Chapter 169

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Chapter 169: The Top Brother Makes His Move, Completing an S-Rank Advancement Task!

The truly dangerous moment had arrived.

After several days of preparation, the second wave attack from the Dark Domain Bug Clan erupted with the ferocity of a landslide.

Even with a group of powerful mercenaries and players aiding in battle, facing the relentless and fearless burrowing bugs, the already precarious mechanical walls were corroded, creating multiple gaps after a prolonged struggle.

As soon as these gaps appeared, the bugs outside the walls surged forward like a flood finding an outlet, pouring behind the mechanical walls.

Tens of Network Soldiers clad in mechanized armor swung their heat swords furiously, with cannons firing incessantly, but no matter how they pushed their limits, they remained insignificant against the endless tide of bugs.

A giant scythe suddenly emerged from the swarm, sweeping through with a black lightning strike, slicing through dozens of soldiers at the waist.

Without any resistance, like cutting tofu, mechanical parts and flesh shattered, blood spraying like a fountain.

In the next second, countless bugs pounced on the fallen soldiers, tearing them apart with their fangs and claws, leaving no bones untouched.

This scene played out simultaneously at multiple breaches.

Bloody, cruel.

But no one was angry, as they simply did not have time to be angry; they were already struggling to resist the overwhelming flood.

“The number of little bugs is too immense. Even with area attacks, many burrowing bugs survive. We need to use that move which can tear the earth apart, but it consumes too much… And these adult bugs are growing stronger!”

Scarlet Leaf felt the pressure even in the wild.

The adult bugs during the first flood wave were only at A-rank, but now some had clearly reached peak A-rank.

She could easily crush an A-rank peak bug, but if a horde of A-rank peak bugs attacked, including a few S-rank bugs, even she would be in danger.

These bugs’ attack methods were too bizarre, using corrosion and poison gas, with a few even possessing mental abilities.

After watching the bug tide for a while, Manu reluctantly admitted that defending the first line of defense was futile.

“Orderly retreat to the second line of defense, lure those bugs into our traps!”

Under his command, everyone began retreating to the second line.

Laser cannons and magnetic rail guns at the rear fired, light and electricity dancing in the sky, deafeningly loud, effectively delaying the enemy’s advance with ground traps.

“Damn, finally free.”

Holter grumbled.

To him, fighting the bug tide for an hour was akin to being thrown into boiling oil.

He, the mastermind of the Tower of Secrets and the eternal enemy of the Star Network Commonwealth, was forced to help the Star Network Commonwealth fight the bug tide.

Laughable!

Moreover, during the battle, the undead under White Fu clung to him like glue, making it impossible for him to slip away.

Let them cling then. That Convert to Me Fu undead kept spouting nonsense about White Fu, even when bugs were right in front of him, driving him crazy.

What are you promoting, White Fu? What has she done for you to be so loyal? If she throws a stinky sock at you, will you treat it like a state banquet?

Holter was extremely agitated, wishing he could strangle Convert to Me Fu on the spot, but the crowd around him made him suppress his murderous intent.

When had he ever been treated this way?

His original plan was to kill White Fu after interrogating her about the prototype’s whereabouts, but now he decided to add more seasoning.

You want to blow smoke, huh?

He immediately contacted the trolls and familiar media to spread dirt on White Fu, ensuring her downfall before her death.

As for the undead…

“I’ll find a way to nullify your resurrection abilities and exterminate all of you!”

If Convert to Me Fu knew Holter’s true thoughts, she would surely feel wronged.

Blame me?

Isn’t it because you claimed to be a die-hard fan of Fu Fu, and laughed along when I praised her? So I added a few more words?

Returning to the second line, Holter immediately left all the players and rushed to White Fu’s workshop.

As expected, the Void War Princess was already there.

Manu was also standing nearby.

Manu had received new information from the Joint Council, needing to hold the Heaven Lake Star for seven days, during which he would receive no military aid from the Star Network Commonwealth.

Could they win?

The terrifying scale of this bug tide left him uncertain.

