Invasion - Chapter 105
Chapter 105
The palace occupied the top few floors of the White Tower. The vast space was occupied by only the Queen.
The hall had a high dome, jade pillars, and murals rich with artistic expression.
In the spacious and silent hall, the Queen’s slender figure on the throne seemed a little lonely.
Her cold, white fingers picked up a white chess piece and placed it on a black square of the chessboard.
The crisp click of the chess piece echoed through the vast hall.
Commander Luther knelt before her throne, reporting on important matters within the empire.
Several powerful Deviants had appeared in the wilderness near the capital, injuring many, and sentinels from the Special Operations Unit had already been dispatched.
Your Majesty need not worry.
Several contaminated zones had become unstable, and the monsters inside more agitated.
But fortunately, the empire’s military supplies had just been greatly replenished, weapons and ammunition abundant. They were still able to cope.
Your Majesty need not worry too much.
With every report, he couldn't help but add a few words of comfort, afraid of these troublesome matters worrying Her Majesty, whom he respected.
The Queen on the throne, her face behind a veil, her fingers casually moving the chess pieces.
“The warriors, with their powerful weapons, have launched attacks on the contaminated zones. A few days ago, another small contaminated zone was conquered by the sentinels.”
“This is truly joyful news, Your Majesty," Luther said happily, looking up.
Only then did he notice that Her Majesty’s gaze was on the black and white chessboard, a little absent-minded, as if she hadn't heard a word he said.
The Queen gave a soft “hmm” and asked, “What has Lin Yuan been doing lately? Has she gone to another contaminated zone?”
Luther was taken aback. "Guide Lin has been to quite a few contaminated zones recently. As you instructed, I assigned her several dedicated sentinels each time."
Lin Yuan had been entering and exiting contaminated zones frequently lately, firstly to train her ability to coordinate with multiple sentinels in battle, and secondly to prevent others from knowing that her true destination was the City of Mantis.
Every time she came to Luther with a request, Luther readily assigned her multiple sentinels, basically the strongest configurations in the Royal Guard.
“Been to many places?” The Queen’s fingers gently tapped the chessboard.
Luther felt a little strange. Her Majesty seemed particularly concerned about Guide Lin lately.
He had been by the Queen's side for many years and rarely seen Her Majesty so concerned about anyone or anything.
If Her Majesty wasn't at ease about Guide Lin, why didn't she keep her by her side?
After all, a place like a contaminated zone was incredibly dangerous, even sending many people to guard her was unreliable.
He could sense that Her Majesty encouraged Lin Yuan to go out on missions, she had even personally guided the young Guide, this was different from the empire's usual protective strategy for Guides.
"Do the sentinels like her?"
Luther heard the voice from the throne.
"Yes, very much," Luther said, "They would even fight each other, several matches, just for an opportunity to be selected."
Not that kind of romantic interest, Luther knew that ever since word of her battlefield prowess spread, sentinels sincerely wanted to fight alongside this Guide.
Everyone said how amazing it was to fight with a Guide.
No longer needing to worry about mental instability, they could go all out on the battlefield, they could instantly receive feedback on their teammates' situations, mental communication was far faster and more convenient than any communication device, guides could interfere with enemies' movements, reduce their own pain perception…
In short, every sentinel who had worked with Guide Lin, after coming back, would describe the experience in such glowing terms that it made everyone envious, even every sentinel in the camp was eager to give it a try.
Luther had several times wanted to suggest to Her Majesty, since that was the case, why not train those Guides in the Guide Academy?
After all, Guide Lin wasn’t the only Guide in the empire. Since Guides were so suited for battle, wasn’t it a waste to have them stay in the White Tower, doing flower arrangements and making tea?
But he didn't know why, he couldn’t bring himself to mention it.
Every time the words reached his lips, he would subconsciously avoid them.
A chilling fear permeated his back, he always felt as if he had mentioned it before, and had been severely punished, watched by a cold and terrifying gaze.
