Chapter 15: Kara
The auction process went smoothly, but this was only the beginning. How to complete the subsequent handover was the top priority.
The company had offered 600,000 units of Life Ore to buy this batch of "C5N2 Type Superconductor." They were undoubtedly reluctant deep down. To complete the follow-up transaction, they would need to enter a face-to-face meeting. Without a doubt, this stage could easily escalate into a chaotic battle between both sides.
The company's bid was higher than expected, reaching 600,000 units of Life Ore. After Su Xiao obtained this batch of Life Ore, he could save up enough for Jila's evolution to the Dominator rank.
Previously, Su Xiao had planned to take a cut from the Company, the Empire, and the Crimson Empress. That was now unlikely. The current situation in this world was trending toward a three-way stalemate.
Becoming the third faction was clearly more important than immediately completing the follow-up transaction with the company. The reason was that once they became the third faction, the possibility of a direct confrontation between the company and them was minimal. Coupled with the pressure from the Empire, the company would likely grit its teeth and pay the 600,000 units of Life Ore to buy back the "C5N2 Type Superconductor," then pretend nothing had happened.
Thinking of this, Su Xiao decided to temporarily avoid contact with the company and refocus his attention on the Crimson Empress and Brutal Kara.
"My dear friend, the company's higher-ups want to arrange a location to complete the follow-up transaction."
Kaiser spoke, looking pained. The original plan was to "stock up" from the company, but the trend toward a three-way stalemate was becoming increasingly obvious, so the "stocking up" plan naturally fell through.
"Arrange to meet them at the Wailing Canyon."
The Wailing Canyon Su Xiao mentioned was located in the central region. Due to the canyon's terrain, strong winds would produce a howling sound, hence its name.
It was worth noting that the native human tribes of this world mostly lived in the central region. They were so informationally backward that they relied on shouting to communicate, yet their combat power was bafflingly high.
Initially, the Empire planned to drive away these primitives. That was until a spear wrapped in golden thunder power pierced the sky and shot down a spaceship. The Empire's higher-ups then realized things weren't so simple. These primitives' combat power was... a bit too high.
It wasn't that they couldn't be dealt with, but it wasn't worth it. Defeating those primitive tribes would at most yield a bunch of wooden huts and some mystical artifacts—a huge loss.
Su Xiao chose the Wailing Canyon as the meeting place for this transaction for no particular reason. He wasn't planning to go anyway. It didn't matter where he arranged it; he was 100% sure that if he went, he would be ambushed by the Empire and the company.
"Understood. I'll head back first."
Kaiser left. Bubu Wang then sent a message to the company, arranging to meet at the Wailing Canyon at 5 PM tonight. No airships or spacecraft were to be seen during the meeting; if any were spotted, the transaction would be immediately canceled.
Half an hour later, in the main ship's conference room of New Star City.
General Sander sat at the head of the table, with his OL-attired secretary standing beside him. The second seat was occupied by the Empire's Hand, Rhine Gold. Further out was the company's representative for this incident, Paddy.
Paddy's appearance was unusual. He was stocky and short-limbed, but when he smiled, he gave off a sense of honesty and trustworthiness.
The company's higher-ups trusted Paddy deeply, so they put him in charge of this matter. As for why the higher-ups didn't come in person? No one wanted to show their face for this.
"Mr. Paddy, are you sure Kukulin Bai Ye arranged to complete the transaction at the Wailing Canyon? At 5 PM this afternoon?"
The OL-attired secretary pushed up her glasses, her gaze as sharp as any officer present.
"This must be a trap. Would he be so straightforward with us? Isn't he afraid we'll set an ambush?"
A bearded officer with a strong Heva accent spoke, a cigar pinched between his fingers. He tapped the table with his finger as he spoke, ash falling from the cigar.
"Makes sense. That side probably just threw it out there casually. I suspect they're deliberately stalling for time."
A more scholarly Imperial officer chimed in, drawing nods of agreement from many around him.
"I'm not so sure. This guy even dared to hijack our 'C5N2 Type Superconductor.'"
"That's different. Arranging a meeting at the Wailing Canyon goes against common sense."
"Then tell me, would a normal person hijack a 'C5N2 Type Superconductor'?"
