1novels Chapter 36 Dawn Defense Line
Chapter 36 Dawn Defense Line
The alarm blared like the howl of a dying beast, crashing repeatedly through the base's narrow passageways. Flashing red light made the walls appear as if they were bleeding.
"The southeast flank has been breached! Repeat, the southeast flank has been breached!" came the hoarse shouts of the team members over the walkie-talkie, followed by a burst of shrill static and gunfire.
"Take the core hard drive and evacuate through B7!" Lin Yu's voice was frighteningly calm. He attached a high-explosive grenade to a load-bearing pillar at the end of the corridor, set the delay, and then turned around to pull up Su Ya, who was lying on the ground.
"Brother... I can't walk anymore..." Su Ya's face was deathly pale, and blood was gushing from the wound on her left arm, which she had been grazed by a stray bullet while covering Lin Yu. Even more terrifying, due to the intense backlash from the nerve connections, her vision had begun to blur, a violent rejection reaction from the "twin virus" after losing its stable signal.
"Shut up, you have to go!" Lin Yu's eyes were red. He picked up Su Ya and, ignoring her weak struggles, rushed towards the emergency exit.
A deafening explosion came from behind, and the entire passage collapsed instantly, temporarily isolating the pursuing "cleaner" team.
However, the real nightmare has only just begun.
At the exit of B7 tunnel, a tall figure blocked the way. The man removed his tactical helmet, revealing a face covered in burn scars, his eyes burning with a fanatical thirst for killing. He was the leader of "The Cleaners," codenamed "The Butcher."
"Leave the 'key' behind, or die." The plasma blade in the butcher's hand crackled with electricity.
"Come and take it yourself if you dare!" Lin Yu put Su Ya down, stood in front of her, and spat fire from the muzzle of his gun.
The bullets struck the Butcher's heavy armor, sending sparks flying, but they couldn't penetrate. The Butcher grinned maliciously, parrying with his knife and instantly closing in on Lin Yu.
Close combat. Although Lin Yu's fighting skills were superb, he seemed powerless against the enhanced Butcher. After several rounds, Lin Yu was covered in wounds.
"Brother!" Suya watched as Lin Yu was knocked to the ground, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. The fear in her heart was instantly replaced by an unprecedented anger.
She recalled the sealed memory in "Eden"—the memory of the massacre.
"We are not victims...we are the butchers..."
Suya reached out her hand, her fingertips touching the tactical dagger that Lin Yu had dropped.
"No, Suya, don't look..." Lin Yu struggled to stand up, but was kicked away by the butcher again.
The butcher raised his blade, aiming it at the defenseless Suya.
Goodbye, little key.
Just as the blade was about to fall, Suya suddenly raised her head. Her once clear pupils were instantly replaced by a crimson hue. It was a sign that the "Twin Virus" had fully erupted, and a signal that the "Killing Program" had been forcibly awakened.
"You...can't...touch him!"
Suya let out a roar that was unlike any human's, and her body burst forth with astonishing speed. Instead of dodging the blade, she charged straight at it, and in the butcher's moment of surprise, the dagger in her hand pierced the nerve node in his wrist where he was holding the knife.
"Ah!" the butcher cried out in pain as his weapon slipped from his hand.
But that wasn't all. Su Ya's movements were fluid and graceful, as if she had practiced them a thousand times. Using the momentum, her body coiled around the butcher's body like a serpent, and the dagger drew a beautiful arc in the air, precisely severing the butcher's oxygen tube in his neck.
Suffocation, excruciating pain, loss of balance.
At this moment, Suya was no longer the younger sister who needed to be protected; she transformed into the "perfect weapon" who could tear everything apart for survival.
"roll!"
Suya kicked the butcher away and turned to help Lin Yu up.
At this moment, the eastern sky was beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn. Dawn had arrived.
The base collapsed behind them with a deafening roar, turning into a sea of fire. Lin Yu looked at Su Ya, who was panting heavily and covered in blood, and felt a mix of emotions. He saw the red light in her eyes, and he also saw the faint trace of fear that was about to dissipate deep within them.
"We... survived." Su Ya's voice was hoarse, and the red light in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by the exhaustion of surviving a disaster.
Lin Yu held her hand tightly; it was cold, yet real.
"Yes, we survived." Lin Yu looked into the distance, where the rising sun was piercing through the clouds. "The transformation is over, Suya. From now on, we will take control of our own destiny."
The brother and sister, supporting each other, stepped into the crimson dawn, heading towards a new life. Behind them lay ruins, while ahead lay an unknown but hopeful future.