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37. Unexpected Encounter
The crowded tide of people surged forward. Ji Mingzhu's figure weaved through them, akin to a slender canoe navigating through tumultuous waves.
"Boom!"
The building rumbled, and he could sense the vibrations from below—the sound of the activation of the Thunder Division's mechs.
The citywide alarm blared. Thunder Division pilots who were on missions outside the city quickly rushed towards the Calamity Control Bureau. Following the commands from the operations command center, they swiftly deployed to counter the invading Aberrations and rescue the city's inhabitants.
With the collapse of the city walls and the Aberration invasion, something that hadn't happened for a very long time, there were quite a few individuals within the Calamity Control Bureau who were experiencing such a tense battle for the first time. The weighty mission rested on their shoulders, and each person's face bore an unprecedented solemnity as they hurried to their designated positions.
Through the glass windows beside the Thunder Division building, Ji Mingzhu could see several mechs had already activated and were moving towards the battlefield near the breached city wall. Their massive mechanical bodies leapt between towering skyscrapers, surging towards the Aberrations beyond the wall. The hum of their power cores reverberated through the air, startling the birds and beasts within the city. The sound of gunfire intertwined with the roars of the Aberrations.
Ji Mingzhu withdrew his gaze, opening a communication with Tian Quan. "What's the situation on your end?"
"I'm heading towards the Pestilence Division."
Tian Quan's response came quickly. "It's a bit chaotic on the Fire Division side. The defensive forces within the division have weakened considerably. Not many are paying attention to me. We need to move quickly. In a little while, someone might take over the security forces of the Calamity Control Bureau."
"Any movement from the Netherworld Division?"
"They haven't contacted me yet, but I guess the Netherworld Division wouldn't let this opportunity slip by. They might take action too."
Ji Mingzhu pondered for a moment. "Such a sudden attack… Who do you think could be behind this?"
"The city wall defenses of Satellite Cities are stringent. It's unlikely that a breach could suddenly appear. This must have been a premeditated plan."
Tian Quan said, "I guess… it must be the doing of the Strikers, and they were prepared in advance to accomplish all of this while avoiding suspicion from the Calamity Control Bureau. I estimate—"
Pausing for a moment, Ji Mingzhu and Tian Quan almost simultaneously arrived at the conclusion: "There's a mole from the Strikers within the Calamity Control Bureau."
The city walls of Satellite Cities were a solid defense line against Aberrations, with highly tight security measures in place. It was nearly impossible to breach from the outside. Moreover, to breach the city walls, it would require internal support. Transporting so many powerful explosives within Shangjing City without any suspicion couldn't have been done silently. Considering the previous attack on the Zong Bingyi Academy, the answer was becoming evident.
Inside the Calamity Control Bureau, there wasn't just one mole from the Strikers, but their position was likely significant.
For years, the Netherworld Division never gave up on infiltrating undercover agents into the Calamity Control Bureau. However, even for the Netherworld Organization, it was difficult to truly infiltrate the core management of the bureau. After all, the Calamity Control Bureau was a direct subsidiary of Sky City, with a comprehensive and strict management review mechanism, not to mention the immortal clan overseeing it from above.
In Tian Quan's eyes, the Strikers were a group of fanatic lunatics who only knew how to cause destruction. In terms of organizational scale, they were incomparable to the Netherworld Division. But he never expected that the Strikers, whom he had never taken seriously, would silently create such a massive disturbance. This realization forced him to reevaluate their capabilities.
"Hey, you there!"
Ji Mingzhu was hurrying toward the Pestilence Division when his arm was grabbed. Looking up, he saw a member in a Thunder Division uniform.
"You're not from Thunder Division, are you? Judging by your attire, you're one of the Zong Bingyi Academy students who were here for the visit today."
The Thunder Division member frowned. "Didn't the Zong Bingyi Academy students evacuate already? Did you get lost?"
Ji Mingzhu put on a bewildered and fearful expression. "I got separated from my classmates."
