Chapter 274

"Hello, this is Mephisto."

"Can you hear me? Respond if you can!"

Shortly after, W's voice came through the Walkie-Talkie:

"What do you need me for?"

Mephisto deliberately left a cliffhanger by not mentioning the white-haired Sarkaz or the dragon women:

"A squad called Rhodes Island is retreating from G Sector to Plot W. I just received information that they are carrying research data that is very important to the Rhodes Island. W, could you please intercept them at Plot W? I'll gather my men here and come over immediately."

W immediately knew the other side was setting a trap, as Rhodes Island passed through the G Sector controlled by Mephisto. This indicates a battle ensued, and the former emerged victorious.

If he led his team to intercept them, Mephisto would likely be unable to spare reinforcements. This would mean losing a fellow countryman for nothing, with no way to claim compensation afterward.

Besides, the group had just escaped from X Sector and were unwilling to risk going back and encountering the red-haired Sarkaz.

They're mercenaries, not fools. They won't do anything that's thankless and difficult. Besides, W and Scout are old acquaintances from the Babel, so W declined.

"I'm sorry, Mephisto. It's not that we don't want to go, it's that we can't go."

"What's the meaning?"

"We just encountered a red-haired Sarkaz wearing a golden mask and carrying a greatsword while patrolling X Sector. She killed our elite Garson with a single move."

"Don't even mention Plot W, my men don't even want to go back to X Sector. We really can't help with this; you should find other managers to help intercept it."

After saying that, W ended the communication.

Another golden mask?

Mephisto was dumbfounded. Where did these experts come from? Each one was stronger than the last.

He nervously bit his fingers, pondering whether he could seek assistance from that cadre in the Rhodes Island.

The Crownslayer is ruled out first.

Mephisto had driven the Crownslayer away by arguing him in the park on G Sector. Asking him to shamelessly ask for help now is really asking too much; he's too embarrassed to do it.

The Patriot, the strongest force within the Rhodes Island, are currently monitoring the Ursus Army Group outside the city. Only a local area network signal is available within the city, making contact with the outside impossible.

Even if they made contact, given the unfamiliar relationship between Mephisto and Patriot, they wouldn't be able to get the other party's help.

But the other cadres were too weak. They couldn't even beat themselves, let alone the three masked men.

After much deliberation, Mephisto realized that only FrostNova met the criteria. His grenade launcher should be able to blast those dark summons to smithereens. If they refused to come to his aid, he would have no choice but to report to his leader.

After adjusting the Walkie-Talkie channel, Mephisto politely inquired:

"Hey, FrostNova, are you there?"

"I am Mephisto, please respond."

He spoke for a long time without receiving a response. This gave Mephisto a bad feeling.

What if FrostNova encounters Sarkaz with hair of a different color and gets wiped out?

The Rhodes Island is in a bad situation right now.

Mephisto was unwilling to let the Rhodes Island operator escape Chernobyl, and ultimately decided to ask Talulah for help:

"Leader, are you there?"

"I am Mephisto, and I have something very important to report to you."

A few seconds later, Talulah responded:

"What's up?"

The leader's voice was low and devoid of passion compared to before, like that of a decrepit Old Man.

Mephisto briefly described the situation at Rhodes Island, hoping the leader would help intercept them. But what he received was a blunt refusal:

"I don't have time, you'll have to handle it yourself."

Talulah didn't explain what she was busy with and quickly ended the communication. She also didn't respond to subsequent messages from Mephisto.

What's going on?

Mephisto frowned, sensing that something was off with the leader today. But for a moment, he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.

A few minutes later, Mephisto arrived at the television station building. Shortly after, he met up with FrostNova.

The two of them alone are not enough to stop the Rhodes Island squad from leaving the city. Their only option is to head to D Sector, north of G Sector, and find their leader Talulah, first.

Upon entering the site, FrostNova was shocked by the sight of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. The bodies of thousands of Rhodes Island members lay scattered haphazardly in the street.

Mephisto showed no mercy; he could even laugh out loud at the sight of so many infected corpses.

Hahaha, this is truly a stroke of luck!

So many corpses, they're all good material for the Herd!

He began chanting incantations to create Herd, but soon frowned. These materials, having endured some unknown ordeal, had all their spines broken and were unable to stand.

Seeing more than a dozen surviving Rhodes Island members about four or five hundred meters away, a murderous glint flashed in Mephisto' eyes. He tilted his head and gave FrostNova an order:

"Let's go take a look."

340 An Unbreakable Bond 3K

FrostNova had known Mephistopheles for so many years that he could sometimes tell what he was up to with just a glance.

For example, right now, Mephisto is staring at the Rhodes Island members who have managed to survive. It's clear he wants to kill these infected and turn their corpses into a 'Herd'.

The usually taciturn FrostNova was now forced to express his opinion:

"Actually, there's no need to hurt them. We should hurry up and rejoin the leader; that way, our chances of winning will be much better."

Upon hearing this, Mephisto' expression turned somewhat strange:

"Did I hear that right? You're pleading for them? These people are all infected; they don't have many days left to live. Their best fate is to become part of the Herd."

Besides, don't I need guards? Their small bodies alone can't stop the enemy. Transforming them into Herd is the best outcome."

