Chapter 67: Amusement Park (Ten)

Chapter 67: Amusement Park (Ten)

"When an Ice Butterfly group has a mature butterfly, that mature one becomes their king. All ice butterflies must obey its commands."

"After each mature butterfly awakens, it can access the full extent of its abilities from its memories. For example... when its heart is pierced and it experiences 'death,' its mental energy will scatter instantly, seeking a new host."

"The most potent energy, that of the 'heart,' initially lingers near the site of its 'death' and is concealed with the utmost care."

"The energies of the 'wings' and 'venom glands' traverse space, choosing the first object they encounter that doesn't repel their energy fluctuations..."

"The remaining energies, like those of the 'antennae,' 'eyes,' and 'butterfly legs,' instinctively search for the sub-butterflies within the group."

"It watches us, conveying its thoughts and orders... and tempts us to merge with it."

"Sub-butterflies, driven by their thirst for energy, still greedily devour its fragments, believing they can overcome the mature butterfly's consciousness. However, most of them are involuntarily influenced by the mature butterfly's consciousness, assisting in gathering enough energy for its various parts... even sacrificing themselves if necessary, to aid in its reconstitution and ultimate resurrection."

"As long as a single energy fragment remains, there is a chance for the mature butterfly to resurrect."

"It is crucial to utterly annihilate the mature butterfly's mental energy fragments with extremely powerful energy. Otherwise, it will continually seek new hosts..."

Of course, if Chéngdié's mental energy continued to weaken, Yádié's chances of successfully absorbing it and undergoing a new evolution would increase significantly.

They obeyed Chéngdié's commands while constantly harboring the desire to replace her.

This was the path of evolution for the Ice Butterflies.

Seiko: "…"

On the table in front of him lay a spindle-shaped pendant with several intertwined, chaotic crimson threads suspended inside.

Seiko pinched the pendant's protruding center, sensing the fragments of Chéngdié's mental energy within.

"It's very… angry… Cecil," Seiko said, lifting his head and pressing the pendant against his forehead.

A narrow crevice split open in the fair skin between his brows, engulfing the pendant within.

Seiko touched his forehead and then gazed at the red pillar of light soaring into the night sky. "Our secret base on the capital planet is exposed now. These could have been put to better use."

"I actually would've preferred to seize the opportunity to devour this fragment of mental energy and replace Cecil at another time," he murmured. "But not now."

"Being a grown butterfly in the swarm now... I'm not sure if it's a blessing or a curse."

"Beep! Beep! Beep!"

Outside Seiko's apartment, the capital planet's emergency sirens blared exceptionally loudly, broadcasting a warning to the public.

"Residents near the amusement park in the entertainment district, please follow the instructions of the security forces for evacuation—those who have not received evacuation orders should stay indoors, with windows and doors closed—"

"Those outside, please return to your homes immediately—!"

"If you are outdoors in the capital's entertainment area, seek assistance from the security forces promptly— all security drones are now illuminated with blue indicators—please head quickly towards these lights for assembly—and move away from the crimson beam originating from the amusement park area—"

The same alarm echoed through the defense space station orbiting the capital planet.

Inside the station, guards rushed towards their mecha prep chambers. Their steps were hurried, and as they passed by the portholes, their peripheral vision caught glimpses of the red glow outside, their expressions grave and apprehensive.

"The origin of Ice Butterfly's psychic energy lies beneath the capital's entertainment district," the station commander informed all those preparing for battle. "We must be ready at any moment for the enemy to break through our perimeter!"

"I've never seen Ice Butterfly's psychic power pierce through the atmosphere from ground level, let alone breach the defensive field," a mecha pilot couldn't help but remark to their comrade. "Given the intensity I sense, eliminating it will be a formidable challenge."

A deep crimson beam stabbed into the depths of space. A vast armada of warships stood at the ready, their weapons fully charged.

"It's coordinating with the ground for energy containment," said the companion. "Follow orders! We have no idea what's happening down there..."

"ALERT!!"

The voice of the space station commander boomed through the comm system.

In front of the fleet, the red beam suddenly trembled violently before it was seemingly cleaved from below, splitting into two, then branching out even further, like living venomous glands writhing and buzzing. Instead of attacking the surrounding ships, they intertwined above and dove swiftly downward.

"BOOM!!"

The piercing column of light, now resembling a venomous tentacle, plunged back to the ground.

With a deafening roar, the enormous, wider-than-a-craft gland collided fiercely with the massive, shimmering force field hovering above the amusement park base. The thunderous crash echoed across nearly half of the capital planet, even reaching the ears of residents distant from the entertainment district, who sensed something amiss.

Many were roused from their slumber, drawing back their curtains to gaze into the distance.

Someone, with squinted eyes, mumbled in a daze, "…What is that… colorful glow in the distance?"

Crimson, violet, and silver hues intertwined, faintly illuminating the horizon, casting an eerie glow upon the somber clouds in the nocturnal sky.

Those roused from their slumber sensed an impending crisis and, instinctively, logged onto the Star Network.

"What's going on in the Capital Star's entertainment district? Is some grand immortal transcending their tribulation? Or is it an extraterrestrial undergoing one?" Indeed, the discussion board's front page was flooded with heated posts.

