NOVEL NEXT Chapter 225
Episode 225. The Root of All Evil (5)
Dr. Chloe.
To be honest, not much was left of Dr. Chloe after the earlier battle.
A severed wing, both arms, and part of the head. A tangled mess of black tentacles like a ball of yarn. But it’s fine now since we’re safe.
Back when the scientists at the Seoul Branch took a CT scan, they found that Dr. Chloe’s insides were a complete mess because of this.
Her lungs were completely destroyed, and she couldn’t even breathe. A tattered figure shaped like a human, but inside, it was just a mass of tentacles.
Dr. Chloe gathered the remaining tentacles and gazed at the night sky with her three eyes. Her limbs would probably grow back soon, right?
Will Dr. Kim keep his promise? He had promised to give Dr. Chloe a significant role.
We successfully entered Facility No. 1.
It was a bit of a struggle.
The bunker door wouldn’t budge even if a 1,000-ton truck rammed into it. We used the Ultra-High-Temperature Flamethrower to warp the door and create a gap.
It was just big enough for one person to squeeze through. We had to fire dozens of high-explosive grenades and smoke grenades into the gap to clear the path.
Anyway. With Nanami, equipped with Overtech, leading the way, we successfully entered Facility No. 1. All we had to do now was secure the interior.
Facility No. 1 is the most important facility. It had never been threatened before, and they probably never expected it to be breached.
Of course, the security was tight.
But Facility No. 1 wasn’t impenetrable, and there were plenty of opportunities to exploit. Of course, this is only because my forces managed to breach the main gate.
There are three key objectives inside Facility No. 1.
First, the command center of Facility No. 1.
Second, the Tachyon Particle Accelerator.
Third… the zoo.
I clicked my mechanical arm.
Now, we move and fight.
We’ll attack in the order mentioned earlier. First, take out the command center to paralyze Facility No. 1, then secure the Tachyon Particle Accelerator.
I turned on the radio.
[This is Nanami. We’ve opened a path into the central bunker of Facility No. 1.]
[This is Moon-1. We’ve opened the central gate of Facility No. 1 and found a back door.]
[The defenses of Facility No. 1 have been neutralized. Multiple friendly forces are currently entering.]
“This is Dr. Kim. We’re now entering the central bunker of Facility No. 1.”
[This is Nanami. Confirmed.]
Crash. Screeeech.
With robotic tentacle arms and a monomolecular blade, I couldn’t cut through a tank like Nanami, but I could open bunker doors.
A helmet with four eyes.
The guards of Facility No. 1 aimed their guns at me, but the bullets were helplessly blocked by the energy shield.
Grenades and high-explosive rounds flew at me, but that didn’t matter. I charged forward as fast as I could, using my mechanical legs.
I tossed the guards of Facility No. 1 aside like dolls and drew my pistol. I don’t usually use pistols, but at this range…
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Pistol rounds wouldn’t pierce high-grade bulletproof vests, but they’d still hurt. I left the fallen guards behind and sprinted down the corridor of the central bunker like a spider with six legs.
Ratatatatatat!
I hid behind the energy shield on my arm while reloading the Gauss Musket.
Thankfully, I had the energy shield. The firepower was much more intense than before. I aimed the musket and fired at the enemies blocking my path—
Ting. My bullets were helplessly deflected. They must be wearing similar defensive gear. Nano-material energy defense suits.
Damn it.
I exchanged fire with my opponent for a while, but nothing happened.
My opponent looked at me in disbelief. We were both hiding behind indestructible shields, throwing rocks at each other. Of course, nothing was going to happen…
“This is ridiculous.”
“Come at me.”
My opponent threw down their gun and charged at me. A member of the Omega Special Forces. The Omega Team Leader had died outside the walls.
Thud!
I blocked the first strike with my shield.
The force delivered by a punch from a top-tier martial artist isn’t much different from that of a bullet. If the force is concentrated at one point, flesh tears and bones break just like being shot.
I was experiencing that principle firsthand.
Thud! Thud!
There’s a limit to how much I can hide behind my shield and robotic arm. The punches aren’t the main issue. If this keeps up, I’ll be caught and subdued soon.
