Chapter 100 – Prepare to Return Home
The ability users from H Country had already rushed over to the unconscious Han Yajing.
Lin Jiu glanced over nervously. In the heat of the moment, he hadn’t controlled his strength properly. Hopefully, he didn’t kill her, right?
Han Yajing’s eyes were closed, and there was blood coming from her ears, nose, and the corners of her mouth. She was completely unconscious.
Jin Shengshu examined her, then stormed over angrily, “What did you do to her?! You owe me an explanation, or we won’t let this go!”
Lin Jiu: “…”
Lin Jiu closed his eyes and collapsed to the ground.
Si Xu immediately rushed to catch him, “Xiao Jiu? Xiao Jiu!”
Lin Jiu remained motionless.
The system smugly relayed Lin Jiu’s thoughts.
[Faking injury? Who can’t do that? After all, he used to be a D-list celebrity!]
Si Xu: “…”
Si Xu almost had a heart attack from the scare. If he was going to act, he should at least give a warning!
Si Xu picked up the “unconscious” Lin Jiu, his face cold and serious.
“You want an explanation? Well, we need one too! We were just having a peaceful date when they secretly followed us and attacked without a word. We deserve an explanation too!”
Si Xu’s words were loud and clear, just in time for Croft and others to hear as they rushed over.
Croft surveyed the scene. “What’s going on here?”
Jin Shengshu shouted angrily, “They hurt my teammate! We can’t just let this go!”
Si Xu responded coldly, “She suddenly transformed and attacked us. Who knows what their intentions were!”
Everyone’s attention turned to Han Yajing. Her appearance was striking—horns on her head, bat wings sprouting from her back, and a long, black tail trailing on the ground. She no longer resembled a human.
Those who recognized this form exchanged meaningful glances, while those who didn’t were filled with curiosity.
Jin Shengshu was furious, nearly grinding his teeth. Han Yajing’s identity was supposed to be their secret weapon, and now it was exposed for no reason!
Their trump card, wasted just like that!
Jin Shengshu barked, “Choi Jaecheng! Speak! What’s going on?!”
Poor Choi Jaecheng, having been subjected to Lin Jiu’s enchantment and then overwhelmed by the Charm Sprite’s pheromones—no, her enticing scent—was completely dazed. It had become a battle of whose enchantment was stronger.
Choi Jaecheng stood there, stunned and unresponsive.
Jin Shengshu kicked him in frustration. “What’s going on?!”
Choi Jaecheng snapped out of it, seeing the crowd and Lin Jiu lying “unconscious” on the ground. Concern was evident in his eyes.
Si Xu understood immediately: Lin Jiu’s enchantment had won out.
The system began whispering softly.
[In the hierarchy of magical sea races, the Demon Spirit tribe ranks first in genetic potential and is the least likely to awaken naturally. Following them are the Haiga tribe, the Sirens in third, and the Ruta tribe in fourth. The Charm Sprite tribe only ranks fifth. She couldn’t possibly overpower a Siren.]**
Choi Jaecheng finally said, “It’s true. Han Yajing attacked first.”
All the ability users from H Country: “!!!!!!”
Is this guy a traitor?!
Croft glanced at Han Yajing several times. “Captain Jin, they’re your teammates. Perhaps it’s better to discuss this back at base. The town is still in danger, and you should control your people to avoid any further complications.”
Jin Shengshu was on the verge of exploding. He shot a furious glare at Choi Jaecheng and Si Xu before ordering his team to carry Han Yajing away.
Croft’s gaze shifted to the long-haired youth. “Is he okay? Do you need a doctor?”
Si Xu replied, “The medical team is already busy enough. I’ll take him back to observe him myself.”
After exchanging nods with the others, Si Xu carried Lin Jiu away.
The temporary base had limited accommodations, and they were staying in shared dormitories. Each room housed ability users from different countries, while female ability users had separate quarters.
Si Xu knew Lin Jiu was only pretending to be unconscious, so he wasn’t overly concerned.
Since it was a shared dorm with bunk beds, they couldn’t sleep together and had to settle for sleeping in separate bunks.
Around dawn, they both woke up simultaneously.
They heard the sound of rain.
In this new world, rain signaled danger. Mutant sea monsters often took advantage of the rain to attack the land.
Several days had passed since the Seven-Star Blue Demon egg had been taken away, and the town had remained safe. Based on Si Xu and Lin Jiu’s calculations, it shouldn’t take this long for a giant sea monster to appear.
The arrival of the rain brought with it a warning—
The giant sea monster was coming!
Si Xu and Lin Jiu quickly got up, hurriedly putting on their jackets and preparing to leave.
