Chapter 593: Go to Hell Together!

Chapter 593: Let's Go to Hell Together!

At the entrance of Hope Town.

The caravan attendants, busy loading and unloading goods, nervously scanned their surroundings, a hint of dread creeping in at the sudden mist spreading all around.

Both the guards at the gate and the mercenaries near the trucks tightened their grips on their rifles, alert to the surroundings, especially the small grove to the north.

The townsfolk exchanged glances, whispering in astonishment.

“Fog?”

“How can it be afternoon?”

“And the color...”

“That’s not like ordinary fog—could it be poison gas?”

“Could it be those mutants?”

The speculation wasn’t baseless; after all, the mutants had been here just a few days ago and had gotten the worst of it against the Alliance.

Fear gradually crept into people’s eyes. They hurried back to their homes, those who could finding gas masks to put on, while those who couldn’t wet towels to cover their mouths and noses.

A certain green-skinned half-breed stood in a street corner, his lowered hood hiding his furrowed brow, his right hand pressed against his chest.

Half of his blood was mutant.

And at that moment, that part of his blood was stirring uneasily...

At the entrance of the town hall.

Ma Hechang stared blankly at the changes around him and in the sky, a trace of fear written on his anxious face as he muttered under his breath.

“What the hell is going on?”

Standing beside him, Wei Ming said nothing.

This usually easygoing middle-aged pastor now seemed like a different person, his face expressionless as he gazed at the sky.

He seemed to have anticipated this, showing no surprise at all.

Ma Hechang’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he looked at him, suddenly feeling a stranger before him, an inexplicable unease rising in his heart.

His lips trembling, he ventured to speak.

“...Old Wei?”

The pastor withdrew his gaze from the sky and suddenly spoke on his own.

“It’s the Holy Son.”

Ma Hechang was momentarily stunned, his face growing more panicked as he hastily asked.

“What did the Holy Son say?”

The pastor spoke slowly.

“He said nothing.”

“He’s just angry.”

Ma Hechang’s breath caught.

“Angry...”

He couldn’t recall doing anything to wrong the Holy Son.

No—

If he had to say, there was one thing: they had grown close to the Alliance before, even letting their soldiers stay in the town for a night.

The Alliance and the Church had a grudge, he’d heard a bit about it. If that was the reason, the Holy Son had every right to be angry.

But that was a special case—those green-skinned beasts had come to their doorstep. Without the Alliance’s help, they might have ended up in a frying pan.

Should they have surrendered without resistance?

And why?

The Torch had promised them peace and prosperity. They had believed the missionaries’ words and chosen to convert, yet those green-skinned beasts still appeared before them.

Who betrayed whom?

“The unbelievers’ betrayal has brought down divine punishment. A green plague will shroud the earth, and soon all will see the boiling wrath...”

Muttering these cryptic words in a low voice, Wei Ming looked at the bewildered and terrified Mayor Ma, continuing in a meaningful tone.

“Send some people to Pinecone Farm.”

“That is the fate of traitors.”

...

In the heart of the mist, Pinecone Farm.

Since most players had dispersed to fortify the settlement’s perimeter, and the gathered survivors had drawn the remaining players to the farm’s entrance, the unremarkable building now seemed somewhat deserted, with only the northern entrance to the underground lab heavily guarded.

The moment that footprint landed on the floor, a series of translucent ripples spread across the empty corridor, outlining the silhouette of a streamlined exoskeleton.

A pitch-black visor obscured the man’s eyes. He was like a machine executing orders, wasting no words as he cleanly raised his gun.

The instant her eyes met the muzzle, Yin Yin felt a surge of blood rush to her head, her mind going blank as if crashing.

Time seemed to freeze in that moment, each second stretched infinitely.

There was no time to think.

Almost instinctively, she clutched the little lamb in her arms, twisted her body, and shielded her with her own back.

A sharp pain tore through her back, emerging from beneath her ribs, jolting her forward so violently she nearly collapsed.