FrostNova shook his head, disagreeing with this view:

"I've never said a word about you using corpses to make Herd. But they've survived this terrible battle with great difficulty, so we should give them a way to live and not take away their remaining lives."

Mephisto shrank back, wondering what was wrong with this taciturn man today.

"Do you think you can stop Rhodes Island's Operator by yourself? Without ground units, how are you going to hold them off? Where are your Phantom Crossbowmen? Why aren't you calling them over to help at a time like this?"

FrostNova looked serious, for he was now facing a cruel choice.

Calling in the Phantom Crossbowmen would allow us to avoid killing the infected. But doing so would push them into a trap. If we don't call them in, we'll have to kill the infected.

You can't have both; you can only choose one.

FrostNova didn't want to choose either, and shook his head, saying:

"No, it shouldn't be like this."

"Nerve."

Mephisto noticed FrostNova's unusual behavior today and frowned, muttering a curse. Then, carrying his staff, he walked towards the group of infected individuals a few hundred meters away.

Upon seeing the arrival of the Rhodes Island's cadres, the dozen or so infected individuals present appeared somewhat flustered.

They stayed here to dig a grave to bury their deceased friends, intending to leave only after the burial was complete. Now, encountering officials means they could be temporarily conscripted at any moment.

"Come, come, all of you, come here."

Several Rhodes Island members hesitated, but still obeyed and moved closer. Only one infected person remained standing, his tone full of resistance:

"Sir, that should be enough."

"What?"

The infected person who was speaking removed the white mask, revealing a weathered face:

"Didn't you come to Chernobyl to search for supplies to rebuild our homes? What's the point of you killing everywhere and trying to take over this Mobile Cities that's about to be hit by Catastrophe?"

Mephisto was furious that a member of the Rhodes Island dared to speak to him like that.

Unfortunately, he's a Medical Operator, skilled at controlling corpses to create Herd, but not so professional at killing.

"FrostNova, kill him."

Hearing his friend's cold tone, FrostNova was caught in a dilemma, knowing this would be the outcome.

Mephisto frowned, his anxiety growing as he saw him disobey orders.

"Um?"

Forced by circumstances, FrostNova slowly raised his crossbow and aimed it at the innocent infected. But this time, he felt the trigger was incredibly heavy.

"Bang!"

In a flash, a bullet struck the crossbow barrel with pinpoint accuracy.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

The next two shots hit the same spot, causing the ballista to be punctured and rendered unusable on the spot. Such precision is worthy of being called a sharpshooter.

A Red-haired Sarkaz, wearing a golden mask and a halo, stood on the ruins and laughed:

"You are a bunch of lunatics. You not only kill military police and soldiers, but you even kill your own people."

Golden Mask!

Upon seeing the same golden mask, Mephisto and FrostNova's expressions changed drastically. They had both personally witnessed powerful figures wearing golden masks and dared not underestimate their opponent.

Upon seeing the golden mask, their first reaction was to flee; they had no intention of engaging in a fight.

Mephisto was weak in combat without Herd, FrostNova's weapons were broken, so they were no match for each other.

The two hadn't run far when they spotted a Female Lupo wearing a golden mask walking towards them from the intersection on their right.

Judging from the way the other person is holding a sword with one hand, I wonder what their relationship is with the red-haired Sarkaz that W mentioned.

Another golden mask!

FrostNova, his face grave, stood in front of Mephisto and said in a low voice:

"My ballista is broken and can't fire. Come this way with me, I'll cover your retreat."

"Cover? What will you use to cover us?"

"Have you forgotten? My Originium Arts can make us invisible while we're moving."

Upon hearing this, Mephisto' eyes widened, and he excitedly called out FrostNova's real name:

"Please don't use that Sasha trick, I'm begging you! Your infected organs will rupture because of it."

FrostNova paid no attention to this, keeping a wary eye on the Female Lupo and the gender-ambiguous Sarkaz.

"It's alright. It's better to fight than to die here. Maybe we can escape. Listen, you can't die here. Even if I'm gone, you have to live well. Ino, promise me you won't die. This is my last wish."

"No, Sasha, don't say such discouraging things. We can go to D Sector and find the leader."

FrostNova shook his head; he didn't believe he and Mephisto could escape unscathed from being surrounded by the two.

"There's no time to lose, this is the only way."

Mephisto frowned upon hearing this, feeling deeply regretful. If he hadn't been so playful and insisted on staking out Rhodes Island's people in the park, they would have already left the city.

"No, Sasha. You made a promise to me when you were in Schuratzburg City that we would both live well from now on. We would stand atop the city and witness the rise of the Infected's home, and also..."

FrostNova, seeing Lupo approach, interrupted:

"No, Ino, it's too late."

He discarded the damaged ballista, grabbed Mephisto, and ran towards the low-lying ruins of the shops.

"Walk!"

Seeing the two running away, Texas and Exusiai rushed over to intercept them. However, they found that the two had suddenly disappeared from sight, and they had lost sight of their target for a moment.

"Huh?"

Exusiai suspected it was some kind of illusion and fired a burst of bullets in the direction the two had left. She didn't see them again until her magazine was empty.