Chapter 160: No Need for Sentimentality, I Have Another Way
The newly hatched larva scrambled, its tiny legs a blur as it made a desperate dash for the door. It was too late. Yotsuya Miko and the others had already anticipated its move, slamming the heavy steel door shut and forming a solid wall to block its retreat.
"Whether that's the Broodmother or not, we deal with it first!" Ye Tian declared, a wide, eager grin splitting his face. He hefted his greatsword, the polished steel catching the dim light. "Don't bother, everyone. Leave this one to me."
Haruto simply stopped, a lazy smile touching his lips. If someone was volunteering to do the heavy lifting, who was he to refuse? It was the best possible outcome.
The members of Ascending God exchanged nervous glances, wanting to caution their boss against his usual overconfidence. But seeing that Haruto had already given his tacit approval, they could only swallow their words and hope for the best.
Unfortunately, what one fears most is often what comes to pass.
This particular larva was unnaturally agile. It skittered across the floor like a drop of mercury, a blur of chitinous shell and frantic legs. No matter how Ye Tian slashed, swinging his massive blade in whistling arcs that should have pulverized it, he was always just a fraction of a second too late. The sword would crash into the concrete, sending sparks flying, while the larva was already zipping in another direction.
Finally, seeing an opening as Ye Tian recovered from a particularly powerful swing, the larva shot forward. It didn't attack. Instead, it dove headfirst into a wide-mouthed water pipe set into the wall and vanished with a faint, wet plop.
Feeling the faint, judgmental glares boring into his back, Ye Tian let out a pair of awkward coughs. He turned to face Haruto, his earlier bravado completely gone, and asked weakly, "...Is it too late for me to take back what I just said?"
"Too late," Haruto replied, spreading his hands in a gesture of mock helplessness. "But it's fine. I already know how to clear this instance anyway."
The tension in Ye Tian's shoulders immediately vanished. He let out a long, audible sigh of relief and leaned his greatsword against the floor.
"Detonate this base."
The Female Secretary was the first to speak, her voice crisp and analytical as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "I believe everyone has come to the same conclusion. There are only three possibilities for the Broodmother's location. One: it was that small insect we just encountered. Two: this entire base has become a living part of the Broodmother. Or three: it is hidden in a part of the base we have not yet discovered. Therefore, the most efficient solution is to detonate the facility, which would eliminate the first two possibilities entirely."
Haruto nodded in agreement. "She's right. A standard military base, especially one designed for top-secret research, is almost guaranteed to have a self-destruct sequence for worst-case scenarios. As long as the Broodmother is still in this base, it can't escape. Not unless it can teleport several kilometers in an instant."
Everyone nodded, the logic obvious.
Hearing the plan, Xia Ye couldn't help but swallow nervously. He raised a hand, his voice a little shaky. "Then... how do we get out when the time comes?"
"If there's a self-destruct, there will be a built-in evacuation protocol," Haruto analyzed calmly. "A designated escape route and a countdown timer. We just don't know how much time we'll have."
A collective wave of relief washed over the group. The next step was clear: find the control room.
To save time, Haruto simply took out the ghostly parchment he called his "ghost letter" and had it sketch out a simple map of the base. The ethereal ink revealed three main entrances; the one they had used was the most remote, completely isolated from the other sectors. It also revealed that the passage where they'd fought the giant mosquitoes contained a hidden path leading to the main facility.
As they made their way back, Haruto was surprised to find that the corridor, once littered with the carapaces and limbs of the insects they had slain, was now spotlessly clean. It was as if something had deliberately tidied up.
He mulled it over for a second. The only culprit could be that massive spider monster from before.
Haruto didn't give it much more thought. In any case, once the base self-destructed, that creature would be buried here along with everything else.
He led the group through the hidden path and into a new section of the sprawling complex. Monsters were plentiful here as well, but this time, with Youmu's spectral swordsmanship complementing Ye Tian's all-out assault, their advance was a near-unstoppable blitz. They carved a clean path through the swarms. Along the way, they even ran into two other players who had also triggered the final mission and welcomed them into their ranks.
After handling a labyrinth of corridors and stairwells, the group finally stood before a heavy, reinforced metal door.
The words "AUTHORIZED RESTRICTED AREA" were stenciled across it in bold, blocky letters. The electronic lock beside it flickered with a faint red light, clearly requiring specific clearance to enter. This was, without a doubt, the control room they had been searching for.
"Alright, stand back! Let me handle this!" Ye Tian announced, rubbing his hands together eagerly. He raised his greatsword again, ready to turn the door into scrap metal, but Haruto reached out and put a hand on his arm.