"As expected, the sentinels all like that child," the veiled Queen put down her chess piece, and turned around, "What about you, Luther? Do you like me?"
As if captured by something, the powerful commander's body trembled slightly.
"Yes, I have always admired Your Majesty."
He of course liked Her Majesty, it had always been like this, hadn’t it? Everyone knew he deeply admired Her Majesty.
"Forever loyal to me, never betray me, correct?" the Queen's cold voice emphasized again.
"Yes, I will always be loyal to Your Majesty," Luther replied blankly.
"I heard you have a deputy commander, named Ji Xuan, I haven’t met him yet, bring him before me," the Queen said afterwards, her tone casual, as if a whim.
Luther's mind was a mess, he couldn’t think clearly, only a slight pain came from the scar on his eyelid, making him subconsciously resistant to this matter.
"Your Majesty, Ji Xuan is a boring fellow, timid and dull, it's better not to…" he said dryly.
A few cold fingers pinched his chin, forcing his face up. Luther was stared down by the Queen on her throne, unable to avoid her gaze.
After a moment of daze, he muttered, "Yes, okay, I'll bring him right away, Your Majesty."
…
Lin Yuan, in the contaminated zone, saw her sentinel.
These days, she had been running around, going to many different contaminated zones.
It had been a long time since she last saw Ni Ji. The sentinels accompanying her had also changed several times.
But seeing that big fish again, she still subconsciously thought of him as her "dedicated sentinel."
This was Contaminated Zone 35. Lin Yuan was here for the first time.
But this place, long ago, had left a deep mark on her memory.
That time, at the execution ground of the Military Administration Office, she had seen, in Ni Ji's mindscape, images of a whole team of young lives tragically dying in this place.
That memory was incredibly tragic.
Challenging No. 35 had become something Lin Yuan had strongly resisted, only after much deliberation had she finally made up her mind.
Lin Yuan hadn't expected to meet Ni Ji here, and before their encounter, Lin Yuan and her team had just been through a fierce battle.
Du Yuanyuan’s mental body, expanded to its limit, a glutinous rice ball as big as a mountain, using its weight as an advantage, rolled down from above, crashing through the encirclement of Deviants.
Everyone followed closely behind, seizing the opportunity to break through.
"What’s going on? It’s like all the Deviants here have gone crazy," a sentinel in the team patted off the sticky white fluff on his body, and frowned, "When did Contaminated Zone 35 become this terrifying?"
Each contaminated zone was different, many of the long-existing contaminated zones had relatively stable environments, and their patterns had long been figured out by Sentinels.
As long as they followed the rules and didn't go deep into the core areas at night, for most experienced sentinels, it wasn't too dangerous, obtaining the key to the escape door was relatively easy.
In their hearts, No. 35 was such a place, not very difficult, so it had been chosen by Lin Yuan's team as a training ground to practice coordination.
Only this time, for some reason, a large number of Deviants had suddenly become active, swarming and chasing after them for a long time.
If it weren't for the fact that their team configuration was excellent, and with the Guide's coordination, they wouldn’t have escaped the war zone so easily.
They had unknowingly reached the depths of the contaminated zone during their pursuit and escape.
From where they were, not far away, a team of sentinels, with good coordination, was surrounding the towering Deviant at the center of the contaminated zone, launching a fierce attack.
That was the "Pillar.”
The core of the No. 35 Contaminated Zone.
That team of Sentinels was trying to bring down the "Pillar", forcefully destroying this contaminated zone's core.
Lin Yuan instantly found Ni Ji amidst the chaotic battlefield.
A huge orca was floating in mid-air, its calls echoing in the contaminated zone filled with white fluff.
Like a requiem soothing lost souls.
She hadn’t expected Ni Ji to lead a team into this place again.
Lin Yuan knew that this place was the deepest nightmare in the little fish’s heart, the most painful wound in the depths of his being.
A place never to be healed, never to be touched.
Even though she had only witnessed fragments of those painful memories, whenever she set foot on this land, those dead faces would appear in her mind.
