Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 516 - 453: Burning the Xisheng Shrine

Chapter 516: Chapter 453: Burning the Xisheng Shrine

PM, the temperature was rising, and the afternoon thunderstorm was imminent.

Under the dark clouds, the battle raged on, its artillery fire echoing at regular intervals in the outskirts, resembling the heartbeat of a colossal beast from afar.

In Shangjing 29th District, at Qiuxin Chip Development Company, the employees were dedicated to developing chips smaller than 1 nanometer. Once successful, they would be able to dominate the world and achieve a technological victory.

"Mabuchi! You’re late! You only have 5 hours of vacation for the entire year. You’ve exceeded it by 1 hour! It’ll be deducted from your salary!" The section chief glared at the new department member from behind the office’s glass curtain wall.

"I’m really sorry! But... there was a traffic jam, and a battle!" Mabuchi replied, anxious and unsettled.

The other employees were busy at their stations, staying in the company 24 hours to avoid trouble. Mabuchi now deeply regretted stepping outside, pondering the point of spending one’s entire life in the company.

Wearing smart glasses, Mabuchi saw a red warning flashing in the upper left of his vision: Insulting superior, Credibility Score -1, Remaining 28; On the right, another alarming number: Commercial loan of 150,000, with the repayment date just 7 days away.

He staggered to his workstation, which was equipped with a smart screen and advanced terminal from Poseidon Industry. They were beautifully designed and powerful. The company-issued machines comforted him like external organs of the body. Just the sight of them triggered a biological response in Mabuchi, with energy flowing more vigorously through his spine.

It was also said to be the luckiest workstation in the company, with only seven people having died suddenly there in the past 40 years.

Mabuchi began to gather his work list for the day and thought about how to write his work report while pulling out a chair from under his station.

Bang!

A sound as if the sky had burst. Mabuchi felt as though he’d been struck by a fist that covered the sky! His insides churned, and he was suddenly flung backward!

His body flew lightly and quickly across half of the office space, crashing into a corner where a holographic projection of plants was displayed! A part of his shoulder blade shattered, first emitting a piercing scream, then gradually transitioning to a weak moan. His breath and vitality seemed to leak out from the wound.

The office, once filled with unspeakable silence, was now buzzing with sharp noises. When he opened his eyes, he saw not just the warnings of continual deductions from his credibility score, but also half of the office blown to pieces!

Walls and glass shattered everywhere, flames blazed, his colleagues screamed amidst the burning, the section chief’s body was cut in half, with only his buttocks glued to the black leather chair, his bloodied spine wrapped in dozens of colorful electrical wires.

"They missed! They hit a neutral company!"

"It’s gone too far!"

"Kill them!"

"Where’s the enemy!" Electronic, synthesized voices rose and fell constantly on the streets outside.

Mabuchi lay on the ground in terror, his chronic lack of sleep made his constitution weak, and now he felt even more feeble, gasping for breath in a desperate attempt to cling to a ray of life.

Bullets whizzed down the street, and smoke billowed.

The "Elite Soldiers" advanced in sectors toward the city’s core, intent on capturing it, but were met with hard blows from Shangjing United Security Company.

Giant war shuttles in dark coating descended right onto the street, bearing the emblem of Xisheng Industrial, forming roadblocks to obstruct the advance, working in conjunction with security personnel using cannon and missile fire to inflict casualties on Nestor Corporation’s Synthetic Humans.

"Exterminate them all!"

"Hold the line!"

"Deploy firepower!"

The security personnel, clad in sturdy bulletproof armor, fought valiantly. The density of fire in the area was extremely high, weaving a deadly net that harvested both lives and machines.

With the help of prefabricated construction technology, the defenses at every key point of the city continued to be reinforced. With just one order, the logistics department could air-drop laser turrets, portable barricades, ammunition pods, machine pods, and automatic medics within minutes, assisting the soldiers in strengthening their defenses.

Shangjing was too big, a perfect place for the Xisheng Family to display their great enterprise and financial strength!

Local companies overtly avoided warfare with Nestor Corporation but covertly assisted the military deployment of New Xisheng by providing vast quantities of ammunition.

The 2,000-plus Elite Soldiers and nearly 10,000 human soldiers from Nestor Corporation were as insignificant and scattered as grains of sand. Once dispersed within the city, they would disappear without a trace and were unable to form concentrated forces.

Worse still, due to a lack of air support, as soon as Nestor Corporation advanced to the next area, the plazas and streets they had just captured would be immediately taken over by large military shuttles descending with a roar. Xisheng personnel and Nemesis Armament robots descended like divine warriors, swiftly cutting off retreats and trapping Nestor Corporation’s forces in a pincer move with other support units, isolating and annihilating them, cutting down their living forces.

Mabuchi regained some strength and then nervously crawled to the edge of the office ruins, looking out at the scene on the street. His smart glasses displayed a multitude of readings, indicating that he was voluntarily approaching a threat, committing a substantive breach, canceling his personal commercial security package.

But Mabuchi was too eager to know everything about Nestor Corporation.

This company had avant-garde, vibrant, and energetic ideologies. As long as they had the formidable Battle Witch and high-quality Synthetic Humans to provide armed assistance, they were bound to become a thriving force capable of revolutionizing the world. Mabuchi always paid attention to this even beyond his work hours.

Before him, Nestor’s forces pushed forward rapidly, encountering resistance at the crossroads. New Xisheng Corps had fierce firepower and solid fortifications, continuously receiving reinforcements. Shangjing’s hundred-thousand-strong force of Mercenaries was completely mobilized within minutes, contracts established, with major security companies placing themselves at New Xisheng’s command, now striking head-on at the invading Nestor Army. They also launched counterattacks from different directions, reclaiming the periphery positions, causing Nestor’s controlled areas to shrink for the first time.

