Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 622 - 528 Sonata

Chapter 622: Chapter 528 Sonata

Living in the heart of Shangjing, Rinne doubted whether these people had ever stepped a foot outside of this gigantic city.

After descending from the highway bridge, Rinne looked around. Many here seemed disturbed, moving about mysteriously, extremely wary of outsiders and everything foreign. Deeply influenced by advertisements, they viewed the Nestor Corporation as a monstrous flood, refusing to step out of their shanties.

For this reason, when Seeking Shadow asked whether any clueless Synthetic Human had passed by, several streetwalkers quickly pointed out the direction of A999. It had crawled into a drainage pipe a few hours earlier and hadn’t come out since.

The shanty buildings here were built on high foundations to prevent flooding, with stagnant water reaching at least as high as one’s calves due to recurring heavy rains. Rinne and Seeking Shadow needed to pick their way across dry, elevated ground, moving slowly across makeshift footbridges. Nearby this waterlogged wasteland was a bustling street; one only needed to look up to see the railings, with pedestrians going about their business, occasionally tossing trash and empty bottles down from the bridge, which would be collected by people wading through the water.

Rinne focused on a corner of the accumulated water pool that appeared to be home to an oversized crocodile, watched as a few dirty boys threw meat into it. Lu Jing was very interested in the customs of the entertainment industry in Shangjing. She looked at the cheaply constructed tin and aluminum shanties behind the streetwalkers, standing on the moist concrete, their entrances cluttered with brooms, towels, slippers, and other sundry items. She could vaguely see some hefty clients lying in the beds, their postures suggestive of deep enjoyment.

"What’s got a good kid like you staring over there?" Rinne wrapped an arm around Lu Jing’s waist.

"I just can’t stand them," Lu Jing murmured, "those people who idle their days away with games and smoking, leading a decadent life. They seem to live in a world entirely different from mine. Xia has such degenerates too. It feels strange every time I see them."

We live amid vast differences, in separate worlds. Rinne thought to herself. The lifestyles of the Witch and humans are different, as are the lives of those within and outside corporations. Rather than saying Lu Jing didn’t understand this phenomenon, it was more that she deliberately avoided thinking about it, even less willing to contemplate its underlying reasons.

"A trash recycling station, it’s been a while since I’ve seen such a sight," Chiyuki Sajou sighed. Her younger brother Jiro had now grown into a handsome and refined young man, following silently behind his sister, rarely expressing his opinions.

"I’ve got a signal for A999," Seeking Shadow scanned and located their target, turning towards a massive sewer pipe at least 5 meters in diameter. The entrance was rusted but impeccably smooth, as any filth and trash would be washed clean in the event of a storm flood.

They ventured deep inside for about half an hour before spotting a figure crouched at an intersection in the black tunnel, surrounded by traces of blood.

"A999!" Seeking Shadow called out to it. A999 then stood up from amongst the corpses; it was a Synthetic Human bathed in blood, wielding an oversized Nodachi that greatly exceeded normal weapon dimensions, with blood still dripping from its blade.

Rinne advanced forward, now powerful and unafraid of danger.

"We’ve come to recruit you," Rinne transmitted a data packet indicating goodwill to A999, but it was rejected, as A999 had shut off all network access points.

"You’re not worth joining," A999 raised its sword to them, "unless you fight me."

"Who are you putting on that foul disposition for!" Hosoda Yoshiyuki stepped forward, his voice filled with anger.

"You must defeat me in combat," A999 slowly rotated the Nodachi in its hand.

Seeing this, Seeking Shadow was reminded of A40—how it had attacked her on sight when she arrived at the company building. A999 had inherited the same nasty temperament, only tenfold more chaotic.

"Guess we’ll have to teach it a lesson," Hosoda Yoshiyuki prepared to engage, Rinne motioned for him to stay calm, but he completely ignored her and unfolded the concealed weapons all over his body, taking up an armed stance with all guns aimed at A999 before rapidly opening fire!

The moment the gunfire erupted, A999 vanished before them, slipping into the depths of the sewer pipe. They had no choice but to continue the pursuit, searching for traces of A999.

A999 was quick and nimble, blinking through ventilation shafts and landing in the midst of an abandoned subway station. Holding its sword, it looked up at the landing point of the shaft just in time to see Seeking Shadow swing her Shadow Kill and plunge down first. A999 immediately swung its Nodachi at Seeking Shadow, who brandished her Ion Sword midair to block, followed by a sizzling noise as the slightest touch melted the metal of A999’s weapon, leaving a notch on the blade.

Rinne followed suit, leaping into the ventilation shaft and swiftly using her magic to move upside down across the ceiling, landing behind A999. She shot out her Monomolecular Wire "Butterfly" in attempt to wrap it around A999’s neck from behind, but A999 dodged by ducking, quickly sidestepped to fight for more space, forcing Rinne to quickly retract her wire to prevent accidentally harming Seeking Shadow, who was advancing.

Quick moves, ruthless tactics. Rinne made her assessment. A999’s skills were indeed formidable.

Just as they were nearing the dead-end of the combat, Seeking Shadow suddenly collapsed without warning, as the sound of a sniper rifle came from a distance in the abandoned subway station, striking her in the torso! She hit the ground immediately.

"Enemy!" Rinne flipped backward and turned to deal with A999 first, but A999 took the initiative to lunge forward, brandishing its Nodachi—not to wound Rinne, but to horizontally slash, cutting down a second sniper bullet aimed at her, to prevent her from getting hurt.

Rinne then scooped up the injured Seeking Shadow and threw her towards the ventilating shaft, where Nidelaide was perched on top, stretching out an extended arm to catch Seeking Shadow and pull her up from below, back into the ventilation shaft. He carefully examined her and realized Seeking Shadow’s injuries were severe; she needed to find an appropriate station for repairs quickly.

