An Offering to Faith

"Roar—!" A deafening bellow echoed through the tunnels of Blood Mountain as a Plague Champion, drenched from head to toe in gore, advanced with heavy, lumbering strides. Not far ahead of it, four Alpha Mobile Task Force operatives stood ready for battle. The meat-grinder intensity of the fighting had inflicted catastrophic losses on both sides. Nearly three thousand plague monks of the Bloodhoof Clan were dead, while over half of the Alphas who had entered the tunnels had perished, leaving only some four hundred remaining. The number of destroyed drones was beyond counting; the cramped shafts were littered with mangled metal and mud-soaked corpses. Holding off a Plague Champion with a mere four men was an absolute impossibility, yet not one of them fell back. Their superiors had issued orders to fight to the death without retreating. In fact, the moment they were inoculated with those biological prosthetics of unknown origin, they had already prepared themselves for death. The four exchanged glances, held a brief exchange over their comms channel, and took the initiative to strike. Two assault rifles and two Gauss rifles were raised in unison at the end of the tunnel, spitting alternating flashes of yellow and blue. Evidently not expecting these humans to dare lean out of cover and open fire, the Plague Champion let out an enraged roar of pain. It thrust out its right arm, which swiftly morphed into the shape of a cannon barrel, and blasted a plume of pale-red mist toward the position the Alphas were defending. The dense cloud of spores burst outward, splashing across the four Alphas' faces like an exploding rifle grenade and rapidly burning through their gas masks. Fortunately, they had all been inoculated with Xiao Yu's biological prosthetics, and their specifically enhanced immune systems easily fended off the erosion of the Alpha protozoans. However— That was far from their only trouble. The expanding smoke obscured their vision. Even with their tactical helmets' thermal imaging engaged, they could only make out a blurry heat signature. The tunnel-shaking footsteps were closing in fast. One Alpha decisively pulled out a solid-state hydrogen battery and hurled it forward, followed immediately by an airburst incendiary round aimed in that general direction. Dense flames erupted into the air, creating a sea of fire that engulfed the tunnel's entire exit. Two Alphas laid down suppressing fire through the flames, while the other two rapidly fell back, attempting to put distance between themselves and the Plague Champion. Yet these superficial attacks did nothing to halt its advance. The three-meter-tall black figure plowed through the dense wall of fire like a tank rolling through a tunnel, charging straight into the faces of the four. Its left arm bore a massive shield, while its right ended in a greatsword-like club, forming a stark contrast with the Alpha Mobile Task Force's sleek, almost sci-fi equipment. Yet when it came to technical sophistication, it was not inferior to these Alphas in the slightest. While Torch had not completed a Gestalt Lifeform system, they had nonetheless achieved a breakthrough upon their foundation— Namely, having consciousness dictate biological processes, rather than biological processes dictating consciousness. These Plague Champions could select desired gene fragments from predesigned organs for customized expression, thereby achieving weapon mimicry. This was a Singularity that not even the Era of Prosperity—which had achieved "designed evolution"—had ever realized! Their very existence was the crystallization of technology, an incredible miracle. The two Alphas firing on the creature felt as if a train had slammed into them. The dark figure piercing through the flames flickered for merely an instant before slicing both of them in half at the waist, spilling shattered internal organs across the floor. They were killed on the spot before they could even let out a scream. Drenched in blood, the Plague Champion let out an exhilarated howl. Its heavily battered wounds were knitting together at a visible pace, the newly grown flesh far more hideous than before. "A monster." "Without question." The two remaining Alphas stared in dread at the creature, yet neither retreated a step. According to their battlefield situational awareness system, their probability of survival was less than one percent. Turning their backs now would only hasten their demise. In that case, they had to at least make their deaths meaningful. The two Alphas looked at each other and simultaneously flicked off the safeties on their exoskeletons' self-destruct modules. The moment their vital signs ceased, the modules would detonate the exoskeleton batteries. While it might not take the beast down, it would certainly cause it some trouble. Its regenerative capacity was not limitless; if damage exceeded the threshold of healing, it would die just the same. Teammates who had fallen earlier had already shared