CH 9

9. Immortal Clan

The death of Jin Qing was evident to everyone. Under the watchful eyes of all, his head was pierced through, which was an undeniable fact. Even the most tenacious creature would hardly survive with a hole in its head. The previous example of the creature killed by Ji Mingzhu was the best evidence.

However, at this moment, Jin Qing sat unharmed in the car, which was also a fact. The penetrating wound on his forehead had somehow healed, and his gray eyes, like glass beads, were fixed on the direction of Ji Mingzhu.

"How is this possible?!"

Kai Yang was the first to speak, "Could that sniper on the Striker have made a mistake? Did they miss? No, I clearly saw him..."

"Jin Qing is still alive."

Tian Quan used the scope to gaze at Jin Qing's location and confirmed Ji Mingzhu's words, "The target hasn't died. Should we continue the mission?"

Yao Guang, on the side, stared at the screen intently, "The reinforcements from the Calamity Control Bureau have already arrived in the nearby block."

Yu Heng's expression changed, but in the end, he reluctantly gave up the mission, "Forget it... Let's retreat."

Due to the interference of the Striker, the mission took an unexpected turn. According to the original plan, they had a high chance of successfully abducting Jin Qing. But now, Tian Shu and Kai Yang had already been exposed, and the reinforcements from the Calamity Control Bureau were about to arrive. Trying to lay hands on Jin Qing again would be walking into a trap.

Ji Mingzhu let out a sigh of relief, "Understood."

As they spoke, the forces commanded by Huozai from the Calamity Control Bureau gradually gained control of the situation. Faintly, they could already hear the buzzing sound of numerous mechs in the nearby block. It had to be said that the Calamity Control Bureau's response speed was truly impressive.

"Are we leaving now?"

Kai Yang said, "I haven't had enough fun yet."

Yu Heng replied coldly, "If you want to visit the Plague Division, I won't stop you."

Kai Yang forced a laugh, "Just kidding."

Ji Mingzhu had no intention of staying for even a moment. He quickly bombed the ground around him with explosives, using the smoke and debris as cover. Aria's Hook Sickle swiftly climbed up a distant building.

"They're trying to escape!"

"Stop them!"

Ji Mingzhu and Kai Yang, who were on the battlefield in unidentified mechs, had already attracted close attention from the members of the Calamity Control Bureau. As soon as they made a move, they were noticed by the surrounding Calamity Control Bureau members. Unfortunately, Ji Mingzhu, being one of the world's top professional operators, could easily break through even when facing encirclement from two teams in the global arena. As they made their move, Ji Mingzhu's figure disappeared with a swish, driven by the contraction of the iron chains.

In comparison, Kai Yang appeared more aggressive. He dashed straight ahead on the battlefield, directly knocking aside the Calamity Control Bureau mechs attempting to block him. Then, using the creatures as cover, he leaped twice and disappeared into the night, also concealed by darkness.

"Don't chase them."

Huozai stopped those who wanted to continue the pursuit. The capabilities of these two unidentified mechs were astonishing, far beyond the skill level of ordinary forces' pilots. Instead of chasing them, they had more important matters to attend to.

"Who leaked my whereabouts?"

Jin Qing's voice sounded from behind, and Minister Gao jolted in shock. He turned around and looked at Jin Qing's expressionless face, his lips trembling as if he had seen a ghost. "You, you're not... you..."

Huozai didn't react as strongly. It seemed he had known all along that Jin Qing was still alive. He turned around, bowed his head, and said, "Currently, we don't know. However, rest assured, we will investigate this matter and give Sky City an explanation."

"Two months ago, you said the same thing."

Jin Qing smiled slyly, "Unfortunately, until now, Sky City hasn't received the so-called 'explanation' from you."

Minister Gao lowered his head and responded. He secretly glanced in the direction where Ji Mingzhu and the others had disappeared, feeling a slight sense of relief.

