MRG Chapter 59: Anomaly

Translator: Kii

Editor: yuki_shuichi

Drip, drip…

It sounded like water drops were dripping from a rubber hose and hitting a stainless steel plate.

Mu Chen was awakened by the moist and cold sensation on his cheek…

The roof was leaking.

One drip, two drip, three drip…

Mu Chen’s sleepiness completely faded away. He sat up from the bed and clicked on his flashlight.

His roommate, Xavier, the young man with braces, was woken up by the glaring light. “What’s wrong?”

Mu Chen faced the flashlight on the ceiling. The corner of the wall showed a darker graphite color, like a pool of liquid. “It’s leaking up there.”

Xavier mumbled, “Is it because the water pipe is old? It’s been so long since this warehouse has been maintained…”

“Upstairs is Storehouse B.” Mu Chen knitted his brows—that place was definitely abandoned.

Drip.

Another droplet fell on his spread-out palm.

Mu Chen spread his fingertips, and this time he saw clearly.

It was red, moist, and smelled fishy.

“It isn’t water.”

Mu Chen showed the blood on his palm to Xavier. “Get up… Who’s on duty today?”

Xavier’s pupils shrank. He flusteredly got out of bed and put on a pair of pants. “I don’t know either, ask Cliff. Hey, where are you going? Wait for me!”

While he was putting on clothes, Mu Chen was already wearing a shirt, holding the flashlight, and cautiously walked outside the dorm room.

Skrrrt!

There was a sudden loud noise from the ceiling, like the sound of metal rubbing against the ground.

Xavier suddenly jumped. He followed behind Mu Chen, like a mouse who had just gotten scared.

“Hello…hello…can you hear me? Cliff, this is Mu Chen. We came across an issue.” Mu Chen contacted Cliff via the radio. “I need the duty list for tonight. Who is in Warehouse B…”

There was a rustling sound coming from the corner behind him, and he stopped talking.

The noise was like the sound of a beetle crawling across the concrete floor with its long, bristly antennae, but it was amplified hundreds of times.

“What’s wrong?” Cliff’s voice sounded as if he had just woken up. “It’s Alex…”

Mu Chen cut off the radio, turning the corridor so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Skrrt, skrrrt.

Xavier couldn’t help but turn his head. Under the dim light, he could see the two-meter-tall Zerg alien in the corner. It had two crimson eyes growing on both sides of its head, resembling a standing locust. Its flexible antennae brushed against the wall, and its scythe-like mouth opened…

His eyes widened in fright, and he covered his mouth with his hand, yet it seemed as if his feet were glued to the floor.

Mu Chen pulled his arm. “Run!”

His steady voice was like a sharp sword that cut through the darkness and dispelled the “immobilization spell” on Xavier.

The two of them ran like crazy toward the stairs.

The alien behind them immediately dropped to the ground with all four limbs, completely transforming into insect form, and chased after them…

……

Behind the steel shelves in the warehouse on the first floor, Mu Chen looked at Xavier, who was also hiding under the shelves but couldn’t resist trembling. He made a gesture to keep quiet.

Creak, creak.

It was the sound of successive hard steps scraping across the floor.

After a long time, they were sure that the thing had finally walked away from them.

Mu Chen nimbly squeezed out from the gap. He stuck close to the shelves and felt around until he reached the armory room, then connected to Cliff’s radio.

An emotional voice came from the other end. “Thank god, I finally connected. Where are you? What’s going on? I can’t connect to Xavier. I’m planning on going to Warehouse B to have a look…”

“Don’t go!” Mu Chen cut him off. “The Doyle Star’s Zergs have invaded us. They are currently in the warehouse. There are at least two of them—one is in Warehouse B, the other is following us on the first floor of the warehouse. Other places are still unconfirmed. Moreover, they have been constantly on the move, so their position could change at any given moment. I want you to contact everyone about this, but make sure they remain calm. Don’t cause a huge commotion.”

Cliff’s breathing stagnated, “Zergs…you mean…”

Mu Chen, “Yes, it’s the one you’re thinking about—the aliens that invaded Blue Planet eighteen years ago…”

“I’m currently in the armory. I’m going to check if there are any weapons for self-defense.”

The atmosphere turned silent for a moment. Cliff quickly calmed down. “Grab two AE-79, it’s specifically designed to deal with the Zergs. It can pierce through their hard outer shell. The general control room has surveillance, so you can see the entire situation of the warehouse, and it’s relatively safe there. We can go there to meet up.”

