Chapter 32 Xu Lingzhao is missing

The room was lit with warm lights. Xu Lingzhao was holding Chu Jingze, who was wearing pajamas, and was concentrating on his work. Faced with a mountain of documents, Xu Lingzhao could only patiently read them one by one. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chu Jingze reading a book, his long eyelashes fluttering. Xu Lingzhao lowered his head and kissed his cheek.

Before Chu Jingze could react, Xu Lingzhao's communication system displayed an urgent email highlighted in red. She squinted as she read the important information—a vicious insectoid attack had occurred in a residential area of ​​Nanshan City, and it was preliminarily determined to be closely related to the crystal core.

Chu Jing looked out the window, the moonlight filtering in. Just as he was about to speak, Xu Lingzhao kissed the corner of his mouth: "I'm going out for a bit. Go to bed early tonight." She immediately got up and put on her combat uniform. This was a matter of great importance; it was the first crystal core incident since Pei Zhenwei, and tomorrow was the inauguration ceremony. If not handled properly, it would inevitably affect the public's trust in Pasifica.

She picked up the Tang sword hanging by the door; it hadn't been used in a long time, and she hoped she hadn't lost her touch. Just as she was about to open the door, Chu Jing hugged her waist from behind. She paused slightly, turned around, and stroked his face with her hand: "Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

"Okay." Chu Jing nodded, released her hand, and watched her go downstairs. For some reason, he felt inexplicably uneasy.

Song Shuci opened the car door for Xu Lingzhao. As soon as she got in, Xu Lingzhao noticed there was someone else in the back seat. He Zaining winked at her and said, "How was it? Was I fast enough?"

"Quick enough." Xu Lingzhao's gaze swept across her face, and he raised an eyebrow slightly: "Are you two that passionate?"

He Zaining didn't react at first, but when she saw Xu Lingzhao's gaze linger on her cheek, she covered her face and said, "Yes, little chili pepper, so passionate."

"Oh~ then you must have been the first to hold the baby." Xu Lingzhao opened her phone and found that Jin Chenyu had also sent her a message. She glanced at it briefly and saw that he had arrived at Pasifica's research institute that afternoon, so he was probably at the accident site now.

He Zaining watched a video, then pushed the screen toward Xu Lingzhao, pointing to the person biting someone on the screen, saying, "This is someone who ate a crystal core and was parasitized by the Zerg. The researcher you brought in, whose name is... oh... Jin Chenyu, named it—Mutant." She licked her lips: "Do you think Pei Zhenwei will become like this?"

"I hope not." Xu Lingzhao withdrew her gaze. The Zerg, with their intelligence, spiritual power, and parasitic abilities, were truly terrifying. The source of everything... She closed her eyes, recalling what the Queen Bee had told her about the Insect Mother. She controlled all the Zerg, except for the Bees. Because of the Insect Mother's oppression, all the other Bees were dormant on certain planets in the universe.

Song Shuci opened the car door for her. Xu Lingzhao got out of the car and looked at the residential building, which was completely surrounded by the Planetary Army. Fighter jets were circling overhead. The atmosphere was heavy. A man in a white uniform appeared in her line of sight. It was Jin Chenyu.

He walked up to Xu Lingzhao, his gaze lingering on her face. Then he lowered his head, his magnetic voice echoing in her ears: "Judging from the current situation, there is a risk of infection from being scratched or bitten by mutants. We need to control it. The serum has not yet been developed, but we have not yet caught the first mutant that has ingested the crystal core."

How much longer will it take for the serum to be produced?

"As fast as 7 days."

"How long does it take for an infected person to fully develop into a mutant?"

"Within three hours."

Xu Lingzhao frowned. They would become mutants within three hours; the infection rate was so fast: "Shuci, gather all the infected people together, and after they have completely become mutants... burn them."

"yes."

"The compensation will be double the original amount." After Xu Lingzhao signed the documents, He Zaining walked towards her. She lowered her voice and said, "The person who ate the mutant has been found, but he has taken refuge in a building that is still under construction."

“Take a small team with me.”

Xu Lingzhao looked at the building piled with construction materials. This was a newly planned office building. The area was large and the buildings were connected and intertwined. Thermal imaging technology could not locate it, but time was of the essence and there was no time to relax. Xu Lingzhao released his mental power, and golden mental power covered the entire area like a tide.

She opened her eyes, the golden light still lingering. She took a step forward and used her hand to block He Zaining, who wanted to follow: "You wait here, I'm going in."

He Zaining hesitated for a moment, but finally his lips moved slightly: "Okay."

Xu Lingzhao walked alone into the dark building. After only a few steps, she felt a chill creep up her spine. She relied on her excellent eyesight to walk in the dark. Moonlight streamed into the building through the windows, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

She drew the Tang sword from behind her back and gripped it tightly in her hand. The sound of her boots hitting the ground was amplified infinitely in the empty room, and Xu Lingzhao felt a thick black fog rising around her.

She stopped in place and did not move forward. The stones were kicked away and rolled on the ground. Xu Lingzhao dodged the attack of the claws and used her Tang sword to block in front of her. She saw the full appearance of the mutant that attacked her.

The pupils in its eye sockets disappeared, replaced by a faint green light. Its cheeks were covered with black, scale-like substances. Its mouth was wide open, and all its human teeth were gone, replaced by sharp fangs similar to those of an insectoid race. Its hands had turned into claws, possessing immense strength and mental power that constantly interfered with Xu Lingzhao.

