Chapter 247
"Rentaro, did that light mean other police officers were killed?"
Seeing the rapid, rhythmic pale blue light, Enju quickly ran over.
"Wait! Enju!"
Rentaro looked at Enju and immediately grabbed her.
"That's not a distress signal from the police or any other signal, Enju." Luo Mio glanced at Enju, then looked back at the flickering pale blue light.
"Huh?"
"That's right, Enju, that might not have been a signal from the police, or rather, it definitely wasn't..."
"That..."
"That's a trap!"
"Trap?"
Looking at the shimmering pale blue light, Luo Mio explained to Enju.
"Didn't you notice? Although the pale blue light flickered very rapidly, it was very regular."
"In a forest teeming with Gastrea, to be able to send out such regular distress signals when in trouble, and with such an eerie pale blue light that looks like will-o' -Will-o'-the-Wisp."
I glanced around.
"And... we're at a disadvantage right now."
I took a light sniff.
"Can't you smell it? This stench of decay."
Upon hearing Luo Mio say that, Enju's cute little nose twitched slightly.
Then, her cute face instantly turned into a sloppy one.
Rentaro, who was standing to the side, also explained to Enju.
"This Gastrea is estimated to be Stage III, and it also carries Gastrea genes."
"Firefly?"
"Fireflies generally feed on pollen or nectar, but there are also carnivorous fireflies that mimic the bioluminescence of other fireflies to attract and prey on those that approach."
"I once read in a book that some orchids emit a musty smell, the smell of urine, and the smell of rotting flesh to attract flies and other flying insects to help spread their pollen."
Rentaro frowned slightly.
"Gastrea that can fuse with plants are quite rare. To evolve to this extent in such a unique way, they are 100% Stage III."
"Ooh ooh ooh..."
Enju, standing beside him, was also looking at Rentaro with sparkling eyes.
Seeing Enju's expression, Rentaro looked away, embarrassed.
Luo Mio smiled gently when she saw this scene.
"Enju, if you want to become Rentaro's bride in the future, you'd better learn more. Don't let Rentaro's appearance fool you, he really enjoys reading books about biology."
Upon hearing this, Enju blinked and looked at Rentaro.
"Doesn't Rentaro like big breasts?"
"Huh?!"
"Huh? Isn't that right?" Enju tilted her head. "But I often see you staring at Rentaro, Rentaro."
"..."
Luo Mio, standing to the side, watched the two of them, her fingers bent and pressed to her lips, chuckling softly.
"Bang!"
At that moment, a loud gunshot rang out from ahead.
Upon hearing the gunshot, the three immediately looked over.
Then more gunfire rang out.
"Someone has fallen into its trap."
"Um?"
Luo Mio raised her eyes slightly, her azure eyes looking around.
"It seems the gunfire has brought out quite a few hidden guys."
"A hidden guy?!"
Rentaro was startled when he heard what Luo Mio said.
He certainly understood the meaning behind Luo Mio's words.
But since entering this vast forest, they have killed countless Gastrea along the way.
Luo Mio glanced at Rentaro.
"Don't forget, this is 'Uncharted Territory,' and these hidden Gastrea are probably quite perceptive. They smelled the blood of their own kind emanating from me and instinctively avoided us."
"Haven't you noticed? In the period that followed, fewer and fewer Gastrea approached us."
Upon hearing this, Rentaro realized what was happening.
"Let's hurry over there; there are probably quite a few Gastrea ahead."
After speaking, a hint of dark, sharp light appeared from the dark gold scabbard in Luo Mio's hand.
Chapter Twenty-Four: Forever Human
"Boom!"
Another explosion echoed through the forest.
"Idiot!" Rentaro cursed under his breath as he watched the thick smoke rise slowly. "This will only attract more Gastrea."
Looking at the thick smoke, Luo Mio said to Rentaro without turning her head.
"I'll go first."
After saying that, he slightly increased the pressure of his steps.
In an instant, Luo Mio's figure shot out.
In the blink of an eye, Luo Mio's figure disappeared from Rentaro and Enju's sight.