Roused from sleep, the resident sat back on the bed, though drowsy, still intending to enjoy some fruit first.

"Not a tribulation! I have no idea what's happening either! But there's a brave soul near the amusement district live-streaming it—here's the link! It's called 'Marco's Pineapple Live Stream.'"

The onlookers immediately flocked to Marco's live stream, only to be jolted by the deafening roar that seemed to reverberate right in their ears. Those viewing through the light screen instinctively leaned back to create distance from it, while those using the holographic immersion mode let out startled screams.

"Bang!! Bang bang!! ——"

The live camera zooms in closely, immersing the viewer into the scene.

A vibrant crimson, thick with the venom of Ice Butterflies, plummeted from the clouds, relentlessly attacking the floating silver shield in midair.

Cracks formed on the shield but were swiftly repaired layer by layer.

Beneath it, a silver mech stood suspended, its two multi-laser particle cannons, resembling angel wings, unfurled from its shoulders, radiating dazzling purple light. A matching spirit energy indicator blinked, outlining the streamlined contours of the mech, making it highly conspicuous even amidst the chaotic energy field.

"Such a familiar purple," someone in the comments couldn't help but remark. "Isn't this... Rong Mi's spirit energy color?!"

"We can't be sure just by the color... but the spirit energy waves seem to match! Also, the way this mech is operating... I mean, that calm and composed combat style in the face of danger... it really reminds me of Rong Mi's style!"

"So what is that red stuff up there... is it the spirit energy of an Ice Butterfly?! This is a huge relief... I can't even imagine how an Ice Butterfly's spirit energy could appear on the capital planet..."

"It does seem like Ice Butterfly spirit energy... I think so too!"

"How do all of you upstairs know about Ice Butterfly spirit energy?! That's clearly beyond the curriculum! All I remember is vaguely learning about it in elementary school science class."

"In fact, I didn't know before either. But I just learned about it last night in Rong Mi's live stream. They said if you sense this kind of energy fluctuation, you should run immediately."

"Ahhhh, so why is the streamer still there?! Aren't you going to run, streamer?! If there's such powerful Ice Butterfly energy in the entertainment district, it's not safe here either! I can already hear the emergency evacuation announcements outside!"

"I'm on the outskirts of the entertainment district, with a close-up view, but it would still take half an hour to fly there. It's relatively safe at this distance," a youthful voice echoed in the live stream.

"At a time like this! Who knows if Ice Butterfly's mental energy might spread further!" someone fretted in the comment section, "If it reaches you and you try to escape then, it'll be much harder! Of course, you should flee while you can!"

High schooler Marco stood by his balcony window, diverting his gaze from the distant clash of lights to the end of the street below.

Every few seconds, he repeated this action with a hint of anxiety, "I'm waiting for my mom."

"My mom is a night bus pilot... She'll definitely come home to look for me first. We only have one private flyer," he explained.

His mother had taken the free public bus flyer to work that day, which was parked on their family's landing pad.

As the viewers in the live stream chat mentioned, no one knew if Ice Butterfly's mental energy would spread. If he left now, his mother would return home to an empty house and have to walk away on foot.

...It was too dangerous.

Public transportation near the entertainment zone had already been suspended. If not for the fear of missing her, Marco would have flown out to search for her.

"Still can't get through on the communicator," Marco murmured softly, "Maybe I forgot to charge it again..."

He had a great relationship with his mother and often felt that she wasn't too different from his peers.

At times, she could be forgetful and unreliable, with an insatiable curiosity and a penchant for whimsical ideas. For instance, after joining the "Pest Control Association" discussion group, she enthusiastically practiced piloting mechas for a long time. Today, as she left the house, she even dug out an unused mecha space button to wear as a necklace around her neck.

"Boom! ——Rumble!"

Another deafening explosion startled Marco, who had momentarily lost focus, into looking up at the sky.

She had previously purchased a telescope lens designed for watching live recordings of the Deep Space Rhapsody concert from the last row. Now, it was attached to the front of the camera, automatically tracking the movements of the silver mecha according to Marco's programmed instructions.

In the lens, the silver shield firmly held against the attack from above, but Rong Mi was under immense pressure.

For the ice butterflies' spiritual energy was still relentlessly harassing her from low altitude.

Rong Mi was confirming the location of the ice butterfly's energy core beneath the ground.

The mecha moved closely alongside the crimson beam, its high-energy particle cannons firing repeatedly on either side, colliding with the red energy.

The temperature inside the cockpit was rising steadily, and beads of sweat trickled down Rong Mi's cheek, dripping onto her pilot suit.

Lu Yi's mecha, in order to maintain high-powered attacks and extended operation, had completely sacrificed the cockpit's temperature regulation system.

The mecha's protective shield was powered solely by the pilot's mental energy. Once the connection with the pilot's mind was severed, the entire mecha lost its energy field defense, a design that prioritized offense over survival.

But it was exhilarating to operate.

Far more thrilling than any standard mechas he had piloted since his rebirth!

