Capítulo 109: Chapter 109: "From Now On, Atlas Will Take Over"
"Roar! Roar!"
In the sealed isolation chamber, there were low roars.
A slender creature standing three and a half meters tall, with four arms, twitched uncontrollably. It was a Primal, constantly pacing within the narrow chamber, seemingly without a clear goal, as if following some "search" or "patrol" mechanism.
Swish.
At that moment, the gate on the far right side of the chamber suddenly opened, letting in three more Primals, their movements stiff and sluggish.
?!
Sensing the presence of others of its kind, the initial Primal was instantly triggered. It unleashed all its strength, running madly, swiftly bypassing obstacles to close the distance in the shortest amount of time.
"Roar!!!"
With a leap, it immediately pounced on one of the others, biting down with its sharp teeth. It then repeated the process, attacking the remaining two.
Soon, the three new Primals lay unconscious on the ground.
"Roar, roar!!"
But before long, they suddenly got up, twitching uncontrollably just like the first Primal, and began "searching" and "patrolling."
If observed closely, it could be seen that the time from being bitten, falling unconscious, to standing up after "assimilation," took only about eight seconds.
At this moment.
In the observation room on the far left side of the isolation chamber:
"How about it, boss! We not only made the virus infect only Primals but also made some improvements." Alexia, unable to hide her excitement, looked through the one-way observation window into the chamber, quickly explaining to Samuel Young beside her:
"We've shortened the infection time by 20%, further enhanced the infected's vision and hearing, and achieved an automatic search-and-target mechanism. Since this is specifically targeting those filthy Primals, I named this variant the Eradicate Virus."
Over a month ago, a large number of biological samples collected by the Hunter Squad contained Primal gene fragments. In fact, Primal biotechnology is heavily interwoven with their own gene fragments to better control and utilize them.
This, in turn, provided great convenience to Alexia's biological team, allowing them to extract complete Primal gene fragments smoothly and cultivate over ten unconscious Primal specimens through cloning technology.
"Not bad," Samuel Young, also standing in front of the observation window, commented.
"As for large-scale dissemination," Alexia retracted her gaze from the chamber and slightly turned to look up at Samuel, saying:
"Due to the limitation of fluid transmission, we're considering how to minimize the initial activity of the infection, extending the incubation period as much as possible. The idea is to activate its traits only after a significant number of infections."
"This is a relatively safe weaponization plan," Samuel didn't deny Alexia's perspective but expressed his own, "However, the drawback of this approach is the long development cycle. After all, reducing activity while ensuring the virus activates as planned takes time.
Therefore, I suggest your team take a more direct, 'violent' approach, such as using bioweapons as the transmission medium. Besides, among the company's many flying bioweapons, there are even a few that can easily break the sound barrier."
"Actually, my thoughts align with yours, boss. It's just that it feels... a bit wasteful," Alexia responded.
"Homelanders are easy to recover, and bioweapons can continue to be manufactured, so I'd rather spend more money to make the Primal race experience the most direct extinction fear."
"Absolutely delighted!" Samuel's words immediately dispelled Alexia's last doubts, her eyes lighting up as she eagerly said, "With the boss's direct order, we'll start adjustments right away. It shouldn't take more than a month to get everything ready."
"Thank you for your hard work."
"No need to be polite!" Alexia waved her hand with a smile, saying, "We're more passionate about this project than ever before. We can't wait to pour all our knowledge into the Eradicate Virus, so how could we feel tired? Hahaha!"
Samuel, familiar with Alexia's nature, just nodded slightly and said nothing more.
April 14th.
Steel City.
On the 144th floor of the Oak Tower, in a not-so-spacious, simply decorated reception room:
Magnus, sitting by the window, draped in a black cold-weather coat, with his elbows on the table and hands clasped together, asked in a somewhat heavy tone, "What brings Ms. Izumi to visit the Titan Gang?"
Following Magnus' gaze, across from him sat a woman with short black hair, wearing a dark green thick down jacket.
Hearing the question, the woman organized her thoughts, her expression stern as she said, "In just two months, your gang has taken control of three buildings, bringing one hundred thousand residents from the buffer zone under your command. I want to know what your intentions are."
"You come to my place and ask me what my intentions are?" Magnus first pointed at her, then at himself, before deliberately laughing out loud: "Hahaha! Ms. Izumi, that's the funniest thing I've heard all year! We welcome customers, but that doesn't mean we'll let them overstep their bounds. So, Ms. Izumi, I'll ask you one last time, why are you here?"
Using his psychic abilities, Magnus could tell that her visit was related to the PPDC (Pan-Pacific Defense Corps). However, before she stated her purpose, Magnus needed to ensure her emotions were genuine.
"Sorry, I was being presumptuous." The woman, surnamed Izumi, immediately apologized and continued, "Based on our recent observations, we found that your gang excels at management and operations. Even though you've eliminated some gray industries, you still maintain rapid growth."
"Get to the point."
"Apologies." The woman apologized again, without much change in her tone, but finally got to her true purpose:
"We also learned that your gang enjoys extremely high prestige within the three buildings. Residents call you 'Judge Mercenaries,' and for just five dollars, they can hire you to intervene in difficult cases. If you find clear fault in a case, you deliver judgment and punishment on the spot.
Additionally, you accept commissions from residents in other areas, helping them deal with more violent gangs. Considering your strong capabilities, we believe your gang is an ideal partner."
"What kind of partnership? And please, before you speak, organize your thoughts. Never mind, just get to the point," Magnus said, rubbing his temples.
