Chapter 748: The Sacrifice Offered to Faith

Chapter 748: The Sacrifice Offered for Faith

“Roar——!”

The deafening roar echoed through the tunnels of the Blood Mountain, as the Plague Champion, drenched in gore, trudged forward with heavy steps.

Not far ahead, four members of the Alpha Task Force stood ready.

The grinding, meat-grinder intensity of the battle had taken a heavy toll on both sides. Nearly three thousand Plague Monks of the Bloodhoof Clan had fallen, and more than half of the Alphas who had entered the Blood Mountain tunnels were dead, leaving only four hundred.

The number of destroyed drones was beyond count; the narrow tunnels were littered with metal fragments and muddy corpses.

It was utterly impossible for just four to hold back the Plague Champion’s assault, yet no one retreated.

Their superiors had given the order to fight to the death without retreat.

Even when they had received that mysterious biological prosthesis, they had already prepared themselves for death.

The four exchanged glances, had a brief conversation over the comm channel, and then launched their attack.

Two assault rifles and two Gauss rifles were simultaneously aimed at the end of the tunnel, spitting alternating yellow and blue flashes.

As if surprised that these humans dared to emerge from cover and open fire, the Plague Champion let out a pained roar, extended its right arm, and quickly morphed it into the shape of a cannon barrel. A pale red mist shot toward the Alpha-held position.

The dense spore cloud burst open like a fragmentation grenade, splattering across the faces of the four Alphas and quickly burning through their gas masks.

Fortunately, they had all received Xiaoyu’s biological prosthesis, and their specifically enhanced immune systems easily fended off the erosion of the Alpha protozoa.

Yet—

That was not the only trouble.

The spreading smoke obscured their vision; even with the thermal imaging of their tactical helmets, they could only see a blurry heat source.

The footsteps that shook the tunnel were closing in fast. One Alpha acted without hesitation, grabbing a solid-state hydrogen battery and tossing it out, then firing an airburst incendiary grenade in the general direction.

Thick flames erupted instantly, forming a sea of fire that covered the entire tunnel exit.

Two Alphas laid down suppressive fire on the other side of the flames, while the other two quickly fell back, trying to put distance between themselves and the Plague Champion.

But these insignificant attacks did not stop the creature’s advance. The three-meter-tall black figure, like a tank moving through the tunnel, plowed through the dense wall of fire and charged straight at the four.

In its left hand was a large shield, and its right hand was connected to a club-like sword, forming a stark contrast with the Alphas’ sophisticated, almost sci-fi equipment.

Yet in terms of technological content, it was no less advanced than theirs.

The Torch had not yet completed its Gestalt life system, but it had still achieved a breakthrough on the existing foundation—

That is, consciousness governs the life process, rather than the life process governing consciousness.

These Plague Champions could select needed gene fragments from designed organs for customized expression, thereby mimicking weapons.

This was a singularity that even the Era of Prosperity, which had achieved “design evolution,” had never accomplished!

One could say their very existence was a crystallization of technology, an incredible miracle.

The two Alphas who kept firing felt as if a train had slammed into them.

The shadow that pierced the flames flickered once, then cleaved them in half at the waist, spilling shattered organs across the ground.

They didn’t even have time to scream; both died on the spot.

The Plague Champion, drenched in blood, let out a triumphant howl. The grievous wounds covering its body healed at a visible rate, and the new flesh that grew was even more grotesque than before.

“Monster.”

“No doubt about it.”

The two Alphas stared at the creature in fear, but neither retreated.

According to the battlefield situation analysis system, they had calculated their survival chance at less than 1%. Turning back now would only hasten their deaths.

If that was the case, they might as well die meaningfully.

The two Alphas exchanged glances and, in unison, unlocked the safeties on the self-destruct modules of their exoskeletons.

The moment their vital signs ceased, the self-destruct modules would activate and detonate the exoskeleton’s batteries.

It might not kill the creature, but it should cause some trouble.

Its regenerative capacity was not infinite; if damage exceeded the healing limit, it would die.

Their fallen comrades had already shared that lesson, and now all they had to do was use the last of their lives to give their teammates behind them a slightly better chance of survival.

The battle was about to erupt!

