Sky-cracking Rider

Following the trail to the root of the vine, the "Intelligence Team" finally discovered the traces of Xia Ji and others in Jiaming Town, but were attacked by the Parasitic Species, leaving only one survivor.

The condition of this survivor was not very optimistic, not only had he fallen into a coma, but he was also running a high fever, occasionally uttering nonsensical phrases unconsciously.

In a secret camp just outside the town, three emergency experts surrounding the "Intelligence Team" member all had furrowed brows. They had done their best, but still found the situation extremely troublesome.

Dozens of electrode patches covered the survivor's body, with different monitoring devices on his wrists, heart area, neck, and head.

"This guy has been parasitized, there's a clear presence of foreign bodies inside him."

"Can we surgically peel it off?"

"It's difficult; the nervous system has already fused. Only if the foreign body actively detaches."

"His temperature has reached 45 degrees Celsius, heart rate 210, blood pressure 140/190; he won't last long, he might die along with the Parasitic Species."

"...No, no, don't eat me, save me, my gun, where's my gun... kill you, die..."

"He's started talking nonsense again! When will he wake up?"

"Wake up? He won't wake up! Without a specific remedy or solution, he's doomed!"

"How about trying hallucinogens? As a last resort, it can't get any worse."

"That's all we can do now! Let's hope it's a blind cat finding a dead rat."

...

"Ah!~~~~~"

The parasitized "Intelligence Team" member, after being injected with hallucinogens, not only didn't improve but started struggling violently as if stimulated by something strong, even breaking one of the wide restraint straps.

Luckily, there were plenty of restraint straps. When one broke, ten more were tied on, and soon he was bound up tight like a mummy, completely immobile.

"Damn it, the hallucinogens didn't work!"

"Neuronal blockade failed? Receptor ineffective? What do we do?"

"What about other drugs? Like sedatives?"

"Sedatives have been tried, ineffective as well. How about using poison against poison? What about aconitine, specifically targeting the nervous system?"

"It hasn't come to that yet, keep trying to save him. Start with a large dose of mannitol, prepare norepinephrine, hoping there's no prelude to a cardiac infarction."

"Mannitol going in!"

"Light Healing Technique' discharged."

"Blood pressure isn't dropping, retinal hemorrhage appearing."

"Forget it, administer aconitine, a 5-milligram dose, if he's going to die, we'll die together. Wait a minute, also prepare 1 milligram of atropine, along with 200 milliliters of glucose, ready for IV push."

The scene was one of chaos; the "Intelligence Team" member's condition not only showed no signs of improvement but rapidly worsened.

"...You... all must die..."

The patient suddenly stopped struggling, his eyes wide open, vacant of any emotional fluctuation, looking at the people around him as if they were livestock ready for slaughter. His voice, as if a different person, was completely different from before.

As the team member had been parasitized, his own consciousness was being eroded; the "Intelligence Team" dispatched a new intelligence expert and a skilled scout, temporarily joining the "Strong Men Team," and the two teams began to work together.

Among them was a Psychic Ability User expert who took part in the care of the parasitized comrade, gathering related intelligence to increase understanding of the parasite and seek out effective targeted measures.

The members of the "Intelligence Team" were all professionals, even to the extent of not sparing their own people.

"Blood pressure 90/140, heart rate 120, creatine kinase elevated, slight myocardial damage, ALT elevated, liver metabolic disorder..."

At the same time as the survivor began to change, the Psychic Ability User expert assigned to the "Strong Men Team" exclaimed.

"Not good, the host's spiritual power fluctuations have been overridden."

Previously, he had been using his Psi Skill to combat the parasite's spiritual force, but the situation remained bleak with no signs of improvement, getting worse and worse, until the most feared event finally occurred.

The medical personnel who were trying to find a cure exchanged bewildered glances.

"It's over, the parasitization is successful, self-awareness is gone."

"Give him a quick end! Send him off!"

Although the survivor's appearance still resembled a member of the Human Race, and life signs were present, in just a few breaths, he had transformed from 'he' to 'it'.

"Farewell, brother!"

Bang!~

The forehead of the parasitized "Intelligence Team" member burst into a flower of blood, his body convulsed violently, snapping three restraining straps before growing still.

An opening the size of a fist gaped in the back of his head, a 9-millimeter Parabellum had fully discharged its kinetic energy, turning the soft brain tissue into a mix of red and white stinking curd that oozed out of the hole, filling the air with a revolting odor.

Just then, the restraint straps across his chest suddenly bulged, squeaking as if bearing an unbearable burden. It was fortunate that he'd been bound up like a "mummy"; otherwise, it would have been a completely unexpected chest burst.

"The parasite is not dead yet!"

Before the sound of his voice died away, a three-foot stiletto sword as thick as a thumb pierced through the restraint strap and plunged directly into the chest cavity, even probing out from the back, exerting the penetrating power of the stiletto sword to the fullest.

The surging Battle Qi shuddered violently, like it was deflating, and the several bulging restraint straps slowly shriveled back.

"This thing is really fucking scary!"

The owner of the stiletto sword, a Ninth-Rank Human Order War Professional, had a look of lingering fear on his face.

He felt an unusual resistance on his sword, definitely not the normal feedback one would expect from piercing a human body. It was as if he had hit layer upon layer of thick paper.

