Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 407 - 367: The Dead Ship

Chapter 407: Chapter 367: The Dead Ship

A ship from Heavenly Cardinal Manufacturing! The first large vessel since the New Year, the Defense Army members felt an awe towards it.

The gigantic corporation dominated the region, incomparable to other enterprises, big or small. Even for one of its cargo ships, the reception protocol had to be elevated to avoid stirring any corporate discord.

The Haiyun plowed through the waves.

The Defense Army noticed a few Synthetic Humans working on the deck, controlled by the "Master Craftsman" system from Heavenly Cardinal Manufacturing, making final preparations for docking. They constantly exchanged data with the port’s information office, providing safety verification.

This armored cargo ship also came with 20 missile launch units, 2 torpedo devices, and 6 ship cannons, ensuring the safety of its voyage, everything normal.

It was gradually approaching the port of Anjiu City. There were more than 700 stranded passengers by the harbor, their pockets stuffed with money, waiting to catch any ship out of Anjiu City.

The arrival of the Haiyun in the darkness caught their attention and exhilarated them.

"Oh!"

"A ship from Heavenly Cardinal Manufacturing!"

"A giant wheel!"

The passengers were quite delighted, leaving Anjiu City for various reasons, most of them harbored no hope for this place and desired to seek a new life elsewhere overseas.

Xia was a nice choice for them, at least better than those places crowded with white or black people. They were all quite short on money, unable to afford the expensive airfare, spending all they had just to find a way out of the archipelago.

In front of this silver-white metallic giant, humans appeared so insignificant that the armored cargo ship of Heavenly Cardinal Manufacturing inspired their worship.

The Defense Army Soldiers were cautious as they welcomed the armored cargo ship, and squad leader Lin Yu entered the arrival of the ship into the system.

Upon receiving the message, Lila immediately began to investigate the vessel.

At the moment, she was stationed in a villa close to Shijin Mansion, devoid of all cooking gadgets, bathing facilities, and comfortable furnishings, none of which she needed. The remaining area was transformed into a precision machine room, connected to 24 large server arrays, alternating flashes of green and purple lights.

These facilities were maintained by Ai Katagiri, a friend of Miyazato Kazama, who was well-versed in computer communications technology and now employed as a technical consultant for Nestor Corporation.

Lila moved through this data center like a phantom, the machines capable of grouping to decode the massive information she collected, allowing for precise management, processing, and storing of data files, enabling her to precisely cast her magic power perception into other areas.

With the aid of the information support equipment, her perceptive abilities expanded further, swiftly scanning the Haiyun.

All was intent to kill.

Most structures were blocked and shielded, plus an unknown power lingered around the whole ship.

Her magic power pierced through the informational layer, taking along a series of strange messages back to her, causing Lila’s body to tremble rapidly. She bumped into the wall beside her as her consciousness chip filled with unusual images.

Burning feathers, towering pillars of salt, fiery rain descending from the sky, behemoths emerging from the sea, skeleton knights and Golden Angels... Lila struggled to interpret these suddenly surged bizarre messages.

Lila realized that this was not simply an act to shield her senses but an awful effect of the supernatural powers on the ship, aiming to destroy the sanity of all observers.

"Do you want to see my true face?"

Lila received a ghostly whisper, a richly dressed lady standing amidst an expanse of dim light, gazing at her.

She struggled to keep herself upright to avoid falling, with new redundant files constantly being created in her chip, all the images and sounds furiously duplicating and spreading, forcing her to repeatedly read through these odd images.

This was an information virus spreading through observation and comprehension.

Just like biological viruses propagate themselves, computer viruses spread continuously, and information viruses do the same. They’re "memes," endlessly transmitting, infecting, and causing ceaseless resonance, signifying pure chaos.

The creator and disseminator of this informational pollution must possess unparalleled malice.

Lila realized that if she continued observing the Haiyun, her data center and her own storage would be overloaded.

Now, the supernatural powers enshrouded the entire ship, capable of triggering cognitive hazards.

One must stay away from the difficult-to-see.

Yet, it was necessary to dispatch a military unit to investigate before Haiyun docked, thought Lila. This was a vessel from the gigantic corporation; it couldn’t be sunk casually, as that would mean full-scale war with Heavenly Cardinal Manufacturing. It was essential to understand what was happening on the ship and then make contact with Heavenly Cardinal Manufacturing.

"Request the ship to slow down and inspect the lower decks," Lila sent a message to the port’s Defense Army.

Defense Army Officer Lin Yu nodded, taking 3 Type B Synthetic Humans and 3 Defense Army members aboard a small motorboat, approaching the Haiyun.

In compliance with the port defense unit’s request, navigational signals lit up on its hull, indicating its willingness to undergo a temporary inspection. However, the Haiyun didn’t come to a complete stop, only reducing its speed slightly, allowing the inspection vessel to get closer.

Lin Yu maneuvered the motorboat forward, looking back at his team members to signal them to be combat-ready.

The 3 Type B Synthetic "Elite Soldiers" could provide substantial fire support; they were loaded with the civic laws revised by Mayor Oohara, firmly executing the statutes by arresting lawbreakers and fulfilling their duty.

