Chapter 72: The Hunt
The first rays of the morning sun rose at the horizon, gradually awakening Garman City.
Inside the courtyard of Deer Flower Manor, Su Xiao sat cross-legged before a pond. Counting today, there were still 8 days left before the time limit for the fourth ring of the main mission. Time seemed ample, but in reality, it was not.
If he found the Ultimate Insect and died in battle against it, Su Xiao would have no regrets—it would simply mean his skill was lacking. But if he died due to the mission penalty for failing to find the Ultimate Insect, that would be truly frustrating.
Su Xiao did not want to end his path of strengthening in such a stifling manner. That was why, yesterday, at extremely high risk, he conspired with Kingsley to use the dangerous object S-001.
Currently, S-001 had been returned to the containment vault of the Mechanism Headquarters, which was no longer important. Kingsley had taken S-001 away for a few hours earlier, and a few hours could accomplish many things, such as having several suicide soldiers use S-001 to tamper with their own futures.
Kingsley was very steady in his actions. He summoned 30 suicide soldiers from the monastery under the Eclipse Organization and had them all use S-001 to alter their respective futures.
The content of the alteration was simple: these suicide soldiers would, within the next 5 days, be in the same large area as the host body of the Ultimate Insect—for example, both in Garman City, Youke City, etc.
Kingsley was increasing the probability of finding the Ultimate Insect by raising the number of suicide soldiers. This came at a cost. Because the 30 suicide soldiers from the monastery had altered their futures, within just a few hours, various problems began to emerge at the monastery.
Was the monastery more closely connected to the Eclipse Organization? Not exactly. If one were to speak of the closest connections, it was actually the Containment Institute of the Containment Institution. The monastery and the Containment Institute shared too many similarities. While cooperating, they also secretly competed against each other.
At the beginning of the Holy Knight Order's split, the monastery and the Containment Institute were actually one organization, called the Settlement. Later, due to the split of the Holy Knight Order, it divided into two. One side stood with the Containment Institution, while the other chose to rely on the Eclipse Organization.
Because of this, Dean Victor's side was also implicated. The Containment Institute, for 'unknown reasons,' saw many people showing signs of aging, and internal conflicts between factions began to surface.
Both Su Xiao and Kingsley had anticipated this outcome. In the subsequent plan, the Containment Institute and the monastery could do the least, so they were dealt with first.
If the first alteration of the future failed to find the Ultimate Insect, and the Containment Institute and monastery collapsed, then it would be the turn of the Finance Department and the Merchant Alliance. After those two sides also collapsed, it would be the Mechanism and the Eclipse Organization bearing the brunt of S-001's consequences. As for why the Mechanism and the Eclipse Organization were last, it was because these two sides were containing and restraining a large number of dangerous objects.
Once the Mechanism and the Eclipse also collapsed from using S-001, the Alliance could only fend for itself.
The consequences of using S-001 were not limited to this. The 30 suicide soldiers were also a problem. After using S-001, each of them desperately wanted to possess S-001 for themselves and use it again to alter their own futures.
Suicide soldiers who were indifferent to wealth, women, power, etc., were like this after using S-001. One could imagine what would happen to ordinary people after using it—it was an endless abyss of desire.
Kingsley's solution was to promise that among these suicide soldiers, whoever first contributed to finding the Ultimate Insect would be allowed to use S-001 again. Competition would bring internal conflict, but it was also a way to temporarily stabilize the situation.
What remained to be done was simply to wait. Release those suicide soldiers and have people follow them. Wherever they wanted to travel was entirely up to their personal will.
The field agents responsible for tracking would record the travel trajectories of those 30 suicide soldiers and then transmit the data to the intelligence department in the rear. The intelligence department would summarize the travel routes of these 30 suicide soldiers onto a map. The intersection points of each travel route could be the location of the Ultimate Insect.
When all 30 suicide soldiers, within five days, coincidentally visited a certain place, that place was very likely where the Ultimate Insect was located.
Su Xiao called such places 'Insect Hiding Points.' There might not be just one 'Insect Hiding Point,' but there certainly wouldn't be many.
Once the 'Insect Hiding Point' was found, things would become easier. Su Xiao and Kingsley's intelligence personnel would swarm in, conducting a carpet-style search, and the Transcendents from both sides would also completely surround that area.
To put it simply, the 30 suicide soldiers were unstable trackers.
The 30 suicide soldiers had been released last night. Among them, 16 chose to stay temporarily in the Southern Continent, while 14 went to the Eastern Continent.
For Su Xiao, this was good news. This distribution of routes indicated that the Ultimate Insect might not have gone to a deserted island at sea. It was either in the Eastern Continent or the Southern Continent.
Beep, beep, beep~
The communicator in Su Xiao's bosom rang. He glanced at the encrypted text on it. It was a message from Kingsley. Of the 30 suicide soldiers, 18 had now gone to the Eastern Continent, and 12 remained in the Southern Continent.
This message represented one thing: there was an over 80% probability that the Ultimate Insect was in the Eastern Continent!
This was exhilarating good news. Su Xiao even felt that the heavy burden that had been pressing on his shoulders was half lighter.
"Boss, what do you think of her?"
Baha flew over. Accompanying Baha was Goya. Goya had her hair tied in a single ponytail, wore light lipstick, and a black floral dress. On the index finger of her right hand was a metal skull ring, and a faint, elusive smile played on her lips.
Su Xiao sized up Goya. Not bad, she had the right vibe—a pure appearance, a dark and mysterious outfit, and a very subtle allure.
The white-haired youth and Aichi of the protagonist team—one had negative emotional intelligence, and the other was utterly devoted to his girlfriend. Goya's entrance was, of course, not for seduction, but to appear as a mysterious helper.
