Cyber Era Witch-Chapter 75 - 58 The Storm

75: Chapter 58: The Storm

75 -58: The Storm

“`

Illusions are fleeting, while materials endure; Farosa felt Xu Yang was vividly alive, more real than any hollow promises she had encountered in her life.

If the world perishes, then let it be just the two of us; if the world endures, let us witness it together.

Let it be so.

Buildings were still shaking.

Xu Yang steadied himself as the earthquake and the Rat Tide occurred simultaneously.

Outside, the sound of gunfire was deafening.

The preparations made by the company throughout most of the day were not in vain.

Drones zoomed through the sky, firing lethal large-caliber bullets at the Giant Rats, killing them one after another.

They also launched a series of small missiles from their hive-like bomb bays, bombing the Ratmen who were charging erratically, blowing them into unrecognizable flesh and leaving behind scattered body parts on the ground.

In addition, white phosphorous bombs were dropped into the densely packed tunnels where the Ratmen emerged, setting them ablaze.

Amidst the roaring fires, countless Ratmen ran out burning and screaming maniacally, their fur charred and bursting, rolling on the ground, unable to extinguish the flames engulfing them.

Their screams turned into painful moans, and the once overwhelming assault disintegrated in an instant.

In the face of modern technology’s firepower, the Ratmen were utterly useless.

Farosa’s attention shifted outward as she watched the multitude of lights, fire, and screams, feeling ecstatic.

This was the scene she loved—ah, a sea of apocalyptic fire, where people could no longer have misunderstandings with each other, since they were all dead.

Then, all worries would vanish, leaving the spoils for the living to enjoy.

The counterattacks organized by the various security companies were too efficient, seemingly anticipating exactly where the Ratmen would appear, already prepared with plenty of landmines, explosives, and combat robots.

“Numbers are rapidly decreasing,” Lila monitored the surrounding activity.

“Active rat numbers have dropped from 78,443 to 71,236 and are expected to completely disperse in 1 minute.”

The Ratmen were being slaughtered, their blood and flesh flying everywhere; they could not possibly threaten the safety of Hui City District.

The pace of the entire team descending the stairs slowed; they could not help but harbor a thought deep inside.

What’s the point of running?

It seemed there was no need to prepare for retreat, as the Ratmen’s surprise attack was quickly thwarted and they became extremely weak in the blink of an eye.

Indeed, the local companies also feared that the Rat Tide might further expand, Xu Yang thought to himself.

As a subordinate to Anjiu City, it was the responsibility of Aizu City’s companies to contain this mess underground.

If the Rats broke out of Hui City District and threatened the safety of Anjiu City, it would be all over.

Anjiu City was where large clients and important individuals resided.

If they were endangered, these Aizu City security companies would be held accountable by the Alliance.

“The Rats won’t be able to break through,” Farosa stopped in her tracks.

“There are many defenses on the streets.

Ah, Xu Yang, why do they even fight?

This is certain death.”

“It’s over,” Li Xiaomin was immensely pleased.

“Maybe…” Xu Yang had not yet expressed his speculation.

Hum—

An invisible shockwave emanated from a single point, then spread out in all directions like ripples from a stone cast into a pond.

Invisible electrical arcs swept through the entire city.

In an instant, robots and drones sparking with fire crashed to the ground, exploding upon impact, and turned into chunks of metal.

The collisions sounded like thousands of iron balls hitting the ground simultaneously, rumbling incessantly.

This power was all too familiar—it was an Electromagnetic Pulse!

It’s over, Xu Yang felt a chill in his heart.

Similarly, the Electromagnetic Pulse wave passed abruptly through Xu Yang’s body.

Instantly, he felt his head and wrist explode open; the recently repaired implants were again torn to pieces by the Electromagnetic Pulse.

Blood flowed from his eyes, electrical currents surged through his body, causing him to slide forward and tumble down the stairs.

Nidelaide, standing behind, quickly extended his arm.

His arm stretched forward like a spring, and a black mechanical hand equipped with a grappling hook and reel emerged from beneath his robe.

It soared over a distance of more than ten meters, grasped the back collar of Xu Yang’s clothes, sparing him from disaster and pulling him back up to the stairway.

Immediately after, Nidelaide quickly retracted his hand and hid it within his clothes.

Although his body was full of implants, it was for this very reason that he was especially worried about the destruction caused by Electromagnetic Pulses; therefore, he had fitted himself with many anti-interference components and was highly resistant to Electromagnetic Pulses.

The condition of robots and drones throughout the city varied.

High above, many silver, teardrop-shaped advanced drones were still patrolling the skies, equipped with anti-interference components and unaffected, continuing to shoot down the Ratmen.

