Extermination (Part 2)

Chen Nuo and his group climbed the steel tower and looked down; from this height and perspective, they could easily see the battle involving Vander's group.

However, the climb was not easy.

Even Vi had to put in quite a bit of effort to keep up with Chen Nuo.

"As expected of Vander, that punch really has some kick!"

Vi looked excited, gesturing in the air as if she had joined the battle herself.

Such bloody slaughter was not difficult for the children of Zaun to accept; most of them had learned to deal with cold corpses at a very young age.

In an environment like Zaun, bodies lying in the streets was a normal occurrence.

If it wasn't gang violence, it was illness.

Things were only slightly better in the areas under Vander's jurisdiction.

If it were the pitch-black bottom layers, a living person was just a commodity, and a dead one was forty percent off.

Chen Nuo ignored Vi, taking various components out of his backpack and neatly assembling them into a rune rifle.

The body of the spear was entirely golden, cast primarily from Adamantite.

The barrel was inscribed with various runes, and the overall design was very avant-garde, as if it had transcended the era, filled with the texture of cutting-edge technology.

Its appearance referenced the Nekomata Sniper Rifle from the Cyberpunk world, but its essence was a combination of alchemy and runes.

Rather than a product of technology, it was actually closer to the truths of magic.

"This thing isn't made of gold, is it?!"

Vi's eyes were instantly fixed on the dazzling golden light emitted by the rune rifle, and she was almost drooling.

Zaunites all had a bit of a money-grubbing streak—they were scared of being poor—and she was naturally no exception, having understood the essence of money since childhood, along with the concept of 'honor among thieves'.

"This is much more expensive than gold."

Chen Nuo reached out and closed Vi's jaw for her, lest she actually drip saliva on it.

Given the gold content of Piltover coins, even emptying his current savings wouldn't be enough to refine enough Adamantite to forge a rune rifle.

In the end, he had relied on the friendly sponsorship of the young lady Caitlyn.

Rich sister, I'm hungry; I want to eat.

For this reason, Chen Nuo had specifically customized a banger pistol for her, enhancing their pure friendship and, by the way, holding her hand a bit.

"Quick, let me touch it!"

Vi was about to grab it when Chen Nuo pushed her hand down.

"Go play somewhere else!"

Chen Nuo had only fired this gun once, and that was just to test its effects; there was no way he'd let Vi ruin it. If it were another gun, there might be a chance.

Ahem, naturally not referring to now.

A precious spear's edge comes from sharpening; he still needed to develop more.

"I'll just touch it!"

Vi's head was almost pushed to the ground, but she had no intention of giving up. She didn't actually want to do anything bad—at most, she'd pry off a few parts, or if that failed, scrape off some gold dust.

How could such a simple and modest idea not be satisfied?

It could only be said that Vi was truly a Zaunite.

"If you keep acting up, I'm leaving."

Hearing Chen Nuo's words, Vi finally behaved herself.

It couldn't be helped; although she didn't want to admit it, Chen Nuo had subtly replaced Vi as the leader among them.

Mainly because faced with these recent problems, Vi's still-slight shoulders found it hard to bear the weight.

A runic gun naturally had to be equipped with Runic Bullets to achieve the best effect.

The Adamantite Bullets Chen Nuo made were also inscribed with numerous runes, all hand-crafted by him. They contained an infused alchemical solution, with gear mechanisms cleverly serving as the firing device.

Once the target was hit and the bullet head struck, the internal device would trigger successfully, combining runes and magical energy to produce magic that caused a localized spatial collapse.

The principle was the same as the chomper bomb.

While the range was certainly not as large, only ten centimeters in diameter, it was enough to pose a lethal threat to any conventional biological entity.

Even if a dragon took a hit, it might not be able to make a sound.

Chen Nuo took out a Runic Bullet the thickness of an index finger, loaded it, and watched Vander's movements through an eight-times scope.

He was here to provide backup for the man.

This old fellow couldn't be allowed to have an accident; him being alive was the most beneficial thing for Chen Nuo.

Earning money wasn't shameful.

If he lost Vander as a partner, it would be very difficult for Chen Nuo to conduct business normally in Zaun.

It wasn't impossible, but many people would die.

