Chapter 281
"In two minutes, this ship will crash outside the Zerg hive. The Zerg swarm coming to reinforce is still accelerating and will arrive in about five minutes." Johnny Silverhand appeared beside him like a ghost; he was the only one who could teleport inside the warship.
"Prepare the evacuation procedures. By the way, how's the battle between the Commander-in-Chief and the Queen going?"
"The guard squad was almost wiped out, and the commander-in-chief was Piercer the chest, but he is still guarding the door."
As expected, the difference in strength was such that even the previous commander-in-chief wouldn't dare claim he could take on the Queen one-on-one. Yuki, nodding to indicate that he understood.
The movement of each piece lingered in his mind, and accompanied by the deafening sounds of battle, he placed his piece at the bottom.
"Open the door."
Johnny Silverhand hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and used his highest level of access to open the sealed floor.
Ugh--
The sound of a motor turning came, the huge electronic door lock was released, and the thick steel plate split open to both sides. Yuki's expression changed slightly, and all that could be seen was a thick cloud of fog.
The extremely high concentration of soul energy, the Fire Seed, resides within this enclosed room.
The passage was top secret, designed to take away Fire Seed in case of an accident. The builders never imagined that someone would climb in from the opposite direction.
The room was small, with smooth metal walls all around and a ceiling covered with a dense network of pipes. In the center of the cluster of pipes was a small cylindrical platform.
A cube about the size of a fist, crystal clear and dark green, is placed in the center. It melts like ice, releasing a large amount of energy into the air.
"This is the Rubik's Cube." Yuki finally saw the true form of his main quest item. He couldn't imagine how such Little Ichi thing could contain a huge number of souls and keep countless machines running.
The energy it releases cannot be used, but simply taking it can transform it into a super-powerful item at the starting level of Chaos Grade (Level 6), and this item has a high compatibility with the user.
The Kamui given to the steel-bodied god was of little use, but it was practically a divine artifact to him and that cursed spirit.
"Like the Holy Grail in the Fate/stay night, it has an almost inexhaustible energy source attached to it."
A dazzling light filled his vision, and a hint of greed appeared in Yuki's eyes. He began to seriously consider taking the 'Fire Seed' and then killing the queen, until he was awakened by a wary gaze from behind.
Johnny Silverhand kept staring at Yuki's back. Every player wanted the Fire Seed, and if Yuki took it, he would face an attack from humans, insects, and even all the players.
He had to choose between reason and greed, and at that moment, even Johnny Silverhand couldn't stop him.
If Yuki dares to take it for himself, Silver Hand is prepared to turn against him. This would not only be a violation of the alliance, but would also be using all the players as stepping stones.
"Don't be nervous. Even if I got this thing, I still couldn't handle a swarm of insects. Carrying a giant power bank won't increase my power output."
Yuki suddenly laughed. There was no need for oaths; a calm analysis was more credible.
Johnny Silverhand chuckled, exhaling a smoke ring. "I was just worried you wouldn't be able to withstand the test."
Do I look like someone with a weak will?
"Ha, you're not firm enough. I'll take you to Night City for some fun sometime. It's right at the Reincarnation Crossroads, you'll definitely have a blast."
This is a sign of recognition; Yuki's ability to remain calm even when facing the Fire Seed shows his limitless potential, and Johnny Silverhand is also willing to be friends with him.
Vulgar.
Yuki smiled as he looked towards the main gate. The sounds of battle grew closer, and the fighting had spread from the hall to the corridor. The closer they got to the 'Fire Seed,' the more frenzied the swarm became.
"Ten seconds until crash, I have to get out of here." Johnny Silverhand also looked towards the gate; the Queen and her guards were already very close.
"Hope's soul field is preparing to Repulsion, concentrating the overflowing energy at the designated coordinates. All personnel are to evacuate from the front of the ship."
"Clear."
Johnny Silverhand projection disappeared, Yuki steadied himself on the cylindrical platform, his gaze piercing.
Come, when you see hope, burn everything to ashes.
Thump!!
A violent tremor came from beneath his feet, followed by the sound of steel twisting. Yuki was thrown into the air, and even he saw stars when he hit the ground.
The giant ship crashed a few kilometers west of the insect hive, like a meteorite falling to the ground, kicking up a huge cloud of mud. Fortunately, it was sturdy enough that it did not break into pieces.
However, the internal structure still suffered irreversible damage. The heavy protective door was twisted, the steel corridor was torn apart, and through the cracks, one could see swarms of insects in the sky.
