Chapter 305: Cut Down by a Flurry of Blades

Thin wisps of mist drifted above the “Corrupted Zone” covered in strange crystal clusters, and even the surrounding dense fog seemed stained by an ominous purple from the crystals growing there. The Deep Dive Unit from the Special Services Bureau was taking samples at various spots, packing the soil and crystals into various safety containers to bring back to the real world when they “surfaced.”

At the same time, the divers had set up a large amount of detection equipment on site to collect environmental parameters, and they had also brought in a drill rig via the “Hunter Owl” to dig down into this contaminated area and see how far the “corruption” had penetrated.

Where the giant tower once stood, there was now a pit several dozen meters deep. At the bottom of the pit, there were no crystal clusters, but instead veins that emitted a faint dark purple glow, looking like marks left after something eroded the area.

Hu Li and Ailin (Pro) were squatting by the pit discussing what those veins were for. They had no solid conclusions, but were chatting away enthusiastically.

Xuan Che watched from the side, looking a bit bewildered and uneasy.

After holding it in for a long time, he finally couldn’t help muttering, “Aren’t you worried about him?”

Ailin (Steel) looked up at that. “Huh? Who? Oh, you mean Yu Sheng—what’s there to worry about? It’s not like he’s not coming back.”

Xuan Che grew even more distressed. He felt he couldn’t understand the thought process of the “Traveler Inn’s” members—he hadn’t from the start. “He’s in danger! When Miss Hu Li used her… uh, tail to launch him up there, I wanted to ask—does he always do such outrageous and dangerous things? Are you all used to this?! And now he’s been moved somewhere else with that weird tower, and who knows what dangers are inside it…”

Before he could finish, Ailin waved impatiently. “Oh, stop being so fussy. Don’t worry, he’s fine. He was just talking to me a moment ago. Instead of worrying about him, why don’t you come look at this big pit? The silly fox says the veins down there were pressed out by the tower’s base, but I think they were blasted out when the tower launched…”

Xuan Che: “…”

He sighed deeply and decided to ignore this neurotic doll.

Of all the people in the “Traveler Inn,” only Gao Ren was somewhat easy to communicate with—though not by much.

…

Footsteps echoed in the empty corridor. The tilted gravity made Yu Sheng feel quite uncomfortable walking here, so he stopped at a junction, leaned against the wall to rest, and let out a soft breath.

The lights not far away flickered, as if the power supply was having issues. Amid the flickering light, Yu Sheng felt he could see shadowy figures lurking.

But it might have just been his eyes playing tricks, considering how much blood he had spilled along the way.

Malicious presences were approaching, gathering in the nearby corridors. Eyes were on him, watching cautiously.

Yu Sheng had noticed these presences tailing him and gathering in the shadows from earlier, along with the feeling of being watched. He wasn’t surprised.

He knew he couldn’t operate here long before being discovered. After all, even in a shopping mall there were surveillance cameras everywhere—let alone on a “spaceship” that seemed packed with all kinds of black tech. In these corridors with their eerie atmosphere, every corner, every floor entrance was full of “eyes.”

Yu Sheng looked up and glanced around, following his senses. The corridors here had classical reliefs and intricate, ornate paintings. Many places even had sculptures with some religious symbolism. Stylistically, this place didn’t look like a “spaceship” at all, but more like a cathedral or bell tower that could jump and navigate space. Putting aside their insane “salvation ideology,” the Sanctum of Eminence actually had decent taste in aesthetics.

After scanning the area, Yu Sheng finally broke the silence. “You’ve been following me the whole way. You’ve set up traps nearby, blocked off the nearest passages. Still not coming out?”

The surroundings were eerily quiet, with only the faint hum of machinery and ventilation systems behind the ornate reliefs and paintings echoing through the environment.

But Yu Sheng waited patiently, until finally other sounds broke the deathly stillness.

He heard the clashing of armor, the orderly stomp of iron boots, and a few other footsteps that sounded more chaotic. These sounds came densely from the junctions on both sides of the corridor, and then the enemy finally appeared.

Yu Sheng saw a dozen familiar “Brass Knights.” These strange “creatures” weren’t invisible this time; they came out swaggering with heavy, oppressive momentum. Among the Brass Knights were several figures that were clearly human—likely members of the Sanctum of Eminence.

They wore black robes that fit Yu Sheng’s stereotype of cultists perfectly. Each was wrapped up tightly, their faces covered by a black, mask-like shell.