But as a soldier and a member of the Sea Lion people, he remained steadfast despite the pressure.

For a future without floods, he was willing to sacrifice everything!

This time, he sought White Fu hoping she could make more spiritual energy shield cards. Relying solely on defense was too difficult; he needed other strategies.

White Fu shook her head, “This is the limit. The resources in the warehouse are enough for three production lines, but I must pray they don’t malfunction under high operation. Otherwise, there won’t be time to fix them.”

If materials weren’t an issue, she would have already set up a prayer card factory.

Manu frowned, “Is there no other way?”

White Fu replied, “It’s challenging unless I can achieve a breakthrough.”

“How?”

“I need knowledge, advanced knowledge, or knowledge related to prayer card production.”

“I’ll think of something.”

With those words, Manu hurried away.

Watching from nearby, Holter sneered.

Futile struggle!

No matter how Manu struggled, all life and traces of civilization on Heaven Lake Star would be swallowed by the flood, eventually becoming a paradise for the Dark Domain Bug Clan.

His certainty stemmed from the connection between the Dark Domain Bug Clan’s attack on Heaven Lake Star and the Tower of Secrets.

In public perception, the Dark Domain Bug Clan is incomprehensible, but the leader of the Tower of Secrets inadvertently gained the ability to communicate with the intelligent beings within the Dark Domain Bug Clan, reaching a certain understanding regarding the Star Network Commonwealth.

The Star Network Commonwealth wanted to solve the bug problem in the Sea Lion Galaxy System by leveraging the war on Heaven Lake Star, then focus on dealing with the Tower of Secrets. But they never imagined the Tower of Secrets had already intervened, and their plans were seen through by the Dark Domain Bug Clan.

“Hey, isn’t this Titan Hammer? No wonder I couldn’t find you earlier, you came to see Fu Fu.”

A voice sounded behind Holter.

Titan Hammer was Holter’s pseudonym for himself.

Even without turning around, he knew who was speaking. In the past hour, he had heard this voice many times.

It’s you, Convert to Me Fu!

The desire to kill surged but was suppressed.

Holter turned around with a smile, “I came to see the Holy Maiden.”

Beneath the smile lay shadows. If possible, Holter wanted to peel off White Fu’s skin inch by inch in front of Convert to Me Fu, letting him experience the feeling of being boiled alive.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t.

If things dragged on, the enraged Void War Princess would peel his skin instead.

Holter chatted idly with Convert to Me Fu, drawing the attention of White Fu, who had just sent Manu away.

Convert to Me Fu introduced, “Fu Fu, this is A-rank superpower user Titan Hammer. He’s your fan, here to support you on Heaven Lake Star.”

White Fu nodded.

She had learned from Manu that some superpower users were her fans, which sparked an idea to recruit NPCs to strengthen her faction. One Viktor wasn’t enough.

Thus, she subconsciously used a spiritual vision skill on Holter, stunned by the feedback data.

Most of the panel was filled with question marks, her main profession being a spirit-based superpower class called Dreamweaver, rated S-rank.

Ah, you said you’re an A-rank superpower user?

And what about your affinity?

[Affinity]: Desiring Removal (−68)

Desiring Removal?

No, man, what kind of fan are you? Are you eating oil pancakes? Even the little black one isn’t this crazy. Are you one of those extreme fans who wants to possess their idol by killing them, or are you trying to tell me that black fans are still fans?

White Fu immediately became wary, though her face showed no abnormality. In acting, she was confident she wouldn’t lose to Holter.

“Hello, sorry, I’m very busy right now and can’t entertain you.”

“I understand, I understand.”

Holter didn’t press further. He hadn’t come to interrogate White Fu; he wanted to figure out how to lure away the Digging Maiden. If she stayed close to White Fu, he couldn’t act.

Observing the Digging Maiden, Holter noticed she only left to interview others, always staring at White Fu otherwise.

“She likes interviewing, perhaps her job is a journalist?”

Holter pondered.