Just as the Plague Champion was about to swiftly execute these two and move on to the next target, a searing flame shot through the two Alphas without warning and struck its face!

It instinctively raised its left arm to block, and the blazing fire was quickly absorbed by the fleshy red spore coat on the shield. Though the flame didn’t cause fatal damage, it still made the creature pause for a moment.

The two Alphas looked back in surprise.

There stood an exoskeleton-clad warrior behind them, holding a large-caliber shotgun.

“Get back!”

Bianyuan Huashui shouted, and the manual “Fire Dragon” shotgun continued to fire, spewing scorching tongues of flame at the shield-wielding creature.

Enduring the searing damage, the Plague Champion let out a pained roar, using its left-arm shield to withstand the streams of fire as it charged straight ahead.

At the same time, a strength-type player stepped forward with a ceramic steel shield, facing the right arm that came crashing down without flinching.

“Thud——!”

A dull, heavy sound echoed through the tunnel.

The strength-type player’s knees buckled slightly, but that was all.

The Plague Champion stared in shock, its eyes wide with disbelief at the undamaged shield.

The biomass battle-axe it had mimicked with its right arm could tear through armor steel, yet it hadn’t left even a scratch on this thing!

Clearly, it didn’t know that this material was used for space station structural components.

Though it was less effective against armor-piercing rounds, its ability to “resist high-speed impacts” was second to none.

The player who had taken the hit immediately dropped the shield, ducked low, and rushed close to the Plague Champion. With a roar, he drove the syringe strapped to his waist into the monster’s thigh.

Type B Nago bacterial strain had a clear inhibitory effect on Type J Nago strain—not only by consuming the Type J strain but also by suppressing its proliferation.

The self-healing ability of the Torch Church’s biological power armor came from the Nago bacterial colony, a conclusion reached last year when the Alliance’s Biological Research Institute analyzed the remains of “Ga’en.”

Thus, the Alliance used this technology to create the “Type J Strain Inhibitor,” specifically designed to limit the self-healing of the Torch’s biological power armor.

The inhibitor’s effect lasted at least three minutes, and during those three minutes, the biological power armor’s recovery efficiency was reduced by at least 90%.

Until the injected “toxin” was fully metabolized.

The Plague Champion, struck by the needle, let out a pained roar. It kicked its right leg forward, sending the strength-type player holding the syringe flying.

The player slammed into the rock wall, groaned, and passed out, seemingly disconnected.

The Plague Champion angrily yanked the needle from its right thigh, but was horrified to find that blood poured uncontrollably from the tiny puncture wound, with no sign of healing.

Seeing the attack work, another player who had entered the tunnel with Bianyuan Huashui grinned. He crouched, set up an RPG rocket launcher, unlocked the safety, and shouted.

“RPG!!”

White smoke shot from the launcher, slamming into the shield. The explosion’s flames scattered, sending chunks of stone flying, nearly taking out the allies in the tunnel as well.

He shielded his head with his arm and retreated two steps, then looked up along the edge of the shotgun—only to see the Plague Champion, who had taken a high-explosive round, standing there as if nothing had happened.

The shield attached to the creature’s left arm had been blasted into a gruesome wound, yet the damaged area was still visibly healing at a rapid pace.

“What the hell?! How is it useless?!” The guy carrying the RPG was stunned.

Edge was taken aback for a moment too, but quickly snapped out of it and shouted at him.

“Right leg! The needle hit the right leg! Aim for the right side of its body!”

His knowledge was mediocre; he didn’t really understand what a biological power armor was.

But by analogy with anesthesia, it seemed only the area where the needle struck went numb.

Similarly, the suppression of recovery efficiency was likely limited to the spot where the needle had pierced.

“Damn!”

Suddenly snapping back to reality, the player immediately reloaded the launcher with another warhead, aimed again at the staggering Plague Champion, and pulled the trigger.

“RPG!!”

Another plume of white smoke shot out, this time slamming squarely into the Plague Champion’s right leg.

The shrapnel from the blast, like a raging storm, whistled and embedded itself into the right half of the hulking figure.

The Plague Champion let out a pained roar, staring in disbelief and terror at the half of its body gushing blood.

