The story of Rose starts with being a brother

Chapter 477 Internet Disconnection (Part 5) Escape! Rebirth!
As night fell, the sky, which had cleared during the day, began to snow again.

An urgent whistle rang out in the remote mountains, and the base, which had never been attacked since its establishment but was now under intense tension, was once again in operation.

Squads of Japanese soldiers, led by sergeants or corporals, approached the mountain they were to defend with their lives.

The base is said to have only one company stationed there, but in reality, it is staffed with nearly three companies, and its firepower is enough to arm two battalions. This is only because it is set up to keep a low profile.

Even so, the dangers within the base are not insignificant, and their enemies never break in from outside the base.

Many soldiers even preferred to be deployed to the front lines, even to die for His Majesty the Emperor, rather than continue living in this "peaceful and quiet" place.

Because what took their lives here wasn't bullets, swords, or cannonballs, but something far more terrifying: bacteria.

No matter how good the precautions are, no one can guarantee that they will not be infected at all.

In that burial pit downwind, besides the experimental subjects brought into the base, many of their own people were also thrown in and burned.

A bullet wound leaves a hole in your body, so even if you die, you're still considered to have some dignity. But the corpses they dispose of here are far from "dignified."

Fortunately, the situation has improved recently, and the number of bodies burned has decreased.

But not long after, their own people came up with a new trick: instead of dying painfully from bacterial infection, the soldiers were swiftly and cleanly killed by those inhuman, ghostly creatures they created.

For example, now, when some Japanese soldiers who came to provide support saw the tentacles waving in the air, with many of their comrades hanging from them like strings of candied hawthorns, they couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines.

Especially for those who have experienced something like this before, their legs feel weak, wondering why this thing has been released again.
Sometimes they couldn't help but wonder if those researchers were spies from an enemy country, using every trick in the book against their own people.

They were not new recruits; they had already prepared to serve His Majesty the Emperor when they set foot on this land. But at this moment, in this place, facing this monster eating at a "buffet," they suddenly remembered the cherry blossoms of their hometown.

Actually, serving His Majesty the Emperor doesn't necessarily require coming to this land. Paying taxes in one's hometown and contributing to its economic development is also a good idea...

After finishing its appetizer, the monster casually tossed the "hawthorns" on its tentacles aside. The tentacles and flesh that had been blown off earlier began to grow back, thicker and stronger than before.

A barrage of bullets kept piercing its body, but soon they were squeezed out by its flesh and blood, falling to the ground with a crackling sound.

Having been dormant for so long, it was starving during its battle with Hu Xiaofei. Now, after having a good meal, its tentacles, which it waved casually, easily cracked those cement pillars.

Some Japanese soldiers were unsure if they were hallucinating, but vaguely felt that the monster had grown larger.

The dark, fleshy growths covering the entire body kept wriggling. After the skin was torn apart by muscle tissue, it was quickly wrapped by new bluish-black blood vessels and then covered by new skin.

Dense tentacles emerged again from the collapsed hole on the second floor, this time not targeting the Japanese soldiers, but instead embedding themselves tightly into the surrounding walls.

Upon seeing this, the squadron leader immediately realized what was happening and roared, "Nitrogen, prepare!"

The newly arrived soldiers, carrying nitrogen, advanced under the cover of fire. The next second, the walls into which the tentacles had been inserted began to crack inch by inch. At the same time, the monsters on the second floor shattered the floor and, with the help of the tentacles, leaped to the first floor.

The valve of the Dewar flask was opened, and liquid nitrogen at minus 100 degrees Celsius was sprayed out and instantly vaporized. Water vapor in the air was rapidly cooled into tiny ice crystals, and ultra-low temperature white mist quickly enveloped the monster, and its waving tentacles gradually lost their vitality.

……

Outside the elevator shaft on the surface of the cave, a group of Japanese soldiers stood ready for battle.

They were originally going down to support the squad leader, but the old man just told them to stay and guard the elevator shaft.

At this moment, rather than doubting his own eyesight, Lao would rather suspect that Subject One is climbing up the elevator shaft.

