Those unseen things swarmed toward him as if they had smelled a delicacy. Feeling something was wrong, he touched his face and then his neck. His skin felt a continuous tingling itch, yet he couldn't feel anything when he touched it. He awkwardly withdrew his hand and continued to speak earnestly with his subordinates.
Suddenly, his vision blurred, and the entire world seemed to have a double image. He raised a hand to rub his eyes, the double image vanished, and the world became clear again. Simultaneously, those points of doubt that he thought required caution suddenly became rationalized.
'Oh, right. That's a Necromancer, the second human necromancer besides Wei Huan.'
'Cultivating her to deal with Wei Huan, fighting poison with poison, that is a truly excellent idea.'
The base commander stood up from behind his desk. He walked unsteadily, as if drunk, and thus he left his office and walked into the base.
Looking at this underground city, an immense number of tiny red insects, no thicker than a strand of hair, have somehow infiltrated it, trying every possible way to burrow into everyone's bodies.
---
"Uncle Mu, in our battle with the Platinum-tier Remnants Tribe, I noticed an anomaly I hadn't paid attention to before. The monster's body is covered in fine red roots, thinner than hair. They seem very interested in human bodies and actively approach people. I wonder, does the Remnants Tribe in this world only possess these abilities? Or are there other methods we don't know about?"
Mu Dehao takes this seriously: "I will arrange for someone to investigate the small red roots. You must also be careful fighting on the front lines. Regardless of whether the tribe has other means, the fact that you have successfully killed a large number of high-tier remnants proves your current combat method is correct. Just maintain it."
Wei Huan nods, talks a bit more with Mu Dehao, and ends the communication. He then notices that Xu Qingqiang and the others have already returned. However, Xu Qingqiang did not return to the cockpit; he went to his room to organize his gains from the battle. The Platinum-tier monster, having been incarcerated in the prison, will greatly boost him, not only increasing his mental resistance to the Remnants Tribe but also improving his control over his transformed state.
Wei Huan thinks so, but soon Xu Qingqiang emerges from the elevator leading directly to the cockpit. His expression is solemn as he tells Wei Huan, "Boss, come here for a moment."
Wei Huan gets up and follows him back to the upper floors of their living quarters. There are three high-level rooms. Currently, only Xu Qingqiang, Liu Chengzhi, and Dou Lin are occupying them, with Dou Lin and Liu Chengzhi sharing one for easy care. The third room is empty and is chosen as their meeting place.
Xu Qingqiang's first sentence is: "I've leveled up again. With the continuous killing of three Gold-tier and one Platinum-tier monster, I've reached the Three-Star Warden level. One reason is the sufficiently high Warden level, and the other is that I consumed a large amount of the high-tier remnant. I discovered that this tribe not only has mental attack capabilities but also parasitic capabilities. You must have noticed them too, right? Those tiny, hair-like red insects are the parasites. Without an anchor point, they are completely invisible, like transparent entities."
Wei Huan, who just discussed this with Mu Dehao, is energized. "So, if they're invisible, they can infiltrate the body and gain control?"
Xu Qingqiang nods: "They are very fragile and easy to defend against, but the prerequisite is being able to see them or knowing of their existence to guard against them. The red roots act like signal receivers. When far away from the main body, they require these red roots for assistance. The more one is invaded, the deeper one sinks into the illusion, unable to extricate oneself."
"Is isolation enough to prevent the invasion?" Wei Huan asks.
Xu Qingqiang replies: "Isolation only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. Unwavering, indiscriminate bombardment of the illusion until we completely disengage from the battle is likely the reason we are fine so far."
"A moment of hesitation, and one could be controlled."
"Yes." After saying this, Xu Qingqiang wants to add something but closes his mouth again, lighting a cigarette. He asks, "How did you know to be so ruthless and unwavering at the start? You didn't hesitate to destroy something that might have transformed into a male mermaid, did you?"
He's becoming mischievous again.
Wei Huan, of course, won't say that he was completely terrified by humanity's past fate in the last life. Although he didn't understand the principle, he just acted upon sight, giving the opponent no opportunity for deeper deceit. Now that he thinks about it, the reason so many powerhouses and smart people fell into the hands of these remnants in the last life was likely due to the mental contamination from the red root parasites in addition to the illusion, preventing them from fully waking up.
