Cyber Era Witch-Chapter 76 - 59 The Portal

76: Chapter 59 The Portal

76 -59 The Portal

The rats actually used an electromagnetic pulse, and on such a large scale too!

Xu Yang hurried downstairs, finding the reality difficult to accept.

“I’m feeling a bit numb.” Nidelaide checked himself, his anti-interference device had burned through, another strike and he would be done for.

Nidelaide did not believe he and Farosa had much of a connection, if he died, Farosa certainly wouldn’t help.

Damn it!

I still want to live and become the best implant master, I can’t die here!

“A massive rat tide.” Lila pointed out the current situation, “Reaching a scale of 100,000, they are invading Aizu City.”

“How could they possibly use electromagnetic pulse technology?” Xu Yang couldn’t figure it out.

“It’s not actual technology, but magic power,” Lila said, “A witch’s power that replicates an electromagnetic pulse, not innate but the result of later training and guidance.”

“Wait, does that mean there is a witch serving the Ratmen?

Is that even possible?” Xu Yang couldn’t imagine how witches could be connected with Ratmen.

“It’s a Ratman Witch.” Lila explained, “A source of witch’s power in a non-human form that has been detected.”

Lila, under the status of a consciousness chip, though precise in detection, could not calculate the condition of every individual; previously, the Ratman Witch had remained unobtrusive, causing this variable to be overlooked.

This unprecedented situation shocked Xu Yang.

Even during the Rat Tide 50 years ago that affected the world, no Ratman Witch had ever appeared.

“I’ve heard too many sacrilegious things lately,” Farosa said with disgust, “First, the Metal Zombie Witch, then the Slave Flying Witch, and now the Rat Witch, it’s filthy.”

“All witches are equal.” Lila said.

She knew Farosa was proud of her pureblood witch heritage, but under the modern corporate system, witches could only survive in fetters, which was not their own choice.

On the other hand, should a Ratman develop an aberrant individual, it would be a fellow witch in its own right.

“I agree, there’s no superior or inferior among witches.” Xu Yang recognized Lila’s perspective.

“I’m suddenly very curious!

I’ve been wanting to ask a question a long time ago!” Farosa, annoyed at Xu Yang’s agreement with Lila, couldn’t help but continue to provoke, “Lila, how old are you really, 100 years, 150 years?

You seem to always conceal your true age.”

This touched the deepest wound of Lila, for although witches had eternally youthful appearances, they were still very sensitive about their age.

Lila, battle-scarred and long-serving, had spent year after year patrolling, guarding, and fighting amidst the snow and wind, unlike the youthful Farosa.

It was fine unmentioned, but once Farosa brought it up, people inevitably thought about Lila’s real age and felt differently about it, causing Lila much pain and worry that Xu Yang might develop a grudge because of it.

Even so, Lila still suppressed the urge to resolve the conflict.

As a robot body with a consciousness chip capable of using witch’s power, she was significantly fragmented; to be able to help her master was the greatest happiness, let alone being favored, which was nothing but wishful thinking.

“Enough,” Xu Yang, unable to resolve the complex conflict between Farosa and Lila, knew now was not the best time, “The Rat Witch used the electromagnetic pulse, they came to kill!

We have to hold the entrances!”

“Is it time to fight?

Or to run away?” Asa Katsuragi rubbed her hands together, eager for action.

“Lila, Farosa, take everyone to the shuttle machine, prepare to evacuate,” Xu Yang instructed, “Katsuragi, come with me, we shall fight at the entrance.”

“I can provide support as well.” Lila wanted to stay by Xu Yang’s side.

“If rats enter the garage, someone has to deal with them.” Xu Yang needed to allocate their combat power evenly.

Xu Yang ran down the stairs.

Outside, the cries of rats had gone completely maniac, forming a cacophony of different shrieks, wails, metal clashes, the sound of vehicles smashed, and the roars of giant beasts, like a frantic orchestra attending the funeral of Aizu City.

The whole city was being torn apart by Ratmen piece by piece.

In the darkness, Jumen Commerce Corporation had descended into chaos.

“What in the world is happening now?” Zuo Hongchen burst out, escorted by a few employees, his face filled with despair, “God!

There are so many rats outside!”

More employees followed him, their eyes wandering, unsure where to go.

“I said the rats would come.” Xu Yang moved without slowing, “They attack methodically, they didn’t force their way in during the past few hours, they have been digging all along.”

“Didn’t the security company take precautions?” Zuo Hongchen was in utter distress.

“Certainly, if they were regular Ratmen, even if they dug in, by now they’d be canned at the meat processing plant…

but they used an electromagnetic pulse!

Who would have thought rats could master such a tactic!” Xu Yang continued as he walked.

“It’s like someone’s been giving them strategic advice all along,” an employee exclaimed, “The rats are always one step ahead of us!”

“What do we do now?” Zuo Hongchen looked back; three employees full of implants lay dead at their workstations, bodies charred, flesh indistinct, and no one dared approach that area.

What had been implanted to ensure their survival had, when hit by the electromagnetic pulse, instantly become the cause of their demise.

“Send someone with me to guard the main entrance to prevent the rats from flooding in, and ensure the route to the garage is clear, then we can retreat!” Xu Yang commanded.

“Anyone who can fight, come with me!

