Chapter 49: PLAN B
Drowsy and confused, Li Nanke once again witnessed scenes from many years ago.
On muddy, dilapidated streets, numb and emaciated people hurried along, and looking up, one could see countless streams of rainwater pouring down from the edges of the artificial sky canopy.
A girl picked up a delicate music box from the roadside, seemingly abandoned by someone. The boy with her sensed something amiss with the music box and tried to stop her, but the girl, driven by curiosity, wound it up.
Faint music whispered out, yet echoed throughout the entire wilderness safe zone.
Suddenly, everyone transformed into hideous, terrifying monsters, fighting each other in a frenzy. Blood flooded the street.
When the music ceased, the monster strangled in the boy’s hands reverted to the form of the girl, and all others turned back to their original selves, but most of the safe zone had already become a hell strewn with severed limbs.
The boy sat dazed on the ground, finally realizing that everything he had just seen was an illusion.
A sharply tailored black uniform with silver trim, high-end leather boots found only in the city-state, stepped in front of him.
“A disaster triggered by the outbreak of a forbidden object has swept through Safe Zone A69. This forbidden object appears to emit pheromonal radiation fluctuations. Please dispatch the medical department to conduct comprehensive examinations on all survivors.”
...
“Benign genetic mutation, awakened telekinetic extraordinary ability, eligible for cultivation.”
“...”
“Malignant genetic mutation, suspected cystic fibrosis, not suitable for cultivation...”
“...”
“Malignant genetic mutation, suspected lymphocytic leukemia, not suitable for cultivation.”
“...”
“Malignant genetic mutation, suspected amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, not suitable for cultivation.”
The boy looked up blankly, staring at the white coats and pure black uniforms with silver trim before him.
Then, all images blurred, fragmented, and faded...
...
Safe Zone A91, temporary resting area for the rescue team.
“Why am I dreaming the same dream of the original body again...”
Li Nanke slowly opened his eyes. Dust danced in the air, and above his head, the ceiling shook with the roar of gunfire, the howls of monsters, and the unending cries and screams of people.
Team leader Howerson anxiously watched the entrance to the basement, as if fearing the mutated creatures might burst in.
Recalling everything he had experienced in the forbidden dream, he returned to reality, dazed and distant, feeling as though he had crossed into another world. The dissonance in the flow of time was deeply unsettling.
Li Nanke unzipped his sleeping bag and stood up. The pheromonal forbidden object in his hand was now depleted, little more than an ordinary piece of metal.
Feeling the powerful energy surging within his body, he asked, “How long did I sleep?”
Howerson looked surprised. “Just over ten minutes. You recovered so quickly?”
The ten-odd minutes were all Li Nanke needed to close his eyes and doze off. In the forbidden dream, he had experienced so much, yet in reality, only a fleeting moment had passed.
Suddenly, clear footsteps of monsters echoed from beyond the iron gate at the end of the basement stairs.
Accompanied by the guttural growls of the mutated creatures, the pounding on the iron door began, followed by a teeth-gritting sound of blades scraping against metal.
Howerson’s face changed instantly. He instinctively stepped back and stared at the entrance. “William, the monsters have found us!”
Li Nanke raised an eyebrow and strode to the basement entrance, kicking aside the heavy objects blocking the stairs.
Sharp bone blades had already carved a wide gap in the iron gate. Light and fire from outside spilled in, and a hideous face appeared, a bloodshot eye peering in through the crack.
Li Nanke sneered. The chainsaw sword materialized in his hand, its rotating teeth whirring as he slashed through the crack, splitting the ugly head in two.
He lifted the iron gate and walked boldly out of the basement.
“William, where are you going? Aren’t we waiting for Control Bureau rescue?”
“After resting, of course, it’s time for action.”
Li Nanke stepped out of the tent as he spoke. “The basement is no longer safe. Are you coming with me or staying behind?”
