Chapter 109: On the Brink of Death

Chapter 109: On the Brink of Death

The disappearance of Fang Yun did not cause much of a stir. General Giles only dispatched a small squad to search along the way, with orders to report back any findings immediately. But everyone could see that finding him alive would be a tall order. With insufficient fuel, water, and food, his chances of survival were infinitesimally close to zero.

Meanwhile, the reconnaissance team had already located the lair of the Gorgers. Fifteen meters underground lay a colossal labyrinth, at the end of which the Queen, responsible for laying eggs, lay in wait. The Gorgers transported energy ores they hunted into this maze daily, hatching a batch of larvae every three days on average.

"The Gorgers transport their food in a very regular pattern, starting at dawn and ending at dusk, all during daylight hours," Giles explained. "If we want to destroy their nest amidst the chaos, it's best to strike swiftly at night."

A holographic terrain simulation appeared in the air. General Giles tapped lightly with his fingertips, changing the scene to reveal the maze's layout as drawn by the reconnaissance team using data: "At the appointed time, Colonel Joyce will lead the team into the maze to destroy the nest. Once the Gorgers' Queen is attacked, she will immediately use her psychic powers to command her offspring to return and fight. Colonel Ludwig, you will lead your team to intercept nearby, holding them off for at least five hours."

General Giles meticulously planned the operation. By the time the meeting ended, it was well into the late hours of the night. Meanwhile, the combat orders rapidly reached every insectoid's ears:

"Stand ready! Immediate action at dawn!"

In such perilous situations, male insects should have stayed hidden aboard starships. However, since witnessing Amber's effortless slaughter of beasts, no one objected to his participation in the battle—except for Ludwig.

"According to our instruments, there will be more beasts near the nest than there were that day. Unless absolutely necessary, I hope you won't take the battlefield," Ludwig said solemnly, an inexplicable unease gnawing at him.

Amber polished the sword in his hand, its cold light reflecting his dark eyes: "Ludwig, we're already on the battlefield. When the situation becomes critical, hiding in a starship won't solve anything."

Knowing he couldn't dissuade Amber, Ludwig sighed and relented: "Fine, but you must stay close to me. You can't charge into the fray again like last time to save that damned male insect!"

His voice carried a hint of gritted teeth as he uttered the last sentence.

Amber knew Ludwig harbored a grudge. After a moment of silence, he asked, "How is Nanla?"

Ludwig tugged at the corner of his mouth, a mocking yet sorrowful expression on his face: "His arm is broken. Upon returning to Heiz City, he'll be forced to retire from military service. Perhaps even his engagement will be called off. As you know, the army cannot retain a female insect with disabilities. And no male insect in Heiz City would be willing to marry a disabled female."

"His life is ruined…"

Ludwig had always felt a profound sense of sorrow for the existence of military females. They stood at the pinnacle of strength, yet were as lowly as mud. When their fighting abilities were lost, they were discarded like used chess pieces. What was the difference?

Amber studied Ludwig intently, seemingly smiling: "Are you worried I'll abandon you?"

Ludwig paused at Amber's words, looking up at him and speaking deliberately: "I'm not Nanla, and you're not those male insects. So this assumption doesn't hold."

He never pondered whether Amber would abandon him, for only the worthless were cast aside. And Ludwig would never allow himself to become a useless waste.

The entire fleet split into two groups, heading toward the beast's lair at dawn. Ludwig led his team to ambush behind a nearby mountain. Once Joyce's group engaged in battle, the nearby beasts would swarm towards them. Ludwig's task was to delay them for at least five hours.

Amber, like Ludwig, hid deep within a mountain crevice, observing the surroundings through binoculars. At dawn, the temperature had dropped to minus twenty degrees Celsius. Although their combat suits had temperature-regulating functions, they still shivered in the extreme cold.

Exhaling a breath of frost, Amber subtly glanced to his right. There, Sifflay was crouched behind a nearby mountain, whispering something to a comrade before quietly rising and leaving, his silhouette disappearing into the morning mist.

Amber narrowed his eyes keenly, sensing that something might happen. Lowering his voice, he told Ludwig, "I have something to do. I'll be back soon."

Ludwig frowned: "What are you doing? It's dangerous around here. Don't wander off."

But Amber replied, "I'm worried about some insect causing trouble. Guard this place well, don't let other insects take advantage."

