Chapter 170 - Perilous Mission
The bipedal cockroach gave a kind of roar as its eyes focused on Hei, Ye, and Xing. The cockroach was surprised to see a spider and a snake next to a human, but seeing the number of different spirit beasts among the ranks of humans, it thought it wasn't that unusual.
The cockroach increased its pace even further and prepared to sweep away the three enemies on its way. It and its companions had been given orders to kill all the humans in the forest and bring the bodies to the nest. If it had failed, it would have been the death of all of them. Therefore it couldn't fail.
"NOW!" Hei shouted as Ye and Xing hissed a war cry and charged against the bipedal cockroach.
Xing's front legs went to block the cockroach's right flank while her other legs sank into the ground for more support. Ye instead bit the cockroach's left hip and stabbed her tail into the ground like her sister to create as much friction as possible.
The cockroach suddenly felt a tremendous force blocking him, but it didn't give up. The momentum it had accumulated earlier wasn't so weak that it would be canceled just like that. However, it was also true that with every passing second, that momentum would lose power.
In all of this, Hei had finished building up his spirit power and was ready to release his lethal technique. Using Spider Run, Two-Legged Mode, he ran forward toward the cockroach held by his little sisters.
"DOUBLE SPIDER LANCE!"
With all the spirit power left in his body, Hei performed Spider Lance with both arms. A single Spider Lance already contained an incredible lethal power in itself, let alone two together. In an instant, the cockroach felt a sharp twinge of pain in the abdomen. Looking down, it could see the hands of the brown-skinned human being stuck entirely inside its body.
The bodily fluids of the cockroach began to pour out on the ground. The cockroach made a series of strange noises as it tried to use the front and middle pairs of legs to hit the human who had penetrated its sturdy body.
Ye and Xing were quick to understand its intentions, and with their bodies, they blocked the cockroach's attack. Hei meanwhile, with his arms still inside the cockroach's abdomen, began to scratch from the inside using his sharp claws. The cockroach tried to wriggle free like a madman, but the grasp of the two divine beasts became tighter. In the end, the bipedal cockroach had no choice but to surrender. Its strength faded until it completely lost its life.
Seeing his enemy stop moving, Hei didn't stop. He knew that some spirit beasts were smart enough to fake death. So he kept attacking for another couple of minutes. It was when he was sure of the cockroach's death that he stopped attacking and pulled his arms from the body of the killed spirit beast.
"Well done, Ye, Xing. I am proud of you." Hei said while smiling. The instant later, he fell to the ground on his back. He was still conscious, but he no longer had any strength left, even just to stand.
'Great job to you too, big brother. But now we have to get you out of here.' Xing said as she looked around. The other cockroaches had made room for the charge of their bipedal companions. But now that these were dead, they could go back to attack as before. Therefore, Hei, who was devoid of means to defend himself, was in danger.
'Alright! You think about our big brother. I'll take care of clearing the way.' Ye happily exclaimed as she charged towards the walls. Behind her was Xing, who held Hei with her front legs.
The cockroaches near the walls tried to obstruct them, but a single blow of Ye's tail was enough to send them into the air like leaves in the wind. The few who managed to escape Ye's fury were cut into pieces by Xing's sharp legs. Quickly, they came to the walls of the fort and climbed them, bringing their big brother back to safety.
Seeing all this, the fighters of Hei's unit let out a cry of joy. Now they could see why the Imperial Prince Long Tian had given such a high rating of Hei. After all, only a few thought they had a chance of being able to stop the charge of that cockroach. But they weren't so sure they would have succeeded.
Meanwhile, something similar was happening on the other sides. Long Tian, Feng Chen, and Hu Jie had successfully stopped their respective targets and returned inside the fort to rest. However, even though he was devoid of spirit power, Long Tian continued to issue orders while recovering his spirit power.
Fortunately for all of them, after the death of the twenty bipedal specimens, the collective consciousness of cockroaches began to function again, coming into conflict with the order received. The survival instinct emerged, and the surviving cockroaches started to run away. Even if that was a risk too, they could only go and report what had happened to those in duty, hoping for clemency.
"VICTORY! WE WON!" Long Tian made a loud cry. Now that the cockroaches were retreating, it was vital to proclaim victory in order not to lose the morale of the soldiers.
"VICTORY!" The first-year students gathered in the fort burst into a euphoric cry. No matter how exhausted or injured they were, this was erased by the adrenaline rush of victory. The victory cry went on for about a whole minute and then waned. Everyone was now silent, waiting for Long Tian's orders.
"Even if we have won, we still cannot relax. We have wasted many of our energies, many of you have been injured and some even killed. This is war. It's something we can't stop, but we can limit its damage. First of all, those who have serious injuries go immediately to be medicated. For those who suffer from minor injuries, I ask you to wait patiently for your turn. Martial artist medics are in the minority compared to you fighters, and their spirit power is not infinite. Use this time to cultivate.
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For those who still have energies left, I ask to start with cleaning the fort. Collect the bodies of our fallen comrades and retrieve the spirit cores of the cockroaches while throwing their carcasses out of the fort. I think it isn't necessary to say this, because after this battle we became comrades in arms, but I will say it the same. Every single spirit core will be preserved and guarded by myself and my other direct subordinates. As Imperial Prince, I have given the word that you will be rewarded, and I will do so. However, if someone decides to be smart and take advantage of the chaos to pocket more than they owe, know that my blades are always ready."
At Long Tian's words, the few smart ones who had thought about doing something like this jumped in fear. In the battle, they had seen what the Imperial Prince was capable of, and his four guards were equally dangerous. Besides, Long Tian boasted of the trust of Feng Chen, Hu Jie, and Hei, the three generals who had distinguished themselves in this battle. Although they had consumed much of their spirit power, this also applied to all the other fighters. No one, therefore, dared to do what they thought in their heads anymore.
