Chapter 252
Each slash sprayed out a large amount of acid, a nightmare for melee fighters. But Yuki was too fast; the sprayed acid couldn't catch up with him at all. Instead, the 'Man-eating Flower' was ignited, emitting a piercing scream.
Boom--
The Blaster Rifle blasted it to the ground, and Chris and the others, who were fighting the giant squid above their heads, moved forward.
"Mr. Yuki, you go quickly, we'll cover your retreat."
As soon as they moved, more Hunter Bug appeared in the darkness. Instinct told them to separate the two. Without saying a word, Yuki rushed towards the warehouse exit.
The power to the entire area was cut off, and the heavy explosion-proof doors opened automatically, revealing a smooth road ahead.
Looking further back, the translucent mantis caught up, and the Crimson Squad blocked the entrance, using the terrain to become human shields.
'We need to get rid of that Jackson quickly.'
Yuki had no intention of wasting time, and with the target already out of the Devil's Vision, he stepped into the corridor lined with transparent glass on both sides and extended his Hunter's Blunderbuss from under his arm.
Bang!
The dense hail of shrapnel filled every inch of space, leaving the pursuing Hunter Bug with no way to escape. They could only cross their blade-like forelegs and ram their heads into the wall formed by the rain of bullets.
It let out a piercing wail, and despite the pain, it continued forward, only to see Yuki turn around and pull the trigger a second time.
Incendiary projectiles.
The energy in the air was ignited, and the mantis, engulfed in flames, squeaked and curled up, while Yuki didn't even look at it, rushing straight through the corridor.
The view suddenly opened up before him, but the pungent stench made him hold his breath.
"Are these Defense Force all pigs? Where did their all-pervasive detectors go?"
The ground and walls were covered with scarlet fungal carpets. These things seemed to be alive, with countless blood vessels constantly contracting and swelling, occasionally bursting out blobs of disgusting yellowish-green liquid.
This is clearly not something that can be done in an hour or two; it would take at least a few days.
How many days?
Yuki's heart skipped a beat. Wasn't this the exact time the players entered? It meant that the Defense Force were distracted and unable to pay attention to the threat right under their noses.
That's incredibly bold; they really aren't afraid of death.
He couldn't detect any scheming or conspiracy; it was more like an instinct to foresee the future. If the player who had willingly acted as a coordinate suddenly turned against them, these Puppet Bug, buried for who knows how many years, would be lost in vain.
"While we don't know how large the plan is, the players aren't yet qualified to be the target."
All the blood vessels converged at the top of the head, and the metal had been corroded into liquid, forming molten steel that dripped continuously. He had tested how sturdy the ship's compartments were; even the lower levels were difficult to break through.
A type of insect, specifically evolved for this battle, silently tore open a large hole. All the fighting was a feint, designed to cover the creation of this void, but one more thing was still missing...
Squeak!
The sharp whistling sound in his ear made Yuki frown. He couldn't hear anything in the communicator, and the holographic tactical map flickered, all the friendly forces markings on it disappearing.
Okay, now we don't need it anymore.
Yuki was just about to ask if they weren't afraid of the early warning system, but the swarm has already interfered with the data link. Chris said that this is within the scope of the Information Department's responsibility.
And then there are the Puppet Bug; the battle seems to be getting increasingly dire.
He could guess the swarm's intentions, but he knew nothing about how humans would respond. He glanced at the empty space above him, then at the flickering light in the corridor behind him, and finally gritted his teeth.
If an infiltrator has already raised their reputation with the Zerg to 'Dislike', then there's no need to hesitate.
With a leap, soul energy formed a staircase, passing through a several-meter-thick isolation layer, the liquid splashing from the bursting blood vessels hissing.
The smell was so overpowering that Yuki simply held his breath, leaped onto Area B, and looked around.
This place is filled with rooms of all sizes, located under the protruding bridge of the warship, so the area is not very large, and the void continues to extend upwards, but he has no desire to go any further.
It was pitch black there, clearly something completely obscuring the Devil's Vision.
Is it the bridge, Area A?
Accompanied by the sound of steel tearing apart, a terrifying sense of oppression descended from above. Clearly, the swarm of insects had bared its fangs, and the humans were on guard.
"Curiosity killed the cat, but that's none of my business."
Yuki didn't want to rush into the battle, so he focused all his attention on his surroundings, but it was as if a purple veil was covering his vision, and the Devil's Vision was also blurry.
No wonder they disappeared; there were special spores in the air.
He quickly drank a bottle of the molecular antidote he had exchanged and saw that the corridor was also covered with fungal carpets. These things were still extending forward along the walls, their surfaces covered with dense capillaries.
Slicing open the doors on both sides, they saw an unknown machine inside, covered in a layer of fungal carpet, emitting electric arcs.
They are burrowing inside, giving the illusion of drawing something in.
"Is this what's causing the communication failure?"
Yuki's understanding of information technology is limited to the PS5; he can only guess that this is a group server, and he has seen the Limit of creep extension.
The Central Database is ahead; there's still time.
Yuki walked forward, sword in hand, and finally reached the 'clean' area, only to find the ground littered with humanoid figures covered in dense fleshy growths, a truly disgusting sight.
A swarm of insects invaded Area B, intending to spread the creep to the Central Database, while the main force moved upwards.
Yuki quickened his pace; the Central Database was something the players needed, and it couldn't be destroyed by the swarm. But then he abruptly stopped and turned around.
Swish--
As the long sword slashed behind him, the corpse that had just fallen to the ground suddenly jumped up and launched a sneak attack. After the slash, Yuki's pupils shrank slightly.
Bang!
These people exploded, spraying out a large amount of foul-smelling liquid, causing Yuki to quickly back away.
Damn, these things can self-destruct?
