Ark, after I died, the operators started to love me.

"what happens?"

Mike stopped, and the team members all looked at him.

"It's actually very simple. We came from the south, and Typhon came from the east. If we ignore the deserted villages we encountered along the way, there's only one place where the real problem lies, and that's the north."

"The Sami hero Ektilnir led an expedition to the North to fight the demons. It was because of the casualties of the expedition that the contaminated wood cracks leaked into the Sami Ice Plains, causing great trouble for the demons. The Joint Investigation Association became a thorn in the side of the enemy."

“These things are not without reason, but lower-level pollution units lack them, while higher-level units possess a portion of reason. I cannot rule out the existence of higher-level demons.”

Holhaya frowned and asked, "How did the demons become aware of the existence of the Joint Investigation Association?"

"You'd have to ask Sami Hero himself about that."

Typhon was startled: "What do you mean?"

Mike replied indifferently, "The literal meaning."

The expedition crossed the Wall with a near-certain death in mind, heading to the far north, a place rarely visited even by exploration teams. When they stepped into the land of eternal night and polar day, only death awaited them.

However, the existence of evil has penetrated deep into the very essence of Sami, and corrupting the dead is no longer an impossible task.

The hero who once swore to protect Sami may very well have been transformed into a demon who vowed to drag Sami down with him into the abyss.

"how so……"

Typhon lowered his head, looking dejected.

Once upon a time, Ektilniel was her hero, the object of her worship, but this is how she ended up.

"There's no need for that; it might not be a bad thing for him."

Mike said frankly, "The Sami hero has fought for this land for a long time, and now he needs to rest. Anma will protect his soul."

"If he were standing right in front of you, transformed into the embodiment of evil, how would you deal with him?"

This was no problem for Typhon at all. The girl said firmly, "I will kill him with my own hands and give him eternal peace."

"Very good, that's it."

Actually, there was something Mike kept to himself that he didn't say aloud.

Ursus, who also possesses demonic power, probably didn't play a positive role in this matter.

From the time of the Four Emperors War onward, this ancient empire's thirst for territory has never waned.

Even though they later maintained a peaceful stance, it was only because of the irreparable chaos that arose within the country that they had to halt the war.

Once Ursus gains control of the demonic power, he will inevitably use it in the war.

Mike had seen two guards in Lungmen who could use demonic powers; even a small number of them could cause massive destruction in a short time.

The only problem now is that he has no evidence to prove Ursus's involvement.

Even so, we cannot let our guard down against this country.

Although Sami's territory in the far north is far smaller than that of Ursus, and even smaller than that of its southern neighbor Colombia, it is almost impossible to get Ursus to give up its desire for this territory.

"We're now revising our plan. We'll proceed with the entry into base camp as scheduled. Secondly, there must be a protective device inside base camp that can be activated in a short time. I need someone to activate it."

Holhaia reminded her, "I remember that Rhine Lab installed loudspeakers in its headquarters. They weren't music players, but rather devices modified from Rhine's Originium spellcasting units. Once activated, they could play sound waves that awaken human cognition over a wide area."

"No, we can't do that."

Chongyue stepped forward to stop Yuzie's plan.

“We don’t know the specific situation inside the base. If the living humans are mixed with the twisted monsters, once their consciousness is activated, chaos will inevitably erupt. At that time, our efforts to save people will become the key step that kills them.”

Mike thought to himself, "What my brother said makes a lot of sense."

In his current state, he could easily guess that Chongyue didn't want to hear him call him "elder brother," which was probably related to Chongyue's sisters.

So far, every sister who has come into contact with Mike seems to have some kind of ambiguous, unspoken feelings for the Doctor.

What a hell.

Typhon, who was in a slump, suddenly said, "I can go to the Explorers' Guild and temporarily form a team."

"I am the guide for many Colombians who venture into Sami. As long as I show my face, a considerable number of people will give me face. Then you can come and find out who is the enemy and who is the friend."

The girl's eyes burned with fury.

49. Assault on Headquarters

“We already know for certain that Rhine Lab has installed a special device at its headquarters. Once activated, it will inevitably trigger a battle between humans and the Collapsers. Therefore, when dealing with this matter, we must take into account the unavoidable casualties.”

Typhon looked incredulous when Mike said those words.

She had assumed that the man in front of her, who was called a doctor, would try his best to avoid casualties, but she did not expect that he would tacitly allow a certain degree of sacrifice.

"senior."

Adele lowered her head silently.

Standing on Adele's shoulder, Dolly whispered, "Don't say that. That's just who he is. Whether it's saving the minority or the majority, who should be saved and who can't be saved, he has never changed."