At the same time, she heard the brief gunshot.

“Bang—!”

Looking down, she saw her beautiful dress stained red, and the little lamb’s wide eyes.

Vaguely, her fading consciousness caught a heart-wrenching cry—

“No—!”

Little lamb...

She tried to speak, but only blood came out.

The man seemed about to finish her off, but for some reason, he mechanically lowered his raised gun and drew a bloodstained knife, walking toward her.

Instinct told Yin Yin.

His target wasn’t her.

Oh, come to think of it...

In the entire farm, it seemed only the little lamb hadn’t been affected by the Naguo.

She vaguely understood something: if the Naguo was so important to the Torch Church, they would never want the Alliance to develop an antidote. Targeting the little lamb was only natural.

And after all, what had happened to everyone last night was because of the Naguo, wasn’t it...

Such a simple truth lay right before her, yet for some reason she had never seen it, even blaming those people for her father's death, wishing they had never come.

The seeds of cause and effect had been sown long ago, and by their own hands—whether those people had come here or not, it would have been the same.

Her father had trusted those people so easily, handing everything over to them, and that was why he died.

And she was the same, believing in that Saint until the very end, and now he had come to kill her best friend.

In the end, she was the sheep in the pen…

"Run…"

A scalding liquid traced down her cheek—whether blood or tears of remorse, she did not know. With her last shred of strength, she whispered these words into her friend's ear.

Her faltering consciousness could hold on no longer, and together with her body, it pitched forward, falling into the boundless abyss.

Yet to her disappointment, the usually docile and obedient lamb did not flee as told this time, but instead did something futile—using her clothes to bind the wound that would not stop bleeding.

A human-shaped shadow fell over them both. Seeing the toes of the shoes so close, the lamb's neck stiffened. She withdrew her trembling hands, turned to face him, and knelt on the ground.

"Please… don't hurt Yin Yin. Save her. I—I can die in her place…"

The man said nothing.

He was an executioner of the Tribunal, codename "Mountain Falcon." Unlike those executioner squads that doubled as defense forces, he was more like a lone-wolf assassin than a soldier on special operations.

This mission was meant to eliminate only one person—the antibody carrier who had survived the 03 frequency band.

If not for the bishop's order to spare the little girl named Yin Yin because a "Sanctuary" had been implanted in her brain, he would have gunned them both down just now.

But…

Why would the bishop do something so unnecessary?

There should be plenty of Sanctuaries in this settlement. Was this one special?

He did not understand.

Nor did he intend to dwell on it.

As the sword of the Church, he only needed to follow the Pioneer's instructions and purge any heretics that might hinder the great plan.

In the face of civilization, one or two lives meant nothing.

Seeing the hand reaching for her hair and the dagger so close, the lamb's shoulders trembled shamefully. Afraid of pain, she closed her eyes.

But the expected pain never came. A roar, accompanied by a whistling sound of something cutting through the air, pierced the entire corridor.

The Mountain Falcon, gripping his dagger, was startled. He clenched his fist and, in a fluid motion, struck behind him, colliding with the shadow that flew toward him.

The immense force exceeded his imagination, staggering him back two steps before he could stop.

And when he saw the face, he froze for half a second.

He remembered this man.

He distinctly remembered slitting this guy's throat with his dagger, and alongside another man in an exoskeleton.

Yet somehow, the man who should have been cold as ice was now alive, the wound on his neck gone, replaced by a scarlet scar shaped like a centipede.

That centipede scar did not seem to belong to him; it was like a large bandage stuck to his neck, with blood slowly seeping out from under the pulsating membrane.

The man held a short sword in his right hand, parrying the thrust of the dagger. A grim smile twisted his face as he spat a bloody wad onto the helmet.

"MMP! Good thing I installed a biological prosthetic…"

Earlier, Kidney Warrior and Killer Dagger had both equipped exoskeletons. Good Dog figured he shouldn't be like those two idiots and install a useless hunk of metal, but not installing anything felt like something was missing.

