SCOM - Chapter 72
Chapter 72
In just one day, the scent of blood filled the air on Xijiang Exile Star. The port was littered with fragments of corpses and flowing blood, sticky and unsettling underfoot.
However, the army group stationed outside had no time to dwell on it. They faced countless third-generation robot dogs, needing to lure them to suitable locations so snipers could hit their chips and trigger chain explosions.
The vanguard had been almost completely replaced as soldiers were continuously injured or killed. They only hoped to survive one more day until reinforcements arrived.
Zuo Luohuan no longer requested a squad. Alone, she wielded a light gun, luring the third-generation robot dogs away.
The chips inside these robot dogs could automatically distinguish between Federation and Gashiro people. Unfortunately, the Federation had yet to crack the chip's algorithm.
Gashiro people revealed vertical pupils when their emotions were stirred, and they were bloodthirsty. Otherwise, their appearance was no different from that of Federation citizens, making them difficult to identify.
Zuo Luohuan glanced back at the third-generation robot dogs she was about to leave behind, gradually slowing down. Seeing that they were still following, she headed for the third floor of the port building.
After luring the robot dogs to the third floor, Zuo Luohuan vaulted directly over the railing and jumped down. The robot dogs, unable to stop in time, followed her one after another.
Mid-air, Zuo Luohuan spun around, raised her light gun, and fired at the throat of a robot dog with its mouth wide open.
‘Bang—’
The light gun hit the chip, causing the robot dog to self-destruct and setting off the others in a chain reaction.
Zuo Luohuan clenched the light gun in her teeth, bent her knees before landing, and braced herself with both hands on the ground. Amidst the explosions, she quickly got up and left.
From a distance, she watched the exploding robot dogs… It was a bit of a shame.
If nothing else, if their bodies could be preserved, the Federation could reuse the materials.
Zuo Luohuan glanced down at the soft blade hidden in her sleeve. Perhaps she could try severing the robot dogs' heads from their bodies before making them explode. She wondered if the bodies would still blow up.
While she was experimenting with various methods to deal with the robot dogs alone, Ji Yuezhi received a message from Jiang Hong in the underground escape shelter.
“The Seventeenth Army is coming to rescue us?” Jiang Hong was disheveled but didn't appear to have any serious injuries, though his face was fraught with anxiety. “Your father is the most capable person in the capital to command an army group. What if the capital is attacked? It’s highly likely the Gashiro are using us as bait.”
The Northern and Western Districts couldn't be mobilized. The Southeastern and Eastern Districts were too far from Xijiang Exile Star to provide aid. That left only the capital to dispatch an army group. But the Jiang family had sent word that the Gashiro seemed intent on attacking the capital.
The last attack on the capital had already made everyone doubt its defensive lines, and no one knew how many Gashiro were lying in wait inside.
“My father should be on his way. He’ll probably reach Xijiang Exile Star tomorrow afternoon,” Ji Yuezhi said.
Hearing this, Jiang Hong’s head throbbed. “He’s already on his way?”
“Yes.” Ji Yuezhi’s eyelashes lowered slightly. “We can’t control other matters, so we shouldn’t worry about them.”
“Alright.” Jiang Hong had no other choice. He could only hope nothing happened to the capital; the main branch of his Jiang family was all there. “By the way, where’s Luohuan?”
“She…” Ji Yuezhi looked up, hesitating slightly.
Jiang Hong had never seen Captain Ji with such an expression. For a moment, his heart felt as if it had plunged into an abyss. “Did something happen to her?”
Ji Yuezhi shook his head. “Her arm is injured, but it’s already been bandaged.”
So she was fine. Jiang Hong breathed a sigh of relief. “Then what’s wrong with her? An Alpha like Luohuan, once she sees red in battle, is bound to be irritable. Captain, don’t take it personally.”
Ji Yuezhi frowned slightly. “It seems her susceptible period has arrived.”
“Sus-susceptible period?!” Jiang Hong wiped his face, recalling with some shock, “It does seem to be around this time of year. But her susceptible period is usually no different from normal, except she gets a little quieter.”
He actually wanted to ask how Ji Yuezhi could tell.
Zuo Luohuan had always been good at enduring things. After all, she was someone who could even ignore the abnormalities of her differentiation period. Her annual susceptible period might as well not have happened.
Back then, seeing Zuo Luohuan’s lack of reaction, Jiang Hong had assumed all Alpha susceptible periods were like that. When his own turn came after differentiation, he was careless. His susceptible period arrived, and he had no inhibitors on him. In public, his pheromones were on the verge of exploding, and he was nearly arrested and thrown in jail.
“…Did her pheromones flare up?” Jiang Hong asked tentatively. “Are there any inhibitors at the port?”
In truth, inhibitors were of little use to Zuo Luohuan. Her rank was too high; the inhibitors were merely better than nothing.
“They didn’t flare up.” After confirming that this was Zuo Luohuan’s susceptible period, Ji Yuezhi changed the subject. “How are things on your end?”
