Chapter 454: Mission Success and the Queen’s Battle
by xennovel“I think the mission can be declared a success…”
“We’ve already breached the Disaster Museum. I’m trying to locate its remains…”
“It’s hard to find; everywhere there are huge rocks that just can’t be moved…”
“The Calamity Archbishop?”
“He’s still alive. Right now, he’s in battle with the Queen… uh…”
“Yes, I wasn’t part of the final battle. After the Disaster Museum was destroyed, the Queen seemed to break free from her restraints and clashed with the Calamity Archbishop. That earthquake-like rumble you all heard must have been the sound of their fight. With her mental power so limited at this point, it looked like a brutal, close-quarters brawl…”
“Support Team?”
“Hold on a moment. Let’s wait until their fight is over; I’ll update you all soon…”
“The Doll is doing quite well…”
“Just not sure who shoved her, leaving her all muddy. Prepare her a set of clothes so she can change when we step out.”
“…”
His mission was to stop the Calamity Archbishop, right?
So, in theory, his own mission should now be complete. But if the mission was to stop the Queen of Happy Town, that might not be the case…
It looks like the Queen still needs to keep eating.
She appears rather weak now and could really use some nourishment.
After a brief chat over the channel with Han Bing, Lu Xin relaxed, found a large rock to sit on, and surveyed his surroundings. Out in the wasteland, many people were still lingering—individuals abandoned by the Disaster Museum who had returned to their own bodies when the museum was destroyed, their mental power now back to normal.
Some bodies had vanished without a trace, along with the mental power that had been tied to the museum.
Everything was eerily still, as if it had never existed.
By now, the Queen was nearly finished eating. She really is a frugal one—finishing a meal in one bite instead of three.
And Lu Xin was certain she preferred fresh food; she always kept her ingredients up to date.
“…”
“Shhhlah…”
A burst of electric static sounded over the channel, followed by Han Bing’s voice: “Mr. Lone Soldier, what’s the situation now?”
“Has the Support Team been cleared to enter?”
“…”
Lu Xin detected a hint of urgency in her voice and suddenly understood.
For them, this battle was far from over.
He then glanced over at the Calamity Archbishop, convinced he would no longer pose a threat to others.
He nodded, “That should do it.”
“No, it’s not as simple as the battle ending…”
Han Bing instinctively lowered her voice: “Mr. Lone Soldier, could you ask the Queen for her opinion?”
“If she agrees, we’ll send the Support Team in…”
“Please explain patiently that the Support Team has a lot of tasks: investigating the scene, searching for any traces, assessing if the enemy left any hidden dangers… In short, we mean no harm.”
“…”
“Uh…”
Only then did Lu Xin realize and reply, “Alright, I’ll go ask her.”
“…”
He got up and approached the collapsed villa, studying the Queen intently.
After eating for so long, the Queen’s body had somehow shrunk. Once, she was at least several tens of meters long, but now she was less than a meter tall—delicate and petite. The moment she saw Lu Xin, she instinctively retreated into a crevice.
With the villa in ruins and holes everywhere, she could easily vanish from sight by just curling up.
“It’s alright. Don’t be afraid—we won’t hurt you.”
Looking kindly at the Queen, Lu Xin said, “We intend to send some people into your territory. Do you agree?”
The Queen furrowed her brows in caution, emitting a hissing sound.
Lu Xin spoke into the channel, “Alright, she agreed. Send the Support Team in.”
After speaking, he smiled amicably at the Queen.
“…”
“Clatter…”
The Support Team arrived rapidly, and the scene was impressive.
Not only were they clad in matching protective uniforms and armed with their trusty mental detection devices and medical supplies, but rows of them also carried standard-issue weapons. Even though they were just here for wrap-up duties, they looked like a daredevil squad.
“Happy Town really packs a punch when it comes to deterrence…”
While Lu Xin contemplated this, four people briskly approached him.
Without a word, they roughly dragged him aside to perform various tests.
After procedures like blood tests, wound inspections, and quick logic assessments, Lu Xin was finally released. Just then, several trucks slowly rolled into the vicinity of Happy Town, and one of them saw Chen Jing step out.
A smile of relief, as if she had just survived a calamity, adorned her face.
From afar, she waved at Lu Xin. Just as he moved to greet her, he noticed she was heading toward other personnel.
Lu Xin had no choice but to sit back down and wait, watching the busy scene unfold before him.
Until a small creature tugged at his pant leg.