this insight, and what they had to do now was use their final moments to buy a sliver of hope for the comrades behind them. The clash was about to erupt! Just as the Plague Champion prepared to swiftly execute the two and seek out its next target, a scorching blast of flame shot without warning right between the two Alphas and streaked toward its face! Instinctively raising its left arm to block, the searing fire was swiftly absorbed by the fleshy-red sporocarp rippling over the shield. Though the fire inflicted no fatal injury, it still caused the beast's advance to hitch for a fraction of a second. Surprise flickered across the faces of the two Alphas as they glanced back. Standing behind them was a soldier in an exoskeleton, clutching a massive-caliber shotgun. "Get down!" Brother Edge bellowed. His manual Flame Dragon shotgun barked again and again, vomiting blistering tongues of fire at the shield-bearing brute. Battered by the continuous thermal damage, the Plague Champion roared in pain. Bracing behind the shield on its left arm against the streaming flames, it charged straight ahead. At that exact moment, a Strength-type player stepped forward behind a ceramite shield, charging headlong at the howling, downward-swinging right arm without dodging. THUD—! A dull boom echoed through the tunnel. The Strength-type player holding the shield sank slightly at the knees, but that was all. The Plague Champion's eyes bulged in shock, staring in disbelief at the pristine shield. The biomass battleaxe mimicked by its right arm was capable of tearing through armor-grade steel, yet it hadn't left so much as a scratch on this plate! Evidently, it did not know that this material was structural plating designed for space stations. Though it was less effective against shaped-charge anti-armor rounds, its ability to withstand high-velocity kinetic impacts was second to none. Having absorbed the blow, the player discarded the shield, ducked low, and lunged right up against the Plague Champion. With a roar, he slammed the syringe strapped to his waist deep into the monster's thigh. Strain B Na fruit had a pronounced inhibitory effect on Strain J. This inhibition went beyond merely consuming Strain J; it actively suppressed its proliferation. And the self-healing ability of the Church of the Torch's biological power armor was provided entirely by the Na fruit mycelium—a conclusion the Alliance Institute of Biological Research had reached the previous year after dissecting the remains of Gahn. The Alliance had used this technology to produce the "Strain J inhibitor," designed specifically to suppress the self-healing capabilities of Torch's biological power armor. The inhibitor's effects lasted at least three minutes, during which the recovery efficiency of the biological power armor was slashed by over ninety percent. At least until the injected "toxin" was fully metabolized. Taking the injection, the Plague Champion bellowed in pain and lashed out with its right leg, kicking the Strength-type player who was gripping the syringe straight into the air. The player smashed against the rock wall and slumped into unconsciousness with a muffled groan—it seemed he had disconnected. The Plague Champion furiously ripped the needle from its right thigh, only to discover in horror that blood was welling uncontrollably from the rice-grain-sized puncture with zero sign of healing. Seeing the attack work, another player who had entered the cave with Edge beamed with delight. Dropping into a crouch, he hoisted an RPG launcher, flicked off the safety, and yelled at the top of his lungs: "RPG!!" White smoke erupted from the launcher as the rocket slammed violently into the shield. Explosive flames sprayed in all directions, blasting away shards of rock and nearly wiping out their own allies in the tunnel. Shielding his head with an arm as he backed up two steps, Edge looked up with shotgun in hand, only to see the Plague Champion acting as if a high-explosive warhead was nothing. The shield joined to its left arm had been blown open in a hideous gouge, yet the damaged area was still knitting closed before their eyes. "Holy shit?! Why didn't it work?!" the player holding the RPG blurted out in shock. Edge froze for a second, but quickly caught on and roared back at him: "The right leg! The needle went into the right leg! Aim for the right side of its body!" His scientific knowledge was average, and he didn't really understand what biological power armor actually was. But by analogy to anesthesia, usually only the area where the shot was administered went numb. By that logic, the suppression of its regeneration was likely limited to the region around the injection site. "Fuck!" Snapping out of it, the player immediately rammed another warhead into the launcher, locked onto the stumbling, retreating Plague Champion, and squeezed the trigger. "RPG!!" Another streak of white smoke hissed out, detonating dead-on right beside the Plague Champion's right leg this time. The