Howerson hesitated briefly, then had no choice but to follow. His left arm’s muscles rapidly swelled, bursting through his sleeve, transforming into a bioactive prosthetic far thicker than an ordinary person’s thigh—the ‘Silverback Hammer Mark III.’
On the ruins of the disaster zone, flames soared. The remaining survivors were few; a vast horde of monsters surged toward the safe zone exit, unable to break through the formidable blockade formed by the mobile special forces.
Due to the electromagnetic properties of the forbidden object, even the elite soldiers could only use old-fashioned firearms, yet mortars, rocket launchers, and chain guns unleashed ferocious firepower.
Gunfire and explosions swept through the monster waves again and again.
The mutated monsters were far weaker than those in the dream, and none had evolved into fusion types like Spitters, Berserkers, or Broodmothers. It seemed they would soon be annihilated.
“Judging by the current situation, the forbidden object’s electromagnetic properties resemble those of imitation constructs, while the resurrection mutation aspect appears weakened... A crude knockoff, really.”
Li Nanke’s eyes flickered as he casually dispatched a pouncing mutant.
Not far away, several survivors fled in panic from monsters, among them familiar faces from the rescue team.
He took a deep breath and began to execute his plan.
Li Nanke ran forward. Just as several monsters were about to catch the survivors, the scatter shockwave from his rifle blasted the monsters aside.
He flipped his left wrist, the firearm vanished, and he gripped his sword with both hands. His formidable physical strength erupted, swiftly slaughtering several mutants.
...
With his extraordinary abilities greatly enhanced, ordinary mutated monsters were no longer a threat to him.
“Wi... William?”
The survivors, narrowly escaping death, stared at him in disbelief. Among them was Benjamin, the rich young man from the rescue team.
Benjamin wasn’t an ignorant civilian. His father was a middle manager at “Gospel Biotech.” Though he himself lacked rare extraordinary powers, he had seen some things thanks to his father.
He realized Li Nanke was definitely not using prosthetics, for no prosthetic could conjure weapons from thin air or make them disappear.
Moreover, the huge sword with rotating teeth was not any known weapon.
This was undoubtedly an extraordinary power!
But Li Nanke was just an ordinary volunteer—how could he possess such power?
Benjamin looked at the monster corpses on the ground, then saw Li Nanke preparing to leave, heading to rescue other survivors. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, and he hurriedly called out, “William, I need your protection!”
Ignoring the complicated looks from the other survivors, he said anxiously, “I have money, lots of money. As long as you protect me, the reward is yours to name!”
Li Nanke smiled faintly. “Agreed. I’ll go rescue a few people. You stay right here and don’t move. I guarantee your safety.”
He then turned to the other survivors. “The same goes for you.”
With his current power, Li Nanke knew that stealthily breaking through the blockade to leave the safe zone was not too difficult.
But after this second unexpected outbreak of the forbidden object, and the terrible construct in his dream, he realized that relying solely on chasing forbidden disasters every three months for a new forbidden object was not a sustainable plan.
If the forbidden object causing the next disaster was intact, not scattered fragments like this construct, then trying to get close under the Control Bureau’s watchful eyes would be nearly impossible.
Moreover, this time he had only obtained a fragment, with limited destructive power. If it were a high-crisis forbidden object, approaching it would likely exact a terrible price.
Thus, Li Nanke decided to adopt another method, one that would provide a stable, long-term source of forbidden objects and allow him to access relatively safe ones...
...
Two hours later, dawn faintly brightened the sky with a pale glow.
The mobile special forces had completely suppressed the monster outbreak in Safe Zone A91. Smoke lingered over the ruins, and bodies were everywhere.
During the battlefield cleanup, elite soldiers discovered a group of nearly forty survivors, led by a rescue team member named William.
According to survivor reports, William was an extraordinary.
This news quickly attracted the attention of higher authorities, and soon containment agents in silver-trimmed uniforms arrived at the scene...