Chapter 824
Even as blood splattered about, Chen Xiaolian swiftly pulled his hand out.
He held in his hand a fist-sized piece of flesh that looked like an embryo. Tendrils grew all over the surface of the embryo, which wriggled non-stop.
It clearly did not possess any organs for making sound. And yet, when Chen Xiaolian grabbed it, the embryo suddenly released a piercing cry that seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
After grabbing the embryo, Chen Xiaolian did not make any overt movements, but the embryo that was in his grasp was reduced to ash.
The wound on Aderick’s chest also immediately healed up.
“I…”
The moment Chen Xiaolian released his grip on Aderick, Aderick saw a new prompt appear in his personal system.
[Instance dungeon prompt: Due to an unknown error, the alien embryo and its genes have been stripped away. Quest suspended.]
At the same time, his connection with the alien genes was abruptly severed.
“Done. You guys just find a place to wait. I’ll contact you after this instance dungeon is over.”
“This instance dungeon… is not over yet?” Aderick reached out with his hand to touch his chest. Not a single scar could be seen there.
Although he was able to obtain regenerative powers from the Bug Armour’s genes, the alien embryo from the meteor was the one operating the powers from the genes. And now that he had lost the alien embryo, it was only natural for him to no longer have the regenerative powers. Thus, the recovery of the wound on his chest was clearly due to Chen Xiaolian’s power.
“I still have something to do for now.” By then, Chen Xiaolian had already turned around. He waved towards Aderick as he said, “After I’m finished, I will let the instance dungeon end.”
Chen Xiaolian's words surprised Aderick once again.
I will let the instance dungeon end?
Aderick stared intently at Chen Xiaolian’s back and it wasn’t until he had disappeared into the radioactive dust clouds did he turn to silently exchange glances with Theodore.
…
Lun Tai abruptly snapped open his eyes and jumped to his feet.
Looking down, he then gave his body a strong slap.
Not a single abnormality.
This… what is going on here?
I didn’t die?
At the very last moment, before he lost consciousness, he remembered seeing countless nuclear bombs detonating.
Nuclear bombs that filled the sky had descended like a rainstorm. He should have… there was no way he could have survived that.
At that very moment, however, he was surprisingly completely unscathed.
Promptly, Lun Tai then raised his head and looked around.
Bei Tai, Qiao Qiao, Soo Soo, Roddy and even Qimu Xi.
Every single person from the guild was here. Additionally, they were all alive.
Thick radioactive dust clouds floated all around them, limiting their line of sight to only ten plus metres. They had absolutely no way to even tell where Aderick was at the moment.
The surrounding heat waves rolled forward, moving through the radioactive dust clouds. He could even see a faint reddish glow coming from the distant ground.
Clearly, the resulting high temperature from the nuclear blast had temporarily melted the ground.
Only the ground beneath them remained intact.
Not only was it not melted, it did not display even a trace of having gone through the explosion.
Earlier, they had been within a valley within a nature preserve and various flora surrounded them. And yet, despite the nuclear blast, there were still grasses and shrubs on the ground beneath them right now.
Due to the scorching heat waves, they had become somewhat yellow or withered. However, it was very obvious that the power from the nuclear blast – within this small area alone – had miraculously disappeared.
This… just what happened?
And Aderick, where is he?
“Are you very surprised that you are still alive?”
A familiar voice came from behind.
“Xiao… Xiaolian?”
Lun Tai swiftly turned around and saw Chen Xiaolian’s smiling face.
“You… you…”
Lun Tai pointed at Chen Xiaolian, gaping speechlessly.
Chen Xiaolian simply stood there quietly with the same smile on his face. “I’ve finished up a certain matter somewhere. On my way back, I noticed that you fellows have encountered an issue inside this instance dungeon. My arrival… was quite timely, right?”
“How did you enter this instance dungeon? This instance dungeon has already started. How could you still enter?” Lun Tai’s eyes were opened wide as he stared at Chen Xiaolian with disbelief. “Also, the nuclear blast just now…”
Only then did he notice that the radioactive dust clouds enveloping the sky were merely floating around them. There was an invisible forcefield isolating them from the radioactive dust clouds.
Could this… also be Chen Xiaolian’s doing?
“It’s just a nuclear blast. Stopping it is not that difficult.” Chen Xiaolian shrugged while snickering. “Naturally, it might be a little difficult for you guys right now.”
“For normal people… it’s probably very difficult…” Lun Tai mumbled.
“As for how I entered this instance dungeon…” Chen Xiaolian said nonchalantly.
“It’s very simple. All you need is the authority.”