exploding shrapnel whipped forward like a raging storm, embedding itself deeply into the brute's right side. The Plague Champion let out an agonizing shriek, staring at its blood-drenched flank with eyes full of disbelieving terror. Its regeneration had failed! Worse yet— Its entire right side felt completely numb, and its strength was draining away at a palpable rate. Giving it no breathing room whatsoever, Brother Edge charged forward with his Flame Dragon shotgun and dumped the entire magazine into the retreating creature. Amid a string of resounding blasts, the towering bulk finally crashed heavily to the ground, motionless at last. Seeing the boss finally go down, the players erupted in excited cheers. Looking at these allied reinforcements, the two Alphas wore expressions of utter bewilderment. Brother Edge stepped beside one of them and explained the situation concisely. "Brother Edge, commander of the Alliance's Death Corps. Half an hour ago, the Church of the Torch launched surprise assaults on nearly all our frontline positions, especially over at Weifu Military Base." The Alpha looked at him and asked, "Then... why are you here?" "Because we're needed here," Brother Edge glanced at the fallen Plague Champion and grinned. "Besides, the enemy's attention is definitely fixed on Weifu Military Base right now. This is our best shot at taking Blood Mountain! The Administrator ordered us to secure the broodmother hidden deep inside Blood Mountain at all costs!" "Understood," the Alpha nodded, wisps of white vapor venting from his gas mask. "We will support you with everything we have." Brother Edge smiled and asked, "I introduced myself. What about you? What's your name? Where's your squad leader?" The person answered succinctly, "Alpha 1006. Our squad leader is omnipresent. Pay it no mind—you can just speak with me." Brother Edge was taken aback for a moment, then bumped his fist forward with a chuckle. "That's way too long... I'll just call you Ah Liu." The soldier nodded, bumped fists with Brother Edge, and racked the bolt of his weapon. "Tell me your plan." Brother Edge: "We plan to strike directly at the broodmother's core. As long as we neutralize the source of the plague, those mutants won't be worth mentioning." Ah Liu stared at him impassively. "Did you bring high-yield explosives?" "No need for that kind of stuff." Herding twenty gnawers that were fed so plump they resembled mountains of meat, In Debt God walked up from behind, a cheerful grin on his face. "These will do just fine." These were the smallest ones; any fatter and they wouldn't have fit through the passage. For some reason, while Brother Luo Yu's fruiting bodies knew how to watch their "figures," the ones he raised acted like idiots, gorging themselves all day until they were round as balls. Aside from carrying supplies or helping build bridges, they were completely useless on the front lines. Now, though, that was fine. They finally had a chance to be useful. Seeing those fruiting bodies, Ah Liu immediately grasped what they intended and nodded. "Understood. I will provide cover." The two teams joined forces, reversing their earlier decline, and renewed their push into the depths of Blood Mountain. There were fifty Plague Champions equipped with biological power armor in total. The Alpha Mobile Task Force had killed ten earlier, leaving nearly forty. Their abilities varied wildly. Much like the plague monks, they possessed grotesque forms and bizarre combat styles, and their brutal tactics made one's skin crawl. Yet for both the Alpha Mobile Task Force and the Death Corps, fear at this level was trivial. Especially the latter. They were a bunch that didn't even take the Tide seriously, willing to charge with the crudest weapons against fruiting bodies and evolved organisms outnumbering them hundreds to one. Now that their gear was leagues better than before, they had even less reason to bat an eye. Bloody slaughter raged throughout the tunnels, the pungent stench of gore overpowering even the rotting stench of the spores. Both sides had beliefs they were determined to defend and reasons they could not afford to yield. Because of this, both suffered staggering casualties. Soon, only half of the remaining forty Plague Champions were left standing. And most of that remaining half were wheezing, their regeneration and stamina pushed to the brink. Standing inside the "palace," Sodo gradually wore an expression of horror, his earlier excited bluster nowhere to be seen. It could feel the life force of its believers slipping away, and could hear the mournful cries of the Lord of Plagues. The god it worshiped was calling to it, urging it to stop those brutal invaders at all costs. Yet those brute invaders seemed endless. As soon as one fell, another stepped up from behind. Even the personal guard of His Majesty the Beastmaster couldn't withstand the relentless onslaught. Its bloated body trembled, toad-like jowls quivering as a guttural mutter slipped from