However, there were too few of them to protect the entire city, while the vast majority of ordinary models had completely collapsed—the primary defense force had crumbled.

Taking advantage of this, the Rat Tide surged forward once again.

For Xu Yang, the situation was different; struck by the Electromagnetic Pulse Blast, he was now incapable of thinking.

The destruction of his implants led to internal bleeding, just like the incident back at the excavation site.

“Ouch…

this is really troublesome…

When I get enough money, I definitely need to get those anti-interference implants…

No matter how much they cost…”

Farosa reached out to Xu Yang, restoring him to his state a few seconds earlier.

—Law of Recovery.

In an instant, the pain was gone without a trace, as if all previous sufferings were mere illusions.

Xu Yang quickly scrambled up and turned to see Lila already lying on the steps, flames engulfing her body.

Lila!

He hurried to help Lila up, his heart pounding furiously.

The already frail Lila, having been exposed to an electromagnetic pulse of such magnitude, had no business being alive.

“Save her,” Xu Yang said urgently.

“She hates me,” Farosa said, leaning against the wall with an air of indifference, “Why do I have to help whenever something like this happens?

I helped you because I like you, but what about her?

She sees me as a maniac and a monster, would she even want my help?”

Lila, struck by the electromagnetic pulse wave, had electrical sparks shooting out of her body, not making a sound anymore, and her own severed head lay beside her on the belt.

The Cassandro Comet she had carefully tuned also had a significant number of its components destroyed.

“She will, she will definitely be thankful,” Xu Yang said firmly, “and you are not crazy at all.”

“Then I want you to admit that Lila is crazy.”

“No, Farosa,” Xu Yang rejected, “if you want to be understood, you need to understand others first.

You know it yourself; it’s important to accept others’ thoughts.”

Oh, Xu Yang, poor thing.

Farosa looked at his face.

You can never find a balance between the two of us.

It’s either Lila Nestor or Farosa de Aquilia, there’s no middle ground.

But I don’t need to point this out; he’ll come to realize it himself amid the numerous contradictions to come.

For now, let me bestow some grace.

It’s a trivial matter for someone destined to rule over everything in the future.

Farosa used her power again, restoring not only Lila but also her gun, erasing all traces of burns and sparks on Lila and reverting her to her intact, original state.

Li Xiaomin watched all of this with a certain chill.

Farosa was undoubtedly a powerful Reality Manipulator, and beside her, he could feel nothing but endless fear.

She was like an abyss waiting to devour anyone who got too close, with only Xu Yang being safe by her side.

When Kanako was around, her cheerfulness and friendliness gave warmth to the team, but without her, it was entirely different.

Asa Katsuragi, though honest and reliable, wasn’t the type to empathize with others.

He could not understand their true feelings, let alone adjust interpersonal relationships.

For ordinary people like Rosya and me, who are absolutely weak, are we really ready to act alongside these extraordinary characters?

Are we not doomed to a tragic death in over-the-top conflicts?

Looking outside, after the use of the electromagnetic pulse weapons, the Ratmen were sprinting out crazily.

No strength remained to stop them, and their violent postures were frightening.

The local companies could only grit their teeth and send out the Battle Witches and armed personnel to hold them back, but the companies of Aizu City lacked depth, external support had not yet arrived, and they were severely outgunned.

They had originally pinned their hopes on the Riot Control Mobile Unit, but Pan Ruiyi had just glanced over and left without doing anything, and the other members were preoccupied with their own urgent matters, too busy to attend to this little underground city.

More fatal still, was that the companies were accustomed to pitting neighbors against one another, spreading out their defenses within their own territories.

This characteristic was now being exploited by the Ratmen, who were digging tunnels to isolate and annihilate the companies’ forces.

The situation had reversed, with the companies retreating steadily.

After being revived, Lila looked at Farosa in confusion.

“What happened…

There’s a gap in the data…”

“You were affected by the electromagnetic pulse, and Farosa saved you,” Xu Yang looked outside, where with the electromagnetic pulse that had swept across Hui City District, all areas relying on electronic devices and robots for defense had collapsed, revealing extreme vulnerability in the face of the Rat Tide.

“Ah ha,” Farosa scorned, “Didn’t you think of me as a nuisance?

Without me, you’d be dead now.”

“I’m sorry,” Lila bowed to Farosa, “I owe you my life, thank you, Farosa.”

“…” Farosa hadn’t expected Lila to concede first.

She had thought Lila would come up with some nonsense again, but the response she got was simple gratitude, which made her feel uncomfortable.

Come on, let’s hurt each other!

What’s with all this politeness!