“Right now… it seems as though you have become a being that exists on a completely different dimension from us.” Lun Tai brought out a few bottles of Healing Beast Blood and gulped them down. Turning to look at the others behind him, his eyes then dimmed. “A pity, you were still a little too late. Xia Xiaolei and Da Gang…”
“Xiaolei has indeed died, but did you forget? He is an Awakened. By using the metal sphere, he can be resurrected once. As for Da Gang…”
Chen Xiaolian pointed to his back. “This fellow’s life is very tenacious. He won’t die so easily. And now that I’m here, how could he die?”
Only then did Lun Tai notice that Tian Lie was lying behind Chen Xiaolian.
And while he remained still, hearing Chen Xiaolian say that Tian Lie was still alive, Lun Tai believed that Tian Lie must still be alive.
Moreover, if he had died, his corpse would have been – regardless if he was a Player or Awakened – refreshed away.
“Xiaolian?”
“Xiaolian oppa!”
One by one, the others began waking up as well. When they saw Chen Xiaolian, they all let out a cry of shock.
Qiao Qiao was the first to rush over and she hugged Chen Xiaolian tightly.
Soo Soo was right behind her. She spread open her small arms and hugged the two of them.
“Xiaolian, don’t let your guard down,” Lun Tai said solemnly.
“Our opponent is very strong. I suspect… not even the nuclear blast was able to kill him off. That fellow might appear at any time.”
“You mean Aderick?” Chen Xiaolian stuck his head out from Qiao Qiao’s shoulder, a smile on his face. “Don’t worry, it’s been dealt with.”
“What?”
Lun Tai was instantly dumbfounded.
“You… killed him already?”
Lun Tai looked at Chen Xiaolian uncertainly.
Aderick’s regenerative power was simply too monstrous. Although Xia Xiaolei’s Bug Armour could swiftly regenerate the wounds he sustained, serious damage to his head or the Bug Armour’s core part within his torso would also be fatal.
Moreover, the cell division process needed to heal his wounds also consumed a great deal of energy.
Even Tian Lie would require large amounts of metals for his recovery needs. Aderick, however, could recreate his whole body through just a small piece of his flesh. He was practically no longer human.
It was almost like… Cell[1]!
“Not killed, but it’s been dealt with. Do you not believe me?” Chen Xiaolian patted Qiao Qiao before extricating himself from her embrace. “Look at your personal systems.”
Lun Tai finally remembered to check the quest status.
As expected, in his personal system was the notification that the Species Lord had died, indicating that this instance dungeon had been completed.
As he was unconscious earlier, he did not notice the notification right away.
However…
Strangely enough, the countdown for the end of the instance dungeon had stopped.
Aderick had devoured the alien embryo, becoming the Species Lord and BOSS in its stead. Thus, after he was defeated, this instance dungeon should have ended.
“Don’t worry.” Chen Xiaolian waved at Lun Tai. “I’m the one who stopped the instance dungeon’s countdown.”
“You… did it?” Lun Tai was taken aback once more. “Why did you do that? No, more importantly, how could you possess this ability?”
“Because we still have an old friend to deal with.” Chen Xiaolian smiled.
“Didn’t you fellows wonder what was up with those nuclear bombs?”
“Considering how serious this biohazard incident is, isn’t it only normal to drop nukes down?” Lun Tai looked at Chen Xiaolian quizzically. “Isn’t this a common theme in Hollywood movies?”
Chen Xiaolian rolled his eyes. “Even in those movies, they would not drop hundreds of them altogether to purify the land. Enough. You guys wait here for a bit. I’ll go deal with that Jiang Long first. His mind… is simply too dangerous.”
“Jiang Long?” Roddy, who woke up long ago, suddenly interrupted. Surprised, he continued, “He… how could he be in this instance dungeon? This is an instance dungeon within North America. As someone in the China branch, he should not have been selected. We deliberately took the initiative to come all the way here to participate in this instance dungeon!”
“If you fellows can take the initiative to participate, why wouldn’t he?” Chen Xiaolian shrugged. “Besides… he had most likely, sneakily followed you guys after finding out that you fellows were keeping an eye on this instance dungeon.”
“The bastard!” Roddy was quick to understand and he gnashed his teeth.
They had been working together for the past six months. During this time, Jiang Long’s team had benefitted considerably. Even so, it was clear that the benefits they obtained was not as great as that of Meteor Rock Guild.
And given Jiang Long’s intellect, even if Lun Tai and the others were to deliberately conceal it, with them having participated in so many instance dungeons together, he would surely have figured out that their Meteor Rock Guild had obtained a certain method to view the comprehensive details of the instance dungeon’s quests.
And after Meteor Rock Guild stopped working together with them, it was only natural that Jiang Long would not willingly accept it. He would not allow Meteor Rock Guild to continue developing at such a terrifying rate.
“If you can’t get it, you want to destroy it?” Lun Tai spat furiously. “Why is this little runt acting like a resentful old woman?”
