Having finished her cake, Lucrezia raised her left hand as if checking a watch she wasn’t wearing. “It’s late, can I go home now?”“I actually wanted you to stay overnight.” Nouel teased the girl again, clearly joking and not serious.“If that’s what you want, I don’t mind.” Lucrezia replied casually and effortlessly without any second thought. Nouel turned to her upon that response. “You wanted to hear me say that, didn’t you?”Nouel grinned mischievously in response, causing Lucrezia to stand up.“Stop your pointless jokes. I’m going home now.” Lucrezia intended to leave, but…“Wait, there’s one thing I want to ask you,” Nouel said, causing Lucrezia to stop in her tracks and look back at him.“Okay, I’m listening.” Lucrezia mumbled, showing no interest at all.After a few seconds of silence, Nouel, who stood in front of Lucrezia, put on a serious face and asked, “Do you know the whereabouts of Ferdinand Volkov?”The question was unexpectedly thrown, catching the girl off guard. Lucr
In the following days, Nouel continued the assigned mission, needing more evidence on the suspected rebels’ identities. General Carter Ross had granted permission for an extended reconnaissance mission, urging Nouel to gather clearer and stronger data for swift apprehension. Nouel, having completed his secondary tasks, promptly shifted focus to this crucial mission.Despite several days of surveillance on the five targets, there was no progress. These individuals resumed normal behavior, engaging in daily routines without any suspicious activities, complicating the mission and prolonging its duration.Currently stationed in the command room, Nouel, torn between finding Professor Volkov and prioritizing the mission, opted to concentrate on the latter, bolstered by newfound support.With undivided attention on the task at hand, Nouel aimed to conclude everything swiftly to prevent unforeseen events in the city. As usual, the holographic display showcased live videos from the wolf team m
Nouel embarked on his journey in his private car, equipped with complete armor and weaponry. The roads he traversed grew quieter and more remote. The destination was an area rarely frequented by the inhabitants of Lycaelus City—a part of the industrial zone, partially operational, partly under construction, and some left abandoned. Among the abandoned structures, some were half-finished, while others were completed.After a considerable journey, Nouel arrived at the specified coordinates. It was the location of a finished but non-operational building.Nouel adjusted his posture as his attention focused on the intended structure, a thirty-story building looming dark in the distance.Reading the data stored in his database about the building, Nouel stated, “Terrnick Industries. It’s a branch factory of that company, but it’s not in operation due to funding and licensing issues. I didn’t expect rebels to use places like this.”Nova appeared right beside Nouel, the AI assistant maintainin
In a museum, Team Sabertooth received a report about a group of special forces unconscious in a specific location. They were quickly deployed, and it didn’t take long for them to identify the unconscious cyborgs as members of the Wolf Team.“Report the status.” Veilus commanded, observing each cyborg unconscious in full armor and weaponry. From any angle, Veilus could assume they were in the middle of a mission.One of his subordinates saluted, then promptly reported, “Captain, no cyborgs or other humans, all confirmed casualties are Wolf Team members. We found no signs of a fight or gunfire around here, the cause of their loss of consciousness is still unknown. Judging from their tracks and positions, it’s likely they were rendered unconscious elsewhere, and someone intentionally brought them here. Report concluded.”The man clearly outlined the possibilities of what the entire Wolf Team had experienced.“I don’t understand, what happened to them? How can they all be here in the same
After obtaining permission and full authority to handle the search for Nouel, Lucrezia continued to work tirelessly. Although the condition of all Wolf Team members had been confirmed, it didn’t change Lucrezia’s mood. Currently, Nouel’s whereabouts remained unknown, with no signs or clues anywhere.As if intentionally avoiding tracking, Nouel shut down anything related to him, even hacking CCTV on the streets and everywhere else. The tracking of his armor and vehicle was inactive, turned off since leaving the base, preventing the search team from using that avenue. Indicator statistics were also inactive, keeping Nouel’s current condition unknown.Lucrezia kept trying to locate and contact Nouel, even scolding the Eagle team members working specifically in the command room for taking too long without making progress. Their efforts only reached dead ends.“What is that man doing? How can he disappear like that from monitoring?” Lucrezia wondered. She didn’t understand Nouel’s thought
As there were no detected signs of danger or hidden traps, Lucrezia approached the man directly, while her team members quickly dispersed to secure the area.“We’ve found the victim, we’ll proceed with the evacuation,” Lucrezia reported. After that, she knelt to align herself with Nouel’s height, lowering her weapon. She attempted to wake Nouel, who was currently unresponsive despite appearing conscious.“Nouelvaegnr, are you okay?” Lucrezia asked, gently shaking Nouel’s body. However, after doing this for several seconds, Nouel still didn’t react. “Hey, speak up, it’s me.”Lucrezia slapped Nouel’s cheek, immediately snapping him out of his dazed state. He looked directly at Lucrezia. Due to the slap, all of Lucrezia’s team members turned their attention towards them.“Ouch, that’s hurt.”“Are you alright?”“Hi, you look beautiful.” Nouel smiled, teasingly touching his cheek, wounded from the firm slap. “You really suit that armor, you look amazing.”Responding to this, Lucrezia rolle