Its regenerative ability had failed!

Not only that—

The entire right side of its body seemed to lose sensation, its strength visibly draining away.

Without giving it a moment to catch its breath, Edge, wielding the Inferno Dragon shotgun, charged forward and emptied the magazine into the retreating creature.

With a series of booming shots, the towering form finally crashed heavily to the ground, utterly still.

Seeing the boss finally slain, the players erupted in excited cheers.

Watching these reinforcements arrive, the two Alphas wore expressions of slight bewilderment.

Edge walked over to one of them and succinctly explained the situation.

“Edge, commander of the Alliance Death Corps. Half an hour ago, the Torch Church launched a surprise attack on almost all our frontline positions, especially the Weifu military base.”

The Alpha looked at him and asked.

“Then… why are you here?”

“Because this is where we’re needed,” Edge glanced at the fallen Plague Champion on the ground, grinned, and continued, “Besides, the enemy’s attention must be on the Weifu military base right now—this is the perfect time to take Blood Mountain! The Administrator ordered us to seize the hive hidden deep within Blood Mountain at all costs.”

“Understood.” The Alpha nodded, white mist seeping from his gas mask. “We’ll give you all the support we can.”

Edge smiled and asked.

“I’ve already introduced myself. What about you? What’s your name? Where’s your captain?”

The man replied succinctly.

“Alpha 1006. Our captain is everywhere—don’t worry about it. Just talk to me.”

Edge paused for a moment, then grinned and extended his fist.

“That name’s too long… I’ll just call you A-Liu.”

The man nodded, bumped fists with Edge, and reloaded his weapon.

“Tell me your plan.”

Edge: “We plan to attack the hive itself directly. Once we eliminate the source of the plague, the mutants will be nothing.”

A-Liu stared at him impassively.

“Did you bring large-yield bombs?”

“No need for that.” Carrying twenty Devourers that looked like mountains of flesh, Debtor Big Eye stepped out from behind, a cheerful smile on his face. “These will be enough.”

These were the smallest ones; any fatter ones couldn’t even squeeze in.

He didn’t know why, but while Falling Feather’s fruiting bodies knew how to control their “size,” the ones he raised were like idiots, only ever gorging themselves until they turned into balls—useless in direct combat except for moving things or repairing bridges.

But now, finally, they had a chance to be useful.

Seeing those fruiting bodies, A-Liu immediately understood their intent and nodded.

“Got it. I’ll cover you.”

The two teams merged, reversing their earlier decline, and launched a fresh assault deep into Blood Mountain.

There were fifty Plague Champions in biological power armor. The Alpha Task Force had already killed ten, leaving nearly forty.

Each of these creatures had different abilities—like the Plague Monks, with twisted forms and unpredictable fighting styles, their tactics so brutal they made one’s scalp crawl.

But for the Alpha Task Force and the Death Corps, this level of fear was just a drizzle.

Especially the latter.

They were a group who didn’t even flinch at the Tide, daring to charge with the most primitive weapons against fruiting bodies and Evolved hundreds of times their number.

Now, with their equipment far superior, there was even less reason to frown.

Bloody skirmishes raged throughout the tunnels, the thick stench of blood overpowering even the rotting smell of spores.

Both sides had beliefs they would defend to the death and reasons they could not retreat.

And so, both suffered heavy casualties.

Soon, only half of the remaining forty Plague Champions were left.

The remaining half were mostly gasping for breath, their recovery and stamina both nearing their limits.

Standing in the “palace,” Sodo’s face gradually showed a hint of panic; his earlier excited boasts were nowhere to be seen.

He could feel the lives of his followers slipping away, hear the lament of the Plague Lord.

The god he worshipped was calling to him, urging him to stop those rude intruders at any cost.

But those rude intruders seemed endless—people kept falling, and more kept filling in from behind. Even the Beast King’s personal guards couldn’t withstand the relentless assault.

His fat body trembled; he shook his toad-like cheeks and let out a grunt.

“Respected Plague Lord… your servant, with this frail body, cannot stop them. Grant me a stronger form, and I will surely devour them all for you.”

He muttered, his ugly face full of piety, but no one answered his prayer.