As for Silco, if there was a chance, it would be better to just kill him and save any further trouble.

However, it had to be said that Silco was indeed cautious.

He hadn't shown his face yet, so even if Chen Nuo wanted him to be written out early, he couldn't find the opportunity.

At this moment, Vander was locked in a bitter struggle.

The dim and complex environment inside the factory was not conducive to their group's fighting style; instead, the Enforcers' surprise attack had successfully divided the battlefield.

Fortunately, Vander had anticipated this and was prepared; no casualties had occurred yet, but the current situation was not optimistic.

Unlike the ones killed before, although these Enforcers were few in number, each was quite powerful.

Moreover, they had undergone prior drug adaptation training and hadn't completely lost their rationality; they knew how to dodge and use the environment to avoid the restrictions of the capture nets, making them extremely difficult to deal with.

It required several people to group together just to contend with one.

"Silco! It's already come to this, and you still don't plan to come out?"

Vander's voice echoed through the factory.

However, no one responded to him.

In a shadow beneath the factory floor, Silco remained silent, with no intention of showing his face, merely using pre-arranged pipe viewports to quietly observe the battle.

Call him cautious or call him cowardly, he indeed had a psychological shadow regarding Vander.

After all, he had almost been drowned by the man back then; even now, when sleeping at night, he would often recall the taste of that night's wastewater.

In the subsequent struggles between the two sides in Zaun, Silco had always been at a disadvantage.

Even now, with Vander's group in a passive and disadvantageous position, Silco didn't dare relax for a moment; he knew his former brother all too well.

Seeing that his subordinates were about to lose their hold and injuries were starting to appear, Vander no longer hesitated. He turned and gave Sevika a look; she understood immediately and reached for the chomper bomb in her pocket.

The Enforcers moved very fast; once they realized the danger of the chomper bombs, it would become difficult to hit them unless they were caught off guard.

Therefore, it was best to finish them all off in one go.

Vander seized the moment of an Enforcer's attack and grabbed its arm.

The strength gain from the exoskeleton mechanical devices could not completely bridge the gap in strength between the two sides.

But it was different if Vander's rich fighting skills and combat experience were added to the mix.

At the very least, he could trade blows with them head-on.

Not to mention he had companions nearby providing support.

Taking advantage of the Enforcer being distracted by his subordinates' attacks, Vander gathered his strength and kicked the Enforcer in front of him away, while his companions followed up with several gunshots.

"Heh, is that all?"

The Enforcer looked down at his wounds; the bullets had already been squeezed out by his muscles, and they healed before even a few drops of blood could flow.

However, he hadn't noticed that a chomper bomb was already attached to his back.

Just as the Enforcer finished speaking, his flesh was sucked away like jelly by an invisible straw, taking with it everything in the surrounding area.

Before the other Enforcers could realize what had happened, chomper bombs came flying towards them.

Unlike Vander's risky attachment method, Sevika and the others mostly chose to throw them from a distance; used in conjunction with capture nets and firearms, they could ensure a sufficient hit rate.

After all, 'shimmer' granted the Enforcers amazing self-healing abilities, but it also indirectly weakened their sense of danger.

At least compared to the difficult-to-escape capture nets, the chomper bombs, as exquisite and small as works of art, didn't seem like objects that needed priority dodging.

Of course, it wasn't a hundred percent kill rate.

One unlucky fellow reacted quite quickly, but unfortunately only left his upper body behind, struggling and wailing there.

Seeing this, Vander stepped forward and gave him a quick end.

"Groups of three, find Silco. It's time he and I settled our score."

Vander said to his subordinates.

The factory's footprint wasn't that large; it wouldn't take long to turn it upside down. Silco couldn't hide.

On the outskirts of the factory, Vander had also placed plenty of lookouts; as long as Silco dared to appear, a signal would illuminate his specific location.

Vander was indeed determined to resolve this matter tonight.

In the factory basement, Silco was like a trapped beast, his eyes filled with resentment and anger.

That incomprehensible weapon struck fear into his heart.

He had thought that by obtaining 'shimmer', he had gained the power to oppose Vander, but who would have thought the other side had hidden such a lethal weapon.