Looking down, Lu Xin was taken aback to see a line of seven diminutive little monsters wearing black top hats staring at him.
The first one wore a sincere smile, the second a hypocritical one,
while the third through seventh looked timid, their wide eyes fixed on him.
“Are you here to collect debts?”
Remembering them, Lu Xin smiled warmly at the creatures.
All seven beamed in surprise and removed their little hats, extending them in front of Lu Xin.
But Lu Xin shook his head while still smiling, “I’ve always just given you guys a half-smile before, which I feel was a bit insincere. This time, since it’s not my own expense, you can claim reimbursement from Headquarters. So please wait a bit while I report back.”
“Once the funds are approved, I’ll give you the money. I remember… isn’t it five thousand per head?”
“Don’t worry, you won’t get shortchanged.”
“…”
The seven little monsters were momentarily dumbfounded.
Especially the third to seventh ones—one even looked like he might cry with his mouth pressed tight.
In the end, the one at the head, still smiling genuinely, glared back at the rest with a commanding look.
He turned around, gestured at Lu Xin, and then pressed his hat to his chest in a respectful bow.
“I think with their dedication, even a higher price would be justified…”
As Lu Xin watched them line up and disappear into the vortex, he mused:
“So, billing Headquarters at ten thousand per head shouldn’t be too outrageous, right?”
“…”
“Uncle Chu’s investigation results are in.”
Before long, Chen Jing came over holding a manually filled report. As usual, without any pleasantries, she stated, “In the surrounding area, we found numerous instruments from the Technology Church. Clearly, they spared no expense in setting this up. There are many other issues, but one point concerns me the most…”
She stated firmly, “Not all members of the Technology Church have been captured.”
Lu Xin paused and nodded, acknowledging that indeed a few had escaped.
“At least three people managed to flee.”
Chen Jing frowned and continued, “Our investigators found tracks from an RV nearby and, following them, discovered some discarded files. Their value is still unknown; the content is very hard to decipher. For now, we’ve sealed them off and will have some professors and experts evaluate them once back at HQ.”
“But strangely, when we continued tracking, the tire marks suddenly vanished.”
“It was as if the entire vehicle had simply evaporated. I wonder what kind of ability could achieve that.”
“…”
Lu Xin shook his head and said, “I already briefed you about encountering Qin Ran—the knight leader who attacked us at Qinggang. I still don’t know why he reappeared with the Technology Church, but he was extra cautious; at the first sign of trouble, he fled. Since then, I haven’t seen his shadow until now.”
“We’ll get to the bottom of this.”
Chen Jing nodded, “The ability to make a vehicle vanish into thin air is rare, yet not unheard of.”
Lu Xin nodded and suddenly a thought struck him.
The ability to make a vehicle disappear isn’t rare at all—even some can vanish a moving train car in an instant. This peculiar idea made him wonder: are they the same ability?
His thoughts drifted back to the illusion he saw when entering the Disaster Museum.
Within that illusion, he saw many people: his Sister, Mom, Father, Teacher Xiao Lu, Little Nineteen, and…
“…Old Director!”
“…”
The smile on Lu Xin’s face suddenly faded a little.
“I never expected that the Queen of Happy Town, whose mental power spans fifty kilometers, would actually look…”
Chen Jing, without missing a beat, softly added, “…quite cute.”
She even felt that calling the Queen ‘cute’ might be a bit much, chuckled, and said, “But when our support personnel tried to approach her, they found she wasn’t very hostile. Perhaps we can take this opportunity to have a chat with her.”
“However, be prepared—she might regard life in different tiers.”
“Perhaps in the end, only you can communicate with her.”
“…”
Acknowledging his duty, Lu Xin nodded quietly, “Alright.”
“Section Chief Chen…”
Just as he spoke, a member of the Support Team ran over excitedly, reporting:
“That Queen is truly both adorable and kind.”
“She accepted our chocolate bar and canned goods and even expressed a willingness to talk with Qinggang.”
“However, she needs some rest now and has requested that we send someone over in about a month.”
“…”
Chen Jing was pleasantly surprised and said, “That’s great. Have they designated someone for communication?”
“Mr. Lone Soldier…”
A Support Team member pointed at Lu Xin.
Before Lu Xin could answer, the team member whispered, “The Queen said that besides you, anyone else is fine…”
“Swish!”
Chen Jing’s expression changed instantly as she probed, “What have you done to the Queen?”
“I…”
Lu Xin, looking a bit embarrassed, replied, “I saved her life…”