its mouth. "Revered Lord of Plagues... your servant cannot withstand them in this feeble body. Please grant me a mightier vessel, and I swear I will devour them all for you." It mumbled on, its hideous face filled with devotion, yet no one answered its prayers. Not only the broodmother concealed deep within the pit, but even the "Beastmaster" pulling the strings had his nerves stretched taut, utterly stunned by the situation unfolding before him. The Beastmaster in particular. He had assumed that once Weifu Military Base was threatened, the coalition forces would pull back troops from various fronts to defend it. He never anticipated they would still refuse to abandon the Blood Mountain position and the Alpha Mobile Task Force trapped within it. The reinforcements sent to this peak numbered at least three thousand, and most of them were Awakened. Their fearless, suicidal fighting style instilled a prick of dread even in the plague monks whose sense of pain had been surgically removed. He hadn't wanted to intervene in person. But if he didn't deal with these nuisances, he feared he wouldn't get the chance to step out and meet that Administrator. Pale-green eyes glared at the soldiers standing before him. Directly possessing a Plague Champion, the Beastmaster loosed an imposing growl: "Out of my way." The voice carried a psychic pressure, like that of an apex predator dominating an inferior creature in the food chain. Yet to his bewilderment, the humans showed no trace of fear upon hearing his voice; instead, their eyes lit up with feverish excitement. "Holy crap, this thing speaks human!" "Motherfucker! This one's gotta be the real boss, right?!" Racking his shotgun, Fawai Kuangtu howled in excitement, "Brothers! Pull the boss!" He was answered by a chorus of wild, babbling whoops. "Ooh-ooh-aah!" "???" Watching these guys suddenly boil over with excitement, the Beastmaster froze for a moment. Only when a rifle grenade detonated right before him did he roar in fury and charge toward the noisy crowd. His right arm swung like a battleaxe, a single horizontal sweep swatting the man and shield blocking his path through the air. Yet beyond his comprehension, in the face of his brutality and overwhelming might, the noisy pests grew even more ecstatic. Eyes blazing with battle lust looked at him as if staring at a delectable prize. It was precisely this insolent disrespect that made the rage inside his chest flare out of control. These puny human things... Were they all masochists?! With unprecedented fury pooling in his chest, the Beastmaster tried to steady his breathing, only to realize his mind couldn't suppress the spiraling emotion. Violent power surged through his veins, defying his will like never before. The sensation was just like the hunger for food—pure biological instinct. The reason he had previously been able to master his emotions and make calm, calculated decisions was that he had resided in the Sanctuary, without a physical form in the mortal realm. Having been separated from mortal flesh for far too long, he had completely forgotten how to restrain instinct. "ROAR—!" Thoroughly enraged, he broke loose like a wild mustang, tearing into the ants standing in his way. Yet seeing his hot-tempered fury, the players only felt that this boss had been programmed with incredible realism. Especially the player who had been knocked flying first. Rejoining the line, he spat out a mouthful of blood and coughed while hollering in excitement: "Put your backs into it, boys!" "The boss is tilting!" ... Meanwhile, deep within the subterranean rock of Blood Mountain. Ah Liu led Brother Edge, In Debt God, and their group onward. Nearly all the surviving strength of the Alpha Mobile Task Force was gathered here. Tragically, what had once been a full battalion of over a thousand operatives had dwindled to just 112 members. As for Brother Edge's side, aside from a dozen or so brothers, there were only the twenty eccentrically shaped "babies" raised by In Debt God. The tunnel beneath their feet was a route mapped out at the cost of nearly a thousand drones and over a hundred Alpha operatives. By tracking the corpses of fallen squad members from the 13th Squadron, they had pinpointed the broodmother's approximate coordinates. Most of the Bloodhoof Clan's plague monks were pinned around the palace of the prophet named Sodo. This area, which should have been heavily guarded, was strangely sparse, defended by only a few dozen plague monstrosities. Brother Edge figured there had to be a breakdown in the Bloodhoof Clan's chain of command; otherwise, having laid out such a meticulous plan, they wouldn't have left a glaring vulnerability in such a vital spot. For instance— The Lord of Plagues needed the "Beastmaster" or the "Prophet" to communicate with its minions below, since those plague monks were not its actual fruiting bodies. If the Beastmaster and the Prophet were both occupied, their subordinates—relying on already primitive means of