Hearing this retort, the scholarly officer was momentarily speechless. He wanted to argue further but couldn't find the words. Indeed, no normal person would hijack a "C5N2 Type Superconductor," let alone try to sell it back afterward.
"Enough arguing. Go set up the ambush at the Wailing Canyon now."
General Sander made the decision, and the officers stopped discussing.
"Gold."
Sander looked at his nephew, Rhine Gold, who was staring blankly ahead, lost in thought. Rhine Gold snapped to attention.
"This ambush will be led by you."
"Yes, sir."
Rhine Gold stood up. Seeing this, General Sander nodded in satisfaction and left.
As soon as Sander left, Rhine Gold's expression darkened. He pulled two concert tickets from his pocket. He had pulled strings to get them. He knew nothing about music, but his fiancée loved it. He had planned to have dinner with her tonight, then go to the theater, and finally return to the hotel for some... enjoyable activities.
Unfortunately, it was all ruined. Thinking about spending the night in a ravine, shivering in the cold wind, a "friendly" smile gradually appeared on Rhine Gold's face.
"Bai Ye... you'd better come."
With that, Rhine Gold slapped the two concert tickets on the table, grabbed his coat, and left.
In the general's office, General Sander finished signing a document and gestured for his OL-attired secretary to take it and handle the matter. The secretary took the document, gave a slight bow, and left the office.
The office was now empty, leaving only General Sander. As the supreme commander of the Third Fleet, he was usually not very busy.
The office was quiet. Sander sat there silently. Suddenly, a small crack appeared on his face, like a crack in ceramic.
Calmly, Sander opened a drawer, took out an iron box, and retrieved a black pill. He swallowed a grain-sized piece of the black pill, and the crack on his face quickly disappeared. A faint green glint in his eyes flashed and was gone.
...
"Ugh~"
Bubu Wang sat on the ground in a slightly crooked posture, dry heaving. Beside him was Mantis Armor Bru, lying on the ground, foaming at the mouth.
The reason for this was that Bubu Wang and Bru had nothing better to do and decided to compare strength. After a pathetic back-and-forth, Baha came up with a bad idea, saying they should compare willpower—for example, by seeing who could spin in circles longer. Hence this scene.
The reason they were so idle was that Su Xiao was waiting for news from the Spider Queen. The conflict between the Crimson Empress and Brutal Kara had fully escalated by noon. Both sides had tested each other but hadn't launched a full-scale war.
Brutal Kara was a home-defending maniac. Other insectoid mother queens typically had 150 to 200 defensive towers around their bases, which was already a lot. The pacifist Gai, who built 300 "Bloodshot Eye Watcher" defensive towers, was already considered a home-defending maniac.
Around Brutal Kara's base, there were at least over 700 defensive towers. The difficulty of attacking it was unimaginable.
The Spider Queen's stance alone wasn't enough to make the Crimson Empress decide to attack Brutal Kara.
Faced with this situation, Su Xiao felt that his side should step up and give the Crimson Empress a shot in the arm to get her to act quickly.
After wiping out the pacifist Gai in the morning, their side's nest had gained a total of 2.52 million points of Bio Energy. Su Xiao planned to use all of this Bio Energy to cultivate Solar Flame Dragons. This would bring their total number of Solar Flame Dragons to 1,319.
Su Xiao's idea was to not fully reveal these 1,319 Solar Flame Dragons. Instead, he would hide over 600 of them and only show the combat power of 700 to reinforce the Crimson Empress.
This would both conceal their rapid breeding speed and keep a hidden trump card. After their side, the Crimson Empress, and the Spider Queen joined forces to defeat Brutal Kara, they would immediately deal with the Crimson Empress.
Thinking of this, Su Xiao took out his communicator to contact the Spider Queen. As soon as he took it out, the communicator vibrated twice. Someone was contacting him. Judging by the frequency, it was the Spider Queen.
After answering, Su Xiao only spoke a few sentences before hanging up. Although the conversation was brief, it contained a lot of information. First, the Crimson Empress had been assassinated and nearly died.
The assassination was carried out by people from the Empire, but it wasn't in the Imperial military's style.
Su Xiao chose to contact the Undead Girl for intelligence. She was now a guest of honor in the Empire. Through this channel, Su Xiao learned that the planner and executor of this assassination was an "old acquaintance"—Kain, the leader of the Valhalla.