Though paper is thin, when the quantity and overall thickness reach a certain level, it can block the sharp point of a blade.

Luckily, he reacted quickly and applied extra force; otherwise, the stiletto sword might not have been able to pierce the parasite in one go.

"Move, move now. People from the town are coming this way, lots and lots of them. We've been exposed!"

Someone yelled out.

In the distance, people from Jiaming Town surged like a tide, gathering from streets and alleys and rushing towards the camp. Moreover, as time passed, the number of people increased, quickly exceeding a hundred.

Previously, not only were Dark Element ability users sent to scout inside the town, but even if something went wrong and they were captured by the enemy, the observation posts outside still maintained remote surveillance of the town at all times.

It was not just ground personnel using optical equipment for observation. There were also drones circling at a radius at about 5,000 meters above the ground, stealing glances at every move within and outside Jiaming Town.

These arrangements had clearly borne fruit.

The moment there was any movement within the town, the "Intelligence Team" reinforcement group and "Strong Men Team" would immediately realize and react promptly.

"Move, transfer!"

"Leave immediately!"

"Collect everything into the Storage Magical Device!"

"The distance is still 1.7 kilometers."

...

Amidst the chaotic gathering of items, when the tide of people from the town was less than 1 kilometer away from the camp, about thirty members of the "Strong Men Team" and the "Intelligence Team" reinforcement group boarded vehicles and proactively avoided them.

However, what they didn't expect was that although the majority of the people rushing out of the town were on foot, relying on their two legs, and only a few were either on inline skates, skateboards, or bicycles, more and more vehicles started to catch up from behind. Along the way, people continuously climbed aboard, drastically increasing the number of "people" who could actually catch up with the "Strong Men Team" and "Intelligence Team" reinforcement group.

A massive Mobile Base Vehicle from Nandu City was rushing in their direction and passed right by the retreating "Strong Men Team" and "Intelligence Team" reinforcement group.

"What is that?"

Members of the "Strong Men Team" watched the fully armed Mobile Base Vehicle with puzzlement.

It was as if a train had charged onto the highway, and the sheer momentum of its passing made one's breath catch.

"Rookie's Mobile Base Vehicle. Does he have more people?"

The "Intelligence Team" reinforcement group had some idea. They hadn't expected that Chen Fei could still spare manpower to come here. It clearly wasn't just their already known teams: the "Intelligence Team," "Strong Men Team," and "Suicide Squad."

The intelligence experts speculated that those on the vehicle should be the employer's bodyguards. If they set aside their protective duties for the moment, their combat power could even surpass that of the "Strong Men Team."

This time, the "Intelligence Team" guessed wrong.

Rookie Chen Fei indeed had another reserve team at his disposal, only it wasn't a bodyguard team as the intelligence experts thought, but a squad of Combat Mechs.

Previously, this reserve team consisting of twelve Combat Mechs had been lying in ambush near the battlefield of the Ground Portal Gate Management Substation, waiting for Chen Fei's instructions.

Yet, even when the Rebel Army deployed adult Metallic Dragons, they never had the opportunity to join the battle. If they had a "Dragon Slayer Missile," they might have been able to design a targeted trap, but without the missile, the mechs naturally had no role to play until now when they were dispatched to Jiaming Town.

The AI of the Combat Mechs was updated with "Adam," making them independent of cloud technology. Even if communications were disabled, they could still maintain a high degree of autonomous action.

The sound of whooshing arose.

The Railgun atop the Mobile Base Vehicle began to fire continuously, launching Demolition Bombs of 600mm caliber.

Violent explosions erupted along the road towards Jiaming Town and its vicinity, one after another.

"That's heavy artillery. It's no wonder it's a Mobile Base Vehicle. With such firepower, those Parasitic Species are in for a real challenge!"

The captain of the "Strong Men Team" was an A-rank Psychic Ability User who had cultivated Battle Qi. His best Psi Skill allowed him to unlock his potential, forcibly amplifying his Fifth-Rank Human Order Battle Qi to the strength of First-Rank Earth Order. Combined with his A-rank spiritual power, he could hold his own even against Second-Rank Earth Order War Professionals.

No sooner had he spoken than a flash of blue light shone from the direction of Jiaming Town, and a pale blue wave spread in all directions. Then, an earth-shattering boom and shockwave caught up, with winds howling so fiercely that even the vehicles in retreat couldn't avoid being jostled and swerved in an S-shape on the road.

"A Tactical-Level Weapon?"

The captain of the "Strong Men Team" gasped.

If he wasn't mistaken about the pale blue light that bloomed, it must have been a "Dragon Slayer Missile."

To deal with those parasitic species, even such a destructive weapon was deployed, seemingly at any cost.

-

About 15 kilometers away from Jiaming Town, eleven Combat Mechs appeared near the highway. Their eyes flickered with a dangerous red light, and they held Railgun Combat Rifles, closing in on the town step by step.

The recent ferocious explosions were the result of a Combat Mech driving the Mobile Base Vehicle headlong into the densely packed "crowd," ultimately detonating the "Dragon Slayer Missile" Combat Unit in the cabin. Within the blast radius, everything – people, animals, vegetation – was annihilated, reduced to dust and ashes.