NOVEL NEXT Chapter 337
Violet found the struggle to be like the perfume that adorned her life. From the moment she opened her eyes in the laboratory, strange scents swirled around her.
The smell of gunpowder smoke, fresh blood, and the ozone scent that drifted through the air whenever the barrier enclosing the surface of a spear was torn apart. Of course, Violet was hardly aware of it.
There was one distinguishing difference between this space and the previous one. It was simply the presence of inhabitants.
“Boss! Boss! There are a lot of people! They’ve hidden really well!”
“Of course! This is where people live.”
2342’s expression twisted slightly as he received the report from the rats sprinting through the building’s interior.
Why is everyone just standing still?
The sensations delivered by the rats were dismantled and analyzed through collective intelligence. The scents of people detected between the hallway and the doors mostly reeked of fear.
Yet, some exuded resignation and familiarity. It seemed the residents of this place had already gone through several shootouts.
The collective intelligence of the network added new variables to consider in battle.
On the tactical map constructed in real-time, the ‘civilians’ category had densely packed blue dots alongside enemies and allies.
“There are many.”
“But they’re not moving? It doesn’t matter!”
The third element marked in blue was quickly forgotten. The collective intelligence focused on other variables. Heightened senses and rapidly rotating calculations measured the level of danger.
As two crows soared into the sky, observing the ongoing clashes, the network danced dramatically within a wave of data.
“Calculating, calculating. What’s the first exclusion target?”
The entity identified as the foremost risk was the containment execution agency of Luminexa.
Although its firepower and defense weren’t exceptional, it possessed numerous tricky technologies and the ability to deploy support weapons freely. Moreover, the entire city was completely isolated from the outside by the barrier they had previously witnessed. They seemed weaker than the Apostle’s machinations, but finding a breakthrough wouldn’t be easy.
Above all, the annoying factor was the Nimosis Protocol.
According to the memories of former agents, this localized information manipulation system developed by the Foundation contained an array of diverse functions.
“So many abilities?”
That meant it could give Violet a hard time in numerous ways.
Though it had no offensive capabilities itself, this malicious mobile support platform was undoubtedly lurking somewhere at this very moment.
If she couldn’t destroy it, magic would be out of the question, and movement would become impossible.
The collective intelligence captured another threat. An armed group targeting senators.
Compared to the Foundation’s troops, they appeared ordinary at first glance, but the caliber of the equipment they deployed and their movements were definitely not that of amateurs.
Considering they were indiscriminately flooding heavy weapons into a building with civilians still inside, their aggressiveness was beyond imagination.
A clear conclusion emerged.
They already recognized themselves as the enemy. There was zero room for negotiation.
“They’re excluded too!”
However, the increase in enemies meant the difficulty was rising.
The collective intelligence analyzed and calculated the incoming information, imprinting this precarious situation coldly into Violet’s mind.
Overwhelming firepower inferiority. Equipment of comparable or far superior levels. Moreover, how should she grasp this situation, having lost even numerical superiority for the first time in her life?
Yet, there was a method. 7,200 insights coalesced as one.
“Deploy heavy weapons!”
“Equip everyone with combat rifles or electromagnetic rifles! If not, then at least crossbows!”
“The enemies aren’t a coalition!”
Violet’s seemingly chaotic ideas and orders converged into a single call.
The collective intelligence meticulously began to divide the massive target like a great slab of ham being sliced. Tactical considerations were endlessly fragmented, scattered, and regathered.
The target was rapidly established, and the enemies were clearly marked on the tactical map.
V-Rats and small reconnaissance teams scurried around the building, memorizing the internal layout and categorizing its features one by one.
The available troop numbers and units were listed in succession.
“Magic use is prohibited, unique abilities are severely diminished, and we’re too few to self-destruct. As for heavy weapons…”
“Great, let’s deploy explosives and heavy weapons at every major position!”
Signals continued pouring into the strategic map. If machine guns, grenade launchers, improvised explosives, and mines were strategically deployed along predicted paths, they could annihilate the enemies.
“Prepare for fortification—”
But Violet failed to consider one crucial factor.
421’s enhanced senses, while dodging bullets to find a way out, detected the sound of footsteps.
As Violet turned her head to aim at soldiers rounding the corner, the door suddenly swung open and residents burst out.
“Quick, get out! It’s dangerous here! The next building should be safer!”
“Wait, Mom—”
“Hey! You idiots! Get back inside!”
