Chapter 27: Counterattack and Infiltration
The news Beini brought back was very encouraging. As long as they could complete the first phase of seizing the Space-Time Power condensates, only obtaining the World Core would remain.
Obtaining the World Core would have to wait. The situation of the exploration team on Sith Star was still unknown. The basic prerequisite for seizing the World Core was to first get the Writhing Spirit, which could only be done by the Toad Squad.
Even if their contractors used all their resources, they couldn't reach Sith Star from the Beast Continent. Sith Star wasn't a conventional super-large world that could be entered through World Key-type items; it was collapsing, heading toward its end.
The qualification to seize the World Core would temporarily depend on the exploration team. As for the Space-Time Power condensates in the Mutant Fortress, Su Xiao could seize them right now.
Besides this good news, the Suicide Squad had also achieved considerable results. The four of them had destroyed the supply food of the Ground Walker army, reducing the enemy's supplies to only one-tenth.
Judging from the Mutants' previous attacks, the Mutant King was very difficult to deal with. The several waves of attacks seemed like a reckless charge, but that wasn't the case.
After determining that the Reincarnation Paradise side was a formidable enemy, the Mutant King immediately mobilized the main force of the Ground Walkers, taking a stance to fight a life-and-death battle with the Reincarnation Paradise side.
Thinking carefully, what did the Mutant King do after the war started? He first had the Ground Walker army hold back the Reincarnation Paradise side, then immediately pulled out the main force to turn against the equally tough Cult.
In just over ten hours, the Cult was crippled, hiding in their base camp for a desperate struggle, eventually being completely wiped out. That was the Cult, the universally acknowledged 'cancer' of World Wars.
The reason the Mutant King withdrew the Ground Walker army was twofold: first, indeed, insufficient supplies; second, the Cult's base camp was flattened, and the Shepherd, who called himself the God's Vicar, was besieged to death by the Parasite Mutants.
The Cult was out. That was one reason the Mutant King withdrew the Ground Walker army. Another reason was that the 12 members of the Holy Light Paradise side were captured alive. Their base camp wasn't destroyed but occupied by the Mutants, who planned to use it as a temporary stronghold to block the Reincarnation Paradise side.
The Apocalypse Paradise side wasn't faring well either. The original 300-plus defenders of their base camp were now only 142. The Nameless Saint was still alive, and that Seventh Rank contractor was severely injured.
The Mutant King didn't slow the offensive for long just because the Apocalypse Paradise side had offered resources. He knew this war was about racial survival. The benefits gained now were nothing compared to the continuation of the race.
He was the king of the Mutants. He wanted to lead his race toward the light, no matter how dark and bloody the path, or how many outsiders died. He would spare no effort, even sacrificing himself.
Or rather, in the Mutant King's view, he and the Ground Walkers were no different. War required sacrifice. The Ground Walkers were the most numerous, so they charged at the front. If one day it was the Mutant King's turn, he wouldn't hesitate. When he died, a new king would carry on his will, sitting on a throne made from his bones, leading the race forward.
Although the Mutant army suffered heavy casualties on the main battlefield, looking at the Cult, Holy Light Paradise, and Apocalypse Paradise sides, the Mutants hadn't lost on the local fronts. The Mutant King killed over 200 people from the Cult, nearly wiped out the Holy Light Paradise side, and captured the 12 survivors alive.
Although the Apocalypse Paradise side still had 142 people, including a Seventh Rank contractor, if the Ground Walker army attacked next, they would definitely be the focus of the assault. After that, the Mutant King could have a one-on-one decisive battle with the Reincarnation Paradise side.
The Mutant King's strategic vision was undeniably strong. If not for the supply disruption, and if the war of attrition continued, the ultimate victor would definitely be the Mutants. This was an absolute numerical advantage.
Su Xiao sat on the bed in the rest room, his thoughts gradually becoming clear. The current situation was their only chance. As long as they seized those 9 Space-Time Power condensates, the subsequent situation would be much better. Not smooth sailing, but at least they wouldn't be besieged in their base camp.
A faint snoring came from nearby. Beini was lying on her back under the covers, drooling in her sleep. She didn't have Bubu Wang's ability to blend into the environment. The risk of infiltrating the Mutant Fortress alone was unimaginable. A single mistake would mean death.
Su Xiao got up and walked out of the rest room. As soon as he reached the main cabin, he found all 160 of his people gathered there. The only absentee, the Ghost Girl, was excusable; she was soaking in a bottle to maintain her ghostly form.
The contractors were standing or sitting in the main cabin, each with some bandages wrapped around them. Over a hundred people formed a loose circle.
"Poison Master, are you sure there are no more than fifty thousand Mutants guarding this side?"
The Dean's voice came from the crowd. Su Xiao walked through the crowd and saw four people sitting around a round table: the Dean, Widow West, Mad Doctor, and Diamond King.
"Sure, it's just over fifty thousand Ground Walkers on this side. They almost left me there forever."
The Poison Master's complexion was much better now. The lower half of his body was replaced by machinery. As a poison user, as long as his hands and head were intact, he was still combat-effective.
"East, West, North. The three directions of the fortress are all heavily guarded by Ground Walkers. They're not the biggest problem. The biggest problem is the 'Jellyfish'."
"Jellyfish?"
"Yeah, a kind of floating, semi-transparent creature shaped like a jellyfish. You can think of it as a biological detector. Every creature has a different aura. When these jellyfish sense an aura other than Mutants, they explode."
Saying this, the Poison Master paused. That was how the Evil Living Seed had died.
"The explosion isn't powerful, but it's very loud. The banging sounds you heard from the base camp before weren't the Ghost Girl's ghost explosions; they were the sound of those jellyfish exploding."
Hearing this, Diamond King's eye twitched, and he muttered something under his breath.
"Our current south side is the main gate of the Mutant Fortress, also the best attack point. The west side of the fortress is the material storage point. Since we had few people before, we infiltrated from the west. Dean, the east side you mentioned is mostly guarded by Fission Mutants. Whoever charges in dies."
The Poison Master tapped the fortress structure diagram on the table and drew a circle on the east side.
"Mr. White Night's follower crawled in through the underground drainage channel. As everyone knows, cats are 'liquid' in narrow terrain; there's nowhere they can't squeeze into. If we want to infiltrate that key area, the entrance is probably within this area."
After narrating the known intelligence, the Poison Master leaned back in his chair, tapping his leg with his index finger. Having the lower half of his body be machinery felt strange to him.
"Simply put, we need to split into three teams. One team guards the base camp, one team launches a strong attack on the Mutant Fortress to draw fire, and the last team takes the opportunity to infiltrate the fortress interior to steal those 9 Space-Time Power condensates."
After the Dean said this, he looked around and saw a pair of fierce eyes. After being besieged for two days, they could finally fight back.
"Dean, let's split into four teams. I'll be my own team."
Mad Doctor stood a ten-centimeter-long glass tube on the table. Inside the tube was a small white snake with fine scales all over its body, only as thick as a matchstick and a finger long. This was a Parasite Mutant, a fairly strong one.