Chapter 186 Insects and Girls
Gore is dead, killed by Nausicaä's sword.
As the golden sword in the girl's hand slowly dissipated, the headless corpse collapsed among the rubble, its fallen head still bearing the expression of resentment.
However, the matter is far from over.
Just as everyone's attention was drawn to Gore's death, a string of rapid, unintelligible Dorok language rang out from behind the flying jug.
As the fanatical Dorok technician pulled a black remote control from his robe and pressed it hard, the explosives hidden in the metal base of the culture tank were instantly detonated!
splash-
Flames erupted, the transparent tank walls shattered with a deafening roar, and nutrient solution mixed with glass shards cascaded down like a waterfall, while the curled-up Ohmu larvae tumbled and crashed to the ground.
The larva's exoskeleton was not yet fully hardened, and a single directional blast was enough to severely injure it. Large patches of dark blue blood seeped from beneath its bluish-gray exoskeleton, spreading in the nutrient solution.
"You!" Nausicaä turned around abruptly, appearing in front of the technician in an instant, grabbing him by the collar and lifting him up.
The technician offered no resistance, only throwing his head back and bursting into maniacal laughter, filled with triumphant pleasure and fearlessness.
He didn't care about his own life or death; his mission was accomplished.
The young Ohmu seemed stunned by the explosion. After a long period of dazedness, its two rows of compound eyes on its head lit up with a faint blue light. It arched its limbs to straighten its body, which had been lying on the ground.
" Ohmu — Ohmu has awakened!"
"It's bleeding! It's going to go berserk!"
"We're doomed—the swarm will be attracted! We're all going to die here!"
The merchants who lay limp on the ground around them, and the rebel soldiers who had been defeated by the Blessed Warrior and were now kneeling in surrender, were all pale with fear and let out desperate cries.
The Ohmu shook its dizzy head and carefully touched its wound with a few slender golden tentacles that protruded from its mouthparts, as if trying to figure out what had happened.
Pain, unfamiliar surroundings, a shattered shell, flowing blood—all these elements flooded into its newly formed, simple consciousness.
Finally realizing it was injured, the little guy's two rows of compound eyes first turned from blue to scarlet, and then emitted a sharp popping sound.
Those who frequently encounter insects might understand the general meaning:
Help! Someone is bullying me! Please help!
Surrounded by unfamiliar surroundings, its instincts told it to flee this dangerous place immediately. Dozens of its limbs frantically and clumsily paddled, trying to turn around and rush out of the hall.
However, a figure blocked its way.
Nausicaä released the laughing technologist and blocked the Ohmu's path. According to her body proportions, Nausicaä, who was just over 1.6 meters tall, looked as slender as a doll in front of this Ohmu larva, which was over two meters long and comparable to a small car.
At that moment, the Ohmu's mind was filled with only escape and anger. It buried its head and rammed into the blue figure repeatedly.
Collide----
Um?
The expected scene of crashing through obstacles and making a run for its life did not occur. Instead, Nausicaä stretched out her slender arm and gently placed her palm on the head that it was ramming with all its might.
Then it stopped.
It was as if a car had suddenly crashed into a steel pillar buried deep in the ground, its forward momentum coming to an abrupt halt, the immense inertia leaving it somewhat dizzy.
"Good boy/girl, don't run around."
The girl's gentle reassurance was transmitted directly to the Ohmu through her mental power.
But the newly hatched Ohmu, which mainly acts on instinct, became even angrier.
It is the guardian of the Sea of Corruption, the future king of all insects, and how dare insignificant humans stand in its way!
The red light in its compound eyes intensified, and it let out an angry hiss. Its limbs gripped the ground tightly, and it used all its strength to push forward again.
The wound reopened, and more blue blood seeped from the cracks in its shell, causing even the ground beneath it to crack under the strain.
This is the maximum force it can unleash; it should be able to break through—well, it can't.
The girl in blue stood there motionless, seemingly more stable than the giant fungus tree that had grown in the Sea of Corruption for thousands of years.
"Alright, don't be afraid. I will heal you and then take you back to the Sea of Corruption."
A golden ripple spread from the palm, gently washing over the Ohmu's injured shell. As the cracks healed, the pain quickly disappeared.
The Ohmu's struggles gradually weakened, and the red light in its compound eyes began to flicker, oscillating between blood red and sky blue.
Is she healing me? Is she a good person?
Sensing that the larva had stopped struggling, Nausicaä's face broke into the innocent smile of a sixteen-year-old girl as she gently stroked the smooth, cool shell.
"Good boy."
She was never afraid of insects, and especially loved the mysterious, intelligent Ohmu who coexisted with the Sea of Corruption.
The Ohmu slightly raised its head, and the delicate, sensitive golden antennae in its mouthparts gently touched Nausicaä's forehead.
A vague thought was transmitted:
I want to go home to the sea.
"Of course, I will take you back." With the girl's promise, the Ohmu quieted down completely and nestled gently beside Nausicaä.
In the ruins illuminated by searchlights, the girl and the Ohmu completed the first truly significant exchange in the history of humanity in the Sea of Corruption.
Everyone around, except for the Valley of the Wind warriors who were already used to such sights, gaped wide-eyed, as if they had been petrified.
This girl not only shielded the Ohmu from its charge with her own body, but it also seemed to be peacefully communicating with it?
Even those insect trainers who live in the Sea of Corruption year-round and make a living by taming Sea of Corruption Worms would never dare to face the Ohmu directly, let alone engage in such a near-"communication" behavior.
That requires not only the courage to face the King of the Sea of Corruption, but also the fact that the Ohmu swarm often displays a high level of intelligence that inspires awe and even fear in humans.
Even the word "miracle" is insufficient to describe Nausicaä's extraordinary feat.
Since a promise has been made, it must be kept; it would be bad if the swarm of Ohmu were actually attracted.
This is the city center, quite far from the docking area, but fortunately, Gore has already prepared a ready-made flying vehicle for her.
Well, from this perspective, we still have to thank this guy.
The "flying pot" of the Dorok is extremely simple to operate. It has an engine valve and a control stick that can be pushed forward, backward, left, and right, with a lift button. As long as you understand the purpose of these two things, you can easily fly it.
Nausicaä directed several Blessed Warrior to carefully secure the curious Ohmu, which were looking around, to the bottom of the flying pot using the sturdy ropes previously used to hoist the culture tanks.
The clever Ohmu is also very cooperative, gradually absorbing knowledge from its species.
The Ohmu clan recognized this girl.
With the anti-gravity engine humming, the bulky "wine glass" rose lightly into the air and flew towards the west of City of Pejite.
The flying vessel had a limited capacity, carrying only Nausicaä, along with two guards, Por and Kamlin, to pilot it.
Nausicaä rested her hands on the rim of the kettle, looking down.
The eastern sky was already showing the first light of dawn; darkness was rapidly receding, and dawn was approaching.
City of Pejite gradually emerged in the morning light, the gunfire that had raged all night had completely ceased, leaving only ruined streets, burned ruins, twisted tank wrecks, and wisps of black smoke still lingering throughout the city, telling the story of the war that had just ended.
Looking at the scarred city, Mu En, who was watching it all with Nausicaä, couldn't help but sigh.
"This war is finally over."