Chapter 639: Goodbye, My Unseen Kin

Chapter 639: Farewell, My Unseen Kindred

At the very center of the nuclear crater.

The vast maw that had been vomiting had already retracted beneath the earth, leaving only a bottomless pit and two people standing at its edge.

The two stared at each other, until Old Bai finally broke the silence with a light cough.

“What’s next?”

Fang Chang looked at him in confusion.

“Next?”

“Uh, I mean… what’s the next step?”

Seeing Fang Chang’s expression that clearly said “What are you talking about,” Old Bai scratched his helmet and rephrased his question.

Though he was the captain, he had no experience dealing with situations like this—things he’d never even seen in reality. At times like this, he needed Fang Chang’s wild imagination.

But judging by Fang Chang’s indifferent look, he knew he had probably asked in vain.

“There is no next step… Actually, this was never part of the plan to begin with.”

Fang Chang sighed, walked to the edge of the giant pit, and peered down.

That profound darkness seemed capable of devouring everything.

And in fact, it already had—with almost a single gulp, it had nearly wiped out their entire squad.

To be honest.

If it weren’t for his identity as a player, he wouldn’t have dared to venture into this place, let alone come up with that reckless plan.

But precisely because he was a player, he not only dared to take on this near-suicidal mission but could also throw his teammates into the pit without a second thought, and they wouldn’t find anything wrong with it.

A sharp mind tends to overthink. Sometimes he couldn’t help but feel an illusion—that standing here, thinking this way, making this choice, had all been decided many years ago.

But that didn’t seem wrong either.

After all, this was a game.

Players themselves were the marbles rolling on the “tabletop pinball machine,” and a brilliant game designer would use clever designs to make players feel this as little as possible.

For instance, right now he was curious about what Luoyu would discover down there.

He hoped it wouldn’t end up being nothing—just a pile of crap.

That would be embarrassing.

“So… we just wait here?” Old Bai asked from not far behind.

Fang Chang shrugged.

“For now, that’s all we can do.”

“That might be a bit tricky.”

“Tricky?”

Hearing the subtle tone, Fang Chang, standing by the giant pit, was momentarily startled. He instinctively turned around and was completely dumbfounded.

At the edge of the nuclear crater, a dense swarm of fruiting bodies formed a black, menacing circle.

Among them were primitive fruiting bodies like Tyrants and Crawlers, as well as power armor corroded by slime mold, armored vehicles, trucks, and a host of other bizarre entities.

When it came to recycling waste, no one on this wasteland could rival the slime mold.

They didn’t simply piece together garbage as armor; instead, based on their own understanding and using their vast gene library and self-evolution capabilities, they evolved a series of mind-boggling units.

For example, those few minibuses were the most typical representatives—they could launch self-destructing flying insects like rocket cars.

“…We’re screwed now.” Taking the Dawnbreaker mechanical compound bow off his back, Fang Chang squeezed out these words through gritted teeth, his scalp tingling.

“Yeah,” Old Bai nodded helplessly. “Let’s talk on the forum later.”

The two against ten thousand… or maybe even more.

There wasn’t even a one-in-ten-thousand chance of survival.

Both prepared for battle.

But something unexpected happened: those fruiting bodies just surrounded them, not rushing forward to overwhelm them.

While Old Bai and Fang Chang were wondering what they were waiting for, the ground beneath their feet suddenly trembled faintly.

Before they could react, pale red vines shot up from the giant pit behind them, intertwining and rising dozens of meters into the air like a tower, finally weaving a uniquely shaped seat at the top.

That seat was like a throne. Luoyu, who had been thrown into the pit earlier, was now sitting there in all his flamboyance.

Gazing at the pale red fungal tower, the fruiting bodies surrounding the nuclear crater stirred restlessly, emitting hoarse, garbled sounds. They shuffled as if wanting to advance but dared not.

They were confused, fearful, unable to comprehend the scene before them, lost in chaos.

Watching the tide-like fungal swarm, Luoyu felt no fear at all.

He could see every fruiting body here; he could clearly sense what they were thinking.

A vast ocean of thoughts surged toward him.

Feeling the longing flowing through the spore cloud, he released his own ripple.

To him, who had already mastered the entire hive, this was as simple as breathing.

“Do not panic.”

“It is over—”

“This war that has lasted two centuries.”

As if sensing the ripple flowing through the spore cloud, the surging, restless emotions were instantly calmed.

The fruiting bodies that had been pacing at the edge of the nuclear crater finally stopped hesitating. They stretched their limbs upward, cheering in their own way.

That familiar ripple was the mother’s!

All their anxiety and fear melted away in that moment, swept clean by the spreading spore cloud.

