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墨書 Inktalez
Freyr spent a while exploring the surrounding area of the laboratory but found not a single usable piece of equipment.
Stepping out of the relatively concealed laboratory, he made his way toward the more populated sections of the building. These areas were likely to have enemies, but he might also encounter a few allies from his faction.
As long as he teamed up with one or two others, even a swarm of Cosmic Worms could be dealt with using numerical tactics. On the other hand, moving alone posed too many unknown risks, making him an easy target for ambushes.
Freyr couldn't afford to take such a big risk!
Suddenly, the communication device buzzed with activity. The room allowed him to hear the specific situations of his allies, and he was concerned for their safety, hoping to find a partner soon.
The sounds of fighting echoed in the room.
He knew that someone had encountered members of the Cosmic Insect Faction. The loud curses resonating through the room belonged to Xiong Tai, who was known for his straightforwardness. While he was quite skilled in combat, his simple-minded nature often led him to challenge opponents with weapons by saying things like "If you have guts, fight me without weapons."
Such honesty could easily lead to death on the battlefield; the Zerg was not one for negotiation or compromise.
"Xiong Tai, be careful not to get shocked."
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out.
"Stop talking nonsense! Stay where you are; I'll call you when I'm done. It's too dangerous here," Xiong Tai shouted back.
Freyr saw him engaged in a fierce struggle with a Cosmic Worm. Xiong Tai was desperately gripping a plastic mask, seemingly trying to pull it off directly. However, it clung stubbornly to his head, and the opponent was twisting vigorously. Just holding onto it wasn't enough leverage; he quickly took a hit from a Stun Gun to his abdomen.
Xiong Tai let out a pained cry, grabbing the arm of the attacker wielding the Stun Gun. With determination, he summoned all his strength and used his waist to throw his opponent aside, crashing his head against the wall.
The wrestling technique he employed proved effective; Xiong Tai took a deep breath and checked his abdomen. Lifting his shirt revealed two puncture marks from stings on his lower belly, and even touching that area sent sharp pain coursing through him.
The target was charred, the flesh thoroughly cooked.
Cosmic Worm adjusted his mask and tilted his head, clearly dazed from being hit in the back of the head.
Xiong Tai quickly lunged forward, kicking the Stun Gun out of his hand and grabbing him by the collar, lifting him up effortlessly.
With his legs dangling below, he hurled him forcefully against the ceiling panel above.
"Damn it, the meat we zapped is already cooked. Just watch me take you down."
Just as he was about to continue his assault, Zhou Bozhen suddenly stepped in front of Cosmic Worm.
"What are you doing?"
Xiong Tai's pupils were clouded with a blood-red mist, filled with a chilling intent to kill.
Zhou Bozhen glanced at him, then looked up at Cosmic Worm, who had just crashed down from the ceiling panel. Cosmic Worm clutched his throat and began coughing violently, raising a hand in surrender. "Spare me! I won't fight anymore. Please, give me my life!"
"See? There's no need to continue this; it's unnecessary."
Zhou Bozhen walked over, picked up the Stun Gun from the ground, tore off Cosmic Worm's plastic mask, and stabbed it into the back of his neck.
There was a muffled crackle as the male member immediately rolled his eyes back, his mouth twitching—clearly knocked out from the shock.
"Hehe! Got a good prize here."
With the help of the Stun Gun, even if they were surrounded by four or five Cosmic Worms, they could still find a way to break through.
"I still want to give him a taste of his own medicine. What if you knocked him out?"
In short, Xiong Tai's principle was to hit back tenfold for every punch he received, cursing and grumbling with a smirk on his face.
"This is just a game; it's all about participation. If someone gets hurt, we'll be in trouble and it won't be worth it."
Zhou Bozhen took a deep breath and shot Xiong Tai an annoyed glance, but of course, Xiong Tai was oblivious to Zhou Bozhen's thoughts.
Zhou Bozhen reached out and patted the blackened skin of the Cosmic Worm boy, whose flaxen bowl-cut hairstyle looked somewhat cool, though he had blood streaming from his nose—likely from a rough landing. Zhou Bozhen wiped it away before tearing off the Red Badge from the boy's chest.
He pulled out all the medals from his inner pocket and counted them carefully—four Red Badges in total, having defeated four Cosmic Worms and confiscated their weapons.
The situation suddenly looked much more optimistic.
Zhou Bozhen was somewhat clever; thinking of this, he tucked two of the badges into his pocket and turned to Xiong Tai. "You should keep these two safe. If the competition ends up distributing merits based on the number of badges, it would be a shame not to have any in hand. Most of the credit for taking down those four Cosmic Worms is likely yours."
"Hahaha, sure! You're right; I won't be polite then." Xiong Tai chuckled, patting Zhou Bozhen on the shoulder as he accepted the badges.
Meanwhile, at another high-rise building deep within the emergency exit.
The three of them had known each other since high school, and now they found themselves with no way out. Behind them hung an electronic lock on the emergency exit, and they had no authority to unlock it.
As they walked into a dead end, an opaque corridor stretched before them, with flickering lights that alternated between illumination and darkness. The latter half of the passage was completely engulfed in a deep abyss of blackness, adding to the mysterious atmosphere.
