Chapter 45: God-Tier Teammate
Su Xiao walked out of the ice cave. He was severely injured and needed to find a place to recover.
Exiting the ice cave, Su Xiao's vision became hazy with mist. He had returned to the lake island. Leaving here was simple—head to the east side of the island, leap into the whirlpool in the lake water, and return to the icefield.
Su Xiao drew the longsword from his waist and stabbed it into the full moon suspended above the lake. With a crack, the moon shattered, and the passage to the ice cave vanished.
Arriving at the east side of the lake island, Su Xiao leaped into a whirlpool about two meters in diameter.
With a splash, water sprayed everywhere. The world around him spun, then, pulled by the sun behind the clouds, everything righted itself.
The drifting mist around Su Xiao disappeared. A fierce wind howled. The ice fault he had seen upon arrival were gone. Ahead, instead of the mirror-smooth water surface, was a snowfield swept by blizzards.
Snowfield wolves stood in the flying snow. For some reason, they all howled at the sky, their cries filled with sorrow.
Su Xiao ignored the grief. The Moon Wolves were allies, but after fighting one earlier, he had nearly been killed by its moonlight sword. He urgently needed a place to recover. He sat on the sled pulled by Bubu Wang. Behind him, Amu was tied to a stretcher, and Baha hung from the sled's backrest.
Bubu Wang, responsible for pulling the sled, felt immense pressure. After letting out a long howl along with the snowfield wolves, Bubu Wang set off.
Five hours later, Su Xiao sat in a wooden cabin with a stove burning. This was Iron Tower Town, where twenty thousand allied soldiers were stationed to guard the local mines.
Half an hour ago, Su Xiao had greeted Colonel Peder, who had prepared this quiet cabin for him and contacted a doctor. Initially, Su Xiao intended to refuse, but upon learning the doctor was a Transcendent, he decided to give it a try.
The warm temperature in the room made one drowsy. Su Xiao had lost too much blood, leaving him somewhat groggy.
Bubu Wang was uninjured. Baha's injuries were minor; after drinking [Vitality Essence], most of its charred black feathers had fallen off, and new ones were growing. Amu was severely injured and needed major repairs, which would have to wait until Su Xiao recovered somewhat.
Creak~
The wooden door to the room was pushed open. Su Xiao's hand instinctively moved to the sword hilt beside him.
"Is this Mr. Kukulin?"
A somewhat timid female voice came. A woman in winter clothes, with average looks and a ponytail, stood at the door.
"I'm the doctor Colonel Peder sent for."
The female doctor walked into the cabin, exhaling white mist. She rubbed her hands together and headed straight for the stove.
After warming herself, her nearly frozen face regained sensation. She looked both timid and easy to bully, with a slightly chubby baby face.
"Mr. Kukulin, take off your top. I need to assess your injuries first."
"..."
Su Xiao removed his upper garments. On his chest, left arm, lower back, and other areas were crisscrossing fine sutures. The interlaced wounds made one marvel that he was still alive.
A strange smile suddenly appeared on the female doctor, Vina's face. This suspicious behavior made Su Xiao's hand press down on his sword hilt. If she made any more suspicious moves, he would cut off her head. He was severely injured and had to remain highly vigilant.
"I mean no harm. Don't chop me."
Female Doctor Vina placed her hand on Su Xiao's arm. Her eyes turned milky white, and a stream of energy gradually attached to Su Xiao's skin, seeping into his body through the wounds.
Instantly, the muscles on Su Xiao's arm bulged. This female doctor's healing ability was quite strong, but there was a catch—during treatment, it produced intense pain, more excruciating than cutting flesh with a dull knife.
Female Doctor Vina looked wary, her free hand shielding her face. She was well aware of her own ability's effect. Previous patients, after enduring her power, would be in such agony that they'd slap her.
