CHAPTER 343: CHAPTER 340 [NON-HUMAN?] (PART 1)

Chapter 340: Non-Human? (Part 1)

Rebecca was sent flying by a strong force. She crashed against the wall and immediately bounced off reflexively.

She didn’t panic. The force that had sent her flying had come from Kamisou Ichiro.

As she was flung away, a bullet grazed past her cheek!

Rebecca leaped up. She saw Kamisou Ichiro swiftly kick the gun from one technician’s hand while another technician grabbed him from behind, roaring.

"Have you all gone mad?" Rebecca yelled without hesitation and charged forward.

By this time, Kamisou Ichiro had already used a suplex to throw the technician clinging to his back. The attacker then violently twisted his upper body and delivered an elbow strike to the face of the man whose gun had just been kicked away.

THUD!

A muffled sound that suggested intense pain.

The technician’s nose and cheekbones were shattered. However, because he wore a cold-weather mask, blood didn’t spray out. Instead, he let out a beast-like roar, fell to the ground, twisted, and then leaped straight up!

Kamisou Ichiro quickly sidestepped. The man lunged with a tackle resembling a bear hug but missed, crashing into a stack of containers and bringing down a whole section of shelving.

The technician who had been thrown got back up, grabbed a nearby supply crate, and hurled it at Kamisou Ichiro. Rebecca intercepted it with an airborne kick, swooping in and rolling like a leopard before smashing her fist into the man’s knee.

CRACK! It was clearly the sound of breaking bone. Rebecca’s fist seemed to shimmer with a metallic glow as the technician collapsed sideways.

At that moment, Chen Nuo and the Captain burst out.

"What’s happening?" the Captain yelled.

"I don’t know. They suddenly attacked us," Rebecca gasped. Kamisou Ichiro steadied himself and quickly glanced at the Captain and Chen Nuo.

Just then, Chen Nuo’s expression suddenly changed!

From the direction of the living quarters’ bedroom, faint, beast-like growls could be heard, mixed with chaotic noises and the sound of a howling wind.

Chen Nuo turned sharply to look into the room, and his heart sank.

The Spiritual Force Tentacles he had extended earlier had touched something in the complex burrows underground. Chen Nuo then felt a slight pain in his head.

His sensory connection was immediately severed—the Spiritual Force Tentacles seemed to have been forcibly torn apart and devoured by some unknown power!

"Something is coming out from in there!"

Chen Nuo roared just as his earpiece crackled to life.

"Where’s that gunfire? Report your position!" Nolan’s voice.

"Who fired?" It was Vanel’s voice.

"What happened?!" the Wizard’s voice came through.

"Is there trouble at the Captain’s location?" Lillian’s voice.

Chen Nuo didn’t have time to answer. He took a few quick steps, hurried over to the living quarters’ bulkhead door, slammed it shut, and then rapidly secured the manual lock.

"Get out now!" Chen Nuo ordered sharply.

The Captain didn’t hesitate; he was the first to dash towards the warehouse exit. What a joke! Yama, the Controller himself, is telling us to run. Only a fool wouldn’t run now!

The Captain was the first out the door, with Kamisou Ichiro and Rebecca close behind. Damn it, the Controller is retreating! We’d be fools not to follow!

Chen Nuo was the fourth to run out. Before exiting, he glanced back. The living quarters’ bulkhead door—covered with cold-resistant material and reinforced with steel—was now dented from a powerful impact, accompanied by a loud BANG.

Chen Nuo dashed out of the warehouse without hesitation, slamming the door behind him.

Chen Nuo was the fourth to escape, but after running only a few steps, he quickly caught up with Kamisou Ichiro and Rebecca.

Just then, a loud BOOM resounded from behind!

BOOM!!

The warehouse wall was smashed, revealing a huge hole! The thick, steel-reinforced composite material of the wall had been forcibly torn open, and a figure leaped out from within at high speed!

Then, SWISH, a second figure shot out!

It was the two technicians!

Both were almost beyond recognition as human!

One had blood seeping through his cold-weather mask. He had burst through the wall, and the sheer force of the impact had deformed half his body. His protective cold-weather suit was torn by shredded steel, and one arm was broken, a sharp piece of bone protruding through the torn fabric!

The other’s knee was clearly broken. Upon landing with a CRACK, the bone was completely misshapen. Yet, he landed in a strange pose, using his hands on the ground to support himself on one leg, and rapidly leaped toward Chen Nuo and the others!

