Chapter Ch109.2 - Leaving
translator: xiin
editors: apricot & juurensha
The R-Code Base training ground was full of people.
The burning fire filled up half the sky, illuminating Wu Jin’s vision. Some people in the crowd who’d just gone crazy over the offered rewards were now in a panic, and there were people now trembling as they discussed the situation in fear.
“The base won’t care if we’re burned”, “On that side, they’re blocked by the power grid and can’t get out. On this side, they said that the information being burned is more important than the people––now, n.o.body dares to go in to put out the fire, and they’re starting to catch people from the lowest level up.”
“The instructors… aren’t going inside. They’re just watching us go in.” Someone shivered, “Who’s fighting the fires now?”
“Two of the genetically modified. They’ve been emotionally locked.”
At this time, even the hardest-headed ones felt shivers run down their backs. There were two dead ends in front of them. Disobedience would cause them to be destroyed by the base, but even if they obeyed––after the emotional lock was put in, they could easily be controlled by the base.
A riot began at the end of the crowd, “The iron gate! The iron gate is open, someone ran out!”
At the edge of the R-Code Base.
The warning equipment didn’t respond due to the damaged circuits, and Wei Shi looked back for the last time as they walked away.
This was the iron gate where he’d found the little shortie.
The gun was slung behind Wei Shi. The lighting on this path was very dim, and he held Wu Jin with one hand. The youth looked solemn, and his arm muscles were tense beneath his rolled up sleeves, revealing his faintly powerful outline. He squinted his eyes, imprinting the dark R-Code Base in his mind.
Wu Jin whispered, “We’ll have another home! Although the price of land outside is very high, we can definitely buy a house that’s larger than the dormitory with our combined efforts…”
Wei Shi turned his head, “Shut up, who says that this is home.” He stopped looking at the base. “I remember the way out. In the future, I’ll come back and get revenge for you.”
Wu Jin was amused and smiled broadly, showing little white teeth that held no lethal biting power.
There was a sudden disturbance at the iron gates behind them, and footsteps sounded, accompanied by short pants. They couldn’t tell if it was from anxiousness or excitement.
Wei Shi no longer tried to remember everything in detail. They weren’t the only ones who wanted to escape from the R-Code Base.
There were other genetically modified––
The boy who cried and howled in the training ground normally was crawling on all fours like a centipede as he waded through the mud outside the iron gate in order to squeeze outside.
He looked up to see the scene outside the base.
There was a city beyond the black fog in the distance, at the far end of the hillside. The bright lights were like stars embedded in the night, and huge billboards set atop the buildings loomed out from the forest.
The youth who’d failed his genetic transformation laughed loudly and eerily, the sound echoing creepily in the dark. The fleeing youth all kept away from him as they rushed towards the hills in a panic––
The sound of sirens suddenly went off.
Wei Shi didn’t hesitate to hold onto Wu Jin tightly, “Run!”
Wu Jin tried to suppress the feeling of a concussion in his mind. After the firelight disappeared, the aftereffects of the emotional lock had risen up again. At the other end of his consciousness, Researcher Song spoke up in surprise, “Brother Wei’s subconscious has fluctuated to 130. Very good.”
Wu Jin immediately regained his strength and leaned in by the big boss’s ear, “We can go outsidek2013;k2013;we’ll definitely go outside! Remember, we agreed!”
The searchlights from the base came on, and Wei Shi gritted his teeth, “Mm. We agreed.”
Adrenaline rose up sharply, and the youth’s eyebrows were drawn tight as he used his back to shield Wu Jin.
Volatility 140.
The slower modified students behind them had been caught, and the crowd began to stir. Some retreated, while others continued to rush forward. Wu Jin looked around with his weak vision and tried to control his physiological nausea.
Those who had been sent out to bring back the genetically modified had also been modified.