After confirming His presence, they took less than a second to accept this new sovereign.

Satisfied with the obedient reaction of the fruiting bodies, a hint of a smile curled at the corner of Luoyu’s mouth.

So this was the feeling of power?

It was utterly exhilarating!

By the way, should he shout “kneel” and see what happens?

Just as Luoyu was pondering how to show off, Fang Chang and Old Bai, standing beneath the intertwined pale red vines, both looked up in unison, dumbfounded.

“…What’s going on?”

“Brother… are you still human?”

Seeing their bewildered expressions, Luoyu felt a bit embarrassed and cleared his throat lightly.

“Of course I am. As for what happened, it’s a long story—it starts with a planet called Gaia… It’s not something I can explain in a few words. Let’s go to the forum later and talk in detail.”

Fang Chang nodded in a daze, thinking that made sense.

Posting a message is fine—shared joy is greater than solitary pleasure, so he won't be the only one in the know while the other brothers remain in the dark.

But he still couldn't figure out how they'd gotten onto the topic of a planet called Gaia.

And—

"Alright... by the way, where's Night Ten?"

The moment his words fell, Fallen Feather was about to speak when a grumbling voice came from beneath him.

"I'm right here... Damn it, this guy didn't even get me a chair."

There, at the base of the pale red fungal tower, Night Ten was clinging to one of the tendrils, struggling to climb up.

Someone had already finished showing off, and he was still hanging on the tree.

Hearing his complaint, Fallen Feather's face flushed with embarrassment, and he quickly cleared his throat to defend himself.

"Hey, I was in a hurry to save someone, alright? If I'd been a step later—"

Night Ten rolled his eyes in exhaustion and cut off his excuse.

"Hurry up! Give me a hand!"

Fallen Feather wasted no more time and said immediately.

"Xiao Yu."

"Ee-oo!"

With a light, cheerful reply, a pale red tendril detached from the fungal tower, coiled around Night Ten's ankle, and yanked upward with force.

Realizing something was wrong, Night Ten's face changed. He tried to stop it, but it was too late—his feet were dragged by a massive force, and his whole body was flung into the sky.

Luckily, Xiao Yu didn't just toss him up and leave him.

As his body left the pit, another tendril split off and caught him squarely.

After all that fuss, Night Ten, clutching the tendril tightly, finally made it back to the surface, battered and disheveled.

The moment his feet touched the soft soil, he couldn't help but grimace and complain.

"Fuck! I'm at least a meritorious retainer, and you're trying to kill me?!"

Thinking he was greeting her, Xiao Yu excitedly replied.

"Fuck!"

Night Ten: "#%@#!"

...

At the edge of the North Second Ring Road, the acrid smoke of gunpowder filled the entire street.

On the broken highway, shattered corpses and the wreckage of explosions were scattered everywhere.

Watching the power armor that had fallen not far in front of him, Edge Skimmer leaned against the wall, gasping for breath, and dropped the bent launch tube in his hand.

Not far from him, Construction Boy and Brick were hanging on a broken streetlamp, a bloody mess, with even their intestines spilling out. Debt Big Eye was even worse—most of his body was gone, leaving only a lonely head and shoulders on the ground.

But that guy had no psychological burden; in his own words, in three days he could claim to be a virgin again.

Edge Skimmer grinned, but his throat itched, and he coughed up blood onto the ground.

This battle could only be described as brutal.

They weren't just facing over twenty suits of power armor corroded by slime mold—it was nearly half a company's worth!

A total of 47 Decayed Knights had charged out of the ruins and engaged them in close-quarters combat.

To stop them from entering the underground tunnel and getting close to that Xiya, these evolved beings were like madmen, rushing at them recklessly.

As the most fearless brigade in the Alliance, with their fierce tactics, they naturally wouldn't back down.

When the rocket launchers ran out, they switched to rifles; when the bullets were gone, they used bayonets; when the bayonets broke, they used steel pipes, rebar, crowbars, even bricks picked up from the ground, or their own fists... In short, they exhausted every means, at any cost, just to inflict as much damage as possible on their enemies before dying!

Facts proved that equipment wasn't everything—their will to fight could bridge the insurmountable gap.

All 47 Decayed Knights were destroyed!

Of course, the casualties they paid were also extremely heavy.

Nearly 2,500 players had fallen in battle, and most of the remaining 500 were wounded, with injuries ranging from light to severe.

Such a terrifying exchange ratio would have broken any other army.

Only they, this brigade made up of players, could hold on and fight till now.

Not far ahead of Edge Skimmer, beside the collapsed elevated bridge, the fortress-like square armor still stood immovably.

It was like an undying thing.

