Chapter 250
But he couldn't hide for long. He failed to silence himself, and his identity was already exposed. Even if he returned to the Interior Ministry as if nothing had happened, he would still be isolated and investigated.
"Anyway, there's no need to hide now. Just cooperate fully with our allies to complete the mission. They have no concept of 'death'."
With that thought, Yuki tiptoed and instantly passed through the still-burning fire, his long sword like a spear, stopping in front of the mask of a 'Reaper' mech.
There was a small white flower on the shoulder of the mech. Perhaps he was too fast and did not take any defensive action. However, several mechs behind him raised their guns, but quickly lowered them when they saw the newcomer.
"Mr. Yuki!?" The mask was removed, revealing a petite face filled with excitement.
"Lieutenant Chris, what brings you here?" Yuki sheathed his sword.
"We were reporting to Command Headquarters when we encountered this incident and immediately joined the battle," Chris quickly explained, as if relieved. "I didn't expect it to be you fighting against the traitor; no wonder you resolved it so quickly."
She was very aware of Yuki's abilities and wasn't surprised at all.
"But the real target ran away."
"Puppet Bug?"
"Yes, a very troublesome Puppet Bug. It doesn't seem to have much combat ability itself, but it can command its subordinates."
"Lieutenant, come quick!" Yuki could finish speaking, a soldier who had gone to survey the scene shouted.
The crowd gathered around and saw him slice open the head of a corpse. The mech extended a thin needle and pulled out an insect the size of a flea from the brain, causing the heavily armored warriors to retreat in unison. Chris also quickly closed her mask.
"It's an infectious Puppet Bug, everyone be careful."
Seeing their tense expressions, Yuki also became nervous. Fortunately, Chris quickly reassured him, "Don't worry, the research department said that the reinforcements won't be infected, but we are different."
"Are there many different kinds of Puppet Bug?"
"Yes, but infectious diseases are the most terrifying; they can destroy a city."
This was clearly top secret. The team members next to her wanted to remind her, but Chris waved them off. The reinforcements were all unreliable, but Yuki was definitely not among them. That was an undeniable fact.
"The Command Headquarters has more than one Puppet Bug; they've been lying in wait for this opportunity, it's obvious..."
"It's clearly related to my kind. Don't worry, anyone who tries to cause trouble, I'll kill them." Yuki resolutely, leaning on his sword with both hands.
He found it a bit strange. He could ignore the Puppet Bug, but these infected people should be detectable, right? After all, the worm was small, but it had a physical form, and an MRI scan would be enough to identify it.
Yuki didn't hesitate and asked directly, "Lieutenant, explain the current situation."
This clearly touches on classified information, but the current situation is very opportune. To resolve the matter, the power of a 'monster' is needed, and Yuki happens to be the most reliable 'monster'.
Chris hesitated for a moment, then reached out and pressed her arm armor. The projection appeared, forming a huge three-dimensional map above everyone's heads.
After two days, Yuki finally got a clear view of the airships. The information technology here was incredibly advanced; the map was even showing the battle situation in real time.
Several huge holes appeared beneath the triangular hull, and the Zerg swarm invaded through them. Fortunately, the defense system was reactivated, keeping the Zerg reinforcements at bay.
A battle is taking place inside the ship. Various Psychic Warrior squads have been dispatched to stop them, but the swarm of insects has scattered and is running wildly through the passageways, resulting in chaos.
They have an inside man to help them, and the ship's defense system is still not activated. It will take a long time for the Psychic Warrior to chase and intercept them.
'Then the player information was also lost; except for Hiyori, none of them stayed obediently in K District. '
That's normal. Every player is a master at taking advantage of the chaos. As long as their reasons are plausible, they're not afraid of being held accountable later. Yuki, for example—tell me whether he helped or not.
There are 24 zones in total. He is currently in Zone I, which is in the middle of the front of the warship and belongs to the territory of some 'Social Research Department'. Then there are swarm reactions everywhere.
"Let's go catch that Puppet Bug. It's in the upper area. We can still catch it if we leave now." Yuki made the decision, turned around and took a few steps, but found that Chris's team had not followed.
"You cannot set foot in the upper areas," the girl said hesitantly.
"Okay, then I'll go back to my room in K District and wait for your good news." Yuki didn't linger and turned to jump back upstairs.
"Wait a minute, let me ask the operations department about their arrangements." Chris quickly stopped him and switched to the internal communication channel.
Yuki wasn't in a hurry at all. He had just looked at the battle map. Most of the warship's forces had gone to the lower areas such as Q, S, and T to encircle and intercept them, and were playing hide-and-seek with the swarm of insects among the passageways and pipelines.