Many of them were low-level, genetically modified humans who’d never had a chance to pick up a gun in their entire lives. At this time, they were fired up by the instructors and seemed full of excitement. Bullets sprang out of guns fired by hands that had never held guns before, and they had no set trajectory, no set target––
It was to the point where it wasn’t clear if they were doing it for the base or simply venting.
Howling sounded out again. The crazy youth, who’d failed in his genetic transformation, smiled as he turned blind eyes towards the horizon beyond the base, but it suddenly turned into a shrill scream.
A bullet had just ripped past him.
Wu Jin spoke up in a hurry, “I’ll go down and walk by myself. Take your gun.”
Wei Shi nodded. He reached out a hand to hold Wu Jin’s, and they trudged towards the forest with uneven steps until the black fog was nearly gone. Suddenly, a searchlight lit up behind them. Wei Shi gestured for Wu Jin to hide behind the tree, and raised his hand to load the gun.
Deep in Wu Jin’s consciousness, Researcher Song informed him, “Volatility 150––200 is the threshold, almost there, almost there!”
His field of vision suddenly brightened.
The heavily armed instructor looked at the two of them in surprise and anger. Wei Shi didn’t say a word and lifted up his gun––
Wu Jin’s heart beat slammed in his chest. The youth had only trained at the shooting range for less than a week, and his tactical evasive maneuvers and positioning all came from brawls, but he seemed to have a natural talent for it. The big boss squinted his eyes, his intuition causing him to focus on the instructor’s arm and not the gun.
The other side shot out a bullet.
Wu Jin: “Careful!”
The bullet streaked through the air with a roar, rushing across the void and causing a buzz before exploding against the broken earth.
Wu Jin pursed his lips.
Hollow bullets. This kind of bullet had powerful penetration ability and great killing power. This was R-Code Base’s killing equipment.
Almost exactly when Wu Jin spoke up, the big boss’s subconscious fluctuations jumped up to 171. To everyone’s surprise, Wei Shi didn’t rush to retreat but instead went straight at the instructor. The youth’s shoulders, arms, waist, and abdomen were all extremely tense, and beneath the instructor’s astonished gaze, he turned the gun and smashed down with the handle.
The instructor’s gun fell to the ground.
Wu Jin quietly snuck over to pick it up.
The instructor glared fiercely at Wei Shi but continued to be fearless. He pushed the b.u.t.ton in his palm, “You little b.a.s.t.a.r.d, you have the emotional lock, yet you still dare… what?! How can––”
When the emotional lock was activated, Wei Shi seemed completely unaffected and only turned around in a panic to look at Wu Jin who’d taken the emotional lock for him––
Wu Jin blinked.
It seemed… he couldn’t feel anything. However, the big boss had obviously blown his top. The youth picked up the gun and was just about to fight to the death with the instructor, but he suddenly thought of something.
Wei Shi stooped down, and his eyes suddenly stopped on the instructor. The little shortie hugged the gun and stood watch like a little loyal protector until Wei Shi plucked out an unopened black bracelet.
The instructor’s pupils shrank, “You can’t, you little beast, you dare––”
Wei Shi’s face was expressionless as he put the bracelet on the instructor. He felt for the controller and tossed it to the little shortie, “The lock is on the left, and exploding it is on the right. Take it to play with.”
Wu Jin’s eyes were bright. He didn’t think twice before pressing the left b.u.t.ton and setting a timer for the right––
A shrill scream came from the instructor, and the smell of shame spread in the air. The misery that the genetically modified had to undergo was often ridiculed by the instructors, yet when it actually happened to them, they unexpectedly covered themselves with their own feces and urine.
Wei Shi gave Wu Jin a thumbs up, “Run!”
The two of them ran along the forest and tried to avoid attacks from the other genetically modified students.
Wei She held a gun, and Wu Jin held a rifle. From the moment Wu Jin fired a shot––Wei Shi didn’t ask him a thing and let the little shortie cover his back.
