1457 The Rescue Mission! III
'It's challenging, but we have no other option.' Captain Frederick said.
'Tsk, if you were going to bring newbies, you should have brought Nebula at least.' Captain Bella scoffed, 'We could have used her space/time abilities to our advantage in this situation.'
'...'
'...'
Both Felix and Ravager were left speechless at her constant attacks, but they remained silent. While it didn't please them, somehow they agreed with her second part.
'Nebula would have been a perfect assistant here, good thing her squad hasn't been summoned.' Ravager thought to himself, 'She would have earned a crap load of points.'
'If you have no solutions, refrain from speaking again.' Captain Charleson chided.
'Captain, can I give it a go?' Nidam asked for permission.
'What do you have in mind?'
Everyone's ears perked up in interest.
'I will use my shadow form to get as close as possible to the hive without alerting the Queen. Then, I will use shadow grasp to steal the spirits' flames and dip back into the shadows.'
'The plan does sound promising, but it's too dangerous.' Captain Charleson frowned, 'The Queen's mental range is too wide and I doubt even your shadow form can escape her detection.'
'It's not like we have any other choice at the moment.' Captain Quentin uttered, 'We have to let him give it a try.'
'He is my squadmat...'
'Captain, I got it.'
Nidam interjected with an assured tone, knowing that their captain might seem strict and tough, but he would never let them do something outside of their power.
Captain Charleson looked at him for a moment before warning him. 'Be careful and prioritize your safety. If you fell down as well, you will join the rest of the victims.'
'Mmm.'
Nidam gave him a single nod and then took off on his own, his raven-black cloak swirling around him for a moment before he disappeared.
Since no one dared to step inside the hive's territory, Nidam was truly on his own.
In a few moments, he returned to the same place from before, a spot allowing him to see the hive but at the same time maintain a decent distance from it.
'I am at least three hundred meters away from the hive, the Queen hasn't sent anyone at me or used her telekinesis. I should get closer.'
Nidam encroached from one shadow to another while making sure to keep his senses heightened to the max, knowing a single second would separate him from death.
Spirits might not die, but at this very moment, he knew that if he became hostage to the hive, it would take law enforcement a decent amount of time to rescue him.
'This is fine enough. Let's not get too greedy.' Nidam's heartbeats accelerated at the notion of being surrounded by more than a hundred thousand killer bees.
He understood that there were swarms hidden underground, in trees, inside boulders, and at a single order from the Queen, they would come out and lung at him.
'I have one shot at this, be cool, be cool.'
Nidam calmed his raging heart for a few seconds before he zoned out completely on the spirits' flames.
'Now!'
The moment his focus was at its peak, he reached out, commanding the shadows to extend from his fingertips!
They writhed and stretched, creeping towards the spirits' flames with a hunger to free them from this prison!
However, as they made contact, Nidam felt a force pushing back, an impenetrable wall of energy.
'What the hell!'
He gritted his teeth, trying to amplify his power, but it was futile. The flames didn't so much as flicker, steadfastly remaining in their position...
'It can't be...'
The realization hit him hard – the Bee Queen was using her telekinesis on the spirits' flames!
Her mental chains were so powerful that they made the very act of moving the flames impossible!
But that wasn't the worst part...In his attempt to meddle, he had inadvertently alerted her to his presence.
RUMMBLE!!
A sinister vibration resonated through the ground, growing in intensity. Then, with a speed that belied its origin, a telekinetic spear, sharp and deadly, lanced from the heart of the hive!
Before Nidam could even react, it impaled him straight through the heart, leaving his eyes widened in shock and a final breath escaping him.
Because he used a shadow grip, he had to cancel his shadow form for a split second. Yet, it was more than enough for the Bee Queen to finish him off!
'Telekenisis protection...'
Bzzzzz!!
Fortunately, he passed out as his body got swarmed with thousands of killer bees, munching on his flesh and bones until nothing was left but his spirit flame...
It began moving into the pile of the spirit flames, making the hive resemble a sinister trap, ensnaring anyone bold enough to challenge its presence.
...
'He was taken out...' Captain Charleson sighed after receiving the last message from Nidam.
'Did he tell you what happened?' Captain Bella inquired.
'Only telekinesis protection.'
'What does that mean?'
'Since the Queen Bee already uses telekinesis protection on its hive, it meant he was referring to the spirits' flames.' Captain Thornhack analyzed with a grim look.
'Sh*t...Isn't this mission doomed then?' Hazel said, her eyes emitting hopelessness.
