Hunter of Mysterious Creature-Chapter 652 - 175: Heavier Than Mount Tai (Part 2)

"In the cold storage inside Garuda," Song Yarong said.

"Cold storage? Is what's sent here living or dead?" A bold idea suddenly popped into Sun Hang's mind.

"Hush, keep your voice down… These Hunters, their origins are somewhat similar to Mr. Wang." Song Yarong glanced around; after confirming there were no unrelated personnel, she lowered her voice and said to Sun Hang, "Mass-produced Hunters, do you understand?"

"Wasn't it said that this kind of project had been halted?" Sun Hang chuckled, "It fits quite well with my stereotypical impression of the federal elites."

"The status of these mass-produced Hunters is quite unstable, so they are usually kept sealed in the Eternal Freeze Coffin and only awakened when there is a mission. Their memories and personalities have undergone special adjustments, and they will unconditionally obey the commands of 'anchors.'" Song Yarong explained.

"Anchors? What is that?" Sun Hang asked. "Quite a fresh term."

"You can understand it as their commanders," Song Yarong said. "In these mass-produced Hunters' memories and emotions, a specific void is left, and when it's necessary to 'use' them, the information of the person selected as the anchor will fill this void… After they wake up, they will obey this anchor's every command to the letter, even without hesitation if the anchor orders them to die."

"Don't tell me you guys picked me as the anchor."

"Congratulations, you got it right." Song Yarong dryly chuckled, "As the frontline commander, you are the 'anchor' for this batch of mass-produced Hunters."

"Yarong." The voice of Yang Qi suddenly came through on the communication channel, "The cocoon shedding area of Chimera 17 has exceeded 40%, and the 'injectors' for all units have been installed. In three minutes, prepare to launch the first squad."

"Okay, I got it," Song Yarong looked up at Sun Hang, "Follow me."

A total of 44 PFDA units were parked on Garuda's deck, divided into eleven squads. The first nine squads each had a composition of four PFDA units, with one ordinary Hunter and three mass-produced Hunters. The last two squads were each led personally by Sun Hang and Wang Xiyi, each with four mass-produced Hunters in addition.

Sun Hang's squad had the largest number of people; besides the four mass-produced Hunters, he also had to bring along Shinkata Misaki.

"Yang Qi, are you sure you want to place me in the last squad?" Sun Hang questioned, "With Shinkata Misaki in my team, if we want to find Chimera 17's weakness first, shouldn't we be the ones to set off first?"

Without Shinkata Misaki's assistance, those advance strike teams, even if they successfully reach the base of Chimera 17, could only inject the "pesticide" randomly without knowing where to aim…

With the current completion level of the pesticide, trying to kill Chimera 17 without injecting it into its vital points is nothing short of a pipe dream.

"You and Wang Xiyi's teams… are the key to the mission," Yang Qi said in a low voice.

"So what you mean is, the nine squads ahead are cannon fodder?"

Yang Qi did not answer, which was a silent acknowledgment.

"Since we can't achieve saturation-style action, we have no choice but to pin our hopes on the person with the greatest chance of success," Song Yarong stared at Sun Hang and said, "Today's sacrifices by everyone are to pave the way for your success… I hope you won't let them down."

"Your words sound a bit like moral coercion…" Sun Hang muttered softly.

"If I wanted to morally coerce you, I would tie the lives of everyone here to you," Song Yarong retorted, "I'm just stating a fact."

"..."

"Alright, the first squad is about to set off. Hurry and help them solve the mycelium component issue! Look at those technicians, they're all eagerly waiting for you."

...

"Speaking of which, where are my teammates?" The chosen Hunter sat in the PFDA cockpit, turning his neck left and right within its limited range, "Wasn't there supposed to be three 'wingmen' for me? The machines are here, but where are the pilots?"

As he was speaking, three Eternal Freeze Coffins were pushed next to the machines, and with a spreading white icy mist, three figures in hibernation suits sat up from the coffins.

The chosen Hunter was stunned for a moment and turned his head in surprise to look at Sun Hang and Song Yarong standing nearby, wanting to speak but holding back.

"I know what you want to say." Sun Hang patted the hull of his machine, "Short-handed, no choice here."

"They're cannon fodder, right…" the Hunter said somewhat bitterly, "No, I'm also cannon fodder… right?"

"If you die, you're cannon fodder." Sun Hang smiled at him, "If you survive, you're a hero."

"Damn it…" the Hunter forcefully closed his eyes, "I figured it out a long time ago… Damn it."

The three mass-produced Hunters who had sat up from the Eternal Freeze Coffins scanned their surroundings with blank expressions. When they saw Sun Hang, their eyes suddenly showed a human-like glimmer.

"You should all be clear on the mission content, right?" As the anchor, only Sun Hang's orders could be obeyed by them. "I took a look at the 'manual,' normally there should be physical and emotional checks for you first, but there's no time for bureaucratic procedures now. Put on the anti-gravity suits and enter the machines, waiting for launch orders now."

"Yes," the three immediately responded.

For a brief moment, Sun Hang felt that these three mass-produced Hunters were three lively people, but as soon as their eyes moved away from him, they instantly became three emotionless puppets.

Not only emotionless, Sun Hang even suspected that their self-personalities might not be complete—Ling Xiao, who had been absorbed of all emotions by Anna, was not even like this.

If such a thing were to get out, it would surely stir a public opinion storm, right?

However, it won't get out…

The four PFDA units soon completed their preparations, and the mycelium components that Sun Hang manufactured were all installed on the machines. Accompanied by the sound of the countdown reaching zero, a long flame burst from the tail of dozens of bundled thrusters, and the four machines shot off from the deck like arrows from a bow.

"The first squad has been launched, Garuda, move immediately to launch point 2!" Song Yarong grabbed the walkie-talkie and said, "Repeat, the first squad has been launched, Garuda, move immediately to launch point 2!"

The four PFDA units trailed long flames as they accelerated under the gloomy clouds. Meanwhile, countless drones swarmed out from Garuda's hangar like locusts, swarming towards the distant Chimera 17.

This is the last stockpile of Tianfu City—no holding back, all-in, these two words best describe this operation.

Sun Hang no longer paid attention to the situation of the first squad and quickly headed to the second squad's location with Song Yarong.

The Hunter of the second squad was a female, and she was a familiar female to Sun Hang—Iron Wall's sister, the Crystal Princess.

When she saw those mass-produced Hunters, she didn't react as strongly as the first Hunter. Instead, she smiled at Sun Hang and said, "The size of my PFDA is a bit large. It must have taken you extra effort to make those components, right?"

"Not too bad," Sun Hang nodded, "Does your brother not object to your participation in this operation?"

"He wanted to come himself." The Crystal Princess maintained her smile, "But he has other more important tasks and couldn't make it."

At that moment, Sun Hang's earpiece transmitted Yang Qi's low voice: "The first squad… is completely wiped out."