Chapter 25: Hold on, will you save me?
With a sudden pain in his chest, Gu Zheyue felt his body being tightly suppressed by an irresistible force. He was trapped between a body emitting the scent of fresh flesh and the extremely cold and hard table top.
This feeling of being bound and forced suddenly brought back some terrible memories deep in his heart -
"Congratulations on your successful differentiation into a guide, dear child. The White Tower welcomes you!"
"Ah—Xiaoyue is an A-level guide, that's really impressive... maybe after the second differentiation, she can..."
"What's wrong with you? Are you disobeying me? Don't disappoint the tower's expectations... Okay, increase the intensity."
"Tsk, have you reached your limit? Keep increasing your training. Zheyue, I believe you can do it, right..."
"No resistance! The first lesson your teacher taught you was total dedication. Have you forgotten, Gu Zheyue? This is the highest realm you should pursue as a guide..."
"Penetration, destruction, manipulation, well done Sea Hornet! As expected—"
"Hold still! Control your savage spirit. Do you intend to harm the family of Baita? Show the gentleness and patience of a guide..."
…
The box jellyfish gradually became restless in the mental picture, its dense ribbon-like tentacles like a taut bowstring ready to be released.
Now, even if it is not a malicious attack, just an unintentional slight scratch will immediately provoke a crazy attack from the stinger. It is an instinctive reaction of deep stress and self-protection.
Meanwhile, Gu Zheyue remained as still as a corpse, showing no sign of resistance. Like a completely detached spectator, he slowly withdrew his perspective.
He "saw" the armored fingertips of the female soldier insect, like sharp blades, neatly slicing through the cloth around his waist. The already pale shell was gradually exposed to the air, and the instant it touched, goose bumps appeared on his skin, like fresh buds trying to break through their shell.
The protruding joints of the spine were pressed inch by inch by the fingertips with thin calluses. Under the light, the limp skin looked like a piece of frozen dead meat on a chopping block waiting to be slaughtered. Gu Zheyue almost vomited at the sight...
The examination results were all normal. Artemantis pursed his lips, took a step back, and loosened his right hand, which had been tightly gripping the sub-female. "I'm sorry for the offense. The Nest Cleaning Agency will apologize to you later."
The sub-female remained submissively prostrated on the table, her dark blue hair like a spreading anemone, lazily covering her delicate face. The delicate neck below looked like it could be easily broken, and this fragile posture was highly suggestive of the spectators' latent sadistic desires.
"It's okay, I'm used to it..." He said quietly, his voice filled with an indescribable calmness, as if he had become numb to such experiences. "You're just the 34th person who wants to do this..."
He will also be the 35th person to die from this - Gu Zheyue closed his eyes and murmured, "I'm sorry, I didn't want to..."
Upon hearing this, Artemanthys was completely stunned. The next second, he suddenly raised his right hand and slashed at his left wrist without mercy -!
Puff—something fell heavily to the ground.
…
1.8 light-years away, the Locust Pirates' headquarters ship was unusually deserted at the moment, and the atmosphere was as depressing as the sky before a storm.
“Damn it! Damn it!”
The dead silence was broken by angry roars coming from the control room. A burly, muscular figure slammed his hands on the control panel like sledgehammers, making loud "bang" sounds.
He was cursing at the top of his lungs, and the veins on his neck were bulging like twisted and jumping living things, almost breaking through the constraints of this human body.
The female insect's combat uniform was soaked with brown liquid, the damp fabric clinging to her body, making her look extremely disheveled. Her half-spread elytra drooped listlessly, the tips trembling slightly. Several charred tears were visible on them, repairing themselves at an extremely slow pace, emitting a faint, sour smell.
The communication device in the center of the control room suddenly flashed twice. As the faint light gradually brightened, a holographic figure quickly appeared.
Seeing this unexpected scene, the Zerg in the holographic image couldn't help but reveal a look of doubt and uncertainty. He frowned and said:
"Isn't it just to catch a male insect? He sneaked out with only a female soldier protecting him. How could he get into such a mess under such circumstances?"
"Fuck, you still dare to ask?"
The pirate turned around like a powder keg about to ignite. He laughed in anger, his white teeth chattering. "What kind of bullshit information did you give me! I don't know what kind of damn monster is hiding in that broken car, and it actually attracted the Nest Clearing Bureau. Look at the Locust Plague Pirates now - only one in ten is left!"
After saying this, he glanced at Damien Miller, who was lying unconscious on the ground, with resentment in his eyes, as if he wanted to tear this male insect apart, skin it, and squeeze it dry.
"Don't get so excited. After all, it was a close call. At least we achieved our goal, didn't we? Now the locust plague has a male insect from the Miller family in their hands. This is a real gain."
"That's a nice thing to say, but it wasn't your men who were killed!" The female insect seemed to be completely desperate. He sneered sarcastically, "Don't think that just because the Locust Plague Pirates are gone, you can get away with it. Considering our past friendship, I'm willing to show some mercy. If I'm caught, I'll be the first to give you up, and I'll try to leave you with an intact body..."
