MTLNOVEL Chapter 219: Chapter 219: Commander, Cheating?
At first, Mo Chen was cautious. He only let his fingers graze the surface of the red tide, barely touching it like a dragonfly skimming water.
He wasn't foolish enough to submerge his hand completely. He still had some common sense.
If anything unexpected happened, he could stop in time.
Fortunately, his concerns didn't materialize.
The moment his fingertips made contact with the crimson lake, the red liquid seemed to be drawn toward him. Like silk threads, it rapidly coiled around his fingers and seeped into his veins, merging with the bluish network beneath his skin.
Unlike the dramatic sensations often described in wuxia or cultivation novels, Mo Chen felt absolutely nothing.
It was akin to receiving an IV drip—he could see the liquid entering his body, but there was no sensation at all.
For a moment, Mo Chen wondered if something had gone wrong.
Thankfully, the growth percentage of the Punishing Virus continued to rise.
In just a few minutes, the virus's growth had reached 30%.
To put it into perspective, even after all the battles he had fought and all the Raptures he had absorbed, he had never gained as much as he had in the past ten minutes.
But he wasn't satisfied with just that.
With a powerful leap, Mo Chen plunged straight down from the air.
"Boom!"
His impact shattered the lake's surface like a bomb, sending towering waves surging outward.
Fully submerged in the crimson tide, Mo Chen immediately noticed countless shadowy figures appearing around him.
Like fair-skinned, beautiful women, they stretched out their pale arms and long, slender legs, wrapping themselves around him from all directions. The way they clung to him, fighting to get closer, it almost seemed like he wasn't absorbing them—but rather, they were absorbing him.
He didn't know exactly what these phantoms were, but it wasn't hard to guess.
They were likely the lingering remnants of consciousness—the souls—of those who had been consumed.
What was even more bizarre, though, was that among these figures, he saw the forms of Raptures.
And not just one.
Damn, had these things developed sentience now?
To be honest, Mo Chen didn't discriminate against Raptures.
These days, people had all kinds of preferences.
There were furries, so why couldn't there be Rapture enthusiasts? Sure, it was a little niche, but who could resist the allure of a well-crafted humanoid mecha?
As Mo Chen's mind wandered in absurd directions, the Punishing Virus surrounding him had already transformed into an inky black sphere.
It floated mid-air, absorbing every trace of light, as if it were a miniature black hole, greedily devouring everything in its vicinity.
Below, the red tide responded to this force, reversing its flow like a shifting tide. The crimson liquid surged upward, spiraling around the black vortex at an alarming speed.
"System Notification: Punishing Virus Growth 31%."
"System Notification: Punishing Virus Growth 32%."
"System Notification: Punishing Virus Growth 33%."
"System Notification: Punishing Virus Growth 34%…"
Meanwhile, elsewhere…
Dim light filtered through the shattered ruins, casting jagged shadows across the battlefield.
The air was thick with tension, broken only by the distant rumble of artillery fire and the occasional sharp crack of a sniper bullet striking crumbling walls.
The Counters Squad was engaged in intense gunfire with Cafe Sweety Squad.
The rapid bursts of gunfire crackled like popping beans, the battle raging in full force as both sides reached the height of intensity.
Both squads were composed of battle-hardened elites with keen battlefield awareness. While attacking, they continuously adjusted their formations, using cover to shield themselves.
They alternated between dispersing to evade enemy fire and concentrating their firepower for coordinated assaults, executing their tactics with precision. Bullets and grenades filled the air as they searched for each other's weaknesses.
Thick smoke and the acrid stench of gunpowder filled the battlefield, keeping everyone on edge. Bullets whizzed past, and the shockwaves from exploding grenades sent tremors through the ground, making hearts race.
"Damn it! Aren't they going a bit overboard?! They're not holding back at all!"
Hiding behind cover, Anis was covered in dirt from the blast debris, her hair and face smeared with dust as if she had just rolled in the mud. She looked utterly disheveled.
"Yeah, way too much!"
Neon, equally indignant, clenched her fists—only to have a sniper bullet whistle past, grazing the top of her head. She immediately ducked down, her heart pounding.
They were hesitant to use lethal force, mindful of the fact that their opponents had been corrupted and were not in control of their actions. However, the Cafe Sweety Squad, fully under the influence of the virus, had no such reservations. They relentlessly pursued and attacked without hesitation.
Compared to them, Rapi remained composed. After scanning the battlefield, she immediately began issuing tactical orders.
"Do you remember what the Commander said? Stick to the plan."
"The plan?" Anis hesitated, feeling uneasy. "Are you sure that plan will work? It just seems way too…"
She recalled the plan Mo Chen had come up with—it was so ridiculous that she found it hard to believe.
It was straight-up dumb.
Yet, the Commander had been so confident about it.
"Execute it now."
Rapi cut off her complaints.
Seeing that Rapi had made up her mind, the two had no choice but to follow through.
On the other side of the battlefield, Frima, the sniper of Cofe Sweety Squad, swiftly repositioned herself, weaving through the ruins like a ghost in the night.
She was a deadly sniper with near-perfect accuracy.
Apart from her chronic sleepiness, she had almost no weaknesses.
Throughout the battle, she had used her sniper rifle to pin down the Counters Squad, preventing them from lifting their heads.
Her strategy was simple—shoot once, then immediately relocate.
As long as she kept changing positions, the enemy wouldn't be able to pinpoint her location.
Snipers thrived on unpredictability.
She trailed the Counters Squad until she reached a ruined structure. Leaping up, she grabbed onto the building's edge, swung herself into the air, and with a series of agile flips, she reached the eighth floor. She set up her sniper rifle.
From this vantage point, she had a clear line of sight over a one-kilometer radius.
If her enemies tried to flee, they would expose their backs to her scope.
A fatal mistake.
Just as she was about to aim, she suddenly noticed something unusual.
Against the crumbling backdrop of ruins and decaying furniture, she spotted a bed that looked brand new. It was neatly made with fresh blankets, a fluffy pillow, and a soft-looking mattress.
She couldn't even begin to imagine how comfortable it would be to sleep on that.
But this wasn't home—this was a battlefield.
Sleeping in the middle of an ongoing battle was no different from handing yourself over to the enemy.
It was suicide.
Without the slightest hesitation, Frima rushed over, lifted the covers, tossed her sniper rifle to the side, and climbed into bed. She pulled the blankets over herself, tugged her sleep mask down, and cocooned herself like a little caterpillar.
All in one smooth, practiced motion.
Hidden nearby, Anis was speechless:
"..."
She didn't even know how to react.
At the same time, a sudden realization hit her like a bolt of lightning.
Wait a second—how did the Commander know so much about their habits?
Could it be that he had… cheated?!