“Okay.” Mu Chen grabbed that black gun among the pile of weapons. He also threw the other one to Xavier. The latter took a step back and spoke in a trembling voice—

“I…I don’t know how to use this.”

He was only a warehouse manager who had just graduated from university. He had never touched a gun in his life.

Mu Chen looked him up and down without much of an expression, “Then just hold it.”

After being equipped with a weapon, Mu Chen carefully went over to the entrance. Just when he stopped to survey the situation outside, there was a “Bang!” and Xavier bumped into his back.

Xavier’s legs were shaking so much that he could hardly stand. Cold sweat dripped down from his forehead, splattering ink-dark droplets onto the floor. Then, the person in front of him turned around and pressed his shoulders. The other person’s silver hair was tied into a high ponytail at the back of his head. Even in such a critical situation, the beauty of the merman was still not affected at all, and his blue eyes were as calm as the boundless ocean.

Mu Chen looked at him as he spoke one word at a time,

“You may not be of help, but remember one thing—don’t make any noises, otherwise I will make it so you can never make another sound again.”

Xavier nodded aggressively.

To get from the armory to the control room, they first needed to pass through Warehouse A and then enter the lobby on the first floor, which was also where the door was located. To find the entrance to the main control room, they needed to go through a bunch of winding corridors, which were structured like a maze.

Luckily, Mu Chen had been staying here for two months. He would explore the place when he had free time, so he was quite familiar with the area.

The two of them quickly passed Warehouse A and arrived at a narrow door. Once they enter, they would be at the control center.

That was a large area with a wide view. While they could clearly see the enemy’s movements, it also meant that they had lost the cover of the terrain.

Mu Chen raised his gun, and through the infrared scope above, he carefully examined the surroundings outside.

The red light added a weird atmosphere to the originally shabby and dark warehouse.

After confirming that there were no unusual movements outside, Mu Chen crouched down and walked out of the narrow door.

He and Xavier quickly went to the entrance on the other side of the corridor…

Pa-tah, pa-tah.

There was the sound of footsteps behind them.

At this very moment, Mu Chen vigilantly turned around and pointed the gun at the source of the sound.

Ka-chunk!

It was the sound of the gun loading.

Through the dim red light, he saw a gun that had obviously been modified, the gun facing him.

The person holding the gun was Cliff.

The atmosphere turned silent at once.

The latter’s strained expression finally relaxed, and Cliff finally revealed a smile.

Mu Chen put down his gun and shook his hand. “Where do you think they entered from? How many of them are there?”

“I’m afraid you were right on the dot, Your Highness.” Cliff smiled bitterly. “The main entrance hasn’t been broken into. I suspect that they came in from Warehouse B; the walls there are the thinnest.”

Mu Chen’s expression darkened a bit, seemingly thinking about something. “When will backup arrive?”

After speaking, they noticed that there was a shadow over at the entrance in front of them, as if the door was closed.

“When did the door close? This door never closes if I remember correctly…” Cliff used his flashlight to illuminate the dark corridor ahead. “I’ve just contacted…f*ck…”

Under the sudden white light, the three of them finally saw clearly—what was blocking them wasn’t some iron door, but rather it was a Zerg with tentacles coming out of its abdomen.

Mu Chen, “F*ck…”

He had the quickest reaction, firing ten bullets at the opponent’s head.

A few of the bullets scraped the hard shell of the alien and bounced off, causing an intense burst of sparks. The remaining bullets successfully pierced through the outer shell membrane. The alien’s dense tentacles were like an open vine net. It let out a shrill howl that was loud enough to shatter glass, and a series of smelly, darkish yellow fluids burst out of the wound.

Xavier reached out his hand to touch the sticky, warm feeling on his face. He couldn’t help but scream, “Ahhhhhhhhhh!”

Mu Chen wanted to cover his mouth, but it was already too late—the young man rushed toward the mechanical iron door in front of the warehouse like a frightened rabbit.

“Stop him!” He fired while yelling at the personnel on duty guarding the warehouse door.

The latter didn’t immediately understand Mu Chen’s intentions.

“Let me out! Move! I…I don’t want to die here!” Xavier’s eyes were dilated. He had already completely lost his rationality. He slammed on the red [Emergency Door Open] button beside the iron door and pounded desperately on the heavy metal, his legs trembling like a sieve being shaken.

“I want to leave…I want to get out, I want to go home.”

Ka-thunk! The heavy mechanical door opened outward, the cold moonlight shone in, illuminating the countless pairs of crimson eyes waiting outside.