He refused to believe that these people would leave a contagious Puppet Bug unattended.
Chris stood ramrod straight, seemingly nodding the whole time. After a while, she walked over quickly, her voice sounding somewhat urgent.
"Mr. Yuki, please answer the questions from your superiors."
She handed him a communicator. Yuki opened his mouth, thinking these people were being too indecisive, but he held it to his ear.
"Yuki Sorajima, who are you?"
"I am the Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Force."
A deep, serious voice came through the communicator, making people unconsciously straighten their backs. Yuki's expression changed slightly as he suddenly realized that it was the human boss speaking directly to him.
"Mr. Sorashima, can I trust you?"
The commander-in-chief asked this question.
Chapter Sixteen: Yuki Sorajima, Unspeakable Loyalty (5K)
The battle began with collusion between insiders and outsiders. A player used some method to locate the stealthy giant ship, and a swarm of Zerg soldiers, who had planned ahead, concentrated their anti-air firepower to snipe it.
At the same time, the Puppet Bug, which had been buried for an unknown period of time, bared their fangs and briefly shut down their defense systems when the warship was blasted open.
With countless missiles and machine guns rolling off the production line, the Zerg swarm's elite forces seized this opportunity to launch a surprise attack, catching the Defense Force completely off guard.
The offensive was fierce, General Bug's fearless nature to the Limit, and forcing the Defense Force to commit the vast majority of their strength to intercept it.
But this was still useless. Once humanity realized what was happening, it was only a matter of time before they wiped out the invaders, given their absolute home-field advantage.
So why would the insect swarm go to such great lengths, risking the exposure of its long-buried Puppet Bug?
Fire Seed.
Yuki didn't need to think much to know what those scurrying insects were looking for, and he could also guess that Chris's tactical map display was incomplete.
Humanity's elite forces are certainly also guarding the Fire Seed; whoever goes there will die.
The Fire Seed is most likely on this warship, and anyone who tries to sneak up on Fire Seed is courting death.
Yuki was very rational, and far from being arrogant enough to interfere in the war between Human Bug. He also realized that the warship was incredibly sturdy and capable of accommodating the high-end combat forces of both sides.
You can't go, and you can't ask. Players don't have much time, but those who actually survive are all very patient.
Moreover, things have come to this point, and it's too late to use the hint 7 to reverse the course; we might as well just go down this path to the bitter end.
Yuki's goal was clear: as a member of the core strategy team, he was responsible for completing Johnny Silverhand's mission, and then, as he had assured the commander-in-chief:
To dedicate everything to humanity.
With the whirring of the motor, the elevator was rising rapidly, with five tin cans surrounding Yuki, yet subtly placing him in the dominant position.
Powerful, wise, professional, and most importantly, loyal—if other Psychic Warrior might still have doubts, the Crimson Squad is absolutely steadfast.
He had distinguished himself in battle, actively participated in the extermination of the Puppet Bug, and never pried into secrets. The Interior Ministry had been paying close attention to him for so long, but they hadn't found a single problem.
The only flaw was that he participated in the reinforcements' conspiracy, but while the other reinforcements took the opportunity to escape, he was fighting a bloody battle with the traitor.
His loyalty is beyond words.
"Check your equipment. There are traces of Hunter Bug inside the ship. If I'm not mistaken, they'll climb up the pipes to join the Puppet Bug."
Yuki stared at the fluctuating numbers and spoke quietly, then the 'clicking' sounds of various machines operating came from behind him.
He also has an advantage because he works alone and cooperates with these Psychic Warriors for a long time, unlike other player teams that are independent.
Yuki looked at the holographic map projected by the golden bracelet, which contained a red dot.
Aside from the players, all the personnel in the Command Headquarters had locators implanted in their bodies. The ship's scanner had located Lieutenant Colonel Jackson's position, but there was an eerie silence in the entire area, and the garrison did not follow orders to arrest him.
Area C is the research department's warehouse and also the Interior Ministry section. It looks like things are not good. The infected Puppet Bug have a lot of time to spread their infection. The force that came to chase the player earlier was definitely not all of their troops.
"Power to Sector C has been cut off. Pale Scythe and Thor's Hammer will rush in from the other side first. Our mission objective is to take out that lieutenant colonel, which will render all infected incapacitated." Chris was in charge of coordinating with the various squads.
"What will happen to those infected after the war?" Yuki curiously.
"Keep them locked up, carry out pest control, and return to your posts after confirming there are no problems."
Thankfully, there's still hope.
Yuki nodded slightly, then frowned. "How could you be completely unaware that a Puppet Bug was spreading an infection right under your noses?"
The spread of the virus was clearly prepared before the war began, judging from the strange state of Area C, which lasted for quite some time.