Jiang Hong didn’t notice his intention and glanced back. “There were many casualties at first, but it’s a bit better now. Still, it’s been over a day, and everyone is exhausted. We’re heading to the mining site now.”
“Don’t worry about the capital. You just need to hold on until the reinforcements arrive,” Ji Yuezhi said.
“I understand.”
After they ended the communication, Ji Yuezhi went to the medical room set up in the escape shelter. He rummaged around and found two Alpha inhibitors. They weren't high-grade, only A-grade; there weren't even any S-grade ones.
This was normal. Xijiang Exile Star was too small, and the people who usually came and went were ordinary. S-grade Alphas and Omegas were rare. Besides, the higher the grade of the inhibitor, the higher the price. It was natural that such a public facility wouldn't specifically purchase expensive ones.
Over an hour later, Ji Yuezhi was met by the returning Zuo Luohuan. She was covered in soot, clearly from being in close proximity to an exploding third-generation robot dog, and she was carrying something in her hand.
Seeing her in this state, Ji Yuezhi’s heart skipped a beat, worried she might have been injured by shrapnel. Fortunately, Zuo Luohuan hadn't sustained any serious injuries, only a few scratches on the back of her hand, much shallower than the wound on her arm.
“The robot dogs don’t have explosives on their bodies.” Zuo Luohuan shoved what she was holding into Ji Yuezhi’s hands. “Sever the head from the body first, then make them explode. The separated body won’t detonate.”
Ji Yuezhi looked down and wiped away the black ash on the object, revealing the silver-white body of a robot dog.
“I suspect this batch of robot dogs are just old models left here from the Gashiro’s initial research and development,” Zuo Luohuan said. “Aside from the increased speed, some aspects are rather underdeveloped.”
The only reason they could harm so many army groups was because it was their first appearance. No one knew their weaknesses or capabilities, which gave them a huge advantage.
Ji Yuezhi wasn't a researcher and didn't know much about these things. He could only hand it over to the army group, have them store it, and send it to a research institute later.
“For you.” Ji Yuezhi handed the two Alpha inhibitors to Zuo Luohuan.
Zuo Luohuan looked down at the inhibitors in his hand, took one, and examined it. “A-grade?”
Ji Yuezhi hummed in affirmation. “There are no S-grade inhibitors in the medical room, only A-grade.”
“A-grade and S-grade are both useless for me.” Zuo Luohuan returned the inhibitor to Ji Yuezhi. “The susceptible period will be over in a few days.”
“But you…” Ji Yuezhi felt Zuo Luohuan’s situation wasn’t as easy as she claimed. Before, she had clearly been on the verge of losing control.
“Shh—” Zuo Luohuan raised her index finger. “We’ll talk after the reinforcements arrive.”
They only needed to hold on for another seven or eight hours to await the rescue force.
At four in the afternoon the next day, the army group at the starship port spotted a warship approaching and their spirits instantly lifted: The reinforcements were here!
Upon receiving the news, Ji Yuezhi immediately rushed to the starship port. It was a Seventeenth Army warship, but as soon as the people disembarked, he sensed something was wrong.
These people were not from the Seventeenth Army, but senior students from the First Military Academy. However, they were wearing Seventeenth Army uniforms.
“Junior Ji.” The person in the lead was Xiang Chengping.
“My father didn't come?” Ji Yuezhi understood instantly. No wonder his father’s communication had been on speakerphone; it was likely a show for someone, while he had actually remained in the capital.
“General Ji didn't come. He just issued a mission at the First Military Academy,” Xiang Chengping said.
Zuo Luohuan’s gaze swept over the reinforcements disembarking behind Xiang Chengping. “Seniors still take on missions like this?”
Xiang Chengping wasn't very familiar with Zuo Luohuan, who had skipped school for a year, though he recognized her. He smiled. “Classmate Zuo, you know us?”
“I don’t.” Zuo Luohuan said leisurely. “The aura of you seniors being old hands is something even a military uniform can’t hide.”
Xiang Chengping and the people behind him: “…”
“Jokes aside,” Xiang Chengping said, “we brought something new this time.”
The so-called ‘Seventeenth Army’ had only sent three thousand people this time, but they had new weapons.
“You should have seen the initial model.” Just as Xiang Chengping finished speaking, he and the people behind him took something from their pockets. With a light squeeze, a thin layer of mech instantly enveloped their entire bodies, starting from their arms.
—It was the skeletal mech.
Zuo Luohuan and Ji Yuezhi recognized it at a glance.
“The complete version of the skeletal mech.” Xiang Chengping disengaged the mech. “There are twenty more sets. Take them and distribute them. We’ll go deal with the third-generation robot dogs. First, tell us the current situation.”
Ji Yuezhi didn’t ask any more questions and directly shared all the information he currently had with the reinforcements.
After listening, Xiang Chengping remembered something and shared a piece of information. “The warship that took Hong Tongdao was attacked in the skies above the Western District. By the time the Western District sent people to the rescue, Hong Tongdao was already gone. Only a third of the Winter Army soldiers on the warship were still alive.”