Others in the dorm were also awakened by the sound of rain. Having experienced the incident in S City, they had become extremely sensitive to the sound of rain.
Si Xu instructed, “Go meet up with Chang Beimu and Qiao Anya, and wait for further orders.”
Lin Jiu swiftly caught up, tying his long hair back as he walked. Fortunately, his hair was smooth enough that a simple hair tie would do.
The sun hadn’t risen yet, and the temporary base was eerily quiet, save for the sound of their hurried footsteps.
The soldier on duty heard the commotion and came to check.
Si Xu asked, “Where is General Croft? I have urgent business with him.”
The soldier glanced at them and led them to Croft’s quarters. Just as he was about to knock, the door swung open, and Croft rushed out.
At that moment, the entire base was filled with the piercing sound of alarm sirens.
Krov said, “Captain Si, you’ve come at the right time. A large group of mutant sea monsters has been spotted approaching from the sea!”
All the ability users were gathered. They donned raincoats and boots and hurried toward the shore.
The sky was beginning to lighten. From the top of the embankment, they could see huge waves forming in the sea, surging toward the beach.
The army stationed along the coast had already prepared for battle.
As soon as the mutant sea monsters emerged, the soldiers opened fire. Gunshots and artillery blasts filled the air, shaking the ground and causing everyone’s ears to ring.
The mutant sea monsters storming the shore came in all shapes and sizes, including many familiar bone-spiked creatures. Under the hail of bullets, some monsters fell only to rise again and charge forward. Some bullets ricocheted off hard shells, causing unintended injuries to the soldiers.
Shortly after the battle began, injured soldiers were constantly being carried away.
The mutant sea monsters didn’t fear bullets. Unless they were blown apart by heavy artillery, they would quickly get back up. The defensive line along the coast was being pushed back again and again. The mutant sea monsters were mindless, fearless, and incapable of feeling pain, charging through the hail of bullets to slaughter the front-line soldiers. The battle on the beach had already turned into close combat.
As daylight broke, the rain intensified, and more and more mutant monsters stormed the beach.
The ability users from F Country had already joined the fight, but their numbers were limited, while the mutant sea monsters seemed endless.
Croft solemnly pleaded, “I ask all ability users here to assist us!”
The ability users from other countries hesitated. They had come to address the problem of the town’s sleeping victims, not to defend F Country’s coastline. This was F Country’s problem. If they intervened and their own ability users were injured, how would F Country compensate them?
Achilles said, “The priority is to resolve the pheromone issue. Without solving this, the sea monsters will keep coming, and we won’t be able to stop them. The coastline will eventually be overrun.”
Jin Shengshu’s expression darkened. “Achilles is right. There are too many mutant sea monsters. Relying solely on interception isn’t realistic. We must address the root of the problem.”
Jin Shengshu then turned his cold gaze toward Si Xu. “Captain Si is the only one who can smell the pheromones and knows more about this than the rest of us. I’m sure he already has a solution. So, why keep it to yourself? Every second wasted is costing lives. Look at the battlefield below, Captain Si. Even if this isn’t your homeland, you can’t just stand by and watch people die, right?”
Achilles intended to show Croft how important they were, but Jin Shengshu turned the attention onto Si Xu instead.
Si Xu had already said last night that there was no solution, so Achilles wasn’t worried. He figured that in the end, Croft would have to rely on their country, M Country.
Jin Shengshu also knew that Si Xu didn’t have a solution. By flattering him now, if Si Xu couldn’t deliver, the person most disappointed would be Croft. Once Croft became dissatisfied and turned a blind eye to certain things, they would have an opportunity to act.
Han Yajing had woken up but was badly injured. She had a severe headache and hearing loss, and when she fell from the sky, she had even broken her ribs. She was healing herself, and while broken bones were easy to mend, the intense pain in her head wasn’t. She still couldn’t get out of bed.
Choi Jaecheng had been speaking up for the long-haired youth, which infuriated Jin Shengshu.
It wasn’t until Han Yajing woke up that Jin Shengshu understood what had happened: the long-haired youth had the ability to enchant people, and both Choi Jaecheng and Han Yajing had fallen under his spell. Han Yajing had been forced to reveal her true form in an attempt to break free from his control. She had tried to counter-enchant him, but after hearing a sharp scream, she blacked out and remembered nothing more.
Jin Shengshu was furious at Z Country’s ability users, and his hatred for Captain Si and the long-haired youth burned fiercely.
Croft, though anxious, remained composed. “Captain Si, if you truly have a solution, please share it. We are willing to pay any price.”
Si Xu glanced at Achilles and Jin Shengshu, who made no attempt to hide their malice.