Violet’s panicked scream fell on deaf ears; as soon as the soldiers spotted her, they pulled the triggers without hesitation.
The rifle-type machine gun erupted, unleashing heavy metal rounds.
Violet hurriedly pulled out her shield and dropped to the ground.
-PERONG!
“Ahh!”
For a brief moment of relief at avoiding the attack, an expansion of her pupils followed. The sight of people scattering like red fog beyond her shield was too shocking.
“Whoa! People turned into strawberry jam!”
“Not ketchup?”
Bullets and bolts showered like a rain of destruction on the interior of the building.
2213, hiding behind the wall, jumped out in shock at the incoming rounds.
In that instant, a bolt flying in pierced the family lying on the floor as if they were made of paper. The bolt shots from Luminexa had no regard for the fact that this was someone’s home.
Heavy-caliber rounds brutally violated the flimsy walls and floor of the residence.
-KWANG!
Terrorists pursuing Violet threw open the door and tossed explosives inside. As 512 fled sideways, they witnessed the horrors all too late.
“Ahh!”
“Ahh! My leg! My leg!”
Amid the wailing screams echoing from all directions, Violet realized this battlefield was completely unlike what she had expected.
Dungeons contained only enemies, while key targets of the Magnavis group were distant from civilian areas.
But now?
Violet, assembling heavy weaponry, halted in shock.
On the tactical map, shooting at the red enemy beyond the wall would likely cost the blue dots their lives.
If careless, innocent people would undoubtedly become mere tomato juice. The battles of the Awakened Ones were that violent.
Plans for fortifying the building were instantly nullified.
The network fell into chaos.
“Yikes! Command is communicating! Don’t use explosives! Put the heavy weapons away!”
“What do we do then?”
Violet felt both annoyance and horror at the realization they now had to consider the variable of protecting civilians too.
“Focus on close combat as much as possible! We have to somehow get out of here!”
“I can’t get out! We’re trapped!”
The world was so fragile.
Like a house built of paper.
**
Someone tapped my shoulder, pulling me from my thoughts.
Turning my head, I found Kalia and Enrique staring at me intently.
“What’s the problem?”
“There are too many civilians! If we fight inside, we can’t use heavy weapons!”
Upon hearing the explosions and screams, Kalia’s expression hardened as she seemed to instantly understand what I meant.
“For now, we must fight close-quarters. We can win, but it will take time. We need to get outside! In the meantime, you guys retreat!”
Kalia urgently questioned.
“How many enemies are there? Is there a way to win?”
Without hesitation, I answered.
“There is! But the scales of the enemies are at least company level. I do have a foolproof way to win! It just takes a bit of preparation, since enemies are pouring in from all sides. We can’t possibly block it all; it will be tough if they start bombarding us from outside.”
Once again, Kalia glanced towards the window, seemingly realizing something.
“I get what you’re saying… So someone has to pull their attention outside while stalling them?”
Determined, Kalia swiftly drew two short guns from her side.
3423’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Uh… Is that okay?”
“Hah… Are you asking if I’m okay?”
A lonely smile crossed Kalia’s lips.
“Don’t you know why Irene is so nice to you? You’ve given me everything… I’ve done nothing…”
Mixing with that smile was a touch of confidence and a hint of bitterness.
“So leave this much to me. Got it?”
I couldn’t put into words how I felt, but somehow I felt I could read her emotions.
“And I’ve become stronger than before. Really! I can deal with those guys outside to some extent.”
I realized I could not dissuade her any longer. At the very least, that attitude wasn’t one of despair.
A sudden thought crossed my mind.
What stood before me wasn’t Violet’s friend but one of the future protagonists who fought alongside the Scholarship Officer.
Yes, I will trust her. But maybe I should add something.
“Then let me take one! Oh, and this one too!”
“Ukiii!”
I quickly strapped a small grenade launcher-equipped monkey onto Kalia’s back. It would surely help somehow.
I also handed over the Recognition Interference Device.
“Alright, I’ll tie it up, but you must bring back that foolproof method of yours!”
Oh no, there was one more thing left to do.
I quickly pulled out a patch I had sourced. A vivid purple phoenix, the symbol of Luminexa, was emblazoned on it.
“Put this on!”
Kalia let out a short “Ah,” before dashing out of sight down the hallway.
Only a sulky Enrique remained behind.
“…If only I could use magic…”
I slowly shook my head.
“It’s alright. For today, just let the senators rest peacefully in their corner!”
After all, we cannot turn Circliff city into the second Hiroshima.