Chapter 983: 'Handle'

Chapter 983 "The Handle"

The street was filled with windblown sand, and in the pale red mist only the sound of dogs barking remained, while the distant gunfire had ceased.

Hiding in an abandoned shop along the street, Malik nervously watched the road outside the display window, his heart pounding violently.

He was at least 500 meters away from where he had been ambushed by the sniper.

Barring any surprises, that sniper probably hadn't followed him, and might not even have noticed that he had quietly changed position.

Even so, Malik dared not let his guard down, still carefully observing the situation outside.

Just then, the icon for [Communication Restored] suddenly appeared on his helmet visor, startling him.

"Damn it..."

Cursing at the belated signal, Malik quickly reached up and turned off the signal interface, entering radio silence.

The signal that had been restored for less than two seconds vanished.

Seeing the gray icon, Malik finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the tension in his heart eased.

This way, even if the Alliance captured his teammates, they couldn't pinpoint his approximate location.

Thinking of Valen's gruesome death, Malik couldn't help but shudder.

There was no way around it.

The brain matter splattered across the carriage was too shocking, and even after so long, his stomach still churned uncontrollably.

Judging that he had escaped, Malik took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

To be honest, he hadn't expected the Alliance to send a fighter jet, and the signal jamming bomb had caught him even more off guard.

There was only one explanation—

From the moment they entered this area, all of them had been watched.

In fact, even before they started their operation, the other side had already planned every step of the ambush.

Thinking about how they had crept right under the enemy's noses into a trap set in advance, Malik felt a burning shame on his face.

How stupid could they be!

"...I have to find a way out of here."

Muttering to himself, he poked his head out of the display window to confirm the escape route.

But just then, he noticed a mutated eagle owl perched on a broken streetlamp across the road.

The owl stared at him unblinkingly, meeting his gaze, its thick cheeks rising and falling slightly.

Meeting that slightly provocative look, Malik suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.

Almost instinctively, he let go of his rifle grip and reached his right hand toward the silenced pistol at his waist.

To avoid alerting the Alliance during his escape, eliminating this potential threat was the best option!

But before his right hand could reach the pistol at his waist, a tremendous force silently struck the back of his knee.

"Clang!"

A dull, heavy sound rang out, followed by Malik's pained grunt.

"Ah—"

His right leg struck, he instinctively bent his knee, dropping to one knee on the ground.

Luckily, he was wearing powered armor; otherwise, that blow would have severed his calf.

Before Malik could recover from the sharp pain, the sensation of the blade withdrawing from the back of his knee made every neuron in his body tense up!

Almost instinctively, he swung his right fist backward, his arm hitting the short knife that was slashing horizontally.

"Clang—!"

The metallic clash echoed through the abandoned shop. Turning around, Malik finally saw his attacker.

It was a woman in a cloak.

A deep scar marked her weathered face, and her eyes held a hatred even deeper than the scar.

Meeting those eyes etched with vengeance, Malik's pupils involuntarily contracted.

"...Who are you?"

His instinct told him this person wasn't from the Alliance!

She didn't answer, only lunged forward in one swift step, closing the distance between them again.

"Looking for death!"

Seeing her charge at him with a knife, Malik sneered coldly, raising his rifle to fire.

But the rattling gunfire had barely lasted a second before the flashing blade sliced off half the receiver.

So fast!

Startled, Malik reflexively drew his pistol and fired, but after just two shots, the woman closed in and grabbed his arm, sending the remaining bullets into the ceiling.

Large chunks of plaster and dust fell from above, covering Malik's face.

Furious and alarmed, he kicked forward, but his foot only caught her cloak as she sidestepped easily.

"Whoosh—"

The spinning blade hummed through the air, and with a somersaulting motion, it struck the outside of his left knee like thunder.

Now both legs had been hit.

Though the blade left only a shallow scratch on his powered armor, it still made Malik let out a pained roar.

The distance between them was too close!

Almost shoulder to shoulder, nose to nose!

Malik felt like a clumsy elephant, while the cloaked woman was like a rat scurrying over him, biting left and right.

Though the attacks were like scraping a wound, unable to damage his armor, this couldn't go on!

Just as he tried to steady himself, she suddenly leaped back, putting distance between them.

A warning signal flared in Malik's mind, a sense of dread creeping up the back of his neck.

At that instant, an explosion erupted behind him.

The bomb seemed to be stuck to his back; the searing flames gave him no time to react. He stumbled forward as if struck by a blunt blow to the back of his head, knocked to the ground by the scorching shockwave.

[Warning! Power components severely damaged!]

