140: The Mystery of the End Times
Two teams, separated by a three-story building they were supposed to converge on, were struggling to hold on. Countless more insects kept pouring in from above and below, engulfing them repeatedly in the vast sea of bugs.
The gas was completely depleted, and Tang Yanqiu threw his gas canister towards one of the mutants. With a well-aimed shot, the canister was pierced by an arrow, causing the remaining gas inside to explode, luckily killing the mutant. The force of the explosion sent the group flying, but fortunately, they landed on the resilient insects below, avoiding any serious injuries. They realized this method worked and quickly removed their gas canisters. Zhaung Yao’s voice urgently warned, “That’s enough, stop the explosions; the floors are prone to collapse.”
Shen Changze threw his last gas canister to the ground. He saw cracks on his protective face mask, and it was likely that it wouldn’t hold up until they reached the lower floor. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Only one left, let’s kill him!”
Tang Yanqiu’s arrow hit the remaining mutant, and the five of them fiercely pounced on him.
On the second floor, the situation with Cheng Tianbi’s team was slightly better because they had more people. However, since the gas was already depleted, they could no longer use the flamethrowers. They were suffering from much more intense attacks by the insects compared to Shen Changze’s team. Each person was practically covered in insects as they charged towards the mutants. Cheng Tianbi kept using his wind power to sweep the insects away, but there were just too many of them, and the situation was chaotic. He couldn’t accurately target the insects, and sometimes, inattentively, he ended up blowing people away too.
One of the dragonblood people shouted, “The protective suits can’t hold up any longer!”
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“Xdzu vos zlqv, jkzz vblx iwknjzu!”
Pldt Dkys elnkpkhlzu vbalo vbl typ nydkpvla vs vbl taswde yde alxshle bkp rasvlnvkhl pwkv, zlyhkdt sdzu vbl qynl xypj. Tl oayrrle vbl pwkv yaswde Usdt Dky’p cseu yde pyke, “Usdt tl, R’x dsv yqayke sq tlvvkdt ckvvld. Twaau yde qkde vbl caykdp sq vbl alxykdkdt vos.”
Gp Pldt Dkys wdealpple, bkp eyaj talld oakdjzle pjkd oyp kdpvydvzu nshlale okvb kdplnvp. Gzvbswtb bkp pjkd oyp vbknj, kv oypd’v kdelpvawnvkczl, yde bl eked’v jdso bso zsdt bl nswze bsze sd.
Usdt Dky takvvle bkp vllvb, “Mbl sdl sd vbl zlqv!”
Mbl vlyx osajle vstlvbla, okvb psxl rashkekdt nshla yde svblap yvvynjkdt. Ebld vblu pwnnlppqwzzu nyrvwale vbl xwvydv, Ubldt Mkydck powdt bkp byde yde pzknle sqq byzq sq vbl xwvydv’p qynl. Usdt Dky eked’v byhl vkxl vs cl ekptwpvle; bl ekalnvzu alynble kdvs vbl byzq sq vbl qynl, nsdnldvayvkdt y zyatl yxswdv sq ldlatu kdvs bkp yax dlahlp, yde ynnwayvlzu tayccle vbl caykdosax obld kv vakle vs lpnyrl.
Gdsvbla eaytsdczsse rlapsd’p rasvlnvkhl pwkv casjl, yde bl yzps alxshle vbl pwkv.&dcpr;
eaytsdczsse rlsrzl bye byae pnyzlp sd vblka cseklp, cwv wdzkjl Pldt Dkys, vblka pnyzlp bye tyrp vbyv yzzsole kdplnvp vs rldlvayvl. Wwavblaxsal, vblka okdtp olal fwpv qzlpbu okdtp okvbswv ydu rasvlnvksd. Mbkp eaytsdczsse rlapsd kxxlekyvlzu cynjle ytykdpv vbl oyzz, rwzzle vbl vakttla, yde xyezu pbsv yv vbl kdplnvp, pbswvkdt, “Usxl pwnj xu czsse! Usxl sd, R’zz cwad usw yzz!”