The silver mecha spun mid-air, tracing a crescent-shaped arc of light like a razor-sharp blade.

Rong Mi's gaze was fixed on the depths of the red glow. The particle cannon on his right side seemed to have eyes of its own, swiveling to form an arc as flames spewed from its barrel, severing an incoming icy butterfly's venom gland from behind.

The young man's hand rested on the control panel, his eyes suddenly gleaming with excitement.

He swept his short hair back and called out, "Lu Yi! I see it clearly!"

"Good," echoed Lu Yi, mirroring the vibrant hue of Rong Mi's mental energy in his eyes.

Pressing the communicator, he issued the command for a salvo preparation.

Amidst the crimson sky, a silver mech executed a graceful backflip in mid-air, dodging an ice butterfly's assault. It swiftly turned around and continued its descent.

The particle cannons on the mech's left and right sides retracted towards its back, resembling a silver falcon folding its wings tightly. With a purple glow, it dove downward at high speed—

"Boom! Boom! Boom! ——"

Fiery spiritual energy exploded continuously in front of Rong Mi, halting his descent.

Surrounded by a fiery halo, the silver mech spun gracefully in the air. The splashing red light from the explosions was dissolved by the flames alongside the mech.

Rong Mi evaded the ice butterflies' attacks with a speed that was, if anything, faster than before.

It could go even faster!

He pulled down the control stick, feeling the sudden surge in the mech's velocity. He couldn't help but whistle in delight.

Radiating excitement, Rong Mi shouted into the communicator amidst the whistling sound of the mech cutting through the air, "Lu Yi! This is the most exhilarating mech I've ever flown! ——"

"The speed, power, the amplification of spiritual energy... "

"Absolutely amazing!!"

The security team of mecha pilots, poised and ready to assist Rong Mi at a moment's notice, were speechless. "..."

They had been holding their breaths, fearing that the mecha might lose control and crash. To their surprise, the pilot himself wasn't just unafraid; he was actually relishing the experience!

Only Lu Yi had anticipated Rong Mi's reaction.

"There will be better ones."

Lu Yi had already arranged for Rong Mi to meet with a mecha designer.

He had foreseen the young man's response, so his lack of surprise was mixed with a pleasant feeling knowing that the youth enjoyed piloting his mecha.

With a calm and steady voice, he asked, "How far are we from the ground?"

"Three hundredths of a stellar mile... Two hundredths... One hundredth...!" The mecha moved swiftly, its speed amid the chaotic clash of energies akin to a deadly projectile piercing right through the center of the crimson beam. "We're going down!"

The mecha dove towards the ground at a velocity that seemed like it was about to crash.

As the frame was about to touch down, particle cannons suddenly extended from both sides. Rong Mi activated the reverse thrusters beneath his feet, momentarily slowing the descent of the mech.

In the next instant, the particle cannons flashed with brilliant light, fiercely impacting the ground.

"Boom!! —— Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The already shattered building crumbled further, the earth upheaving. The mech's particle cannons retracted, the reverse thrusters deactivated, and the transition was executed seamlessly, leaving the security team's mech pilots dazzled.

"I'm bringing out the true carrier of Cecil's fragments right now!" Rong Mi shouted. "Get ready! —In three seconds!—"

"Whirr!! ——"

The mech was now entirely enveloped in deep red light.

Purple flames still danced around the mech, competing with the encroaching red glow trying to infiltrate it.

In the deepest reaches of Rong Mi's mental perception, he saw an intensely bright red light... the carrier of Ice Butterfly's mental energy.

The object that truly held Ice Butterfly's mental power was tiny.

In appearance, it bore no resemblance to an Ice Butterfly; it was, in fact, a specially crafted Spatial Button.

A Spatial Button with a unique design.

Its diamond shape suggested that it was packaged in a special way for the sale of rare energy minerals.

It had been stored in an energy-isolating safe, deeply hidden within the main tower's lowest level.

However, with the Ice Butterfly's energy erupting from within the Spatial Button, the safe was now in shambles, only the melting black metal bottom still supporting the button beneath.

Raging red energy bombarded the mecha, wrapping around it in an attempt to hinder Rong Mi from reaching the Spatial Button.

Amidst the scorching purple flames, Rong Mi pushed the mecha's power to its maximum, extending his hand through the wildly swirling Ice Butterfly energy.

Benefiting from his immense mental strength and the mecha's formidable propulsion system, his movement, though slow and hampered by numerous obstacles...

...finally succeeded after a brief struggle.

The silver mecha's palm, aflame, clenched into a resolute grip, firmly enclosing the Spatial Button with its five fingers.

Rong Mi: "I've got you!"

Without hesitation, he flipped the mecha around the moment he grasped the spatial button, ascending back into the sky.

Flames danced while ice butterflies hummed.

Just as Rong Mi turned to depart, an unexpected change occurred.

"Beep!" An alarm sounded within the cockpit, "Ice Butterfly energy levels detected rising — please, pilot, take notice!"

The cockpit's alarm was accompanied by a deafening explosion.

Within the spatial button held by the mecha, a burst of butterfly spirit energy, even more terrifying than before, erupted, engulfing the purple flames entirely.