Thousands upon thousands of insects flew over, the container shattered, and the Fire Seed were revealed. The swarm of insects, which had flown for hundreds of kilometers, was greatly encouraged and began to swoop down.
"Even if the remaining numbers are several times higher than the Samurai Bug, is there still no chance of victory?"
Yuki muttered something to himself, then turned his gaze back to what was in front of him.
The commander-in-chief's helmet was blown off, a large chunk of flesh was sliced off his cheek, and there was a large hole in the chest of his heavy power armor, from which blood was flowing continuously. He was left with only three guards, one of whom, with his blond hair disheveled, was none other than Chris.
Thankfully, the girl didn't die.
Yuki's eyes showed a hint of relief as he slightly raised his head and saw several dark figures slipping through the twisted doorway.
The first person appeared to be human, with long, snake-like hair, legs like a locust, hands like blades, and a long, thin tail.
But she had a pretty face and looked like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl. Her golden snake eyes were fixed on Yuki, with a hint of bewilderment.
"Nice to meet you, Queen." Yuki nodded politely, then noticed that the insect, which looked quite like a human, had no intention of wasting words and stared intently at the 'Fire Seed' before instinctively taking a step forward.
But when a knife was placed on the Fire Seed, its steps suddenly stopped.
Humans can only destroy the Fire Seed by initiating a self-destruct program, a process that takes 24 hours. However, players can destroy the container in the simplest way to complete the main quest.
However, it takes at least 12 hours for the energy to burn out before the process can proceed from 'destruction' to 'annihilation'.
The Queen seemed to know this as well; she could stop the self-destruct program, but she couldn't repair the most direct damage. Her golden eyes looked at Yuki again, trying hard to suppress her desires.
"Infiltrator, you should stand on my side!"
The voice was ethereal yet sharp, like a shark's teeth and a sucker-like tongue.
These words caused Chris to show a look of utter horror. Yuki Sorajima was actually an infiltrator? And he had walked step by step to the Fire Seed? Closer than anyone else?
The girl's worldview nearly collapsed. She quickly looked at the commander-in-chief, but the square-faced man showed no change, clearly having already guessed it.
Leaving aside Chris's existential crisis, Yuki, holding the knife, stroked the treasure in front of him and calmly replied, "Sorry, I only stand on the side of Truth."
"Might makes Truth. These humans should have been swept into the trash long ago. They have no ability to evolve and should be used as stepping stones for the strong to reach higher places. But you can evolve infinitely, so we are the true kindred spirits!"
Wow, it seems to know the players quite well.
Yuki thought of Aizen; the problem here was clearly more than just a dungeon. He secretly peeked outside through the crack.
Under Johnny Silverhand's control, the warship's remaining energy was channeled into its soul field, acting like a fan to blast the thick fog into the air.
This energy had neither benefit nor harm; the dense swarm of insects rushed directly into the fog, rolling towards this side.
"Your Majesty, you have misunderstood. The meaning of Truth is 'I can do whatever I want,' and it has nothing to do with strength or weakness."
These words startled the queen, who had mastered the art of sophistry, and it took her a while to understand their meaning:
What I want is none of your business.
Humans are truly irrational. If he were on my side with his abilities, the matter would have been settled long ago, and they would have been able to return home safely.
The queen looked disdainful, yet couldn't understand, and was too lazy to waste words with Yuki.
"Hey, you from outer space, let's make a deal."
Tell me about it.
"Give me the Fire Seed, and I guarantee your safe departure. Don't look at me with such suspicion; the swarm doesn't lie."
Can't lie? That wasn't one of the hints.
Yuki, knowing she was stalling for time. This silence revealed the queen's true, ruthless nature.
"If you destroy it, I guarantee that I will use every insect and every tentacle to find you and devour you completely!"
"Get impatient, get impatient! Didn't you say you weren't angry?" Yuki's expression was infuriating, and then the queen and the guards took a step forward at the same time.
"You've just learned anger. You either believe me, or you perish with these people! The extraterrestrials, their Destiny is none of your concern!"
Both civil and military tactics are viable options. Looking at the wounded men behind him, and then at the queen before him and the swarm of insects, a normal person would easily make the choice.
Yuki pondered for a few seconds, then suddenly raised his hand and grasped the 'Fire Seed,' before tossing it to the Queen amidst Chris's horrified expression.
Time seemed to freeze. The girl's face flushed red, filled with helplessness and despair. The queen's attention was entirely focused on the Rubik's Cube as she reached out to grab it.
With just the slightest contact, it can stop its self-destruction process, swallow the Fire Seed into its body, cross the evolutionary chasm, break through the shackles of space, and listen to the voice of its 'mother' once again.