The treatment ended a few minutes later. Su Xiao felt that most of his internal organs had recovered. Two or three more sessions would fully heal him. As for why he didn't treat himself—he was all too familiar with his own methods. Without anesthesia, even he could barely endure it, as he needed steady hands during the process, and anesthesia would leave him immobile.
"Amu, Doctor Vina's ability can treat your injuries."
"Moo?"
Amu sat up abruptly on the bed. Female Doctor Vina smiled shyly and went to treat Amu's injuries. Moments later, Amu's cow eyes went wide. It felt that this experience wasn't much different from major repairs.
After the first treatment, Su Xiao leaned back in his recliner and fell into a deep sleep. When he woke, it was already noon the next day. Female Doctor Vina stood at the door again, looking reserved. Don't mistake her for an angel—during treatment, she applied her ability with ruthless force, a classic case of pink on the outside, black on the inside.
Time passed quickly during recovery. Nearly four days went by.
In the warm room, Su Xiao sat before the stove. Not far away, Female Doctor Vina lounged in a recliner, dressed lightly, eating the braised snow deer meat Colonel Peder had sent for Su Xiao. She ate until she was sweating, having grown familiar and revealing her true nature.
Female Doctor Vina was someone who appeared shy on the surface but was actually dark-hearted. Moreover, she was a female pervert, only interested in the same sex.
"Bai Ye, you're really the Legion Commander of the Execution Agency? You don't seem to have much of an air about you."
Female Doctor Vina chewed on deer meat, her earlier shyness gone.
Su Xiao didn't respond. He stared at the stove, his mind wandering. His injuries had recovered. It was time to return to Gaman City.
...
On the continent of the Taiatu Civilization, within the eastern building ruins.
A figure covered in blood and grime leaned against a half-collapsed wall. He seemed dead, devoid of any breath.
Suddenly, the figure's eyes opened. He took a deep breath, his body arching backward. This man was named Wazworth, Ring 8 of the Eclipse Organization.
"I must... get word of what happened here to the outside."
Wazworth struggled to his feet. As he moved, countless thread-like worms, as thick as hair, emerged from his neck, writhing wildly. Just from his neck alone, there were hundreds or thousands.
Wazworth opened his mouth. He pressed two fingers together, shoved them into his mouth, and with a crack, tore off his entire lower jaw. This way, he couldn't scream. The drilling pain caused by these worms was not something willpower alone could suppress without crying out.
Wazworth tilted his head back. Blood spurted from his throat. After more than ten seconds, the worms on his neck retracted into his body. He was nearly exhausted, his forehead pressed to the ground.
Wazworth covered his eyes with one hand. The soldiers from three steel warships and the many elites of the Eclipse Organization—all except him—had died here, including the esteemed Lord Kingsley. He had watched with his own eyes as that monster swallowed him whole.
A plan that should have been foolproof was reduced to ashes because of the awakening of the Taiatu Emperor.
Wazworth got up from the ground. He had to return to the southern continent. Even if he had to swim back, he would report what happened here to the Legion Commander of the Execution Agency.
The blazing sun hung in the sky. As Wazworth ran through the ruins, he felt no warmth. Suddenly, he stopped short. A figure blocked his path ahead. This person had arrived here with them, named Manli. She was a voluptuous woman. Wazworth remembered her well; he had even tried to strike up a conversation.
Blocking Wazworth's path was a member of the protagonist team, the mature lady Manli. At this moment, she had her back to Wazworth, her clothes covered in bloodstains, her exposed skin deathly pale.
Crack~
Manli turned her head. Her murky eyes fixed on Wazworth. The atmosphere nearly froze.
"Yaaa!!!"
Manli let out an inhuman shriek. Wazworth's heart calmed. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took one out, then remembered he no longer had a lower jaw to hold it.
Wazworth crushed the cigarette pack in his hand, looked up at the sky. There was no escape.
One by one, figures emerged from the ruins around Wazworth, encircling him.
"Fool, who told you to tear off your own jaw?"
