Arknightcraft Modpack
Chapter 528: Infiltration
After spending what felt like an eternity dealing with Santiago—and having her patience thoroughly ground down to nothing—Lin Yuxia finally arrived with him at a somewhat remote, rundown factory district on the outskirts of Lungmen.
At this point, she had entered a state where nothing he said could faze her anymore. Her eyes were dull, lifeless—practically dead. She raised a hand and pointed toward the entrance, where several black-clad figures with distinctly Columbian features were patrolling. Then she looked at Santiago with an expression of pure relief.
"This should be the place. You're really going in alone? Those guys won't care who you are."
A journey of less than a few kilometers had felt like a lifetime to her. But finally—finally—she was about to be free from his torment. If she didn't have to maintain her composure, she might've already started jumping for joy.
The only thing that still bothered her was Santiago's insistence that he didn't need her help. From the way he acted, it almost seemed like he planned to just march straight in with those absurd weapons of his.
Lin Yuxia had to admit—those so-called "firearms" he carried were incredibly powerful. Enough to let an ordinary person like him fight on par with elite soldiers.
But even so, barging headfirst into an enemy stronghold like this? That was just reckless.
"Relax. I've got this. They'll never recognize me," Steven said confidently.
Of course, his focus was—as usual—completely off.
He casually pulled out the crude mask he'd made from Lin Yuxia's stockings and slipped it over his head, then poked three holes into it for his eyes and mouth. The stretched fabric warped his features into something utterly ridiculous.
Lin Yuxia, however, couldn't find it funny in the slightest.
"That's not what I meant. Aren't you worried about getting killed? If one of their Arts hits you, you're done for!"
Ignoring his antics, she spoke with rare seriousness. This wasn't a joke—those people weren't going to be nearly as "reasonable" as she had been.
"Hm… well, since you're worried about me, I'll accept you as a friend," Steven grinned. "But who said I was going to charge in head-on? Gotta mix things up to keep it interesting."
For once, his tone sounded somewhat normal.
Then, right in front of her, he casually pulled out a pale gray candy from his pocket and popped it into his mouth.
The next moment—
He vanished.
Lin Yuxia froze.
No matter how experienced she was, she had never seen anything like this. Sure, there were rumors of Arts that could conceal one's presence, but who the hell just ate a candy and disappeared into thin air?!
And yet… she could faintly sense that Santiago was still standing right there, unmoving.
Eyes wide, she cautiously reached out and poked the spot where he had been.
Her finger met something solid.
That only made her even more shocked.
This was absurdly advanced. Could it be some kind of experimental drug developed by Rhodes Island? Or maybe a product of that mysterious corporate conglomerate? Either way, if it came from this madman… there was a chance she could get her hands on it.
"Being poked in the chest by a girl isn't enough to make me scream," Steven's voice suddenly echoed out of nowhere, "but if you keep taking advantage of me like this, I might have to return the favor."
Startled, Lin Yuxia quickly pulled her hand back. There was no way she was letting him poke her chest—and he was absolutely the type who would.
"So now you're reassured, right?" Steven continued casually. "Just wait here. I'll go deal with things over there… and maybe pick up some oranges for you on the way back."
With that, the invisible troublemaker prepared to head into the enemy's territory—leaving behind a Lin Yuxia who could only stare in disbelief.
After casually reassuring Lin Yuxia, she suddenly saw it—
A firearm appeared out of thin air in front of her, floating in midair like a ghost, slowly drifting toward the direction of the rundown factory.
Santiago had already made it clear this was his own business. And as someone working under Wei Yenwu, it wasn't appropriate for her to show herself. At this point, all she could do… was stand by and watch him perform.
A floating weapon was far harder to notice than a whole human body. And after realizing that the gun didn't seem to benefit from the invisibility effect, Steven simply stuffed it back into his inventory, completely erasing any trace of his presence.
The patrolling Umbrella operatives had no idea he was there.
After all, this wasn't their home turf. Expecting high-end surveillance like thermal sensors in a dilapidated factory like this would be asking too much.
Slipping past the guards with ease, Steven quickly made his way toward a group of Umbrella members who seemed to be taking a break.
His timing couldn't have been better.
By the time he entered one of the worn-down factory rooms, a group of individuals—clearly higher-ranking and more distinctive than the grunts outside—were already gathered in a circle.
Carefully controlling his movements to avoid making a sound, Steven silently walked over and joined them. He even pulled up an empty chair and sat down, casually blending into the meeting.
"The Sankta is currently under the protection of the LGD. Even our people can't easily get close," said the man standing at the center of the room. Dressed in a black coat emblazoned with the Umbrella insignia, he spoke respectfully into a communicator, as if reporting to someone of higher authority. "The LGD themselves aren't difficult to deal with, but that private force of hers is the real problem."
From his words alone, Steven could easily guess that the "Sankta" they were referring to was most likely Mostima. As for the so-called "private force," it was probably those two strange men in raincoats he had encountered before.
Remaining silent, Steven continued listening, carefully extracting any useful information.
"…Yes. We'll do everything we can to get the exact location of that place out of her. You can rest assured, Boss."
"As for the explosion after negotiations with the Rat King fell through… while some of our people were involved, the scale and composition of the blast didn't match our methods. It was likely a counterattack from his side."
"If that stubborn old man refuses to cooperate, capturing the Sankta will become much more troublesome. Of course… it's also possible we simply didn't offer enough sincerity. That part may require further effort from your end, Boss."
"Understood. We'll make sure no information leaks. Anyone involved will be dealt with. Please rest assured."
"… "
The entire room was filled only with the voice of the leading Umbrella member reporting through the communicator. The others listened in silence, their expressions serious.
At the very least, their organization's discipline and cohesion were impressive.
After listening for a while, Steven finally pieced together the reason why Mostima had been targeted.
It seemed she possessed some kind of extremely important information—so important that these people were willing to chase her all the way to Lungmen and stop at nothing to obtain it.
Interesting.
That Sankta was clearly hiding something from him.
And that old lynx… the mission she'd given him was, as expected, far from simple.
Just as the call ended and Steven was about to start settling some scores with these people, a single line of conversation made him pause.
"If everyone involved needs to be eliminated… does that include the college girl we captured earlier?"
"What, don't tell me you're still hung up on that stupid furry obsession of yours?"
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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Tn: I updated the story daily, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 617: A Bold Guess[1]
Link: https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-160680628[2]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-160680628
[2] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-160680628