Mike emphasized repeatedly, "Kill as many Collapsers as possible. The demons give the dead a second life, so let's kill them again and let everything return to nothingness. Especially you, Typhon, don't hesitate to kill familiar people. If you are soft-hearted, you will become one of the Collapsers."

"I know."

Typhon responded in a muffled voice.

In her not-so-long life, she had experienced similar things several times. Comrades-in-arms, friends, and acquaintances all became puppets of the enemy in the fight against evil, and all she could do was send them back to death with her own hands.

Mike turned to Andorn and said, "Andorn, your team has four people. The target is a special device. You must activate it immediately."

"Do not worry."

Andorn's face showed neither joy nor sorrow; he always kept his promises—that was his style.

"Mr. Chongyue, your four-person team is to seize the base camp's broadcasting station. Once you succeed, broadcast it throughout the city to guide any remaining humans to the designated location."

The man from Yan nodded emphatically: "I guarantee I will complete the mission."

While still in a daze, Xingji suddenly realized something and quickly asked, "Doctor, what about you?"

Mike smiled and said, "Don't worry about me. I have my own place to go. With Phantom with me, you can rest assured."

Seeing that he said that, no one asked any further questions.

Apart from the time he faked his death and left Rhodes Island, the Doctor has always been reliable, especially since his current appearance is exactly like that of Dr. Ann.

"Rest for half an hour, check your equipment and belongings, and prepare to depart."

……

Magellan ran out of the base camp as fast as he could, circled around for about two or three kilometers, and barely found a sheltered valley to start a fire and cook.

Although she was often called "Silly Feather" by Little Typhoon, and sometimes she would embarrass herself because of her own reasons, Li Boli's professional skills were quite outstanding. While lighting the stove, she reviewed her recent experience in her mind, and soon a terrible thought appeared in her mind.

"No way?"

All signs indicate that the base camp has been corrupted by evil forces, otherwise the detector on her body would not be beeping.

Magellan had great faith in Mel's craftsmanship; even Saria's combat suit was personally modified by the engineer, demonstrating his considerable skill and trustworthiness.

If the detector is working properly, then the problem must lie with someone in the headquarters.

But why didn't the protective device activate?

Magellan stopped what he was doing and fell into deep thought.

Should she risk her life to go back and warn the people who are still in the dark?

Maybe we shouldn't go; it's too dangerous.

But Little Typhoon hasn't replied to her. Could something have happened to him too?

To go or not to go?

Magellan paced back and forth several times, unable to make up her mind, when she remembered something.

Long ago, a fortune teller from Sami gave her a set of tarot cards. Although Magellan had no divination skills and only a superficial understanding of the card readings, it didn't stop her from making up her mind.

The action-oriented girl, Li Boli, acted swiftly, taking out the tarot deck from her bag, muttering a couple of words in broken Sami, not knowing who to pray to, and quickly drawing a card.

"sun?"

Several thoughts flashed through Magellan's mind, some good and some bad, but looking at the Sun card in his hand, he slammed his fist down and said firmly, "The Sun means that the road ahead is bright. If I go back now, I will definitely be safe and sound. It's settled then!"

So she extinguished the stove that had just started to burn and stuffed it back into the snowmobile's bag.

Liboli drove back, the cold wind brushing against her hair, and the snowflakes flying backward almost completely covering her face.

……

Three SUVs drove into the seemingly calm headquarters of the Joint Investigation Association.

As usual, people came and went in a constant stream, as if the things they had discussed before were just empty games on paper.

Mike said into his headset, "Now everyone put on your talismans, and make sure to stick them on the inside of your clothes."

At his command, everyone took out talismans covered with mathematical formulas and stuck them on their bodies; Adele even stuffed two into Dolly's wool.

"Honestly, Adele, I don't need these."

Dolly tried to rebel, but her resistance was futile.

When the talisman was applied to the body, a chilling sensation was felt, followed by a sudden warm current flowing into the body, which countered the severe cold.

She leaned against the car window and looked out, immediately recognizing the newspaper boy standing by the roadside as a walking corpse.

But he still waved the newspaper in his hand, just like any ordinary morning, and recited the pre-set lines in an almost distorted tone.

Such a bizarre scene went unnoticed by anyone, or rather, the newsboy's abnormality was taken for granted by people whose perceptions were distorted.

This is unbelievable! When did our headquarters become like this?

Typhon felt a chill run down her spine. After all, she had stayed here for two days and one night. Who knew which monsters she had interacted with?

"Don't be nervous, relax, this is not the worst time yet."

Three SUVs slowly pulled up in front of a small inn. People got out one after another, their bodies radiating a faint golden light, and fine threads connecting them together.

Mike, the source of the golden light, sat motionless in the car.

Unlike the other team members who are preparing to complete the mission, he will be working alongside Phantom.