Chapter 1060: Wrong Delivery
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Han Sen frowned. He had been stung by something. On his hand, there was a red dot that oozed a droplet of blood.
Han Sen scanned the wound and was relieved to learn he had not been poisoned or infected by the stinger, whatever it was.
Han Sen's fitness was high, too, so the wound healed almost instantaneously. There was no lasting pain, either.
He pulled open his pocket to get a look at what was going on with the beetle, and determine why the docile creature had seemingly attacked him, all of a sudden.
The beetle had never been aggressive before, and it was the slowest little thing Han Sen had ever seen in his life. It was a genuine slowpoke.
As such, he was both surprised and concerned to realize he had been stung by it.
But now, with the pocket open, Han Sen was shocked after taking a look—the beetle was gone!
Han Sen patted his body all over and spun around in search of it. No matter where he looked, he couldn't find it. It really did seem as if it had vanished.
Unfortunately, now was not the time to go off hunting for his missing beetle. Everyone was currently lined up beside the roulette board, as General Reg explained the objectives of the operation in detail.
The roulette board was the entrance to the ruins, and each block was one point of entry that provided enough space for only one person. There was also a power check enabled, barring anyone who was too strong from entering.
The rules of entry were quite strict, as only one lifeforce could enter a square at a time. If you had even a renegade ant on you, it would be detected and you wouldn't be allowed to enter.
Demigods were prohibited from entering, as they were too strong. Therefore, only surpassers of a certain tier and third rank shura met the correct requirements.
Strangely, four warning signs were active. They were next to the entry points, indicating they had previously been used. Each entry point could only be used once, and the way you went in was the only way you could come back.
The researchers who had come before them had tried to drill beneath the roulette to avoid this, but after reaching a depth of about ten thousand meters, they ran into a crystal wall that extended to the core of the planet. There was no end, and so they had to stop.
It was after reaching this wall that many curious events started to happen.
They had conducted four test expeditions of their own into that place, but few of the researchers ever returned. Not much had been explored, so there was little information they could provide, and it was mostly useless.
Han Sen and his team's ultimate goal on the expedition, though, was to retrieve purple crystal cores.
Neither the Alliance nor the shura had explained to them what the purpose of these items was, but that did not matter. This was the task given, and it had to be done.
Furthermore, when they entered, they'd be going in without warframes or guns. If they brought such equipment in with them, they'd be attacked for certain.
Eight shura and eight humans now took their positions, one standing on each block. Support researchers pushed the button to begin the operation, and after a low hum, all sixteen of them suddenly disappeared from thin air. They were in.
Han Sen felt as if something was amiss. He was wary, and perplexed by the similarities between the symbols on the beetle and the ones outside the roulette. Still, he knew it best not to dwell on the matter. For now, the beetle was gone, so if it could have been a help, it was too late.
Han Sen blinked and took notice of his location inside the ruins. There were no buildings or structures around him. He was standing in a field, as if he was out in the countryside, except, strangely, the place had been ruined by some sort of catastrophe like an earthquake.
In the distance, Han Sen did make out the presence of buildings. But they were in a state of decay, with many having fallen. Furthermore, judging from their architecture, they had clearly not been built by the crystallizers.
When Han Sen turned to take a look in the other direction, his face completely dropped. He expected to see Ji Yanran, his people, and the shura—but they were all gone! Han Sen was all alone.
"Did they not make it through? We teleported inside together, though. Where are they? They should be here! Hmm, what is this? Items belonging to only a few of the researchers who were last inside?" Han Sen stood there for a while with an ill feeling in his stomach, acknowledging they hadn't all teleported to the same location.
Han Sen looked around. The researchers had given him an idea of what to expect once inside, and some vague details for the environment he'd be in, but it was all bogus. Wherever he was now was not the location the surviving researchers had gone to. The landscape was entirely different from what had been described to him.
"What is going on?" Han Sen was primarily concerned about Ji Yanran, and he was deeply worried about her well-being; particularly so, if she was stranded somewhere else all alone.
Gritting his teeth, Han Sen took off flying into the sky. Before searching for the rest of his crew, he had to get a better grasp on the lay of the land around him.
With his Dongxuan Aura active, Han Sen looked all around. But try as he might, he could not espy the presence of a single lifeforce. There was only rubble and a land in disarray.
No matter where he flew, the landscape looked the same. There was nowhere unique, and no landmarks to keep track of where he was. The lands were all plain and in various states of ruin.
Han Sen frowned, not even sure which direction he should be going in.
As Han Sen wondered, he suddenly heard a strange noise sound from an old ruin nearby.
It was very weird, similar to the sound one would make when using fingers to break an egg.
Han Sen looked in the direction of the noise and saw some green water leaking from the ruin.
Looking closer, though, Han Sen noticed that it was not water. It was a stream of green beetles. There were countless numbers of them, all coming for Han Sen.
