CHAPTER 1135: SECTION 703: AUTUMN WIND HEADING SOUTH (PART 3)

"In the database, this is described as a tourist town, preserved in the style of the early twenty-first century."

Standing at the crossroads of the shattered street, Malin listened to Bei Luo’s introduction while watching Konen open the door of the sanctuary. The small refuge in this area had never been opened again after being sealed. When the door was being opened, Ails had raised his gun but then sighed when he saw the heap of corpses at the entrance.

"The interior of the sanctuary was breached, the control center was attacked immediately, making it impossible to open the sanctuary door..." Jason said as he held his rifle and headed downhill.

"The Chaos attacking this area moves short distances by connecting through small rifts." Sage Yu changed a filter canister for himself and replaced it with the shotgun at his waist as he moved behind Bei Luo.

Malin raised his gun, turned it sideways, and aimed with the small red dot on the right, while a scan spread out centered on Bei Luo. Soon, Bei Luo shook his head, "Unable to confirm if there are enemies."

The survivors were eliminated immediately... and rightly so, considering the chances of survivors keeping their sanity in this ghastly place were minimal.

"Do you want me to bring a few skeletal dogs to serve as vanguard scouts?" Ails held the revolver shotgun in his right hand, his left hand gripping a dagger to brace his right.

"That’s doable, but let me handle the reconnaissance." As Malin spoke, he deftly performed a spell gesture with his left hand, and soon, a Wraith drifted out from within the wall, its ethereal beauty prompting Ails to whistle.

The wraith pointed downward at the stairs.

"There’s danger down there, a danger that none of them want to face." Malin remarked, and as he stroked the wraith’s face, it began to turn into ashes, appeased by the forced Order of Purification, ending its suffering.

"I’ve always wanted an otherworldly wraith." Ails glanced at Malin.

"They won’t do, they are the children of this planet, they should return to the River of Mana." Malin shook his head.

Though it felt odd, why he, a non-believer, would mention the River of Mana here... maybe it was due to his own changes.

After saying this, Malin walked past Ails and patted his little head.

Upon reaching the slope’s bottom, Bei Luo and Jason had breached the doorway of the sanctuary, light now emanating from inside the damaged entrance.

Along with it came a roar.

"Doesn’t sound like an animal, I don’t have this kind of roar in my database." Bei Luo said while switching the magazine of his rifle, "I’ve got a mixed magazine of armor-piercing and hollow point bullets."

"I’ve switched to hollow point bullets," said Sage Yu.

Bei Luo exchanged his rifle for the single-shot 20mm hand cannon slung behind his back.

Malin removed the silencer from his gun, replacing it with a horizontal recoil compensator.

Konen took the lead at the front of the group, advancing along the corridor’s right side, while Malin took the left, his gun aimed at the distant corner.

"I’m locating the position of the sanctuary’s warehouse, hoping the owner of that voice has little to do with us and the warehouse." At the back of the group, with several skeletal dogs providing cover alongside Ails, Bei Luo spoke.

Jason, with his magnetic boots activated, walked along the ceiling accompanied by a mechanical bug, which under his guidance was scouting ahead on the ceiling.

The bug scanned its surroundings before returning.

"There’s no living being ahead, but there are mummies; through the viewfinder, I can’t tell if they’re moving."

"A minor trouble." Malin signaled Konen to swap positions with him, slinging his rifle over his shoulder, drawing a pistol with his left hand, attaching a silencer, and sneaking up the wall to the corner, peeking around — the corridor lay five mummies.

"The bodies outside are just bones, these guys have issues." Jason, who followed along the wall, arrived beside Malin, "Want me to check it out?"

"Sure, you left, I right." Malin finished speaking, and Jason removed his power armor, stepping cautiously with his suppressed rifle pressed against the wall.

Stopped by Malin, Konen observed the situation around the corner.

As they neared ten meters from the first mummy, Malin signaled Jason to stomp hard on the floor.

Jason applied some force, and suddenly the mummy moved, with two others following its motion.

Malin fired three shots, hitting three heads.

The last two mummies began to stir as well, struggling to rise.

This time, Malin clenched his left hand twice, and two heads were crushed.

Jason reached the incapacitated mummies, flipped a corpse over, "Zombies, quite strange. How did they get in here? Normally they wouldn’t be allowed in the sanctuary; there isn’t even enough space for citizens, let alone zombies."

"Let’s move on." Malin removed the silencer, sliding the pistol back into the quick-draw pouch on his chest before advancing.

Konen and Jason switched places, the latter donning his power armor again, indicating to his teammates to follow.

"I found the warehouse!" Bei Luo relayed good news to Malin, along with a piece of bad news: "The warehouse is at the lowest level of the sanctuary, that’s the good news, but the bad news is when we push open the door, we might see a hole that leads straight to the bottom floor; after the sanctuary’s fall, the satellite from the sky crashed down, striking a large crater in the Central District."