So, with a stroke of inspiration, he followed Mosquito's lead and went to Little Feather, getting himself a biological prosthetic installed.

It was said to be immune to one fatal injury and could accelerate HP recovery in combat, the only cost being an experience penalty.

Good thing he installed one.

Otherwise, that stab aimed at his neck just now would have sent him straight to the afterlife.

The Mountain Falcon did not understand what he was saying. He just coldly stared at the cursing man before him, then kicked him hard in the chest, trying to create distance to draw his gun and open fire.

Good Dog grunted as the kick hit his chest, feeling as if a train had slammed into the exoskeleton's breastplate, forcing all the air out of his lungs.

But he did not let the assassin succeed. He locked the lower limb joints of his "Type 5" Light Cavalry exoskeleton to withstand the kick, then pushed off with both legs, lunging forward with both hands to grab the man's thigh, trying to throw him to the ground.

The Mountain Falcon, unable to create distance, was startled. While maintaining his center of gravity, he stabbed the dagger at the man holding his right leg.

The dagger pierced through an unarmored spot, sinking two inches below Good Dog's shoulder blade. Though it didn't hurt, it made him grimace.

Seeing that the man did not let go, the Mountain Falcon mercilessly continued to stab several more times, puncturing almost every non-vital area on his back that lacked armor protection.

After all, he was a Perception-type; his physical fitness couldn't match that of Strength-type or Constitution-type brothers. Good Dog, who had intended to trip the assassin, failed to bring him down, instead ending up with his back bleeding profusely, punctured by who knows how many holes.

"Damn… you're serious, huh."

Glancing at the little girl lying in a pool of blood, Good Dog gritted his teeth and steeled himself. Using all his strength, he twisted and crashed toward the window on the side of the corridor facing the courtyard.

Anyway, three days per life—if he didn't use it now, he'd regret it later!

Smash—

The window glass shattered outward, falling from the second floor onto the courtyard's open ground, making a crisp sound like a bell.

The fierce sounds of fighting were enough to attract the attention of other players near the annex. Someone should be here soon.

Good Dog stared grimly at the assassin, who had not spoken a word from start to finish. With a sudden burst of strength in his arms and legs, he dragged the man out of the window with him.

"Then let's go together—!"

Caught off guard and pulled out the window, the Mountain Falcon had never expected this move. He stared in shock at this reckless madman.

Fortunately, he was quick-witted. He reached out and grabbed the window frame, hanging outside, then raised his left foot and kicked hard at the man holding his right leg.

This height wouldn't kill him.

But his mission was the lamb carrying the antibody. If he fell from here, he'd lose his chance.

Unable to shake off the man holding his right leg, the Mountain Falcon gritted his teeth and dropped his dagger. Just as he was about to reach for the fragmentation grenade at his waist, he saw the bruised face below him break into a triumphant smile.

"Let's go to hell together!"

Just then, he had pulled the pin on the last plastic explosive attached to his exoskeleton's back strap—this final bomb was also an old tradition of the Burning Legion.

A wisp of blue smoke rose from beneath the exoskeleton's breastplate.

The Mountain Falcon's expression froze for a moment. Before the look on his face could turn to terror, the explosion's fire and smoke instantly swallowed them both.

The windows along the entire corridor were shattered to pieces.

Because the explosion occurred outside, the shockwave did not spread into the corridor. Even so, the lamb, who had just been about to get up and help, was knocked to the ground.

"Ugh—!"

Ignoring the pain that nearly squeezed tears from her eyes, the lamb struggled to rise from the floor littered with glass shards. She looked fearfully at the broken window, then at Yin Yin lying in the blood, bit her lip, and limped over.

That horrifying pool of blood made her abandon any hope of a one-in-a-million chance, but she still extended a trembling index finger to Yin Yin's lips…

No breath.