Nouel and the entire team were confirmed to have no recollection of what happened. They were clueless about what had befallen them—whether it was the cyborgs or Nouel, the only human on the Wolf team. This became a mystery as it was the first time such a situation had occurred.No one knew or had information about everything that had transpired. There was no one to be questioned about all this. Nouel, the one expected to have answers, was suffering from a head injury that also caused him to lose his memory. Those behind all this had worked meticulously, leaving no clues.Nouel was actually advised to take complete rest after what happened, but he chose to exercise in the common room instead, seemingly eager to keep his body active. While he was doing push-ups on the floor, Lucrezia and Vera were already there, witnessing Nouel’s activities.“We were hoping for a stubborn fool lying in bed, but that seems to be wishful thinking.” Lucrezia remarked, placing her hands on her hips.Nouel
Several days had passed since Nouel’s capture by the rebels. That evening, Nouel attended a lavish banquet hosted by the nobility. It was a celebration of the successful mass production of implant chip technology, confirmed to be safe for every cyborg.The atmosphere that night was vibrant, filled with the hum of conversations echoing throughout the room. Well-dressed individuals, exuding an air of opulence, engaged in conversations or formed groups discussing formalities. Hanging chandeliers cast a glittering light upon the marbled floor.The enticing aroma of luxurious dishes filled the air, tempting the palate and captivating the senses. Attentive servers, dressed in uniforms, circulated among guests, offering trays of colorful drinks and delectable dishes. Melodic music filled the room.Nouel was elegantly dressed in a formal suit without a tie. As a precaution, he left his armor set in the car, still sporting his distinctive glasses that had become a familiar sight. Vera, accompa
Nouel was in the garbage area, in a slum district where there was a massive landfill site originating from various areas, especially the city center, resulting in the landfill site being mountainous. The landfill site was located outside the city walls, and Nouel had already made a hole to enter and exit the city through a secret passage.“What are you doing here?” Dvliericht asked, having managed to catch up. He looked uncomfortable walking on the pile of trash, his gas mask protecting his entire face and head looked worn out and unfit for use.“Looking for the trash I need.” Nouel answered without looking, digging through the garbage. Since Nouel had been forced to stay in the shelter by Dvliericht, the two young men had developed a close friendship, despite having very different and somewhat contradictory personalities.Dvliericht placed his hands on his hips and scanned the surroundings. “We shouldn’t be here, if the city patrol catches us, it could be dangerous.”“In that case, k
Armed with his newly acquired weapon, Xander began attacking the pursuing robot troops. Thanks to his long experience, Xander could shoot accurately, causing the robots to fall one by one. He took precise aim, picking off the robots one by one.“Wow, you’re really good, so accurate with your shots.” Velia praised and appreciated Xander’s actions through the earpiece.“It’s not enough yet, there are still some robots evading my attacks!” Xander exclaimed, then explosions were heard, destroying the walls of the long corridor.“Keep it up, Xander, we’re approaching the exit!” Velia cheered, seeing that their exit route was close ahead.“Of course, I’ll keep attacking until all the ammo is gone!”When the rover vehicles finally reached the end of the escape route, they immediately halted. Xander and several others hurriedly got out of the rover and attempted to close off the escape route. They collectively tried to seal off the passage.Some others disembarked and headed towards the aircr
Inside the underground headquarters, after Xander delivered this information, everyone immediately started packing, which naturally took a very long time as everyone was unprepared for evacuation.“The aircraft is completed, but it hasn’t been tested yet. Should we still go?” Dimitri asked, concerned about the aircraft’s condition, which hadn’t undergone testing yet.“Yes, we don’t have time anymore. Regardless of the aircraft’s condition, we’ll use it. It’s risky, but we have no other choice.” Makarov replied.“Let’s hope we make it.”Elsewhere, inside a large cargo aircraft, Volkov and his forces of robots and cyborgs, who were aware of the underground building being used as a headquarters, were preparing for their attack.“See, I told you this would work.” Clerick smirked evilly at Darina. “Instead of capturing and torturing one of them, it’s much better if we follow them discreetly and install a tracker on the target.”That’s how Volkov found out about the secret project being wor