For Silco, the current situation was no different from waiting for death.

His individual strength was inferior even to Vander's; how could he deal with this group?

"You forced my hand, Vander!"

Silco looked at the room full of 'shimmer', a deep purple reflected on his face, making him look sickly and frenzied... On the tower, Vi and the others were starting to feel a bit restless as they watched the factory fall silent.

Although they had enough confidence in Vander, waiting for the results was always a bit agonizing.

"If it really comes down to it, I'll go down and take a look!"

When Vi said this, she peeked at Chen Nuo, seemingly waiting for an approving answer.

However, Chen Nuo was calmly teaching Powder how to disassemble and assemble the banger pistol; this little girl's talent for using firearms was even better than Caitlyn's.

"Aren't you going to stop me?"

Vi couldn't help but thrust her face in front of Chen Nuo, her large eyes staring straight at him.

"Why stop you? You're the one who'll get disciplined anyway."

Chen Nuo said indifferently, even looking a bit expectant.

"You really are a bastard Piltie."

Vi said, a bit annoyed.

Chen Nuo glanced at her upon hearing the personal attack and flicked her forehead.

Vi clutched her forehead, looking pained.

How could this guy's hand be so strong!

Vi was indignant and rolled up her sleeves to step forward, but this time Mylo and Claggor didn't step in to stop her as they usually did.

This left Vi a bit stuck in an awkward position.

Wait, someone stop me?

Vi turned her head resentfully and only then noticed a plume of purple smoke rising from the factory.

"A fire?!"

Vi muttered to herself, her mood becoming tense. Just as she was about to go to the rescue, she saw Vander's group had already withdrawn, and her expression immediately relaxed.

However, Chen Nuo's expression became somewhat solemn.

"This is no longer fun."

"What's wrong?"

Vi was a bit puzzled.

"Notify the people nearby to evacuate immediately!"

Chen Nuo said seriously, looking at the rolling purple smoke.

"Is there something wrong with that smoke?"

Vi realized what was happening and didn't ask further; she immediately climbed down, found the neighborhood's alarm bell, and rang it forcefully.

Zaun had its own early warning and fire protection system.

Although it was extremely crude, the people here were united, especially when facing fire hazards.

"Fire?!"

"Hurry up and put it out!!"

"Don't push, let the elderly and children evacuate first!"

"..."

Judging by the Zaunites' practiced rescue and evacuation movements, they certainly faced such incidents often.

"Don't go near the fire, put on gas masks! Be careful not to inhale this smoke!!"

Chen Nuo stopped the crowd trying to fight the fire and warned them.

This purple smoke was 'shimmer' evaporated at high temperatures; if inhaled, the consequences would be unpredictable, potentially leading to addiction or even mutation.

However, Chen Nuo's unfamiliar face didn't seem to have enough prestige to stop the crowd eager to put out the fire.

If the fire were to spread, the consequences would be equally disastrous.

"Listen to him!"

Vander walked over with a grim expression, his bulging veins tinged with a faint purple, showing clear symptoms of being enhanced by shimmer, but through sheer will, he maintained his sanity.

"Vander, are you okay?"

Vi supported Vander and looked at Chen Nuo nervously.

Chen Nuo stepped forward to check and said.

"The amount inhaled isn't much; he'll recover in a while."

"That's good."

Vi breathed a long sigh of relief.

However, not a hint of relief could be seen on Vander's face as he looked solemnly at the increasingly fierce fire behind them.

Even if he couldn't yet realize the harm that shimmer diffusion could bring, he knew it absolutely couldn't be left alone, and said firmly.

"The fire must be put out!"

"I know. How many chomper bombs do you have left?"

Chen Nuo nodded and asked.

"Just these."

Seeing Chen Nuo say this, Vander knew he had a way and hurriedly gathered the chomper bombs.

Chen Nuo glanced at the quantity, made a brief estimation for a few seconds, and neatly disassembled the bombs before rearranging and connecting them in series; this was originally part of their design.

By stacking and combining them like this, the bomb's power could be released manifold.

Never mind putting out the fire, the entire factory could be leveled.

He just hoped the Zaunites' psychological resilience was strong enough so they wouldn't be left with any psychological trauma.