However, after two Japanese soldiers shone their flashlights into the dark elevator shaft for a long time, they still couldn't find anyone inside.

But in the darkness directly above them, a figure was silently hanging upside down, lurking there.

In the study room.

The old man frowned as he looked at the previous experimental data. It showed not only the data of the first experimental subject, but also that of the monster below.

The reason he frowned was because the expressiveness of the two works he had created today did not meet his expectations.

Although Subject 1 performed well just now, as the only one who truly succeeded, Amaterasu should not only have this much ability.

Although the monster was classified as a failure, it seems to still have some potential for development, but it is currently impossible to tame it.

Thinking of this, the old man took off his glasses and rubbed his temples. The memories of the first test subject had not been completely erased, and now they were difficult to control.

After a moment's thought, the old man opened the drawer and took out a vial of medicine. Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that it was exactly the same as the medicine that had been prepared to be injected into Hu Xiaofei's body. Next to it was a syringe.

"Bang! Bang..."

Several crisp gunshots rang out, startling the old man. He had been listening to the gunshots from the lower floors, but the gunshots that were ringing out now did not come from downstairs.

The study door was suddenly pushed open, and the guards rushed in, saying, "Sir, Subject Number One has appeared. Please leave."

Upon hearing this, the old man did not hesitate. After putting away the medicine and the most crucial data, he prepared to leave.

But at that moment, several explosions rang out outside the study, and the shockwaves shattered the study's windows.

……

On the underground floor, the nitrogen gas that had obscured everyone's view gradually dissipated. Just when everyone thought that a monster forced into hibernation like last time would appear in front of them, all that remained behind the dissipating white mist were the corpses of Japanese soldiers whose blood had been drained and the huge hole.

The soldier holding the nitrogen injector cautiously looked ahead, only to find nothing.

The squadron leader supervising the battle quickly approached, leaned out and looked into the cave, and saw that the sticky liquid mixed with blood disappeared in the dead corner of the cave entrance in the underground passage on the second floor.

Where did the monster go?

The company commander muttered to himself. Just then, a Japanese soldier who had come down later approached and said, "Company commander, the elevator down there has crashed."

"Crashed?" The squadron leader's face froze for a moment, then he instantly realized what was happening and shouted, "Upstairs!"

The atmosphere inside the study, whose surface was shattered by the explosion, was extremely somber.

Hu Xiaofei pressed the Nambu Type 14 pistol against the old man's temple, surrounded by Japanese soldiers guarding the same level.

Although the old man, whose life and death were in Hu Xiaofei's hands, was afraid, his face remained calm. He even chuckled and said, "Miss Fei, in a sense, I created you. Is this how you want to treat me?"

"Bullshit! My parents gave me life and raised me!" Hu Xiaofei kicked him in the shin. Although it wasn't a big blow to her, the old man couldn't take it at his age. His shinbone immediately fractured, and he half-knelt on the ground.

"Also, my name is Hu Xiaofei, not Kawashima Feizi."

The old man, sweating profusely from the pain, stubbornly let out a muffled groan and raised his hand to stop the surrounding soldiers from acting rashly.

He forced a smile and said, "But the way you are now is because my research has given you a new life, hasn't it?"

"Ah!"

Hu Xiaofei smiled dismissively, too lazy to reply to such meaningless words, and instead asked in an icy tone, "What did you do to my body?"

"Amaterasu is the god's royal power (みいつ)は, Kumoi blows the wind and is the wind, the country is guarding the big shield (おおだて)と, and the money is given!"

The old man didn't answer her question; instead, he sang a song with a fervent expression.

Hu Xiaofei's eyes flickered slightly as the phrase automatically surfaced in her mind. It was a line from a medieval poem about the divine wind, meaning "The divine power of Amaterasu Omikami transforms into the wind that pierces through the clouds, manifesting as a giant shield protecting the nation!"

What surprised her even more was that she was actually familiar with the cultures of these island nations.

Some time has passed since she woke up, and she feels that her memories are gradually piecing together, but the images are quite chaotic.