With that, he patted Ludwig's shoulder, turned, and left, wielding his sword. The steep mountainside allowed him to vanish after a few leaps.

Amber followed the direction Sifflay had taken, eventually arriving deep within a canyon. Towering black mountains surrounded him, appearing eerie and grotesque under the shroud of fog. Due to the depression in the terrain, Amber felt as if he were in a massive pit.

"Woo-woo-woo—"

The chilling wind blew through the mountain crevice, emitting sounds akin to wailing ghosts. Amidst the fog, a huddled black figure seemed to be sobbing.

Upon seeing this, Amber's gaze sharpened. He drew his longsword and approached the figure slowly. Initially assuming it was Sifflay playing tricks, he was surprised to find someone unexpected upon closer inspection.

"Fang Yun?!"

A black-haired man was bound with ropes, curled up on the ground, covered in a thick layer of ice. Who else could it be but Fang Yun? Dressed in thin clothing, he had been frozen for who knows how long. With a cloth stuffed in his mouth, his cries for help were muffled, sounding like ghostly wails.

Frowning, Amber slashed his sword diagonally, severing the ropes binding the man. He never expected Fang Yun, who had fled in a spacecraft, to be here. Removing the cloth from Fang Yun's mouth, Amber asked sternly, "Who tied you up here? Sifflay?!"

Fang Yun's body was frozen stiff, his eyelashes encrusted with ice. Shivering, he looked anxiously at Amber, trying to say something. But due to prolonged hypothermia, his tongue was unresponsive, and his words were barely intelligible: "It… it… was… Sif… Sifflay…"

Hearing this, Amber turned abruptly. Standing atop the opposite mountain was a familiar military figure—Sifflay. Smiling, he clapped his hands: "Sir Amber, it's rare for us three to gather together. Today is truly a day worth celebrating."

The truth was now clear—Sifflay was indeed the assassin!

Flipping his wrist, Amber pointed the sword blade at the ground, adopting a combat stance. Calmly, he spoke, "You've gone to great lengths to deal with me. It must have been exhausting."

Sifflay shrugged, seeming somewhat helpless: "What can I say? Fang Yun was just too useless. Otherwise, I would have killed you long ago. Looks like I'll have to do it myself."

Lying on the ground, Fang Yun was emotionally agitated. Struggling to crawl a short distance, anger made him forget the cold. Shaking violently, he managed to utter a question: "Wh… why… I… I treated… you… so… well…"

"Well?"

Sifflay laughed heartily, as if hearing the funniest joke in the world: "Have you lost your mind among the insectoids? Do you think that by being a little gentler and more considerate, all female insects will be eternally grateful to you?!"

"If you really cared for me, why would you get entangled with those miscellaneous female insects? In the end, you were merely indulging yourself. You thought that because the males in Heiz City had multiple partners and lived in debauchery, coaxing and deceiving me would be a tremendous favor. Unfortunately, I'm not one of those pitiful creatures on Aliga Star."

Sifflay shed his pretense, losing the innocent and gentle demeanor he once had. Tilting his head, he slowly uttered, "Because… I am human."

"You…!!!" Fang Yun was struck hard, nearly fainting from the shock.

Seeing this, Amber realized he had underestimated Sifflay's depth. Slowly raising his sword, he pointed the sharp tip directly at Sifflay, asking emotionlessly, "Where is the real Sifflay?"

Pacing back and forth atop the cliff, Sifflay didn't mind providing an introduction before the "main event." Interested, he said, "Amber, since you know I'm the assassin, you should understand that the system is omnipotent. As long as you have points, you can exchange them for anything. There's no such thing as Sifflay in this world."

Their world was a novel, and Ludwig was the protagonist of this book. In the original story, he had no brother. Born as the sole heir to his family, he possessed the noblest bloodline, purest blond hair, and most azure eyes. Victorious in every battle, he would become the youngest marshal of the empire in years to come.

Sifflay looked smug, whispering word by word,

"I have taken Ludwig's entire life."

He used points to exchange for props from the system to fabricate an identity, seizing all of his counterpart's glories.

Thus, Ludwig's original blond hair and blue eyes became his, as did the family's adoration. The Ludwig who was supposed to be the pride of heaven turned into a mixed-blood bastard, burdened with the reputation of being a husband-killer, causing no male to dare marry him.