He wonders what happens after being infected by the red roots, and what the baseline of control is. Wei Huan is curious, but he would never experiment with the people around him. Instead, after obtaining this new piece of intelligence, he contacts Mu Dehao again.
Mu Dehao's eyebrows jump in shock upon hearing about the "parasitic" ability. He then says, "A plant-based monster, with the red roots as its seeds, that's logical. I will contact the other Pioneer Corps immediately."
"Uncle Mu," Wei Huan calls out, hesitatingly stopping him.
Mu Dehao pauses the action of closing the video call and looks at him.
Wei Huan says: "I don't know if this is the right way to think, but I worry that this parasitism could have a greater impact. Do you think we need to announce it globally?"
Mu Dehao is stunned for a moment, then smiles. He looks deeply at Wei Huan and says, "I know, you've always been that child who immediately handed over resources to the country the moment you obtained them. Deep beneath your cold, tough exterior is the warmest heart. What humanity needs most are strong individuals like you, who possess compassion and are also calm and rational. I'm very glad that person is you. Alright, this is the intelligence you collected. You can handle it however you want; I will support you."
Wei Huan replies without hesitation: "Announce it directly, and quickly cultivate Criminal Sequence users who can serve as anchor points."
He then looks directly at Mu Dehao and says: "The competition with the Dark Beasts is a war that requires the full participation of our human race. Humanity should unite. Only when we are all strong can we strike the heaviest blow against the Dark Beasts."
"Yes, that's the truth!" Mu Dehao smiles and nods, then adds, "I will announce the Remnants Tribe's illusion and parasitic abilities as quickly as possible. However, the cultivation of the Criminal Sequence will be the prerequisite for us to control the narrative. We cannot give up that point."
Wei Huan also smiles. Yes, while ensuring the overall direction is correct, they must not hesitate to secure the benefits they deserve. Who could blame them when Strong Brother is so capable and actually acquired the Criminal Sequence training ground? By a fortunate coincidence, it is the "BUG" of this world. It's not strange to sell a cheat at a high price, is it?
Of course, one can choose not to buy the cheat, but while a Gold Treasure Chest can be subdued with brute force, higher-tier monsters will likely remain out of reach. Wei Huan could only kill the Diamond-tier Remnants Tribe with two "anchor points." This is a tough fight; there are no shortcuts. Furthermore, this is a monopoly business. Without them, there is no other option.
After another conversation with Mu Dehao, Wei Huan lets go of the matter. Commander Mu is a genius at management. Handing this over to him is more reassuring than Wei Huan handling it himself. Wei Huan still has a war vehicle full of people to manage, and an allied army to oversee. Of course, with so many talents on his war vehicle and Mu Zhong helping him, there isn't much for him to do.
Well, isn't there still fighting to be done?
After killing the Platinum Chest monster, Wei Huan orders the convoy to set off again, driving deeper into the uninhabited zone. He has two goals for this excursion: first, to find a suitable island for the Azure Dragon Legion to build a city, and second, to collect all the materials so that by the time he returns, his war vehicle is already a Tier 6 war vehicle.
A Tier 6 war vehicle, a heavy fortress for land, sea, and air, can truly achieve flight, reaching an altitude of five thousand meters. This distance exceeds the attack range of all current Dark Beasts, and by then, he could probably kill a Dark Beast Lord just by throwing a rock, couldn't he?
The allied army maintains formation and continues to sweep forward. All chests within a thousand miles are screened by him. If a Silver Chest is too far away, he can't be bothered to open it; only Gold Chests are worth his time.
Three days pass like this. Mu Dehao, having finalized the announcement content, releases the intelligence on the Remnants Tribe in the name of the Azure Dragon Legion. However, the result does not achieve the initial expectation of shocking the world. This is because most of this intelligence is no longer a secret. Wei Huan's battles were not hidden, and the intelligence is everywhere. The world knows that the Remnants Tribe excels at mental attacks and that high-tier remnants also possess strong physical combat power. As for the parasitism, no one takes it seriously. As long as they remain convinced that the entity before them is a monster, and bombard it indiscriminately upon opening the chest, the battle is won. Isn't that how Wei Huan killed it?
