Chapter 135

Chapter 135

“Landing platform, we’ve arrived.”

The shuttle hatch slowly hissed open. The group stepped onto the platform and walked towards the preparation area, buffeted by the fierce high-altitude winds that ruffled their clothes.

“Do you think he’ll show up?”

“Probably not. If it were me, after safely returning from supporting the St. Maria Base with a stack of accolades, I’d just kick back and wait for a promotion.”

The members of Squad Nine chattered amongst themselves, certain that Su Xu wouldn't appear for today's mission, their words laced with heavy disappointment.

“If he doesn’t come, we’ll have to go back to grinding missions endlessly under Captain Emir for contribution points. It’s exhausting,” one squad member sighed, not even trying to hide his motives—after all, wasn’t everyone thinking the same?

Though Su Xu and Guan Jie still took the lion's share of contribution points, they had at least gotten a cut of the rewards. The points from that mission had kept them comfortable for a while. If they could keep getting such benefits, they’d happily keep playing second fiddle to Su Xu.

“What a shame. But I get it—with his skills, he’s got plenty of chances to cut loose deadweight.”

Their conversation carried snide remarks as they glanced back at Guan Jie, who was lagging behind.

If there had been any doubt before about whether Guan Jie earned his contribution points through skill or Su Xu’s help, their observations over time had made it clear—Guan Jie was a spineless coward who hid behind others when things went wrong. As long as he didn’t cause trouble, that was good enough.

Watching such a useless leech cling to Su Xu and mooch off him made them both envious and indignant on Su Xu’s behalf. What was he even getting out of this?

Guan Jie shuffled forward, lost in his own thoughts, oblivious to his teammates’ disdainful looks. He was completely immersed in his inner world.

His chest felt tight, his hands shaking. The hope he’d clung desperately to was crumbling now that Su Xu seemed to be abandoning him.

Hadn’t he promised to help? Hadn’t he sworn to get Guan Jie into the Experiment Center’s inner circle?

Just recently, the professor had asked him a few questions about his mission contribution points—his goal was finally in sight. But now, Su Xu was going to leave him behind and get promoted on his own. Without enough points, the professor would go back to ignoring him like before.

Liar! Su Xu had played him all along!

Once this mission was over, he’d go straight to the Experiment Center and tell the professor what he’d seen when leaving the Collection Center—Su Xu might have ties to the people at sea and could betray Matia again at any moment. Or maybe Su Xu was a spy sent by those thieves! If Guan Jie couldn’t have what he wanted, he’d make sure Su Xu didn’t either!

“Hey, isn’t that Su Xu?”

“Where?”

“In the prep area, heading toward our Ark—tall, lean, fair-skinned, unfairly handsome.”

The moment Guan Jie heard Su Xu’s name, he snapped his head up, his gloom instantly lifting. Ignoring the others’ scornful looks, he dashed over to greet him.

“Su Xu, you’re back!”

He wasn’t oblivious to their disdain, but so what? As long as he got what he wanted—the professor’s attention—he’d do anything. Besides, the higher-ups at Matia wouldn’t listen to the gossip of insignificant nobodies. Once he climbed to a position of respect, let’s see who’d dare talk then.

Su Xu recognized Guan Jie’s voice but didn’t turn around, merely grunting in reply before trudging into the Ark’s cabin. He collapsed into his usual seat and immediately dozed off. He’d overeaten last night and stayed up, waiting for this exact moment to catch up on sleep.

The other squad members, seeing Su Xu had indeed returned, bristled with unspoken questions but held back, afraid to disturb him—for fear of losing their cut later.

From the pilot’s seat, Emir watched coldly, letting out a dissatisfied huff before jamming the throttle, hoping to jostle Su Xu awake. But before he could, the control tower cut in sharply.

“ARK357, pilot Captain Emir, if you’ve forgotten the Ark operation manual, disembark for retraining before departure.”

Emir reluctantly let up on the throttle, guiding the Ark off the runway properly. He shot a glare at Su Xu in the rearview—only to find the other man already awake, staring right back at him.

Su Xu flinched under the stare, sitting up uneasily before giving in to exhaustion and slumping against the wall to doze.

Matia hadn’t been docked long, and their exploration zone hadn’t expanded yet. They’d reach the target location soon—he needed to rest while he could. Especially since he’d just taken supplements.