In this lush forest filled with weeds, shrubs, and thorns, Luo Mio's figure moved like a white grim reaper... her lightning-fast speed was completely unaffected by them.
Perhaps because she had left Rentaro and Enju behind, a crimson, burning color slowly appeared in Luo Mio's eyes.
A faint crimson glow, like sparks, disappeared into the ground.
The tiny fire that had sunk into the ground gradually spread... and the weak flames gradually grew larger.
But the crimson flames did not burst forth from the ground as the fire grew larger; instead, they gradually spread... spread... until they engulfed the entire forest in the area.
——
At the Tokyo Area 1 Operations Headquarters.
"Huh?"
The pilot of the unmanned aerial vehicle raised a questioning voice.
"What's wrong?"
"It seems like the thermal imaging equipment on the unmanned aerial vehicle is malfunctioning?"
"What? Upload the thermal imaging footage?"
Then a Space Window appeared on the screen.
Then, everyone in the operations room stared in astonishment at the screen. On the screen, the forest holographic image taken from the high altitude by the thermal imaging of the unmanned aerial vehicle showed the entire forest glowing with a crimson heat. Only a burning forest could emit such a high temperature.
But when everyone's gaze turned to another window...
No flames burned in the dark forest...
Looking at the display on the screen, someone murmured.
"Could it be that the thermal imaging equipment is broken?"
——
And deep within the unknown earth, scorching, crimson flames burned fiercely.
At the center of the crimson flames, a faint, eternally silent golden light flickered.
And as the golden light flickered, the Gastrea virus hidden within the Gastrea beneath the earth gradually vanished into nothingness...
On the ground, while the flames spread throughout the forest, Luo Mio only took a few seconds to reach the vicinity of the gunshot.
In Luo Mio's perception, there was a girl with a gun in front of her, and a large group of Gastrea behind her.
Ripples like the surface of a lake appeared in his azure eyes.
Then Luo Mio looked at the girl's appearance.
"Um?"
Luo Mio was slightly taken aback when she saw the girl's appearance.
Then, not far behind the girl, they saw a Gastrea covered in disgusting-looking flowers, its tail shimmering with Gastrea.
This Gastrea is probably the one that Rentaro just explained to Enju Gastrea with firefly genes that have fused with plants.
Seeing this, Luo Mio didn't think much of it.
The "Dao Hui" in his hand slowly revealed a sliver of jet-black Raven Feather Blade.
"——"
A terrifying sword aura that sent chills down one's spine suddenly emanated from Luo Mio's body.
Luo Mio moved her hand slightly, her azure eyes looking indifferently at the Gastrea.
The sharp, pointed sword energy rushed straight towards the Gastrea, and upon sensing the sword energy, the Gastrea immediately stopped and trembled all over.
There were also other Gastrea around the girl.
"Sword shape..."
The "Dao Hui" in Luo Mio's hand revealed half of its raven-feather black blade, the black edge reflecting the silvery moonlight.
Then—
"Open the sword - Instantaneous Dust!"
The black Raven Feather Blade slashed forward in an instant.
An invisible sharpness sliced through the air, passing straight through everything in its path.
Ahead, the girl with the gun only felt a gust of dust whistling past her, and it was only for a moment, making one wonder if it was an illusion.
The Gastrea in front of and around her stopped roaring the next second.
"Huh?"
The girl stared blankly at the Gastrea in front of her.
Then, in the blink of an eye, the Gastrea's body, like a stone blown by the wind for countless years, slowly turned into dust under the gentle breeze and flew into the sky.
The other Gastrea around her also disappeared.
Just as she was stunned.
"Are you alright?"
Luo Mio emerged from the woods beside her and asked the girl a question.
The girl was about the same age as Enju, with short, light chestnut hair and slightly longer braids on both sides of her face. She was wearing an elegant long-sleeved dress and shorts, and her expression was blank and slightly dazed.
Blood was flowing continuously from the girl's right sleeve, where there was a painful, jagged wound.
Luo Mio sheathed the Raven Feather Blade and placed it behind her. She then walked towards the girl and stood beside her.