communication—would very likely suffer a total breakdown in command. In truth, not just the mutants—the players' and Alphas' own command networks struggled in this intricate labyrinth of tunnels, with signals constantly dropping in and out. Even without considering the electromagnetic pulse traps Torch had hidden in the tunnels, the solid rock was a natural barrier on its own. Brother Edge didn't know what methods the Alphas used to maintain unit cohesion, but on their side, they had to rely on the "cheat" of scheduled offline communications to pass along crucial information. "Is there a problem?" Noticing the commander of the Death Corps glancing at him repeatedly, Ah Liu turned an emotionless gaze toward him and inquired. Seeing that the operative had caught his gaze, Brother Edge didn't hide it and asked straightforwardly, "No problem, just curious... How do you guys communicate with one another?" Ah Liu: "It is simple. Our minds are shared. Every individual is a communication node." Hearing this, In Debt God couldn't help making an odd face and blurted out, "Then what happens if you accidentally think of something weird?" Perhaps because this wasn't classified, Ah Liu didn't withhold it and answered matter-of-factly: "No such concern exists for us. Sections of our cerebral cortex have been excised. Even necessary cognitive activity is conducted from the perspective of the Alpha Mobile Task Force as a collective whole." In Debt God: "Excised... but why go that far?" "Why..." Ah Liu pondered for a moment. "I do not know the high command's reasoning. Perhaps to improve combat effectiveness, perhaps to eliminate liabilities. But even setting that aside... do you not find it convenient?" In Debt God stared at him, dumbfounded. "Convenient?" Ah Liu nodded and said simply: "Even from the standpoint of an individual, pointless daydreaming only brings needless suffering. Whether our sacrifices have meaning, what we will receive after victory, why one can eat at most four bowls of rice with toppings per meal... even having answers changes nothing. If so, I see no downside to conserving that computing power. At least we can enjoy the remainder of our scheduled time without worry." Pausing, Ah Liu added: "On that note, I must thank you. Our lives should have ended half an hour ago. Now, it seems we might even eat tomorrow's breakfast." Looking at the soldier, Brother Edge felt a sudden twinge of sympathy. His Adam's apple bobbed as he said, "...When we get back, my treat. Have as many bowls as you want." Ah Liu nodded. "I appreciate the thought, but it is not a matter of money. Still, we are rather looking forward to what new dishes might be at tomorrow's mess hall." Looking at the rigid soldier, Brother Edge put on a helpless expression. "Eating together is fine, right?" He could order a few extra dishes so these folks who always stuck to one thing could try something new. Ah Liu thought for a moment and nodded. "Agreed." Their officers had never forbidden dining with friendly forces; it was just that most people found them dull and preferred not to get close to them. As they drew closer to the target, the rotting stench in the air grew ever more overpowering. Everyone snapped to maximum alertness, not uttering another word. At that moment, a vast subterranean cavern opened before their eyes. Right in the center of that space lay a pit over a hundred meters wide. Surrounding the pit were various wooden and iron implements, decorating the entire cavern like an altar steeped in mysticism. In addition to the altar, a swarm of plague monks with three heads and six arms lurked here, numbering over a hundred. Their hideousness defied description; even a tentacle-covered polyped would look cute by comparison. Noticing the intruders, the plague monks instantly howled and charged forward, seeking to tear them to pieces. Yet against the assembled Alphas, this number was nothing more than cannon fodder. Already familiar with these monsters' unique combat styles and perverse regenerative powers, the Alphas kept their distance and alternated fire, their concentrated firepower pinning down and slaughtering the hundred or so minions in the tunnel with ease. The group arrived at the rim of the deep pit. The dark-red mist seemed to drift directly from its depths; just peering down from the edge imparted a palpable chill of death. The surrounding Alpha protozoans were agitated and restless, unable to erode these soldiers. A call whispering from the dark sounded like the howling of a beast, or perhaps a plea for mercy. Brother Edge gave In Debt God a look, signaling that it was time. Though he was well aware of the mission objectives and had zero complaints about the Administrator's compensation, having to push the babies he had raised with his own hands down into the pit still stirred a pang of reluctance in his heart. He wasn't truly heartless, after all. Gazing upon the round-bellied fat boys, he rambled softly, "Little Gray, and Little Little Gray, and