The reinforcements from the Calamity Control Bureau quickly arrived and swiftly surrounded the street block. The remaining Flying Boat organization's mechs and their creatures, who were still engaged in fierce combat, were rapidly defeated. Numerous Flying Boat members were captured alive. Several large nets made of Gauss fiber cables were launched from the reinforcements' mechs, tightly restraining the creatures that were not yet completely dead.

Jin Qing's lips curved with a smirk as he fixed his gaze on Huozai and Minister Gao in front of him. His indifferent gaze exerted immense pressure. Minister Gao, faced with Jin Qing's gaze, found his breathing becoming erratic.

"Roar!"

A low growl similar to that of a wild beast resounded in the surroundings. One member of the Calamity Control Bureau's Fire Division exhibited a painful and contorted expression, frantically tearing at his own clothes and flesh.

"Not good!"

"The isolation system of his protective suit has failed!"

"Oh no, he..."

The people who were in close proximity to the Fire Division member quickly retreated, their expressions guarded.

"Crack..."

Accompanied by the eerie sound of bones piercing through flesh, the bones of the Fire Division member began to grotesquely elongate before the horrified gazes of everyone. Ribs protruded from his body like fangs, and his skull split in half, revealing an indescribable, hideous tumor that replaced his original head.

"That's..."

Ji Mingzhu watched from a distance, his expression also showing astonishment.

"He has become corrupted."

Yu Heng said softly, "The battle must have damaged his protective suit, allowing the intrusion of the Aberration's blood."

Corruption...

Ji Mingzhu didn't inquire about the meaning of the term but instead kept it in mind.

"The members of the Striker Organization certainly have effective methods."

Kai Yang jumped off the mech and stood next to Yu Heng. "Even the Calamity Control Bureau can't control the Aberrations, yet they manage to do so... Aren't they afraid of the Aberrations turning on them?"

In just a few seconds, a perfectly normal human being transformed into a monster. Apart from being smaller in size compared to true Aberrations, in every other aspect, they had surpassed the boundaries of humanity. The speed of the mutation was astonishing.

"But corruption isn't a problem for the people of Sky City either."

Tian Quan lazily remarked, "It's just a matter of a bottle of clean water. They have always excelled at using such methods to control others."

However, as soon as Tian Quan finished speaking, his expression froze the next second.

"Bang!"

A gunshot rang out, and the tumor on the mutated Fire Division member's head instantly burst open. In the following moment, he lost all vitality and lay on the ground, becoming a lifeless corpse.

Jin Qing casually tossed the gun in his hand to a dazed member of the Calamity Control Bureau without even looking back. He then entered the vehicle with an indifferent expression. "Let's go to headquarters."

"Yes..."

Huozai lowered his head, concealing the emotions in his eyes.

The members of the Calamity Control Bureau around him wore expressions of disbelief. Just moments ago, a corrupted human could be cured and restored to their original form if treated promptly. However, it was clear that Jin Qing had no intention of doing so. Perhaps in his eyes, an ordinary member of the Fire Division was not worth the precious clean water treatment that Sky City would have to expend. When he raised his gun, his expression was cold and indifferent, as if...

"As if slaughtering livestock."

Yu Heng observed the scene from afar and sneered, "Truly worthy of the Immortal Clan of Sky City. This complete lack of humanity seems to be carved from the same mold."

"Our mission has failed."

Tian Quan sighed, "If it weren't for the interference from the Striker, we would have succeeded long ago. What do we do now?"

Yu Heng pondered with a lowered head, "How did the Striker get the information? They were hiding here, and I didn't even detect them. They must have deployed in advance."

Tian Quan suggested, "Could the Striker have planted their own agents within the Calamity Control Bureau?"

"There's a possibility," Yu Heng replied without confirming. "But they stumbled this time. With so many Aberrations and mechs captured, they will have a headache for a while. Besides, I suspect their target is not only Jin Qing."

Tian Quan paused and asked, "What do you mean?"