She forcefully kicked the mutant in front of her away, then condensed her spiritual power to sever its head. The green light in its eyes went out, and it stopped moving, but the black mist did not dissipate.

A sound like a snake scraping the ground rang out. Xu Lingzhao raised a golden barrier for herself. A mutated creature with a human body and a snake tail appeared in front of her. It teleported in front of Xu Lingzhao, and its thick tail wrapped around the barrier, trying to crush it. When it realized it was useless, it became agitated.

Xu Lingzhao observed its every move. It had its own consciousness, but its intelligence was like that of a four or five-year-old child. However, it was worth studying. Xu Lingzhao planned to capture it alive, so he did not attack it.

The black fog grew thicker and thicker until Xu Lingzhao could no longer see anything.

She had a feeling that it must be Him.

A pair of eyes glowing red appeared before Xu Lingzhao. Unlike the dull eyes of the puppet insectoid lord created by Jin Chenyu, these eyes possessed a unique and terrifying quality. For the first time, Xu Lingzhao felt a sense of oppression.

She saw cracks appear on the golden barrier, and the cracks continued to spread. Just when Xu Lingzhao thought the barrier was about to shatter, it stopped.

Xu Lingzhao stared directly into those eyes, without fear. She seemed to hear a soft laugh, a laugh filled with mockery that struck her very soul. She felt everything around her rushing backward, as if it were sucking her in, continuously sucking her in.

Until, abruptly, it came to an end.

She looked around. She seemed to have left the building. The black mist in front of her continued to condense until it became the outline of a woman. She couldn't see anything but a pair of red eyes.

"You are the Insect Mother." Xu Lingzhao's voice was calm, echoing in this void space. Her golden barrier had long since disappeared, and she could no longer use her mental power. She was now no different from an ordinary person. She did not expect to meet the Insect Mother so soon.

A meeting that was bound to happen sooner or later.

He didn't speak, but suddenly appeared in front of Xu Lingzhao, so close that Xu Lingzhao's eyelashes could touch his pupils. After a dozen seconds of this standoff, he slowly pulled away, letting out a chilling and ethereal laugh. His hand touched Xu Lingzhao's shoulder, neck, and cheek, moving slowly as if touching a work of art.

Xu Lingzhao wanted to move, but she couldn't even do something as simple as twitching a finger. She didn't know what the Insect Queen's purpose was, but she could clearly feel the difference in strength between herself and her. The way the Insect Queen looked at her made Xu Lingzhao feel a chill, but it was different from killing intent.

She felt a hand covering her neck, tightening and then loosening, torturing Xu Lingzhao back and forth like this. She felt like a stranded fish, unable to breathe but unable to return to the sea.

"What... exactly do you want to do..." Xu Lingzhao practically spat out the words through gritted teeth, but this time He responded to her.

"Guess." His tone was mocking and arrogant as he leaned close to Xu Lingzhao's ear: "Tell me, what would happen if I killed you?"

Three days have passed since Xu Lingzhao disappeared. He Zaining has been guarding the building where Xu Lingzhao went. The building is shrouded in black mist, and it is eerie everywhere. The planetary army guards the area layer by layer, not allowing anyone to get close. All the surrounding residents have been evacuated. Since two groups of people were sent in and were wiped out, no one has come out.

He Zaining understood that perhaps all he could do was wait and believe in Xu Lingzhao.

Lu Qianxue was equally overwhelmed with work. Her hands were on the table, and the red-highlighted communications kept coming in, all pressuring her to relinquish power. Xu Lingzhao had disappeared at the crucial moment of the inauguration ceremony, and all the forces were no longer lying low and had taken a hard line. They joined forces and issued an ultimatum: if Xu Lingzhao did not appear by tomorrow, it would be a death sentence, and the position of the Federation's commander-in-chief must be relinquished, and the agreement would be null and void!

Ji Yao was the first to be affected. She changed her usual indifferent attitude and began to contact other people in private and spread the news that Xu Lingzhao was dead and the panic about the Zerg crystal core.

These news reports have further destabilized the already unstable Federation, with various forces eyeing the situation covetously. Small-scale local conflicts have already broken out. He Zaining is guarding the building and preventing anyone from entering, Pei Zhenwei is cooperating with research at the research institute, and Ling Qianzhu is personally leading the planetary army to quell the conflicts.

Pasifica has its own planetary army. If... the worst-case scenario is that they all retreat to their original base, but given enough time, Pasifica's fate will only be...

Frustrated, Lu Qianxue pushed all the documents on the table to the ground, muttering under her breath, "These despicable people." Xu Lingzhao's fate was currently unknown, and if... something really happened, they would be the first to be dealt with.

The door was pushed open, and Ji Yao appeared in Lu Qianxue's line of sight dressed as a commander. She smiled smugly. She had originally intended to lie low, but who knew that Xu Lingzhao was dead? She couldn't wait a second longer. She looked at the documents scattered on the ground, met Lu Qianxue's wary gaze, and her red lips parted slightly: "Deputy Commander Lu, it's been a long time."

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Author's Note: [Crying] Computer, I hate you! You lost Wi-Fi! I had to bang on it so hard before the Wi-Fi came back.