Despite their severe injuries and multiple broken bones, they seemed utterly unaware of the pain, surging towards them with inexplicable strength and frenzy!

Chen Nuo feigned a stumble and yelled, "Captain!"

Hearing Chen Nuo’s shout, the Captain turned and ordered, "Hit the deck!"

This command was for Kamisou Ichiro and Rebecca.

The Captain spread his hands, and they both immediately dove forward.

Countless icicles shot up from the ground, instantly transforming into myriad tiny spikes that whistled through the air like a barrage of gunfire toward their pursuers.

Chen Nuo also pretended to fall. Simultaneously, he covertly enveloped the area with a Spiritual Storm, his Mentality Cocoon constricting around the two technicians from all sides...

After a sound that set everyone’s teeth on edge, the two technicians, riddled with ice spikes, fell to the ground!

Their heads, in particular, had been turned into a bloody, indistinguishable mess by the surging ice spikes.

Chen Nuo went over and helped Kamisou Ichiro up. The Neon caught his breath. "Thank you." He then proactively helped Rebecca up.

"Captain! Respond! Captain, respond immediately!"

Nolan’s call came through the earpiece.

Only then did Chen Nuo exhale softly. He activated the communicator and said slowly, "Captain’s team encountered hostiles. Two technicians are dead. The enemy is unknown."

Nolan was silent for a moment, apparently processing the information rapidly.

Instead, Wizard spoke up quickly on the channel: "We’ve run into some trouble over here too!"

Nolan asked, "Wizard, what did you find?"

"The living area... we’ve lost someone!" Wizard’s voice was cold but held a hint of irritation.

"Vanel!" Nolan called out on the channel.

"I’m here! The convoy is fine. Radar shows no enemy presence. Repeat, no radar anomalies."

A second later, Nolan made his decision and issued orders:

"Vanel, prepare the convoy for emergency response!

Wizard, report the details! What exactly happened?"

"Wizard reporting!

In the main camp’s living area—this modular camp—there’s a cavity underground! It looks like a pit was dug out, damn it!

Just now, during our search, the ground suddenly collapsed. We must have stepped on a weakened, hollowed-out spot. The ground gave way, and one of our guys fell through."

Wizard quickly continued, "We’re trying to get him out. He’s still alive."

After a brief pause, Wizard added, "The one who fell was one of your people, Nolan."

Everyone understood: the one who fell was apparently one of Octopus Monster’s men.

"Lillian’s team, report your status," Nolan continued.

Lillian answered quickly, "I’m fine here. Still searching the equipment center. No apparent signs of damage, but all equipment has stopped. Your technicians speculate that an instantaneous drop in temperature caused it all to shut down."

After hearing the reports from all teams, Nolan quickly gave orders:

"Captain’s team, leave the warehouse immediately and head to the base command center. We’ll wait for you inside to rendezvous!

All other teams, be on alert! If an incident occurs, abandon your search areas immediately and gather at the command center module!

Understood?"

"Understood!"

"Understood!"

Chen Nuo sighed. "Understood."

He glanced at the two technicians who had died gruesomely on the ground, gestured to the Captain, then stepped forward, crouched down, and examined the bodies.

Nothing particularly abnormal—all external injuries. Perfectly sane people, suddenly going mad?

The four turned and ran quickly towards the base’s command center module. On the way, Rebecca quickly recounted what had happened.

"We were checking things out when suddenly one of them pulled a gun and started shooting at me. Mr. Kamisou Ichiro pushed me out of the way, and then..."

Chen Nuo said nothing. The Captain didn’t speak either, but a growing sense of dread weighed on their hearts.

The base was quite extensive, and the command center module also covered a considerable area.

As the group reached the entrance to the command center module, its large door was already open. An armed guard holding an automatic rifle quickly gestured for them to enter, keeping his weapon aimed outside on full alert, before swiftly closing the door.

Upon entering the command center lobby, Chen Nuo noticed several bodies laid out in a corner. A glance told him they were the base’s original inhabitants, all frozen to death.

The lobby was gloomy and frigid, with only a single searchlight providing minimal illumination.

They passed through corridors connecting the modules and reached a specially made door. As Chen Nuo approached, the two armed personnel guarding it seemed hesitant, as if to stop him. But then the door was swiftly opened from the inside, and Nolan emerged.

He immediately nodded to the Captain. Walking back towards the main lobby area, he said, "Tell me, what exactly happened?"

A thought stirred in Chen Nuo’s mind. This guy... he doesn’t seem to want us to enter that inner room, does he?

He looked up at the sign above: Laboratory.