The Cosmic Worms had already found them. At this moment, they faced danger ahead and despair behind, with no way to retreat.
"What should we do? What can we do now?"
Among the three, only a younger girl with a bob haircut seemed to be on the verge of fainting from fear, timidly hiding behind one of the boys.
In front of her stood a boy radiating a Scholarly Aura, calmly blocking the way. He held a tree branch in his hand, while the girl behind him was his childhood friend. He thought to himself that he couldn’t embarrass himself in front of his girlfriend this time.
Just then, six Cosmic Worms seemed to have noticed something as they approached slowly, drawn by the sound.
The footsteps became chaotic, overlapping sounds echoing as they drew closer step by step.
"Tingting, stop crying. I'll hold them off; you just run as fast as you can. Get as far away as possible and find someone from your camp. Even if I can't protect you, at least I won't hand over another head to them."
At this point, the Scholarly Student's quiet companion, a chubby boy, stepped forward. He cracked his knuckles with a mischievous grin. "It's been a while since I've fought. Bookworm, have you ever been in a fight at school?"
Bookworm shook his legs nervously and pinched the flesh on his neck to stay relaxed. "Never before, but I'm willing to try for love."
"Hahaha! Now that's something a man would say. I'm glad to have you as a friend. My name is Xuanyuan Shun; remember it well. Once we get out of here, let's grab a drink."
The chubby boy had no complaints and followed Bookworm closely for nearly two hours without encountering any danger. In fact, he found himself intrigued by him. Moreover, Bookworm was willing to protect the weaker girl. If it were him in that position, he would be too busy trying to save his own life to carry an extra burden—wasn’t that just asking for death?
Xuanyuan Shun remained silent throughout their escape. Perhaps luck had run out; the safe passage they entered turned out to be a dead end. The safe corridor across from them required special access to pass through. In other words, he had tested Bookworm's character along the way, and now Xuanyuan Shun felt compelled to step up at this critical moment.
"I think it's feasible. Can you handle six Cosmic Worms?"
The Scholar Aura guy glanced over his glasses, casting a doubtful look.
"How would we know if we don't try?"
Xuanyuan Shun mumbled under his breath, fully aware that one punch was no match for four hands. Moreover, if six Cosmic Worms came at him all at once, it was likely that before he could even make a move, one of them would step forward and subdue him in an instant.
But to think this way was equivalent to admitting that Xuanyuan Shun was afraid of the Cosmic Worms.
To hesitate in such a moment was unworthy of being a descendant of the Xuanyuan clan.
"You don't need to try to know. The two of us going in would be like throwing eggs against a rock."
At this point, Xuanyuan Shun turned his head in frustration, sizing up the Scholar Aura guy. Seeing Xuanyuan Shun's blank stare, the guy's expression clearly showed his annoyance. He was about the same height as Xuanyuan Shun, with light brown hair and wearing gold-rimmed glasses. Even when dressed in uniform, he still looked like an officer exuding highbrow intellect—someone who would undoubtedly be popular with the ladies wherever he went.
Xuanyuan Shun sighed. He was just a loser born into a military family. His grandfather had been a veteran on the battlefield, while both his parents served in the military; his mother was a combat nurse. His father died in battle, and his mother retired, shouldering all household expenses alone. Born in a post-apocalyptic world, the Xuanyuan clan could be considered a prestigious family for two generations, but neither his grandfather nor father could read. His mother had some education as a nurse and had been a science student back in school, gaining some knowledge, but women only gained status in the Xuanyuan family after giving birth.
Xuanyuan Shun's name was derived from his father's legacy, combined with the family's honorable surname. He was born into privilege but had never experienced familial affection; he spent over a decade feeling lonely and often got into fights. The only reason he received a university acceptance letter was due to his mother's connections as a school worker, which provided some benefits. He barely managed to become a college student after learning just enough characters to get by.
"Right! With two people, our chances are doubled! What do you think, Bookworm?"
Xuanyuan Shun turned to look at the bookish guy beside him, feeling a bit irritated and uncomfortable. Even if it meant dying in battle, he couldn't stand that kind of annoyance. He shook his head in frustration, thinking to himself, "Why do I have to listen to him?"
"Actually, it's just one person. I can't really fight and have never been in a brawl before. Also, I'm not called Bookworm; my name is Guo Yu," Guo Yu spoke up.
Xuanyuan Shun waved his hand in confusion and said, "Alright, Guo Yu, what do you plan to do? We can't just fight."
"We can outsmart them!"
"How do you propose we do that?"
Guo Yu glanced at him, took a deep breath, and pondered for a moment. He quickly formulated some ideas. Perhaps it was his good fortune that he had someone by his side; otherwise, he wouldn't have anyone to carry out his plans.
Feeling the sharp gaze of Xuanyuan Shun, akin to an eagle fixating on its prey, he felt a bit uncomfortable. He awkwardly turned his neck and took a step back, leaning against the wall with a look of resignation. He had never seen anything like this before and just wanted to hear Guo Yu's thoughts.