She lowered her hand, feeling her mind spin, and collapsed limply to the floor.

Just then, hurried footsteps echoed in the corridor. She saw many people rushing toward her—the researcher sister who had drawn her blood, and others in exoskeletons.

"There are wounded here!"

"Stop the bleeding, quick!"

"Holy shit... this guy's not breathing."

"Where's the stimpak?! Someone lend me one!"

"Lend you my ass, I've got one right here!"

In a daze, she heard them shouting something, as they lifted Yin Yin from the floor littered with glass shards and blood, and rushed toward the stairs.

Chen Yutong crouched in front of her, gripping her shoulders tightly, whispering something in her ear with a tearful voice.

Without a shred of joy at having survived, the little lamb suddenly felt her nose sting, and all her emotions gushed out from her eyes in a flood.

She had never felt such sorrow...

...

Official forum.

Though Jinhe City, eight hundred kilometers from Dawnbreak City, was already in chaos, the forum in another world remained calm.

Brother Bullshitter had found a new fishing spot north of Fallen Leaf City, where you could catch eels as thick as a thigh—though it was a bit risky for the angler.

Storm Brigade had taken over the anti-bandit mission from Jungle Brigade, and Brother Springwater was sharing tips on northern mutant nests and jungle combat on the forum.

As for Big Eye, he'd been missing for a long time in Sunset Province, but had finally returned recently and was also sharing travel tips on the forum—a different kind of guide.

By the way, the Wilanters stranded in Pioneer City had finally received parts from afar, repaired their airship, and set off on their journey home.

Soon to head to distant Triumph City, the warzone veteran felt both anticipation and uncertainty, wondering when he'd return home in style wearing his pangolin armor.

But overall, everyone's daily life was still quite cheerful.

Night Ten, who had logged off early, reported the situation in the group chat, then, with nothing else to do, idly opened a thread on the forum.

"Damn... I got blindsided today."

Edge Loafing: "What happened, bro?"

Irena: "Tell us, I'm curious. (Sarcastic)"

The thread fell silent for a moment.

After being urged for a full minute, Night Ten reluctantly said.

"...Uh, I got stabbed on the way to trigger the mission."

Springwater Commander: "Pfft..."

Elf King Wealth: "Who could stab you, a perception-type?"

Night Ten: "I'm baffled too. No warning at all. Good Dog and I were gone in an instant. I saw him get his throat slit... That guy's definitely off."

Springwater Commander: "Could it be an Awakened from the Torch Church?"

Night Ten: "Not just an Awakened... I feel like it's more like..."

Edge Loafing: "Like what???"

Night Ten: "Frost, Eclipse, those..."

Unprofessional Counter-Meme: "Holy shit? A bionic soldier?!"

Night Ten: "Yeah... I heard the essence of perception-type is a comprehensive sense of certain biological pheromones and the capture of environmental changes. Bionics don't have the former at all, so I basically can't sense them in advance."

Of course, it could also be a cyborg like Heya, who had a lot of bionic implants.

Considering that the black boxes held by the Torch Church mainly synthesized bionic organs, making a cyborg shouldn't be too hard.

It was just a matter of cost.

Springwater Commander: "Hmm... I don't know the situation over there, but if you say that... isn't that villa in danger?"

Night Ten: "I've already told the brother in charge of online-offline contact in the group. It should be fine... But it's weird, why hasn't Good Dog logged off yet? Didn't he die with me?"

The Burning Brigade had a habit of having someone take turns offline duty, making it easy to exchange info online and offline—an idea from Brother Fang.

So right after dying, Night Ten went to the group to tell that brother to relay the message, asking him to go online and inform everyone that something had happened at the villa.

But strangely, Dog Bro hadn't shown up yet.

Night Ten was just wondering about this when, speak of the devil, the ID "Good Names Are All Taken by Dogs" popped up in the thread.