Mu Chen’s pupils were constricted. He looked at the increasingly dense rows of insectoids outside the iron door. For a moment, the warehouse was so quiet that it seemed as if the mute button had been pressed.

He looked at Cliff, who was still in shock, and yelled, “Go, quickly get out of here!”

In the next second—

The alien in the front row swung its scythe-like limbs and ripped off Xavier’s head. The sounds of flesh tearing and spine breaking were accompanied by blood that continued to spurt out and splash onto the ground, completely merging with the black shadow.

The moment the headless corpse fell to the ground, it was like the start-up screen was turned on—Cliff and Mu Chen immediately ran toward the warehouse door on the other side.

The insectoids behind them came rushing like a huge wave, sweeping towards them with terrifying force.

When the two of them were turned around and running toward a corridor, Cliff desperately pressed the button to close the door.

Thung! Thung!

The two heavy mechanical doors came down one after another, blocking the swarm of terrifying aliens outside.

Cliff let out a sigh of relief. “I have already contacted Sweiman’s headquarters. After I explained to them about our emergency situation, they seemed to have also noticed something was wrong. Backup is on the way as we speak.”

Mu Chen reloaded his gun. “How long will it take?”

Cliff, “The nearest garrison is in Sweiman City…”

Mu Chen, “So how long?”

Cliff, “It’s over a hundred kilometers, so half an hour for a flying machine—twenty at the fastest.”

Mu Chen knitted his brows and walked forward. “Too long.”

Cliff asked, “Where are you going?”

Mu Chen looked at the map on his terminal. “The junk dump.”

Cliff immediately guessed his intentions. “You want to pilot that mecha? It’s too dangerous! Warehouse B has already fallen into enemy hands; it’s unknown just how many of those aliens there are. You also don’t know if that mecha could even start. I think we should go to the main control room as the defense facilities there are the strongest, so it should hold out for a while…”

Shing!

Just as he finished speaking, a black scythe covered with a hard shell cut through the steel plate behind him—it was as easy as using a straw to pierce the sealing foil on yogurt.

“You mean like this?” Mu Chen looked over. He and Cliff retreated while firing in that direction.

The two of them ran until they reached the fork at the end of the corridor. Mu Chen looked at the closed door in front of him and the sign above it that said Warehouse B.

“No one knows those disgusting invaders better than you and I. They will slaughter all living beings here. Sure, we could continue playing hide-and-seek with them, praying that we won’t become minced meat within this thirty-minute time frame, but I refuse…”

Cliff was slightly stunned. He stared at the tall young man as he pressed the button of the door, turned around, and looked at him with a calm expression.

“No matter how slim the chance of survival is, it must be of my own accord.”

“From there is the main control room. I think this is where we…”

“I’m going with you.”

Cliff put his hand to his forehead. His hands were trembling, but he couldn’t help but laugh. “This is wild, this…you’re truly crazy, Your Highness.”

Mu Chen stopped his movements.

Cliff, “Since you want to go to Warehouse B to pilot the mecha, you at least need someone to cover you…”

He turned around and looked toward the dark and dangerous corridor while reloading his gun. “This swarm of disgusting Zergs, these beasts who deserve to go to hell…”

At this moment, a trace of anger ignited in Cliff’s jaded and trembling eyes, igniting the past that had been sealed for nearly eighteen years—the pair of legs he lost in the explosion and the seven dead comrades.

Mu Chen curled the corner of his lips. “Wish us luck, Cliff.”

While the door was opening, he took out the terminal and called Light.

“At your last moment of life, what do you want to do?”—This was a question that was repeatedly raised in philosophy classes.

At the time, Mu Chen found this question pointless because every possible answer was built on an entirely fictitious assumption. If one hadn’t actually faced such a critical moment, the answer anyone would give needed to have a question mark added to it.

A this moment, there were no other thoughts in his head.

He just wanted to call Light.

It was Light who arranged for him to go to this warehouse; perhaps it was because he thought he wasn’t suitable for the frontline, or maybe he still thought of him as a little merman that needed to be protected. Mu Chen got angry at him, and he was still mad at him till now.

He was mad at Light for making decisions for him, angry at him for never being honest with him.

But now, these issues have become insignificant.

The terminal lit up, indicating that the call was going through…

If there was enough time for him to say one thing to Light, it would be—I love you, Gege.

Mu Chen had said the word “like” numerous times to Light, and also brought up the word “love,” but it wasn’t with that meaning. It was not the dependence on his older brother, it was not the induction of pheromones during the mating period, nor was it the ignorant love of a teen.

