章 117: Chapter 116
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Maine saw the Kang Tao robots ascending the slope, scanning with their guns. Spotting a survivor from the tribe, they shot him dead without hesitation. The group was slowly encroaching, under the surveillance of heavy combat drones circling above.
Maine and the others were hiding in the canyon, which was only a temporary safety measure. They needed a plan to eliminate the aerial threat above. Otherwise, any exposure would result in them being swept away by overwhelming firepower from the skies, leaving no chance of survival.
"Damn it!"
As the situation became increasingly dire, Maine felt helpless. He turned to Kiwi and asked, "Can you bring down that drone?"
Kiwi, her hand on her temple, brows furrowed, and the light circle of her cyber eye rotating, seemed to be encountering issues while hacking into the drone. "Not for now, the drone's equipped with military-grade ICE."
Clearly, Kang Tao was aware that intelligent weapons were susceptible to being hacked, which could lead to losing control of them. Therefore, they had enhanced their electronic defense against intrusion attempts to prevent hackers from gaining quick access.
With no alternatives, Maine could only think of one solution - to activate Sandevistan and draw in enemy fire to create an opportunity for Falco to drive the rest out of danger in their newly acquired car.
Rebecca, seeing the robots closing in, was furious. "If you can't, I'm going out to fight them off and buy you some time!" Dorio, worried about her impulsiveness, grabbed her, urging her to wait a little longer. Maine gave a solemn command, "Get in the car and break out at the right moment."
Dorio understood Maine's intention of using the military-grade Sandevistan to fight and that it wouldn't be enough against a dozen robots. The enemy could take multiple hits and still function, which wasn't the case for Maine. Dorio strongly objected, "No, we leave together!"
Maine, unable to wait, instructed Falco to start the car: "Falco, take Kiwi and get in the car!" Kiwi, as the team's hacker, was essential and had to be protected as she held the key to breaching Kang Tao's defenses.
Falco, not one to let Maine attract fire alone, understood that cooperation was necessary for survival. "Kiwi, let's get in the car!" he urged. Kiwi was too focused on the drone's ICE to pay attention and allowed Falco to take her to the car.
Maine was looking for the right moment to activate Sandevistan and find an opportunity to take down a few robots and survive. But no matter how he considered it, as soon as he took action, the heavy combat drone above would melt him into nothingness with its deadly firepower.
Suddenly, Maine's attention was drawn to the group in black below; they seemed to be the employers of this intelligent force. If he could capture them, it might be possible to negotiate an escape.
But just as Maine was deep in thought, the overhead drone began to shake unsteadily, then directed its scanning light toward the canyon, indicating that it had detected the attempted hacking.
The drone's ICE protection was strong, and their intrusion had been noticed. Kiwi managed to overload the system, granting them a 30-second window to act. The drone began to spark and wobble, signaling its systems were compromised.
However, before they could react, a camouflage pickup truck sped into battle, flinging dust and dirt around. Gloria, at the wheel, called out to Maine not to act recklessly. Suddenly, Sasha leaped from the truck, sprinting and diving into the fray.
Incredible reflexes allowed Sasha to hack the robots and control them against each other. With her advanced cybernetic implants and keen battle tactics, Sasha quickly decimated the enemy robots.
In just a few minutes, the Kang Tao robots lay in pieces, and Sasha proudly counted her kills, happy to have caught up to Tang's record.
Maine, Dorio, and Rebecca, perplexed by the turn of events, marveled at Sasha's prowess. Her swift intervention had shifted the odds entirely. Sasha, recognized by the three, finally gave them a moment of realization.
Her mind suddenly flickered with a strange sensation, as if someone had struck a heavy blow deep within her brain.
Sasha, who had been fine, suddenly clutched her head in agony, squatted down on the ground, and was bombarded by a torrent of bizarre images in her mind.
These images seemed familiar yet strangely alien to her.
This time, Sasha was so overcome with pain that she forgot to take her medication, clenching her teeth as she murmured, "Tang..."
Rebecca sensed trouble and quickly broke free from Dorio's embrace, sprinting to Sasha's side and asked with concern, "Sasha, what's wrong with you?"
Sasha: "Tang..."
Rebecca confused: "Sugar?"
She quickly searched Sasha's pockets and indeed found a transparent bag with several white pills. She hurriedly took one out and placed it in Sasha's mouth.
"It must be this 'sugar.'"
As Sasha swallowed the pill, the severe pain gradually subsided, and she began to regain consciousness. She then saw Rebecca squatting beside her, gently stroking her back.
Seeing Sasha recover, Rebecca smiled helplessly, her tone laced with concern and guilt, "Sasha, at a time like this, you're still thinking about sweet treats?"
Her habit of chewing bubblegum was something she picked up from Sasha.
Every time Sasha ate bubblegum, she would share one with her.
After Sasha left, all she could do was chew gum on her own, occasionally blowing a big bubble.
But now Sasha had come back, in such a way, that left Rebecca feeling a mix of emotions, unable to say exactly how she felt.
What mattered was that Sasha was back.
Thinking about it made Rebecca feel somewhat sentimental, as she always placed more importance on her companions than herself.
Seeing Rebecca's eyes tear up, Sasha wasn't quite sure what was happening, but extended a hand to wipe away her tears, politely saying, "Sasha thanks you."
"Thank you..."
Rebecca looked at Sasha with a puzzled expression, sizing her up, murmuring, "No way, she's Sasha..."
Dorio arrived as well, relieved to see Sasha unharmed: "It's good you're alright, Sasha!"