…
“This is impossible! Impossible! Impossible!”
Tong You hurled the champagne glass in his hand to the ground, smashing it. His face was completely flushed, seemingly on the verge of going crazy.
Two minutes ago, all the nuclear bombs launched had struck their target locations.
And now, the notebook before him was displaying an image taken from a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft.
Countless balls of fire had risen up into the sky at the same time, all close to one another. In the end, they all transformed into towering mushroom clouds.
There wasn’t a single blind spot in all the positions he marked earlier. He had especially given great attention to the Rosemont Preserve area, which was the very location of the Species Lord.
Tong You had drawn tens of crosses around that area.
But within his personal system, at this very moment, that damned dot of light was still there.
The location of the dot was obviously right beneath the ball of fire from the nuclear blast that he was currently looking at through the screen.
But why is the Species Lord. Not. Dead?!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Mr President?”
There was the sound of someone knocking the door. Next, a woman’s voice came from outside the door. “Mr President? Are you alright?”
“Don’t mother**king disturb me!”
A crashing sound rang out as Tong You picked up a bottle of wine and hurled it against the door.
…
The female secretary outside the door shrank back in fright and shook her head while looking at the several bigwigs behind her.
“Forget it… don’t go look for trouble.” The Secretary of Defence shook his head at her. “The President is in a very bad mood. It’s only natural. Half of California, and even the citizens there, have been turned to scorched earth through a hundred plus nuclear bombs. I think… the president must be worried about how to explain this to the people.”
“Enough. Don’t say it like he would actually feel bothered about this…” The CIA Director sat down on his chair. “I feel like I’ve just witnessed… the fall of the most powerful nation on this planet.”
…
“Manager, just what is going on here?” Tong You gripped his fists tightly, his gaze still affixed upon the mushroom cloud displayed on the screen. “Just what is this instance dungeon’s BOSS? Even so many nuclear bombs couldn’t kill it! This is impossible!”
Jiang Long was still in his White House Special Intelligence Unit garb. He was seated on a chair, with his elbows on the table before him and his chin on the back of his hands. His face was dark as he too, looked at the screen.
“Perhaps…” Jiang Long pondered for some time before finally saying, “This so-called alien Species Lord may have hidden inside a certain cave. Due to how deep it is, it is able to avoid the direct impact from the nuclear explosions.”
“Then, what do we do now?” Tong You panted.
“Or… do I order another round of nuclear attacks? We’ll use nuclear bunker busters and focus on that spot!”
“… no.” Jiang Long slowly shook his head. “That is totally unreasonable. It would expose you. Additionally… it might not work.”
“Then let’s head to that spot and kill off the BOSS on our own!” Tong You squeezed his fists.
“Even if the damned Species Lord is still alive, at the very least, there is surely no way all of the mutants around it and even the other living creatures there could remain alive. There’s only one enemy left. If we attack with all our strength, it should not be difficult to finish it.”
“Let me think about it.” Jiang Long waved his hand and closed his eyes.
After some time, he opened his eyes and shook his head. “Forget it. We’ll give up this quest.”
“What?!”
Tong You’s eyes bulged. “Manager, you… want to give up just like this? If we fail to defeat the BOSS, everyone in our team will be punished! Everyone will lose 1,000 points each. Moreover, our rewards in the next three instance dungeons will be halved!”
“My creed in life is – never take risks,” Jiang Long said solemnly.
“This instance dungeon is too strange. I do not know if Meteor Rock Guild’s participation triggered some hidden quest that greatly increased its difficulty. At any rate, since not even nuclear bombs could kill off this BOSS, no matter what, it would be best for us to not go near it.”
He checked the time.
“There are still over 60 hours before this instance dungeon ends. Now that we have acquired the identities of legitimate officials, we can safely stay in Wickenburg. We just need to wait until the timer ends. As for the system’s punishment for failure… all we’re losing is points. We will not be killed. We also need not participate in a punishment instance dungeon. This is already a light punishment. Compared with the risks involved in directly heading to the battlefield, this little loss is something we can afford.”
“The… points?” Tong You revealed a wry smile. “Manager, do not forget, there is no longer a Meteor Rock Guild for us to work together with. Even if the Species Lord is still alive, it is impossible for anyone from Meteor Rock Guild to survive such an intense nuclear blast… the rate at which we earn rewards is no longer as fast as it used to be!”
“I’ve made up my mind.” Jiang Long replied in a voice that brook no objections. “I have been constantly feeling a foreboding sensation since entering this instance dungeon. Safety first, this is an order.”
“Al… alright.” All Tong You could do was nod his head.
There was still a feeling of unwillingness within him. However, since Starfall Guild split up from Thorned Flower Guild and Jiang Long became the Manager of the China branch, he had not made a single mistake in his decision making.