A familiar voice reached Wazworth's ears. He, who feared not even death, immediately had tears streaming down his face, his hands trembling with excitement.
"Lord, you..."
Wazworth turned his gaze. A figure wearing black gloves, with slicked-back blond hair, walked toward him. What shocked Wazworth even more was that the 'monsters' surrounding him all knelt on one knee.
"No wonder Bai Ye didn't come here. We've been used by that guy."
Kingsley stood atop a pile of ruins. The dark clouds in the sky gradually dispersed.
...
Southern Continent, Gaman City, Sixth Floor Office of the Execution Agency Headquarters.
Su Xiao sat behind his desk. Before him stood a man with a face like he had lost his parents, pale as death. This was an intelligence officer of the Eclipse Organization.
"You just said Kingsley died a few hours ago?"
Su Xiao chewed on a Soul Crystal, his expression calm.
"Yes, Mr. Bai Ye."
The intelligence officer said this in a hoarse voice, as if Kingsley's death had shattered his faith.
"Is that so? That's great."
"Huh?!"
The intelligence officer shot to his feet, glaring at Su Xiao.
"Before Kingsley died, did he leave behind a golden button? With the last words that it must be delivered to me?"
"This..."
The intelligence officer was momentarily speechless. The truth was exactly that, not a single detail off.
"Hand over the button. You'll come with me later. Keep up that sorrowful expression. Just pretend Kingsley really died."
"Mr. Bai Ye, do you mean... the Lord..."
Before the intelligence officer could finish, Su Xiao's gaze turned cold. Seeing this, the officer immediately straightened up. With his intelligence, he had roughly figured out what was going on.
"Amu, beat him up. Help him get into the right mood. Don't kill him."
"Wait..."
Bang.
Amu slapped the intelligence officer to the ground, grabbed a nearby broom, and rained down blows on him, giving him a free taste of paternal discipline.
Su Xiao, of course, knew what kind of person Kingsley was. If the man had truly died, he would never have sent back intelligence, let alone a keepsake.
With the assist from this god-tier teammate Kingsley, Su Xiao could now do many things. For example, 'educating' the Southern Alliance and Eastern Alliance about the terrifying combat power on the Taiatu Civilization continent—the more exaggerated, the better. Terrifying beyond belief.
The best proof was Kingsley's death. The keepsake had even been sent back through spatial secret arts. Kingsley's death could be verified from multiple angles. If necessary, he could even hold a memorial service and set up a portrait for him.
Under these circumstances, the Southern Alliance and Eastern Alliance would have no choice but to take it seriously, especially with Su Xiao's Execution Agency and the remaining forces of the Eclipse Organization.
Su Xiao's plan was to have the Southern Alliance and Eastern Alliance dispatch all their steel warships to conduct a carpet bombardment of the Taiatu Civilization continent—in other words, firepower saturation.
Not only that, but Su Xiao could also use the resources provided by these two factions to mass-produce simplified versions of Apollo. With a large number of Apollos and the bombardment, he could conduct an even more comprehensive saturation of the Taiatu Civilization continent.
And that wasn't all. This time, Su Xiao didn't plan to explore. He intended to form a temporary alliance. Using every means available, he would become the supreme commander of this alliance.
This alliance would include over 90% of the Transcendents from the Execution Agency and Eclipse Organization, along with a large number of military soldiers.
This way, Su Xiao could apply the War Lord title's buff to hundreds of thousands of soldiers and numerous Transcendents, then use them to attack that continent, overwhelming it with a human wave.
If Black Rose, Scale Dragon Alec, Guang Mu, and other contractors knew about Su Xiao's plan, their mood would be far from pleasant, possibly even mildly autistic. After all, all three had experienced Bai Ye's style of army tactics.
In reality, the 'Doom Number Army Style' they had experienced last time was a poor man's cut-down version. This time, it barely counted as the complete form. As for the ultimate form, it couldn't be used lightly—it would easily draw a warning from the Void Tree.