Chapter 69: Heretics |
Dozens of minutes earlier, at the surface command center.
"We can't contact the team; the signal is completely dead." Facing the six flat signal lines and the black screen on the panel, the general commander reluctantly issued an order. "Do not send any transmissions to the Special Communicators. It'll be disastrous if we trigger an accident. Wait for them to contact us first."
In the face of anomalies, humanity was sometimes entirely powerless.
Equipment was constantly upgraded, but it could never keep pace with these wretched things. Moreover, even the most advanced technology would buckle against the combination of hundreds of meters of solid rock and spatial anomalies. Maintaining clear communication for even a short period was already an unexpected blessing.
The staff returned to their duties, continuously attempting to hail the team and test the standard communication lines.
A tense atmosphere pervaded the room. The only exception was the theologian, whose purpose for being there remained a mystery. He sat there casually, scribbling and sketching in his notebook with complete leisure.
"Can we mobilize a Mobile Task Force that specializes in frontal combat? War Hammer has a garrison nearby," the commander of Pangolin's second squad asked. "The current evidence already suggests there is a highly aggressive cluster of entities down there. We need heavy fire support."
The general commander shook his head. "Not until the nature of their anomalous effects has been confirmed."
Hearing this, the commander could only sigh. He crossed his arms, his fingers tapping restlessly against his bicep.
Every Mobile Task Force had its own specialty, and cave exploration was Pangolin's forte. If War Hammer were sent in, they would likely struggle to adapt to the confined combat environment. Before the operation began, every member had mentally prepared themselves for the ultimate sacrifice; the current situation was actually still within expectations.
The instruments on the desks suddenly jolted. A tremor rippled through the entire room, and the communicators in the command center began to ring one after another.
"Abnormal tremors detected. Epicenter depth at 1.5 kilometers..."
"West Post 05, please respond..."
"We are receiving a message from the Special Communicator!" A communications operator raised a hand. "The N4 Team has encountered an unknown entity and is transmitting intel!"
The Mobile Task Force commander demanded, "Any casualties?"
"No casualties yet, but the team was forcibly separated. They suspect the entity has the ability to reshape the underground space and possesses high-level intelligence."
'That was a relief.'
'Hopefully, this streak of good luck would hold...'
Except for the theologian, everyone fixed their eyes on the screen in front of the communications operator, waiting expectantly for the scrolling text.
[New anomalous entity "Scythe Monster" suspected to share the same origin as the "Visitor". Hypothesized to be formed by the noxious gas that preceded its activity...]
[Entity characteristics: Face devoid of features aside from a pair of glowing eyes. Possesses four scythe-like forelimbs. Humanoid structure...]
A pair of arms reached over from behind, shoving both the commander and the general commander aside.
Researcher Sammy, the theologian, had packed away his paperwork at some point. He forcefully parted the crowd and swaggered right up to the screen. Stroking his chin, he pondered the information, muttering words only he could understand.
The personnel began to whisper among themselves.
"What's this guy's problem?"
"Are we really not going to kick him out?"
"He has Level 3 operational clearance. That's the same level as the general commander..."
"Why does a theologian have such high authorization?"
Relying on the rumor that "this guy had friends in high places," the general commander forcibly suppressed his irritation. "Dr. Sammy, if you have no further business—"
But Sammy abruptly raised his right hand, clenched it into a fist in the air, and raised his fingers one by one.
"Four arms, combat-specialized limbs, retaining only prominent eyes that likely lack visual function, plus that skin-flaying 'Visitor'... Are there Heretics stirring up trouble nearby?"
"What?" No one could follow his train of thought.
"Heterodox Cultists. You know, those guys who worship Divine Entities. Even though no one has ever seen what their god looks like, they still run around all day screaming about summoning and purification."
"Are you suspecting that this unknown anomaly is a Divine Entity?" The orthodox science advisor stepped forward. "Do you understand the weight of that word? Its hazard level isn't something like..."
"Blood Red God, Master of Fate, the Manipulator of Lives who revels in pain and despair. These three honorifics belong to the same Heterodox Deity—oh, most of you don't understand because you lack the relevant clearance. Regardless of what you think, there is definitely something down there carrying its Divinity."
"Do you have any proof?" A vein throbbed on the general commander's forehead. "Just understanding the concept of 'Divinity' requires Level 3 authorization. What makes you so certain that the thing underground is a Class-A Hazard Item?"
Sammy snapped his fingers at the elevated screen.
Just when everyone thought he was about to make a startling speech, he simply said, "I'm not telling you."
The general commander had enough.
"Dr. Sammy, return to your station and wait until we actually require theological guidance. Otherwise, I have the authority to—"
The blare of alarms suddenly interrupted him as the red warning lights on the walls began to spin.
"West Posts 05 and 06 have been neutralized!" The voice of a perimeter defense officer crackled through the walkie-talkie. "Unknown armed forces are storming the quarantine zone! They have strong cognitohazard abilities! Our shielding equipment has been breached!"
"No response from the sniper posts!"
"What's going on? Why didn't the perimeter sentries stop them?"
"They charged straight out of the downtown area! Stop—don't look at them! Don't look!"
The entire command center was instantly engulfed in a cacophony of shouting and frantic military deployments. Amidst the chaos, only Sammy stood completely unbothered.
"Looks like the Cultists are indeed stirring up trouble."
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'Heretics? Divine Entities? Class-A Hazard Items?'
'What on earth was all this?!'
Eavesdropping on the command center, Shi Rang was completely bewildered.
There were several Special Communicators at the command site, one of which was directly connected to the command center's computer. After Shi Rang mounted his consciousness onto it, every device connected to its local network entered his access range.
He had just been about to search the Terminal Station to figure out what a magical term like "Divinity" actually meant when he heard the alarm for the perimeter breach.
The words "unknown armed forces" struck a chord in his mind, making his heart race. He traced the source of the alarm through the command center's computer, following the data stream directly to that stationary radio.
The radio wasn't actively transmitting a call, but Shi Rang could still pick up external audio through its microphone.
Footsteps mingled with gunshots and shouting. The scene was total chaos.
At least five people were screaming, while another three were wailing and bawling endlessly, seemingly tormented by the most painful memories of their lives.
"Give me an Amnestic Agent!"
"Don't look at them! Not even through night vision goggles or cameras! Open the drone hives and set them to fire at will!"
"Get the fixed turrets—they're breaking through!"
Shi Rang knew what a cognitohazard was; it was something that could directly influence a person through their five senses.
None of the soldiers on the scene had died yet, and they were preparing to deploy drones and remote fixed turrets, which meant observing the threat through those two types of electronic devices was safe!
Shi Rang was connected through his consciousness, not physical vision, so he could completely bypass the hazard.
Could this unknown armed force with anomalous abilities be the same group that kidnapped Ying Shang?
He decided to find the answer himself.