MASG chapter 147

 

Pain and hatred surged like a broken dam, washing over Mo An’s body and soul.

“Don’t worry about me! Everyone, keep going!” Mo An forced down his surging rage. They absolutely could not stop here. The longer they stayed, the more dangerous it would be for Talos and Yan Xia. At this critical moment, they had all become one, each representing their own faction.

There were humans, rare species, genetic hybrids, and modified mechanical humans, but they all shared the same goal.

This road left a deep impression on Xia Yu. He had once stumbled along it and nearly died in a corner of the underground waterway. Now, it was as if the place knew they were coming, opening its blood-soaked maw wide.

The air unknowingly grew hot, as if there were heaters below.

“Everyone, be careful. There might be parasite hosts or parasites inside.” Lao Gui sniffed the air. The appearance of parasite hosts and parasitic organisms most easily caused a rise in temperature. “Mi Lian! Why are you here?”

Mi Lian was being supported by Mi Dou and Xiang Xing. Although she didn’t appear to have sustained many external injuries, the amount of blood coming from her mouth and nose suggested that her internal organs had likely been damaged by the explosion.

“I’m fine.” She wiped the blood from her nose. “Yan Xia said… you would secretly land.”

“Mom, don’t talk for now. Save your strength!” Mi Dou didn’t dare help her wipe the blood nor did he dare guess where she was injured. Worse yet, as a bear-type gene fusion human, he was far too small to support his mother’s body by himself. If not for Xiang Xing’s inhuman strength, the earlier consequences would have been unimaginable.

“You go on first.” Mi Lian covered her chest. “Mom is a bear-type person. I won’t fall so easily.”

“Together!” Mi Dou and Xiang Xing said in unison.

“Shh… Everyone, don’t make a sound.” Lao Gui ran two steps forward and stopped abruptly. Everyone else stopped with him. A heat wave mixed with a sour, rotten stench ahead, forcing everyone to nearly vomit.

Some incomplete human silhouettes vaguely surged along the walls. Silver Fang’s gun barrel also detected signs of biological activity. “It’s alive. Everyone, fall back!”

They no longer had time to fall back. Mo An desperately wanted to rush to the front and protect everyone, but the ecological current made his eyes ache violently. Just standing there exhausted all his strength. He pressed one hand against the wall, supporting himself with his trembling wrist, using his last bit of rationality to distinguish what was ahead:

“Parasite hosts and parasitized humans.” Silver Fang saw their outlines in the thermal imaging. “Bats!”

As expected, the bat-parasitized humans hanging upside down from the ceiling and walls fell down. Their furry wings wrapped around their bodies like cocoons. After they spread their wings, one could still see evidence that they had once been human—the wing frames were deformed arm bones.

The ribs of their upper bodies were exposed. All the skin from their chests to their armpits had been stretched beneath their arm bones and forcibly turned into thin wings with clearly visible blood vessels. Their leg joints bent in the opposite direction, bones exposed like blades as they advanced step by step like birds.

The gunshots came from Silver Fang’s rapid movements. He showed no mercy as he launched the first wave of slaughter.

Flesh and blood splattered and bullet craters were blasted into the walls as he released maximum firepower without causing a collapse. The gun’s display showed the remaining ammunition, but in the darkness, pairs of red eyes could still be seen.

“You all go. I’ll hold them off. These things… if you don’t find the parasite host, they won’t die out!” Mi Lian grabbed her weapon. “I have more experience dealing with parasitized humans than you do. Go!”

Silver Fang’s gunfire stopped. Under his feet was the sour, rotten excrement of bat parasite hosts that had already been trampled into mud. “Can you do it?”

“Don’t you trust me?” Mi Lian took the chance to shove Mi Dou away. “Go! Don’t waste time! Yan Xia’s side can’t be delayed!”

