Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
After the call, a sudden commotion erupted in the room. Freyr took a deep breath, reflecting on how piercing that sound was. He wished he could take off his hat to clear his head, but it felt like it was glued to him; even the interface for removing it was completely sealed. The only way it would come off was if the United Defense Heroes Camp suffered casualties.
"Wow, oh my, we hear a familiar voice! So it's our captain, Freyr!" someone inside said, still joking around.
"Alright, quiet down. Listen to the rules, and then let's introduce ourselves," Freyr said, enduring the interference from the noise around him as he explained the mission assigned to the United Defense Heroes Camp.
The mission rules were straightforward. As Freyr outlined them, the room fell silent. It was easy to imagine the exaggerated expressions on his comrades' faces as they absorbed the hidden clauses within the rules. None of them had experienced life-and-death battles before, so Freyr needed to explain everything thoroughly to ensure everyone understood the gravity of their situation.
As he wrapped up explaining the rules, Freyr noticed he still had some time left. The members of the United Defense Heroes Camp gradually reached a consensus and began discussing strategies for defeating their enemies. Compared to the chaotic battle plans from his previous life with the United Defense Heroes Camp, which had led to disastrous outcomes, this time they were united under strong leadership. In that past life, political disagreements among a few lone heroes had resulted in most of their group perishing. If this happened again on a battlefield in a post-apocalyptic world, any commanding officer would face military tribunal consequences for such losses.
Freyr took another deep breath, bolstered by his persuasive skills and Xiong Tai's enthusiastic support.
A squad of over twenty people managed to reach an agreement—a rare feat. Although Freyr held the title of captain as an officer, he lacked practical experience in leading troops. This lack of experience could lead to conflicts within the team, making it crucial for him to maintain morale among his comrades.
There were not many arguments; Freyr's demeanor left a positive impression on everyone—he was neither overly humble nor arrogant. His performance was astonishing; he showed no signs of complaint and demonstrated integrity, intelligence, and execution capabilities that aligned with higher directives. The others respected him for it, though a few cynical individuals might stir up trouble with slanderous remarks.
Most people ignored those comments. Over time, they realized that stirring up conflict would lead nowhere and chose instead to follow along with the group.
With little time left for introductions, Freyr decided it was essential to familiarize themselves with each other’s backgrounds. He turned and walked into a building where the ground was still wet with uncured cement. After glancing around, an idea struck him; he stepped forward and began retracing his steps along some footprints he found.
"I'll start first! You can call me Zhou Bozhen—like a handsome youth standing tall like a chrysanthemum pressing against a begonia!" A voice rang out in the room—familiar and slightly hoarse; it belonged to the person who had just failed at singing earlier.
"That's quite an arrogant name! I'm Xiong Tai—your male god!" Xiong Tai declared with bravado.
"You’re the one who’s arrogant," Zhou Bozhen muttered back after being annoyed.
Over twenty people introduced themselves one by one. Aside from their voices, no one knew what anyone looked like; even if they stood face-to-face with Confronting, they wouldn’t recognize each other. The advantage of being part of the United Defense Heroes Camp was communication—something that was lacking in the Cosmic Insect Faction.
After listening to everyone's introductions, Freyr found a suitable hiding spot—a laboratory. He closed and locked the door behind him; no one would know he was hiding inside. Moreover, he had set up ambushes along his route. Given that Cosmic Worm technology was more advanced, if any signal source was too far away from their beacon location, they wouldn't receive any signals at all. The traces he left behind could buy them some time.
The afternoon stretched on, feeling interminable. Freya was uncertain how long the fabricated traces would hold up. He had assigned most people the task of creating these false trails, deliberately leaving obvious signs in certain areas. The Cosmic Worm could not communicate when the signal exceeded its range, and if they saw the traces on the ground, there was no doubt they would follow those signals.
Freyr sat for a moment in the laboratory chair, glancing at the time. It had been half an hour, and the Cosmic Insect Faction should be mobilizing soon. After resting for a bit, he began to walk around the lab, observing everything.
The laboratory appeared to be a fully enclosed room, filled with various transparent containers that were quite fragile and unsuitable as weapons. He rummaged through the items on the table that could serve as weapons, picked one up to weigh it in his hand, then set it back down.
At that moment, Freyr returned to his original chair. In the corner lay a pile of diluting materials sealed in a box with dry nylon paper stored in the middle of a drawer compartment. He pried open the drawer and retrieved the box, forcefully opening it to peek inside.