"Let’s go!" Nidelaide shouted down to the others, and then he left under the cover of Hosoda Yoshiyuki.

Bang!

A999 cut through another bullet, covering Rinne’s retreat. It gestured provocatively at the unseen gunman before leaping up to return to the ventilation shaft, deftly climbing away.

"Just like cockroaches, aren’t they?" Sakurako Miyazawa squatted in the distance, squinting at the retreating figures. She had been tasked with confronting the Secret Front and now savored some measure of success.

"What do we do next?" asked a few soldiers from Enomoto Corporation.

"Have headquarters spend the money to buy some Class A Synthetic Humans, they’ll be useful when the time comes," said Sakurako Miyazawa as she got up. In her heart, she was constantly calculating her course of action, preparing for the possibility that the Secret Front might one day strike at the Enomoto Bank headquarters.

Employed by Enomoto Bank, she was shrewd and capable. During her contract period, she would not stand idly by and watch Nestor Corporation win battle after battle. Miyazako had a silent estimate of the enemy’s strength and numbers in her heart, and gradually felt more confident.

Outside, Hosoda Yoshiyuki led their retreat, fuming with anger.

"Why would you fight us, you idiot!" Hosoda Yoshiyuki thought back to the time when he was hired alongside A40 by Kirino Reisei, only for A40 to betray them at a crucial moment, claiming not to recognize them. From then on, Hosoda Yoshiyuki knew the annoying thing about Class A Synthetic Humans—if possible, he wanted nothing to do with these monstrous synthetic humans for the rest of his life.

"I love to fight!" A999 walked briskly. "I want to fight every one of you! I love my combat module the most. I get so excited whenever there is a fight!"

"If anything happens to Seeking Shadow, you’re done for," said Rinne coldly as she ran outside with Seeking Shadow on her back.

"I even blocked bullets for you," protested A999 before quickly changing the subject, "That sniper who appeared out of nowhere seems more dangerous than me, doesn’t he!"

"I saw you standing amidst chunks of corpses. Who are they? Who did you kill?" Chiyuki Sajou, sharp as a tack, thought of this.

"I heard from the people here that some guys were trying to summon the Crystal People again," explained A999.

"I thought the Suzukawa Army had been wiped out already?" Lu Jing had heard the terrible news before.

"So I’m doing something important too," A999 dismissed, "Eliminating perverts."

A999 was dangerous and untamed, with a wicked nature. Rinne thought to herself. It couldn’t move freely within the squad unless someone was able to control it. With this thought, Masasuke Hazuki suddenly seemed much more agreeable—skilled in martial arts and calm and restrained. After all, everything was relative, wasn’t it?

They arrived on the ground and suddenly felt a biting cold wind.

"Why has the weather become so cold all of a sudden..." Lu Jing wrapped her green clothes tighter, "Isn’t it summer already?"

Rinne looked up; the sun shone brightly, but the climate showed no signs of warmth. It hadn’t been like this before.

Something unusual must have happened.

...

Elsewhere, in the Near East Region’s Death Black Mountain, three brothers had come together.

"The Ancient Gods are dead, the New Gods are still asleep," narrated the Giant God of the Dead Earth Pomorty to his two brothers in a slow voice, "We fell from the Galaxy to this place, bound by the Giant Tower. We must stand together until we break our chains and reach through to the heavens."

"The ancient servants who have been dormant for so long attempt to usurp power with machinery," whispered the Ice Giant Elride.

"The existence of these fragile lives must be based on the Secret Ritual Group. Look, the Forest Master has rebuilt the woodland cult, Mond has bred the Moon Dragon Race. The war-loving Ancient God has awakened the army of the holy tomb, the bloodthirsty emperor has gathered the bloodthirsty beasts. Hymir of the Agave Continent is lost within the gaps, the Pan Yuan of Xia sleeps at the bottom of Weak Water. The Goddess of Love and Hate revels in her forest unwilling to emerge; the Goddess of Good and Evil has angels in abundance, forming her wings. The frail Mack has been slain, the ruthless Idith has been reborn. The Witches have their own deities, Farosa has reestablished the New Witch Council... All these, they are just sitting ducks," Pomorty sang a chant of death, recounting the positions of the Ancient Mystics.

"We are stronger than them," the voice of the Frost Giant God Elride was cold as ice, "You draw power from death, I gain immortality from the cold, and Yan Duo controls the sun. But our other brothers are still caged, Yershka can’t move, its body covered with parks; Faye exists as a gas, exploited by corporations as a natural gas field; the handsome Chryses has been captured, with gold mined from his body to maintain the value of world currency. Disgrace is etched upon us, and we must rescue the other three brothers from their plight... don’t we, Yan Duo?"

"Yan Duo," said Yan Duo.

"You have granted a blessing to someone," Pomorty observed, "That is rare."

"Yan Duo!" Zenith exclaimed joyfully.

Zenith had once granted a bit of power to a small companion, which actually turned out to be a wonderful blessing. Zenith didn’t explain the effect, but it felt right since the companion was inherently good. The hidden effect of the blessing was that the more good deeds the blessed person did, and the more people they helped, the stronger, more valiant, and more vigorous they became, allowing them to continuously excel in the cyber world.

"...You are familiar with Farosa, you know Farosa has overstepped her bounds," Pomorty’s voice once again echoed in the netherworld, "She must die."

"All insignificant lives have crossed the line," Elride said with immeasurable hatred, "I will punish them, and from now on they will know no summer, only profound cold."

Yan Duo looked at its brothers in fear; it wanted to leave but its identity forced it to stay. They were kindred from the stars, and Yan Duo had to obey its brethren, even though it was the last thing it wanted.