The young girls embracing each other in death, the boy who hadn’t been able to send his love letter, the father standing tall, turning into a metal tower.
Those innocent souls who had tragically died in this place, as if resurrected from her sealed memories the moment she stepped here, making her sigh.
Lin Yuan didn't know what kind of determination had made the little fish enter this place again, to directly face the most painful memories in his heart.
"They want to brute-force this contaminated zone, that's truly impressive," Du Yuanyuan looked towards that battle zone. "It seems Ni Ji is the one leading the team.”
"Brute-forcing" had become a popular term among sentinels these past two years.
Ever since the successive collapse of the Golden Tree Contaminated Zone and the Land of No Eyes, more sentinel teams began to try forcefully taking down the Pillars inside contaminated zones.
It was extremely difficult, rarely successful, and even then, it was only with a few small contaminated zones.
But even if only once or twice,
The land, resources, money, and weapons reclaimed after the disintegration of a contaminated zone would make people rejoice for a long time.
The "Pillar" here had a giant human face, a human-shaped body, pale skin, long, cotton-like hyphae growing all over it.
The giant human-shaped figure stood between heaven and earth, covered in large patches of white hyphae, like a hybrid of human and mushroom.
Countless spores, large and small, grew from the ground around it, opening poisonous umbrellas above the heads of the sentinels.
The entire battlefield was like a strange and terrifying rainforest.
Humans became incredibly small there, and had to fight against those constantly growing, towering mushrooms.
The spores constantly sprayed sticky liquid, and if even a single drop touched them, the slime would wrap around, tightly covering their bodies, not letting go.
This fierce battle had been going on for a long time, by now, at its final stage, both sides fighting desperately.
Large white umbrellas opened one after another, the warriors’ gunfire illuminating the sky.
Half of the mushrooms had been burned or scorched, withering on the ground, most of the soldiers were trapped, entangled by sticky hyphae, struggling.
The only warrior still able to move freely was Ni Ji, alone, his long blade in the deepest part of the battlefield, locked in a fierce battle with the already severely injured "Pillar."
Bright red blade light flashed, cutting through the long, sticky threads. Every time the red light flashed, the giant Pillar let out a pained wail, like a human’s.
The white, sticky hyphae fell like rain, covering Ni Ji’s limbs and body, almost burying him, the sentinel covered in blood, desperately fighting.
Whoever gave up first, lost.
Before joining the battle, Lin Yuan looked at the comrades beside her.
"Don't worry, Guide Lin, I have to go," Du Yuanyuan crossed her arms, making an "X" gesture.
She was the sentinel who had worked with Lin Yuan the most recently. With a single look, she understood what Lin Yuan was thinking.
She was already injured. It was very dangerous down there, and Lin Yuan wanted her to stay.
"If you go down there, and I, a Sentinel, stay up here, I'll have no face left when we return."
A miniature panda appeared at Du Yuanyuan’s feet, rolling around twice, and then, its chubby body wriggling, it ran towards the battlefield.
Du Yuanyuan shouted dramatically,
"Roly-poly fears nothing!"
Lin Yuan looked at Nicole.
Nicole, a young lady from a wealthy family, had insisted on coming for this mission. She shouldn’t be allowed to go deep into danger.
Before she could even speak, Nicole's silver python was already slithering after the panda.
"Go, Big Snake! Big Snake fears nothing!"
Lately, these two girls had been spending too much time together, and their behavior patterns had started to influence each other.
The strong support from Lin Yuan’s team, this new force joining the battle, was like an injection of adrenaline, quickly turning the tide.
Large swathes of spores shriveled under the flames from the flame guns, sticky hyphae were severed, and trapped comrades were pulled from the white slime.
With dense artillery fire supporting them from a distance, at the center of the battlefield, the giant, soft human-shaped pillar could no longer hold on, and with a low, mournful cry, slowly collapsed amidst the smoke and fire.