Yellow alerts flashed on his helmet visor. Malik felt as if every part of him—mechanical and organic alike—had been jarred out of place.

Shaking his dazed head, he tried to push himself up with his hands, but then felt something like a brick slap against the back of his head.

Cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead, seeping into his collar along the joint between helmet and armor.

Without a second thought, Malik gave up resistance and lay still on the ground.

He was completely convinced.

After a series of exchanges, he could already be certain that he was no match for this person, even while wearing powered armor.

"I surrender..."

The woman said nothing, only casting her gaze toward the streetlamp not far away, toward the eagle owl perched atop it.

The eagle owl seemed to understand her look, fluttered its wings, and took to the sky, circling once before flying north.

Watching the eagle owl depart, the woman withdrew her gaze from the sky and then looked back at the Enlightened disciple lying prostrate on the ground.

In a voice utterly devoid of emotion, she spoke slowly.

"Take it off yourself."

...

On the other side, beneath the half-collapsed skyscraper, a "Twilight" powered armor emerged from the shadows of the rubble.

The ceramic-steel breastplate was riddled with pockmarked bullet holes, chaotic scratches nearly covering the light gray paint, and the alloy-forged mantis blades were chipped and dulled from use!

It looked battered, as if it had just crawled back from the brink of death.

Only a seasoned veteran could tell that those damages were superficial, mostly concentrated on the detachable breastplate.

As for the mantis blades, they were consumables—especially when clashing against similarly armored opponents, chipping was perfectly normal.

If anything, it was more astonishing that he had managed to use those two mantis blades to the very end!

This guy was a master!

Watching the powered armor emerge from the base of the building, the [Talan Raider], who had been showing off in front of the captives, spread his arms with a broad grin and strode forward to meet him.

"Nice work, brother! How about joining us, Sa—"

The player grinned, tossed the two mantis blades to the ground, and promptly extended his right hand.

"Don't mention it! Pay up, brother."

"Damn! That cold?"

The player chuckled.

"Not necessarily. Depends on the situation."

Talan Raider: "...&￥#@!"

Damn!

Who the hell do you think you are!

But despite the cursing, the promised payment would still be made.

Besides, the money had already been paid upfront to the Alliance's mercenary guild—no need for on-the-spot payment. Once the job was done, a simple confirmation would transfer the funds straight to his account.

After collecting the bounty, the player didn't rush off. Instead, he grinned and walked to the edge of the city to stand guard.

The mission wasn't over yet.

The earlier skirmish had been a spur-of-the-moment decision. His actual task from the Desert Corps was to assist them in making contact with a key NPC. Only after the entire mission was completed would he receive the remaining payment based on his performance.

As a professional solo player, he still had that much integrity.

Watching the Desert Corps leader's sour expression, Jokichi Shōkawa, also working odd jobs, twirled his combat knife in hand and sauntered over with a smirk.

"Old Baldy, still trying to recruit freelancers?"

At the rude nickname, Talan Raider nearly choked on his spit and snapped back.

"Fuck off, my name's Talan! You're the bald one, your whole family's bald!"

Joker rolled his eyes and snickered.

"Pfft, who remembers a name that serious? Sounds like an NPC."

Talan Raider snorted.

"And you? Like a corpse?"

Joker rolled his eyes skyward.

"Get lost, get lost."

Though Joker wasn't part of the Desert Corps, Talan knew him well, along with the idiot who often hung around with him.

Since they often did missions together, Talan had repeatedly tried to recruit them into the Desert Corps, but they never agreed, and Talan eventually stopped asking.

Not everyone liked joining an organization.

Besides, Talan had to admit his Desert Corps wasn't all that appealing—no generous benefits, rarely at the center of wasteland action, and even the occasional odd job could go wrong.

Getting a mission personally issued by the Administrator this time honestly surprised him.

After all, the operation at Eternal Night Harbor had been a bit of a disaster...

After a few casual words with some solo players, Talan turned and walked back to the open area where the captives were being held.

His brothers in the corps should have finished the interrogation by now.

And as he expected, [Medical Miracle], the one in charge of the interrogation, approached.

"Done. They're from the Desert Scorpions."

"Desert Scorpions?" Talan Raider frowned, muttering to himself, "What the hell is that?"

Medical Miracle reported succinctly.

"According to their own account, they're a special forces unit of the Enlightened. The core members are all Vault Dwellers, and a few are Awakened who've been injected with gene-inducing expression agents."

Talan Raider's eyes lit up, and he grinned.

"Nice! We took down a special forces unit!"

Medical Miracle's expression turned subtle.

"If I remember correctly... the Enlightened don't have a regular army. In theory, all their troops are 'special forces.'"

Talan Raider coughed.