This time too… he could only trust in Jiang Long’s decision.
“Only, it will be hard on you somewhat.” Jiang Long threw a smile at Tong You. “For the next three days, you will have to continue playing the role of this president. As for us members of the White House Special Intelligence Unit, you will have to make the proper arrangements for us.”
“I am now very good at acting.” Tong You then sighed. “However, now that I’ve launched all those nuclear bombs, the position of President of the United States of America is probably not going to be easy to play… wait!”
Suddenly, Tong You jumped to his feet.
The dot of light that had continued to remain on his personal radar all this time had – just a moment ago – disappeared.
At the same time, the two of them also received the system notification regarding the death of the Species Lord.
“So, it was at its last breath!” Tong You slammed the table before him with such force that the notebook jumped slightly. “It sure had quite the formidable lifeforce. To think that it could hold on for so long!”
Likewise, Jiang Long’s face had also swiftly revealed joy.
He had come to the same conclusion as Tong You. Although this instance dungeon’s BOSS did not die just now, it had sustained grievous injuries and was only able to delay its death for a few extra minutes.
However…
The look of joy on Jiang Long’s face disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.
Back then, the instance dungeon’s prompt had clearly stated that the instance dungeon would declare its completion the moment the Species Lord was killed.
However, even now, the countdown for them leaving this instance dungeon had not appeared.
“Tong You…”
Jiang Long abruptly raised his head and turned towards Tong You. “Have you received the rewards for the kill?”
“Ah?”
Tong You was momentarily stunned and his face sank as well. “No! I received a great deal of reward points for normal mutants, but not the Species Lord! Could it be… we can’t get the rewards using this method?”
“No…” Jiang Long slowly shook his head, his face ashen. “The one who gave the order to fire the nuclear bombs and the one who inputted the final password is you. According to the rules of the instance dungeon and our past experiences, the reward for the kill should go to you. Moreover, you have already obtained the rewards for the other mutants. Then, the only possibility… this BOSS did not die to the nuclear bombs!”
“Did not… die to the nuclear bombs?” Tong You blinked before uttering loudly, “How else could it have died? Manager! Don’t tell me some other participants survived the nuclear explosion and killed off this BOSS! Just look at the screen!”
The notebook was still displaying the footage sent over from the reconnaissance aircraft.
“The radioactive dusts haven’t even dissipated away! Even the ground is still lava!” Tong You shouted his lungs out. “It’s one thing for the Species Lord to be able to last for a few minutes, but who could kill it?”
“Although it sounds unlikely…” Jiang Long clenched his teeth. “If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.”
“I… I’ll dispatch all military forces over to Wickenburg right now!” Tong You wiped the sweat on his forehead and turned to walk towards the door.
“Stop it!” Jiang Long gave Tong You a furious glare. “Can you please grow your brain a little!”
“What… what is it?” Tong You halted his steps and looked at Jiang Long quizzically.
“If the other party could truly endure the nuclear explosion and kill off the BOSS, no amount of US forces can stop them. On the contrary, such a massive mobilization of the military would only arouse suspicion.” Cold sweat had also appeared on Jiang Long’s forehead.
“No. Perhaps, Wickenburg has already been exposed. Firing nuclear bombs to wipe out a biohazard situation is a normal thing, but we fired too many of them. If the other party is also smart, they must already suspect that we have infiltrated the US Government.”
As Jiang Long was talking, the thoughts in his mind became clearer. Abruptly, he got up from his chair and said, “We’ll leave immediately! We cannot stay for even a minute longer! Find a small, remote town and hide. The faster the better!”
This was the first time Tong You had seen such a terrified expression on Jiang Long’s face and he hastily walked towards the door.
Back then, in order to avoid suspicions, after he pressed the launch button for the nuclear bombs, Tong You had followed Jiang Long’s instructions to have their other team members wait outside with the other high-ranking officials. Thus, there were only the two of them inside the conference room.
And now, what he needed to do was to quickly find an excuse to bring all the members of the ‘White House Special Intelligence Unit’ with him and leave Wickenburg.
As for what would happen due to the sudden disappearance of this president… Tong You couldn’t care less. At any rate, the instance dungeon’s quest had been completed and there was no longer any need to borrow the might of the US military.
The problem now was… how long would they need to hide?
The BOSS had already died, but when will the countdown for this instance dungeon appear?
One day? One month? Or one year?
“It’s been a while, Manager Jiang Long.”
Tong You’s hand had only just pressed down on the door handle when he suddenly heard a voice coming from behind him.
1 Cell from the Dragon Ball manga. The ultimate creation of some scientist, Cell’s regenerative abilities allow him to recover completely if even a single cell from his body remains.
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