As for Daxia's proposal to cultivate Criminal Sequence users as anchor points for various corps, the reaction is also lukewarm. Having an anchor point to kill the Remnants Tribe is certainly better, but Daxia's price is too steep. The cost of cultivating one "Demon Apostle" is equivalent to cultivating three "Farmer Sequence" users to the "Martial King" level. For countries like Aosam, which has the [Dark Heart], the cost is even equivalent to cultivating seven or eight "Witches of Disaster."
Of course, with national power, they can afford the cost of cultivating one or two Criminal Sequence users, and for use as an anchor point, one or two should be enough. In the end, Mu Dehao only receives orders for 22 Criminal Sequence users. A major power like Aosam only places two orders. Conversely, the Great Bear nation, which ordered early, requests 10 at once.
One day, the commander of the Great Bear nation, who somehow got wind of the information, contacts Mu Dehao again. He immediately says, "We are strategic allies, but Daxia's actions are not those of an ally."
Mu Dehao feels a headache coming on, but in negotiations, whoever loses their nerve loses. Facing the accusation, Mu Dehao is righteously defiant: "Then I can only congratulate you. Your trust in us is your most correct decision. You will not regret this deal, believe me."
The Great Bear commander is naturally displeased, but faced with Mu Dehao's solemn assurance, he can only close his mouth, half-believing and half-doubting. However, he finally says, "I trust your character, and I trust Daxia's integrity. I hope our friendship is long-lasting."
Mu Dehao knows he has passed this hurdle and secretly breathes a sigh of relief, smiling, "Of course." He then changes the subject: "Wei Huan is waiting for your people on the front line. Tell them to hurry."
The people catching up are naturally the Criminal Sequence users who have qualified as Wardens. Ignoring the need for an anchor point against the Remnants Tribe's stealth attacks, no one can afford to wait to further enhance the Criminal Sequence's combat power. The Endless Prison increases the attribute bonus after consumption, so the sooner they upgrade, the better, and the Endless Prison itself also needs upgrading. In the Challenger World, one more point of strength means one more hope of survival.
Not only has the Great Bear nation already brought the Criminal Sequence into the Tier 5 world and incorporated them into their establishment, but Daxia is also working intensely to cultivate Criminal Sequence users at the first opportunity, integrating them into the next batch of legions entering the Tier 5 world.
The Great Bear commander does not say much this time, only stating, "Soon."
But as the two converse, no one anticipates that the current calm is about to change. At that time, the Great Bear nation will be very thankful that they reserved ten slots early and could acquire them using only Earth-based resources. It is precisely because of the strategic alliance relationship that Daxia does not screw over its allies; allying with Daxia brings only benefits, not harm.
Initially, when Daxia's announcement came out, many countries who had already obtained the intelligence sneered, believing Daxia was just trying to earn some goodwill after realizing the intelligence couldn't be kept secret.
"Hypocrisy!"
Aosam's commander casually glances at the announcement. The content is virtually identical to the intelligence he holds, except for the word "parasitism." The Aosam commander is not an entirely stubborn man. The word "parasitism" gives him an unsettling feeling, and he specifically orders his adjutant to investigate it. The source of consultation, of course, is Daxia.
However, influenced by Wei Huan from the beginning, Daxia never hesitated when attacking the Remnants Tribe. No matter what it transformed into, they attacked upon sight. Even if it turned into a loved one, they still bombarded it. Didn't Wei Huan also kill a remnant that had transformed into his lover? Just kill it.
Because of this, they were lucky enough to cripple the Remnants Tribe's "brain" in one wave. The injured tribe's attack power weakened, and its speed in burrowing underground also slowed, which is why the Daxia soldiers successfully killed the tribe before being completely parasitized. Wei Huan also said to check if the monster was killed by seeing if the binding on the materials had disappeared. So, whenever the Daxia legion takes action, they just kill blindly until the task completion notification sounds in their headsets, and then they stop. By that time, the "brain" is already blasted into dust, and the red roots that had burrowed into their bodies turn to ash with it, failing to influence their brains and achieve deep control.