Gnnsaekdt vs Usdt Hbldgbsdt, vbl czsse sq eaytsdczsse rlsrzl oyp ynkekn. Mbl bktbla vbl czsse nsdnldvayvksd, vbl zktbvla vbl nszsa sq vbl pnyzlp, yde vbl pvasdtla vbl ynkekvu. Jzsse nsdnldvayvksd yzps elvlaxkdle vbl eaytsdczsse rlapsd’p plzq-alryka yckzkvu, oblvbla vblu nswze qzu, yde vblka kddyvl rbupknyz pvaldtvb.&dcpr;
Therefore, Shen Changze, with a blood concentration of 97%, was the most powerful dragonblood person. However, most dragonblood people, like the one in front of them, had a blood concentration between 15% and 30%, with scales in dark gray. Their acidity might not be very strong, but it was undoubtedly lethal to these fleshy insects.
Indeed, when many insects bit into his scales and reached his flesh, they were burnt through their stomachs by the acid blood. These insects immediately changed their strategy and sacrificed themselves to attack his wings and protective face mask. The dragonblood person cried out in pain.
Shen Ming shouted, “Awu, you can’t hold on anymore. Jump out of the window!”
Awu roared, “I’ll empty my bullets first, damn it!”
Qiao Bo rushed up, smashed the window with a barrage of bullets, then grabbed Awu’s weapon and carried him out of the window, shouting, “Go back and report our situation to them!”
Ko Seki cursed, “This suit is damn good. If we could produce it in bulk, I’d wear ten of them to sleep here!”
Cong Xia smiled bitterly in his heart. It took him ten days to make these fabrics, and if they had to produce them in bulk, he would be worked to death.
Cheng Tianbi once again blew the insects off Cong Xia’s body and said in a deep voice, “There’s one more!”
The last one remaining was the woman with speed evolution; they had been unable to catch her. She must have been a mature mutant capable of fully utilizing her abilities before being taken by the mutants. Her speed was incredibly fast, and she was exceptionally agile, knowing how to utilize her advantage to dodge and attack better than anyone here. Cheng Tianbi set numerous obstacles along her movement path, but she managed to avoid most of them. Even if she couldn’t evade, as long as she wasn’t struck in a vital area, her body quickly recovered.
Cong Xia gritted his teeth, “She’s stalling, waiting for our protective suits to break.”
Shen Ming said, “Use Formation A3.”
Everyone here, except Cong Xia and Deng Xiao, either were military personnel or mercenaries, so they understood what Formation A3 meant. They began to find their positions, while Cong Xia and Deng Xiao were at a loss.
Cheng Tianbi spoke up, “Zhuang Yao, tell them how to use Formation A3 to attack.” He couldn’t command because the woman could understand them.
Zhuang Yao’s voice came from the earpiece, “Describe the situation.”
Cong Xia quickly conveyed the situation of the last mutant to Zhuang Yao.
Zhuang Yao said, “A3 and Formation A3 are the same thing, a rectangular shape within the formation rules. Simply put, it uses the advantage of numbers to form a rectangular enclosure and gradually shrink the perimeter. This formation must have a point where, when the enemy is restricted by firepower from three directions and unable to escape, a single strike can kill them. Cong Xia, you are that point. Deng Xiao, go stand with Shen Ming, Cong Xia and Cheng Tianbi in different directions, and the rest can be distributed freely. Aim to kill the target within a minute and then rush upstairs.”
Everyone started finding their positions, forming an encirclement. The woman didn’t initially understand what they were doing, but when she reacted, she was already at the center of the four corners. She quickly moved to the side, attempting to escape.
Cheng Tianbi immediately erected a wind barrier in front of her path, forcefully pushing her back.
Cong Xia secretly kept inputting energy into Cheng Tianbi’s body. He was probably the most exhausted on the scene. Not only did he have to participate in the battle, but he also had to constantly pay attention to whose energy was below a safe level and provide replenishment. At the same time, he had to absorb energy from the jade talisman ceaselessly. In the past, when he played online games, his favorite role was a healer. Feeling the responsibility of ensuring the team’s safety and being needed by others gave him a sense of accomplishment. However, in real combat, Cong Xia just wanted to cry.
The others didn’t care about the insects crawling all over them; they concentrated all their firepower on attacking her. Due to the intense onslaught, her recovery speed couldn’t keep up with the damage to her body, and her movement speed slowed down. In the end, they successfully narrowed the encirclement.