"Understood." The woman took out a plastic file folder, pushed it across the table to Magnus, and calmly said, "We need to hire you for a mission that's almost certain to end in death, and you'll be branded as traitors by the entire city."
Magnus didn't rush to respond but opened the file folder, beginning to review the documents inside, which were heavily redacted with black blocks and lines.
The documents briefly outlined information about more than a dozen PPDC commanders and the structure of a military prison in the southern region of Steel City, with fluorescent markers indicating where the commanders were held and where soldiers patrolled.
It was clear that the woman was hiring Magnus and his group to break into the prison.
"You're hiring us to die, Ms. Izumi," Magnus said, returning the documents to the folder and probing further, "And you're telling a gang leader this top-secret plan. Aren't you afraid we'll sell you out? Should I call you naive or just plain stupid?"
"We have no choice but to gamble!" The woman's emotions spiked, her speech quickening, "Those bastards have already anticipated our plan to break into the prison. In three days, all the wrongfully accused commanders will be executed live on television! The PPDC can't muster the strength in time, so we have to rely on mercenaries who seem somewhat trustworthy. It's all or nothing!"
Magnus could sense the intense emotions the woman was releasing at this moment, a mix of anger, frustration, sadness, and a sliver of hope, but there was no trace of deceit.
At this point, he was certain she wasn't a spy, but rather a soldier in a desperate situation, unwilling to give up hope.
He stood up, extended his right hand to her, and said, "Given the difficulty of this mission, we'll need to raise the fee. Can Ms. Izumi and your people accept that?"
!?
"That's only fair. Do you have any other requests or questions?" The woman quickly stood up, shaking Magnus' hand.
"It's simple," Magnus said, releasing her hand, "I need to know your detailed plan, and I need to understand the intricate politics within your ranks and what led to the PPDC's current situation."
After a moment of contemplation, the woman, named Izumi Ling, nodded and said, "No problem."
"Excellent! Then let's sign the employment contract first; verbal promises hold no weight."
"Alright."
The two left the reception room.
In the hallway outside, two PPDC officers dressed in dark green uniforms quickly approached, quietly inquiring about Izumi's conversation.
Around them were members of ARS, AECS, and other personnel deployed within Oak Tower through hidden transport by the Silver Gull, including Lieutenant Payne, who led the Hunters and Magnus on their initial infiltration into Steel City.
The lieutenant glanced at the three PPDC members engaged in conversation and asked Magnus, "How did it go?"
"Not bad. If the situation proves too complicated, we'll seek help from others."
"Good."
Given the uncertainty, their conversation ended there.
Soon, Izumi and the two PPDC officers seemed to reach a conclusion, also agreeing to the terms. Under Lieutenant Payne's guidance, they signed the "Employment Terms Between Titan Gang and PPDC."
With everything ready, the group moved to the conference room on the same floor.
There, Izumi used a 06 human holographic projector
to display the layout of the southern prison and the cells where the PPDC commanders were held, for Magnus, Payne, and several ARS and AECS officers disguised as gang leaders.
Once everyone had a general understanding, Izumi, sitting at the head of the conference table, began explaining the stakes, knowing that gang members might not fully grasp the political implications:
"This is Southern Prison No. 12, managed by the Conservative faction. The Conservatives are our internal term for a group you've likely seen on TV often, the officials who constantly preach the hard-won nature of peace and warn against inciting war lightly.
Their leader, Devon Duke, once served as Speaker of the House in the United States and is now a major representative of the Steel Federation, controlling 12% of the city's total military force. Our PPDC, a relic of the old era, is an independent military force formed by the world's nations, which I'm sure you're familiar with."
"Of course," a young ARS lieutenant chimed in as soon as Izumi finished, "If it weren't for the PPDC pilots defending the Antarctic front for an entire day, my family would have been swallowed by the monsters long ago. We owe an unpayable debt."
This remark made the two PPDC officers instinctively puff out their chests, feeling a certain level of recognition for the lieutenant.
"I see." Izumi nodded and continued:
"The PPDC has never forgotten the threat of the monsters. So six years ago, we began submitting proposals to restart the construction of Jaegers to the Federation. However, the Conservatives were unwilling to take risks, fearing we'd use Jaegers to transport nuclear weapons and attempt to destroy the rift at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. So they refused to pass the proposal.
Three months ago, the Conservatives even fabricated a recording claiming the PPDC was plotting a coup. Without verifying the information, they launched arrests. Most PPDC bases are now under strict surveillance, leaving us with less than three hundred troops at our disposal.
We began to suspect their true motives—was it for personal gain? Or greater power? Or were they traitors?" At this point, Izumi paused, her tone growing heavier, "We suspect the Conservatives may have already allied with the masterminds behind the monsters. But lacking solid evidence and being unable to discern friend from foe among high-ranking officials and commanders, we're forced to seek assistance from external forces like your gang."
Magnus, after listening to her explanation, asked, "According to your reasoning, the Conservatives have been thoroughly infiltrated, haven't they?"
"It's just our speculation."
"That's enough." Magnus turned to Payne and the others, saying, "This situation is beyond our capability to handle alone. It's time to call for reinforcements."
Then he looked back at the increasingly puzzled Izumi and the two PPDC officers, saying seriously, "From this point on, Atlas will take over. For your safety and the success of the rescue and cleanup operations, please stay at Oak Tower and rest for a while."
Izumi and the other two: ???
___________________
Read Ahead
P@treon.com/Mutter
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder