Chương 49: Chapter 49: Unusual Signs, Hidden Threats

Those were real tobacco cigarettes, made from actual tobacco, unlike the fake ones made from chemicals.

It was extremely expensive—his monthly salary could only afford two packs. Only the upper-class Sovereigns could afford to smoke them.

He had swiped this particular pack at a dinner party.

"The data… it's very strange."

"Mm?"

"The concentration of Alva particles near the power plant is unusually high, the strength of the Raptures has increased significantly, and during earlier scans, we detected a Tyrant-class Rapture."

"So, you're saying, they managed to escape from the power plant with just a small team?"

Andersen fell into thought.

The power plant was a critical energy source for the Ark, and investigations had been launched months ago. The higher-ups had paid close attention to it, even inquiring about it personally.

After several Nikke units had been sacrificed, they had finally obtained intelligence on the Raptures in the power plant.

Not only were the Raptures numerous and powerful, but they also seemed to have undergone some kind of evolution, gaining a level of intelligence that ordinary Raptures didn't have.

Compared to regular Raptures, they were more cunning.

This meant they couldn't be dealt with the same way as the typical Rapture.

"No," Ingrid shook her head, her expression turning serious. "They didn't escape from the power plant. They—eliminated all the Raptures."

Andersen froze in place.

He couldn't believe his ears and instinctively asked.

"What did you say?"

"Just like you, when I first saw the battle report, I found it completely unbelievable," Ingrid recalled, still finding it hard to accept when she first read the data. "But, the multiple units sent out all returned with identical reports."

Andersen stood still for a long moment.

He had thought of Mo Chen as a talented commander, a rising star among his peers, and had sent him and his team to the power plant just to test his potential.

He never expected that the ceiling of one person's effort was merely the starting line for someone else.

They had taken down the entire power plant.

Now, thinking back on the unreasonable request Mo Chen made just earlier, it suddenly seemed completely reasonable.

Or rather, now Andersen felt that giving him full control over the entire Outpost base was too little.

Previously, Andersen had thought the higher-ups were a bunch of mindless idiots—foolish, self-serving parasites, always scheming and short-sighted.

It seemed that the sudden and completely illogical approval might have been due to some hidden knowledge.

"There's definitely something fishy going on here."

Ingrid, always sharp and meticulous, couldn't believe that a rookie commander and a few regular Nikkes could accomplish such a feat.

"Though we don't have the full picture yet, it's worth looking into."

If new commanders and Nikkes were capable of such things, humanity would have already reclaimed the surface, and they wouldn't be in the desperate situation underground that they were in now.

"Hmm."

Andersen nodded.

"That's the plan then."

In fact, even if Ingrid hadn't suggested it, he would have already sent someone to investigate.

"Something abnormal always hides something strange. If a person behaves strangely, there's bound to be a hidden agenda."

"I also have a suggestion," Ingrid said. "We should assign them to the Outpost. It's remote, beyond the reach of the Central Government's eyes, and there's no better place for them."

Ever since the legendary commander defection incident many years ago, the Ark had been wary of its commanders. They not only wanted to prevent any repeat of that betrayal but also to deal with any unstable elements who refused to follow the directives.

This was why commander training had become increasingly formalized, with many sent into battle with minimal preparation.

"Unfortunately, it's too late for that."

Andersen exhaled, looking somewhat resigned.

"Too late?"

Ingrid froze, her brow furrowing slightly as she sensed something unusual.

"Yeah," Andersen said, sliding a report across the desk. "Before you arrived, Mo Chen came in. And the condition he laid out was exactly what you just mentioned—he wants to go to the Outpost."

He wants to go himself?

Ingrid was both surprised and confused.

Compared to the Ark, the Outpost was truly a wasteland.

Nothing of value, surrounded by constant Rapture threats.

Was it possible...?

Ingrid suddenly thought of a possibility.

What if he had anticipated the Ark's upper echelons trying to suppress him, so he proactively removed himself from their sphere of control by requesting a transfer?

But upon further reflection, she wasn't so sure.

After all, he was a commander who had just graduated this year.

If this was his plan, it would be rather terrifying.

"Maybe we've been underestimating him…"

Several hundred kilometers away from the Ark, in a desolate plain surrounded by mountains.

In the midst of the rolling mountain range was a narrow, winding passage that connected east and west—an essential route to the Ark.

At its peak stood a narrow pass, towering and imposing, with solid mountain walls on either side.

This pass, thousands of years ago, was a strategic choke point and the site of many military struggles.

It was remarkable that even today, thousands of years later, this pass still held its strategic importance.

It was the most critical defense against Rapture attacks on the surface, because once the Raptures passed through, they would enter the plains to the east, where there were no natural defenses.

No amount of soldiers would be able to stop them.

And at the top of this pass, there was the Outpost.

When Mo Chen stepped off the transport plane, the howling wind blasted into his clothes, sending a chill through his bones.

The first thing that struck him was the desolation.

The second thing was the ruin.

The third thing was—had a demolition crew been here?

Looking around, he saw endless yellow sand and swirling dust.

Within a few kilometers, the ground was littered with shattered walls and scattered rubble. Most of the buildings had been reduced to rubble, leaving only blackened skeletons behind.

Some of the once-towering structures had been reduced to half-standing walls after being battered by the fires of war, with only a few concrete columns left to hint at their former glory.

The once-bustling area had been swallowed by the sands of time.

Even the fortified positions couldn't withstand the onslaught of Raptures.

Under the destroyed fortifications, there were the remains of Raptures, discarded carelessly on the ground with no one to clean up the battlefield.

Bullet holes and craters from explosions were visible everywhere.

The cold wind swept through, clearing away the dust, revealing the brutal scene.

Half a leg protruded from the debris.

It was a Nikke's.

There was also an arm, half-buried in the dust, with a head pierced through, its one remaining eye blankly staring up at the sky, lifeless.

The oppressive atmosphere made it hard to breathe.

Ashes lingered in the air. The faint smell of burnt flesh was carried on the wind. The dust, swirling and blinding, stung his face with sharp pain.

Even the sky was shrouded in gray.

Mo Chen's keen eyes noticed something strange—on the buildings and the surrounding walls, there were fresh bullet holes and explosion marks.

The lingering smell of gunpowder reminded him that intense battles had taken place here recently.

"Did we make a mistake?" Anise dragged her legs as she stumbled out, her face falling as she started to vent. "Why did we, after accomplishing a mission, end up being sent to this desolate frontier?"