Silence is the Overture to Death

Chapter 27: Silence is the Overture to Death

"It kills by sound?!"

Fang Ye suddenly spoke up from the crowd.

Feng Ling glanced at him with some surprise—this lackey of Super Strong Super had barely registered any presence, and even when he'd fallen earlier with blood smeared across his face, no one had paid him any mind.

Fang Ye froze after speaking.

He felt like an outsider who'd butted into someone else's family meeting, timidly shrinking his neck back, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

A small pack of wet wipes suddenly landed in his arms.

Fang Ye blinked, looked up, and saw Feng Ling had tossed them over.

"Wipe yourself clean," Feng Ling said.

Warmth surged through Fang Ye's heart. He nodded like a chick pecking at rice. "Thanks, thanks..."

He tore open the wet wipe packaging. When he looked up at Feng Ling again, her gaze had already shifted to Zhou Diao and Xiao Li, continuing to discuss countermeasures with them.

"Every line in the mission prompt is meaningful. 'Silence is the Overture to Death' matches this Contaminant's attack pattern. Before each strike, the bug swarm either dies or retreats, the cave goes dead quiet, and our sounds become especially prominent."

"You mean it tracks by sound? So as long as we don't make a noise, the Contaminant can't attack us? Is that it?"

"That's possible. So far, the Contaminant hasn't made a single consecutive attack. It always strikes and immediately retreats into its hole, which means it knows full well that in the light, it's no match for us."

"...Looks like we need to make sure the lighting equipment doesn't fail. As long as we have light, we have a chance!"

"But what about those bugs? There are too many of them, and they could easily destroy the lights in the chaos."

"No matter how many bugs there are, they can't be infinite. If there really were a massive nest underground, Jiangkou City would have seen a surge in missing persons cases long ago."

Fang Ye silently watched them talk.

Qin Liang, standing beside him, struck up a low conversation. "You're pretty sharp, huh. I didn't even think of the Contaminant attacking by sound. By the way, what's your name?"

Actually, Fang Ye had introduced himself when they first met, but no one had cared.

"My name is Fang Ye..." He paused, his gaze unconsciously drifting toward Feng Ling. "Fang as in 'ambition in all directions,' Ye as in 'vast wilderness stretching a thousand miles.'"

Feng Ling was still focused on the battle meeting and didn't notice.

Qin Liang smiled. "Not a bad name. Mine's no good—my grandfather picked it. Back in the day, my grandpa..."

"Qin Liang, come here." Zhou Diao cut off their chat. "Pull up the terrain map from the Detector."

"Coming."

Qin Liang opened the black box and retrieved a three-dimensional terrain image.

From the 3D image, the structure of this underground nest was far simpler than they'd imagined.

One side was a neat rectangular shape, and the other was the same.

Such a shape could only be a man-made underground parking garage.

Between the two garages was a massive pit, with a rugged passage extending from each side, connecting to both garages.

As for the holes they'd seen, they were actually interconnected inside. No matter which hole they entered, it would eventually lead to that single rugged passage and reach the central pit.

The reason they'd found the terrain so confusing was simply due to insufficient light and poor visibility, preventing their brains from making accurate spatial judgments.

After studying the map, Zhou Diao gained confidence. "If we can transmit this map data out, Lao Su can assist us from the surface."

Qin Liang pointed to the parking garage on the left side of the map. "We came down from here. Captain Su is always thorough—he'll definitely have someone guarding the garage entrance."

Then he pointed to the garage on the right. "But if any Bug Monsters escape from the other garage, it'll cause serious loss of life and property for the local citizens."

Zhou Diao took a deep breath and said gravely, "Both sides are critical. We can't let a single bug leave the nest. But who's going to relay the message?"

Everyone fell silent.

A few seconds later, all eyes turned to Feng Ling as if by unspoken agreement.

Feng Ling stared at the 3D image without speaking.

"Hey, what are you spacing out for?" Zhou Diao nudged her.

Feng Ling snapped back. "Oh... This image looks like a womb. I was just looking at it a bit longer."

Everyone looked at the display again.

The shape of the map did indeed resemble a female womb.

Such a peculiar form couldn't be meaningless.

Zhou Diao mused, "There must be something at the deepest part of the 'womb.' I suspect that's where the Egg Sacs or larvae are hidden. All the bugs we've encountered might have come from that 'womb.'"

"That's very likely." Qin Liang nodded emphatically, pointing to a data stream at the bottom of the screen. "At the very bottom of the pit, the life-sign readings are extremely active. Even if there aren't any Egg Sacs, there's definitely some special creature there."

Zhou Diao thought for a moment, weighed the pros and cons, and said to everyone, "Rest here for 10 minutes. After that, Qin Liang and I will head to the 'womb.' We'll make as much noise as possible to lure the Contaminant back to its nest. Feng Ling, take the chance to send the Detector's data out. Everyone else, hold position."

"I disagree!" Xiao Li straightened up. "I still have ammunition. I can support you alongside Qin Liang!"

Cao Hongyi also spoke up. "Deputy Captain, let Xiao Li go. My leg's broken, but I still have two hands. Even if the bugs come, I can defend myself."

Cao Hongyi could tell that Zhou Diao wasn't bringing Xiao Li along just so someone would stay behind to watch over him.

Zhou Diao gritted his teeth, paced back and forth a few times, then made his decision. "Fine! In ten minutes, Qin Liang and Xiao Li will go with me to the Womb. Anyone else have questions?"

Zhou Diao turned to Feng Ling. "Can you handle it? Send the Detector's data out."

Feng Ling wanted to go see the 'Womb' too.

But sending the data out and notifying Su Yuqing to set up a blockade at both entrances was indeed more important. Otherwise, while she and Zhou Diao were slaughtering everything underground, the bugs would flee en masse to the surface. If even one escaped, the consequences would be incalculable.

She had no idea how Su Yuqing's evacuation was going.

Right now was exactly when the elderly went out to buy breakfast and do morning exercises. Even if the bugs didn't bite anyone, the sheer terror could trigger a chain of heart attacks and high blood pressure.

After considering, Feng Ling said, "I have a question."

Zhou Diao snapped, "What question? Spit it out!"

Feng Ling asked, "Why do we need to rest for ten minutes?"

Zhou Diao: "???"

Feng Ling glanced at everyone in confusion. "Are you all that tired? Do you really need that long to rest?"

If she remembered correctly, they'd been in the cave for less than half an hour. Why did they need a break already? Was everyone's stamina that poor?

Zhou Diao roared at her, "What, I can't be tired?! Don't you know using Card Ability drains a ton of stamina?! What are you trying to prove?! Who are you showing off for?! Trying to act cool, huh?!"

Feng Ling hadn't meant it that way.

She smiled, clenched her fists, and cracked her knuckles. "I think I'm fine. If you're not in good shape, how about I go to the Womb and you deliver the message?"

Zhou Diao looked as if he'd been gravely insulted, his eyes bulging wide as he bellowed, "I'm the captain!!!"

The vice captain was still the captain! You have to respect me!