With a long sigh, Si Xu said, “There is a solution, but it’s not easy. The cost is too high, which is why I said last night that there was no immediate solution.”
Krov responded immediately, “As long as it solves the problem, we are willing to pay any price!”
Si Xu explained, “Last night, my advisor and I left the base to contact an ancient family from my country. They specialize in making potions. I told them about the situation here, and they immediately identified the sea monster as the Giant Blue Demon. They also knew how dangerous the pheromones from the Giant Blue Demon egg were. Removing them is extremely difficult. The Giant Blue Demon is incredibly vengeful and won’t rest until it has hunted down any target marked by the pheromones.”
The crowd had mixed reactions, some skeptical of Si Xu’s explanation.
Krov hesitated, “Is there any way to solve it?”
Si Xu replied, “There is a solution, but the conditions are harsh. I’m worried the general won’t be able to accept it. I didn’t bring it up because there might be a better option.”
Krov, now mentally prepared, asked, “What are the conditions?”
Si Xu looked troubled. “They said that to save all of F Country’s affected people, it would require five energy crystals.”
The crowd collectively gasped!
Five energy crystals? That was a terrifying demand!
Many countries didn’t even have one crystal. Even H Country only had two, and Z Country currently had none, though they didn’t need any.
Krov frowned deeply, “If it’s money, we can negotiate any amount, but energy crystals are impossible.”
Si Xu sighed, “That’s exactly what I said, but they don’t want money—just unknown energy crystals.”
Achilles didn’t believe Si Xu at all. What ancient family could Z Country possibly have? If it were M Country, it might be believable. Even M Country’s ancient families couldn’t guarantee a solution, so how could Si Xu?
Achilles said, “Since it’s your country’s ancient family, F Country may need to pay in energy crystals, but shouldn’t it be different for your own people? Why not go back and negotiate with them further?”
The pheromones could spread between people, making them targets of the Giant Blue Demon. Every country had received this information. If they didn’t resolve the pheromone issue, they couldn’t return to their own countries either.
Achilles was testing Si Xu, seeing if he dared to return to his country with the pheromones on him. If he did, it would prove that Z Country truly had a solution. Otherwise, the sea monster would follow him back to Z Country.
Achilles had another goal in mind. If Si Xu left, Lin Jiu would be left unprotected, and their chances would increase.
Achilles’ suggestion also gave Croft a new idea. If Si Xu dared to return home covered in pheromones, and no sea monster followed him, then it would confirm that Z Country indeed had a solution.
Croft said, “Five unknown energy crystals are indeed too much. It would be better to discuss this in person. Captain Si, could you make the trip?”
Si Xu’s gaze grew cold—he knew exactly what they were trying to do.
Lin Jiu said, “Of course, we can return. Since the captain is going back, there’s no point in us staying here. Why don’t we all return together?”
Everyone: “…”
“No! You can’t leave!”
Achilles and Jin Shengshu spoke almost simultaneously.
Their ill intentions were almost blatant at this point.
Si Xu turned to Croft, “General Croft, it seems our presence is no longer needed here. I’ll call my country and have them send a helicopter to pick us up. Please arrange for our passage.”
Croft’s expression shifted. His original plan had been to let Si Xu return alone while the others stayed, ensuring Si Xu would come back. If they all left, F Country was too far away for them to return easily.
Why should they care what happens to F Country? Their mission was originally to assist. If they pulled back and returned early, what could anyone do?
Achilles said gravely, “General Croft, you need to think this through. This might be our only chance to resolve the town’s crisis.”
If Croft agreed to let them leave, M Country would definitely refuse to help them.
Jin Shengshu chimed in, “After all, they’re not from F Country.”
Si Xu coldly replied, “General Croft does need to think carefully. If you miss my solution, there won’t be another. Unless, of course, you’re willing to throw all the infected into the sea to feed the sea monsters—that would be a thorough solution.”
Croft’s heart skipped a beat. He almost suspected that Captain Si had overheard his conversation with Achilles.
After hesitating for a long time, Croft asked, “Do you really have a solution?”
Si Xu nodded firmly. “Yes, but we’ll need to prepare over twenty thousand doses of the potion, and that will take time. General Croft, you need to decide soon.”
Croft gritted his teeth. “No need to contact your people to pick you up—that would just waste time. I’ll send someone to escort you back. In the meantime, please keep working on the solution.”
Si Xu agreed. “I’ll talk to them again, but they’ll still demand the energy crystals. I’ll do my best to reduce the number.”
Croft’s expression darkened. “Understood.”
Croft left to arrange for the helicopter.
As soon as Croft stepped away from the embankment, Achilles and Jin Shengshu exchanged a glance and struck simultaneously, launching their abilities at the Z Country ability users.
