The Debtor System: Starting with a debt of 1 billion

Chapter 54 The Footsteps of the Ventilation Ducts

The vibrating dagger emitted a low hum in Lin Mo's palm.

Before the subdued traitor could even scream, Lin Mo kicked him unconscious.

Immediately afterwards, a series of footsteps came from deep within the ventilation duct, causing the grilles to vibrate and hum.

"Step back." Lin Mo's voice was low and urgent. He shielded Su Ya behind him, his body pressed tightly against the outer shell of the medical pod.

Suya remained calm. She quickly pulled out a miniature stun gun from a hidden compartment in her bedside table—a toy she usually used for self-defense, but now it became her only weapon.

With her back against her brother's broad back, she could clearly feel the taut muscles beneath his body and the power about to erupt.

"Click—"

The screws securing the ventilation ducts snapped off one after another, and several dark figures leaped down from above like nimble cats, landing silently. Immediately afterward, more figures crowded into the narrow ward corridor. By the faint glint of the dagger, Lin Mo made out the faces of the intruders—they wore identical black combat uniforms, their eyes were vacant, and their faces bore the distinctive barcode tattoos of "Eden."

These are not ordinary mercenaries; they are the clone guards of "Eden," a group of killing machines devoid of pain and fear.

"It seems the Butcher has even revealed his trump card in order to clean house." Lin Mo sneered, and suddenly swung the vibrating dagger in his hand in an arc.

The first guard member, who had just raised his alloy battle blade, had his wrist severed by Lin Mo's dagger. No blood gushed from the cut; instead, streams of blue coolant oozed out—these guys, even their veins flowed with the cold, mechanical fluid.

"Kill!" The leading guard issued a mechanically synthesized command, and more than a dozen dark figures pounced at the same time.

Lin Mo dodged two crossed blades with a swift movement, then delivered a powerful elbow strike to an enemy's Adam's apple. The crisp sound of bones cracking rang out, but the man merely shook his head and swung his fist again.

"It's no use! They don't have pain receptors!" Suya shouted urgently from behind, her stun gun sizzling as it struck an enemy trying to flank her. The electric current momentarily stunned the man, but he quickly regained his mobility.

Lin Mo's eyes narrowed; he no longer sought to defeat, but to destroy. He leaped into the air, crashing into the crowd like a cannonball, the vibrating dagger in his hand transforming into a blue storm.

"Then we'll tear you all apart!"

A dagger pierced the shoulder blade of a guard, the high-frequency vibrations instantly pulverizing his bones. Lin Mo seized the man's alloy battle blade, wielding it with both hands, and unleashed a brutal massacre in the cramped hospital room.

Blood mingled with coolant, staining the pristine white floor crimson. Lin Mo weaved through the crowd, each swing of his blade claiming a life. But he knew this couldn't continue. Enemies continued to pour out of the ventilation ducts, and his stamina was rapidly dwindling.

"Suya, go to the control panel!" Lin Mo shouted as he fended off attacks from all directions.

Suya understood, and taking advantage of the chaos, she rushed to the medical control panel in the corner of the ward. Her fingers flew across the screen, bringing up the base's environmental control system.

"Initiate emergency isolation procedures!" Suya pressed the confirmation button.

"Buzz—Warning! Warning! The ward area is about to be closed!"

A piercing alarm sounded, and the heavy blast door of the ward slowly slammed shut, attempting to keep the reinforcements out of the ventilation ducts. However, several guards had already rushed to the door, desperately holding it shut, even using their bodies to jam the gears.

"Damn it!" Su Ya gritted her teeth, looking at Lin Mo, "The door's stuck!"

A ruthless glint flashed in Lin Mo's eyes. He suddenly pulled a high-explosive stun grenade from his waist, pulled the safety pin, and threw it precisely into the entrance of the ventilation duct.

"Get down!"

boom!

The violent explosion shook the entire ward, sending rubble and metal fragments flying everywhere. Several guards who were wedged in the door were thrown into the air by the blast wave, and the blast door finally slammed shut, completely isolating the inside from the outside world.

The ward fell silent instantly, with only Lin Mo's heavy breathing and the twitching of the severed limbs on the ground.

Lin Mo leaned against the wall, the dagger in his hand trembling slightly. A deep, bone-revealing wound had been cut into his arm, and blood was dripping from his fingertips.

"Brother!" Suya rushed over and tore off a piece of her sleeve to bandage his wound.

"I'm fine." Lin Mo pressed her hand down, his gaze fixed on the tightly closed blast door. Outside, an even heavier thud echoed.

"They won't give up," Lin Mo said in a deep voice. "This door won't hold for long."

Suya raised her head, a resolute glint in her eyes. She looked at the life support system next to the medical pod, her fingers flying across the control panel once again.

"Since they want to come in, then let them come in."

Lin Mo was taken aback: "Su Ya, you..."

"Brother, do you still remember the rebellion procedure?" A strange smile curved Su Ya's lips, completely different from her usual gentleness. "Since they treat this place as a battlefield, then I will turn this place into hell."

She pressed the last button abruptly, and the lights in the entire ward instantly turned an eerie blood red.

"I rewrote the electromagnetic pulse program for the medical pod. As soon as they break in, I'll detonate the magnetic field here, disabling all electronic equipment—including the control chips inside their bodies."

Looking at his younger sister's resolute profile, Lin Mo felt a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him. He knew that the little girl who needed his constant protection had grown up. She was no longer just a "sample," but a partner who could fight alongside him.

"Alright." Lin Mo gripped the vibrating dagger tightly again, his eyes becoming incredibly determined. "Then let them see the consequences of angering the 'Phoenix'."

The banging outside the door grew louder and louder, and cracks began to appear on the explosion-proof door.