Chapter 41: Obtaining Information, Red Fog Substance

Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Obtaining Information, Red Fog Substance

Seraphina Sullivan followed closely behind Cheryl Chase, moving through the dim tunnel, each step landing on slippery moss.

Cheryl Chase’s figure flickered in and out of the light. Her familiarity with this place clearly far surpassed that of Seraphina Sullivan, a newcomer to this instance.

"I really don’t get it. If it weren’t for you researchers, how could the world have become this hellhole!" Cheryl Chase’s complaint echoed in the narrow passage, filled with irrepressible anger.

Seraphina Sullivan listened in silence, her mind racing. She didn’t understand the full story behind it.

’But Cheryl Chase’s hostility toward researchers is so intense... Could it be that this apocalyptic instance, The Insect Frenzy, isn’t a natural disaster, but a man-made one?’

’A disaster caused by the experiment with that so-called Insect Fusion Potion?’

Before she could think further, a skin-crawling CLICKING sound suddenly came from the corner ahead.

A giant spider the size of a truck tire was blocking their path!

Its eight compound eyes glinted with an eerie green light, and corrosive slime dripped from its mandibles. It had clearly been drawn by the sound of them running.

Seraphina Sullivan’s eyes sharpened, her fingers instantly going for the Sound Wave Vibration Gun at her waist.

But Cheryl Chase was faster!

"Get back!" Cheryl Chase barked. Far from retreating, she shot forward like an arrow from a bow, charging straight at the spider!

Her small, thin body erupted with astonishing Power. She leaped high into the air, the jade-green Mantis Scythe in her hand carving a deadly arc through the gloom.

WHIRRR!

The scythe spun at high speed, letting out a faint sound as it cut through the air.

Its blade was nearly invisible in the dim light, leaving only an afterimage in its wake.

SCHLICK!

With a soft sound, like a hot knife slicing through chilled fat.

The giant spider’s head dropped to the ground, rolling to a stop at Seraphina Sullivan’s feet. The eerie light in its compound eyes had yet to extinguish.

Its massive body crashed to the ground, eight barbed legs still twitching erratically.

The whole thing was over in less than two seconds.

The ferocious creature hadn’t even had a chance to retaliate.

Seraphina Sullivan’s pupils contracted. She stared in shock at the grimy little girl before her.

’Seraphina considered herself skilled. She had been through two instances, accumulating plenty of combat experience, and the Body Transformation Pills had even enhanced her speed.’

’But the speed, precision, and timing Cheryl Chase displayed in that single strike... it was simply inhuman!’

’What shocked Seraphina even more was the scythe.’

’She’d thought it was something special before, but seeing Cheryl Chase in action confirmed it.’

’That wasn’t just a simple scythe—it was the actual forelimb of some terrifying, mutated mantis! Its sharpness was far beyond anything she could have imagined.’

Cheryl Chase landed lightly, not even glancing at the insect corpse at her feet. She casually scraped the slime from her scythe against one of the dead spider’s legs, her movements astoundingly practiced.

Clearly, this was not the first insect Cheryl Chase had killed.

Chase glanced back and saw the astonishment in Seraphina Sullivan’s eyes. She curled her lip with a sneer that belied her age. "Is that all it takes to scare you? Weren’t you researchers so brave when you were creating monsters in your labs? These insects are nothing but the mess you made. What’s there to be afraid of?"

She said no more, kicked the insect leg out of her path, and strode away.

Seraphina Sullivan suppressed her shock and hurried to catch up.

She glanced down at her collection system. As expected, the giant spider’s corpse was glowing with a "collectible" prompt.

’This girl, Cheryl Chase... and the crazed researchers and the Insect Speaker she mentioned... They must be the true key to this instance.’

Seraphina Sullivan’s gaze lingered on Cheryl Chase for a moment.

This native girl was hiding too many secrets.

’Insect Speaker, Shelter, Insect Fusion Potion... Every word was like a key, potentially unlocking the core mystery of this apocalyptic instance.’

’She needed to understand. She had to.’

Watching Cheryl Chase walk on ahead, Seraphina Sullivan silently closed the distance between them.

Cheryl Chase clearly hadn’t completely let her guard down, but Seraphina Sullivan was faster.

"Hm?" Cheryl Chase seemed to sense something was wrong and whipped her head around.

But it was too late.

Seraphina Sullivan took a deep breath. Beneath her mask, her lips parted slightly, and a faint pink mist—barely visible and carrying a strange, cloyingly sweet fragrance—gently wafted toward Cheryl Chase’s face.

"What—?!" Cheryl Chase instinctively held her breath, but a wisp of the fragrance had already entered her nose.

The Sweet Fragrance Skill activated successfully.

Once inhaled, the effect was guaranteed.

A second later, Cheryl Chase’s body swayed almost imperceptibly.

The wariness, anger, and the sharp edge of a warrior instantly vanished from her face. Her expression grew docile, as if a sweet veil had been drawn over her eyes.

She stood quietly in place like a doll awaiting a command, completely defenseless against the nearby Seraphina Sullivan.

Seraphina was inwardly shocked by the overwhelming Effect of Sweet Fragrance. It also strengthened her resolve to bring this Skill with her when she left the instance.

She hesitated no longer. In a low voice, she fired off a rapid barrage of questions:

"How did the world end up like this? Where did these terrifying insects come from?"

"This Insect Speaker you mentioned... what is that, exactly?"

"And what role did the researchers and the Insect Fusion Potion play in all this?"

Completely under the Control of Sweet Fragrance, Cheryl Chase offered no resistance. Her voice was flat and monotone, as if she were reciting a long-buried nightmare:

"Three years ago... a giant meteor, burning with a red light, tore across the sky and crashed into the ocean... That was the beginning of the end."

Cheryl Chase’s vacant eyes stared into the void, as if she were witnessing the catastrophe all over again.

"The world’s governments covered it up, but the top research institutes were summoned... From the meteor, they extracted a substance never seen before... a red mist. They called it the Red Fog Substance."

"The Red Fog Substance... it can accelerate the Evolution of life. But unfortunately, it only worked on insects and plants, making them grow rapidly." Cheryl Chase’s voice trembled almost imperceptibly.

"At first, the researchers just wanted to use it to create super-crops and cure terminal illnesses... until the ’Genesis’ research institute proposed that insane plan—the ’Prometheus Project.’ They would combine the red fog with insect genes, trying to create ’weapons’ that had insect-like Abilities and would obey human commands... The Insect Fusion Potion... was their key."

"It got out of control..." For the first time, an expression of pain crossed Cheryl Chase’s face, even in her controlled state.

"Some people from an island nation were particularly crazy. They started trying to fuse the genes of the evolved insects with humans. Instead, they created the first Insect Speakers. That’s when things started to go wrong."

"The first test subjects underwent horrifying mutations... They fused the ferocity of insects with partial human intelligence, but they completely lost their humanity... They became the first Insect Speakers."

"Even more terrifying, the island nation’s experiments caused the Red Fog Substance to leak... It spread like a plague. Infected insects began to mutate wildly, undergoing Gigantification. They... started preying on... humans... The sky... was stained a permanent, bloody red by the fog."