Fantasy Game: Infinite City

Chapter 530 The Polluted City (24)

Madison and the man she was holding seemed to be talking to each other, probably trying to get her to put down her gun. Adenauer wasn't paying much attention; he was checking the Infinite City quest panel. Even after meeting this man, no new quests had appeared. It seemed the only quest in town was the previous one, starting the hospital's backup generator. This place probably wasn't a significant location, even though he had gained many clues about synths here.

But on closer inspection, if it weren't for the contractor's equipment, the only information he could get from this town would be the stories told by Madison and Juan, which wouldn't be very helpful. So this place was probably the "Trial Zone" found in most dungeons, a relatively safe place where players could familiarize themselves with the enemies within.

"Then what's the point of turning on the backup generator?" Adenauer couldn't help but feel puzzled. The backup generator was not connected to the air-raid shelter, at least not in the place he had passed by, but this mission was certainly not useless, so he reused the contractor's equipment and checked all the lines that the backup generator was responsible for, trying to find the relevant places.

But strangely, after inspection, it was found that the hospital's backup generator was indeed not connected to the lines inside the air-raid shelter. Instead, there was an extremely long line that connected to a location over a hundred meters away from the hospital. That location was a medium-sized shopping mall, along the route Adenauer had taken into the town in the prison van. Normally, such a secret line would be connected underground, but the line leading to the mall, connecting to the hospital's backup generator, went all the way to the third floor.

As Madison had mentioned, the bomb shelter Adenauer was currently in had entrances and exits beneath all the town's major buildings, including the mall. Perhaps coincidentally, the narrow passage Adenauer had chosen led directly toward the mall. Now that he knew Madison and veteran police officer Juan's secret, he naturally no longer needed them. So Adenauer prepared himself, kicked the man he was holding hostage away, fired a few shots from the rifle slung across his chest to prevent anyone from approaching, and then ran deep into the passage without looking back.

"Damn it! Is anyone hurt?!"

"I was shot, but it only grazed my arm, nothing serious. Where are the others?!"

"fine!"

"fine!"

"Wait! Madison! You've been shot!"

"Varied.."

After all, the bullets were fired randomly from the hands of a person with excellent marksmanship, so even though there was no aiming at all, a few bullets still hit other people outside the passage.

When the old policeman Juan found that Adenauer was missing, he had a premonition that something was going to happen, so he lay on the ground early and escaped the danger. The man who had been held hostage by Adenauer was kicked to the ground by him before Adenauer left. Although he fell hard, he was only grazed by a bullet on his arm and was not seriously injured.

However, Madison, who had originally planned to rush over to explain, was not so lucky. She was shot in the shoulder by a bullet. Although it was not a fatal injury, the bullet passed through her body after all. If she was not treated quickly, she might fall into hemorrhagic shock. Fortunately, these guys who suddenly appeared obviously had emergency medical means.

“Hiss…it hurts!”

"Don't be nervous, the bullet went through the shoulder and didn't stay in the body."

The fifty-something man, having climbed to his feet, immediately rushed to Madison's side. Upon discovering Madison had been shot, he pulled out a pistol-drill-like object from his waistband, except where the battery should have been was a canister of medicine. He pointed the gun at Madison's shoulder and pressed the button. A substance resembling aerogel instantly erupted, rapidly filling the wound in Madison's shoulder.

"These treatments contain powerful analgesics. You may feel a little heavy in the head, but this is normal. Don't worry."

"It's okay, I know this."

"Let's go after him!"

"Come back! Don't go! You'll kill yourself!"

Several people in the team wanted to catch up with Adenauer, but Madison immediately stopped them in a stern voice. Madison looked very prestigious and her words were indeed effective. After hearing what Madison said, those people actually stopped, but they still looked at the middle-aged man. Obviously, the middle-aged man's words carried more weight.

"Listen to Madison, don't go, let's get out of this damn place first."

"Take Juan out too, he's a good man."

"Okay, it's all up to you."

Veteran policeman Juan was lying on the ground, eavesdropping on Madison and the man's conversation. From their conversation, Juan could tell that Madison and the man had known each other for a long time, but their attitude towards each other was more than that of a normal mentor and student, speaking more like family. Perhaps Madison hadn't been completely explicit about this matter. Furthermore, with the help of the lighting equipment used by other personnel, he could see that Madison and the man bore a resemblance.

The man supported Madison, who was feeling a little dizzy from the effects of the treatment, and under the protection of the squad, they quickly left the air-raid shelter and went outside. The exit of the air-raid shelter faced a bridge several dozen meters long across the river. To the right of the bridgehead were several military armored vehicles parked, and another team was guarding this area. On the ground in front of them were the bodies of many frantic townspeople.

“Evacuate!!”

"understand!"

The man shouted and led Madison aboard one of the armored vehicles. Veteran policeman Juan had originally planned to board another vehicle with the other team members, but at Madison's insistence, he boarded the armored vehicle Madison was in. Once everyone was aboard, the convoy immediately took off, driving out of town along the bridge across the river. Strangely, they didn't blow up the bridge, and the frantic townspeople were also puzzled. Even though they were attracted by the sound of the armored convoy, they wouldn't even step onto the bridge. It seemed as if they were observing some kind of rule.

"This is the film they found deep in the air-raid shelter. It's probably related to the research experiments back then. And this notebook, probably left behind by the person in charge of the research back then. But be careful when examining it; some of the pages are stuck together. Be careful not to damage them."

