SWNOVELXO Chapter 183
Chapter 183. The Beijing Vacuum Operation (3)
Now, the long-awaited moment has arrived.
“Hasti-san. Let’s use that.”
“That thing.”
Hasti solemnly placed a black egg on the ground. The infamous egg.
The Followers of the King of Darkness summoned a massive monster in Yulje-myeon, and after the monster was struck by a nuclear bomb, it left behind a flower, which bloomed and produced this egg.
A common trait among all supernatural phenomena of the King of Darkness is reincarnation and transformation. The monster that once covered the sky has now condensed into a single point, and now it’s time for that single point to cover the sky.
The night sky was already obscured by a storm… but there was still something we could do.
Hasti raised her staff.
“With wisdom that transcends all, the one and only truth that leads to the other shore.”
“All that is immortal dies, all that is dead becomes life, all that is strong crumbles, and all that is weak survives.”
“I command the gods who rule my darkness. Become the light of the world. I command the gods who rule my light. Become the darkness that devours the world.”
“Just as the universe began from a single point at the dawn of creation, let a single point cover the sky, and let a lifeless creature become the highest deity.”
“Bloom.”
The incantation was shorter than expected. Hasti bowed to the egg, took a few steps back, and the black egg soon cracked.
Something resembling tentacles burst out from the egg, black threads began to intertwine and take shape, and the eye of a typhoon began to open above the egg.
The deity of darkness spread its wings.
I’m not sure if we can consider that thing an ally, but for now, the situation is under my control.
“Commencing the operation.”
Hasti raised her staff, drawing the attention of that massive thing. The three of us moved toward the target location, with the deity of darkness following.
The city’s military and police were already paralyzed. We just needed to carve out the Peacekeeping Force’s branch like slicing through butter.
Peacekeeping Force Supernatural Science Department.
Beijing Branch.
The scientists of the Peacekeeping Force were in a state of panic. The city they were supposed to protect was completely paralyzed.
An untimely blizzard had struck in the middle of summer, and the authorities had imposed a curfew on the city due to hail and smog. It wasn’t hard to guess the reason for the blizzard.
It must be related to the Foundation’s civil war.
Whatever the Foundation was planning, it certainly wasn’t anything good. They were always a bunch of lunatics.
Who knows what those madmen would do while waging a civil war? In the worst-case scenario, it could trigger World War III.
We had to stop that… but first, we needed to figure out the cause of the blizzard. The Foundation must have some logic behind this. What on earth were they thinking?
“Can’t we get rid of this?”
“The Chinese Air Force is trying to handle it, but they can’t enter Beijing airspace due to the weather. If an aircraft crashes because of the weather, it could lead to a major disaster.”
“How do we deal with the clouds?”
“I don’t know, I really don’t.”
“Have the Foundation guys arrived?”
“No. We’ve deployed all our intelligence networks, but we haven’t found a single Foundation agent in Beijing. It seems they’re not conducting any military operations here.”
“Then what’s with the hailstorm?”
“I don’t know, Dr. Hwang.”
“At least it’s not a military operation—”
Dr. Hwang stopped mid-sentence as a chilling sensation ran down his spine. The sound of thunder echoed sharply and repeatedly, like the firing of a machine gun.
“What’s that?”
“It sounds like lightning strikes.”
As if the heavens were enraged, lightning repeatedly struck the Peacekeeping Force’s facility.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The repeated thunder caused the fluorescent lights above the two researchers to flicker. Dr. Hwang frowned deeply. What on earth was going on?
“Should we… go out?”
The alarm at the Peacekeeping Force’s Beijing Branch sounded, and shutters closed throughout the corridors and windows. Go out? We should head to the bunker.
The siren soon stopped.
[Ah, ah. This is Dr. Kim, the 12th Administrator of the Foundation. Nice to meet you.]
Everyone at the Beijing Branch froze.
No one who knew of the Foundation’s existence would dare impersonate a Foundation Administrator. It had never happened in the Foundation’s long history.
There was only one possible truth.
The 12th Administrator of the Foundation had personally arrived. The Foundation would not tolerate even the slightest error or defeat today.
The corridor’s speakers blared.