Almost everyone thought the same as they understood that it would be nearly impossible to break her telekinesis pressure on the spirits' flames while at the same time having to defend against her terrifying mental prowess and armies of flesh-eating bees.
'I guess we can only retreat and hand over the mission to our seniors.'
'It won't sit right with me to lose this kind of credit.'
'Me neither...'
'Is it really hopeless?'
While the situation was grim and seemed almost impossible to handle, still no one was willing to hand over this opportunity to earn credits.
The more difficult and important the mission was, the more credit was rewarded. So, such a mission was too rare to land in anyone's hands.
'What do you think, Traveler?' Ravager inquired. 'You have been awfully quiet the entire time.'
'I am contemplating whether I share my strategy with the captains or not.' Felix confessed, not too bothered.
'Strategy?! You actually have an idea?' Ravager raised an eyebrow in surprise, 'What are you waiting for? Share it, even if they don't agree to it, you might earn points just by actively trying to help.'
'Yea, I don't know about that.' Felix's eyelids twitched as he knew that his plan could be considered a leap of faith in his favor.
If he dared bring it up, there was a high chance of him getting beaten to death or kicked from the mission entirely.
But at this point, he knew that if he didn't take chances to earn as many points as possible, it would bait him in the ass later on.
Still, he didn't outright bring it in public but shared it with his sensible captain first.
'Captain, I have somewhat of a dangerous plan.' Felix said.
'Hmmm, what do you have in mind?' Captain Charleson gave him an ear...Even though Felix was a newbie, he didn't discourage him or look down on him like the others.
In his eyes, as long as one maintains professionalism, he should be treated with respect regardless of his rank.
Alas, this outtake on life was almost shattered after hearing Felix's insane strategy.
'You...Are you crazy? No one is dumb enough to trust you with their lives like this!' Captain Charleson scolded, losing his temper for the first time in a long while.
'What's wrong?'
His sudden change of attitude caught everyone by surprise.
'Just back me up and I will convince them.' Felix requested with an indifferent look.
Captain Charleson looked at Felix for a moment and then at the other captains and their squads...His mind was telling him to reject Felix's retarded idea, but his gut feeling was somehow leaning to believe him.
Captain Cherleson was a man who depended on his guts more than his rationality in such scenarios.
So, he sighed and gave Felix permission with a wave of his hand.
Felix stepped forward, catching everyone's attention, and then spoke calmly, 'I'm aware that our situation is dire, and the conventional methods will fail us. But I've been working on a risky plan. If executed correctly, it will not only save us but also get rid of the Rapid Killer Bee Hive once and for all.'
As expected, Captain Bella and Thornhack didn't let go of such an opportunity to put him in his place.
'What a joke, a temporary trainee on his first day of the job wanting to step up and lead the mission?'
'Boy, sit back and refrain from opening your mouth again...We have no time for nonsense.'
'I have heard his plan and while it's dangerous for us, if it works, it will deliver the results he promised.' Captain Charleson supported.
His assistance had changed the mood completely as the other captains and squadmates seemed to be more interested in hearing it now.
Before Captain Bella could interject, the other captains gave Felix permission to include them in it.
'The plan is simple. I need you all to launch a coordinated attack on the hive, get their attention, and keep them busy. Every bee, especially the Queen, should believe you are the main threat.'
'While you act as a decoy, I will get closer to the hive and unleash the same punch from the heavenly plane's tournament. You have seen what kind of destruction it delivers and I promise you, there won't be any hive left standing after it lands.'
In reality, Felix's plan was more complex than this as he would need to calibrate the spacetime punch to the hive's frequency, so he would pull off the focus on it alone unlike the last punch.
That one was a simple use of barbaric force and the punch's force spread out everywhere, lowering its potency.
Alas, even when he avoided explaining the nitty gritty details of his element, no one was easily convinced by his insane plan.
'That's... an incredibly delusional plan!' Captain Bella cursed, 'Boy, just admit you want to get us all killed and be done with it.'
'Traveler, your punch is indeed mindblowing, but, the Queen's telekinesis barrier is extremely tough to break and I doubt even our combined most powerful abilities will break it.' Captain Frederick smiled wryly.
'Indeed, if it was so simple to finish the hive off, we would have done it years ago.' Captain Quentin nodded.
'It's okay, he is still a newbie and learning.'
The others rained on Felix as well with doubts and subtle mocking insults, wanting to make him feel like a newbie who had no clue what he was talking about.
Felix remained unconcerned and quiet throughout the whole barrage.
'I think it would have been best if you remained quiet, my bad.'
Ravager felt awkward at the sight of his partner getting a verbal beating beatdown, thinking that it was due to his bad advice.
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