The Thunder Division member took out a communication terminal. "How did you manage to get separated at a time like this? Wait here. I'll contact the staff who brought you for the visit…"
"Boom—"
The building shook once again. Through the glass on the side of the building, one could see that the first wave of mech squads had already engaged the vanguard of the Aberration horde. A fierce battle erupted immediately. The impact when the colossal Aberrations clashed with the mechs was earth-shattering, resembling scenes from apocalyptic movies.
The outermost perimeter of the city was the impoverished district of Shangjing City, where people were mixed together, and the density of residences was much higher than in the inner city. The evacuation process here was not as swift.
During the battle between the Aberrations and the mech squads, a significant number of people from the impoverished district couldn't evacuate in time. Amidst the cannonfire and smoke, screams and cries resounded ceaselessly. Even from this distance, within the Pestilence Division building of Calamity Control Bureau, one could feel the atmosphere of a human purgatory spreading from afar.
A disaster-level Aberration had already reached the breach in the city wall. Its entire body was composed of gruesome masses of flesh, appearing from a distance like a grotesque blob of meat. Countless pairs of eyes opened and closed on its body, its eerie appearance enough to send shivers down one's spine. Its massive body was as tall as the city wall, and the breach seemed slightly small for it. Its bloated and eerie form was currently squeezed into the gap, wriggling incessantly.
"Boom!"
"Rumble!"
Skyborne fighter jets circled, and the ground-based vanguard mech squads simultaneously activated their heavy artillery systems. A continuous barrage of laser cannons and fire erupted upon this calamity-level Aberration. However, it seemed almost immune to this assault, its body rippling like elastic dough, and it launched a crimson meat column that swept fighter jets from the sky.
As it pushed forward, the breach in the city wall widened once more, colossal stones plummeting down, creating deep craters on the ground and billowing dust.
The special bio-defense of the Aberrations significantly reduced the damage caused by human technological weapons. Calamity-level Aberrations had a biological defense so potent that it could minimize damage from most weapons, and only S-class mechs were qualified to combat them. The fighter jets soaring through the sky might look intimidating, but they were effective against regular hardship and horror-level Aberrations. When confronting disaster-level Aberrations, it was akin to scratching an itch.
The intense and brutal battle left the members of the Thunder Division in awe. When one of them regained his senses, he looked ahead and realized that Ji Mingzhu had disappeared from his view without him noticing.
"Axiu."
Walking and talking at the same time, Ji Mingzhu instructed, "Scan the surrounding environment and locate the backup data room of the Calamity Control Bureau."
"Understood."
Ji Mingzhu's intention was to take advantage of the chaos and return to the Operations Command Center. There, he could complete Axiu's infiltration of the remaining data in the database. As long as this succeeded, Axiu would be able to bypass the firewall and surveillance systems, accessing the Calamity Control Bureau's database. Even if they couldn't obtain data with special encryption, it would still be a great opportunity for Ji Mingzhu. It could provide significant support for their future plans.
However, the Operations Command Center was now filled with people, including Zuo Quan Zong. Ji Mingzhu dared not go back there.
He had to resort to an alternative plan — finding a chance in the backup data room. With the current chaos within the Calamity Control Bureau, security in the backup data room shouldn't be as tight. With Axiu scouting ahead, Ji Mingzhu still had a chance to succeed.
Rescuing Yǎo Guāng required detailed maps of the Pestilence Division and the command codes. Without infiltrating the Calamity Control Bureau's database, all their efforts would be in vain. Ji Mingzhu would be powerless.
Listening to Axiu's guidance through his earpiece, Ji Mingzhu quietly slipped into a nearby room. It was the Thunder Division's rest area, and it was empty.
Two minutes later, Ji Mingzhu emerged from the room, his attire now changed from his Zongbingyi school uniform to the Thunder Division's member uniform.
Fits quite well.
Ji Mingzhu adjusted his hat and glanced around, seeing that no one paid him much attention.