Not only the hive hidden deep in the pit, but even the “Beast King” who controlled everything was tense, stunned by the situation.

Especially the Beast King.

He had thought that with the Weifu military base under threat, the coalition would at least pull troops from various positions to defend it. He never expected they would still refuse to abandon Blood Mountain and the nearly trapped Alpha Task Force.

At least 3,000 troops had reinforced this mountain, most of them Awakened.

Their fearless fighting style had even instilled fear in the Plague Monks, who had their pain receptors severed.

He hadn’t wanted to intervene personally.

But if he couldn't get rid of these troublesome fellows, he feared he'd have no chance to leave this place and meet that administrator.

His sickly green eyes glared at the soldiers standing before him, and directly manipulating a Plague Champion, the Beast King let out a threatening low growl from his throat.

"Move aside."

That voice carried a spiritual pressure, like the dominance of an apex predator over its prey.

Yet what stunned him even more was that, upon hearing his voice, those people showed no trace of fear—instead, their pupils lit up with excitement.

"Holy crap, this thing can talk!"

"MMP! This time it's gotta be the real boss, right?"

Chambering a round into his shotgun, the Outlaw let out an excited howl.

"Brothers! Engage!"

In response came a cacophony of shouts.

"Whoo-hoo!"

"???"

Staring at these guys whose emotions had suddenly boiled over, the Beast King stood frozen for a moment.

It wasn't until a grenade exploded right in front of him that he let out a furious roar and charged at the noisy bunch.

His right arm swung like a battle-axe, and with a single sweep, he sent the man blocking his way flying, shield and all.

But to his surprise, faced with his brutality and might, those noisy fellows only grew more excited.

Their eyes, burning with battle lust, seemed fixed on some delicious prey.

And it was this arrogant disrespect that fanned the flames of rage in his chest even hotter.

These weak little humans...

Were they all masochists?!

With unprecedented fury building in his chest, the Beast King tried to steady his breathing, only to find his mind unable to control the runaway emotions.

The power of savagery coursed through his veins, more unruly than ever, beyond his conscious command.

That feeling was just like the craving for food—equally a primal instinct.

Before, he could control his emotional swings and make the calmest decisions only because, while in the Sanctuary, he lacked a physical form in the mortal world.

But he had been separated from his mortal flesh for too long, and had long forgotten how to restrain his instincts.

"ROAR—!"

Thoroughly enraged, he charged like a runaway horse into the swarm of ants blocking his path.

And seeing him so irritable and furious, the players only thought the boss was incredibly lifelike.

Especially the one who had been sent flying first.

Back in the fight, he coughed up blood, shouting excitedly between coughs.

"Brothers, push harder!"

"The boss is getting desperate!"

...

On the other side, deep within the rock of Blood Mountain.

A-Liu led Bian Yuan Hua Shui and Fu Zhai Da Yan's group forward.

The remnants of the Alpha Task Force were mostly gathered here.

It was a sobering sight: the original full-strength battalion of over a thousand had dwindled to just 112 members.

As for Bian Yuan Hua Shui's group, aside from a dozen brothers, there were the twenty oddly shaped "babies" that Fu Zhai Da Yan had raised.

The tunnel beneath their feet was a path mapped out by the Alpha Task Force at the cost of nearly a thousand drones and over a hundred soldiers.

By tracking the bodies of the fallen members of the Thirteenth Squadron, they had pinpointed the approximate location of the hive.

Most of the Bloodhoof tribe's Plague Monks were tied up near the palace of that prophet called Sodo.

This place, which should have been heavily guarded, instead had little defense—only a few dozen plagues.

Bian Yuan Hua Shui guessed that the Bloodhoof tribe's command structure had broken down; otherwise, with their meticulous plans, they wouldn't have left such a critical point exposed.

For instance—

The Plague Lord had to rely on the "Beast King" or the "Prophet" to communicate with its underlings, since those Plague Monks weren't its true fruiting bodies.

If both the Beast King and the Prophet were simultaneously occupied, it could easily cause a bottleneck in the command system for subordinates whose communication methods were already primitive.

In fact, not to mention those mutants, their own command system often failed in these complex tunnel terrains, with signals cutting in and out.