Their Ark eventually landed on a seascape of wreckage, the aftermath of a recent brutal battle. The water’s surface was littered with grimy ultra-light titanium alloy debris, teeming with black-scaled lizards, their tongues flicking like snakes.

“C-Captain, are we in the right place?!” The squad members went pale at the sight.

Given their captain’s usual style, he wouldn’t take on such a dangerous, high-risk mission. What was going on today? Unless…

Hadn’t the former Squad Ten captain lured people into dead zones to disappear them? Was Emir planning the same?

Even Emir was baffled. He stood from his seat, craning to see through the windshield. “Wasn’t this place cleared already? We were just supposed to deploy the sea Repellent Device. Why’s it swarming with mutated creatures again?”

Su Xu glanced down, recognizing the reptilian creatures. He’d seen them in the Mutated Creature Bestiary at the training base and fought them a few times during the St. Maria mission—but never in such numbers.

The bestiary called them “Scavenger Lizards”—sinuous as serpents, resembling lizards in appearance and habits. Their leathery scales, fangs, and bone-crushing jaws made them formidable. Highly visual and amphibious, they were among the few remaining amphibious mutated creatures. Unlike most lizards Su Xu knew, their saliva carried corrosive venom—victims suffered anything from necrosis to instant, lethal perforation.

Their slender tails and whiplike spines propelled them underwater, earning them a Class-A threat status from both human bases. If they ever made landfall, their climbing skills could devastate a base.

“Captain, should we turn back?” a member suggested.

If the captain’s pride was the issue, they could offer him an exit.

Emir nearly agreed but caught himself, glancing at Su Xu. “We proceed. Activate the Repellent Device, and the mission’s complete.”

He knew full well his team was outmatched against these mutated creatures—but he refused to retreat. His team was already looking to Su Xu for leadership. If he didn’t act now, he’d lose command.

During Su Xu’s absence, the squad had dragged through missions, complaining about meager contribution points—spoiled by their past haul.

But if command passed to Su Xu, a firebrand, would Emir even survive to retirement?

No—he had to maintain control, no matter what.

Su Xu wasn’t surprised by Emir’s stubbornness. Wordlessly, he prepped his gear from the storage under his seat, inspecting weapons, loading his nuclear hand cannon, checking his sidearm’s energy cell, and verifying the medkit’s supplies.

Looks like a brutal fight was coming.

As Emir activated the descent system, his gaze kept drifting to Su Xu. Though it galled him to admit, among everyone in the cabin, the gap in skill was stark.

The others only prepped when ordered, having zero initiative.

He acknowledged Su Xu’s competence—but he refused to concede defeat.

The Ark didn’t land near the Scavenger Lizards. Emir stuck to his usual tactic: split the team to lure the mutated creatures away while a subgroup deployed the device, then evacuate.

But the moment their watercraft hit the sea, the creatures vanished beneath the waves.

“Where’d they go?” A member hesitated—just as the water exploded.

Su Xu lunged, hauled the man back by the scruff, saving his head from being crushed by snapping jaws. He fired three rounds into the lizard’s midsection.

The wounded creature hissed, seemingly signaling others.

Su Xu’s instincts screamed. “Close the hatch!” he shouted at Emir by the door. “Don’t let them in!”

Emir reacted belatedly, complying just as the Ark rocked from a violent impact. A grotesque mutated creature slithered past the window—had he delayed, it would’ve killed him and swarmed inside, dooming them all.

“We can’t just wait to die.” Emir staggered to the controls, legs weak. “Change of plans—I’ll draw them off. You move in and complete the mission.”

“Understood, Captain.” The squad acknowledged.

Su Xu remained silent, not because the supplement's enhancement kept him focused on the battle, but because the increasing number of monsters swarming in—each with fangs and sharp claws—left him no room for distraction.

He drew the short knife from his waist and slashed at the lizard's whip-like tongue, then twisted his wrist and plunged the blade into its skull. He watched as the metal rapidly corroded and the monster's slit-pupiled eyes slowly closed.

Splattered acidic blood landed on Su Xu's shoulder, burning a small hole in his clothing. He brushed it off and muttered in relief, “Lucky it didn’t burn through. Getting it fixed by maintenance would cost an arm and a leg!”

Instead of lingering to celebrate, Su Xu raised his gun and aimed at the abdomen of another lizard nearby. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, Guan Jie's urgent warning rang out.

“Su Xu, watch out!”