"Tian Shu, I've reached the Pestilence Division," he communicated through his earpiece.
Tian Quan's voice came through the communication device, mixed with cries of agony and grunts. He continued, "More than half of the technicians and scientists in the Pestilence Division have evacuated. There are only a few guards left, and the defense is currently relatively weak. Should I go in to scout the situation?"
Although the interior of the Calamity Control Bureau appeared chaotic, it was only temporary. The bureau had already requested reinforcements from nearby Yangyuan City and Jiusheng City. Within half an hour, the support forces from these two cities would arrive, and the Calamity Control Bureau would regain its high alert status.
In reality, the external security forces of the Calamity Control Bureau were not weak at all. They were well aware that such chaos could provide opportunities for troublemakers. Therefore, they remained vigilant. However, Ji Mingzhu and his group had entered the Calamity Control Bureau with Zuo Quanzong's visiting team before the turmoil began. They hadn't undergone strict checks, which is how they managed to infiltrate so easily.
Ji Mingzhu moved downwards, avoiding the crowds. Since he was wearing the Thunder Division uniform, the few people he encountered along the way didn't take notice of him.
Soon, Ji Mingzhu used an escape passage and arrived at the Calamity Control Bureau's underground third floor. This is where the backup database room of the Thunder Division was located.
Strangely, there should have been guards here, and Ji Mingzhu even prepared himself for a possible confrontation. However, to his surprise, there wasn't a single person around.
Not only were there no people, but there were also no signs of a struggle... Could it be that the Calamity Control Bureau had called everyone to the battlefield for support at this time? That didn't make sense. An organization that had stood for so many years wouldn't relax its guard at such a crucial moment.
Ji Mingzhu instructed Axiu to scan the nearby surveillance systems while cautiously avoiding areas that might trigger alarms. He continued further inside.
Upon reaching the entrance of the database room, Ji Mingzhu carefully pushed the door open.
In the next second, he came face to face with someone.
"It's you?"
The voice of Huo Zai resounded in front of him, startling Ji Mingzhu.
Huo Zai, the Deputy Minister of the Thunder Division?
How could he be here?
Ji Mingzhu's initial instinct was to run, but upon closer thought, he realized that he had been spotted. Even if he ran, it wouldn't help. His second instinct was to take action.
"Attack angle 37, target the sides behind the brain, between the mastoid process and the occipital bone. This can instantly incapacitate the target," Axiu's voice echoed in his mind. Ji Mingzhu's arm slightly lowered as he prepared for a surprise attack.
Wait a moment...
Upon deeper consideration, Ji Mingzhu felt that something was off. As the Deputy Minister of the Thunder Division, Huo Zai should be in the upper-level command center at this time. There was no reason for him to be in the Thunder Division's backup database room. Furthermore, considering that he hadn't encountered any security forces on his way here, the most likely scenario was that Huo Zai had cleared them out beforehand...
In a flash, Ji Mingzhu thought of a possibility.
"Deputy Minister Huo..."
Ji Mingzhu narrowed his eyes slightly, locking his gaze onto Huo Zai: "I accidentally got separated from my classmates. Do you know how to find them?"
Huo Zai's gaze carried a sense of inquiry.
Separated?
A rather clumsy excuse.
This young man before him wasn't wearing the Zuo Quanzong Institute uniform anymore; he had switched to the Thunder Division's uniform at some point. Appearing at the entrance of the data room at this moment clearly indicated a different motive.
It seemed that Ji Mingzhu's identity wasn't as simple as it appeared.
An eerie silence filled the atmosphere between the two.
Huo Zai's hand quietly moved behind his back, gripping the handle of a weapon.
TN:
This is giving me "Return of the Disaster-Class Hero" vibes. Especially one episode where some Giant Toad-like monster shows up in the city. If you haven't read the Manhwa or Novel yet, you're missing out on a hilarious roller-coaster. Although as with most Korean literature, the MC is OP asf but he's also hilarious. Give it a shot when in need of comic release.
