scalp-numbing twisting, tearing sound, a gray beam of light in a ripple pattern flew towards Matteo and Bax.

Bax was thrown backward instantly.

When she landed, she had turned into a mush of unrecognizable flesh, her blood mixed with a bit of ink.

Matteo remained unscathed.

"The power of a Witch is indeed formidable," Matteo said calmly. "But in your era, you've never seen something like this 'thing'."

The Witch silently stared at Matteo, her expression seething with rage. She threw another whip-like flash, but Matteo remained unaffected.

Matteo's right hand transformed, his fingers bending, and his entire hand reconfiguring into a peculiar-looking firearm. Several special bullets shot out, piercing through the Witch's body.

After being shot, she staggered backward several steps and collapsed weakly to the ground.

Those bullets were no ordinary ones; they trailed dark golden luminescence, likely the so-called Anti-Witch Weapons.

But what was more important was Matteo!

Matteo was a robot? A chill ran through Xu Yang's mind. I hadn't noticed it before! The Witch's powers must be of two kinds, one that massacres life, and another that heals instantaneously, a very rare life-type power, but completely neutralized by Matteo.

Black Fire Innovation's technological level is so strong that they can create such a perfect robot! Impossible to discern any difference from a living person.

Behaving impeccably, even Digital Mind couldn't find a single flaw.

Without a doubt, the technology used to create Matteo reached the pinnacle of this era.

Xu Yang took a deep breath, readying to connect to the excavation site's equipment to interfere with their battle process. Whether to kill them both or to suppress them, he had to do something...

"All units at the Bronze Titan Excavation Site, this is Supervisor 'Cedar Cat.' Report your status. There are signs of hacking—what happened? Do you need assistance?"

A red message lit up in Xu Yang's mind.

In an instant, Xu Yang's connection to all facilities was cut off, and all user permissions, except for the supervisor's, had been forcibly cleared, putting the excavation site into an externally controlled state.

Completely out of control.

"Alright," the supervisor continued to transmit. "So, you've taken control of this channel. Now then, hacker, tell me, what exactly happened?"