Claws in the White Void
There wasn't a single ordinary camera inside the first-step passage. It was a precaution against potential hacking and information leaks. This also meant that Lü Chen wanted to hide whatever lay deeper within the passage. That said, there were no sensors either. The interior of the passage was pristine. Whether it stemmed from confidence that no one would enter this place, or certainty that no one who entered would leave alive, Enoch didn't know. Either way, the important thing was that a corporation on the scale of Lü Chen had a reason for leaving it completely untouched.
Such speculation couldn't stop their advance. They'd already trashed Lü Chen's lab—if they were going to die, they had to complete the mission first.
Thud—thud—rustle—rustle—rustle—
No conversation passed between the two as they moved through the passage. It was usually Soo asking questions and Enoch answering, but with Soo staying silent, there was nothing to say. Normally, Enoch would have welcomed the quiet, but not now. Ever since Tibolt's death, Soo's demeanor had shifted in a strange way. It wasn't anger or sorrow, but it wasn't her usual brightness either...
"You okay?"
He couldn't hold back the question. Asking wouldn't change anything—in fact, it could make things worse. "You okay?" was a question only for those who clearly weren't.
"Yeah."
Soo answered nonchalantly. But something had definitely changed. Enoch had no words of comfort for her. He'd never been good at that, even with his own little brother back in the day—and right now, they didn't have the time anyway.
Thud—
They reached the end of the passage. Rustle—rustle—
A large chamber covered entirely in stark white tiles. At its far end stood a small door. Anyone could tell at a glance that it led to the server room.
[Just in case, take a look.]
Nod—
Enoch checked Soo's blind spots, and Soo checked his. Then they waved Angela's drone around to scout. Moments later, they signaled each other with hand signs: no cameras or sensors.
From here on, they should minimize talking. There might be listening devices. Their voices alone wouldn't pinpoint them easily, but caution never hurt.
Rustle—rustle—
After a brief exchange of signals, they pressed forward. Enoch took point. Unseen ambushes that could strike in an instant, footprints left behind, vigilant scouting... Screw the boring details—he was just the meat shield. He couldn't bring himself to tell Soo to play meat shield. She was faster, tougher, and stronger than him, true—but his pride wouldn't allow it.
Rustle—rustle—
Soo stepped where Enoch had tread. The white chamber remained silent. The only sound was Soo's tail brushing against her clothes.
She's making sounds she doesn't usually... Yeah, she's definitely in a bad mood.
Enoch thought as much and quickened his pace. Four minutes and thirty-one seconds left. His footsteps reached the white door. Soo peeked around his back and nodded. Enoch gripped the handle boldly.
This was different from entering Irina's office. Click—
The door wasn't locked. The handle turned smoothly, and the door opened silently. If something was going to burst out...
Now? Now? Now...? Now...?! NOW!
Enoch tensed, body twitching in alert, but still, nothing emerged.
Rustle—rustle—
"It's quiet."
Soo muttered. The tail-brushing sound continued. But that was it. No other noises echoed in the chamber. They opened the door, stepped inside... and with a click, slotted the hacking shard into the server port.
Thirty seconds later, plug in the dummy data shard, and it was done. Yet nothing lunged out. Had someone already come and gone? Had Zailek sent not just Angela, but other mercs or agents? Or had Tibolt finished his business and left...?
A whirlwind of thoughts churned in Enoch's head as he watched the hack progress. Rustle—rustle—
The tail sound persisted. At this point, it felt deliberate. Rustle—rustle—
Maybe she was venting her bad mood. So Enoch turned to her, about to say they should grab something tasty after the job...
Rustle—rustle—
"...What?"
Soo was hugging her tail to her chest. The embraced tail was still. Rustle—rustle—
Yet the sound continued.
"You hearing this too, right?"
"Yeah, I hear it."
"I thought... it was your tail?"
"Me too, but it's not."
Soo shook her head.
"I thought it was you."
Rustle—rustle—
"Isn't this clearly scales... like from your tail?"
The moment Enoch looked around in disbelief, Soo's tail shot upward. Her eyes widened, pupils splitting vertically into slits.
"Found it."
A short declaration. Enoch had no idea what she'd found. As he registered her outstretched hand, he was already rolling across the floor.
"What the—"
Scraaatch—
He couldn't finish. Where Enoch had stood moments ago, massive claw marks gouged the floor. Not Soo's doing—he was sure. No way she could leave marks like that in such a short time. She'd shatter it outright, no need for precise scratches.
Then who, from where?
A breeze grazed his cheek. Instinct kicked in—Enoch activated his Hod. In the world slowed to a crawl, he sprang up and leaped back, widening the gap.
Scraaatch—!
Simultaneously, fresh claw marks scarred where he'd fallen. Like something had slashed through. Invisible. But brutally fast—he knew that much. With his nerves accelerated to the limit, he still couldn't track the claws.
Human cultivation... wasn't it about making humans?