After taking the blame last time, Kain had quickly gotten back on his feet, showing his capability. He was now at the top of the reputation rankings, having re-established himself within the Empire.
The assassination from Valhalla nearly killed the Crimson Empress. Contractors were simply too good at this kind of thing.
But don't forget, Molei, Yueshitu, and Hao Mei were all with the Crimson Empress. Upon learning of this, they rushed to help. By the time they arrived, the battle was already over, but the aftermath was the truly interesting part.
The Apocalypse Sisters and the Valhalla members could communicate through the World Contact Platform. Initially, the Apocalypse Sisters' stance was to resolve the matter peacefully. They warned that Valhalla blindly acting as the Empire's dogs would not end well.
However, Valhalla had many members with loose lips. A melee powerhouse named Snow Monster immediately started a fight, saying, "You Apocalypse noobs, if you've got the guts, fight me one-on-one. Whoever chickens out is a coward."
Hearing this, Hao Mei grabbed her sharp sword and went. She nearly killed Snow Monster on the spot. What made this guy think that the Apocalypse Paradise side had no fighters?
Even against Snow Monster, Hao Mei had a 50-50 win rate against Valhalla's leader, Kain.
Hao Mei was not weak at all. She just couldn't beat Su Xiao's tier. Her casual, lazy attitude of drinking all day made Valhalla's members mistakenly think she wasn't very strong. But when the fight actually started, they found out that Hao Mei's Jielei was no joke.
It was like an internet troll challenging a girl to a fight online and then losing. The embarrassment was unimaginable. A phrase even appeared in the World Contact Platform: "This guy is a bit Snow Monster."
Humiliated, Valhalla decided to use their numbers to take out the Apocalypse Sisters. But they overlooked one thing: the Apocalypse Sisters were rich—no, very rich.
When the two sides completely fell out, just a few seconds ago, the Apocalypse Sisters put out a bounty.
Su Xiao opened the World Contact Platform. The bounty was pinned at the top.
Yueshitu (Apocalypse Paradise): "Bounty on all Valhalla members in this world. 3,000 Soul Coins per kill. 7,000 Soul Coins for the vice-captain. 15,000 Soul Coins for the captain, Kain. This bounty has been notarized by the Void Tree. After completing a kill, you can claim the Soul Coins, currently notarized by the Void Tree. We have deposited 96,000 Soul Coins with the Void Tree."
Molei (Apocalypse Paradise): "@Bai Ye."
Yueshitu (Apocalypse Paradise): "@Bai Ye, @Undead Girl, @Shenfu, @Black Demon."
Hao Mei (Apocalypse Paradise): "Smile gradually becoming malicious."
Wild Boar King (Watchful Paradise): "So this is the power of wealth? I bow in defeat."
Anonymous (Apocalypse Paradise): "Yes."
Snow Monster (Death Paradise): "Having more Soul Coins doesn't mean anything."
Sheep Man (Death Paradise): "You lost, so shut up. The hardest thing on your body is your mouth. Shut up and stop embarrassing the Death Paradise faction, or I'll kill you first."
...
The messages in the contact platform were lively. With this bounty out, Valhalla members were in a tough spot. At the very least, they wouldn't dare go out alone. Killing one person for 3,000 Soul Coins, hunting a few weaker Valhalla members a day would net over 10,000 Soul Coins. That was equivalent to an Immortal-rank, full-score equipment, instantly boosting combat power.
This bounty probably wouldn't last long. It was more of a warning, making Valhalla think twice about the cost of offending the Crimson Empress faction.
This had nothing to do with Su Xiao. His situation was that the Crimson Empress had been assassinated and nearly died. This assassination, while seemingly carried out by Valhalla, was actually orchestrated by the Empire.
The Empire's goal was to indirectly help Brutal Kara become the third faction in this world, achieving a three-way stalemate on Pandora before the situation spiraled completely out of control.
The Empire's method was quite clever. By using Valhalla, any potential fallout would fall on them, not the Empire. Just like now.
In truth, Valhalla didn't want to get involved in this mess either, but they had no choice. Kain had already learned the world's biggest secret: the Nether Invasion.