A massive black shadow dropped from above. Mi Lian was the first to draw her long blade, slashing through the air. A mutated bat head rolled several times before stopping in the corner. She wiped the blade and said, “You go. These things aren’t that dangerous, but they’re enough to waste time. Someone has to stay and cover the rear.”

Mi Dou’s whole body trembled. Pushed by his mother, he crashed into the wall. After steadying himself, his chest gradually stopped heaving violently. He reached out to Silver Fang. “Give me a gun.”

“What do you mean?” Silver Fang fired another shot.

“Mom’s right. Someone has to cover the rear. I’ve followed you for too long already. This time, I’ll follow Mom.” Mi Dou simply pulled the pistol from Silver Fang’s waist and shoved him hard—but he didn’t budge. “Go start up the power plant!”

Xiang Xing stepped forward at that moment. His face was still half black and half white. “You go. I’m here. I’ll protect Mi Dou and Mi Lian.”

Silver Fang clenched his teeth, looked up at the countless bat eggs overhead, and looked at Mo An, who was about to collapse. Finally, he fiercely jerked Xia Xiaoxiao, who was on his back, forward. “We’re going!”

Xia Yu’s face was deathly pale. “Xiang Xing, protect them well. We’ll come back for you right away!”

“Don’t worry. I’m here.” Xiang Xing touched Xia Yu’s face and pushed them forward. “Go, go!” Each of us gives you a push—pushing you to the very end.

Xia Yu supported half of Mo An’s body with his shoulder. Tears threatened to swallow his vision; his heart burned as if scorched by flames. But he quickly turned his head back. “We’re going!”

The rear guard team stayed behind. The front team continued forward. Xia Yu was clearly uninjured, yet he felt pain the whole way. Once they had traveled far enough, dense gunfire rang out behind them. Lao Gui led them forward along the waterway. No one knew how much time passed before the gunfire could no longer be heard, leaving only the sound of water.

“Are we almost there?” Mo An had his eyes closed. He had temporarily lost his vision and could only grip Xia Yu’s hand tightly.

“Almost there!” Xia Yu turned his head and said. “Lao Gui, what’s that up ahead?”

Lao Gui was battle-hardened. Even from far away, he recognized it. “Timed bomb…”

“Didn’t they say this place wouldn’t be hit by firepower?” Xia Yu asked.

“This isn’t considered inside Power Plant No. 3, but it’s a key entrance. If Nuwa forcibly installed bombs here, then there’s only one purpose: to trap all of us inside without bombing the power plant.” Silver Fang immediately asked, “Can this thing be dismantled? Lao Gui!”

Lao Gui didn’t answer. First, sweat ran down his cheeks. He knew that, at this stage, he was the only one who could step up. “Yes.”

“Then—” Silver Fang had just started to speak.

“This is the same model that killed Wang Ming. It looks like Nuwa knows exactly what I fear the most. Does it think I wouldn’t dare face it?” Lao Gui was almost torn apart again by painful memories, but he said firmly, “You go in. Start up the power plant. I’ll handle this place.”

As he spoke, he walked over to the timed bomb and took off his combat gloves. Wearing gloves meant losing all protection because he couldn’t feel the details of the bomb.

Heh. No matter how complete the protection was, it was useless. Once the bomb successfully detonated, the place would collapse and turn into a stuffed-pancake-like ruin. It would be exactly the same as that day.

Silver Fang opened the gate. No one spoke. Only people were sweating, bleeding, and crying. When they landed, there were so many of them. By this point, only four remained. Silver Fang carried Xia Xiaoxiao, and Xia Yu supported Mo An.

“Almost there! Almost there!” Xia Yu could already smell the acidic liquid. “Jingwei! How are you?”

Jingwei: [How are you doing?]

“We’re already at the entrance of power plant No. 3! How are you?” Xia Yu shouted into the wristband.

Jingwei: [I’m still safe for now, but I can already feel it at the door. Nuwa and I are separated by just one door. Xia Yu, if something happens to me, you must live on.]

“No way! It won’t happen! How could something happen?” Xia Yu raised the wristband.