Ji Yuezhi subconsciously looked at Zuo Luohuan. There was no particular reaction on her face.
“Surviving with a third of them left is already lucky,” Xiang Chengping said helplessly. “There were too many third-generation robot dogs inside.”
Xiang Chengping took two thousand people to clear the port of third-generation robot dogs. The skeletal mechs they wore could not only resist light guns and hooked claws but also defend against the force of the robot dogs' explosions. They could kill the robot dogs with almost no effort.
Zuo Luohuan received a set of skeletal mech, or more precisely, a weighty, graphite-colored sphere with a dark black button in the center. Holding it in her palm, she pressed it lightly, and the sphere rapidly deformed and stretched, starting by covering her hand and extending until it enveloped her entire body.
Zuo Luohuan moved her arms and legs and found that the weight of the skeletal mech was almost negligible to her. The mech's sensitivity was high enough that it felt like she was just wearing an extra layer of clothing.
“…Has she used a skeletal mech before?”
Watching Zuo Luohuan walk away, several of the senior students were stunned. They hadn't taken this mission on the fly; more accurately, it had started last semester. Their task had been to learn how to use the skeletal mechs, and it was only changed to rescuing Xijiang Exile Star a few days ago.
“She used one once during the military exercise.” Ji Yuezhi watched Zuo Luohuan’s back and turned his head to explain to the senior students.
“We know about that time. That one doesn’t count.”
“The complete skeletal mech is very heavy. It takes a long time to get used to wearing it.” A female senior handed Ji Yuezhi a skeletal mech sphere. “You try it.”
They had trained day and night for a semester to be able to control the skeletal mechs.
Ji Yuezhi copied their actions, pressing the button on the sphere, and was instantly enveloped by the skeletal mech. He moved his arm and, just as the senior had said, it felt much heavier than usual. Lifting his foot, he also found it extremely heavy.
He tried moving around on the spot for a moment before retracting it. “Senior, I hope the remaining one thousand people here can follow us to the mining site.”
“Of course,” the senior said. “Our orders were to let you command us as you see fit after we arrived.”
Ji Yuezhi nodded. “How many aircraft are on the warship? Send them all to the mining site. Another two hundred people will drive over with us. There might be third-generation robot dogs on the road.”
Once the aircraft from the warship had flown out of the port, Ji Yuezhi led two hundred reinforcements, preparing to cross the port hall and drive to the mining site.
“Bang, bang, bang—”
They had just walked into the port hall when a series of crashing sounds came from ahead. As they continued forward, they discovered several third-generation robot dogs had been slammed to the ground, forcefully creating several craters. They lay inside, unable to get up after several attempts.
Ji Yuezhi looked up and saw a person in a skeletal mech standing on the dome. Upon seeing them, the person instantly leaped down from above, landing almost silently, a third-generation robot dog still clutched in their hand.
“Fuck.” A senior behind Ji Yuezhi also looked up, and upon seeing the figure, couldn't help but exclaim, “She’s that agile even while wearing a skeletal mech?”
In comparison, their long period of training was a pile of dog shit.
She tore the robot dog to pieces, threw its head far away, and tilted her head to shoot it directly in the throat with her light gun. The robot dog’s head exploded instantly.
Zuo Luohuan moved her palm, and the skeletal mech instantly retracted, once again becoming a sphere. She tossed it up and down. “This thing is pretty good.”
It was unknown what technology was used, but the sphere had its own buoyancy, reducing its weight. Once it transformed into a skeletal mech and adhered to a person's body, it would regain its full weight.
“Junior, you live up to your reputation.” The senior behind her gave a thumbs-up. “This skeletal mech weighs a full 100 kilograms when worn.”
100 kilograms was already the result of mixing the lightest materials the Federation had found. It had sufficient performance and allowed for movement, but it required the wearer to undergo physical training later on.
Zuo Luohuan held the sphere and looked at Ji Yuezhi. “We’re going to the mining site?”
Ji Yuezhi nodded. “Senior Xiang is responsible for clearing the port. We’re going to the mining site now.”
Zuo Luohuan turned to walk beside him. Although her arm was clearly injured, she acted as if nothing was wrong and even wanted to drive, but Ji Yuezhi stopped her.
“I’ll drive. You rest for a bit.” Ji Yuezhi took the driver’s seat first.
The car belonged to the Western United Army previously stationed at the port and only required a voice ID. Ji Yuezhi didn’t fasten his seatbelt immediately, instead waiting for Zuo Luohuan to get in before leaning over to fasten hers for her.
Alphas in their susceptible period have a reduced sensitivity to pain. She might not feel the pain from her wound, but he couldn't bear to watch.
Zuo Luohuan lowered her eyes to look at Ji Yuezhi’s profile. Her fingers, resting by her side, twitched, but in the end, she did nothing.
Ji Yuezhi sat up straight, started the car, and headed for the mining site with the reinforcements.
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