He loved Light, like a dark shadow embracing the brightest light in his life.

Nobody answered the call.

When the door was completely opened, a dark shadow crouching in the darkness came towards them.

Cliff raised his gun. “Careful!”

Mu Chen was about to put away his terminal when a touch scythe swung down at him and pierced the terminal in his hand. The shattered screen burst into a dazzling spark, the chip was damaged, and then it completely dimmed.

He saw that the thing was about to pounce on him.

Mu Chen shot at its shoulder. While the alien was injured, he stepped on its huge body.

“Go to hell…”

F*cking sh*t. His phone call was interrupted by the disgusting insect.

……

The plan to eliminate the wormhole was expected to take a long time to implement, lasting from the afternoon until dawn. The last batch of Zergs was successfully cleared, and the “Eagle” returned to the base with the combat troops.

When Light came out of the cockpit, his messy and wet hair fell on his forehead, his lips pale, and he looked like he had been fished out of the water.

He reached out his hand to hold the door, feeling dizzy and nauseous.

In fact, when he was carrying out the mission, he didn’t actually confront a lot of Zergs. If this were before, it would just be considered some overtime training, but his body’s reaction was particularly intense this time. He felt an unprecedented fatigue, which was accompanied by severe nausea and a stuffy chest.

Light slowly took a breath a few times, then took an elevator directly to the meeting room.

When the elevator was going up, he opened his terminal. The screen displayed that he had a missed call.

It was from Mu Chen.

Light’s pupils trembled. He immediately called him back, but only the busy tone answered him.

The busy tone continued until the elevator door opened.

Vice Captain Levi and John Natt had been waiting at the door for some time, both of them looking extremely solemn.

Levi was stunned when he saw Light. “General, your complexion doesn’t look that good.”

Light, “I’m fine. What’s wrong?”

Levi exchanged looks with John. He then cleared his throat and reported to Light. “Just twenty minutes ago, we received a notice that the fifth wormhole…”

Light raised a brow.

Levi continued to say, “The location of the wormhole was not outside the Konaren Line of Defense. It appeared in the wilderness only one kilometer away from the Sweiman Arms Maintenance Warehouse. The Sweiman City’s garrison has already…”

At this moment—

The world around him seemed to have muted its sound. The string that had been tense in Light’s mind suddenly snapped. A buzzing noise filled his mind like annoying mosquitoes. The earlier feeling of dizziness intensified. Light didn’t hear a word Levi said next. He pushed him away and turned around to walk back into the elevator.

Levi stopped him. “General! General! Where are you going?”

“I—” Light’s gaze was blank as he desperately pressed the elevator button so hard that he almost broke it. “I’m going there now.”

Levi forced himself through the elevator door in an attempt to stop Light’s impulsive act. He raised his voice at him, “It will take at least two hours to go from Konaren to Sweiman! The army’s elite troops and mecha corps are already on their way! If you go now, it’ll definitely be too late! The base still needs your command, General!”

The words “too late” were like a piercing needle, puncturing Light’s heart in pain.

He felt a surge of stomach acid in his abdomen and felt nauseous all over.

Light’s thin lips trembled. He reached out his hand to cover his mouth, and he staggered into a nearby restroom.

“Blergh!”

He leaned over the sink and dry-heaved twice. Because of the extreme discomfort, physiological tears overflowed from the corners of his eyes, and his blonde hair was scattered messily on his forehead.

Even so, his worries were like a slideshow forced to play in front of him, making him dizzy.

Mu Chen, Mu Chen…

Where was Mu Chen now?

Why can’t he get in contact with him?

What if the Zergs entered the warehouse?

The wormhole was so close to the Sweiman Warehouse…

Why did he have Mu Chen go there in the first place? Why did he rejected Mu Chen’s wishes?

Once he thought of the idea that he might be in some sort of trouble, Light felt that his entire being was soaking in ice-cold water. A pair of hands were on his neck, the ice water was slowly flowing over his mouth and nose, almost suffocating him.

He slowly took a deep breath, stretched out his hand to support himself on the counter. Light didn’t care about the discomfort and took out the terminal from his arms to contact Mu Chen. However, his stomach contracted and he felt a churning feeling again. He subconsciously reached out and grabbed the edge of the counter; the blue veins on the back of his hand were faintly visible.

Bang! The terminal fell to the floor.

Light leaned over, unable to resist vomiting in the sink.