That's why she's approaching this old man now.

Why can't I remember things from before very clearly?

Upon hearing this question, the old man laughed, and just as he was about to say something, another scream came from outside the study.

Sensing danger, Hu Xiaofei turned her head and saw several long tentacles passing through the corridor outside the window before retracting back in.

The monster went upstairs to eat at the buffet!

"Elevator shaft! A monster is coming up from the elevator shaft!"

A Japanese soldier shouted outside, and then the name was transcribed as "Hawthorn".

Upon seeing this, the Japanese soldiers surrounding the study turned their guns towards the corner at the end of the corridor.

Soon, as several Japanese soldiers rushed over in terror, the ground around the corner shook. Then, several blood-stained tentacles appeared from the corner, slapping against the wall, causing it to crack and crumble.

The monster seemed to arrive in a hurry. When it rushed out of the corner, it didn't have time to stop and crashed into the wall. At that moment, the Japanese soldiers, whose guns were sweating from gripping them, immediately opened fire.

Although the monster trembled from the barrage of bullets, its tentacles quickly sprouted "vines," just as they had when they faced Hu Xiaofei, to block some of the bullets. As for the "vines" that were shot off...

Aren't all these supplements right in front of you?

So this monster with extremely abnormal body proportions charged over like a gorilla running, while some tentacles rushed over to feed.

Hearing the screams of the Japanese soldiers outside who were too busy to pay attention to him, Hu Xiaofei grabbed the old man and rushed out from the other side, shooting the Japanese soldiers blocking her way.

The Japanese soldiers who were fighting the monster heard the noise and turned around to see what was happening—well, there were two experimental subjects who had blocked them from the front and the back.

Fortunately, Hu Xiaofei had no interest in cooperating with the monster; she just wanted to leave.

Some of the Japanese soldiers who had turned their guns around were stunned. Hu Xiaofei held the old man in front of her, preventing them from firing.

However, just as they were hesitating, another wave of Japanese troops rushed into the cave from inside the base, and at the same time, the company commander downstairs also led his men up.

The two test subjects were suddenly surrounded again.

This time was different. The squadron leader knew that it was impossible to control the experimental subject as the old man had said, so he stopped the soldiers from releasing nitrogen and instead had the flamethrowers breathe fire at the monster under the cover of the others.

Sure enough, the monster was afraid of fire. Braving the gunfire, it charged towards the group of Japanese soldiers in the middle, incidentally using the soldiers strung on its tentacles as cover against the flamethrower. This was truly a self-service barbecue.

Hu Xiaofei, who had been running wildly but finally stopped, looked at the large group of Japanese soldiers pointing their guns at her through the iron gate of the mountain tunnel, and her heart sank.

The old man, who was still being used as a hostage, laughed and said, "You can't escape. Although you are a successful experimental subject, your previous performance shows that you are not suitable for the front line."

He paused, then urged, "Stay. As Amaterasu, serve the Empire, and I will allow you to continue evolving."

Hu Xiaofei ignored him, and instead shouted at the Japanese soldiers blocking her way, "If you don't want him to die, get out of my way!"

The leading Japanese soldiers hesitated for a moment, but then the old man shouted, "If you let her leave, you will be traitors to the Empire! Fire!"

Then Hu Xiaofei kicked his other leg and broke it.

The Japanese soldiers at the front also began to hesitate, not daring to fire or release the man. Although the orders they had received before coming here were harsh, in reality, this old man was more important than all of them combined.

The situation suddenly froze.

"Boom! Boom..."

Several explosions came from the side. The Japanese soldiers, who were being chased by the monsters, didn't care about whether it would damage the base. They threw grenades to try to stop the monsters.

However, having been bombed by Hu Xiaofei before, the experienced monsters waved their tentacles to deflect the grenades, some even bouncing them towards the flamethrower soldiers behind them.

At that very moment, as if sensing the presence of a true enemy, the half-burnt monster, after dealing with the Japanese soldiers in front of it, charged madly toward Hu Xiaofei.