The backs of the two youths were close to each other and covered in sweat. Wei Shi shifted slightly.
Fluctuation 183.
They fought nearly all night long. The city in the distance finally became clear in their field of vision. Wu Jin looked up at the big boss in astonishment.
A Ferris wheel rotated slowly amidst the scattered lights, Pterosaurs hovered over the city, and wild cats padded gracefully atop the colorful shops.
This was the ‘city’ in the big boss’s subconscious, built up using Wu Jin’s description.
Every inch of it carried the shadow of the little shortie.
There was a rush of footsteps from behind them. Researcher Song said in excitement, “Fluctuation 187––”
Wei Shi’s gaze suddenly turned deep, and he pulled Wu Jin to dodge an incoming bullet. The shot bypa.s.sed the two as Wei Shi pushed them away in an instant––
Wu Jin patted his b.u.t.t and quickly stood back up.
Wei Shi let out a fierce breath of relief when he saw that he was fine.
Researcher Song: “The fluctuations have gone down to 185…”
“……” Wu Jin almost broke out in curses. What the h.e.l.l kind of fluctuation was this! At this time, a stray bullet headed straight for Wei Shi––
Wu Jin narrowed his eyes.
Logic kicked in, and he made a clear judgement before everything else. He was calmer than ever before as his thinking drove his consciousness and controlled his body. Wu Jin jumped up to block the bullet for the big boss, “Run––”
Blood gushed out in a flash.
Wu Jin trembled fiercely.
“Fluctuation 198, Little Witch, it’s enough, prepare to come out––”
It seemed that he was slowly drawing away from the big boss’s consciousness. It was unclear if it was due to the fluctuating consciousness or due to a sharp rise in pain tolerance after the emotional lock, but Wu Jin didn’t even feel the pain.
He reached out towards the wound.
The bullet had exploded after penetration, and it seemed that his waist had been pierced through.
Wu Jin immediately covered his abdomen, his fingertips then covered with trembling palms. Blood seeped out of the wound, flowing along his own fingers, then Wei Shi’s.
The big boss’s eyes were bloodshot, and he screamed in despair.
The first time, the second time.
The entire world built of his consciousness seemed to shake, and time finally slipped from its shackles. At one point, Wu Jin could see the sky light up, the entire base burning in the fire, the city rotating; the big boss’s memories and his cognition were rapidly undergoing a shift.
The youth clung to Wu Jin as though grasping at the last straw. The little shortie collapsed weakly into his arms.
Wu Jin used the last of his strength to push up onto tiptoes and kiss the big boss, “Wei Shi!”
He could almost hear the busy sound of footsteps in the laboratory. Wu Jin tried to use what time he had left to appease the big boss, kissing him and kissing him again until his vision turned dark, “You need to think about it carefully, about whether or not you’re dreaming right now!”
“Don’t worry about this waist. I… I’m waiting for you to come out.” Wu Jin tried to raise his face up. He wanted to hug the big boss, but when he saw that his hand was covered in blood, he quickly tried to hide it away.
Wei Shi’s eyes had practically lost all their l.u.s.ter. His brain was almost blown open by his chaotic memories. The base, the Federation, the Empire, Floating City… he finally focused on Wu Jin’s body and said hoa.r.s.ely, “You––”
Wu Jin wanted to explain, but he was out of strength and couldn’t hold himself up. He used the last of his strength to lean close to the big boss’s ear, his touch like a b.u.t.terfly with blood on its wings.
“I’m––the knight who came to pick you up.”
The body that had lost the consciousness that had supported it fell against Wei Shi’s bosom.
The youth’s pupils contracted sharply.
Inside the Floating City laboratory, Researcher Song took a deep breath and stood up abruptly––
“Fluctuation 202. Over the threshold. Get ready to take them out––”
Juurensha: Good job Little Witch!
xiin: ahhh Little Witch getting injured is going to scar poor Wei Shi~