"Damn! I was in the thick of fighting that boss, and you're here spamming?!"

Night Ten: "Holy shit, what's going on?! Weren't you dead?"

Good Dog: "Who told you I was dead! Let me tell you, Xiao Yu's resurrection armor is really useful! I was about to log off when my neck got warm, and I stood back up!"

Elf King Wealth: "??? That powerful?"

Irena: "This cheat... it's practically invincible. I'll get one too later. (Sarcastic)"

Night Ten: "Wait, forget the resurrection armor for now. How's it going over there?! What the hell was that guy who stabbed us?"

He was more concerned about that little girl.

As for whether his good bro was dead or not, it didn't matter—everyone had three days per life, and they'd saved recently, so dying was no big deal.

Good Dog: "Who knows? That guy didn't pay me any attention, but it looks like he was after that little girl with the antibodies... Damn, no humanity, going after a kid that young!"

Night Ten: "And the guy? (Sweat)"

Good Dog: "Couldn't beat him. That guy had some skills—he almost gave me five cuts in a second. Probably one of those cyborgs you mentioned in your post! But I reacted fast enough, dragged him out to the corridor, and took him down with the old trick."

Outlaw: "Newbie here, just asking—what's the old trick? (Curious)"

Good Dog: "Hehe, I'll teach you when I respawn, bro. (Shy)"

Just as everyone was discussing, Brother Fang's ID suddenly appeared.

"Who's on the Steel Heart? Or can contact the airship in-game?"

Wind Clear: "(Raise hand)"

Fang Chang: "About twenty-five kilometers in the direction of Pinecone Farm, precise coordinates (X-233, Y-365) nearby. Our recon squad spotted a mutant unit, about a thousand strong, with a few vehicles—type unknown, moving at 10-20 km/h... We're in radio silence. Please relay the coordinates to the Steel Heart."

Wind Clear: "Eh?"

Fang Chang: "What's wrong?"

Wind Clear: "Nothing... It's just that our leader just went out to scout for you, but looks like it's not needed anymore? 0.0"

Night Ten: "No worries, we'll all laugh at him for the wasted trip later. He won't feel left out. (Sarcastic)"

Irena: "(Sarcastic)"

...

Steel Heart, bridge.

Gazing at the vast sea of smoke piled up on the ground in the distance, the captain standing by the floor-to-ceiling window frowned.

"...Visibility on the ground is too poor. Our planes can't see anything."

Chu Guang looked at him and asked.

"Have you found the source of the fog?"

The captain shook his head with a grave expression.

"The consultant we brought in from the Institute of Biology believes... these obscuring agents might not be mere fog, but spores released from the soil."

"Spores?" Chu Guang furrowed his brow slightly.

The captain nodded and said.

"According to the consultant, based on the clues she gathered from the front lines, the mycelium lurking in the soil and within flora and fauna, under certain specific conditions, releases spores akin to those of the variant slime mold. However, they lack the ability to exchange information through spores like the slime mold's hive mind... This is primarily due to certain gene fragments within it derived from the variant slime mold."

Chu Guang: "Is there a connection between the Nago fungus and the variant slime mold?"

The captain hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"She believes there is a connection, but the Nago should not be a branch of the variant slime mold. Rather, it is a result of artificially splicing partial gene fragments from the variant slime mold into the nucleus of some other fungal species... This research is still ongoing, and the consultant cannot give me a definitive conclusion."

Chu Guang nodded thoughtfully.

"I see."

Just then, Xiao Qi, perched on his shoulder, suddenly lifted her head and whispered something close to his ear.

After listening, Chu Guang turned his gaze to the captain standing nearby.

"Prepare firepower at the port-side gun positions and the bow main cannon. Aim for coordinate zone (X-233, Y-365), adjust five hundred meters due west, and advance a creeping barrage two kilometers westward."

Hearing this, the captain's expression turned stern, and without asking for the reason, he immediately replied.

"Aye!"