He brought many subordinates, but luring the Digging Maiden away under the guise of interviews wouldn’t work. Only when the Void War Princess was occupied with bugs would it be meaningful.

However, when the Void War Princess was battling bugs, his subordinates were also on the battlefield. Asking them to suddenly interview the Digging Maiden would raise suspicions.

“This method won’t work.”

Holter thought hard and found a good idea!

Observing the Digging Maiden, he realized she was like a white-fan, interested in anything beneficial to White Fu. He could use this to lure her away.

What does White Fu lack now?

Spiritual energy S-rank advancement knowledge. She mentioned this to Manu earlier.

He could have one of his subordinates contact the Digging Maiden during the next bug tide, claiming to have spiritual energy S-rank advancement knowledge to hand over to White Fu.

Initially, the Digging Maiden might not believe it, but that was fine. He had no intention of deceiving her.

Just spiritual energy S-rank advancement knowledge?

The Star Network Commonwealth had two, so the superior Tower of Secrets must have at least one.

He planned to apply to headquarters after the network restored, requesting them to send the knowledge. For recovering the dissociative medication prototype, headquarters wouldn’t refuse.

Keeping the knowledge would eventually be exchanged for something more valuable.

Once headquarters sent the advancement knowledge and the Void War Princess and others were distracted by the bug tide, he could have his subordinates find the Digging Maiden, claiming to have two spiritual energy S-rank advancement knowledge. Show one to verify, then say the other is on the spaceship, unsure if useful for White Fu, hoping the Digging Maiden would join to check.

With the first knowledge in hand, the Digging Maiden would definitely take the bait.

Once she left, it was time for him to act.

As long as there were no undead watching, even if the woman named Yulia was in the workshop, he had absolute confidence in subduing both White Fu and Yulia within seconds before the Digging Maiden returned.

“Perfect plan!”

Holter cheered himself.

This is the power of the Tower of Secrets mastermind!

If others were in charge, they would either be frantic or caught by the undead due to haste, already dead at the hands of the Void War Princess.

Only he remained calm, sipping tea.

Holter didn’t want to celebrate prematurely, but he couldn’t find any obvious flaws in his plan, given he really had two pieces of advancement knowledge.

Afterward, even if the Void War Princess suspected his subordinate, he could claim the knowledge was obtained during a mission. The Void War Princess wouldn’t have time to verify.

If asked why he shared the knowledge, it was easy to explain.

Of course, to save his life! With the bug tide so fearsome, giving the knowledge to White Fu, hoping she could make more useful prayer cards, was a reasonable idea.

After handling the Void War Princess’s investigation, he only needed to bide his time until the Dark Domain Bug Clan launched a full-scale attack, then slip away unnoticed.

Holter waited until evening.

Immediately after the network was restored, he sent a coded message through the Star Network to headquarters requesting spiritual energy S-rank advancement knowledge. The Tower of Secrets headquarters responded promptly, sending the encrypted knowledge to his communicator.

All was ready, just waiting for the right moment!

This moment came sooner than Holter anticipated.

At 1:30 AM, seemingly provoked by the traps at the second line, the Dark Domain Bug Clan launched another massive assault.

Manu couldn’t wait for the Joint Council’s decision and ordered everyone forward. If the second line broke in this engagement, the final line wouldn’t stand a chance for six and a half days.

Holter was summoned. He feigned fighting the bugs, delved deep into the swarm, shaking off the players gaining experience behind him, then circled around to a less populated area, rushing quickly towards White Fu’s workshop.

Dreamweavers had special abilities to create visual illusions. With this help, no one detected his presence.

He hid in the shadows, waiting quietly.

Soon, his subordinate appeared. He specifically chose one injured in previous battles, so no one questioned his arrival.

“Are you the Digging Maiden?”

“Yes, what’s up?”

The Digging Maiden looked puzzled at the NPC approaching.

“It’s like this…”

The two began talking.

Upon hearing the NPC had spiritual energy S-rank advancement knowledge, the Digging Maiden initially thought it was a bluff, but to her surprise, the NPC handed her a communicator.