Even without considering the Torch's electromagnetic pulse traps hidden in the tunnels, the solid rock itself was a natural barrier.

Bian Yuan Hua Shui didn't know how Alpha maintained its organization, but for their side, they had to rely on the "scheduled offline contact" cheat to relay important information.

"Something wrong?"

Seeing the Death Corps commander keep glancing at him, A-Liu cast an emotionless look and asked.

Noticing his gaze, Bian Yuan Hua Shui didn't hide it and simply asked directly.

"Nothing, just a personal curiosity... How do you communicate with each other?"

A-Liu: "It's simple. Our minds are shared; each of us is a communication node."

Hearing this, Fu Zhai Da Yan's face twisted into a strange expression, and he couldn't help asking.

"What if someone accidentally thinks of something weird?"

Perhaps because it wasn't a secret, A-Liu didn't hide it and answered succinctly.

"For us, there's no such concern. We've had certain tissues in our cerebral cortex removed. Even necessary thought processes are based on the overall Alpha Task Force."

Fu Zhai Da Yan: "Removed... but why go that far?"

"Why..." A-Liu paused in thought. "I don't know the higher-ups' reasoning. Maybe for combat efficiency, maybe to eliminate other risks. But even setting that aside... Don't you think it's convenient?"

Fu Zhai Da Yan stared at him in shock.

"Convenient?"

A-Liu nodded and said simply.

"Even from an individual standpoint, pointless random thoughts only add unnecessary suffering. Whether our sacrifice is meaningful, what we'll get after victory, and why we can only eat at most four bowls of rice with toppings per meal... Even if we got answers, nothing would change. So I don't see why saving that mental processing power is a bad thing. At least we can enjoy the remaining time of the plan without worry."

He paused, then continued.

"And for that, I have to thank you. Our lives were supposed to end half an hour ago. Now it looks like we might even make it to tomorrow's breakfast."

Looking at this guy, Bian Yuan Hua Shui felt a twinge of sympathy for some reason. His throat moved as he spoke.

"...When we get back, I'll treat you. Eat as many bowls as you want."

A-Liu nodded.

"I appreciate the gesture, but it's not about money. Still, we're looking forward to what new things the cafeteria will have tomorrow."

Looking at this rigid fellow, Edge Paddling made a helpless expression while skirting the issue.

“Then eating together should be fine, right?”

He could order a few more dishes, letting these guys who always fixate on one meal try something different.

A Liu pondered for a moment and nodded.

“No problem.”

Their officer hadn’t said they couldn’t dine with allies; it was just that most found them dull and preferred to keep their distance.

The target drew nearer, and the stench of decay in the air grew ever more intense.

Everyone steeled themselves with utmost vigilance, not exchanging a single word.

And just then, a vast underground space came into view.

At the very center of that space yawned a pit over a hundred meters wide.

Beside the pit were arranged various wooden and iron implements, transforming the cavern into an altar steeped in mysticism.

Beyond the altar, there stood a group of plague monks with three heads and six arms, numbering over a hundred.

Their ugliness defied description; even the tentacle-covered multi-legged beasts seemed adorable in comparison.

Spotting the uninvited intruders, the plague monks howled and charged, intent on tearing them apart.

But to the assembled Alphas, this rabble was nothing more than cannon fodder.

They had long grown accustomed to these monsters’ unique fighting style and their near-perverse regenerative abilities. By maintaining distance and alternating fire, they easily crushed the hundred-odd minions in the tunnel.

The group approached the edge of the pit. A dark red mist seemed to emanate from it; just standing at the brink and peering down, one could feel the threat of death.

The surrounding Alpha protozoa stirred restlessly, unable to corrode these beings.

A call from the unseen came, like the howl of a beast, or perhaps a plea for mercy.

Edge Paddling shot Debt Big Eye a glance, signaling him to act.

Though he knew the mission’s details inside out and found no fault with the manager’s compensation, Big Eye still felt a pang of reluctance at pushing his own nurtured babies into the pit.

He wasn’t truly a newborn after all.

Gazing at the plump, round-bellied little ones, he muttered to himself.

