Chapter 684: Crisis Inside the Metal Sphere
by xennovel“These people!?”
His footsteps stuttered as Yenir fixed a steely gaze on the cold metal wall, his eyes piercing as if they could see right through it.
Though he couldn’t use spirit energy to peer through, his acute hearing instantly parsed the chaotic collisions to determine the exact number of voices.
“Roughly thirty people…”
“According to Ming Luo, each round lasts three minutes. With queuing and transit time factored in, it’s been sixteen minutes already.”
“Could four percent of them really go haywire?”
It was a simple calculation.
He couldn’t know what had happened to these survivors, but the rebels’ conversation made it clear that these “rejects” were being discarded like trash.
Four percent of ten thousand—that’s four hundred people.
Yenir drew a deep breath, his eyes turning even colder.
He couldn’t save them all—his only chance was to reach the Mother as quickly as possible to rescue as many people as he could before the true disaster struck.
Without further hesitation, Yenir turned, closed his eyes briefly, and in the next moment flung open the metal door, striding inside.
Just as expected, his arrival through the underground passage immediately caught the attention of the rebels stationed above. Fortunately, a few mid-ranking rebel officers merely exchanged whispered remarks, assuming he was there on a mission.
With hidden guards above and Yenir donning a guard uniform, the rebels didn’t believe anyone could sneak in this quietly.
He quickly scanned the area, and seeing the hemispherical structure Ming Luo had described, Yenir feigned routine patrol as he briskly moved about, searching for any sign of Ming Luo.
With system communications blocked, he couldn’t initially locate any trace of Ming Luo or his team.
A few seconds later, however, Yenir’s brow furrowed—he realized that the Military Region squad accompanying him had probably already begun testing.
(He wasn’t sure what was happening inside, but considering Ming Luo’s team’s fitness, the risk should be low.)
Even though he had faith in Ming Luo’s group, anxiety gnawed at him as he stared at the enormous hemispherical structure.
Sure enough, his powerful hearing picked up low-frequency growls emanating from inside the giant sphere.
Moreover, he’d arrived in the midst of a testing cycle, and the clamor of desperate collisions allowed him to imagine the ordeal the testers were enduring.
(Were they using a sea beast or something else for testing? No… It can’t be a test—it must be an attempt to establish some kind of connection!)
(First zombie mutants, then sea beasts… Are the rebels trying to use different monsters’ traits to single out suitable Awakeners?)
(Why go to such lengths? Do they intend to transform them, or…?)
There was no way to tell.
Silently releasing his spirit energy, Yenir cautiously probed to “see” what exactly lurked within the metal sphere.
If it really was a sea beast—and if there was only one—its level would have to be at least Third-Stage Mid-level!
Before Yenir could gradually infiltrate the metal hemisphere, four sudden, violent jolts shook it in quick succession.
On the four small testing chambers at the front of the hemisphere, impact dents abruptly appeared.
The force of these collisions was far stronger than anything the other testers had shown!
“Bang! Bang! Bang!!!”
The explosive impacts stunned everyone; even the rebels on high instinctively turned to look.
“Is there another problem over there?”
“Why is the reaction so extreme…? That kind of physical strength…”
Before ordinary soldiers could even register the abnormal impact force, Yenir and several dozen Third-Stage rebels above had their expressions darken. The rebel leader—a Peak Third-Stage fighter—suddenly looked as if he’d realized something dire, his face blanching.
“No! This impact force isn’t right!”
“The testing door should withstand impacts from anyone below Third-Stage. Damn it! Something’s off with those inside!”
“Alert! All units, alert!”
No sooner had he shouted than the remainder of the Third-Stage rebels surged down in unison, almost as if they were surrounding the connected testing chambers.
Seeing the dents scorched into the metal door by the impacts, more than a dozen Third-Stage fighters unleashed their spirit energy, poised to strike!
Though Yenir considered these people rebels, their status as Third-Stage fighters allied with the Military couldn’t be denied!
Quick to react—prompted by the Peak Third-Stage rebel’s warning—they realized that the four-person testing teams were definitely compromised!
“Pull up their documents!”
“Damn it! Those inside aren’t Second-Stage fighters!”
Panic spread among the survivors as they watched the usually superior Third-Stage rebels suddenly grow tense, as if the testers within weren’t mere subjects but enemies.
At that moment, Yenir’s heart pounded—he understood just how grave the situation was!
Damn it!
Ming Luo’s team was in trouble!
Even without seeing what was inside, at the first sign of the impacts Yenir realized that Ming Luo and his team had lost consciousness, their desperate physical reaction inadvertently revealing their Third-Stage strength!
It was hard to fathom—he had considered this possibility even before entering. Ming Luo’s team was thought to be mentally resilient; even if he had to use spirit control himself, it would have taken a tremendous effort!
But by the looks of it, Ming Luo’s team hadn’t even managed to stay awake!
(Damn…!)
Suppressing the urge to act, Yenir fixed his gaze intently on the massive metal sphere and the Third-Stage rebels.
It was clear—the unknown force within the metal sphere was far more complex than he had anticipated!
A Third-Stage Mid-level creature, even if it was a special kind of sea beast, wouldn’t have been able to disrupt Ming Luo’s team’s minds!
(Peak Third-Stage! At least Peak Third-Stage!)
Taking a deep breath, Yenir raced through possible solutions in his mind.
He had only seconds left!
As Ming Luo’s team began to lose control, the group of Third-Stage rebels moved in to break down the door and seize them!
“Ming Luo!! Ming Luo!! Wake up!”
On the brink of exposure, Yenir could no longer conceal his spirit energy and had to try to rouse Ming Luo!
He needed to come up with a plausible explanation before the rebels could act!
Perhaps it was Yenir’s mental push that finally stirred Ming Luo’s group; the moment a large number of Third-Stage rebels broke down the door, the noise inside the testing chamber abruptly ceased.
Inside, Ming Luo let out a startled cry and coughed up blood. As an elite Third-Stage fighter of the Special Operations Group, he quickly regained his senses and realized the peril of his situation.
“Lord Yenir!? Damn…! Have we been exposed!?”
His face drained of color as he forced himself awake. His hands and feet turned cold, and he instinctively glanced back at the dented metal door, where he could sense a blatant murderous intent!
He had never imagined that his squad, despite all their vigilance, would still falter in the end!
(What do I do?! What do I do?!)
Gasping for breath, Ming Luo instinctively examined his hands as a resolute fatality flickered momentarily in his eyes.
It was acceptable if he was injured, but Yenir must not be compromised—any exposure could ruin their plan to find the Mother!