ALL NOVEL Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Truly a Steel-Headed Kid
Under normal circumstances, Mo Chen might have savored the moment.
After all, hadn't he fought all his life to deserve a bit of enjoyment in his twilight years?
But the problem was, Marian had no concept of restraint. Her seemingly slender arms were like iron bands, squeezing him tightly, while the plush pressure on his face threatened to suffocate him entirely.
Desperate to avoid becoming the first commander to die from asphyxiation-by-embrace, Mo Chen acted on instinct—he bit down.
Marian yelped in pain, loosening her grip just enough for Mo Chen to gasp for air.
Mo Chen took advantage of the moment to free himself from Marian's embrace and quickly stopped her.
"Stop! Stop!"
He had almost suffocated.
"You can't do this anymore!"
Feeling a headache coming on, Mo Chen sternly criticized Marian's actions.
"Do you understand?"
Marian's clear eyes looked at him innocently, as though she were a college student listening to a lecture. Hearing his words, she happily embraced Mo Chen again, pressing her warm body tightly against his in her habitual way.
"Commander."
Alright, reasoning with her was pointless.
Mo Chen gave up trying to reform her. She would be the end of him one day.
Then, he noticed Rose standing in the background, her demeanor cold and stern. She held her blade at her side, exuding an intimidating aura of murderous intent.
Recalling the Rapture corpses he had encountered near the power plant earlier, Mo Chen pieced things together.
So it was the two of you who were responsible for all those Rapture casualties along the way!
Apparently, after Mo Chen had left, Marian couldn't sit still for even ten minutes. Ignoring his instructions, she had set off to find him with reckless determination, dragging Rose along.
With no coordinates to guide her and the signal being heavily disrupted by the Alva Particles, Marian relied purely on intuition to navigate.
As the duo stormed forward, they annihilated everything in their path. Any Rapture unfortunate enough to cross their route was reduced to wreckage.
When Marian finally caught Mo Chen's signal near the power plant, she immediately bolted toward him, demolishing anything in her way.
Even a massive drill Rapture had tried to stop them but ended up thoroughly destroyed.
Hearing this, Mo Chen was stunned.
A Tyrant-class Rapture taken out just like that?
"Wait," Mo Chen interrupted, a critical thought striking him. He gripped Marian's shoulders. "Did you come from the east?"
"Yes, Commander. Why?"
Marian blinked in confusion, her expression so pure and innocent it almost begged to be corrupted.
Mo Chen froze.
Good grief, the eastern side had walls made of reinforced concrete dozens of meters thick—impervious to even high-explosive ordnance.
He touched Marian's forehead, his mind racing.
She's really a steel-headed kid.
Marian tilted her head, enjoying his touch, and shifted to a more comfortable position, much like a content kitten basking in affection.
Turning his attention to the wreckage of the Tyrant-class Rapture, Mo Chen approached it under the watchful guard of the Nikkes.
The drill-like Rapture was severely damaged, most of its equipment destroyed. Its body lay in pieces, with deep gouges and scars from blades—evidence of Rose's handiwork.
"Szzzz… Crackle…"
The Rapture emitted weak electrical sparks.
Judging by its condition, even an idiot could see it was far from operational.
Yet somehow, it wasn't dead.
Mo Chen couldn't help but marvel at its resilience.
Suddenly, the drill lurched upward, aiming for him.
Before it could get close, Rose's crimson blade pinned it back to the ground, preventing any further movement.
Mo Chen had expected such a possibility—there was no way he'd approach it unguarded.
Before the Rapture could make another move, it was reduced to a sieve.
Mo Chen sneered.
Attempted sneak attack? Too naive.
Looking at the defeated Rapture, a phrase came to mind:
"When you're weak, even your anger is laughable."
As a self-proclaimed environmentalist, Mo Chen firmly believed in recycling and repurposing trash—like the damaged Rapture before him.
He placed his hand on its metal casing.
Sensing danger, the Rapture thrashed desperately, but it was futile.
Crimson tendrils of the Punishing Virus flowed from Mo Chen's hand like threads and mist, coiling around the Rapture's head.
The Rapture struggled even harder, but the virus spread rapidly, covering its body in scarlet hues and seizing control.
Soon, the Rapture's movements stilled.
The surrounding Raptures, acting as war correspondents, froze in terror.
"Bee-boop…"
One small Rapture let out a panicked mechanical chirp.
Before Mo Chen could respond, Rose dashed forward in a blur, her blade raised high like a reaper's scythe.
"Don't kill them!"
Mo Chen's urgent command halted her at the last second.
Without workers—er, Raptures—there would be no labor force.
Rose pulled back, leaving the terrified Rapture trembling on the spot.
With the Tyrant-class Rapture subdued, the remaining Raptures became aimless and disorganized.
Mo Chen sighed in reflection.
Even a peasant uprising requires proper leadership.
However, Raptures weren't humans.
Within moments, the massive drill's frame was entirely infused with crimson light, its eyes glowing menacingly red.
The integration was a success.
It wasn't perfect, as the Rapture retained much of its autonomy, likely due to its advanced classification. Still, the repair process brought it back to peak condition.
Mo Chen admired the towering machine, patting its metallic shell.
"Finally, no more clogged sewers," he muttered, a smirk playing on his lips.
And no, this absolutely wasn't about revenge for all the times it had wrecked him in the game.
As for the remaining Raptures, they scattered back to work, thoroughly demoralized.
Remarkably, they seemed even more diligent than before, industriously tackling their assigned tasks.
Mo Chen chuckled.
Still, he couldn't leave them unsupervised. Another rebellion could cost him his precious vegetable garden.