Chapter 385 - 353: Bloody Battle at the Landing Site

Chapter 385: Chapter 353: Bloody Battle at the Landing Site

The chaos that erupted in an instant at the Landing Site was completely unexpected. Gasps of shock echoed through the Human Federation’s conference room, where they were watching the live broadcast.

"How are there so many Parasite Ascenders?!"

"Could this be a plot by the Parasite leader, the Prophet?"

"Besides the Prophet, there’s the Fire Worship Cult! They must have planned this operation together!"

"Damn it! So that’s what this is. The Fire Worship Cult’s massive assault on Soloma and the infiltrators sent to Sisiya to stir up attacks on the outer defense lines... it was all a smokescreen to cover for these Parasite Ascenders getting into the Landing Site! They just wanted to draw our attention away!"

"Everyone, calm down," Gao Liangwei said in a low voice. "There are so many elite soldiers on-site, plus the Ascender Defense Team. They will stop these Parasite Ascenders."

"Chairman Gao, is that the Ascender, Shadow?" Mary stared at the live broadcast. "Why is he on-site, and wearing a Sisiya soldier’s uniform?"

Gao Liangwei frowned. "That’s what I’d like to know."

’Could Guan Tong have infiltrated the Sisiya army? Is that even possible?’

’Or does he have some contact with Sisiya, and they agreed to let him disguise himself as a soldier...’

"Ah!" a commissioner exclaimed. "The feed is gone!"

The live feed stuttered and then cut out, the screen plunging into darkness.

"The camera must have been damaged in the fighting. It looks like the situation on the ground is even more chaotic than we thought."

A commissioner slapped his thigh. "No wonder the coalition forces on the main front were having such an easy time! The Prophet must have disguised all the Parasite Ascenders and shipped them to Sisiya!"

"It’s probably too late for the Human Federation to send support now. We can only pin our hopes on Sisiya’s armed forces at the scene." Mary looked at Toravt. "You guys can handle it, right?"

The Sisiya representative, Commissioner Toravt, remained silent, his face taut. More than anyone else in the room, he was the one who was most worried.

...

「At the Landing Site.」

The questioner asked his question before dying, which prompted the Alien Intelligence to begin its feeding process. The unconscious Parasites in the feeding zone were being consumed at a rapid rate.

The soldiers on site were supposed to be responsible for moving the Parasites out, but now they were forced into a bloody battle against hundreds of Parasite Ascenders.

These Parasite Ascenders were all elites, their strength shockingly enhanced by spores. Moreover, every one of them was fearless in the face of death, and the soldiers were no match for them at all.

The Ascender Defense Team on site was a defensive force originally set up to prevent Ascenders from using Teleportation Items to cause trouble. Their overall combat capability was average, so against the ferocious Parasite Ascenders, they were bound to be at a disadvantage.

THWACK! THWACK!

With two swings of her hammer, Sikokun instantly smashed the two Parasite Ascenders attacking her into piles of meat paste, displaying astonishing power.

Besides being the on-site Commander, she also held another identity: Yelena’s chief guard. She wouldn’t have been able to secure that position without sufficient strength.

However, rather than focusing on her personal fighting strength, she needed to be issuing commands as the Commander. Yet, the Parasite Ascenders knew she was the Commander and swarmed her like rabid dogs, preventing her from breaking away.

"Kill!"

She had just smashed two when five more charged at her. Sikokun gritted her teeth and raised her hammer, but in the next moment, a giant black blade slashed through the air, decapitating three of the Parasite Ascenders!

The other two suddenly found themselves staring into a pair of serpentine pupils. In the next instant, they descended into madness, their bodies contorting uncontrollably until they twisted into two half-human, half-snake monsters.

She turned her head and saw that it was Guan Tong and Shangyuan Zi who had acted.

"You command. I’ll have her stay and protect you."

After speaking, Guan Tong charged toward the Parasite Ascenders, intending to kill as many of them as quickly as possible.

"Alright!"

The situation was urgent. Sikokun had no time for thanks and immediately began shouting commands for the soldiers to hold their ground.

"First and Second Battalions, protect Third Battalion as they move the Parasites to the feeding zone! Fourth and Fifth Battalions, assist the Ascender Defense Team and attack the Parasite Ascenders!"

They had to fight the Parasite Ascenders, but they couldn’t cut off the food supply for the Alien Intelligence! Otherwise, once it finished eating what was in the feeding zone, it would target the soldiers based on proximity. If the soldiers routed, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Kill!"

Several more Parasites charged at her, but they were intercepted midway by the two half-human, half-snake monsters. After a brief fight, those Parasites also screamed in agony and were subsequently transformed into the same kind of monsters.

Sikokun witnessed this, her heart pounding in alarm. She glanced at the companion Guan Tong had left to protect her. The woman had taken off her goggles, and her pair of serpentine, vertical pupils glowed with an eerie light.

’Turning enemies into Snake People she can control... Truly terrifying!’

She couldn’t help but feel a little fortunate and grateful for Yelena’s decision. ’If Shadow and his companion weren’t here, these hundreds of Parasite Ascenders might have actually succeeded in their evil goal and inflicted irreparable harm upon humanity.’

The battlefield was now divided into three zones.

One was the feeding zone, where the Alien Intelligence was constantly devouring and soldiers had to risk their lives to transport Parasites; another was where the soldiers and the Ascender Defense Team fought the Parasite Ascenders; and the third was a zone carved out by Guan Tong alone, where he single-handedly fought against dozens of enemies.

Sikokun coordinated from the center of these three zones. Shangyuan Zi was responsible for protecting her, but she also used her ability to transform many Snake Servants to assist Guan Tong in battle.