"What is this?" Han Sen watched them with interest. They were practically the same as his beetle, just smaller.
But there was another difference. They didn't have any symbols on their backs.
In Han Sen's daze of wonder, the beetles drew nearer and nearer. When they were right before him, they parted and went around Han Sen. Fortunately, he was not a target of any ire they might have possessed.
Han Sen was not sure what they were after, but the beetles continued to gather around him, forming a path that led to the old city ruins.
The unicorn beetles then assumed a posture to suggest they were kowtowing before him.
Chapter 1061: Sunset
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Han Sen was taken aback by the gesture. He looked down at the bugs all around him and asked, "Can you guys hear me?"
There was no response. And while Han Sen looked at them all in confusion, a beetle leaped into flight and hovered before him. It made a queer noise before turning around and flying off towards the old, decayed city.
Han Sen continued to stand still, unsure of what was going on. After a while, that same beetle returned and started to fly around him. From what he could tell, this was the beetle's way of telling him to hurry up.
Han Sen nibbled his lips and decided to follow it.
Since he was there, he thought he might as well poke about the old city and see what he could find. If the beetles sought to do harm, surely they would have attacked him by now.
And judging from their current posture of praise or worship, Han Sen was positive that wouldn't change anytime soon.
After Han Sen started moving, the other beetles paced behind him diligently. They followed his every footstep, like the coming and going of a tide.
Before long, Han Sen had made his way into the city center. Everything there was in crumbling ruin, all except for one thing: a temple. This peculiar temple was immaculate and untouched.
The flying beetle landed on the temple's stairs and made a noise to Han Sen, indicating he should continue following it and go inside.
Han Sen scaled the stairs, but the beetles did not follow. They all knelt as he ascended, and looked exuberantly happy.
Han Sen summoned beast soul armor, pushed open the door to the temple, and stepped inside. The place was old, and dust caked each and every surface.
The temple was devoid of statues, but there were a few dings about. Curiously, they were all empty.
As Han Sen looked into a corner of the temple, he was shocked to find a crystal vase there.
Han Sen could tell that the vase was not built from ordinary crystal. It had instead been forged from a unique variety of crystal, laden with symbols that looked like machine parts or cogs.
Finding curious items and artifacts inside a crystallizer ruin was par for the course, but this vase particularly surprised Han Sen.
It was completely transparent, but its shape and form were stark and unmissable.
Han Sen went to look inside the vase and was even more surprised to see a woman inside it.
The girl was sitting at the bottom, hugging her knees. She had blonde hair, but Han Sen could not see her face.
There were no shura horns to be seen, and she had human ears, but she was naked.
The long blonde hair helped to dress some of her exposed parts, though.
"Human? Is she one of the missing researchers?" Han Sen looked at the woman in the vase and wondered who she might be. Instinct told him that she was very young, though, and she couldn't have been a researcher if that was true.
Han Sen knew that two humans and two shura had gone inside the ruins to explore before their arrival, but only one of each had come back.
If the girl was one of those researchers, he wasn't going to just ignore her.
Han Sen then noticed the vase was sealed, and not with a lid. The whole thing was complete.
The crystallizers had strange technology, and their creations were always unique. This had always been true, so this vase's structure was not exactly a surprise.
Han Sen spoke with a soft voice, gently asking, "Can you hear me?"
He received no response, so he asked with a louder voice. Again, he received no response. He asked several times, with a voice that became louder each time. It seemed as if she couldn't hear him.
Han Sen touched the vase with care, unsure of what might happen. Fortunately, nothing out of the ordinary occurred.
When he felt safer in its presence, Han Sen started to knock against it.
The girl seemed to hear that, and showed a reaction. After seeing her move slightly, Han Sen knocked again.
She woke up and looked around for the knocking noise, and that was also when Han Sen saw what she looked like in full. She seemed to be around eighteen years old, and she was ravishingly pretty. Curiously, her eyes were the same golden color as her hair.
Judging from her appearance, she seemed to be a human girl.
Han Sen again thought she might indeed be the human researcher. Her appearance did not betray this notion, as even forty-year-olds could maintain the same beauty and grace as an eighteen-year-old in that day and age.
When the girl saw Han Sen there, her eyes blinked to get a clearer view, as if she had indeed just woken up.
She stood up and beat against the vase. Her mouth moved, as if she were saying something, but Han Sen couldn't hear a thing.
All Han Sen could do was read her lips, and from what he could tell, she was saying, "Save me."
He brought out a paper and pen and wrote down a few words he could show her.
"Who are you?" He wrote, wanting to learn about her identity.
Han Sen had to be wary and maintain vigilance at all times. You could never guess what tricks or traps might be waiting for a person inside crystallizer ruins.
The lady blew air onto the cold crystal of the vase and wrote, "Sunset, of Blue Blood Special Forces. Rank: Colonel."
This confirmed to Han Sen that she must have been one of the researchers, and now it looked as if she had been trapped there.