Ni Ji, his face covered with blood, knelt down on one knee, his long, blood-red blade trembling, supporting him, he looked up at Lin Yuan, who had rushed to his side.
Disheveled, his killing intent still lingering, his chest filled with an unspeakable grief and indignation.
The white fluff that filled the air scattered, the contaminated zone’s curtain fading behind him.
The contaminated zone disintegrated, and the human sorrows trapped here, the countless lost souls, could finally return.
If there was anyone in this world who could understand Ni Ji’s feelings at this moment,
It was the guide before him.
She always appeared when he was at his most injured, his most vulnerable, extending her hand to him.
Lin Yuan reached out and pulled Ni Ji up from the ground. His hand was tightly bound to the hilt of his blade with cloth strips, stained with blood, trembling.
But he looked at Lin Yuan, and smiled at her.
His forehead against her shoulder, his body trembling, a blood-stained smile.
"Why did you come?" his voice hoarse, almost unclear, he didn’t say thank you.
Lin Yuan thought of what had happened after she first met this sentinel.
She thought of how, in the No. 5 Contaminated Zone, Ni Ji had helped her obtain the key, how she had rescued Ni Ji from the torture rack.
She thought of how, in the Golden Tree Contaminated Zone, Ni Ji had carried her out of the crimson egg’s lair, how she had helped Ni Ji destroy that filthy world.
A few months ago, Ni Ji had accompanied her as she went deep into the Land of No Eyes to find her mother’s relic, and today, she was here, extending a helping hand to him, helping him fulfill his wish.
The two had helped each other countless times.
Words of gratitude seemed superfluous.
With this life-and-death friendship, at any time, they would unhesitatingly reach out and help each other.
The contaminated zone had been opened, and the battlefield was littered with injured soldiers.
Someone drove a transport vehicle over, and they helped each other, squeezing into the back of the truck.
Two teams, one open-top truck, very crowded, everyone huddled together.
The sentinels bandaged each other’s wounds, everyone excitedly discussing this victory.
A great victory!
Humanity had once again conquered a contaminated zone, reclaiming their living space.
In this world, humanity's fate was full of hardship and difficulties, driven to desperation by monsters, imprisoned, retreating to isolated cities.
The area around the White Tower was overcrowded, the areas near watchtowers incredibly dangerous, survival difficult, starvation rampant, ordinary people hardly had a place to stand.
Life was too hard, the oppression desperate.
Now, the Sentinels and Guides, conquering contaminated zones again and again, it was like opening a crack in this dark and lightless world, a ray of sunlight seeping into the night, as if letting those living in darkness see hope, the hope of humanity’s survival.
Lin Yuan and Ni Ji sat together in the vehicle.
She heard many people around them whispering about Ni Ji, saying he was a brave man, a hero, an omnipotent captain.
Leading the team to another victory, such a victory wasn’t the first.
But Lin Yuan knew that this sentinel captain sitting next to her wasn't an invincible man of iron. He also had his fears, his vulnerabilities, his pain.
He trembled and wept, and had nightmares.
Only, he had the courage to face his vulnerability, to face his wounds, no matter how terrible.
A lovely, soft person.
The Sentinel sat beside her, his back straight, his bloodless lips pale, bloodstains at the corners of his mouth.
The vehicle shook violently. In Lin Yuan’s line of sight, there was always that blood-stained jawline, those tightly pursed lips.
Lin Yuan had a strange thought.
She wanted to reach out, pinch that pale jaw, leave her fingerprints there.
As if she had done such an outrageous thing before.
This is my Sentinel, something I must protect.
Lin Yuan once had nothing, but now, she realized she had more and more things she wanted to cherish.
Like obtaining delicate and sweet candies, wanting to hold them in her hand, to protect them, not letting anyone touch them.
She was glad she had met him.
"Captain Ni," one of Ni Ji's teammates approached.
That teammate, blocking most people’s view, quickly made a sign language gesture.
"Vice-captain Ji sent a coded message, something's not right. Take a look.”
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