The Parasite Ascenders had inherited their hosts’ memories and knew of Shadow’s reputation, so they didn’t dare to be careless when facing him. But even with dozens of them fighting Guan Tong and his few Snake Servants, they were still at an extreme disadvantage.

The shadows Guan Tong controlled were virtually omnipresent. They didn’t just attack from the front; some struck from the sky, some burst from the ground, and others circled around to attack from behind. It was impossible to distinguish the real from the illusory, and one mistake meant instant decapitation or a fatal blow to a vital point.

This scene of one man completely suppressing dozens of opponents was something an ordinary Ascender could hardly imagine.

In just a few moments, more than half of the Parasite Ascenders besieging Guan Tong were dead or wounded.

They already knew how powerful Guan Tong was and had hoped to win by depleting his Psychic Power. But now, the number of shadows around him was increasing instead of decreasing. If this continued, they would all be wiped out long before his Psychic Power ran out.

"Shadow is too strong! Detonate!"

"Detonate!"

’Detonate?’

Hearing the Parasite Ascenders’ shouts, Guan Tong had a bad feeling.

"Sikokun! Tell the soldiers to—"

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!

A series of explosions rang out. Countless unconscious Parasites detonated, and some of the soldiers carrying them were killed instantly, with no time to react.

Even Guan Tong hadn’t expected this. He had thought the initial explosions were all there were, a diversion to draw the soldiers’ attention so the Parasite Ascenders in the feeding zone could succeed.

But now it seemed the enemy had planted far more Psychic Power Bombs than he’d imagined. And their goal wasn’t to kill the soldiers... it was to kill their own kind, the unconscious Parasites!

Guan Tong’s heart sank. ’Their goal is to reduce the food supply, and they’re willing to blow up their own kind to do it!’

The Alien Intelligence didn’t eat corpses, whether human or Parasite; it only ate living things. Once these Parasites were blown up, they could no longer serve as food.

Once the Parasite food supply became insufficient, the Alien Intelligence’s target would naturally shift to the living, like the soldiers!

In the middle of the battlefield, Sikokun also saw through this plot, her expression horrified.

She wanted to stop them but found that every single one of these Parasite Ascenders had a complete disregard for their own lives. They hadn’t just planted bombs in the vehicles and inside the other ordinary Parasites, but even on themselves!

The moment they met any resistance they couldn’t break through, they would detonate the bombs on their bodies to take their enemies down with them.

"Watch out!"

Shangyuan Zi’s voice rang out from Guan Tong’s earpiece.

The remaining half of the Parasite Ascenders that he had been fighting suddenly abandoned all defense and evasion, charging straight at him with all their might.

"Let’s die together! All for the spread!"

"All for the spread!"

They all activated the Psychic Power Bombs hidden on their bodies, and the blinding light of a massive explosion instantly engulfed Guan Tong.

"...!"

Sikokun was struck speechless at the sight. ’Could Shadow be...?’

"I’m fine."

The light from the explosion had yet to fade when Guan Tong’s voice came from beside them.

Sikokun whipped her head around in surprise. "How did you..."

Shangyuan Zi watched Guan Tong raise a hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, her brows furrowing.

’It was the first time she had ever seen Guan Tong bleed.’

As if noticing her gaze, Guan Tong shook his head. "Just got caught in the shockwave. It’s nothing serious. Sikokun, the food supply is running low. What’s your plan?"

After the Parasite Ascenders detonated all their Psychic Power Bombs, countless Parasites had been blown to bits. Even if many remained, most of the soldiers responsible for transporting them had been wounded or maimed. The situation was out of control.

"We have to get the soldiers out of here!" Sikokun glanced at the feeding zone, which was about to be cleaned out by the Alien Intelligence, and gritted her teeth. "There’s no time to move more food. If we delay any longer, the soldiers will become its food!"

"Agreed. You take your people and retreat."

Sikokun was startled. "You’re not leaving?"

"I still have questions to ask. With this sudden chaos, if I leave now, I’ll definitely lose my chance."

"You..."

"Don’t worry, I’m not that stupid. I’ll stay behind the transport vehicles carrying the Parasites. I won’t let myself become its target."

Sikokun said no more. She knew Guan Tong had made up his mind. She immediately went to organize the able-bodied soldiers to retreat with the wounded.

"Shangyuan, you go with them too," Guan Tong said to the person beside him.

Shangyuan Zi shook her head. "I’m staying with you."

"You know I have the ability of Instant Teleportation. It’ll keep me safe. You don’t. Staying here is just dangerous."

Shangyuan Zi’s expression was hesitant. She was still wavering.

"Go on. I’ll come find you after I’ve asked my questions."

"...Then be careful."

Shangyuan Zi didn’t insist on staying. She knew Guan Tong was right; he really did have the ability to teleport far away.

Besides, there were still many unconscious Parasites on site, and he could summon his own Living Dead to serve as food, ensuring his own safety.

Soon, everyone who could retreat had left the scene. Guan Tong stood behind the few remaining transport vehicles loaded with Parasites, a Corpse Whistle in his hand.

He coughed a few times, and a few more trickles of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.

’These Parasite bastards’ Psychic Power Bombs are pretty powerful. They must have been expensive. The Parasites and the Fire Worship Cult who planned all this probably spent a fortune...’

Although Guan Tong had used Body Shifting to escape the blast zone in time, he was still caught in the aftermath. He had three layers of protection—Shadow Armor, Psychic Power Flow, and Gilded Guardian—but the powerful shockwave from the explosion still managed to slightly injure his internal organs, which just showed how powerful those bombs were.

He took a deep breath, took out a leftover recovery item from his storage, and used it. Then he stared intently at the endlessly devouring Alien Intelligence, waiting for it to finish and give its answer, so he could then ask the questions he wanted to ask.