Chapter Eighty-Nine: Mission Failed?

"I can't believe it—there are reinforcements!"

The instant the wolves sprang out, Gao Ning had already noticed them.

The mini-map had been quiet a moment ago, then all at once a cluster of little red dots popped up, startling him. That was also when Gao Ning remembered there were three more red dots nearby.

They had come here for those three people in the first place.

But halfway there, the wolves had suddenly appeared and caught them off guard.

The terror machines were still quite formidable. By now, out of twenty, fewer than half had been lost, yet they had already slain two-thirds of the wolves.

The casualty ratio was roughly one to six.

Gao Ning had even been thinking that, once they were wiped out, he might simply surround the target and finish the job.

He had not expected the other side to have reinforcements.

This made Gao Ning wary as well. Wolves were carriers of contagion; one bite, and in short order one became one of their kind.

Perhaps there were far more wolves than the ones in sight. Maybe a much larger pack was still hidden somewhere.

If they did not have that kind of confidence, they would never have dared to come out and provoke them so openly.

Though the terror machines were powerful, their replenishment was far too slow.

A glance at the command interface showed that the gene mutation device was ready.

Without the slightest hesitation, Gao Ning locked its range onto the battlefield before him, covering the entire area.

He pressed confirm, and in the black night a thunderclap rolled out of clear sky. Thick green mist appeared out of nowhere and, in the blink of an eye, swallowed the entire battlefield.

The green mist came swiftly and departed just as fast.

It seemed unable to linger at all, and with only the faintest breath of wind, it vanished in an instant.

And on the battlefield, the wolves who, only a second ago, had been hounding the terror machines relentlessly, as though they would gladly tear steel apart with their teeth—

were now rolling on the ground in vicious agony.

Their bodies swelled like balloons, growing and shrinking as though some giant heart were beating within them.

Then came a sharp crack as their skin burst open. In an instant the wolves became berserk beastmen, just over two meters tall, with knotty muscles all over and skin that glowed with an eerie deep blue.

Each of these beastmen was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, baring fangs and looking as ugly as ugly could be.

Their lower bodies were covered in fur, as though they wore hairy trousers. Their upper bodies were bare, revealing roped muscles, and their skin occasionally flashed with a metallic sheen. At a glance, they were clearly the kind with hide as tough as old leather.

On the command interface, more than a hundred hostile units instantly turned green.

Gao Ning was overjoyed. He first withdrew the remaining terror machines, then sent the newly born berserk beastmen straight toward the hilltop.

Though the hulking blue giants were clumsy, they were long of leg and took strides of two or three meters at a time, charging forward in a pack like a gang of giant blue bears.

Potato was dumbfounded.

"What the... what happened? In the blink of an eye, how did the wolves turn into blue people?"

The Scholar’s face darkened. "Blue your head! Are those things under your brows used for breathing? They’re berserk beastmen! This is trouble. The other side must have crossed over from some mission world and somehow acquired gene mutation technology. Berserk beastmen can produce tanks. They’ve got thick hides and monstrous defense. This is bad!"

Tooth of the Wolf looked grave. "Potato, how many wolves are still in the labyrinth?"

Potato scratched his head. "It was a bit rushed, and half the wolves were still scattered outside, expanding our forces. There are only eight hundred left in the underground maze!"

"Release them all!"

"Huh?"

"Move it. We don’t have time!"

"Damn it, I spent seven hours making that maze!"

With a mournful face, Potato rapidly formed several hand signs and slapped the ground. Amid the thunder of the earth, the entire little hill began to rise.

A terrifying passage slowly opened in the mountainside, and a large number of wolves surged out in a frenzy!

"Boss, will this really work? They can absorb enemy units into their ranks! A hundred-plus berserk beastmen are one thing—we can at most burn some energy and go underground—but if we get chased by over a thousand berserk beastmen, they’ll even tear the ground open!" Potato said in terror.

The Scholar forced himself to stay calm. "Don’t panic. The gene mutation device is a superweapon. Its cooldown is extremely long; there’s no way it can be used consecutively!"

Though he said that, even the Scholar was not certain. This was not a Red Alert game, but the mission space of the Mysterious Train.

With all manner of bizarre abilities in play, just hearing the captain describe them had already made his scalp tingle. It was hard to guarantee what other trump cards the enemy still held.

Tooth of the Wolf’s expression was grim. "Something’s wrong. Something’s very wrong! In the video, we only told Luxembourg, and never even mentioned the exact location.

How are they so sure we’re in this direction?

Looking at their advance route, they came almost in a straight line. That means they knew from the beginning where we were!

Damn it! They have a powerful sensor-type ability user!"

"Potato, where is William Cage?"

Potato replied, "In the very center of the maze!"

"Kill him immediately!" Tooth of the Wolf said without hesitation.

"Too far away. I can’t activate it! And at a time like this, shouldn’t we be running for our lives first? Why bother with him?" Potato said.

"The enemy came prepared. A frontal fight will do more harm than good. Since we can’t play for a cheap win, then kill the mission target first, collect the reward, and figure out the rest afterward!"

Potato still wanted to argue a little longer.

The hill-moving move he had just used had already drained far too much of his strength. If he had to run another lap through the maze, he might truly be spent.

He was usually unreliable, but he did not want to lose his fighting strength.

The Scholar was about to speak when a gunshot suddenly rang out, and his entire head exploded.

Blood splattered all over Potato’s face.

The two of them changed color at once. Potato slapped the ground, and the earth dropped like an elevator, turning once as it sank into the ground.

The opening left behind was slowly sealed shut by stone walls rising from the left and right.

One strike, one kill. A cold mechanical voice sounded in Gao Ning’s ear.

"Killed one member of the Wolf Fang Squad. Obtained one storage card."

"The team’s score is currently positive: one point."

"At mission end, double rewards may be claimed!"

Did he get him?

Gao Ning glanced at the mini-map. All three red dots had disappeared; it looked as though they had already fled.

Up ahead, the berserk beastmen were tangled in combat with the wolves. Both sides had gone mad with killing. Limbs flew through the air, and blood turned the soil crimson.

The terror machines were sent out, hiding behind the massive bodies of the berserk beastmen, waiting for chances to ambush. On landing a hit, they withdrew at once and vanished again, waiting for the next opening.

With both sides coordinating, the battle progressed very smoothly.

Though the wolves were numerous, they were still being worn down bit by bit.

The Wolf Fang Squad was clearly experienced. Seeing the situation slip from control, they retreated without hesitation.

If the present situation still turned unfavorable for Gao Ning, and William Cage remained in their hands, then if anything happened...

Gao Ning’s thought had not even finished unfolding.

The cold mechanical voice appeared again.

"Mission target: William Cage is dead!"

"Mission failed!"

Gao Ning’s eyes flew wide open.

What the hell, so decisive!?