He threw away the Japanese soldiers who were almost cooked, and a tentacle covered with barbs stabbed at Hu Xiaofei with great speed.

Hu Xiaofei barely dodged it with a turn, and then used her dagger to cut off the tentacle.

But the monster may have mistaken Hu Xiaofei for an enemy trying to stop it from leaving, and after one of its tentacles was severed, it swung more tentacles and charged forward.

It was as if they wanted to continue the duel that hadn't been finished before.

Hu Xiaofei was already injured, and now she was carrying an old man, so she was no longer as agile as before. After barely dodging the tentacles, she was still scratched by the barbs.

The Japanese soldiers blocking the doorway also saw the tentacles extending from the side passage and knew that the monster had caught up with them. The company commander who was chasing the monster also saw Hu Xiaofei and the old man.

If she could, Hu Xiaofei would actually like to team up with the tentacle monster right now. After all, they were going to escape anyway, and the monster had killed more Japanese soldiers than she had.

Unfortunately, the tentacle monster was determined to fight her to the death, and even after her butt was riddled with holes, it continued to attack her relentlessly.

Moreover, the pressure from this tentacle monster was so great that she had to abandon the old man in order to avoid the tentacles.

Upon seeing the old man fall to the ground immediately after being freed from the grasp of Experiment Subject No. 1, the Japanese soldiers at the entrance and inside the base unleashed a furious barrage of fire.

A hail of bullets and those bloodthirsty tentacles shot towards Hu Xiaofei, who was dressed in rags and covered in blood. At this moment, with nowhere to run and nowhere to go, she truly felt how close death was to her.

In a daze, she seemed to see a Grim Reaper wielding a scythe coming to take her away. The Grim Reaper stretched out his withered, bony hand and touched her face, getting closer and closer until he was only an inch away from touching her face.

Then, as if to avoid those hands, she simply closed her eyes, and Death's hand was no longer able to break through that final inch.

But at this moment, the old man lying on the ground stared wide-eyed. In his view, the bullets that were too fast to see suddenly "appeared" when they were about two meters away from Hu Xiaofei. The air that the bullets spun and cut through showed a beautiful wave trajectory. Then the bullets slowed down more and more. Like those more deadly tentacles, the closer they got to Hu Xiaofei, the slower they became, until they finally stopped.

It was as if time had stopped at this moment. No, it was the bullets and tentacles that were attacking Hu Xiaofei that were deprived of their time and their space imprisoned, and they just stood there quietly in the air.

A glint of light appeared in the old man's eyes again. He saw the pebbles on the ground floating up, cracks appearing in the concrete above the tunnel, and the exposed steel bars beginning to bend...

"Mental strength, willpower..."

The old man's lips trembled incessantly, but Hu Xiaofei paid no attention to it. She only felt that the Grim Reaper had not touched her, so she opened her eyes and saw that the Grim Reaper in front of her had retreated until it disappeared.

That feeling of being on the verge of death vanished instantly.

Then she saw the Japanese soldiers who had been firing shots fall down one by one, and the tentacles that had been stabbing at her turned back and pierced through the monster itself.

Seeing that the people and monsters who had just wanted to kill her were now all lying motionless, Hu Yifei was stunned for a second before a sudden feeling of weakness washed over her, almost causing her to collapse to the ground.

Did I do all of this?

"Mental strength, willpower, mental strength, willpower..." The old man beside him kept muttering these words, his eyes now filled with fanaticism as he looked at Hu Xiaofei.

"I knew it! I knew it! You're the only successful experiment; there's no way you couldn't beat that failed one!"

"This is my true masterpiece! This is the real Amaterasu!"

Exhausted, Hu Xiaofei approached the old man, grabbed him by the collar, and asked, "What happened? Why is my body..."

"Your evolutionary path is the only correct one. Quick, I need to go back to the base. I need to continue my research. I need to push your evolution to a deeper level!" The old man stared at Hu Xiaofei with wide eyes, his crazed gaze even containing a hint of piety.