Only Maine stood still, as if petrified.
Sasha, the skyscraper, the fall, death...
Scenes from the past replayed in his mind, unable to accept the reality before him.
What on earth was happening?
Maine was trapped in immense shock, unable to free himself.
Death, return.
Regret, relief.
A whirl of complex, conflicting thoughts spun in his head, making it nearly impossible to discern reality from illusion.
Had Sasha truly returned?
Yes.
She had!
Maine saw it with his own eyes; Dorio and Rebecca were tending to Sasha—this was no illusion.
His fists clenched, disbelief at the prospect of seeing her again.
He had often regretted letting Sasha take such a dangerous solo mission to the biotech building for data theft.
He was forced to watch helplessly as she fell, crashing down onto a bystander's car roof.
He hated himself for failing to protect a teammate, an anguish that remained a persistent thorn in his heart.
Maine valued the team, the comradeship, the bonds, more than anything.
Tears threatened, and he did not want anybody to see him vulnerable, so he just stood there, fearing the step that would cause his tears to fall.
At that moment.
Rebecca looked up at Sasha, her expression deflating, and exclaimed in surprise, "Hey... you couldn't have forgotten me already, Sasha. Do you remember who I am?"
Dorio too noticed that something was off. This reunion didn't match their expectations at all; Sasha seemed not to recognize any of them.
Sasha seriously looked Rebecca in the eye for a while, then shook her head and said, "I'm sorry, Sasha doesn't know you."
Rebecca's face fell even more, she said helplessly, "I'm Rebecca, Rebecca, Rebecca!"
"You've forgotten Rebecca?"
Sasha, a bit puzzled by their reaction, politely responded, "Sasha knows Rebecca now, pleased to meet you, Rebecca!"
Rebecca was at a loss for words, sensing something wrong with Sasha. She was about to speak, but Dorio's glance stopped her.
Dorio shook his head, indicating to Rebecca to not push further; there was probably a story behind Sasha's current state.
Maine had informed them that Sasha was discovered during her infiltration mission and, unfortunately, had died from a fall. That had indeed happened.
So the Sasha before them now must have experienced some twist of fate to stand amongst them again.
Seeing the two acting so strangely, Sasha quickly thanked them, got up, and ran down the slope, continuing her search for Tang Yu.
She sprinted away, but Rebecca's voice calling out "Sasha...." reached her from behind.
Sasha couldn't help glancing back at Rebecca, her eyes betraying a flicker of desolation before returning to normal.
"Rebecca? Why does she feel familiar..."
Meanwhile.
Gloria drove the Thorton, with Tang Yu as her copilot, charging towards the men in black.
Seeing the situation turn dire, they quickly escorted their principal target to their vehicle in an attempt to escape.
Tang Yu, wielding the 'Overwatch' sniper rifle, took four consecutive shots, killing several guards and leaving the main target behind.
Gloria slammed on the brakes, stopping right in front of them, flung the car door open, knocking the target to the ground and thwarting his escape.
The target tumbled to the pavement and immediately got up, only to find a handgun aimed at him. He quickly covered his head with his hands, pleading not to be shot.
Gloria, holding the Nokota revolver against his forehead, made him freeze in place.
Though it was her first time pointing a gun at someone, and despite feeling uneasy, she knew he was a wicked villain who deserved to be feared, and she felt no burden in her heart.
Having spent time with Tang Yu, she had seen enough bloody and intense scenes. Threatening a scoundrel with a gun was nothing out of the ordinary.
"Name, company, purpose, who's behind this—spill the truth and you might live," Gloria pressed, prodding his head with the gun, then looked to Tang Yu with a hint of shyness.
It was her first time interrogating for information, and she was uncertain if she was doing it correctly.
The man was a coward, kneeling and spilling all his secrets.
"Alex Pushkin, Senior Assistant for Biotechnical Quality Supervision. I'm only responsible for the quality assurance testing of pharmaceutical products. I don't know anything else..."
Gloria questioned coldly, "What's someone in quality assurance doing in the Badlands, and what are these pharmaceutical products you mentioned? Why use them to kill so many people?"
Alex hesitated, speaking hesitantly, "Uh... that is corporate secret, I can't tell outsiders..."
Gloria pressed the gun harder against his temple, frightening him into explaining.
"We're developing a new antibiotic. You should know, it's for medical advancement. If the antibiotic development is successful, many infectious diseases could be cured!"
"And those Badlands wanderers, they're nothing but cockroaches breeding en masse. They are endless subjects for our tests. Please, don't be so angry."
His words lacked any remorse, concerned only for his life and not the atrocities committed.
Tang Yu wasn't going to buy these lies—curing diseases was one thing, but an antibiotic meant for the wealthy was another matter entirely, not to mention the superbugs infecting the tribes, likely part of their agenda too.
Gloria was furious, wanting to shoot the scum then and there, but noticing Tang Yu's silence, she knew he was unsatisfied with this outcome. So, she gripped the gun tightly and shot Alex in the thigh.
Bang!
Alex clutched his thigh, wailing in agony, begging for mercy.
Gloria pressed harder, threatening to break his other leg if he did not continue spilling the truth.
Fearing further pain, Alex stopped his slick talk and began to confess what he knew.
Though his knowledge wasn't extensive, it was crucial enough to piece together the entire operation, exposing a highly gruesome and cruel corporate industry chain.
Tang Yu, uninterested in the groveling figure on the ground, got back into the car, leaving a parting statement, "The mission is over. Have Maine and the others take him back to the tribe."
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