The corridor was corroded beyond recognition; being drenched in water like that would likely end badly. Looking ahead, the corridor was densely packed with corpses, waiting to be awakened.
If this were all blown up, the server room would be gone too. Yuki couldn't see how many enemies were lying in ambush ahead, so he decisively pulled out his Spirit Particle Communicator.
"Hiyori, your location."
The Defense Force's communications were jammed, but the swarm had not yet evolved jammers to target Reishi particles, and with the ship out of control, they were not afraid of being eavesdropped on.
"I was spectating in Area D. Just now, Smiling Lady had all the players gather together to join the battle."
The Zerg's plans are larger than imagined, and the Command Headquarters is not some blockhead; there's no reason for them to let a powerful army go AFK, even if it might make the situation worse.
"Who didn't come?"
"Mr. Saito, he has been missing for a long time."
How could it be him?
Yuki was taken aback. The samurai with the lowest profile had disappeared, while the more traitorous Purple Shadow had joined the battle. With Teresa watching over them, no one could do anything reckless.
He looked ahead again and said simply, "Find an opportunity to send the puppet over. I'll place the hacking terminal at the current coordinates."
The Spirit Particle Communicator can locate objects, which is undoubtedly very useful in today's chaotic world.
Hiyori paused for a moment, as if reading, before replying, "Okay, wait ten minutes."
Without Yuki ado, Yuki used his shotgun to blast a shallow crater in the wall, then inserted the 'USB drive' into it. After preparing himself, he continued forward.
The corpses covered in fleshy growths stood up one after another, and knowing that someone wanted to do something to the Central Database, he had no intention of holding back.
"Get out of the way, I'm in a hurry."
The soul energy was released without regard to cost, forming a blood-red mist, and then the hunting rifle was raised again.
Ignite.
Gunshots echoed, and the released soul energy instantly ignited, forming a cloud of fire that caused the flesh-covered corpses to scream and writhe.
Thump--
Yuki stepped down with his right leg and charged straight into the fire, brushing past the pile of human-shaped torches.
Bang bang bang...
Clumps of foul-smelling liquid burst out, all of which he left behind. He used brute force to smash open a tightly closed blast door, Yuki stopped abruptly and quickly scanned his surroundings.
This is a large hall, the floor littered with twisted corpses, and in the distance, a sturdy-looking building protrudes from the wall.
Five dark figures, of varying sizes, stood in front of the door, seemingly doing something to the closed door.
Startled by the sound of the door being broken down, they all turned around.
Amidst the tin cans and Man-eating Flower, two people stood out.
One of them, dressed in a red military uniform, was Lieutenant Colonel Jackson.
The man with white hair, dressed in gray, and with two long swords at his waist—wasn't that Saito?
Chapter Eighteen: Stomp it to pieces!
Bang--
With the sound of the door being broken down, the drama was reaching its climax.
The bodies of both sides were intertwined, and the surrounding area was full of traces of bombing. When Yuki the blast door, Lieutenant Colonel Jackson and his men were breaking down the door of the central processing room.
This is the oldest and toughest armor in the Defense Force. Even spores specifically designed to melt alloys cannot melt it, but according to the original plan, they have enough time.
Dissolve slowly, or wait for the fungal carpet to spread, then use Electronic Bug to break the lock and physically access the Central Database.
By planting seeds and absorbing all the information within them, the insect swarm will learn all of humanity's secrets and be able to target evolution from all angles.
This is the core plan. Given the human reaction speed, this small invading force is simply not capable of accomplishing anything significant. Like the players, they first need to find where the Fire Seed is.
So everything was a feint, including the suicidal counterattack launched against the commander-in-chief. But the humans didn't know that the forces were scattered throughout the warship, and those who realized what was happening were all rushing to rescue the commander-in-chief. No one would notice this small passing force.
"Except for him."
Jackson's extremely human-like anger startled Yuki, who also came to her senses.
"We're on the same page, aren't we? They're not just trying to sabotage the Central Database. No wonder the creep on those servers is acting strangely."
Yuki didn't know that the group rushing towards Area A was a group of assassins, but he also wanted the information in the database, so there was nothing more to say.
They exchanged a glance for a moment, both knowing that the longer they delayed, the greater the chance of being discovered by humans, and in that case, neither of them would get their hands on it.
Saito slowly gripped his twin swords, Yuki tensed his muscles, and the Man-eating Flower continued to spew viscous liquid, making the pit on the door deeper and deeper.
"You're behind this?"
"Well, it's just a special ability."
The conversation was brief, but Yuki was already plotting to kill him; this samurai's special ability was troublesome.
Clang--
A crisp sound of a sword being drawn rang out, and the infected Psychic Warrior simultaneously raised their guns.
Stop him.
Da da da da...
The machine gun fire was incessant, and a dense hail of bullets came from the front. Yuki knew these Psychic Warrior well enough, so he took off and ran around them, hugging the walls.
The barrage of bullets followed him relentlessly. His long sword flashed in a dense, impenetrable manner. With a powerful stomp of his feet, Yuki leaped into the air, hanging upside down from the ceiling several meters high.
Um?
Before he could continue his charge, a beam saber loomed large in his eyes.
Puff!
The saber Piercer the afterimage and plunged into the ceiling. The soldier opened his left hand, aiming at the target who had dodged it.
Psychic Force Field.
As if falling into a swamp, Yuki's body froze in mid-air, and he couldn't help but blink.
Soul energy?
This was the second time he had encountered the natives' special use of energy, aside from telepathy, when another warrior suddenly appeared in mid-air, raising the Black Hole muzzle of his gun.
Psychic Invisibility.
Bang--
The Hunter's Blunderbuss and the photon shotgun fired simultaneously, sending the burning Yuki flying into the distance, his back slamming against the wall, his eyes darting around.