[Second Apostle’s Spiritual Energy Mastery (S-rank Advancement Knowledge)]

Seeing the reconnaissance spell’s feedback, she was shocked.

Wow, it’s real!

The Digging Maiden was ecstatic.

An S-rank advancement knowledge, a significant thing indeed.

She could use it herself and gain a huge boost in affinity with White Fu, possibly earning hidden rewards.

Thinking this, she quickly forwarded the data to White Fu and looked up to hear the NPC say, “Actually, I have another piece of advancement knowledge, but it’s on my spaceship. Why don’t we go check if it’s useful for the Holy Maiden?”

Of course, they should go!

The Digging Maiden followed eagerly.

Watching her leave, Holter narrowed his eyes.

The undead were gone. Next, once the carriers of prayer cards left, it was time to act.

…

At the same time, in the borrowed ship from Scarlet Leaf, White Fu heard her communicator ring.

After noticing the anomaly in Holter’s affinity, she secretly swapped identities with Black Fu, turning her hair white and pretending to be her, directing Tiny Black Fu in the workshop.

Just in case.

Holter was an S-rank superpower user. If he truly went mad and tried to kill her, she would be in grave danger unless Scarlet Leaf returned in time.

White Fu opened the communicator, stunned by what the Digging Maiden sent.

“An S-rank advancement knowledge, prayer-related?”

She suspected she was dreaming and quickly clicked to learn.

[You start reading “The Second Apostle’s Spiritual Energy Mastery”…]

The game prompt rang.

This wasn’t a dream; she truly acquired an S-rank advancement knowledge!

White Fu shook her head vigorously.

“Could it be Manu gave it to the Digging Maiden? That doesn’t make sense, he could have given it directly to me.”

“Are you okay?” Yulia asked curiously.

White Fu shook her head, “I’m fine.”

Whoever gave it to the Digging Maiden didn’t matter now. The important thing was learning this advancement knowledge.

She had already put 700 inspiration points, and once she learned this advancement knowledge, branch 3 of the [Mind Scroll] quest would be complete. She had nearly 200 million experience points, and completing the quest would unlock her next stage of the profession, making her a true S-rank superpower user.

Bring it on, from an unknown B-rank novice to a true core combatant in the Edge World, it all depends on this moment!

White Fu felt her entire being ignite.

She had long opened her stats panel, waiting for the quest completion notification to start leveling up.

Just then, a disturbance came from Black Fu’s side.

Klang!

A light sound broke the silence in the workshop, and Black Fu looked up to see Holter entering.

“What are you doing…”

Before she finished, Holter suddenly transformed into a white shadow, charging towards Black Fu. Fortunately, she had recently unlocked the new profession, Moon Dancer, increasing her agility significantly. Despite Holter’s sudden attack, she reacted in time.

A flash of flowing light, she managed to create distance from Holter.

Holter was stunned, completely unprepared for Black Fu’s evasion.

“How can you be so fast?”

Could a spiritual energy painter have such physical prowess?

Never mind.

Holter shook his head with a smile, “I’ve sent away the undead called Digging Maiden outside. You can’t escape my mental domain! Confess, where did you hide the dissociative medication prototype? If you speak now, I can make your suffering less severe.”

As he spoke, the walls of the workshop were enveloped in a pale silver glow, with countless silver threads extending from his body, blocking all of Black Fu’s escape routes.

Though not yet entangled in the silver threads, Black Fu felt her body uncontrollably trembling, realizing the power of an S-rank mental ability user.

Under normal circumstances, she would be dead.

But today was different. An unexpected gift of advancement knowledge had arrived.

S-rank?

[You completed the advancement task [Mind Scroll]]

The notification rang instantly, and White Fu clenched her right fist.

S-rank superpower user, she was one too, and not just an ordinary S-rank!

White Fu pressed the upgrade button firmly.

“Ready to meet your end?”

PS: Thanks to the ally Fox Li Bu Shi Li and the donor Godslayer Bai Ye.

I’ll write more tomorrow, over 7k words.

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