Little Little Little Gray... don't blame Daddy once you go down. Daddy didn't have a choice—the Administrator made me do it..." Listening to his mumbling, Brother Edge rolled his eyes. If this bastard really couldn't bear it, why did he accept this "waifu-selling" quest? Nobody forced him. There were plenty of gnawers in Qingquan City; fat ones like these were rare, but bringing a bunch more would've worked just the same. Before In Debt God could finish whining, the twenty fruiting bodies seemed to have had enough. Letting out an "ee-woo" by way of farewell, they stepped forward on their own and leaped down into the abyss. They were merely "cells" of Xiao Yu. Xiao Yu had already given them their orders before entering the cave; they didn't need any command from their "breeder" to carry out the mission to the end. Yet In Debt God looked thoroughly crushed, his jaw dropping in shock. "Holy shit?! So savage?!" He hadn't even had the chance to say a proper goodbye to his children! Brother Edge: "They're fruiting bodies with no self-awareness. What did you expect?" Beside them, Guntong Xitouji couldn't help chiming in, "Exactly! Trying to buy a waifu for a hundred silver coins—what were you dreaming?" "Fuck me!" Ignoring their bickering, Ah Liu walked to the edge of the pit and peered down. "Is this sufficient?" Patting In Debt God's shoulder, Guntong Xitouji chuckled, "Probably! Our job is done—the rest is up to Xiao Yu. If all else fails, we can throw this guy down too. He's carrying Xiao Yu's seed as well." In Debt God: "%¥#@!" Ah Liu nodded, but furrowed his brow slightly as he gazed into the deep pit. His helmet's HUD indicated that the surrounding spore density was shifting dramatically. Evidently, those fruiting bodies were indeed poison to the broodmother beneath their feet, which had been designated Alpha. Yet toxicity was relative. "Alpha" and the Qingquan City broodmother were not of the same type after all. The latter had shared most of its organic matter with its spawn, whereas this creature hoarded the vast majority of its biomass within itself. The paths of evolution each explored were completely different. If the Qingquan City broodmother was a king bestowing titles upon countless knights and lords, then this broodmother was a wizard dwelling in an ivory tower. It was so stingy that it shared none of its substance, expanding its domain purely through the power of its believers. "...Alpha protozoan density is falling; spore density is rising." "Missile launches have ceased, aggression is waning... Has it determined the threat is neutralized? Or does it simply lack the remaining capacity?" "If the latter, spore density should be dropping in tandem." "'Confident of victory'?" "Unpleasant." "If its conclusion is drawn from the number of fruiting bodies deployed... twenty fruiting bodies are likely insufficient to fully consume it. Another possibility cannot be ruled out: fruiting bodies alone cannot consume it, and something else is required." "The feasibility assessment of mobilizing fruiting bodies from the rear?" "Zero. Getting the message out would take at least an hour, and according to information from friendly forces, the rear is in a state of emergency and likely incapable of supporting us." "If 'Alpha' adapts to 'Xiao Yu's' consumption or absorbs its gene fragments to evolve targeted countermeasures, this offensive method will lose its deterrent value." In the span of merely a few breaths, the operatives had concluded their exchange over radio waves. And regarding what had to be done next, they had reached a unanimous consensus. The attack was effective. But it was not enough. Glancing at the friendly soldiers who were laughing and bickering among themselves, Ah Liu looked back at Brother Edge and spoke without warning: "Tomorrow, I may have to break our promise." Brother Edge paused, dumbfounded. In Debt God, who was grappling Guntong Xitouji's head, froze as well. Before the players could react, Ah Liu had unfastened the exoskeleton, gas mask, and helmet. Only now did Brother Edge realize that this operative was actually a long-haired girl. From the voice alone, one couldn't tell at all... Not just Ah Liu—every single one of them moved in unison, stripping off their weapons and gear and leaving them where they stood. Though their exoskeleton batteries could have served as final rounds, their objective was not to destroy this broodmother; moreover, such minimal damage would be futile against an organism of this scale—only a strategic bombardment could obliterate it. The Xiao Yu within them was the final round. Between countless injuries and regenerations, that little entity had become part of their bodies, growing and thriving within them. Though they could sense that the creature didn't particularly like them, much like the other survivors at the military base. Yet none of that mattered. Without a flicker of hesitation from a single soul, they calmly walked toward the bottomless abyss, and leaped into the dark...