"We are all tied to the same rope now. How dare I harm you?"
The holographic image continued to soothe him calmly, "If you want to reap greater benefits, you must first give up smaller ones. As long as you, the core, are still here, the Locust Plague Pirates can always recruit new members. What's the big deal about a few female insects dying?"
The pirate's emotions gradually calmed down after hearing this. His chest rose and fell violently, as if he wanted to release all the anger and resentment in his heart with this breath.
"So what should we do next? These damned nest clearers are as stubborn as maggots on the tarsal bone. They definitely won't give up easily. And that weird train, damn it, insect god, what the hell is hiding on it—"
"Don't worry. From what I know about Director Hall, he won't be focusing on rescuing the male insects for the time being. We can take advantage of this..."
…
Train GZ673, inside the interrogation room.
The female mantis soldier's right arm transformed into a sickle, decisively slashing towards her left wrist. Within milliseconds, a crisp sound like metal clashing against stone echoed through the air, followed by a dull, rasping sound like flesh being torn apart.
The sudden change frightened the little jellyfish so much that its spiritual tentacles, which were ready to strike, withered. Gu Zheyue slid down from the table and looked at the strange scene in front of him with a confused look on his face.
Thanks to the Artemantis's armor's exceptional defensive power, his full-strength attack only left a deep wound on his wrist, enough to reveal the bone. The mantis's tender green blood spurted from its veins, splashing onto the pale ground in large drops, creating a powerful sensory impact.
"Sorry, my skin is quite resilient." The female soldier stared at her left wrist, assessing it with great seriousness. A blood film had already formed on the wound, and new tissue was growing at an uncanny speed.
"If you're still not satisfied, you can try again," Artemantis said, sounding somewhat annoyed. He had no idea what a shocking topic he was discussing. "I'll definitely be able to successfully cut it off with my next strike."
Gu Zheyue looked at the orange sickle on the mantis's right forepaw, poised to strike. He knew the insect wasn't lying, and it wasn't joking at all. The corners of his numb mouth actually felt like curling upwards, and the distant memory in his mind was once again triggered:
Back then in the White Tower, Gu Zheyue, who had just completed the second differentiation, became an S-level guide. Once the news got out, it triggered a frenzy of pursuit by countless sentinels.
"S-rank?! Hahahaha... After so many years, finally, finally—Xiaoyue, you are simply a gift from God!"
After three days and three nights of discussion, the White Tower's top brass decided to give him as the highest-level prize and bestow it upon all high-level sentinels on the verge of collapse.
Trading a guide for the loyalty of 34 S-rank sentinels with stable spiritual visions was undoubtedly a sure win. Therefore, no one raised any objections, as if this was a happy ending that made the best use of everything.
"Zheyue, the White Pagoda has nurtured you for so many years... It's time for you to repay your gratitude..."
Once again, layers of shadows appeared before his eyes: they were his family, teachers, and friends. Their mouths opened and closed, as if trying to persuade, give orders, or threaten something.
"Relax...it's just a mental connection...Haven't you always been good at group counseling..."
"Don't move, be obedient! Look, there are 34 poor sentinels here, longing for your rescue. Xiaoyue has always been the softest-hearted one, right..."
"What are you doing? Sea Wasp—are you rebelling…follow orders!"
"Catch him! If he resists... kill him on the spot!"
"Don't struggle... These sentinels' five senses have been pushed to their limits. The guide can't possibly stop them... Gu Zheyue, the White Tower will remember you as a sacrifice..."
Countless pairs of restless hands wantonly tore at his soul. In the moment of mental collapse, he heard the trumpet call from heaven:
Puff—this is the sound of the brain breaking.
Pieces of red and white flocs sprayed and splashed from his seven orifices, and the white tower was filled with pink blood mist. The heads of everyone present collapsed rapidly, and almost all of them had their brains exploded by his mental empathy.
“Ugh, uh…” A corpse with a blurred face twitched violently a few times like a dead fish. He vomited a large mouthful of brain fragments and groaned resentfully, “You ungrateful wolf… You, you are simply a demon…”
"Saint Zachary Field."
Who is Saint Zachary... Oh, you're calling me...
"I may not be qualified to preach, but Saint Zachary, when you are offended, you can choose to be tolerant and generous, or you can express anger and dissatisfaction. You should not be calm and numb."
He heard the strange insect in front of him say seriously: "Don't apologize, you didn't do anything wrong."
Gu Zheyue thought he would cry, or laugh, at least show some reaction, but his face remained expressionless. He was a jellyfish without a heart or brain, his hollow tentacles filled only with the desire to entangle and poison.
Artemantis saw the blue-haired sub-female looking at him with pity, and felt a faint cool touch on the skin on the side of his neck. Something slowly moved up and held his face.
He saw a confusing fluorescent light blooming behind Saint Zachary. In that ocean-like world, countless translucent creatures swam around, their dense tentacles intertwined to form a dragnet.
A holy, ethereal voice whispered in his ear:
"Then are you willing to save me..."
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