Chapter 273
"Concealment field deployed, Hope at full speed, target: Zerg hive--"
"Fire-Chasing Plan, commence!"
Chapter Thirty-Five: The Queen Is Here (First Update)
The ship trembled slightly, but even after taking a long detour, it would only take an hour or so to reach 'Emerald Star City'.
The giant ship was flying close to the atmosphere, which was the Limit of the anti-gravity engine, and at this altitude it could avoid all force fields and the swarms of Bat Dragon patrolling back and forth.
He charged straight in, taking the queen's head from among thousands of soldiers, but everyone knew this journey would not be easy, and there was a high chance he would not return.
The Defense Force can set up any false targets, but they can't create a second 'Hope'. The swarm won't let their guard down until this ship appears.
They're not stupid; they know what humanity's only hope for turning the tide is.
"Be careful. I have a feeling the Queen is waiting for this ship to pass by; this is her best chance to seize the Fire Seed."
In the hangar of Sector I, Yuki was repeatedly warning Mai Sakurajima, out of personal concern that he didn't want his senior to take any risks.
But the senior student had to take the risk; she had at least a 30% chance of success in the whole plan.
"You've said it dozens of times already. We've been through so many dungeons, what dangers haven't we faced?" Mai Sakurajima wrinkled her nose, patted Yuki's shoulder with an air of maturity, and said, "Don't worry, I'll definitely find that queen and come back safely."
That's true; they've long been capable of handling things on their own.
Yuki felt he was being a bit too concerned, but still cautioned, "There are players on the other side, so be careful."
The sealed door closed, Mai Sakurajima inside gave an OK sign before disappearing without a trace.
A small landing pod with optical camouflage was dropped to send Mai Sakurajima to the outskirts of the city. She would then use her special abilities to infiltrate, first finding the Skull Lands based on the previously left coordinates, and then exploring further inside.
The time available for the Adolescence Syndrome is limited. To be honest, this trip is very dangerous, and there's also a hidden danger in Yuki that I can't mention.
Aizen, who visited many years ago, is an uncertain factor.
"Worried?" Hayasaka Ai approached quietly, her movements seamless.
"Yes, I both wish the Queen were still here and wish she were gone."
"Which desire is stronger?" the maid asked succinctly.
Yuki lowered his head and thought for a moment before smiling wryly, "It's better to stay put. If she really starts playing dirty, we're doomed to lose."
The chances of this happening are actually very low. After dealing with the swarm for half a month, they have no concept of life and death, only a strong desire for their goal. Since the Queen wants the Fire Seed, she will do everything in her power to create an opportunity.
Just as the Defense Force were sending ordinary soldiers to their deaths, the Queen wouldn't care about the lives of those hundreds of thousands of insects.
This battle was extremely risky, but there's no turning back now that the arrow has been released; there's no going back no matter what.
Hayasaka Ai handed over a cup of coffee, paused for a moment, then remembered something else. "There's been a trace of those people from the Aether Particles."
"Where?" Yuki asked instinctively. Last time, he had borrowed the Blood Demon's appearance. If the other party was still alive, this battle was definitely a trap.
"They've hidden inside the walls; looks like they're trying to sneak through the instance." The maid paused, a hint of envy in her voice. "These people are so carefree; they won't take any risks at all."
"What a load of rubbish! This is just handing your Destiny over to the dungeon and letting it rot." Yuki scoffed with disdain, "Do you know why I never choose this seemingly easy way to conquer the game?"
Starting with Bloodthirsty Red Moon, whether actively or passively, Yuki has always been at the forefront of the strategy, acting as a mainstay.
"Because you want to be a hero?"
"No, because I have a bit of a grudge." Yuki his coffee in one gulp, turned around, and walked into the lounge.
"The Reincarnation Game wants me dead, wants me to escape reality, but I won't!"
Do you think they will come?
Within the city of fleshy carpet, atop a high-rise building, the Mahito and the Kamui might sat side by side, gazing at the magnificent wall of light in the distance.
The insect hive is on high alert. While the front lines are fiercely fighting, most of the insects here have remained untouched.
"It's possible, it's possible, it depends on whether they can see this only way out."
"That's really useful nonsense." Kamui laughed, glancing at the azure sky. "They'll definitely come. You could tell from before that the players on the other side are pretty tough. They won't just sit and wait to die. I'm quite curious how that Blood Demon managed to kill the Evil Ghost."
"Heh, that Blood Demon isn't even worthy of carrying Akaza's shoes. While we were away, some other player must have impersonated him." Mahito scoffed, thinking to himself that Akaza was dead, and those people would be happy. He'd definitely get a scolding when they got back.