According to the altered fate trajectory, Sivray would rise through the ranks in the military after entering it, while Ludwig would fade into obscurity. But he didn't expect that even after losing so many of his glories, Ludwig could still rely on his own efforts to become the empire's youngest general, and Amber emerged as the greatest variable.

Amber frowned fiercely. "Why do this?"

If the other party only wanted to assassinate him, there was no need to target Ludwig.

"Why?"

Sivray took out a small black remote control from his pocket, tossing it carelessly twice. "Because this is my last mission. After killing you, I will remain in this world forever. How can there be a female more dazzling than me?"

"Although I don't know your origins, you're destined to die here today. Rest assured, Ludwig will soon join you down below."

After he finished speaking, he pressed the switch in his hand. A soft click sounded, and Fang Yun suddenly cried out in pain. His entire body, like a puppet, was lifted up from the ground, and his originally sunken belly began to swell outward at an alarming rate.

Seeing this, Amber's expression changed, sensing something was wrong. He immediately leaped up and started climbing the mountain wall. Just as he left, a loud explosion echoed behind him. Fang Yun's entire body was blown into a mist of blood and flesh. Countless red blood droplets fell densely from the sky, scattering around the valley. The air was filled with a pungent smell of blood, so thick it made it hard to breathe.

This intense scent of blood was akin to an aphrodisiac for the beasts. With a rumbling sound, countless gluttons suddenly crawled out densely from all around. Their black armor gleamed with a cold light, their claws moving as they crazily searched for food, gathering more and more—

Sivray had tied Fang Yun here to serve as human bait!

In a split second, Amber swung his long sword straight toward Sivray on the cliff above. His gaze was icy and sharp, carrying unmasked intent to kill. Seeing this, the latter's eyes flashed with panic, and he turned to flee, throwing out skills obtained from the system as if they were free:

"Ding! Teleportation skill activated!"

"Ding! Protective shield skill activated!"

"Ding! Sniper skill activated!"

Sivray's trump card skills were far more numerous than Amber imagined. Several times, he struck the other party with his sword, but Sivray either vanished before his eyes like a ghost or his body was so hard that even the sword couldn't pierce it. Moreover, he pulled out a gun and turned back to shoot wildly at him. If Amber hadn't dodged quickly and knocked the gun out of Sivray's hand with a stone in time, he would have ended up like Fang Yun.

Sivray laughed coldly. "I've done hundreds of assassination missions. How could I possibly die at your hands!"

Amber's face was solemn, finally feeling the difficulty. He could only keep attacking Sivray, consuming the other party's skill uses until he could only see afterimages:

"Ding! Teleportation skill disabled!"

"Ding! Protective shield skill disabled!"

"Ding! Sniper skill disabled!"

Sivray panted, evading Amber's attacks, finally hiding behind a rock. He cursed coldly, clearly not expecting Amber to be so troublesome. He could only take out a small silver whistle from his pocket and begin to blow:

"Ding! One silver whistle manipulation consumed!"

A low, piercing whistle suddenly sounded. The gluttons that had been aimlessly searching for food below the canyon suddenly surged towards Amber's location as if controlled, their dense numbers causing alarm, impossible to kill off.

Amber's figure was almost engulfed by these massive creatures. He swiftly swung his sword, its cold light shimmering, taking countless beast lives with each swing. Sivray hid in the shadows, pulling out another gun from behind and aiming at Amber's arm when the opportunity arose, then pulling the trigger—

"Bang!"

A bullet, accompanied by the sound of breaking air, came flying, covered by the roars of the gluttons, silently penetrating Amber's arm. He grunted, nearly dropping his sword, but quickly realized it was Sivray's doing. He immediately struck his wound with his palm, forcing the bullet out with his inner strength.

However, even the most powerful person couldn't withstand such endless fighting. Amber visibly entered a state of exhaustion. Sivray stood far away, watching as the tide of beasts swallowed Amber's body. Only then did he stop blowing the whistle, slowly retreating to leave this place—

The beasts had already gone crazy. If he didn't leave now, he might suffer too.

Sivray quickly retraced his steps along the path, occasionally looking back to check on Amber's situation. However, when he passed a corner, he accidentally bumped into a figure. Due to the slippery mountain road, he fell heavily to the ground.

"Plop!"

Before Sivray could see who it was, the next moment, the cold barrel of a gun pressed against his head, causing his skin to ache. His pupils contracted, and he looked up in shock, meeting Ludwig's icy and fierce eyes.