"You fool."

Yao Guang sneered, "The sniper from before already succeeded. If they merely wanted to kill Jin Qing, they could have retreated at that time."

"Who are you calling a fool?"

Tian Quan grew annoyed and said, "Yao Guang, I've noticed that you've become increasingly arrogant lately. And didn't Jin Qing die? Since he's alive, isn't it normal for members of the Striker to launch an attack?"

"No one knew that Jin Qing was still alive before this."

Yu Heng shook his head and said, "The Immortal Clan rarely shows themselves in Satellite City, and we have very little information about them. The intelligence network of the Striker is not as good as ours, let alone knowing about this in advance..."

A person with a pierced head appearing unharmed in front of everyone was hard to believe unless witnessed with their own eyes.

Although they had a human-like appearance, the Immortal Clan didn't seem entirely human but rather more like... Aberrations?

Ji Mingzhu thought about those Aberrations with robust vitality, capable of recovering from severe injuries in just moments.

"I will report tonight's events to the BOSS, and the mission is temporarily suspended."

Yu Heng bypassed the topic and glanced at the people in front of him, saying, "The Calamity Control Bureau is now on guard, so our subsequent actions won't be as smooth as two months ago. To avoid alerting them prematurely, we need to act discreetly during this time. The previous communication channels and meeting points are compromised, and I will notify you separately for future arrangements."

"Understood."

"Got it."

Two months ago? It sounded like the Netherland Organization had already taken action before...

While speculating about the intentions of the Netherland Organization, Ji Mingzhu nodded like the others and said, "Understood."

"Tian Shu."

Yu Heng suddenly turned to Ji Mingzhu, who had remained silent, and said, "You've worked hard tonight. Later, you'll leave with Tian Quan through the secret passage. You have a task at hand, so unless necessary, you don't need to accompany us in further actions to avoid being targeted by the Calamity Control Bureau."

Ji Mingzhu couldn't have asked for more and said, "Okay."

Yu Heng and the others didn't doubt Ji Mingzhu's identity, indicating that so far, Ji Mingzhu's words and actions had not raised any significant suspicions. He had arrived in this world not long ago and still had a lot to learn about the information. Fortunately, the original host had a mission at hand, which gave him ample space, and he had a reason to avoid contact with the members of the Grim Division to avoid revealing anything.

However, Ji Mingzhu didn't feel relieved, and his tense nerves didn't relax either. After all, he still didn't know what the "mission" mentioned by the Netherland Organization really meant. But considering the need to use an "ace" to carry out a separate mission, it couldn't be child's play.

The members of the Calamity Control Bureau had already begun searching the surrounding area. They didn't have much time left. Yu Heng gave some brief instructions, and Yao Guang then opened his portable computer and cut off nearby surveillance. "We can leave now. People will arrive here soon."

Ji Mingzhu and Kai Yang were riding in two large Aerial Raiders, which were difficult to relocate. Although Kai Yang was reluctant, Yu Heng chose to abandon these two precious mechas.

Accompanied by a massive explosion, the two mechas turned into debris amidst the flames.

Ji Mingzhu appeared calm as he followed behind Tian Quan, but his heart sank a little. Just as he had suspected, these two mechas were indeed equipped with remote detonation systems. If he had truly done something irrational and tried to use the mechas to break free or something similar, he would probably be a charred corpse by now.

The sound of the mecha debris behind them crackled as everyone dispersed in different directions. Ji Mingzhu followed Tian Quan to leave this troublesome place. Yao Guang had infiltrated the surveillance system, and they successfully evaded the Calamity Control Bureau's search. They made their way down to a secluded intersection. After walking a few steps, Tian Quan suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Ji Mingzhu frowned, thinking that there might be another unexpected situation. "What's wrong?"

"It's very strange."

Tian Quan tilted his head and turned to stare at Ji Mingzhu. "You've been acting very strangely today, Tian Shu..."