Every faction and organization has core members. It doesn't matter how many grunts die, but the death of a core member usually signifies a feud.
Among the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, there are not only demons, but also people who are irreconcilable enemies.
"Impersonating someone else... Hmm, that doesn't seem like Captain Levi's doing. It must be that Yuki Sorajima." Kamui's thinking was quite simple. He also had relevant intelligence from the previous Zerg swarm database invasion, and he couldn't help but clap his hands lightly.
"Alright, I'll kill this guy. It'll be more interesting than the Smiling Lady and Captain Levi."
"Whatever, but on the player level, we're at a disadvantage," the Mahito reminded them. Besides the two of them, the Zerg swarm only had one remaining grunt ghost.
"It doesn't matter. Once we kill them, the dungeon will be almost over." Kamui gently swung his legs, propping his chin up as if he was thinking about how to relax after the dungeon ended.
"Dream on. They'll definitely find a way to destroy the Fire Seed. Those insects will go crazy, and we'll probably be dragged down with them too."
"Didn't you prepare in advance? Turning your soul into the shape of an insect should be enough to last a day or two, right? I can just kill the insects then. Both sides are suffering heavy losses. If I can't survive this, then I deserve to die."
The words were lighthearted, yet they pointed out the prerequisite for the two to be 'willful'.
The infiltrators' main mission is to seize or destroy the Fire Seed, not to destroy it themselves. Letting the other side do it is the same. The destruction and return of this thing will not be instantaneous, but it will not take more than 48 hours.
Even if the swarm goes berserk, it will only be directed at humans. The two are still confident that they can withstand the aftershocks of their anger.
"I'll handle the Mechanical Believers, and you can handle Yuki Sorajima. We'll make our move after both sides have fought enough." The Mahito confirmed this with a cheerful tone, making it unnecessary to hold a meeting. "My only concern right now is whether they dare to come."
The two were lying in wait, hoping to catch their prey; if they came up empty-handed, they'd be in trouble.
Kamui remained silent, his swinging legs suddenly stopped, and he opened his narrowed eyes a crack, looking down at the empty street below.
"Don't worry, they're here."
Is someone watching me?
Mai Sakurajima shivered and didn't dare to look up. Having used her special ability so many times, she had completely figured out how to erase the 'presence' of others.
Do not harbor ill will towards any particular person, do not make eye contact with anyone, do not use any props or skills, and treat yourself as an invisible person forgotten by the world, so that you will not be observed.
So she didn't dare to look, nor did she need to. Since being discovered meant certain death, she simply made up her mind to walk inside.
The insects were all hiding inside the building, the wide road was empty, everything was quiet, and there was no sound. The air was filled with the smell of highly poisonous spores.
They are on guard.
Mai Sakurajima's heart tightened, and she quickened her pace. After obtaining the bloodline skills of the Psychic Warrior, her physical abilities had increased to a certain extent. She quickly climbed over the red wall and found the coordinates left by Yuki.
The insect swarms were even denser within the second ring, but neither the ferocious Samurai Bug nor the human-headed Human Bug could sense Mai Sakurajima walking past them.
However, the sky had already risen, blocking out the sunlight, and the surroundings were pitch black.
For most people, this would be a difficult step forward; they would have to spend a lot of time searching their surroundings. But Yuki's work was incredibly meticulous.
"Go forward 300 meters, turn southeast at 30 degrees, there's a car wreck on your left. Touch it, then go forward another 500 meters, you'll smell a foul odor. Once you're sure, turn northwest at 25 degrees..."
Mai Sakurajima simply closed her eyes and turned her back to the board. The dark maze created by the swarm of insects could not trap her at all. About five minutes later, the soft sensation under her feet changed.
It's round, with a hole in the middle; this is the Skull Lands.
Mai Sakurajima bent down and picked up a skull, confirming that this was the furthest point Yuki had explored. She stood stiffly, listening carefully to her surroundings, feeling her heart beating faster and faster.
An invisible gaze swept across, probing every inch of space, giving her a Hiyori, dreamlike feeling, as if this gaze was constantly reading everything.
She had been forgotten by the instance, Yuki could hardly remember her, but the surrounding environment had not been forgotten.
It's like a book you're too familiar with. Because of it, certain changes, like altering a single word, are insignificant, but for a reader who has memorized the entire book, something still feels off.
'That idiot, tell him to sell me.'
Mai Sakurajima gritted her teeth slightly, but showed no intention of blaming Yuki; she simply stood on tiptoe.
With 28 minutes left, and no time to go back if I can't find you, I might as well steel myself and give it my all.