Yu Sheng found this amusing, pointed at one of the robed men, and couldn’t help saying, “Hey, I’m just curious—is there an industry code of conduct or something? Do you cultists have to dress like that?”

The robed man he pointed at stepped forward half a pace, and a muffled voice came from beneath the mask. “You have no way out, intruder—surrender and you may live.”

Yu Sheng curled his lip, reached into the air beside him, opened a small door, and pulled out his Tetanus Staff.

Then he swung the spiked club and strode toward the Sanctum members surrounded by Brass Knights.

The robed men opposite probably hadn’t expected this intruder to be such a hothead. When Yu Sheng walked toward them, two of them even took half a step back instinctively. But after just a moment of hesitation, they reacted.

“Kill him!”

The Brass Knights received the order and charged.

The slightly tilted gravity didn’t affect these eerie suits of armor’s nimble movements at all. They surged forward, heavy greatswords slashing with cold murderous intent. But Yu Sheng was even faster. He had no intention of tangling with these tin cans; he charged straight through the gaps between the suits of armor, enduring injuries intentionally. He made only minimal blocks and dodges, letting his torso and limbs be slashed with horrific wounds, letting his blood splatter everywhere in the corridor.

He swung the Tetanus Staff and rushed the nearest robed man. Before the other could react, Yu Sheng brought the club down on his head.

The robed man hadn’t expected this “intruder” to risk being chopped half to death just to charge over and hit him with a club. In those dozen meters of charge, Yu Sheng had taken wounds that were nearly fatal—he was clearly fighting without any regard for his own life. In that instant, a flood of questions surged through the robed man’s mind—the first being whether he had some deep-seated grudge with this weird “intruder.” Why? What for? What was he trying to do?

The robed man’s body retreated sharply, his speed erupting far beyond that of an ordinary human. But Yu Sheng reacted even faster. His first swing missed, so he lunged forward and changed the staff’s direction into a sweeping strike, slamming into the Sanctum member’s body.

An enormous recoil force came through the staff, along with the clang of metal and a series of dazzling sparks.

Yu Sheng froze for a moment, then saw the cultist fly sideways, the black robe torn apart by the staff’s blades, revealing—power armor underneath.

The power armor’s side had been smashed through by Yu Sheng’s brute force. The robed man was heavily wounded when he landed but seemed to still be alive.

Without that armor, he would have been broken in two by that blow.

Yu Sheng turned back, covered in blood. He saw two robed men frantically going to help their severely wounded comrade, while the others stood together with the Brass Knights. They had thrown off their robes, revealing the weapons in their hands—various swords and blades, and even a couple carrying chainswords.

Clearly, they didn’t want to use guns inside a ship that was already severely damaged.

These cultists were all wearing power armor under their robes—thinner than Xu Jiali’s “hulking tin can” but obviously not cheap. And the black “mask” under the hood was actually part of the power armor helmet.

This was definitely not the stereotype.

Yu Sheng felt the wounds from the Brass Knights slowly healing, but the weakness from blood loss told him he was about to die here. He adjusted his posture slightly, planted the staff on the ground, and glared at the Sanctum members. “Who taught you to wear power armor under robes? Can you cultists at least synchronize your art style?”

His answer was a flurry of blades flying at his face.

The cultists were very unsportsmanlike.

Yu Sheng was more reasonable—he was immediately cut down by a flurry of blades.

He didn’t die instantly. He was barely hanging on by a thread, lying on the ground in a gruesome state.

A bunch of power-armored Sanctum members and Brass Knights surrounded him in a circle, but they all seemed hesitant and uncertain.

They probably hadn’t expected that this “intruder,” who had caused so much trouble and made even the “Sage” so nervous, could actually be “killed” so easily.

This intruder was strong—at least from a flesh-and-blood perspective, he was no longer human. Being able to club a combatant in power armor to death with a stick was something no one would believe if you told them.

But that was all the strength he had. When caught in a siege, he could die too.

The robed men exchanged looks. Someone muttered quietly, “…Is he really going to die like this?”

Yu Sheng, lying on the ground, struggled to open his mouth, as if wanting to say something.

A robed man hesitated for a few seconds, then finally mustered his courage and moved a little closer.

He heard the “intruder” say in a weak, dying voice—

“Yeah, I’m about to die like this—but some things are about to come alive.”

(End of chapter)