After learning this, he had his members obtain some of the Empire's classified intelligence, including the secret order to abandon the home planet, abandon all colonies, and fully garrison Pandora.
Seeing this order, Kain's scalp went numb. Just how terrifying was the Nether Invasion that the Empire was willing to give up so much and move—no, flee—to Pandora?
If Kain refused this assassination mission against the Crimson Empress, he would still be blamed for the previous hijacking of the spaceship. The parties involved in that incident couldn't catch Su Xiao, and the company was willing to pay, so they would definitely pin the blame on Kain.
He could avoid taking the blame, but that meant assassinating the Crimson Empress. Valhalla not only failed but also completely offended the Apocalypse Sisters, ending up getting beaten down by the "Power of the Little Rich Girl."
Now, Su Xiao received a message from the Spider Queen. The Crimson Empress's stance was that if Su Xiao's side would help her destroy Brutal Kara, she would then join forces with him to prepare for the Nether Invasion.
Of course, Su Xiao wouldn't refuse. He wanted the Crimson Empress and Brutal Kara to start fighting as soon as possible.
Half an hour later, in the nest chamber of the mother nest.
Su Xiao, the Spider Queen, and the Crimson Empress sat around a round table. The latter two were avatars.
"Lord Bai Ye, how many combat units can you deploy for this attack on the Kara tribe? I mean those Flame Dragons outside."
The Crimson Empress spoke. Su Xiao pondered for a moment and said, "At most 400 Flame Dragons."
"Too few. Brutal Kara's base is easy to defend and hard to attack. The surrounding area is covered in crystalline matter, hard to break with conventional means. High temperatures are the perfect solution for this type of layer. You need to deploy at least 900 Flame Dragons."
"Impossible."
Su Xiao flatly refused. His psychological expectation was to deploy at most 700, keeping over 600 as a hidden trump card.
After some negotiation, it was finally decided that Su Xiao would deploy 650 Solar Flame Dragons as the main assault force. The Crimson Empress would deploy 1,600 Death Wings. Death Wings were a type of flying insectoid resembling dragons, with blood-red bodies. They could spit out breath rays with "Corrosion" and "Decomposition" properties.
The Crimson Empress was clearly also taking an elite route. As for the Spider Queen, she would send 120,000 Dire Wolf Spiders. These Dire Wolf Spiders were usually impressive, but compared to the Solar Flame Dragons and Death Wings, they were like cannon fodder.
After finalizing the attack plan, Su Xiao, the Crimson Empress, and the Spider Queen decided to advance on Brutal Kara simultaneously at dusk.
4:45 PM, Central Region, near the Wailing Canyon.
The Empire's Hand, Rhine Gold, leaned against a rock. He checked the time. It was almost 5 PM, only 15 minutes until the agreed transaction time.
Rhine Gold took off his gloves, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it. "Do you think Kukulin Bai Ye will come?"
Rhine Gold spoke in a low voice. His adjutant and a few personal guards were startled. They knew that their lord had plans with his fiancée tonight but got stuck with this mess.
None of them spoke. They all thought the same thing: it would be a miracle if he showed up.
Seeing this, Rhine Gold let out a smoke-filled, bitter laugh. He took out his pocket watch, opened it, and looked at his fiancée's photo. The longing made it even harder to bear. Rhine Gold seemed like a hardened military officer, but besides his loyalty to the Empire and his strength, he was also a 24-year-old young man. His longing for his fiancée was the same as any other man's.
Just then, Rhine Gold's adjutant cautiously peeked out from behind cover. He sensed something approaching.
On the open, gravelly flat ground, a figure walked from afar. It was a young man in a motorcycle suit with a pineapple-shaped hairstyle. He wore spiked shoes, had his hands in his pockets, and a small metal scissors hung from his right ear. His expression was a half-smile.
As the young man walked, the metal accessories on him jingled. His casual, slightly swaying gait made him look full of openings.
"Is this...?"
The adjutant lowered his binoculars. He didn't think this person's arrival was a coincidence.
"Withdraw first."
Rhine Gold spoke. His adjutant and a few trusted men were startled.
"Sir..."
"Less talk. If you stay, you will die. Even if you want to serve the Empire, this isn't the way. You work under me. You can die, but not without value. Take your troops and get out of my sight in 15 seconds."
