KOF: Rise of the King of Fighters

In the still of the night, the biting wind relentlessly penetrates clothing and reaches the skin, making one shiver uncontrollably.

Yan Yue and Wei Pu, dressed in rebel uniforms, drove a rebel-dedicated transport vehicle at high speed towards a town outside the city.

Yan Yue focused intently on the steering wheel, and the vehicle drove smoothly along the highway. In the passenger seat, Wei Pu held a flashlight, illuminating a photograph.

Whip's beautiful eyes were fixed on the person in the photo, and she said softly, "Colonel Hilde, the Minister of Weapons of the United Nations Government Forces..."

Yan Yue nodded in agreement. "That's right, it should be him. When I overheard conversations among the rebel leaders, they mentioned that Colonel Hilde had been here..."

"Are you sure?" Whip's face showed obvious confusion, as if she found the current situation somewhat difficult to understand.

"But how did government troops end up in rebel territory?... Or perhaps, does the government army also have some unknown problems?"

Yan Yue couldn't help but sigh, "Perhaps... the evil in human nature is unpredictable..."

This is why we came here, isn't it? I have a strong feeling that Hilde is in this town…”

Just then, Whip suddenly turned her head and looked straight at Yan Yue. Her eyes were unblinking, as if she could see into Yan Yue's heart through his eyes.

Yan Yue felt Whip's gaze, turned her head slightly, and asked with some confusion, "What's wrong?"

Whip paused for a moment, then looked away and slowly said, "Yan Yue, if we really follow the intelligence you've gathered, then the rebels' new weapons are very likely from the government forces..."

Yan Yue's expression instantly turned extremely ugly; he had clearly realized the seriousness of the problem.

The rebel commander-in-chief is a man named Modern, but now Hilde of the government forces has dealings with Modern.

To some extent, this means that the mercenaries Haderen is sending and the government troops fighting on the front lines are being sent to their deaths in vain.

He took a deep breath, then slammed on the accelerator, and the car sped across the snow, kicking up a flurry of snowflakes.

……

Hidden within this seemingly ordinary town is a massive steel factory.

The steel factory stood silently in the darkness, its towering chimneys and massive buildings appearing particularly solemn under the moonlight.

The factory was heavily guarded by hundreds of soldiers, and there were also several armored tanks on all sides.

Yan Yue and Wei Pu parked the car, looked at the factory in the distance, and began looking for an opportunity to sneak in.

They observed the guards' patrol routes and shift changes, and discovered that the security was relatively weak at one point along the factory's perimeter wall.

Yan Yue rushed over in one stride, quickly scaling the wall, and then pulled Wei Pu up with her.

The two landed carefully, and Whip, once again relying on Yan Yue's [Perception Domain], worked together to evade the patrolling soldiers. Disguised as ordinary rebel soldiers, they quietly made their way into the factory.

Stepping inside the steel factory, a wave of heat hits you. The roar of machines and the clanging of steel blend together.

In the heart of the factory, molten iron churns in a high-temperature furnace.

The robotic arm precisely picks up the pre-formed parts and places them on the assembly table. The workers are also busy at their respective posts, skillfully assembling and welding the parts. Amidst the sparks flying, the prototype of the mecha tank gradually takes shape.

As soon as Yan Yue and Wei Pu entered the gate, they hurriedly hid in a corner.

Whip whispered, "We'll split up. I'll stay on the lower level, Yan Yue, you go to the upper level and try to find the factory's data lists and design blueprints. We'll meet here in an hour..."

"Understood..." Yan Yue nodded slightly, pressed down her military cap, and then walked up the stairs on her own, pretending to be nonchalant as she surveyed her surroundings.

As soon as Yan Yue stepped onto the upper floor, she sensed that the atmosphere was somewhat unpleasant.

Soon, a rebel officer approached him warily. "Which squad are you from? I've never seen you before."

Yan Yue's heart tightened, but his face remained calm as he replied, "I am Colonel Hilde's personal guard, and I just returned from outside..."

Before he finished speaking, Yan Yue's hand had already quietly reached for the dagger at his waist. If the other party made the slightest move, he would kill him.

The soldier frowned slightly upon hearing this, clearly doubting Yan Yue's answer. "Show me your identification!"

Yan Yue inwardly cried out in alarm; where would he get any identification?

However, he did not panic. Instead, he continued to feign confusion, placing a hand on his superior's shoulder and speaking in a deliberately serious tone: "Sir, please understand, this is part of our plan..."

Meanwhile, his other hand was already preparing to draw a dagger.

“The plan…” The rebel commander’s expression also turned serious; he seemed to be deep in thought. After a moment, he suddenly straightened up, gave Yan Yue a crisp military salute, and said, “Understood…!”

Yan Yue was stunned when she saw this.

Huh? They really let me go?

Yan Yue was already prepared to make a move, even holding a knife in her hand, just waiting for the other party to be careless so she could slit his throat.

"Thank you..." Yan Yue came to her senses and quickly returned the salute to the rebel commander, then continued walking inside as if she had been granted a pardon.

Whip also encountered trouble on the lower level, where she was stopped by a group of workers who asked her to help count the parts.

Left with no other option, Whip had to pretend to help while looking for a chance to escape.

Time ticked by, and the meeting time drew ever closer...

……

Like a ghost, Yan Yue silently passed through the many checkpoints of the factory laboratory and finally successfully infiltrated the headquarters.

Upon entering the command center, Yan Yue noticed an unusually tense atmosphere.

A group of lab technicians in white lab coats were intently watching the images on a huge electronic screen, their fingers flying across the keyboard.

The screen displays a variety of complex data and charts, which the researchers constantly record and adjust to ensure the smooth progress of the experiment.

Standing on the command platform in the laboratory was a burly, middle-aged military officer with a full beard.

The middle-aged military officer was clearly in charge here. His gaze remained fixed on the screen. Suddenly, he turned to the experimenter beside him and asked, "How's the progress?"

The researcher who was asked the question quickly stood up, saluted, and replied, "General Hilde, based on the prototype design drawings of the SV000 model—the Steel Slug—that you provided, we are now ready to begin mass production of the standard model."

His tone revealed a hint of excitement, but he quickly added, "However, high-end models are still very difficult to replicate and require a long time to develop..."

General Hilde frowned, clearly dissatisfied with the result. He pressed further, "So, what's the situation with the SV001's steel slugs' engagements with the government forces?"

The experimenter's expression turned somewhat serious. He replied, "Based on the recent engagement between SV001's steel slug and the government forces, the results are satisfactory, but further improvements are still needed..."

General Hilde's face contorted with rage. He said grimly, "With Loki added to the mix, we'll just keep winning..."

However, while Hilde was discussing the research project with the researchers, Yan Yue was secretly sensing everything around her.