Although she was a witness herself, she had thought it was just an accident at the time, she did not expect it was just the tip of the iceberg. Now, things were escalating, and a larger iceberg beneath the water was slowly coming into collision.
D390 Industrial Zone, 69 floors underground.
This was the lowest region of the city, where the air was damp and hot. Massive dark red steel pipes crisscrossed back and forth, the heavy sound of machinery forging echoed in the distance, continually striking at a fixed frequency, with the large reverberations billowing through the pipes.
In the harsh industrial environment where no human figures could be seen, only lonely orange LED lights illuminated this steel jungle.
Stepping on the dark red anti-rust painted steel grating emitted a metallic clanking sound. Three individuals wearing deep blue goggles entered the area. They were clad in uniforms with a yellow base and black trim, not official members of the Federation, but belonging to a private firm that collaborated with it.
"What's the situation, Lude?" Yang Che, holding an unlocked electromagnetic rifle, was on alert at the front, while the two behind him operated a special scanner to search the surroundings, and another carried a heavy firepower box, scanning the area.
"It should be nearby."
Lude, looking at the 'Eight Mountains Plate' in his hands, adjusted frequencies and employed various search methods, the surface of the plate displaying different data in order to depict the situation surrounding them from multiple dimensions.
"My Eight Mountains Plate is facing a lot of interference, something I haven't encountered before. The other side might have some special means," Lude frowned.
"The Federal Government wouldn't hire us through usual means if they could have handled it with Payin City Government. Otherwise, why would they be willing to spend the money?" Yang Che shook his head, accustomed to troubles encountered during work.
When the Federal Government came knocking with a job, one needed to be mentally prepared to face all manner of troubles, for if the matter were simple, they wouldn't spend the money to seek them out.
"The one we're after is a cunning individual. According to current intelligence, he was likely lurking in this milk factory, using the factory's equipment to produce a batch of drugs."
"Adding this drug to milk induces a level of addiction, greatly increasing sales."
"Didn't the Federal detection department notice this?" Lude asked, puzzled.
"It depends on which level of the department we're talking about. If the milk factory's products are only sold locally and not shipped to other cities, then only the local authorities would check. And since Payin City isn't a big city, the detection department can be more easily fooled. No, perhaps there's no need to fool them at all; if the share of the profits is right, those people might just turn a blind eye," Pascal, the experienced one, answered his query, well acquainted with such practices.
"If it were just mildly addictive, it wouldn't have escalated to this point, but this guy, whether out of luck or sheer madness, has discovered something new."
"They say that drinking it enhances one's mental consciousness, making it easier to succeed when advancing through the stages."
Soon, an explosion sounded from beneath, and a large hole was blasted through the sealed steel wall.
The three climbed up to the hole, flipped inside, and observed the situation within.
"The good news is that this isn't a grey area, which means there aren't any criminals obstructing us," Lude used a flashlight to probe the pitch-black depths.
"The bad news is the walls are moist, there might be an underground river below, and the target could escape using the subterranean stream," Pascal spoke.
"If he gets away just like that, we're going to lose two-thirds of our commission," Yang Che adjusted the goggles on his nose and continued to use the auxiliary AI to analyze the environment below, searching for traces of someone having passed through before.
"Tch, just as I thought, nothing good ever comes easy."
Lude spat out, clipped the Eight Mountains Plate to his waist, and then jumped down. A handful of sparkling points cascaded from his hands as he descended, illuminating the surroundings like flares.
Dark rocky walls, moist moss plants, and rugged slopes passed by in their field of vision, until suddenly a shadow burst from a corner and pounced towards the shining lights.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three shots in succession, and blue streaks flashed through the darkness, obliterating the unidentified creature into chunks of flesh.
Yang Che, from behind, continued to grip his electromagnetic rifle tightly, aiming it downward to cover Lude, firing continuously until the other was safely on the ground.
Seeing no more shadows emerge, Pascal also jumped down with his black and red heavy firepower case in hand. His bulky figure, clad in thick bulletproof lining, resembled a grey rhinoceros.
When he landed, a splash of water erupted, and he even crushed several fragile stones.
Only then did Yang Che jump down, just as they thought they had cleared all the creatures along their path, another shadow suddenly dashed out, aiming straight for Yang Che in mid-air. His electromagnetic rifle was slung on his back, leaving him no time to draw it.
However, this operator was well-versed in such emergencies, and instantly drew the hilt of his sword from his waist, with a humming sound, a bright yellow light saber flared up in the darkness.
'Bright Flow Slash Light' [Radiant Gold Level], a surge-type light saber, with 'Incandescent Electricity' and 'Magic Power Piercing' effects. It can be instantly charged with Spirit Particle Sequence magic power, offering enormous destructive power, but also consuming a lot. A standard Sequence 5 Transcendent could use it continuously for one minute.
The blade was like countless bright yellow electric flames entwined, and as it swung towards the black creature, it emitted a succession of crackling electric sparks, slicing the adversary apart and filling the underground space with a burnt stench.
Seconds later, Yang Che landed, with the light saber already extinguished and stowed away in his hand, while chunks of charred flesh began to fall from the air, and wisps of white smoke rose in the atmosphere.