"You don't need to go to the battlefield. You have a greater role to play. I want to create more than just Amaterasu. I want to create... a true god!"

"dream."

Hu Xiaofei's casual two words froze the old man's face, which had been filled with emotion.

Don't you want to become a god?

"I'm not interested. All I want to do right now is go home and get my memories back."

Hu Xiaofei dragged the old man wearily toward the exit, but the weak woman did not notice that the cracks in the tunnel above her were getting bigger and bigger.

Under the cover of night, the base outside the cave was brightly lit.

With such a commotion inside the cave, the remaining Japanese troops at the base outside, seeing that none of the soldiers who had entered the cave had come out alive, not even the wounded, couldn't help but send more troops over to investigate.

But as soon as they got close, snow and mud began to roll down the hill, and then the power went out for the entire base.

The base was plunged into darkness.

Hu Xiaofei, inside the cave, also sensed something was wrong. Stones and bricks kept falling on her head, and the commotion that had already caused the tunnel lights to flicker on and off had now completely gone out.

"You can't leave! You're coming back with me!"

The old man was still arguing, but Hu Xiaofei was too lazy to pay him any attention. If it weren't for getting information out of him, she would have killed him long ago.

However, the closer she got to the cave entrance, the more rocks fell from above, and even clods of earth began to sink into the cracks behind her.

The old man had stopped talking at some point. He looked back at the approaching exit, and the madness in his eyes gradually subsided.

Hu Xiaofei grabbed him and stopped talking, focusing on dealing with the falling rocks overhead.

The cracks had spread throughout the tunnel. Hu Xiaofei continued to push her body to its limits, hoping to get out as soon as possible. Just then, a large rock fell on her head. Hu Xiaofei quickly moved aside, but then she immediately stopped moving.

Looking down, she saw that the old man had somehow pulled out a syringe and stabbed it into her thigh.

Hu Xiaofei quickly pushed him aside, pulled out the syringe that was already half-filled, and glared at the old man: "What is this?"

"If you are unwilling to let me continue to advance your evolution, and unwilling to be the Amaterasu of the Empire, then I can only make you never remember your past or present."

The old man, unable to move his legs, chuckled. He was in a terrible state himself. "It's a pity I haven't developed a potion to end your evolution yet. But... even if I did, I doubt I'd be willing to use it on my creation."

As soon as he finished speaking, a stone slab fell and smashed his head.

Knowing that she was going to continue suffering from amnesia, Hu Xiaofei was immediately enraged. But when she walked up to the old man who was completely dead, she paused for two seconds before using her bayonet to completely sever his neck.

She would feel more at ease if he died a little more completely.

Freed from her burdens, Hu Xiaofei sped up and rushed towards the cave exit, but before she could get out, the small mountain finally collapsed.

A disaster resembling both an avalanche and a mudslide followed, burying the entire base in just a few minutes. The Japanese soldiers who had planned to enter the cave to provide support were also unable to escape. This sinful place where human biochemical experiments were conducted vanished in the cold, snowy night.

……

"These Japanese devils are really despicable. What have they done to the Northeast?"

"Shh, don't talk about these things! Be careful, there might be spies."

"I don't know how long this war will last. If this continues, we won't be able to do business."

"You're just unable to do business, some are even losing their lives!"

"Has that female student woken up yet?"

"No? Her fever has gone down, but she's still very weak. I'll get her some medicine when we get back to Shanghai."

"Tsk tsk, I don't know how she got out of there. With all those injuries, I thought I'd seen a ghost!"

"It must have been the Japanese!"

"Could she be an underground..."

"If so, that would be even better. Saving her would be a way to support the resistance against Japan! But I didn't see any wanted poster for her."

"..."

A few days later, on a train traveling from Northeast China to Shanghai, a middle-aged couple in a sleeper car were whispering to each other.

On their upper bunk, a young and beautiful girl was lying quietly.

The train chugged along, leaving the snow-covered Northeast and heading towards the brightly lit metropolis of Shanghai.

At the same time, it sailed into the 31st year of the Republic of China.

(End of this chapter)