Previous | TOC | Next |
37. Unexpected Encounter
The crowded tide of people surged forward. Ji Mingzhu's figure weaved through them, akin to a slender canoe navigating through tumultuous waves.
"Boom!"
The building rumbled, and he could sense the vibrations from below—the sound of the activation of the Thunder Division's mechs.
The citywide alarm blared. Thunder Division pilots who were on missions outside the city quickly rushed towards the Calamity Control Bureau. Following the commands from the operations command center, they swiftly deployed to counter the invading Aberrations and rescue the city's inhabitants.
With the collapse of the city walls and the Aberration invasion, something that hadn't happened for a very long time, there were quite a few individuals within the Calamity Control Bureau who were experiencing such a tense battle for the first time. The weighty mission rested on their shoulders, and each person's face bore an unprecedented solemnity as they hurried to their designated positions.
Through the glass windows beside the Thunder Division building, Ji Mingzhu could see several mechs had already activated and were moving towards the battlefield near the breached city wall. Their massive mechanical bodies leapt between towering skyscrapers, surging towards the Aberrations beyond the wall. The hum of their power cores reverberated through the air, startling the birds and beasts within the city. The sound of gunfire intertwined with the roars of the Aberrations.
Ji Mingzhu withdrew his gaze, opening a communication with Tian Quan. "What's the situation on your end?"
"I'm heading towards the Pestilence Division."
Tian Quan's response came quickly. "It's a bit chaotic on the Fire Division side. The defensive forces within the division have weakened considerably. Not many are paying attention to me. We need to move quickly. In a little while, someone might take over the security forces of the Calamity Control Bureau."
"Any movement from the Netherworld Division?"
"They haven't contacted me yet, but I guess the Netherworld Division wouldn't let this opportunity slip by. They might take action too."
Ji Mingzhu pondered for a moment. "Such a sudden attack… Who do you think could be behind this?"
"The city wall defenses of Satellite Cities are stringent. It's unlikely that a breach could suddenly appear. This must have been a premeditated plan."
Tian Quan said, "I guess… it must be the doing of the Strikers, and they were prepared in advance to accomplish all of this while avoiding suspicion from the Calamity Control Bureau. I estimate—"
Pausing for a moment, Ji Mingzhu and Tian Quan almost simultaneously arrived at the conclusion: "There's a mole from the Strikers within the Calamity Control Bureau."
The city walls of Satellite Cities were a solid defense line against Aberrations, with highly tight security measures in place. It was nearly impossible to breach from the outside. Moreover, to breach the city walls, it would require internal support. Transporting so many powerful explosives within Shangjing City without any suspicion couldn't have been done silently. Considering the previous attack on the Zong Bingyi Academy, the answer was becoming evident.
Inside the Calamity Control Bureau, there wasn't just one mole from the Strikers, but their position was likely significant.
For years, the Netherworld Division never gave up on infiltrating undercover agents into the Calamity Control Bureau. However, even for the Netherworld Organization, it was difficult to truly infiltrate the core management of the bureau. After all, the Calamity Control Bureau was a direct subsidiary of Sky City, with a comprehensive and strict management review mechanism, not to mention the immortal clan overseeing it from above.
In Tian Quan's eyes, the Strikers were a group of fanatic lunatics who only knew how to cause destruction. In terms of organizational scale, they were incomparable to the Netherworld Division. But he never expected that the Strikers, whom he had never taken seriously, would silently create such a massive disturbance. This realization forced him to reevaluate their capabilities.
"Hey, you there!"
Ji Mingzhu was hurrying toward the Pestilence Division when his arm was grabbed. Looking up, he saw a member in a Thunder Division uniform.
"You're not from Thunder Division, are you? Judging by your attire, you're one of the Zong Bingyi Academy students who were here for the visit today."
The Thunder Division member frowned. "Didn't the Zong Bingyi Academy students evacuate already? Did you get lost?"
Ji Mingzhu put on a bewildered and fearful expression. "I got separated from my classmates."