"Doesn't matter! What matters is we've made a name for ourselves!"

Looking at the overly optimistic leader, Medical Miracle sighed, paused for a moment, and continued.

"From the separate interrogations, they were drawn here by the same radio signal as us. At least that means they probably don't know the NPC named 'Zhuang Lan.'"

"Also, their commander is a clever one—had the same idea as you, planning to use the signal station in the ruined skyscraper as bait to catch us off guard... and then they ran right into our guns."

Honestly, when he first heard the leader's spur-of-the-moment plan, he was filled with pessimism, even prepared to eat sand in the desert for a month.

Given the communication conditions in the Great Wasteland, the other side might not even receive the signal. If they did, they might not care. And if they cared, they might not send a large force.

But unexpectedly, they did pick up on the clue, took it seriously, and dispatched an entire company.

A worthy opponent, indeed.

"Haha, a clever one indeed, but still half a step behind me," Talan Raider laughed smugly, rubbing his chin. "Where's this talent? Where is he?"

At this, Medical Miracle's expression turned awkward.

"Uh, there are no prisoners... Sand Sculpture said he thought he saw some guy in power armor, but let him get away. Not sure if he was the head of that bunch."

Talan Raider's eyes widened.

"Holy shit, he got away?! What the hell is that waste of space good for—"

"Who the fuck are you calling a waste of space!?"

Before Talan's words had even died down, an irate voice came from the side.

The two turned around to see [Desert Sculpture], carrying a sniper rifle, striding toward them.

Two people followed behind him.

One wore a desert-colored cloak; the other, looking thoroughly disheveled, was bound tightly with rope.

"The man's here! That so-called commander of the Desert Scorpions."

Dragging the rope to shove Malik forward, Sand Sculpture cursed at Talan.

"MMP! All you do all day is talk shit, while I do all the work. Why don't you just let me be the squad leader!"

Talan Raider's face flushed red. He wanted to retort but couldn't, and finally swallowed his words.

Medical Miracle stared at Sand Sculpture in astonishment.

"Not bad, bro. You caught him?"

Sand Sculpture, who had been so aggressive a moment ago, inexplicably turned red as well. He cleared his throat and spoke hurriedly.

"Sort of. I found him... That's not important. Oh, and I killed his second-in-command—one shot to the head!"

His voice was so low that Medical Miracle wondered if his ears were playing tricks on him.

Just then, Talan suddenly noticed the cloaked stranger and shot him a questioning look.

"And this is?"

Seeing the two across from him looking at him with inquiry, the cloaked figure reached up and pulled back his hood.

Gazing at that weathered face, Talan Raider's expression shifted to surprise.

A woman?

In the perilous Great Desert, lone wanderers were rare.

And women traveling alone were even rarer.

The person gave a slight nod and introduced herself.

"My name is Zhuang Lan."

Medical Miracle and Talan Raider exchanged glances, their surprise deepening.

"You're Zhuang Lan?"

Zhuang Lan nodded and spoke slowly.

"Yes. Survivor of Vault 68, organizer of the Watchmen organization... Before your reach extended into the Great Desert, we had already been fighting against the forces of the Enlightenment Society for a long time."

She paused, then continued.

"...Also, the signal you received was sent by me."

Talan Raider furrowed his brow slightly, staring intently at her, trying to find a flaw in her face.

"I don't understand. If you sent the signal, why didn't you come out to meet us?"

Zhuang Lan was silent for a moment, then looked toward the half-collapsed skyscraper nearby.

"Because... this isn't the place to talk."

"Those who shouldn't receive the signal can pick it up just as easily as you can. I planned to follow you when you left, but you never came out—you stayed here and didn't move."

The air grew subtly awkward.

Remembering that it was his idea to ambush the Enlightenment Society here, Talan couldn't help touching the bridge of his nose.

Seeing that the dumbass squad leader was still doubting the identity of this NPC, Sand Sculpture hesitated for a moment, then finally cleared his throat and spoke.

"I don't think we need to doubt her identity... To be honest, she's the one who caught this guy."

As he spoke, he pointed at Malik, who was tied up like a dumpling.

Medical Miracle, standing nearby, heard this and his eyes nearly bulged out. He stared incredulously at the woman who didn't seem like much of a fighter.

This woman?

She took down an Awakener in power armor?

Actually, it was because he had joined the game late—only getting his helmet in the past year—so he wasn't very familiar with what had happened in Vault 0.

But Zhuang Lan was modest; she didn't emphasize that she had captured the prisoner.

Seeing all eyes fall on the captive, she paused for a moment and also looked at him.

"Though there were some unexpected events, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I didn't expect we'd hook a big fish."