Her extraordinary physical attributes combined with her bloodline skills made her steps extremely Lightness as she stepped on the round skulls. The gaze she received also guided her, saving her time from wasting time searching in this dark place.
Mai Sakurajima Yi tiptoed forward, almost meter by meter, and soon heard soft, whirring sounds, like farts, in her ears.
Something is wriggling?
She tried to visualize her surroundings, feeling as if she were passing through an invisible membrane, just like opening a toilet door and being hit by a strong stench.
The stench, like a pile of countless corpses, was nauseating. Mai Sakurajima held her breath, her throat tightening, forcefully suppressing the urge to vomit. Just then, she saw several beams of emerald green light.
Emerald Stone.
Mai Sakurajima glanced around with a fleeting look, not daring to focus her pupils, as if she had walked into a cave, surrounded by scarlet, surging folds.
It's not a cave, but more like the large intestine of an animal?
The ground was covered with countless skulls, densely packed and stretching into the distance. The tops of the skulls were also covered with densely packed protrusions, resembling stalactites, but their surfaces were covered with blood vessels and were constantly contracting.
Insect eggs, countless insect eggs.
Mai Sakurajima felt a chill run down her spine, triggering her trypophobia, but she was also extremely excited, which proved that she had found the right place.
The deep passageway felt like inside a living organism.
The real insect nest is here? Wait, what's that?
Mai Sakurajima approached the Emerald Stone and saw a long sword leaning against the cave wall. Its appearance was simple and unadorned, much like the weapon that Yuki often used.
The knife stood out starkly among the dense skulls and insect eggs. Mai Sakurajima, of course, dared not touch it, but only glanced at it a few more times before quickly walking past.
Pfft, pfft
Strange noises continued to come, insect eggs fell from above, and several blood-stained Samurai Bug crawled out of them and immediately headed out of the cave.
Mai Sakurajima stood frozen in place, almost certain that she had found the right place. She glanced at the deep cave and gritted her teeth to continue walking inside.
As the duration of her special ability passed, the gaze continued to sweep over her. Mai Sakurajima forgot that she would die instantly without her ability and simply walked inside, seeing many strange and unusual things.
In one area, there were thousands of stone beds covered with shriveled corpses, much like the mummies in textbooks, except that each one had been disemboweled.
In one area, countless Emerald Stones are sinking into a swamp of flesh and blood at a visible speed, with large veins surging on the walls, seemingly transporting these stones to some other place.
The cave was enormous and extremely complex, with forks in the road everywhere. Mai Sakurajima simply gave up on the idea of turning back, because she realized she couldn't find her way back at all, and could only continue deeper into the cave following her gaze.
Closer, closer.
Mai Sakurajima became fixated on something strange, forgetting the vibrations of her watch that were a reminder that her special ability could last for another 10 minutes.
As you enter a corridor inlaid with Emerald Stone, your pace slows, and your gaze reaches the end.
But at that moment, a clear female voice came from all directions.
"You've finally arrived."
All the muscles in his body tensed instantly, his heart stopped beating, his purple eyes widened, and his lips trembled uncontrollably.
Mai Sakurajima felt her soul leave her body, and a death knell began to play, but she remained motionless as if resigned to her fate, showing no intention of activating any defensive items.
"You've finally arrived."
The ethereal voice came a second time, making her heart start beating again, and causing Mai Sakurajima to purse her lips.
What a cunning insect! It tricked me.
She breathed a sigh of relief. If she had fought back desperately just now, she would have been discovered by now. Fortunately, she didn't have any fighting ability and chose to give up.
Phew, if it were that pig-headed guy, he'd be finished. Even vegetables have their advantages.
She patted her chest, knowing that if it were Yuki, she would definitely draw her sword and fight to the death. Looking ahead, there was a door that looked like a stomach antrum, constantly opening and closing, but this time there was no intention to move forward.
We're close enough now; going any further would be suicidal.
Mai Sakurajima didn't want to die silently, letting Hayasaka Ai get away with it. She was forgotten by the world, but she had a way to send her coordinates.
She pulled out her Spirit Particle Communicator and crushed it without hesitation. The main unit would immediately lose signal, and Yuki, who had been ignoring her, would be startled awake. Following her logical thinking, she would remember herself, her mission, and finally, a sudden realization dawned on her—
The Queen is here!
Chapter Thirty-Six: Kyoka Suigetsu? (Second Update)
Hope, bridge.
Looking outwards, a distinct arc appeared in the sky, and the giant ship was hovering above Emerald Star City. Apart from a few maintenance engineers and control personnel, the rest were all soldiers.