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The underground lab core area hummed with a mechanical heartbeat
Lin Weis cybernetic eye pulsed crimson as the incubation chambers behind her hissed open revealing rows of small suspended forms
Twelve child subjects floated in viscous blue fluid their tiny chests implanted with miniature fusion cores
Perfection Lin Wei traced the glass with metal fingers these vessels will surpass both human and zombie
Old Zhagos pipe clattered against grating as he recoiled what the hell is this
My fingers curled into fists recognizing one form immediately Xiao Zhous missing sister Xiaoya her face peaceful in artificial sleep
Combat erupted in explosive fragments
Xiao Zhou inverted an entire drum of military-grade capsaicin into the ventilation shafts screaming eat this you metal bastards
Old Zhao and I moved like a well-oiled machine dismantling mechanized soldiers with industrial cutters left limbs to me right limbs to you
The pièce de résistance came when I crammed Lin Weis detached arm into a delivery box tagging it with a handwritten COD sticker
Lin Weis laughter echoed through the chamber even as her systems failed you still dont see the grand design do you
Her remaining hand slammed the emergency release every incubation pod hissed open simultaneously
The childrens eyes snapped open glowing the same unnatural red as their creator
This isnt mind control Lin Wei spread her arms its symbiosis
The shotgun blast came from nowhere punching through her forehead
Aunt Wang emerged from smoke still shouldering her weapon nobody likes a monologuing villain
Critical clues unfolded in rapid succession
Xiaoyas core continued pulsing sister help whispered through static
The labs self-destruct sequence activated its five-minute countdown
My old scar split open revealing something beneath the skin beeping in sync with the destruction timer
The chapter ended with three devastating promises
Next time the couriers final run would reveal what really hid in my chest cavity
The childrens fate would balance on a razors edge
Aunt Wangs classified past would finally come to light
PS For those craving extra carnage consider this - what if we welded the dismantled prosthetics into a post-apocalyptic delivery vehicle complete with armored plating made from recycled enemy chassis