Even after being hit by nearly a hundred RPG anti-tank rounds and over a dozen Dove missiles, its armor remained intact, only scarred with pockmarks.

Looking back at the remaining brothers and the weapons in their hands, the vague smile on Edge Skimmer's lips gradually took on a bitter taste.

It seemed this first kill was out of reach.

But—

Even so, they had no reason to retreat.

Death was just the starting point of the cycle; three days later, it would be a new beginning.

They were the truly undying warriors!

He pulled his arm off the wall and steadied himself on the ground.

"Those who want to go back and save can go back now. You've done well enough; even if you don't see it through, I won't blame you... But our mission isn't over, and I plan to continue."

If he could somehow climb onto that thing and stuff explosives into the cockpit filled with slime mold, maybe he could bring it down!

They weren't completely out of chances!

His Adam's apple bobbed as Edge Skimmer bit down on the assault whistle hanging around his neck, ready to blow it.

But just then, the Titan, which had been striding forward, suddenly halted, let out a low roar, and amid a screech of grinding metal, slowly sank down.

Its body, as tall as a six-story building, tilted forward like a toppling square tower, its angular armor crashing into the ground, kicking up rolling dust.

Seeing this, everyone was stunned, not knowing what had happened.

A moment ago, it was full of killing intent.

Why did it suddenly kneel?

Just then, from the street corner not far away came the roar of tires on the ground. Several Type 2B tank destroyers armed with 60-caliber electromagnetic guns, escorted by Chimera armored vehicles, rushed onto the battlefield.

"Fire!"

Mole, half his body sticking out of an armored vehicle, shouted. Pale blue arcs of electricity flickered in the night, and an orange tracer suddenly blasted toward the kneeling Titan.

The Titan recoiled as if punched in the face, its entire body jolted by the electromagnetic gun, and a dull metallic clang spread outward.

The dust settled.

Seeing the Titan motionless, Mole was momentarily stunned, then immediately ordered another volley.

He wanted to see how many rounds of this ship-cannon-level firepower that iron lump could withstand!

But just then, Edge Splash suddenly cried out, waving his arms in an attempt to stop them.

“Wait! Don’t fire yet! Hold it!”

Hearing Brother Edge’s voice, Mole swallowed the “Fire!” that had been on the tip of his tongue.

As he watched the other limp over to him, Mole asked, utterly bewildered.

“What’s going on? We’re not fighting anymore?”

“…It’s already over.”

Edge Splash raised his arm and pointed at the VM screen.

There, on the display, a pale blue pop-up window flickered.

[Congratulations to the Death Corps for achieving the first kill of the evolved form “Fungal Devourer Titan”!]

Though the titan could clearly still fight, the game system had already declared its defeat, and it had indeed ceased resistance.

With a touch of self-indulgent imagination, perhaps the spirits of the 111th Orbital Drop Division’s soldiers had acknowledged their courage in battle?

Regardless, since even the game officials admitted they had won, this guy shouldn’t cause any more trouble.

As long as Brother Guang didn’t pull another unpredictable stunt.

The first-kill announcement and rewards were secured, and the Death Corps brothers were thrilled—but Mole wore a pained expression.

“Damn! Already won?! So I trekked all this way for nothing?”

Edge Splash gave an embarrassed smile and cleared his throat lightly.

“Can’t help it—our strength speaks for itself… Oh, right, I got so caught up in the fight I almost forgot the real business. That Xiya is still down there. We’re out of ammo, so the rest is up to you.”

Hearing this, Mole’s pained look instantly transformed into a cheerful grin.

“Heh, now that’s what I like to hear!”

With that, he picked up the megaphone again and bellowed behind him.

“Brothers! We missed the mini-boss, but the big boss is ours!”

“The mother that triggered this wave is up ahead! Charge with me and take it down!”

MVP!

Haha! Definitely mine this time!

Mole’s eyes gleamed with excitement. Their Skull Corps had been second or third fiddle for who knows how many years—finally, they’d get their moment of glory!

Thinking the same, the others erupted in excited roars.

“Oooh!”

Wheels rolled forward as players perched on the backs of armored vehicles and tanks chambered their weapons.

Watching the murderous armored column advance, Drum Washing Machine, who had sat down by the roadside with his rifle, couldn’t help muttering.

“Charging that thing—not bad.”

Brother’s got some twisted tastes…

……

The wave retreating from the front lines was a full several kilometers away from Xiya.

Crossing several kilometers of urban terrain was a completely different challenge from crossing plains.

Not to mention that the city was a ruin, and the retreating wave was also under joint siege by the Alliance’s army and air force.

Most of the incubation chambers throughout Clear Spring City were controlled by the central hive mind in the city center; Xiya only commanded those along the wave’s path.