Looking at the man tied up like a dumpling, Talan raised an eyebrow slightly.

"You mean this guy?"

Zhuang Lan nodded slowly.

"Malik, captain of the Desert Scorpions, a senior disciple of the Enlightenment Society... I heard his name before I left the Society. He was already somewhat famous back then, but I didn't expect he hasn't improved at all over the years."

"So you really are one of us..." Malik turned his head, glaring at Zhuang Lan, his face dark as he spat out a harsh whisper through clenched teeth, "You traitor. You betrayed the Vault, betrayed everyone..."

A playful smile curled at the corner of Zhuang Lan's mouth, but it quickly turned into self-mockery.

Burning herself with the idea of "scorching a new era," only to find she was nothing but a hopeless fool... Hadn't she been the same before?

She hadn't believed it at first either.

Not until she found the lost Overseer's log and dug out the bloody truth with her own hands.

Indeed, only an Overseer truly understands another Overseer.

It was the Enlightenment Society that had saved her from hell.

But they were also the ones who had set the fire...

Facing Malik's hateful gaze, she spoke in a voice with little fluctuation.

"If you're interested, I can tell you the story of Vault 68. Once you understand the full picture of history, you'll know who the real traitor is."

"But then again, I think it's a pointless thing to do. Even if you learn about our suffering, you might not sympathize with us. People only believe what they want to believe, and only feel empathy when they're in pain. I was once just like you. I don't know which Vault you come from, but you need to find your own log... if you still have that chance."

Malik sneered.

"...What are you trying to say? Those lies the wastelanders made up to frame us?"

Perhaps finding that remark too foolish, Zhuang Lan didn't answer his question, nor did she look at him again. Instead, she turned her gaze to the friend from the Alliance standing before her.

"To make a long story short, I sent you that signal... because I wanted to tell your Overseer that I've fulfilled the bet I made back then. This is the Overseer's log of Vault 68. Besides the log, there's a map on the drive. You can use it to find the Vault's ruins, though there's not much left there."

As she spoke, she took a thumb-sized card from her bosom and handed it to the person in front of her.

Talan Raider accepted the card solemnly and inserted it into the VM on his left arm to read the data.

"Our manager asked me to pass along a message: he is pleased that you kept your word. Your freedom is no longer borrowed from him; from now on, it is entirely your own."

He paused, then continued.

"Of course, one thing at a time. The Eastern Empire still has a bounty on you, after all, you killed their people."

"Thank you... As for the Eastern Empire, I will atone in my own way."

Zhuang Lan nodded slightly, lifted her head, and went on.

"Also, there is another matter I feel I must tell you."

The Taran Raider immediately spoke.

"Please, go ahead!"

Zhuang Lan continued.

"Our Watcher organization's intelligence network in the Great Desert has discovered that the Enlightened Society has recently, against its usual pattern, ceased expanding its sphere of influence there. Instead, it is shifting its scattered personnel and supplies toward Vault 13."

Medical Miracle blinked, puzzled, and asked.

"Gathering personnel and supplies? What are they planning?"

The reason the Alliance could never get the better of the Enlightened Society was mainly because those bastards were too good at hiding.

The Southern Legion's factories at least had coordinates, but these guys manufactured their weapons and ammunition in black boxes, emphasizing flexible deployment—shifting them was far too easy.

Now they were gathering their people and supplies—weren't they afraid of being wiped out in one fell swoop?

"I don't know," Zhuang Lan shook her head, pondered for a moment, and continued. "Vault 13 is located near the ruins of the orbital elevator base, and it's said to be a thousand meters deep. According to unreliable sources, it once served as a backup option for the 'Handle'... If you don't know what the 'Handle' is, please relay that to your manager."

The Taran Raider stared at her intently and spoke hurriedly.

"I know about the Torch Project... You mean that place can withstand a strategic weapon strike on the level of neutron annihilation?"

Zhuang Lan shook her head.

"Theoretically, all vaults can withstand it, but Vault 13, due to its unique location, is supposedly quite large in area? It's said to be able to hold millions? Of course, I don't know the specifics inside; even its coordinates were classified before... However, I believe Mr. Malik must have set foot in that paradise."

As pairs of eyes turned to him, Malik, though panicking inside, forced a cold smile.

"You think I'd tell you?"

"Hard to say, but I believe that gentleman could change your mind."

Zhuang Lan cast a meaningful glance at Malik, then turned back to the Alliance soldier before her.

"I'm leaving this guy to you. I hope you won't just let him go—at least make him disappear for a while."

"We will," Taran nodded solemnly, looking at her. "What about you? What are your plans next?"