The other 3 human members of the Defense Army were also militarized forces, wearing sealed black armor with added ceramic bulletproof plates on their chests and metal visors shading their faces, showing well-trained discipline. They were equipped with cold gear designed under Lila’s leadership, ensuring adequate deterrence against crime, arms cradled with fully functional main battle rifles, ready for any unforeseen incidents.

Once the small motorboat approached the vast Haiyun, Lin Yu quickly boarded the ship with half of his team, while the rest waited on the motorboat.

Inside Lila’s data center, she silently observed their every move. In Lila’s detection, the entire ship was shrouded in an odd glow, obscuring real information. If probed with port reconnaissance equipment, the ship was once again enveloped in a haze created by the informational interference devices.

"Report the situation," she commanded.

"There are some Synthetic Human sailors on the deck, all with Heavenly Cardinal Manufacturing badges, nothing unusual," Lin Yu reported, "We’re now moving inside the cargo ship, and we haven’t seen the captain yet."

"Have him come out."

"The response device on the ship... hmm... we’re trying, they’re standing behind."

Lila couldn’t see what Lin Yu referred to as "behind," but she felt the Haiyun had become a ghost ship, dead and silent, as if devoid of any living creatures, which made everything seem bizarre.

"Keep reporting," she said.

"All these crates... they’re covered with strange symbols, and there’s a lot of colorful dust, very dazzling, I’ll see if I can record it with the enforcement glasses—"

Suddenly, Lin Yu’s communication was cut off without warning.

He was done for. Lila contacted the other Defense Army Soldiers and Type B Synthetic Humans on the speedboats.

"Report," she said.

"Captain Lin has gone up... we’re not sure. Ah! Here he comes, he’s telling us to come up too, saying there’s an emergency."

"Ignore that! Get away from the Haiyun quickly!" Lila immediately ordered.

"Yes!"

Just then, the Haiyun suddenly accelerated, abruptly creating huge waves that left the speedboats tossing about in the surf.

Lila noticed that one by one, the Defense Army Soldiers aboard the ship lost communication, including those Type B Synthetic Humans, each disappearing as if bubbles had been popped.

The Haiyun slowly docked at the pier.

The passengers waiting to leave the harbor all stood up; with Haiyun’s full arrival, they finally found a workable ship.

A shadow appeared on the ship’s side.

And then, one by one, they fell into a state of confusion.

"Ah..."

"..."

"..." In an instant, they all turned into the walking dead, like a group of puppets with synchronized movements.

In Lila’s perception, all 720 individuals on the dock had turned into hollow husks, their actions rigid and awkward. And still, new ships, vehicles, and personnel were entering the Anjiu City Port, all to be swallowed by the mysterious force on the ghost ship.

This dead ship would destroy everything.

"All personnel in the port area, please leave immediately!" Lila designated the Anjiu City Port a no-entry zone, immediately dispatched more Defense Army Soldiers to blockade the harbor, issued a high-level alert, and prevented all ships from docking.

The media also followed up on the news.

"Shocking report! Nestor Corporation closes off Anjiu City Port overnight!"

"Anjiu Port possibly faces a malicious attack! Related to Heavenly Cardinal Manufacturing?"

"Mrs. Lila Nestor’s latest order: All citizens, regardless of the purpose, must not approach Anjiu Port!"

Xu Yang was startled awake in the middle of the night.

"What’s going on?" he contacted Lila.

"A bizarre ship has arrived at Anjiu City Port," Lila said. "It’s filled with unknown forces; we must be prepared for battle."

"Call a meeting," Xu Yang frowned. "We need to resolve this as quickly as possible."

Inside the port, Yonka was desperately pretending to be under control.

Since the other passengers were staring blankly upward, he too had no choice but to look up and see the glamorous woman in a black bodysuit standing on the ship’s side, with a lady in full dress next to her emanating an elusive glow like an illusion, preventing him from seeing any real scene.

"Come aboard," the fully dressed lady announced. "You will all join the Sanctuary."

Yonka had no choice but to play the part of someone manipulated, not daring to make any rash moves, not even to breathe freely.

He was a flowing consciousness file, comparable to a machine mind, aware that everyone around him had already fallen under mental control. Thus, he too could only move discreetly, pretending to be no different from the others.

"These humans have encountered magic power that controls the mind..." the Nightmare Program whispered to Yonka, "Without my help, you’ll never break free. They can kill you instantly, don’t be foolish, I don’t want to die within the consciousness of a fool."

"Shut up," Yonka thought to himself.

Damn Hosoda Yoshiyuki, if it weren’t for his betrayal, he would still be in Aizu City as a carefree "technical expert," enjoying a life of freedom.

He struggled to mimic the behavior of others, following everyone else’s rigid steps as they walked step by step onto the Haiyun, which had now become a den of magic.

As they moved toward the back of the ship, they suddenly saw a disheveled young girl desperately running up from the lower deck. A work card from Heavenly Cardinal Manufacturing hung around her neck, bearing the name Lu Jing. As she ran, she shouted at them, "Don’t come near!"

She released a strand of multicolored, Phantom Light-like magic power, using it as a magical protective barrier. Then she lunged for the ship’s side, planning to jump overboard and swim for her life. In an instant, a loud bang exploded near Yonka. Before he could discern what had happened, the girl had already been grabbed by the fully dressed lady.

Thus her magic protection was dispersed, and she was turned around.

In a moment, the girl, like the hundreds of passengers, lost her mind.

"Forever Mireya," she said.