"Okay, once we're safe, I'll have someone do some research."

At this moment, a team member who was also in the same car with Madison took off his helmet, wiped the rain off it, and asked a question. He didn't seem to be an ordinary team member, so his presence surprised Madison and the man.

"Speaking of which, who is the strong man who held the old man hostage? Why don't you let us go find him?"

"You mean Adenauer? He's a... Harrison?! Why are you here?!"

"Oh my dear sister, we haven't seen each other for a year, and this is the first thing you say when we meet?"

"Didn't I tell you to stay in the research institute? Nonsense!"

"Come on, old man, how can you be an uncle? If I hadn't seen your communication records, I wouldn't have known you sent Madison to this damn place. After all, shouldn't this kind of thing be left to me?"

Veteran policeman Juan leaned back in his chair, his eyes closed, feeling as if he'd been transported to some daytime family drama. The conversation between the three revealed some information: Madison's doctoral advisor was actually her uncle, and the man in the team armor currently speaking to Madison and the doctor was likely the doctor's son and Madison's cousin. Judging from his words, the three of them must have a good relationship, which is why Madison's cousin was quite resentful that she had no idea she'd arrived in town.

"She's the only child in the Madison family. How could you let her come to such a dangerous place? No matter how you think about it, shouldn't I be the most suitable person to go? After all, I've served in the military and won several combat medals. At least I can protect myself."

"Madison has professional knowledge. What else do you know besides how to tell the difference between men and women?"

"Even if I know nothing about biotechnology and medicine, you old man could at least let me protect Madison. I really don't understand what you were thinking!"

"Okay Harrison, I was the one who offered to come. The reason I didn't bring you along was because your face is too famous and would be easily recognized."

"But you should at least bring a bodyguard."

"Isn't there Vincent? I don't know where he went. I haven't seen him since noon."

"What? Vincent?! Not the old man, you made your brain stupid from doing research?! You let Vincent be responsible for Madison's safety?! Is this reliable??"

"Vincent is from the small town, he's more suitable. Besides, how can he be unreliable? He's a respected doctor!"

"Nonsense! Just because he's a real doctor, doesn't the people in this town need medical care? How can he have the time to keep Madison safe?!"

Soon, the conversation turned into an argument. While their words were heartwarming, they were incredibly loud, causing both veteran officer Juan and Madison to frown. The argument lasted for over ten minutes, until Madison finally stopped the argument by saying he had a headache and wasn't feeling well. Veteran officer Juan rubbed his temples and nodded to Madison in gratitude.

"Alright, you two, be quiet. At least wait until we're somewhere safe before arguing."

"Sorry Madison."

"How are you, sister? Does the wound still hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt, just a tingling sensation. I'm still not used to these treatments, but they're definitely effective. Has the formula changed?"

"Well, we've added some new ingredients. Now the effectiveness of this treatment has doubled. As long as the injury isn't fatal or the wound isn't particularly large, the treatment can handle it. However, because the formula also contains a powerful analgesic, users will experience a temporary reduction in their mobility for a period of time."

"Madison, are you sure we don't have to worry about the guy who got away?"

"I'm sure that if you meet that person in the future, it's best not to confront him."

"Who is that guy?"

"All I know is that he's a dangerous, serious criminal with expert, highly skilled dissection techniques. He might have a medical background, or perhaps it's simply a natural progression from his numerous murders. His weaponry is also formidable. Not only is his marksmanship exceptional, but he also possesses a deep understanding of firearms structure. Judging from his previous performance, he's likely proficient in all types of firearms and can use them instantly once he's picked them up. He's also highly vigilant. Judging from his previous actions, he probably never fully trusted us from the start. Beyond that, I don't know. Perhaps you could ask Juan."

When his name was called, veteran policeman Juan slowly opened his eyes, cleared his throat, and said, "I haven't had much contact with him. I had never heard of him until Adenauer boarded the prison van this morning. He's very perceptive and always notices subtle changes. He's also very dangerous, able to silently eliminate an entire team of heavily armed enemies without anyone noticing. He's decisive and never drags his feet. I suspect he might be a killer with a military background, but that's just speculation. He's polite and smokes when he speaks. Other than that, I know nothing about him."

After hearing the conversation between Madison and the old policeman Juan, the doctor and Harrison looked at each other and became serious.

"If that's the case, this Adenauer might not be one of us. Madison, are you sure it's the right decision to leave him in this small town? He might leak our secrets."

"No, first of all, he's not interested in what I know. Secondly, he didn't actually attack us. Although he fired a few shots at us, given his marksmanship, if he really wanted to attack, I'd probably be dead by now. After all, I didn't tell him the truth, so he might have been unhappy, so he shot me in the shoulder."

"Maybe he and..."

"I know what you mean, Harrison. Not really. Remember what Juan said about him killing a whole group of enemies? If he was in league with them, there was no need to kill his own people. And..."

Madison looked at the old policeman Juan meaningfully, and Juan did not avoid Madison's gaze. He understood the meaning of Madison's look. It seemed that Madison and his gang were not completely ignorant of the things happening in Johor Bahru. It seemed that Madison's acting skills were indeed very good, and she really deceived Adenauer.

"...Adenauer seemed to have his own agenda. He once asked Juan about Johor Bahru."