Rhine Gold drew his sidearm, making it clear that if his men didn't leave, he would shoot them one by one.
As the saying goes, a true expert reveals themselves with a single move. Rhine Gold's combat power was similar to Su Xiao's. The moment he saw the Black Demon, he knew this thing couldn't be dealt with by numbers or swarm tactics.
His subordinates quickly withdrew with the surrounding soldiers. Seeing this, Rhine Gold stubbed out his cigarette, stepped out from his hiding spot, and walked naturally toward the Black Demon, the young man.
...
Dusk. The setting sun on the horizon was like blood. Su Xiao checked the time. Feeling it was about right, he leaped onto the back of a Solar Flame Dragon. Bubu Wang followed closely. Baha could fly on his own. Amu stayed behind to guard the base.
Su Xiao issued a mental command. The Solar Flame Dragon beneath him spread its wings and took off. The surrounding 649 Solar Flame Dragons also took off one after another.
Brutal Kara's base was to the west of their position. After flying for over ten minutes on the dragon, a large group of Death Wings came into view. On the ground below were Dire Wolf Spiders, each over 4 meters long.
The Crimson Empress and the Spider Queen were both present as avatars and clones. The former stood on the back of a Death Wing, looking down from above. The latter's lower body was merged into the body of an elite wolf spider.
"Kara's nest is ahead."
Leaving this remark, the Crimson Empress, standing on the Death Wing's back, issued an order for the 1,600 Death Wings to fly at the front.
Su Xiao had the Solar Flame Dragon group fly slightly behind. They were here to assist, not to take the lead.
The wind whistled past his ears. Su Xiao sat cross-legged on the dragon's back. For some reason, he had a vague sense of unease. It felt as if the Nether Invasion had passed a certain stage, and the subsequent invasion speed would suddenly skyrocket.
Pushing this thought aside, after more than half an hour, Su Xiao saw the Kara tribe ahead. It truly lived up to its reputation as a home-defending maniac.
The Kara tribe's mother nest was over 200 meters tall, surrounded by numerous insectoid buildings. The outermost ring consisted of several hundred defensive towers.
Don't underestimate these defensive towers, which were only over 50 meters tall. The living missiles they fired were only half a meter long and as thick as an arm, but the number of these homing missiles was terrifying. A single defensive tower could fire 6,000 to 7,000 of these living missiles in one minute.
Fighting the Kara tribe meant facing a sky full of living missiles, forming a barrage wall. What made it worse was that these living missiles continuously reduced defense, armor, and plating, eventually achieving zero defense and dealing high cumulative damage.
Even more disgusting was that these massive numbers of living missiles had a "Stun Effect." When hit, there was a chance of entering a stunned state, with blurred vision and dizziness.
Kara was practically a powerhouse killer. Besides these defensive towers that fired living missiles, she also had a defensive method with immense power but a slow firing rate.
Standing proudly in the sky, the Crimson Empress pointed forward with one hand. She was about to declare war when a sudden change occurred within the Kara tribe's building complex.
One by one, the oily-skinned, bright red horned dogs dissolved. Not only them, but all the insectoid buildings in Kara's base, except for the mother nest, began to dissolve, turning into semi-fluid that converged toward the mother nest. The speed was astonishing. In the blink of an eye, this large-scale fusion was complete. It was clearly not the first time this had happened.
When the fusion was complete, Kara's base had changed drastically. Only a giant monster remained at the center. This giant monster was over 300 meters tall. Its lower body was a ring of thick, armored legs that could support its massive frame in all directions.
The upper body was humanoid. It had eight thick, long arms. Its head had no face, only a single vertical eye. Its mouth was a series of pores.
The planned attack on the Kara tribe was no longer possible. This giant monster was Brutal Kara herself. She had evolved in a different direction, achieving a state where Kara was the entire tribe.
Kara's giant eye opened, looking at the Crimson Empress in the sky. The next second, countless living missiles flew out from behind her, turned, and shot toward the Death Wings. In an instant, the living missiles blocked the view, making it impossible to see the giant monster form of Kara.
[Tip: You have entered combat with a World-Class Creature!]
[This creature is the ultimate form of this world's insectoids, a unique existence in this world. If you kill this creature, you will receive a large amount of World Source and have a high probability of obtaining a World-Class Chest.]