What he pulled out and placed on the table were some basic experimental materials. Freyr carefully scanned his surroundings again and ultimately unearthed a large red metal object from the corner. Upon closer inspection, he was fortunate to find a bottle of Carbon Dioxide Fire Extinguisher.
Excellent, Freya thought to himself with quiet delight.
There was still plenty of time, and the laboratory materials were sufficient. He connected the extinguisher's nozzle to a Conduit, with the other end leading into a sealed Container. This step required careful attention; there was only one Carbon Dioxide Fire Extinguisher available. Without knowing the exact situation outside, at least this laboratory seemed temporarily safe. The door was locked, and even if someone wanted to kick it down, it would take some effort for the Cosmic Insect Faction.
Inside the lab was a layout that included a large Freezer storing animal corpses and various organs. He reached into the Freezer to adjust the temperature gauge; it was a high-spec model after all—this was Noah Nannoiton University’s standard equipment capable of reaching temperatures below minus several degrees Celsius, quite expensive.
The goal was clear: to produce a large quantity of Dry Ice. The amount generated from using the Carbon Dioxide Fire Extinguisher would be considerable, but under these circumstances, it would suffice. After all, they were not dealing with actual Zerg; their explosive power at close range could penetrate objects within a three-meter radius regardless of harsh environments. No matter how effective Dry Ice might be, the Zerg's instantaneous explosive power could still kill its prey.
Freyr effortlessly injected carbon dioxide into the apparatus, quickly placing it into a heat sink while closing off the valve to prevent leaks. He then stored the canister in the Freezer set to ten degrees below zero.
The freezing process consumed significant time. Taking advantage of this interval, Freyr searched through the corners of the lab again in hopes of finding a suitable weapon. Unfortunately, most items in the lab were easily breakable and truly ineffective for causing harm.
He only discovered a mop; stepping on its end with one foot, he forcefully pulled out the stick from its rear end.
The Wooden Stick was relatively light and could be wielded for various attacks. Although his preferred weapons were dual swords, he had some skill with sticks as well—he was like someone who had never seen pig slaughter but had certainly eaten pork before. Freyr felt a twinge of helplessness regarding his physical abilities at that moment; even in his past life, no matter how inadequate he had been, he could easily dispatch Zerg with bare hands.
With a Wooden Stick gripped in his palm, he pressed his ear against the door to listen for any sounds outside.
Freyr suddenly had an unsettling premonition. At that moment, he heard clear footsteps coming from the entrance. The doorknob turned slightly; someone was clearly trying to open the door and peek inside. The person leaned close to the edge of the door, trying to see in, but their face was obscured by a mask resembling a Cosmic Worm. Their eyes strained through the grid-like compound eyes, but they couldn't make out much.
Just then, Freyr noticed another figure approaching behind the member of the Cosmic Insect Faction. The two exchanged gestures in sign language. Freyr watched intently as they communicated, their fingers transitioning into a downward chopping motion—a signal used in the military to indicate enemy activity.
However, the two seemed hesitant. Storming into a lab was undoubtedly unwise. Yet, being part of the Cosmic Insect Faction granted them significant authority and advantages; they felt compelled to break down the door to see what was happening inside. Even if they were wrong, their numbers gave them a considerable advantage. They were unaware that those inside had already laid plans and were preparing for their arrival.
Seeing this covert gesture, Freyr cursed under his breath. Suddenly, there was a heavy thud against the door. The two adults were not particularly strong; it was evident that this was a reinforced metal door. When they slammed against it together, it shook slightly, but such force would not last long—the locking mechanism was not very secure.
They could only sustain this assault for a minute or so at most. Freyr felt a surge of panic but did not cry out. He silenced his communication device; if the intruders also used theirs, it would create interference and lead them to believe something strange was happening inside.
The laboratories at Noah Nannoiton University were usually closed. They were open for use during professional classes, but students rarely visited outside those times. A locked lab raised suspicions since there were seldom students around; the likelihood of it being empty was high, making it unlikely anyone would think to investigate.
Moreover, this lab was located underground, where signals often failed. Discovering something unusual inside would be akin to winning the lottery—if someone found out about it now, it would either be sheer luck or fate's design.