[To all hostile groups within the People’s Republic of China, the Peacekeeping Force’s Beijing Branch has withdrawn, and all governing bodies within the People’s Republic of China are cooperating with the Foundation’s activities. Please comply with the Foundation’s control.]
Whether that statement was a recommendation, a statement of fact, or a hopeful wish, I couldn’t tell.
But to the Foundation’s Administrator… those three might not feel like different expressions.
[Activating the Beijing Branch Siege Protocol. Everyone, move to your combat positions.]
[Do not move to your combat positions. Surrender. Further resistance is futile.]
Whatever they did, it seemed the Beijing Branch’s engineers couldn’t reclaim the guidance system.
“Reinforcements will arrive soon. For now, let’s release the test subjects and engage the enemy.”
The leader of the 1st Operations Team of the Peacekeeping Force’s Beijing Branch moved to their designated position.
The facility was under attack.
According to the Siege Protocol, in this situation, the 1st Operations Team was to move to the rooftop.
The identity of the enemy was unknown, but it was clear they were powerful. In a war against supernatural phenomena, you couldn’t even get near the battlefield without a gas mask and protective suit.
Now—
The 1st Operations Team of the Peacekeeping Force reached the rooftop and couldn’t help but gape at the incomprehensible sight above them. What on earth…?
“Are we… fighting that?”
[Engage the enemy.]
“Are you serious?”
[There’s no time.]
Amid the summer night’s blizzard, an amorphous monster revealed itself. Wings large enough to cover the sky. A massive bird-like creature seemingly formed from countless tentacles.
It hadn’t shown any hostile actions yet.
“Do we even know what that is before firing?”
[Engage quickly. There’s no time.]
There really was no time. The team leader sighed. It didn’t seem like we could subdue that thing with anything we had. Maybe with a nuclear warhead, but…
“What’s the identity of that monster—”
An explosion echoed through the thunder.
The Special Forces team leader peeked out. Soon after, a special forces unit in black gear arrived on the scene, breaking through the blizzard. Whoever they were, they were alive.
Something resembling an anti-tank missile was fired at the deity of darkness. The Peacekeeping Force personnel inside the building also began firing.
Explosions continued in the sky. The bad weather seemed to prevent aircraft from moving.
Presumed Chinese special forces were firing man-portable anti-air missiles at the deity of darkness. The effect was minimal.
We were monitoring the situation, but there was no need to worry yet. When we subdued Niguras-1 in Yulje-myeon, we had to use a nuclear warhead, and even then, we only subdued it, not killed it.
With the firepower the enemy could muster now, there was no way they could harm the Black Dragon.
The real problem was the next move.
We could enter the building and indiscriminately kill people until they surrendered, but that would leave a bitter aftertaste.
“Those guys. They’re a bit strange.”
Hasti pointed at the soldiers surrounding the Beijing Branch. They had slightly disrupted our plans.
Originally, we planned to use the Mimics to paralyze the military and police, then surround the Beijing Branch.
But with them occupying the area, that would be difficult. They didn’t seem like ordinary soldiers.
“Why?”
“I’m not sure if they’re human.”
“Clones? I’ve heard rumors.”
Just looking at their equipment—
These guys were carrying submachine guns and greatswords. They weren’t ordinary soldiers but a unit created to fight supernatural phenomena.
In that context, the Peacekeeping Force’s Beijing Branch wasn’t so pitiful.
After all, they were the ones who had helped and cooperated with the Chinese regime since World War II. Deploying what appeared to be a combat unit of clones was just another part of that.
They were by no means innocent victims.
It’s not that they’re bad or deserve punishment, but they’re just pawns in a larger game. Ultimately, they’re just one of the pieces I need to move to survive.
Hasti dispelled the cover magic she had spread around to assess the situation.
“Let’s fight now.”
I loaded the Gauss Musket. First, we’ll clear out the clone special forces, then we’ll make our way into the facility.
Ahn Yuri lowered her helmet visor, and a dark blue magic circle enveloped Hasti. The blizzard had hidden us so far, but—
Once the battle starts, we won’t be able to mask the screams or gunfire. The hero charged forward with a greatsword. Gunfire erupted—
This is going to be a brutal fight.