Chapter 4: The Origin

The moment Chen Jian caught sight of the face behind the door, his hand instinctively moved to the trigger.

Compared to the monstrous creatures brimming with murderous intent he had faced before, this “being” that resembled a human brought an even greater dread.

Its skin hung in layers over the face like melting ice cream, sagging and distorted. The protruding eyeballs were exposed beneath torn eyelids, the lips appeared ripped and not fully healed, and the nose was gone altogether, replaced by two gaping black holes...

Looking further down revealed a body of exposed, knotted muscles, thighs as thick and robust as those of a bodybuilder, and feet grotesquely oversized and terribly out of proportion...

Was this still a human?

Perhaps it was more like the ghouls from Fallout 4.

––Though ghouls retained some semblance of human form, it was clear at first glance they were once normal people who had been harmed.

But this creature?

It seemed more like a “humanoid” born from genetic chaos and random coding.

Chen Jian took a cautious step back as the figure muttered indistinct words.

“You... you actually killed those mantises!”

“Who are you? P... L... A... what is that?”

Chen Jian felt both relief and shock.

Relief because, despite the slurred speech, it was clearly Mandarin.

Shock because they didn’t know the PLA — what era had they landed in, hundreds of years into the future?

Though the immediate danger had passed, hidden threats still lingered.

Without hesitation, Chen Jian replied, “We’re regular troops.”

“Yes, we just took down thirteen... mantises.”

“We need to rest. Is it safe here?”

“It’s not safe! You have to come inside quickly!”

The newcomer urgently made way. Chen Jian held his rifle in his right hand and silently signaled caution with his left behind his back.

On receiving his orders, the other team members subtly shifted their tactics.

Lei Jie moved his stun grenade to a concealed thigh holster, Shen Yue folded up his machine gun’s bipod, and He Shuo used his PAD to perform infrared identification on their guide. Should a fight break out, his drone would become a weapon for automatic harassment.

Though the squad appeared relaxed, each member remained sharply alert.

Even when rounding the corner, Chen Jian quickened his pace, flanking the guide with Shen Yue to guard against possible ambush.

They had to act this way because they did not yet know what awaited them.

The man’s footsteps were light, matched by the other four.

Climbing steadily upward, Chen Jian activated the eyeball-tracking function on his goggles and silently typed into the team’s comm channel:

“Strong stamina. Stay alert.”

“Hostile detected. Permission to engage.”

“Roger.”

“Roger.”

“Roger.”

The confirmations came in one after another as they finally reached the top floor of the residential building.

Dim light spilled from the nearby lobby. Chen Jian gripped his M191 rifle tighter.

If the enemy planned to strike, now was their last chance.

Fortunately, none came.

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