“Little Gray, and Little Little Gray, Little Little Little Gray… don’t blame your dad when you go down. Dad had no choice—the manager forced me…”

Hearing his rambling, Edge Paddling couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

If this bastard really felt so reluctant, why take the job of selling off his “wives”?

No one forced him.

Clear Springs had plenty of Devourers; though not many were this fat, he could just raise more.

Before Debt Big Eye’s words faded, the twenty fruiting bodies seemed unable to bear it any longer. They let out a “ee-woo” as a farewell, then marched on their own legs into the pit.

They were merely “cells” from Xiao Yu; long before entering the cave, Xiao Yu had given them orders. They needed no “keeper’s” command to carry out the task to the end.

Yet Debt Big Eye looked utterly stricken, eyes wide and mouth agape.

“Holy shit?! Is it really that real?”

He hadn’t even had time to say a proper goodbye to his children!

Edge Paddling: “They’re just fruiting bodies, without self-awareness. What did you expect?”

Roller Shampoo Machine, standing nearby, couldn’t resist a jab.

“Exactly! You think a hundred silver coins can buy you a wife? What were you thinking?”

“Damn it!”

Ignoring the commotion, A Liu walked to the pit’s edge and peered down.

“Is this enough?”

Patting Debt Big Eye on the shoulder, Roller Shampoo Machine said with a grin.

“Probably! Our work’s done; it’s all up to Xiao Yu now. If that fails, we can still toss this guy down—he’s carrying Xiao Yu’s seeds too.”

Big Eye: “%￥#@!”

A Liu nodded, but as he looked at the pit, he furrowed his brow slightly.

His helmet’s indicator showed the spore concentration around them shifting dramatically.

Clearly, those fruiting bodies were indeed a poison to the Alpha-named mother nest beneath his feet.

But toxicity was relative; the “Alpha” and Clear Springs’ mother nest were not the same type.

The latter shared most of its organic matter with its children, while this one hoarded the vast majority for itself.

Their paths of evolution diverged completely.

If Clear Springs’ mother nest was a king who enfeoffed countless knights and lords, then this nest was a wizard dwelling in an ivory tower.

It was so stingy it refused to share its substance at all, instead expanding its domain through the power of its followers.

“…Alpha protozoa concentration is dropping; spore concentration is rising.”

“Missiles have ceased; aggression is waning… Is it judging the danger resolved? Or simply out of energy?”

“If the latter, spore concentration should drop simultaneously.”

“‘Victory in hand’?”

“Unpleasant.”

“If this conclusion is based on the number of fruiting bodies deployed… twenty may not be enough to fully devour this thing. Nor can we rule out the possibility that fruiting bodies alone are insufficient—something else is needed.”

“What’s the assessment of summoning more fruiting bodies from the rear?”

“Zero. It would take at least an hour to relay the message, and according to allied intel, the rear is in an emergency and likely unable to support us.”

“If the ‘Alpha’ adapts to Xiao Yu’s devouring, or extracts its genetic fragments for targeted evolution, this attack method may lose its deterrent value.”

In just a few breaths, the group communicated via radio waves.

And as for what to do next, a unified consensus had formed in their minds.

The attack was effective.

But not enough.

Glancing at the allied soldiers laughing and cursing in their scuffle, A Liu turned to Edge Paddling and spoke without warning.

“Tomorrow, I might have to break our appointment.”

Edge Paddling froze, and Big Eye, who was twisting Roller Shampoo Machine’s head, also stopped.

Before the players could react, A Liu had already shed his exoskeleton, gas mask, and helmet.

Only then did Edge Paddling realize that the guy was actually a long-haired girl.

You’d never guess from the voice alone…

Not just A Liu—everyone moved in unison, leaving their weapons and equipment behind.

Although the exoskeleton's battery could serve as a final bullet, what they needed to do was not destroy this hive, and that amount of damage would be utterly futile against a creature of this magnitude; only a strategic-level bombardment could completely annihilate it.

The little feathers on their bodies were the true final bullet.

Between countless injuries and healings, that little creature had become a part of their bodies, growing and developing.

Though they could sense that it did not really like them, just like the other survivors in the military base.

But that sort of thing did not matter.

No one showed even a moment's hesitation; they calmly walked toward the bottomless abyss and then jumped down...