"Although they don't yet know the truth, they'll come over when they hear something. We just need to prevent them from approaching and let them flee in fear without drawing weapons. That's the best approach. Otherwise, if it comes to blows, no one will be able to escape."
Xuanyuan Shun was infuriated. After letting out a sigh of relief, he almost spat out blood in frustration and said in a low voice, "Hmph, that's just nonsense. Why did you delay earlier? She could have slipped away."
"Oh, I delayed? It seems I did. Well, if you hadn't stepped up to take advantage of us like this, you'd eventually have to pay the price for it."
Listening to the serious nonsense being spouted, Xuanyuan Shun's expression grew less composed. As he watched the approaching shadows ahead, he felt a twinge of fear mixed with tension. What if a figure more muscular than himself appeared—Cosmic Success—and beat him mercilessly? And what if they learned his surname was Xuanyuan? He could end up getting beaten every time they crossed paths simply because his name sounded too arrogant.
"Enough! I don't have the energy to bicker with you. Do you have any plans?"
"It's simple. Can you act?" Guo Yu said, a serious smile creeping onto his face as joy filled him.
Six Cosmic Worms moved toward the safe passage, having heard voices inside from the very beginning.
They already had the advantage in numbers and had early on claimed four heads. When they had searched fruitlessly for a while and were about to give up, hearing voices from within brought them immense joy.
The figures pressed into the passage, moving cautiously, afraid that any noise might scare away those inside.
At that moment, the leader, a somewhat sturdy Cosmic Worm, raised a hand to signal a stop.
The sounds from within grew louder and more chaotic, as if there were many people present.
Hearing this commotion, the six Cosmic Worms behind shook their heads. The leader lowered his hand and let out a disdainful sound from deep within.
Just then, after taking a few steps, the leader raised his hand again, causing the five behind him to halt once more.
They listened intently to the sounds coming from the end of the passage.
The voices seemed mysterious, as if they were engaged in secret discussions, but the general meaning could still be discerned.
"Ha ha ha, thanks to our brilliant captain, splitting us into groups of ten has really racked up some heads. If we get a few more, each of us brothers can snag a couple of votes."
"Keep it low-key, as low-key as possible. I reckon this place can still be used once more. When those clueless bugs show up, we’ll strike together."
"Ah, great! I can just sit back and enjoy the show."
After a brief exchange, several distinct voices emerged amidst sporadic coughs from multiple individuals.
Suddenly, a deep voice spoke up, "Enough chatter. I think I heard something. Everyone be quiet. If anyone leaks our secret, they won't be spared, and neither will we by the captain."
At that moment, a more delicate voice chimed in, "Heh heh, good timing. Let’s grab our weapons and go take a look. If we wait any longer, they might slip away once they realize there are too many of us."
"Hey, don't push me, you foolish duck butt! With this crowd, you have to squeeze past me? That's just unacceptable."
"We're not looking for infighting right now. Just wait until tomorrow; you'll see."
"I'll go out and lure them in. You all get ready to ambush them. It's just a bunch of bugs; ten of us can handle a few. I don't want to be the lone hero here; I refuse to go out this early."
"Alright, you go."
"Yeah, a real man can face danger head-on. Sacrificing once is nothing. You're a man, so step up."
"The captain told you to go, so stop talking. Do I need to kick you out there?"
"Fine, I know you all look down on me. Xuanyuan Shun will show you what I'm made of. I'm leaving now."
At this point, a chill ran through the hearts of the other bugs.
Grouped in teams of more than ten, the atmosphere inside had been lively just moments ago, but now it felt increasingly tense.
The intentions of the six Cosmic Worms slowly approaching became clear.
Just then, heavy footsteps echoed from within, growing closer.
At that moment, the leader turned to the other five and signaled for them to retreat. Three of them began to back away slowly while he stayed put, waiting for the group to distance themselves before he could move. He wanted to avoid making noise with too many people around. The earlier conversation had left him feeling uneasy, so he needed to be cautious.
"Ahem, everyone, Brother Bug here—I didn't bring any weapons. Can I join you? I'm willing to be an undercover agent."
A voice echoed through the corridor, a blurred figure weaving through the flickering lights, moving slowly and appearing somewhat disheveled.
The leader felt uncertain, trying to gauge the expression on Xuanyuan Shun's face. It seemed so contrived. With each step Xuanyuan took closer, the leader retreated several paces, glancing back at his five teammates whose silhouettes were nearly fading from view.
Frustration bubbled within him, prompting him to back away even further.
"Hey, I'm really here to join you guys. Let's make a deal and then I'll leave," he called out.
Xuanyuan Shun continued to approach, unarmed and seemingly calm, though he felt quite nervous inside. He smiled as he drew nearer.
"Hmph!"
The leader huffed in annoyance, raising a finger before swiftly disappearing into the passage behind him.
"Don't run! Damn it, even the bugs are escaping! Hurry up and chase them down; we can't report back without any heads."
With a sudden burst of speed, Xuanyuan Shun sprinted after him.
Feeling the threat closing in from behind, the leader quickened his pace and dashed down the stairs.
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