Now is the time!
Everyone tacitly stopped their attacks. Cheng Tianbi and Cong Xia suddenly lunged at her. Cheng Tianbi erected four wind barriers around her, firmly binding her in place, while Cong Xia jumped up with both hands gripping the dagger. His muscles, instantly enhanced, swelled more than twice their size. He exerted all his strength, aiming at the location he sensed her brain was, and stabbed fiercely into her skull.
The woman let out a sharp scream as her half-human, half-insect body gradually collapsed.
After her death, the surrounding insects became even more frenzied, launching a furious assault on their already precarious protective suits.
“Go upstairs, quickly, go meet up with them!”
The group held hands and pulled each other as they ran towards the stairs. There were so many insects that they couldn’t see the surroundings or the path beneath their feet. If they hadn’t had a clear impression of the stairs when they first entered, they might have lost their way in this tower filled with insects.
Cheng Tianbi continuously gathered strong winds, blowing the insects away and clearing their path. This method consumed energy rapidly, and Cong Xia almost continuously provided energy to Cheng Tianbi. However, this violent clearing method proved to be very effective; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to step on the stairs covered in insects, making it impossible to ascend.
They exhausted all their strength and rushed to the third floor. Once there, they immediately felt a difference. The insects didn’t decrease, but they no longer crazily attacked them. Instead, they stopped and accumulated on the ceiling, walls, and floor, layer upon layer. Yet, they gradually ceased their assault.
Whatever had happened, at least they had the first opportunity in nearly an hour to take a complete breath within the tower.
“Xiao Tang? Are you there?” Cong Xia called out softly. The third floor was still quite large, and their night vision devices had limited range; they couldn’t see beyond seven to eight meters, and it was pitch black beyond that.
Just after calling out, several people tumbled down the stairs from the adjacent upward staircase, each covered in a body of flesh insects. When they looked closer, it turned out to be another team of five people.
Cong Xia breathed a sigh of relief.
The five people got up from the ground, also unable to adapt to the feeling of not being attacked by insects. They all stared blankly at their surroundings.
“Dad!” Shen Changze ran towards Shen Ming, “Are you alright? Nothing happened, right?”
Shen Ming replied, “I’m fine, but Awu’s protective suit broke. Qiao Bo threw him out.”
Zhuang Yao’s voice sounded again, “Awu has returned. Have you all gathered on the third floor?”
Cheng Tianbi said, “Yes, this place is weird. The insects stopped attacking and are all lying beside us.”
Although being buried by insects was terrifying, the feeling of being stared at, not knowing when the next attack would come, was even more hair-raising.
Zhuang Yao said, “Strange phenomena must have strange reasons. Be extra careful and find the puppet jade immediately.”
Cong Xia said, “The puppet jade is on this floor. I can sense it; it’s in that direction.” Cong Xia pointed forward.
Shen Changze nodded, “We also detected it upstairs.”
Cheng Tianbi said, “Everyone, unload the gas canisters and weapons without ammunition, then check the protective suits and masks.”
Some people had already discarded the burden of gas canisters, while others couldn’t get rid of them in time due to the chaos. At this moment, they were allowed to catch their breath. Everyone threw away the gas canisters and began checking their equipment.
Almost everyone’s protective suits were torn, some even ripped through three layers, leaving only the innermost mutant cotton fabric. Another round of attacks, and the insects would directly contact their skin.
They tried to tie up the torn parts together, although it didn’t offer much protection, every bit counted in buying them some time.
When everyone was ready, they formed three columns and cautiously approached the direction where the puppet jade was.
Regarding the sudden halt in insect attacks, with the insects merely watching them, everyone was extremely tense. It could be a sign that a more intense wave of attack awaited them ahead.
Deng Xiao suddenly whispered, “The insects have blocked the windows.”
They all looked at the several positions where the windows should have been based on their memory. Indeed, the walls were crawling with insects, and the windows that should have let in some faint light were completely obscured. Although they could barely distinguish the window’s direction, the tower was too vast to locate precisely, and while running away, they could easily bump into a wall.
Ko Seki cursed softly, “Damn it, now we can’t even find the windows. How do we escape?”