Zhuang Lan answered without hesitation.

"I plan to use his identity to sneak into Vault 13 and take a look. Maybe I can figure out what the Enlightened Society is up to in there."

Hearing this crazy idea, Malik's eyes widened involuntarily.

"Impersonate me?! You—what the hell are you talking about?! There's no way you'll get in!"

The usually docile man suddenly struggled, but the two strength-type brutes holding him wouldn't let him move, pinning him down firmly.

Seeing the panic written all over Malik's face, a playful smirk curled at the corner of Zhuang Lan's lips.

"How do you know without trying? I have some confidence in my disguise skills."

Having heard that the Enlightened Society had always treated Vault 13 as their stronghold, she had long wanted to sneak in and take a look, but had never found the right opportunity or a suitable target to swap with.

Fortunately, just as she was fretting, Malik had delivered himself to her door.

Though he was a Disciple, he was a senior one, with access to things ordinary Disciples couldn't reach, yet not as conspicuous as a "Guide."

Most importantly, having worked in intelligence for the Enlightened Society, she knew his background and personal details. Imitating someone else might lead to exposure, but imitating him would not.

She was even confident she could sleep in the same bed as his wife without giving herself away.

Medical Miracle suddenly looked up.

"Ah... I have an idea."

Before Zhuang Lan could speak, the Taran Raider had already eyed him warily.

"What lousy idea have you come up with now?"

"Lousy? The ideas I come up with are way better than yours," Medical Miracle shot him a sidelong glance, then turned to Zhuang Lan with a smile. "I'm thinking, since your subordinates are either dead or captured, if you go back alone, it'd be suspicious if no one questioned it."

Zhuang Lan said cautiously.

"Being suspected is inevitable, but that's not a big deal. I used to work in intelligence; I know exactly how they'll interrogate me and how to earn their trust."

Medical Miracle spoke patiently.

"Even so, pulling that off must still be pretty hard, right? How about this: we pick someone from our side to be your prisoner. That way, you'll have something to report back with."

Zhuang Lan stared at him, dumbfounded.

"This... Do you know what you're saying? Being captured by the Enlightened Society? That's no joke..."

Those bastards didn't care about methods.

For enemies—especially prisoners with no value—they'd directly use memory extraction devices to squeeze every last memory out of their heads.

As she spoke, she looked anxiously at the soldier's superior, only to find that after hearing the idea, he showed no sign of disapproval but instead thoughtfully stroked his chin.

A moment later, having mulled it over, Taran looked up with a somewhat surprised expression.

"Huh... You actually come up with a useful idea every now and then."

Medical Miracle beamed with a hearty laugh.

"Pfft, if you'd listened to me earlier, our brigade would have been T0 by now."

Desert Eagle curled his lips dismissively.

"Bullshit."

He admitted the idea was passable, but relying on such a small clever trick to become T0? Then T0 would be everywhere.

Zhuang Lan: "...?"

Though she didn't understand what they were discussing, their tone and expressions suggested it wasn't a rejection.

Were these guys serious?!

Zhuang Lan looked at them with concern.

"I can't let you take that risk."

Medical Miracle waved his hand with a smile.

"It's no big deal. We've been in prison before back in Eternal Night Harbor. How about this: since I came up with the idea, let me, Medical Miracle—"

"Let me, the brigade leader (the solo big shot), be the prisoner!"

Before Medical Miracle could finish, Taran Raider and Desert Eagle both shouted impatiently.

Such an interesting mission—why let a teammate have it?

And when they realized someone else was trying to steal the spotlight, they stared at each other wide-eyed.

"You're not even from our regiment, what the hell are you grabbing? What's it got to do with you?!"

"Ha, I'm a member of the Alliance too, how is it none of my business? And you, you're a regiment leader, aren't you ashamed to compete with us commoners?"

"What the hell do you have to do with commoners?!"

"Stop fighting, let me perform a medical miracle—"

"Get lost, get lost, newbie go play somewhere else."

"Damn it! I've been playing for over half a year, and I'm still a newbie?!"

Watching the crowd arguing over "who will go to die," Zhuang Lan was speechless, but also couldn't help feeling a deep respect in her heart.

Although she couldn't understand their language, she could feel that they genuinely hoped the one who survived would be their comrade, and the one who went to die would be themselves.

Such loyalty...

Unlike Zhuang Lan, watching that noisy bunch, Malik, who was tied up like a bundle and thrown aside, had a different thought.

Pretending to be a prisoner, huh...

They really underestimate their interrogation methods.

Might as well just pretend to be a corpse.

His face remained impassive, but inwardly he sneered.

"Heh, looking for death!"