The Thunder Division member took out a communication terminal. "How did you manage to get separated at a time like this? Wait here. I'll contact the staff who brought you for the visit…"
"Boom—"
The building shook once again. Through the glass on the side of the building, one could see that the first wave of mech squads had already engaged the vanguard of the Aberration horde. A fierce battle erupted immediately. The impact when the colossal Aberrations clashed with the mechs was earth-shattering, resembling scenes from apocalyptic movies.
The outermost perimeter of the city was the impoverished district of Shangjing City, where people were mixed together, and the density of residences was much higher than in the inner city. The evacuation process here was not as swift.
During the battle between the Aberrations and the mech squads, a significant number of people from the impoverished district couldn't evacuate in time. Amidst the cannonfire and smoke, screams and cries resounded ceaselessly. Even from this distance, within the Pestilence Division building of Calamity Control Bureau, one could feel the atmosphere of a human purgatory spreading from afar.
A disaster-level Aberration had already reached the breach in the city wall. Its entire body was composed of gruesome masses of flesh, appearing from a distance like a grotesque blob of meat. Countless pairs of eyes opened and closed on its body, its eerie appearance enough to send shivers down one's spine. Its massive body was as tall as the city wall, and the breach seemed slightly small for it. Its bloated and eerie form was currently squeezed into the gap, wriggling incessantly.
"Boom!"
"Rumble!"
Skyborne fighter jets circled, and the ground-based vanguard mech squads simultaneously activated their heavy artillery systems. A continuous barrage of laser cannons and fire erupted upon this calamity-level Aberration. However, it seemed almost immune to this assault, its body rippling like elastic dough, and it launched a crimson meat column that swept fighter jets from the sky.
As it pushed forward, the breach in the city wall widened once more, colossal stones plummeting down, creating deep craters on the ground and billowing dust.
The special bio-defense of the Aberrations significantly reduced the damage caused by human technological weapons. Calamity-level Aberrations had a biological defense so potent that it could minimize damage from most weapons, and only S-class mechs were qualified to combat them. The fighter jets soaring through the sky might look intimidating, but they were effective against regular hardship and horror-level Aberrations. When confronting disaster-level Aberrations, it was akin to scratching an itch.
The intense and brutal battle left the members of the Thunder Division in awe. When one of them regained his senses, he looked ahead and realized that Ji Mingzhu had disappeared from his view without him noticing.
"Axiu."
Walking and talking at the same time, Ji Mingzhu instructed, "Scan the surrounding environment and locate the backup data room of the Calamity Control Bureau."
"Understood."
Ji Mingzhu's intention was to take advantage of the chaos and return to the Operations Command Center. There, he could complete Axiu's infiltration of the remaining data in the database. As long as this succeeded, Axiu would be able to bypass the firewall and surveillance systems, accessing the Calamity Control Bureau's database. Even if they couldn't obtain data with special encryption, it would still be a great opportunity for Ji Mingzhu. It could provide significant support for their future plans.
However, the Operations Command Center was now filled with people, including Zuo Quan Zong. Ji Mingzhu dared not go back there.
He had to resort to an alternative plan — finding a chance in the backup data room. With the current chaos within the Calamity Control Bureau, security in the backup data room shouldn't be as tight. With Axiu scouting ahead, Ji Mingzhu still had a chance to succeed.
Rescuing Yǎo Guāng required detailed maps of the Pestilence Division and the command codes. Without infiltrating the Calamity Control Bureau's database, all their efforts would be in vain. Ji Mingzhu would be powerless.
Listening to Axiu's guidance through his earpiece, Ji Mingzhu quietly slipped into a nearby room. It was the Thunder Division's rest area, and it was empty.
Two minutes later, Ji Mingzhu emerged from the room, his attire now changed from his Zongbingyi school uniform to the Thunder Division's member uniform.
Fits quite well.
Ji Mingzhu adjusted his hat and glanced around, seeing that no one paid him much attention.