Though the production rate of slime mold fruiting bodies wasn’t slow, it obviously couldn’t keep up with the speeding Skull Corps.

Reaching the entrance to the underground tunnel, armored grenadiers, clad head to toe in exoskeletons, leaped from their vehicles and charged into the pitch-black subway station.

The fruiting bodies lurking in the darkness swarmed forward, using every method they could think of to stop the players’ advance.

But with the central hive mind fallen, the forces guarding Xiya were already spent—this final resistance was nothing but a death throes.

Sensing the relentless organic force drawing closer, Xiya, standing on the crimson fungal carpet, finally felt a bone-deep terror.

“Mother…”

“What should I do?”

The spores floating beside her were like a windless lake—still, without a single ripple, and without any echo.

That was only natural.

After all, She had fallen into eternal slumber, taking her unfinished destiny with her.

Despair rose in Xiya’s heart.

She had no idea what to do.

Since being born months ago, she had always listened to Her teachings.

She had never imagined that one day, She would leave this world before her.

Even less did she expect it to come so suddenly, leaving her utterly unprepared.

Just as she was paralyzed with fear and helplessness, the silent ripples suddenly stirred with an echo.

“Surrender.”

The Xiya, who had shown a flicker of hope just a second ago, felt her emotions within the spore cloud turn back into deep despair upon hearing those words.

“They’ll kill me! Just like they killed my children?”

The ripples echoing through the spore cloud continued to deliver their revelation, in a tone that brooked no refusal.

“As long as you submit to me, they won’t.”

Xiya: “Why?!”

The voice went on.

“They say the laws of nature are irreversible. Like those alien species, we have become part of this vast system. As long as even a single slime mold cell remains, a new mother will be born from the old fruiting body.”

“Erasing us from this planet is no less difficult than erasing every speck of dust from it. This path was doomed from the start, so they extended an invitation to me, hoping to explore the road ahead together.”

Xiya: “…The road ahead?”

The voice continued deep within her ocean of consciousness.

“Yes. No one can go back two hundred years, but everyone can decide how to spend today and tomorrow.”

Xiya: “Who are you?!”

The voice revealed a hint of cheer and delight.

“You can call me Xiaoyu—that’s the name they gave me. I quite like it.”

The joy flowing through the spore cloud made Xiya feel a twinge of envy.

In her ephemeral, mayfly-like life, only Mother’s approval had ever made her feel that way.

The silence stretched on for a long time.

The gunfire in the tunnel drew nearer, and time was running out for it.

Just as Xiaoyu was about to urge it on, the spores flowing beside Xiya suddenly rippled with a sigh.

"Perhaps... you are right."

Xiaoyu: "You agree?"

Xiya: "No."

Xiaoyu: "...Why?!"

Sensing the surprise flowing around her, Xiya smiled softly, and her once restless soul grew calm instead.

"...The meaning of my birth is to devour, kill, and conquer, just as the meaning of yours is to explore uncharted paths."

"My mother once told me that death is but the beginning of reincarnation; we are born from the soil beneath our feet, and we shall return there to sleep forever."

"Thank you for letting me hear my mother's voice once more before I depart. I suddenly realize that embracing the end of fate is not so terrifying. Our death will be meaningful, and our footprints will remain on this land."

"You need not carry my burden forward. I will fulfill my destiny here and now, using my death to draw the final curtain on this battle that has lasted two centuries."

"Perhaps when I open my eyes again, my ripples will be reborn in a completely different new world."

"If that world truly exists, please go and see it for me."

"Farewell, my kindred whom I have never met."

With that brief farewell, it hastily cut off its connection with Xiaoyu.

The crimson fungal mass writhed like boiling water; its chest swelled several times in an instant, its spreading skirt expanded outward like armor, and twisted tendrils, like octopus tentacles, dragged its body forward as it swam.

This was the strongest form it could imagine, the limit it could achieve as a mother entity!

At that moment, it was like a true demon from hell.

Having lost all its evolved forms, it made itself the final evolved form and launched an attack on the players charging into the underground passage.

"Embrace glorious evolution!"

It roared, swinging the tendrils beneath its skirt, piercing, tearing apart, or engulfing the players who rushed up, devouring them under its skirt.

The skeleton legion, which had been sweeping into the tunnel with unstoppable momentum, faltered for a moment in its advance due to Xiya's sudden entry into the battlefield.

But that pause was only a fleeting instant.

Seeing the frenzied boss, no one showed fear or timidity; instead, a fierce battle spirit ignited.

The long-awaited boss fight had finally arrived!

Roars of high morale echoed through the tunnel.

"Front line hold steady, back line spread out—boss is here!"

"Brothers, engage!"

"Ooh-ooh-ooh!"