The recovery and healing operations followed at a steady pace under the guidance of the four guards of the Imperial Prince. Meanwhile, Long Tian had brought together the three generals appointed by him in his tent. In addition to those three, there were also Huli Xieren and Lian, who respectively accompanied Feng Chen and Hei. Ye and Xing were instead hidden in Hei's robe, taking a nap to recover their energies.
"First of all, I wanted to thank you for the effort shown in battle, especially against those last cockroaches. However, the situation is not so rosy despite the victory. From the estimated data, we have lost about a hundred men, and this was despite being the first clash. I don't know when the cockroaches will come back to attack, but at this rate, we will run out of energy before we get to the end of the week."
Long Tian's voice was dark. As commander of that newly assembled army, he had responsibility for the lives of everybody. It was by his order that they had built a fort and remained inside. Although this was undoubtedly a better solution than fighting cockroaches in isolated groups, it was equally true that those people had died by his orders.
"Do we have to stay here? If we went to the edge of the forest and ran away? Even if it goes against the rules, the situation went beyond a normal test." Lian suggested.
"No, it's not possible. The forest is currently blocked by a gigantic formation that prevents anyone from entering and leaving." Huli Xieren answered her.
"What do you mean?" Hei asked surprised, but from the expressions of the others, only he and Lian were unaware of this fact.
Long Tian heaved a long sigh and explained, "As you know, these areas are under the control of the Empire but are left unchanged for most of the year. Only when it is the test period, they are used as a training place. Before each test, a cleaning team is sent to investigate the site chosen as the test site. The cleaning team kills any dangerous spirit beasts above the maximum level the students can manage. However, spirit beasts are not stupid. As these places are continuously used as training sites, they learned to calculate the time when the trial could happen. Therefore, in many areas, there have been cases of mass migration, causing chaos across the Empire. The Sun Emperor of the time gave instructions on how to prevent this. So it was decided to use a formation that blocks the entry and exit of every living being for the duration of the test. This is also to force students to fight and survive. After all, the Empire needs soldiers, not cowards."
"I understand. Then it is as if we are caged birds," commented Hei.
"Yes, only that we aren't alone. We have many predators with us. Long Tian, what if instead of staying here, we went straight to the cockroaches nest? Hei said there is likely to be something in charge of them. You were convinced of that idea as well. If so, rather than waiting until we run out of energy, it is better to attack now." Hu Jie, who had remained silent until now, intervened.
"Although I don't like it as an idea, I think it's the one most likely to get us out of here. However, there is the unknown factor of that mysterious entity." Feng Chen was also in favor of the plan, but as he said, the problem of the unknown entity leading the cockroaches remained.
"I also thought about the same thing, but we can't blindly throw ourselves. A single mistake could lead to the destruction of all of us. The plan of the fort gives us some chance of being able to survive for the duration of the test. However, once out, we will be exposed to 360° at the mercy of those creatures' fury. I need more information. I can't formulate the most appropriate action plan if I don't know the details of the enemy."
"Long Tian, you don't mean to-" Feng Chen and Hu Jie said in unison that they understood what Long Tian meant.
"Someone has to infiltrate the cockroaches nest and understand the situation," Hei concluded the sentence before continuing. "That's what you meant, right, Long Tian?"
"Yes. Anyone who goes, however, will have a high chance of dying. I cannot hide this from you." The Imperial Prince didn't deny it.
Hei thought about it for a few seconds and glanced at Lian. The young blue-haired woman knew what he was thinking. Reluctantly, she nodded yes. Even though she hated the idea, she knew that Hei had already made his decision.
"I'll go."
When Hei proposed to go, everyone in the tent stared at him in amazement, except for Lian, who had already guessed this. Long Tian, however, didn't agree immediately and asked him, "Are you sure?"
"Yes. Of all the people inside the fort, I think I am the most suitable person for this task. I am a beast tamer, and I have two second-level spirit beasts. Ye and Xing are capable of perceiving the smell and sound of everything around me. I can trace the cockroaches' nest without being noticed. Besides, I was born and raised in a forest. Although this isn't the forest of my childhood, it is equally true that I have experience in such areas. Orientation is, therefore, not a problem at all. Lastly, I have a good reason to return and not fail." Hei explained as he glanced at Lian.
The people inside the tent were surprised; they didn't expect Hei to have such a background. To be born and raised in a forest? It was difficult to think that there was someone born and raised in such an environment, but in such a situation, it was a considerable detail.
"Alright. Then I'll let you go. Try to come back as soon as possible. Everyone's lives depend on how quickly you get back. "Long Tian eventually agreed to let Hei go.
"I know," Hei replied as he left the tent to prepare for his mission.
"Are you sure of your choice?" Feng Chen asked Long Tian. Inside the tent were the two of them, Hu Jie, and Huli Xieren.
"Yes. I don't know why, but somehow I feel I can trust Hei. It goes beyond a matter of skill. It's like the feeling of being with a special person, someone capable- "Long Tian then stopped his speech and became silent with various thoughts that swirled in his mind.
Seeing him this way, Feng Chen didn't investigate further and only said, "I just hope you are not wrong. I will go to cultivate now. If you need, call me."
Feng Chen and Huli Xieren left the tent, followed by Hu Jie. Long Tian was now the only one left inside.
"It is still early to decide. But if it really is what I think, then Hei is the person I need for my plan. I hope you will not disappoint me because time is running out and I need to know what pieces are available to me as soon as possible. "