Get weapons!” Katsuragi Asa shouted, feeling like she was back in her street-fighting days, except the battlefield had switched to a corporate setting, and the opponents were rats.

“Right, does the company have any guns?” Xu Yang asked, “Your people should arm themselves too!”

“Yes…

they’re in the security room, come with me.” Zuo Hongchen immediately turned to lead Xu Yang and the others there.

The other company employees didn’t dare delay and quickly followed.

Lila, meanwhile, escorted the rest toward the garage.

The squeaks of rats came from outside the building, getting closer and closer, causing everyone’s heart to be in their throat, barely daring to breathe.

“Why do I have to deal with this,” Zuo Hongchen’s spirit was unstable as he pulled open the security room door.

Various civilian firearms hung on the wall, then he collapsed into a chair, “Why are there so many rats, why here…”

I’d love to know that myself.

Xu Yang felt a complex mix of emotions.

Sometimes you’re just that unlucky, encountering a Rat Tide.

Now I have to climb up from the deepest part of the underground a little at a time towards the surface.

How far have I come!

It was hard enough getting through Katagi District to Number 26 Highland, then crossing Number 26 Highland to get to Hui City District…

I haven’t even had the chance to enjoy this big sum of funds!

All delayed in these rat-infested tunnels.

There’s also Black Fire Innovation, the puppet master behind Matteo, the shadowy figure who snatched the Farosa project.

This company is the very symbol of cruelty and lawlessness, and they will not give up the pursuit of Farosa.

Headaches follow one after another.

He had no strength to complain and could only swallow these words.

Turning to dash down the stairs, Xu Yang was the first to reach the ground floor lobby, where several Ratmen were already clinging to the glass door, frantically beating it with pipes and steel rods.

The glass door first showed cracks, then shattered under the heavy blow from a Black-Furred Stout Rat.

With nothing left to obstruct them, the Rats surged in like a flood.

“Aaaagh!”

“I’m going to kill you!” The Ratmen were filled with resentment as they stepped over the shattered glass on the ground.

All these unexpected changes made Xu Yang anxious and frazzled, so he fired at the Ratmen with his Well Tiger, using battle to divert his attention.

His wrist movements were swift, utilizing implants to work with the gun’s assistive aiming mechanism, headshot after headshot; the bullets penetrated the Ratmen’s skulls, abruptly stopping their charging bodies, which then fell to the ground.

Bang, bang!

A few Rat Gunners poked their heads out and came rushing over, blending into the swarm, using their companions as cover to shoot at Xu Yang.

Xu Yang immediately retreated, hiding behind the lobby counter as cover, and then shot when the opportunity presented itself.

There were too many Ratmen, using the slight pause where the Rat Gunners forced Xu Yang back to allow nearly ten Ratmen to scamper across the hall on all fours toward him.

Left, right, front—everywhere!

Asa Katsuragi led the newly armed company employees down, holding a heavy submachine gun, firing rapidly, pressing the trigger, a barrage tearing through the Ratmen entering the doorway, shredding them, guts spilling out.

There was no need to aim; with the density of the Ratmen pileup, these dozens of bullets pierced through a large number of Ratmen without fail, their bodies becoming unrecognizable messes of blood and flesh, toppling over one by one at the entrance, piling up like a mountain.

“We’re here!”

“Charge!”

“Oh!”

“Beat them down!” the company employees shouted as they followed, either firing their guns or wielding their batons, striking the scurrying Ratmen inside the hall, scattering them in their pursuit.

“Crush them all!”

“Eradicate the rats!” Out of the will to survive, the company people burst forth with doubled strength to fight off the Ratmen swarming the company.

Rat after rat let out terrible screams.

Xu Yang kept firing, the automatic lock-on feature of the Well Tiger continuing to perform effectively, effortlessly targeting and killing one Ratman after another.

They had no chance to escape or dodge, all falling to Xu Yang’s gunfire.

The Ratmen hesitated, grinding their teeth in anger.

“Roar, roar—”

The ground shook violently.

The Ratmen at the entrance didn’t give up their assault despite the firm human counterattack but looked back, showing their teeth excitedly, screaming to call on their giant kin approaching.

A Giant Rat howled as it approached, its shadow engulfing the building, its form majestic, like a nightmare come to life.

Rats, usually perceived as small and fragile, this Giant Rat overturned every notion people had of their kind.

Carrying a small Ratman’s every ideal, the Giant Rat gazed down at the survivors from on high.

The Old Ratmen, hunched in body, living in the sewers, dank and diseased, never seeing the light of day, with no ideals to speak of, subsisting on human leftovers, forced to periodically cull their weak and aged, consuming the flesh and blood of their kind.

If they did not resist, their entire species would perish.

Extinction was destined, after all, given the frailty of Ratmen.

But now, the situation was entirely different; they had a Saint to guide them, and even created strong, gigantic brethren.

It represented hope, possessed immense power, and, as the pride of the Ratmen, launched a counterattack against the vicious and malicious humans.

“Fight…” the Old Ratmen turned to look at the Giant Rat, uttering faint whispers.

“Fight!” Harsh cries echoed from within the Rat swarm.

“Fight!!” An even louder shout came from every defiant Ratman!

Their momentum was overwhelming, causing the company people to pale, Xu Yang especially tense.

If the Ratmen were not afraid to die, then nothing could stop them.