The Female Secretary also spoke up, her tone dissuading. "No. The doors in a place like this are sure to have sensors. Forcing it open will likely trigger an alarm, or worse, activate the base's defense mechanisms."
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Ye Tian shot back, not lowering his sword. "Do any of you happen to be decryption experts?"
His secretary was momentarily speechless. Her boss had a point; even if they had such an expert, they were critically short on time.
"I can open it," Haruto said suddenly, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Every head in the corridor swiveled to face him. They found it incredibly difficult to associate the image of Haruto, the casually overpowered brawler, with that of a delicate decryption expert. A person's energy was finite; it was hard to believe someone could reach the pinnacle in so many different fields.
Under their expectant gazes, Haruto walked to the door. He placed his palm flat against the cold metal surface and whispered, his voice barely audible—
"The Boundary of Open and Closed."
Click.
A soft, mechanical sound echoed from the lock. With a gentle push from Haruto, the massive steel gate swung inward, silent and effortless.
"Big bro... is that some kind of 'Word is Law' ability?" Xia Ye's mouth hung open in astonishment.
He always stood close to Haruto and had clearly heard what he'd said. From the Mermaid Instance until now, it seemed that whatever this man said, the world simply made it so.
Ye Tian also stared, his face a mask of disbelief.
"How could that be?" Haruto's gaze was filled with theatrical resentment. "If I could use 'Word is Law,' do you think I'd still be working my ass off in these stupid instances? I'd be lying at home playing games with the AC on full blast, okay?"
Hearing this, everyone felt their own ideas were a bit too fantastic. How could an ability like 'Word is Law' possibly exist? Even a god probably couldn't manage it.
Just then, Haruto added another sentence. "But the one who slapped you... she could probably be considered half a 'Word is Law' user."
There really is someone like that?!
The group gasped collectively. But then they remembered the incident—of a being who could hear them across instances and deliver a slap through the void. From that perspective, it seemed frighteningly reasonable.
Time was tight.
Haruto didn't hesitate, stepping into the control room. The chamber was filled with humming racks of complex, precision instruments. Following the instructions provided by the ghost letter, he handled the consoles, found the self-destruct sequence, and entered the password. The moment his finger pressed the final key, a piercing alarm blared to life, and the entire room was bathed in the frantic pulse of red warning lights.
[Self-destruct sequence initiated. Countdown: thirty minutes.]
A side screen on the main console lit up simultaneously, displaying a clear, highlighted map of the safest evacuation route to the surface.
Haruto immediately took off running. Although he possessed an Immortal Body, he wasn't sure of its limits and had no desire to test if it could withstand the complete annihilation of a military-grade bunker.
Ye Tian led his team out of the control room right behind him. However, just as they reached the doorway, they saw it—a dense, dark tide of insects surging toward them from the far end of the corridor.
Haruto's expression turned grave. The insects' target was clearly the control room, but the alarm wasn't just ringing here; it was blaring throughout the entire base. The only explanation was that they had been ordered to stop the self-destruct at all costs.
Ye Tian roared, raising his greatsword and hacking into the tide of bodies closing in around them.
Lin Xuelao quickly took out a small vial, uncorked it, and swallowed the potion inside. She closed her eyes, and after a moment of intense concentration, her voice came out heavy. "We can't kill them all. There are too many. It's not just the swarm in here; insects from the entire city are gathering, pouring down from the surface."
Ye Tian acted as if he hadn't heard her, his swings becoming even more reckless.
The Female Secretary's voice cut through the chaos. "Boss, don't be stubborn. Not everyone is going to leave here alive. Someone has to stay behind to prevent the self-destruct sequence from being interrupted."
"Then I'll—"
"You know very well that you can't be the one to stay," she interrupted, her tone laced with a helpless resolve. "You have to lead everyone to the surface."
Xia Ye's voice trembled, but he still nodded in agreement. "Big Sis is right... any of us can stay, but not you, Boss."
The other members of Ascending God chimed in, their voices a chorus of grim determination—
"Yeah, Boss, if you stay here, the others will tear us apart when we get back..."
"Exactly! Ascending God can do without any one of us, but it can't do without you!"
"Let me stay! My life was saved by the Boss in the first place. I've lived this much longer; it's more than worth it!"
Ye Tian's knuckles were white as he gripped the hilt of his sword, his eyes bloodshot with unshed tears. Finally, he gave a single, heavy nod. A wave of relief passed through the members of Ascending God. Just as they were about to decide who would make the ultimate sacrifice, Haruto spoke up, his voice calm and utterly out of place.
"Actually, there's no need for all this emotional drama. I have another way."
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