176: Great then, start writing!
[Open! Let's turn the tide!]
It was late into the night.
After resting for over an hour, the time had reached 8:35 PM.
The rain falling from the sky, which had been heavy an hour ago, was now a gentle drizzle.
Through the car window, they could see the Kabuki District emitting colorful lights through the hazy rain and mist.
"Are you rested?" (Fang Yun)
"Mhm." (Toke)
"It's time to make a big move." (Valentine)
"A dark and windy night is the time for murder and arson. On a rainy night like this, it would be a shame not to kill a few people to liven things up." (Fang Yun)
"Then let's fight." (Valentine)
"Let's give the psychos from the Vortex Gang a little 'sweet treat'." (Toke)
"Alright. Let's go." (Fang Yun)
"Boom—."
The hum of the thunder's engine was as powerful and pleasant as ever, making anyone who heard it feel a jolt of electricity shoot into their brain, instantly invigorating them.
Old Captain had issued a total of three missions.
The location for the third mission was just where Fang Yun had parked earlier, two turns further east.
Fang Yun drove the thunder, approaching the mission location—the abandoned prosthetics clinic—from the direction of the back door.
After parking the car in a hidden alley corner, Fang Yun turned off the engine.
Instantly, the only sound left was the patter of rain hitting the car windows, giving an indescribable sense of tranquility.
Neon lights shone through the rain curtain, casting distorted reflections on the wet ground.
Fang Yun and the other two sat in the car, quickly checking their equipment.
Toke adjusted the only two remaining EMP grenades, ensuring their detonation time error wouldn't exceed 0.1 seconds, then took out his shotgun and began inspecting it.
Valentine, meanwhile, checked the airtightness of the two gas masks he had bought in advance.
"Ready." (Comm.) (Fang Yun)
"Check complete." (Comm.) x2
"Move out." (Comm.)
Fang Yun gave the order in a low voice, and the three of them opened the thunder's doors simultaneously.
"There are Vortex Gang sentries at the clinic's back door." (Comm.) (Fang Yun)
Using the abandoned camera he managed to restart, Fang Yun turned the scanned data into a tactical view and shared it with Valentine and Toke via the team channel.
"Two are carrying shotguns, one has a rocket arm. It looks like all of them have modified arms." (Comm.) (Fang Yun)
Valentine grinned, his finger lightly resting on the trigger of his kinetic rifle.
"Only modified arms? That's a free kill for me. Let me give them a little 'surprise' first." (Comm.)
"Wait, wait, there's movement at the clinic's front door." (Comm.) (Toke)
The real-time shared view immediately switched.
They saw a Mantis Blade prototype slowly emerge from the shadows, a blade glowing with toxic green light extending from each of its six legs.
It impaled the corpse of a long-dead Tiger Claws member and flung it against the wall like trash.
The powerful force slammed the corpse against the wall, and the cybernetic fluid and native blood inside the body instantly exploded into a patch of crimson on the metal surface.
"While the prototype is at the front door, let's breach through the back door." (Comm.) (Fang Yun)
Valentine raised his gun, aiming at the back door sentry's forehead.
"Bang. Bang. Bang."
First, three muffled gunshots rang out, their volume reduced by a suppressor. Then, three bullets were fired in quick succession, each hitting its target dead center.
The bodies of the three sentries guarding the back door instantly went rigid.
"Thud." x3
This was the dull sound of the sentries falling to the ground.
After taking care of the goons guarding the door, Fang Yun and the other two silently crept to the side of the back door.
However, just as they were about to breach the clinic's interior, Mad Flower's hoarse voice suddenly blasted from the loudspeaker hanging from the eaves above the back door:
"Another bunch of death-seekers! Watch how I'll handle you! Clean your necks and wait for the Mantis Blade to come and give you a proper welcome!"
[In the end, is this all I can do? OTZ]