Zhuang Yao said, “Forget about the windows for now; focus on getting the puppet jade.”
As they got closer to the puppet jade, their anxiety grew heavier. There was a tremendous energy fluctuation ahead, but due to the abundance of surrounding insects, many couldn’t tell if it was a group’s energy or an individual’s. However, Cong Xia could distinguish it clearly and said with a trembling voice, “There’s something with a very powerful energy fluctuation together with the puppet jade.”
“Could it be a super-large insect?” Although Qiao Bo was joking, there was a hint of nervousness in his tone.
Shen Ming said, “What if it really is?”
“I have a hand grenade. I’ll blow it up.”
“You pray the hand grenade works.”
Deng Xiao snorted, “If it really is a super-large insect, I’ll…”
“Hush…” Cong Xia gestured for everyone to be quiet. The thing with the puppet jade was exerting tremendous pressure on him.
The oppressive feeling of not knowing what lay ahead was tormenting their will. Cheng Tianbi made a quick decision, “Turn off the night vision devices and launch the illumination flares.”
Everyone turned off their night vision devices; otherwise, they would undoubtedly be blinded.
One of the Dragonblood individuals shot a flare towards the side, but to avoid agitating the insects, they didn’t carry flashlights, and the flares were limited, only for emergency use. Truth be told, no one wanted to see just how many insects surrounded them. Not knowing gave them a slight reprieve from the torment on their hearts.
The flare emitted a piercing screech and exploded not far away, instantly illuminating the pitch-black space, revealing an indescribable number of insects. But what terrified them even more was the source of the massive energy fluctuations. It was a gigantic creature, possibly even larger than Abu, but due to the height limitations of the floor, it was much shorter than Abu. The sheer size of the creature made it impossible to comprehend its full appearance at once. All they could judge from experience was that it was a colossal insect, occupying more than half of the space on the third floor, and the puppet jade was on it!
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
After a while, Shen Changze asked, “Is the puppet jade inside it?”
Cong Xia’s face turned grim, and he said, “Yes.” In his mind, he imagined several ways this gigantic insect could kill them, such as activating all the insects in the tower and trapping them alive here, rolling over and crushing them, or self-destructing, with the fluid inside it being capable of drowning all of them. In short, he couldn’t figure out how to retrieve the puppet jade from the creature’s body.
Shen Ming asked, “How do we get it out?”
Zhuang Yao inquired, “What’s the situation?”
Cheng Tianbi responded, “There’s a massive insect on the third floor, possibly larger than Abu. The puppet jade is inside its body. All the insects are concentrated on this floor, and we’re surrounded by them. We can’t get close to the big insect, and we don’t know how to retrieve the puppet jade from its body.”
Zhuang Yao said, “Let me think.”
The area around them was already pitch-black again. They turned on their night vision devices, but they were too far away to see the giant insect now. No one dared to approach it easily.
Deng Xiao murmured, “What should we do? Should we crawl inside its body?”
Shen Ming asked, “What if Cheng Tianbi slices it open?”
Cong Xia replied, “If we manage to cut it open, at least six or seven tons of its body fluids will spew out, flooding this place. Our protective masks will be filled with the insects’ bodily fluids, and we’ll eventually suffocate.”
“Damn, that’s a disgusting way to die.”
Zhuang Yao’s voice rang out, “I have a method.”
“Tell us.”
The plan was set, and Cheng Tianbi and Shen Changze were designated to attack together using their fire and wind combination. Everyone looked surprised at the mention of their training, as no one else was aware of their abilities to such an extent. Cong Xia’s power of supplying energy to others was kept secret from the rest of the group, known only to Cong Zhenzhong, the person who came with him to the tower. The others suspected that Cong Xia had some extraordinary ability to continuously supply them with energy, but they couldn’t have imagined the true extent of it.
Cong Xia’s forehead broke into a cold sweat as he replied hesitantly, “I don’t know, maybe it’s enough.”
Zhuang Yao insisted, “It must be enough. This opportunity is the only one we have.” He reminded them to keep Cong Xia’s power a secret, stating that if they leaked the information, they’d receive no help even if they were severely injured or dying.