"Tian Shu, I've reached the Pestilence Division," he communicated through his earpiece.
Tian Quan's voice came through the communication device, mixed with cries of agony and grunts. He continued, "More than half of the technicians and scientists in the Pestilence Division have evacuated. There are only a few guards left, and the defense is currently relatively weak. Should I go in to scout the situation?"
Although the interior of the Calamity Control Bureau appeared chaotic, it was only temporary. The bureau had already requested reinforcements from nearby Yangyuan City and Jiusheng City. Within half an hour, the support forces from these two cities would arrive, and the Calamity Control Bureau would regain its high alert status.
In reality, the external security forces of the Calamity Control Bureau were not weak at all. They were well aware that such chaos could provide opportunities for troublemakers. Therefore, they remained vigilant. However, Ji Mingzhu and his group had entered the Calamity Control Bureau with Zuo Quanzong's visiting team before the turmoil began. They hadn't undergone strict checks, which is how they managed to infiltrate so easily.
Ji Mingzhu moved downwards, avoiding the crowds. Since he was wearing the Thunder Division uniform, the few people he encountered along the way didn't take notice of him.
Soon, Ji Mingzhu used an escape passage and arrived at the Calamity Control Bureau's underground third floor. This is where the backup database room of the Thunder Division was located.
Strangely, there should have been guards here, and Ji Mingzhu even prepared himself for a possible confrontation. However, to his surprise, there wasn't a single person around.
Not only were there no people, but there were also no signs of a struggle... Could it be that the Calamity Control Bureau had called everyone to the battlefield for support at this time? That didn't make sense. An organization that had stood for so many years wouldn't relax its guard at such a crucial moment.
Ji Mingzhu instructed Axiu to scan the nearby surveillance systems while cautiously avoiding areas that might trigger alarms. He continued further inside.
Upon reaching the entrance of the database room, Ji Mingzhu carefully pushed the door open.
In the next second, he came face to face with someone.
"It's you?"
The voice of Huo Zai resounded in front of him, startling Ji Mingzhu.
Huo Zai, the Deputy Minister of the Thunder Division?
How could he be here?
Ji Mingzhu's initial instinct was to run, but upon closer thought, he realized that he had been spotted. Even if he ran, it wouldn't help. His second instinct was to take action.
"Attack angle 37, target the sides behind the brain, between the mastoid process and the occipital bone. This can instantly incapacitate the target," Axiu's voice echoed in his mind. Ji Mingzhu's arm slightly lowered as he prepared for a surprise attack.
Wait a moment...
Upon deeper consideration, Ji Mingzhu felt that something was off. As the Deputy Minister of the Thunder Division, Huo Zai should be in the upper-level command center at this time. There was no reason for him to be in the Thunder Division's backup database room. Furthermore, considering that he hadn't encountered any security forces on his way here, the most likely scenario was that Huo Zai had cleared them out beforehand...
In a flash, Ji Mingzhu thought of a possibility.
"Deputy Minister Huo..."
Ji Mingzhu narrowed his eyes slightly, locking his gaze onto Huo Zai: "I accidentally got separated from my classmates. Do you know how to find them?"
Huo Zai's gaze carried a sense of inquiry.
Separated?
A rather clumsy excuse.
This young man before him wasn't wearing the Zuo Quanzong Institute uniform anymore; he had switched to the Thunder Division's uniform at some point. Appearing at the entrance of the data room at this moment clearly indicated a different motive.
It seemed that Ji Mingzhu's identity wasn't as simple as it appeared.
An eerie silence filled the atmosphere between the two.
Huo Zai's hand quietly moved behind his back, gripping the handle of a weapon.
TN:
This is giving me "Return of the Disaster-Class Hero" vibes. Especially one episode where some Giant Toad-like monster shows up in the city. If you haven't read the Manhwa or Novel yet, you're missing out on a hilarious roller-coaster. Although as with most Korean literature, the MC is OP asf but he's also hilarious. Give it a shot when in need of comic release.