The heavy gate opened in front of him once again. He could already see the blue light of the energy storage tower. In the past, he had never thought that light was anything special. Now, he looked at it as if it were a god. Perhaps it was raining heavily outside. Despite the reinforced concrete, he could hear thunder rumbling—or maybe it was just his heartbeat.

“Uh…” Mo An staggered at that moment.

“Don’t be afraid. It’s okay. Follow me, I’ll take you there!” Xia Yu supported Mo An, vowing to lead him out of the darkness and into the blue light. Everyone was on the edge of life and death. He wouldn’t let them fall into darkness together. This false disaster had to stop!

Xia Yu’s face burned hot as it was covered in the pale blue blood dripping from Mo An.

“We’re almost there! I can already see it!” Xia Yu’s steps were heavy. The world seemed about to shatter in front of him again. The scene of the day the lab was breached was vivid in his mind. Blood burned fiercely like raging fire on Professor Wang Qin’s body. Did luck always brush past him, leaving him with an irreversible fate?

No, it wouldn’t.

Xia Yu forced himself forward with Mo An. Time seemed to flow backward. On that day, he was in the same position, carrying Mo An as he fled. He bit down hard his tongue. He wanted to break through their misfortune, change their future, end this chaotic world, and shatter this fragile falsehood.

Hold on! Everyone, including myself!

The gunfire stopped. Mi Dou and Mi Lian had emptied all their magazines and power supplies. They had lost all their firearms, leaving only cold weapons: one long blade and one dagger. Mi Lian’s physical condition was not good. She took a step back, leaned against the wall, and supported her shaking body with the long blade. Something felt wrong this time. She felt unable to protect her Dou Dou anymore.

But a tiny figure stood in front of her.

Mi Dou’s size was laughable compared to other bear-types humans. Now, his face was flushed red and his two bear ears were pinned back against his head, showing the reaction of an enraged bear. His small paws, with their meat pads, held his mother’s long blade. His panting was loud and unbroken.

Mi Dou pointed the blade toward the unpredictable darkness. This time, it was his turn to protect his mother.

Xiang Xing stood several meters ahead of them. White mycelium formed cocoons. It twisted into patterns on the walls. He was rapidly absorbing the flesh and blood of parasitized humans, turning it into nutrients. When the largest parasite host appeared, Xiang Xing raised his head to look at the dangerous creature.

Eat it.

Xiang Xing didn’t use energy to restore his burned face. Instead, he developed more mycelium. His face might never be restored, but Xiang Xing seemed to have found a face that belonged only to him. Along this path, he had gained his own soul. In the future, he might no longer need to copy Xia Yu’s features.

This was his face. Even burned, it shone like a star.

Electric sparks flickered at Lao Gui’s fingertips. Big drops of tears kept falling onto the back of his hand. When he was young, his fingers were nimble enough to smoothly sort out all the wires and dismantle most bombs on the market. But today, his hands trembled abnormally, as if he were an apprentice.

One wire after another found its way between his fingers.

But his hands trembled more and more visibly.

“Help me.” Finally, he let out a breath. “Lao Gui.”

Another red wire was pulled out by him.

“Lao Gui!” Xie Dang shouted his brother’s name again. “Lao Gui!” Lao Gui! Lao Gui!”

The electric sparks burned his fingertips, yet his palms remained steady, as if an unseen ghost were behind him, gripping his fingers with two invisible hands.

Xia Yu took one step after another, finally carrying Mo An to the last step. Mo An could no longer lift his arms. Xia Yu grabbed his wrist and slammed it down with force!

The energy storage tower in front of them didn’t move at all.

What’s going on? Xia Yu froze.

Then, the blue electric current surged upward violently, racing to the top of the energy storage tower at an unimaginable speed. Layer by layer, ring by ring, the blue light transformed into fireworks that lit up the entire power plant!

All the energy storage towers lit up.

The Reclamation Project officially began.