Single-mindedly focused on the task at hand, the group confirmed that they understood the gravity of the situation. They acknowledged their responsibility in shielding Cheng Tianbi and Shen Changze as they executed their plan.
Zhuang Yao explained that the giant insect was unlikely to have attack capabilities and might not even be able to move much. However, it would be fiercely protected by all the other insects as it served as the vessel for the puppet jade.
With a determined spirit, they all charged towards the gigantic insect. The surrounding insects also went into a frenzy, rushing towards them in an unprecedented number.
“Tear them apart!” someone yelled wildly.
The deafening sound of various weapons filled the air as Tang Yanqiu, leading the way, used his bow and arrow while running. He shot rockets to clear a path for them, his arms moving so fast that it was almost impossible to see him taking arrows and firing them. Although it couldn’t completely resist the insect’s attacks, it at least provided them with a relatively clean route to pass through quickly.
They soon arrived in front of the massive insect.
Shen Changze shouted and removed his protective mask, igniting his entire body into flames. His protective suit was immediately incinerated, revealing a dragonblood person covered in faint golden scales with wings and a tail. In a flash, he pounced onto the giant insect, setting it ablaze as well.
Cheng Tianbi gathered fierce winds, fueling the flames around Shen Changze, causing the fire to intensify and spread rapidly, covering the giant insect in a larger area. Cong Xia sensed the energy draining rapidly from Cheng Tianbi and Shen Changze’s bodies. He continuously absorbed energy from his jade talisman, supplying both sides with the needed energy. His body was drenched in sweat, but he held on with unwavering determination. He absolutely couldn’t let them fail; humans could not lose to these disgusting insects.
The thick skin of the giant insect was soon burnt through, and a torrent of yellow fluid gushed out. Shen Changze struggled to fly up but was knocked back down by the viscous fluid. He fought to stand but failed multiple times. His body was covered in the sticky liquid, making it almost unrecognizable.
Shen Ming shouted, “Cover me; I’ll lift him up!” He rushed towards Shen Changze as Al continued to fend off the attacking insects and ran towards Shen Changze.
With a loud roar, Cheng Tianbi summoned all his strength to erect a massive wind wall, forcefully deflecting the surging yellow fluid to both sides.
Cong Xia frantically infused energy into Cheng Tianbi, whose energy consumption had reached an unprecedented level due to the immense wind wall, capable of resisting several tons of liquid. In less than ten seconds, Cheng Tianbi’s entire energy would be depleted if not for Cong Xia’s support.
Shen Ming and Al finally pulled Shen Changze out of the fluid. By this time, the fluid around them had already reached their waists. The three held their breath and struggled to climb out, with the dragonblood people providing cover and helping them to safety. They collapsed behind Cheng Tianbi, finally able to catch their breath. They rested for a moment and immediately joined in protecting Cheng Tianbi and Cong Xia.
Cheng Tianbi’s arms trembled violently, and his teeth were bleeding from the strain. He was maintaining the massive wind wall, resisting the heavy liquid. If it weren’t for Cong Xia’s support, he would have exhausted his energy long ago.
Cong Xia shouted loudly, “Tianbi, you can do it! I can do it! You fucking better hold on!”
Cheng Tianbi roared in determination, resolutely blocking the continuously gushing yellow fluid.
The giant insect visibly shriveled at a rapid pace.
They just had to hold on… they just had to hold on. They would definitely get the puppet jade.
Everyone’s heart and body were sustained by the impending victory. Many of their protective suits were torn apart. They gave it their all, fighting with bloodshot eyes, and countless insects fell under their feet.
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Translator’s note: OH MY GOODNESS! THIS IS SOOOOOOOO GOOOOOODDDD!!!! CHEF’S KISS! 100/10. I LOVE THIS NOVEL SO MUCH!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!! I LOVE YOU AUTHOR!!!! THIS ARC IS SO DAMN AMAZING!!!!
This should have been uploaded yesterday, I’m truly sorry. I had to leave and couldn’t upload it last night. And thank you Lolixiana for the support, the extra chapters are for you. I truly appreciate it.
By the way guys, discord server is up and running! I’m apologizing ahead if we forgot something as Discord is very new to us! Thanks, Yuriella, for all the help.
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