"Nestor Corporation will be engulfed by Shangjing..." Mabuchi murmured unconsciously.

In the end, the Shangjing Metropolitan Circle was simply too vast! The number of companies established here ran into the hundreds of thousands, a world of dazzling wealth and luxury. On what basis did Nestor Corporation think it could take it all? The talk of fairness he heard on his way to work was just as groundless as the grandiose declarations of all idealists.

As he watched Nestor’s soldiers dissolve like foam, the confidence within Mabuchi ebbed away!

Whoosh—

A mercenary grenadier wearing a black skull mask hurled a gasoline grenade from behind the armored vehicle, exploding amidst the advancing Nestor troops. In the inferno of flames, Mabuchi saw not only "Elite Soldiers," but also Nestor Corporation’s soldiers breaching the fireline with mortal bodies, charging toward the positions. They fell to pieces before they could barely stop, with flesh and blood scattering everywhere!

This scene made Mabuchi shudder.

The bloody war was entirely at odds with his fragile temperament. Now only immense trouble and doubt entwined within his heart—

For what exactly were they fighting... for what exactly were they fighting!

Bang!

At the Suburban Command Post, Lila’s deputy, Aledy, slammed the iron table in frustration.

"The enemy’s resources are too abundant," Aledy ground out through clenched teeth.

"They are wealthy, indeed. 24 mercenary groups of decent standard are all ready to take our people in exchange for bounties," Kong Tai, serving here as a staff officer, pointed out the fact, "Shangjing is impossible to conquer."

Aledy felt displeased but had to admit it.

The casualty report submitted from the frontlines was staggering. The tentative offensive launched by Nestor Corporation was thoroughly crushed, with not a single direction of their advance going smoothly.

Their overwhelming onslaught was exhausted in the bloody urban guerrilla warfare, coupled with the lethally efficient Takahashi Kyoko, who had already detonated seven of Nestor Corporation’s supporting shuttle machines, forcing them to form no significant coordinated attack and merely waste the courage of their soldiers and the edge of the Elite Soldiers.

It was over.

"We’ve tried our best, but urban warfare is pointless," Aledy messaged Lila, cutting to the chase, "The special task force can only proceed to Xisheng Shrine alone; the regular troops cannot advance even ten miles to provide support outside the Shrine."

At this moment, Lila was assembling the last special task force, providing them with necessary training.

Zhang Yunxi, Lu Jing, 101, 102, Seeking Shadow, Mizuiro Yoshioka, Shallow Dream—excluding those already on missions, these were the last seven combatants they could throw into the fight.

A desperate struggle.

"Due to its uniqueness," Lila turned to her special task force members, "we can’t support you. You must independently penetrate the Xisheng Shrine, with 101’s assistance. Their command center is hidden elsewhere, but all information data is processed through Xisheng Shrine’s communications center and many department’s core systems are there. As long as we seize Xisheng Shrine, we will have won the entire war."

"Yes!" They prepared for battle in response.

After countless job transfers, Lu Jing was the most excited to finally get the chance to fight alongside Nestor Corporation, and she promptly prepared outside.

She followed the footsteps of the Cyber Specter, aspiring to Nestor Corporation, and her reasons were clear.

This path offered an escape from the historic cycle. Even if the chances were slim, it represented progress on the path towards an ideal society, a wondrous system she had read about since childhood that she longed for—where the world is shared by all, the wise are chosen, integrity cultivated, and peace fostered...

"Lu Jing is temporarily suspended from her position at Heavenly Cardinal Manufacturing and will be affiliated with your unit on a contract basis," the Power Armored Soldier handed the contract to Lila, "Two years, 17 million."

"We’ll make good use of her," Lila nodded. An extra boost like this could be crucial in determining the outcome of the battle.

Anti-Magic Power, it could negate and weaken Magic Power, appearing in various materials. For Lu Jing, it was more like a gifted power that could easily dispel all sorts of supernatural effects.

Farosa paid particular attention to Lu Jing’s presence and thus applied its influence discreetly, though with little effect. Lu Jing, equipped with Heavenly Cardinal Manufacturing’s "Immortal Law" gear, was an exceptional swordswoman, trained like a Battle Witch, with a clear mind, and adept at annihilating Magic Power, making her difficult to control.

Was she the ender of Witches? The Witch’s Nemesis? Farosa was wary in secret. She hoped Lu Jing would be key to ending the war, or else Farosa would have to take matters into her own hands.

"6 PM is the deadline," Lila ordered the now-ready combat squad, "By that time, we will use the Natural Disaster Weapon to destroy Xisheng Shrine on schedule, no matter your progress."

There were only four hours left. Lu Jing thought to herself. It was time for a swift and decisive battle.

With every passing second, Nestor Corporation’s readily achievable ultimate victory slipped further away as they checked their equipment one last time.

Perhaps there would be a second Mouse Trap. 101 thought, burdened with an unspeakable pressure. Xisheng Shrine’s defenses against detection were even stronger, more tightly sealed than Shijin Mansion, entering it might as well be a suicide mission.

"You’ll enter through the tea room," Lila directed, "The top floor, Honma Noriko’s residence, which hasn’t been changed yet."

Honma Noriko’s top-floor tea room... Attacking from the very top might secure a tactical advantage. 101 silently considered.

With things as they were, 101 took hold of 102’s and Lu Jing’s hands and leaped towards the tea room.

They would fight to the death, burning Xisheng Shrine to ashes from within!