The banging on the door grew more frequent. Freyr moved stealthily amidst the noise, quickly retreating deeper into the room. He carefully dragged a table to the entrance and piled chairs on top to add weight. The sound of his movements blended with the banging outside, causing the two intruders to feel as if the door had suddenly become immovable.
After two more heavy thuds, a thought crossed their minds as they peered through the compound eyes at the gap in the door. The chairs and table that hadn't been there before now appeared directly opposite them. They cursed silently; although they dared not speak aloud, their frustration was palpable.
Members of the Cosmic Insect Faction were prohibited from speaking due to strict regulations; violating these rules would lead to expulsion from their ranks. The victorious side clearly leaned towards the Joint Defense Heroes.
The banging outside ceased abruptly. Freyr crouched low on the ground, taking deep breaths before rushing back into the inner room. He opened the freezer and felt a chilling draft through his gloved hands as he reached for a container inside. The gloves barely insulated him from the bone-chilling cold; without them, touching it would feel like getting stuck with superglue—there would be no way to remove his skin without tearing it off.
He opened the valve and gently extracted a heat exchanger before pressing a button on the air conditioning remote to set it to thirty-eight degrees Celsius.
Dry ice evaporates rapidly at high temperatures, producing white mist—a phenomenon seen on stage performances. After arranging everything in the room, he waited for liver disease samples to warm up and evaporate quickly. Once he felt that the air was warm enough, he turned off the air conditioning and sat quietly on the floor with a wooden stick in hand.
Suddenly, with a loud "bang," a protruding point on the alloy metal door sliced through as a red blade cut into it. The two outside returned; while they couldn't break down the alloy metal door by force alone, they could still hack their way in with some effort. Though their strength wasn't overwhelming, they were nearly adults and had enough power between them—if they could just create a small opening and continue hacking away at it, any defense from that metal door would soon be rendered useless.
The Cosmic Insect Faction wielded their trusty axes, which was not against the rules. In their hands were firefighting Protective Gear, and the claws of the Zerg were particularly sharp. Using an axe as a supporting tool for the Cosmic Worm was entirely feasible, but during combat, using the axe to strike a person would constitute murder under any pretense. After all, this was a game, and while the rules did not explicitly forbid attacking with an axe, it was a line that should not be crossed.
Once a fatal incident occurred, the very essence of Simulated War would be lost. With several swift strikes, the reinforced door shattered into pieces. The two of them discarded their axes and pushed aside the table and chairs in front of them to enter.
A wave of White Mist enveloped the area. The visibility was already poor due to the Zerg masks; they could only see outside through the grid-like structure of their compound eyes. In conditions of extremely low visibility like this, sign language became nearly ineffective, as the white smoke clung to their compound eyes like a fog.
They had no choice but to roll up their sleeves and wipe away the mist to continue observing. With visibility reduced to mere centimeters, for those in the Cosmic Insect Faction, this environment rendered them effectively blind.
In this bewildering situation, they were unaware that someone from inside was slowly stepping out. Freyr could not discern the exact location of the Cosmic Worm either, but in an environment filled with vaporized Dry Ice, breathing became a tremendous challenge. They felt the effects of oxygen deprivation and reacted quickly; however, with the door obscured by white smoke, they found themselves with nowhere to retreat, flailing about like headless flies.
Freyr took a deep breath and stepped out from within, holding a stick in hand. He perked up his ears to gauge positions based on sound while ensuring his footsteps went unnoticed by those from the opposing faction.
Soon enough, Freyr spotted a figure glancing around nervously. The person wiped their mask's compound eyes with their hand, shaking their head and gasping for air. In an atmosphere rich in carbon dioxide, it posed a significant challenge for aerobic beings; even military training could not fully prepare one for such extreme conditions. The increased demand on physical stamina turned what should have been an advantage into a burden.
"Hey, brother!"
Freyr stood behind him and patted his shoulder. The one wearing the Vampire Bug Mask quickly turned around. Freyr seized the opportunity and delivered a punch to his abdomen, forcing all the air out of him. The man began to struggle on the ground, coughing uncontrollably. Freyr did not give him a chance to recover and slipped back into the white smoke.
With a swift motion, a sharp arc formed in an instant; a faint sound echoed from within the room as Freyr struck his Target on the back of the head. This Target was completely exposed; with one blow from his stick, he collapsed onto the floor. Freyr quickly moved forward to grab hold of his body and crouched down close before tearing off the Red Badge emblem from his chest.
Comment 0 Comment Count