This question made the lieutenant somewhat embarrassed, and she realized that this was a huge conspiracy, secretly being prepared before reinforcements arrived.
"It's possible that Lieutenant Colonel Jackson had a special status and used his authority to bypass internal review."
The Puppet Bug are undetectable, but the infected cannot escape internal scrutiny. According to the Defense Force regulations, they are scanned every three days, and judging by the scale, it's probably been more than three days.
"He can evade a few people, but he can't possibly cover up for everyone in the entire area. Who will be responsible for the internal investigation?"
"Suvimendi of the Interior Ministry, wait a minute, he couldn't possibly be infected!" Chris was clearly panicked, as if trying to convince herself. "The brigadier general is a true battlefield hero who has made indelible contributions to humanity, and he... he has to report to the commander-in-chief every few days, he absolutely cannot escape the commander-in-chief's eyes..."
Her voice trailed off as she felt increasingly guilty under the cold, indifferent gaze of the brigadier general, realizing that only this brigadier general could protect the large number of infected people.
Being infected requires the commander-in-chief to see through it, but what if it's a more advanced Puppet Bug?
So even the Commander-in-Chief can see through someone's identity. I'll have to be more careful in the future and try to avoid meeting him.
Yuki gleaned the information from between the lines, his expression unchanged, and gently patted his sturdy armor.
"Is the brigadier general someone you know?"
"After my parents died in the war, he became my guardian..."
So that explains why you were so hostile towards me before.
Yuki felt this approach was somewhat familiar, but he also understood the pain it contained, so he didn't use reason to force the girl.
"Don't overthink it. Confirm it after you see him. Take a deep breath. Do you Psychic Warrior really hesitate between family and loyalty?"
That's definitely not true. Loyalty to humanity is everything. They are taught from a young age that even if their parents betray humanity, or if they are even a second slower in pulling the trigger, it is a desecration of loyalty.
But Chris was still trembling. Humans are ultimately driven by emotions, and she didn't even dare to think about the moment of making the choice.
'Ultimately, it wasn't the real Astartes. No, Astartes can rebel against injustice.'
Yuki sighed. The players weren't much better off; they were all just pitiful creatures.
He had only met Suvimendi once and had no particular feelings for him; his only concern was the special unit known as the 'Judge'.
"Everyone, calm down. There aren't many Psychic Warrior stationed in Sector C, but it's a warehouse with many powerful weapons. Dead men aren't qualified to pursue the truth." Yuki, then gave the order as if he were Psychic Warrior himself:
"Upon reaching Sector C, we will proceed in assault mode. Lieutenant, follow me. Numbers 1 and 2 will provide fire support, number 3 will lead the way with shields, and number 4 will guard the rear."
"Yes."
"Clear."
They were all professional soldiers, and they were able to adjust their mood quickly. Yuki glanced at the fluctuating numbers again and drew his sword.
"Operation begins."
Bite--
The elevator stopped in Zone C. Before the doors even opened, a crimson laser beam swept inside. A wheeled "pot lid" blocked the corridor and fired swiftly and decisively.
The steel melted, and the inside of the elevator was burned directly. As the beam weakened and several infected people quickly replaced the fuel rods, an arm dangled from the twisted elevator, and a fist-sized gun barrel was pointed at them.
Bang!
The Blaster Rifle blasted the laser cannon and the operators around it into the air. The heavily armored warrior jumped down, holding a large shield that looked like a door panel, with a ghostly blue force field expanding from the surface of the shield.
Da da da da.
Various electromagnetic rifles and beam Gatling guns flew densely from the corridor, creating ripples on the surface of the shields. The heavily armored warriors, over three meters tall, advanced steadily under the fire, while their comrades behind them raised their guns.
Miniature missiles, beam rifles, and various heavy weapons fired at each other, whizzing past each other in the narrow corridor, cratering the walls, floors, and ceilings. The area's power had been cut off, like a dazzling display of fireworks.
But inside the fully enclosed helmet, darkness was no problem at all; every soldier could clearly see Marines and even handymen poking their heads out and firing wildly from around the corner at the end of the corridor.
They were numerous, but every time they peeked out, they were blasted to pieces by bullets and suppressed to the point where they could only fire with faith.
As they drew closer, dozens of dark objects were thrown out, and a completely emotionless voice came through the communication channel.
"Molten lava grenade"
"Number 3, go up."
Without any hesitation, the warrior with the shield immediately increased his speed, and the force field spread outward, deflecting the grenade back like an air cannon.
Boom!!
The result was definitely not good. The orange-red flames melted the alloy walls, and a charred arm even bounced to Yuki's feet before he casually stepped over it.