Those marks were no human's work. Massive body... at least elephant-sized, like something from the past. Yet even that bulk was unseen. Enoch felt his blood run cold as he loaded Moonlight.
Meanwhile, Soo could see "it." Not its form precisely, but the flow of mana. She heard mana's scream. Different from the song that had enveloped her in the ruins. Her instincts resonated with it. Her blank expression twisted. Like a beast growling, her lips pulled back, baring fangs.
Grrrooowl—!
A casual step shattered the floor. Soo's body shot forward like wind. Crack—her clenched fist ground ominously. Target unseen, but she punched toward the scream of mana.
The fist's trajectory veered. Like repelling magnets, it tried to slide aside. In that split-second fractured into hundreds, Soo twisted its path. She spread her hand wide, claws extended. Ducked low, leg thrust forward. Drove deep and slashed.
Fwoosh—splatter!
Green blood sprayed from empty air. Black scales and flesh clung to Soo's claws. Definitely not human. She didn't question it. She backpedaled, raising both arms.
Craaaack—!
A brutal impact launched her small body upward. In that instant, she snapped her waist, kicking out. Thud—boom! Something far off crashed away.
Heavy.
Soo landed on tiptoe, checking herself. No wounds. Colorless scales had sprouted on her skin, blocking the attack. A few crushed ones showed the foe's power was no joke. But that wouldn't stop her. If anything, her heart raced.
By using magic.
She'd torn through reinforced doors. Outsped Buggy. Blocked Void Spike. Mesers couldn't pierce her skin. Merc bullets were yawn-inducingly slow. This opponent was different. Strong, fast, heavy, new. The cloaking magic, the trajectory-warping field—impressive. The former was probably the invisibility Miko used escaping Lü Chen. The latter resembled the fields on Zailek's test subjects—maybe perfected.
Smash this monster, and she'd learn more magic? No way to know without trying.
"Heh."
A smile crept onto Soo's lips. But with her growling beast-face, it looked a bit feral. Tap—
Her casual step reached the target. She threw a punch. No ordinary one—wrapped in magic stolen from the test subjects.
Grrrooowl—!
Fierce whoosh battered the chamber. Green blood painted the air, splattering everywhere. Far away, something slammed into the wall again, drenched in green.
Human male build, but the right hand was enormous. Like a dinosaur's claw...
Dinosaur... dragon? Dragon?
Miko's mutterings flashed in Soo's mind. Lü Chen's chimeras were modeled after dragons. Though one hand only distanced it from a true dragon.
"Urgh..."
Lü Chen, who made grotesque tentacle horrors in the game, now chasing dragons. Magic's influence? Not her concern now. To Soo, it was a magic-dispensing punching bag.
Wind whipped her body. She kicked off, speed defying reason. Her upward kick matched it. Squelch—!
The green-drenched monster embedded in the ceiling. Soo leaped up, punching, clawing. Pocket stones auto-launched on wind. Blood sprayed, scales flew. Yet it lived, swatting Soo.
Thud—she landed awkwardly, rubbing her stinging butt. Leg or tail? Hard to tell—flexible either way. Don't think human limits. Durability too. She'd hammered it hard and long, yet it rampaged.
Dodging the massive claws, Soo pondered. Fists and claws long enough would kill it. But no—this was Lü Chen's lab. One minute fifty-eight seconds left. Allow one minute escape, kill in thirty seconds to insert dummy shard.
So.
Need a decisive blow...
One-shot kill. Dodging tentacle-like flails, she continued thinking. Smacked incoming claws, counter-punched, decided.
One minute fifty-two seconds.
Magic reconfiguration.
In a flash, billions of magic circuits flooded her mind, deconstructing, recombining wildly. Soo tweaked the ones she needed. No deep thought—just followed mana's lead, reshaping.
Then, the monster hurled a stone. Soo didn't stop manifesting. Allies now. Trusted Enoch; he delivered.
Splat—Enoch dashed in, kicking the stone aside. Bang-bang—shots shattered remnants, shielding Soo perfectly.
Soo beamed, continuing. Merged two magics first. Added speed, spin, sharpness to wind. Maximized repulsion into explosion, embedded in wind. Result: drill-shaped wind. Smooth wouldn't do—added spiral grooves for deep penetration. Elongated handle, shaft for throwing. Rear pinwheel wings for spin.
Soo gripped the long, transparent spear, arched back. Left arm forward. Shaft by cheek, tip at sight's end. Muscles tensed to limit—like her body was a drawn bow. Then summoned wind. It gathered per her will: toes to thigh, thigh to waist, waist to shoulder, shoulder to forearm, forearm to wrist, wrist to hand. All converged at one point.
Thud.
Stamped rear foot hard, hurled the spear.
One minute fifty-one seconds.
Vicious storm carried it. Immense spin made it seem still—yet the swirling gale proved otherwise. When it hit the monster.
Grrraaah—!
Lightning-crack—body exploded. Black scales fluttered; green blood soaked the white chamber.
And.
"Urk..."
Soo flopped to the floor.