June 9, 2094Time passed quickly, years went by, and humans had grown accustomed to synthetic food. Numerous factories were established in all four cities, and cyborg projects began to be implemented. Initially, it was limited to body parts like hands and legs, then expanded to organs like eyes. After the success of the project applied to Vera, cyborgs started to appear all over the city.Due to the special requirements for humans to endure the surgical process, the limited number of cyborgs created across the city meant they weren’t dominant yet. Only a few hundred existed, mostly composed of city security forces, not commercially available to ordinary residents. Therefore, despite the success, Volkov continued experiments and developments to make the cyborgs he created more perfect and applicable to all humans.While working on advancing cyborg technology, Volkov accidentally discovered several individuals recruited by Dimitri and Makarov. He was surprised by this development becaus
For several days, Vera refused to eat, she continued to rage. Although she couldn’t get up and walk, her hands were still healthy, and she tried every way to end her life. She was depressed and desperate with her life.Some time later, Volkov came and comforted her. However, Vera didn’t respond, despite being continuously ignored like that, Volkov kept trying to console and strengthen her resolve.“I know you’re very desperate with your body condition. But you can’t torture yourself like this continuously.” Volkov spoke gently and softly, truly reflecting like a man who could be relied upon by Vera, who really needed it.After ignoring Volkov for a while, Vera finally spoke up, asking him a question. “Professor, what would you do if you were in my position?”For a moment, Volkov didn’t respond, he glanced briefly out the window, then turned his attention back to Vera, calmly and softly speaking to the teenage girl. “I think I would also feel desperate, and I would also want to die. Bu
Thanks to advanced medical technology, Vera, who suffered serious injuries due to Darina’s actions, was able to regain consciousness quickly. Severe injuries that should have put the teenage girl in a coma turned out to heal much faster. Unfortunately, there were still limitations in the equipment and technology applied at the hospital, as they couldn’t yet cure serious injuries resulting in physical disabilities. And that’s what happened to Vera, the injuries she sustained left her whole body permanently disabled.For a few seconds, Vera glanced around, her eyes feeling very sore as she looked at the ceiling of the room. The light in the room wasn’t dazzling, yet Vera’s eyes still felt sore and irritated.Vera closed her eyes, trying to move to pull the blanket, but she had no access to her body, she couldn’t move any part of her body.“What’s this? I can’t move my body.”Vera tried to turn her head sideways, but she couldn’t do it, she couldn’t move her head even slightly. Failing i
Finnick, Darina, and Clerick were already in position, monitoring the movement of the electric car driven by the small family from a distance. Volkov himself was opening a transparent tab as if he were working on something.“Okay, I think the subject has taken the bait. I don’t see any other humans within a 1-mile radius, we can execute the mission now.” Darina murmured while observing the small family through the scope of the sniper rifle she was aiming at the car. She herself was lying prone on the rocks, positioning herself strategically for the attack.“Moreover, this area is highly prone to accidents,” Clerick replied, standing next to Volkov. They were amidst the trees of the forest, monitoring using long-range binoculars.“Yeah.”On the other side, atop a tree, Finnick was adjusting the control of the machine device he had created. “My puppet’s status is stable now, we can act anytime.” He informed.“Good work, wait for the signal.” Volkov replied.They spent a few more seconds
While Clerick was working, experiments were postponed. Darina and Volkov focused on being doctors at Hudson Hospital, they appeared very kind and friendly to the staff, nurses, and the patients they treated. This made no one suspicious or even think that they were evil people who had conducted various experiments that violated ethics and humanity.In addition to their friendly nature, their work was also very good and fast. Their surgical skills were very reliable and made them among the most trusted doctors. They also interacted quite a lot with every patient they treated, so almost all patients could get to know them well.Unbeknownst to them, two days had passed. This was the day when Clerick would present the results of his work.“Huh, it’s also enjoyable to train in acting by playing as a good and holy doctor.” Darina stretched her body. This time she was in the elevator going down to the lab, a man named Finnick who also worked there immediately shook his head.“I thought you’d
Hudson Hospital.A five-floor hospital, it was one of the major hospitals in Lycaelus City, admitting more than one new patient daily with various conditions. The hospital was always bustling with patients, and the number of nurses and medical staff working there was substantial.At this hospital, Ferdinand Volkov worked on his project. Whenever someone underwent amputation, they would be offered artificial limbs. Those who wanted to live normally would readily accept the offer. Similarly, those in need of organs would be offered either donor organ transplants or artificial organs. Since waiting for a donor or purchasing existing organs was costly, patients tended to opt for Volkov’s artificial organs. Besides being more affordable, easier to care for, these artificial organs and limbs had several advantages over those of regular humans. Gradually, over the years, Volkov’s cyborg project began to take shape.Unbeknownst to anyone, many of the surgeries to implant organs and artificial