There’s a way to solve this, but I need to think fast. I could draw the monomolecular katana. Not sure if it’ll work, though.
Even with the robotic arm and shield, I’m at a disadvantage in close combat.
I tried to push my opponent away with the robotic arm, but it wasn’t very effective. They just swatted it away like a fly.
It was just annoying for my opponent.
I needed two robotic arms to keep my balance, so I only had two arms left to attack or disrupt. Not enough.
It wasn’t enough to bridge the gap in skill and experience. So, I quickly retreated using the robotic arm, adjusted my shield, and—
Whack!
I slammed the shield into the Omega Team Member’s head.
It didn’t seem to do much damage, but it was a successful hit. They couldn’t get close to me because of the robotic arm anyway.
Neither side had heavy weapons to deploy.
But then, how do we end this fight…? Winning is secondary. If guns didn’t work, punching each other won’t solve anything either.
Maybe Jiu-Jitsu could work.
Crash!
I tried to lift my opponent with the robotic arm and throw them far away. At least, I attempted to. In reality, I just managed to push them a bit.
I can climb walls too. I ran away like a spider with eight legs, clinging to the wall.
“What are you, Kingpin?”
Who knows.
I ignored my opponent’s words and turned on the radio in my helmet. Surely, someone would come to help—
“Dr. Kim. Requesting backup.”
[This is Nanami. On the move.]
I raised my shield and guarded.
My opponent tried to attack again, but since I’d seen it before, I could block it.
It’s not like I’m taking hits directly. My opponent had pushed me quite a bit, but there were no enemies left, and my soldiers were entering the central bunker. The longer this dragged on, the more advantageous it was for me.
We continued the back-and-forth for a while. A meaningless fight of punching an energy shield that could withstand anti-materiel sniper fire. About two minutes later—
“Ha, damn it. I can’t do this, seriously.”
I had felt this way earlier too.
I tried to slam my opponent into the wall with the robotic arm, but the Omega Team Member sighed and threw down their heavy equipment.
“I surrender, you bastards.”
“Why?”
“Do whatever you want.”
Suddenly, the ventilation duct above us was cut open. With a loud noise, a cloud of dust rose—
Nanami, entering the scene.
The Omega Team Member and I looked in disbelief at the person who had just broken through the ceiling of the building’s corridor.
It wasn’t a hard decision to pause the fight. Punching armor that even bullets couldn’t penetrate wasn’t a pleasant experience.
Anyway, the person who fell from the ceiling…
Was wearing the same combat suit as me, but my suit had turned brown from all the blood splatter.
Nanami ran toward me, but the Omega Team Member, looking fed up, took off their helmet. Now I could see their face.
An expression of frustration and annoyance.
“I surrender, I surrender.”
Seeing the sincerity in their expression, I let them go. The Omega Team Member muttered something seriously, threw down their protective gear, and limped away down the corridor.
From now on. There’s nothing left to stop us from reaching our objective. After all, supernatural phenomena can’t be used in Facility No. 1.
Our victory is already assured. My soldiers are already sweeping through Facility No. 1. All I have to do now is wait, and I’ll win.
How many bunker doors have we broken through so far?
Someone might ask if there are any booby traps or defensive installations in important facilities or key points.
Important doors are, of course, places where important people or items pass through.
Even if booby traps were installed in such places, the probability of an ally getting hurt is higher than an intruder, who might never come.
That’s why the interior of the facility is generally clean.
The path to the command center in the central bunker.
The last bunker door opened. As always, we stormed into the command center of Facility No. 1, guns aimed.
“Don’t move!”
The threat didn’t work. The people sitting in the command center stood up as if to flee, and some aimed their weapons at me.
“You think you’re a mage? Do you know where you are—”
Since supernatural phenomena were neutralized, they must have thought they had a chance. As if.
Someone inside the command center reached for a pistol, but they were too slow. I swept the command center with a submachine gun I picked up on the way.
Only two people remained standing in the command center of Facility No. 1. Me and Nanami.
[As of now. Until further orders are given, Facility No. 1 will be under the command of Administrator Kim Bari. Those who resist Dr. Kim’s orders may be shot on sight.]
[Proceed with your daily duties.]