Hope is at hand, destruction is at hand.
Humans and insectoids stared at the Fire Seed with drastically different emotions, watching as a phantom-like blade appeared above, gently and without hesitation cleaving the Fire Seed in two.
!?
Time seemed to freeze completely. Both sides saw the cube-shaped container being cut open, and a burst of blue light spreading out—the souls of countless people screaming and clamoring as they gushed forth.
Ah, so beautiful.
In that instant, Yuki seemed to see a beautiful firework, with endless blue light the Roar and dyeing the surrounding starry sky blue.
The cube is merely a container; these rays of light are the true 'Fire Seed.' Because they are so immense, this torrent will take 24 hours to extinguish, which is why the player has not yet completed the main quest.
"Soul Field, full power!"
Yuki uttered a few words, raised his sword, and the immense force from his arm slammed him against the wall.
"What did you do?!"
The queen screamed, her rage piercing the soul. With a single blow, she sent Yuki flying. Like a child who had smashed a water tank, Yuuki was helpless in the face of the gushing Fire Seed, trying to block them with his hands but unable to.
The container has shattered, and no one can collect these invisible souls. Even a soul force field can only guide them; they will still be annihilated into the air.
"I'm going to kill you! I'll devour you until not a single cell is left!!"
The Roar transformed into a shockwave, so powerful it made it difficult to stand. All the insects' eyes turned red, obeying the queen's will, their endless hatred focused on Yuki.
[Player Yuki, your Swarm reputation has reached the Nemesis level]
The strange murmurs were ironic; the hatred was palpable. A holographic map popped up before his eyes, Yuki found himself irresistibly charming.
From the sky to the ground, inside and outside the ship, all the insects swarmed in this direction. Years of planning and pursuit were all cut short by Yuki's single strike. Even killing him a hundred times wouldn't be enough to vent my anger.
"Brother Yuki, you've stirred up a hornet's nest!" The commander-in-chief had never seen the swarm of insects so frenzied, yet he held his greatsword firmly in front of Yuki, laughing heartily, "Get up, all of you, and see the impotent rage of these vermin!"
The three soldiers, led by Captain Chris, also stood up and formed a small battle formation.
They were like grains of sand before the swarming army, easily dealt with by the enraged queen. Yuki, however, paid no heed to the rage; he focused solely on the expansion of the 'Nebula'.
The surging soul energy, guided by human intervention, spread across the sky, covering the swarming insects, resembling a magnificent blue Milky Way.
It's a little short, but it's barely enough.
Yuki looked at the enraged queen, who, like an arrowhead, led thousands upon thousands of insects, exuding an unstoppable aura.
Its blade-like hands spread out, its attack power is even more ferocious than that of Kamui; no creature in this dungeon can face it head-on.
Yuki, of course, couldn't do that either. He put down his knife, pulled out a simple-looking Hunter's Blunderbuss, and pointed the Black Hole muzzle at the queen who could travel a hundred meters per second.
"You think you can kill me with this gun?!"
The Roar came from all directions, creating a binding effect on the soul level, making everyone's hands and feet feel like lead, almost impossible to move.
Yuki didn't intend to move; he simply tightened his finger and pulled the trigger.
Bang.
The primer ignited, and the burning projectile burst from the barrel, penetrating the thick blue fog like a spark falling into an oil depot, igniting the surrounding soul energy and burning from the ground into the sky as the Queen abruptly stopped.
A soaring flame of the soul illuminated the black-haired, red-eyed youth. He held a gun in one hand and a knife in the other, with wisps of smoke still rising from the muzzle of the gun.
I will--
"Ignite the Milky Way!"
Chapter 42 Insect Extermination, the Final Battle! (4K)
Without destruction, there can be no construction; without annihilation, there can be no life.
Using the properties of incendiary projectiles, they ignited the human souls stored for thousands of years, and with that pure soul energy, they burned the main force of the insect swarm that came to provide support to ashes.
This is called the final solution.
The sky was ablaze, a magnificent sea of fire stretching from the wreckage of warships on the ground to the very edge of the heavens. This seemingly romantic scene is actually quite simple in scientific terms:
By artificially controlling the energy flow, an oil and gas belt was laid out along the pursuit route. Factors such as warship crashes, insect swarms going berserk, and the harmlessness of energy were used to lure the enemy to attack, and then Yuki personally ignited it.
In psychology, Yuki wore down the Queen's patience, seized upon her desire for evolution, and lured her into the trap.
"Blinded by greed, who wants a fair fight with you?"