Goya's current identity was that she had undergone brutal training from a young age, excelling in assassinating key figures, infiltration, and behind-enemy-lines sabotage. She had once served in the 'Yeseqi Unit' of the Southern Alliance, then infiltrated the Mechanism, becoming a small leader in the intelligence department. After failing to assassinate the Mechanism's Legion Commander, she changed her identity and infiltrated the Eclipse Organization, once attempting to poison its leader, Kingsley.
Due to changes in the situation, she returned to the Southern Alliance, participated in the Western Continent Campaign, and served under Colonel Gewo as a member of the Second Legion's Assassination Squad, fighting on the front lines.
Afterwards, all seven of Goya's comrades died on the battlefield. Her long career as a spy, coupled with the brutal deaths of her comrades, caused Goya to develop severe war-related post-traumatic stress disorder. She resolutely defected from the Southern Alliance and was now the number one wanted criminal of the Mechanism, the Eclipse Organization, and the Southern Alliance, with a bounty of 98 million Tabun, the highest bounty in history. Her full name was Hexie Goya, also known as the Deadly Rose.
A fierce life needs no explanation—that was Goya. As for the authenticity of these deeds, let the protagonist team investigate freely. If they could find even a single problem, Vice Officer Belock would eat shit standing upside down.
Su Xiao looked at the documents in his hand, then at Goya.
"Goya, with this file, working under me is a waste of your talent."
"Ha, haha."
Goya broke character in an instant, grinning foolishly and scratching her head. It could be said that this was a girl who was acting 24 hours a day.
"Resume your previous arrogant and untamed demeanor. Do you know what I want you to do?"
"Of course, sow discord... ah, no, I'm contributing to the Mechanism."
Goya puffed out her chest, almost adding that she was embracing justice and standing shoulder to shoulder with the sun.
"You are going to sow discord. You have three days. After you finish this, I'll transfer you to the Eastern Continent branch."
"Lord Bai Ye, do we still have a branch in the Eastern Continent?"
"..."
Su Xiao didn't continue. Although that Eastern Continent branch was shabby and usually unmanned, if Goya wanted to stay in the Southern Continent, her ending would be only one: being disposed of by Su Xiao after he was done using her. Goya's identity was too sensitive.
"If I go to the Eastern Continent, I won't have to kill people, right?"
"Mm."
"Then I'll go. I actually... really hate ending other people's lives. Warm blood sticking to my hands, and that slippery, fresh brain matter, the soft organs still radiating heat~"
As Goya spoke, the corner of her mouth involuntarily curled into a slight arc, and she squeezed her legs together.
Seeing this, Su Xiao understood why Kingsley had sent Goya over and even abandoned her at the Mechanism. With a personality like this, not joining the Mechanism would be a damn waste.
"Get the hell out of here. Stop fooling around here."
Under Baha's 'watchful eye,' Goya left the courtyard. Not long after, Silver Dog of the Ferret Squad stood on the courtyard wall and nodded to Su Xiao.
While releasing Goya, Su Xiao naturally set up a safety measure. Silver Dog was that measure.
"Boss, should we release that thing now?"
Baha landed on a nearby fence. It was referring to a peregrine falcon.
Kingsley had modified a Transcendent peregrine falcon. Su Xiao used 'N715-Count' as a bargaining chip to exchange for this Transcendent peregrine falcon from Kingsley. After leaving the life-sustaining solution, this Transcendent peregrine falcon could survive for 4 to 5 days, which was enough for Su Xiao.
He named this intelligent Transcendent peregrine falcon Horus and reached a deal with it. As long as Horus used S-001 to alter its future, Kingsley's side would release two young peregrine falcons waiting to receive Transcendent organ transplants.
After Horus used S-001, a new term was added to the deal: if Horus succeeded and didn't die, it would have to use S-001 again. This wasn't surprising; all beings that had used S-001 were like this.
Having gained intelligence, Horus could naturally use S-001. The future it altered was very singular. At the cost of burning its life and soul, it would sense and hunt a person. This was the fate that was bound to appear after it gave everything. That person was called Violator 14023.
The iron cage in the backyard of the ancient castle was opened. A brown-black blur shot into the sky, accompanied by a clear falcon cry.
If that Contractor who was exceptionally fast at running away continued to lie low, Su Xiao might not bother with him. But last night, that guy appeared again, zipping across Garman City in an instant. Seeming unsatisfied, he zipped back along the same route.
Twice he crossed Garman City, both times passing near Su Xiao, even entering his hunting range. Because the enemy's speed was too fast, the hunting authority was activated and then immediately deactivated, then activated and deactivated again.
In the instant he locked onto the other party, Su Xiao confirmed that the other party had also sensed him. He didn't believe the other party would do this for no reason. It was clearly to determine his position and the defensive strength around him.
A Violator who was as steady as an old dog and would hide until the end of time—why did he suddenly appear now? Su Xiao speculated that this matter might be related to the Fairy Maiden. Perhaps this Violator, with his incredible running speed, had already cooperated with the Fairy Maiden. Both were Violators, so the possibility of cooperation was not low.
The super-speed Violator scouted the situation, determining the defensive strength around Su Xiao. If the defense wasn't too strong, the Fairy Maiden would come knocking, engaging Su Xiao in a brutal but short-lived battle. However, if the defense around Su Xiao was too strong, the Fairy Maiden would choose to wait and see, just like now.
Su Xiao wasn't sure if his speculation was accurate. He hadn't gone after that super-speed Violator before because the other party hadn't directly threatened him, and the hunting mission had no penalty. But now, that guy was starting to get restless.
Su Xiao looked at the peregrine falcon, Horus, in the sky. The sheathed Dragon-Slaying Flash appeared in his hand, and he tucked it into his waist.
The hunt had begun.