What useful answer could such "mindless" Daxia provide to Aosam? They could only say that "parasitism" was intelligence reported from the front line and that Aosam must take it seriously. Receiving such an answer, the Aosam commander chuckles and shakes his head, placing the importance of parasitism behind mental attacks.
Two days pass like this.
First, Aosam's General Command discovers that one of its bases has lost contact. After repeatedly trying to re-establish communication with no success, Aosam confirms that an accident has occurred at this base.
"Could it have been attacked by monsters? But we didn't hear them report it."
"No, confirmed no report. However, Commander, I can see that they received an order three days ago to open a Gold Treasure Chest within the base's area. Perhaps this chest caused an accident."
"The process of opening a Gold Chest is supervised by the General Staff. Go ask the General Staff what the situation is."
The Aosam soldier, receiving the order, contacts the General Staff. The General Staff replies: "Yes, that's correct. We were supervising the Gold Chest battle, but the message we received said the battle concluded on the same day."
"Thank you, I understand."
The Aosam soldier informs his commander. The commander does not feel relieved; instead, he becomes nervous. Because just as he was checking the messages, the title of Daxia's announcement appeared in his system. For some reason, the word [Parasitism] sends a shiver down his spine.
So, after receiving the subordinate's report, the commander says, "Since the Gold monster was killed, where are the materials? Go ask, who got the materials? Or saw the materials unbind?"
"Yes!"
The subordinate goes out for a search and returns half a day later. The subordinate's face is also wrong, his voice tinged with urgency: "Report, Commander, I have inquired with all possible departments, and all confirm that no material message from the Gold monster has been received."
So... either that base kept the materials and didn't report them. Or...
The word [Parasitism] leaps into the commander's mind again. And the two characters seem to contort into hideous thorns, scarlet and poking at his nerves.
Having almost confirmed the truth, he dispatches a convoy to investigate. Before they set off, the commander instructs: "Do not leave the war vehicles. Do not approach. First, remotely confirm contact with members inside the base. Report to me, and wait for further orders before taking any action."
"Yes!"
The Challengers who can reach the Tier 5 world are no longer fools; they all understand the commander's fear this time. Therefore, upon arriving at the base island, they use various methods to remotely contact the base members. When that fails, they are forced to let the war vehicles gradually approach the base.
The base comes into view. It is confirmed that the base structures are intact, showing no signs of attack. However, the base is too quiet. They are already within the attack range of the base's weapons, yet the enemy does not hail them or make any warning moves. This is completely not the attitude an official Pioneer Corps should have.
Furthermore, what makes the captain nervous is that the Gold Treasure Chest marker on the other side of the island is clearly still there. Why did the General Staff receive a message that the battle was complete?
Finally, their flying camera reaches the airspace above the base, triggering the city wall's defensive weapons.
"Tat-tat-tat!"
The flying camera is quickly shot down, falling to the ground as debris. One camera is fortunate enough to dodge all the weapons on the wall and transmits a brief three-second image. The captain, and everyone in the cockpit who personally witnesses the footage, feels their backs tighten, sensing the presence of the Grim Reaper.
The captain immediately realizes something. He practically screams the order: "Leave this place immediately! Leave immediately!!"
The AI butler receives the message and retreats a hundred miles, but the captain still feels uneasy. The unknown fear makes all his exposed skin feel numb and tingling.
"Retreat further!"
"Are you asking to return to the main base?"
"Go... No, wait, retreat another hundred miles."
The slightly calmer captain looks again at the three-second footage repeatedly playing on the war vehicle's screen. His face turns progressively ashen. He then commands: "Send this recording to the General Staff and the Commander."
Thus, a video that shocks the entire world appears.
The base, as seen in the video, has become a zombie city from a doomsday movie. Humans, bent and hunched, dragging their legs as they walk, their clothes bloody. Some have brains spilling out of their heads; others are left with only half a head, yet they are all still alive, still moving forward.
"Is this parasitism?"
Aosam quickly comes to the correct conjecture.
"Are there any survivors? That base has over twenty thousand Challengers!"
"Can even a Tier 5 Sage not defend against this? Is parasitism really that terrifying?