"Stand back; I'll break the crystal," Han Sen replied.
Acknowledging what he wrote, Sunset took a step back.
Chapter 1062: Best Lead
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Han Sen's fist blazed with the power of Phoenix Flame. With his seventh gene lock open, he punched the vase.
He felt as if he had almost broken his knuckles. When the fire dissipated, the vase stood still as if it was untouched.
The punch was the strongest he could give, barring any buffs. But with the vase standing still, not having moved even an inch, Han Sen knew he'd need a lot more strength. He frowned in contemplation.
Han Sen unsheathed Taia and used it to strike the glass. Even that proved useless, as all that was drawn upon the crystal was a white mark similar to if you had just scratched your arm.
Han Sen was surprised, to say the least. The weight and hardness of the vase far exceeded his unluckiest estimations. This was not at all what he was expecting.
All he could think of now was of how much of a shame it was that Phoenix Sword could not be used outside the sanctuaries. It might've proved more useful.
Han Sen tried a few different skills to test their effectiveness. Unfortunately for them both, nothing seemed to work.
Sunset's initial glee seemed to wane. She looked disappointed, but that just gave Han Sen even more of a reason to try. Not wanting to let her down, Han Sen tried summoning his Devilhorn Sheep sword. With it in one hand, and Taia in the other, he repeatedly slashed the vase in the hopes it'd break.
Han Sen wasn't willing to sit back and watch, or even walk away from her, while she was trapped in there. He'd do whatever it took to get her out.
But unfortunately, Taia and the Devilhorn Sheep sword were not enough to break through. They did, however, leave marks. It could obviously be damaged, and if that was true, Han Sen's determination would only increase. There had never before been something unmanageable for him. He had always overcome every foe, so he wasn't going to let an inanimate vase be the object of his defeat.
Han Sen then thought he could try his super king spirit mode, or at the very least use the gold raven beast soul. He'd do anything he could to save her.
Still, he continued to try with the swords he had been using, but it was all to no avail.
"Just go. It won't break," Sunset wrote.
Han Sen paid no heed to the message and continued to hit the vase until his hands bled and his muscles quivered. Stubbornness was what kept him from giving up, but he knew if he kept going, his hands would break before the vase ever did.
He didn't have enough power, and even with remarkable weaponry, he couldn't deliver the force needed.
Han Sen bit down on his teeth and transformed into a gold raven. The gold talons turned red, and they furiously attacked the crystal surface of the vase.
Pang!
He had nine gene locks open on his Blood-Pulse Sutra which powered his gold raven beast soul, and this actually got him somewhere. Cracks were now beginning to form on the vase.
Han Sen did not relent. He continued to strike the vase with a wretched speed and power, until the artifact began to tremble.
Sunset held her fists up in excitement, watching the cracks begin to grow and web their way across the surface.
Han Sen could barely believe how strong the vase was. Although cracks were starting to form, after a long time, it still didn't look ready to shatter.
Eventually, even Han Sen's talons began to bleed with the repeated strikes.
But he thought success was close, and he thought right. So, he didn't give in or relent for one second. He went on and on, battering the vase with every ounce of strength he could muster.
Boom!
He did it. Eventually, the cracks gave in and the composure of the vase shattered like rain.
Sunset was in disbelief. She was incredibly happy at first, but then she started to cry.
"Are you okay?" Han Sen returned to his human form and offered her a hand that was drenched in blood.
He removed his coat and then gave it to her, so she had something to wear.
He would have given her a beast soul set of armor if he had been able to transfer beast souls outside the Alliance. Alas, he could not, so this had to do for now.
Sunset accepted the coat and put it on, covering her naked body. She was rather petite, so the coat was more like a long dress that reached below her bum. Although he wouldn't tell her, Han Sen couldn't help but think about how sexy she was.
Han Sen could do little but ask, "Why were you trapped here?"
But Sunset did not respond. She stood where she was, simply staring at him.
Han Sen believed she might have been in shock, following her ordeal. He comforted her by saying, "Let's get out of here first, then. I entered this place alongside a few others, but I have been unable to locate them."
When he turned to leave, Sunset remained where she was. She continued standing there, simply staring at him.
"What are you waiting for?" Han Sen frowned.
Sunset had a surprisingly rough voice, and she said, "My time is up. Remember what I tell you now and do not forget a single word."
"What time? What are you talking about?" Han Sen frowned again.
Sunset said, "My name is Sunset. I am a Colonel of the Blue Blood Special Forces. I am Han Jingzhi's adjutant and an investigator for the Secret Service's Seventh Team."
"What?" Han Sen looked at her as if he was seeing a ghost. His lips quivered.
"You are Han Jingzhi's adjutant? You are an investigator of the Secret Service's Seventh Team?" Han Sen's voice trembled, and his muscles twitched.
He did not know whether or not this was some cruel joke, but this was the best lead he had found so far.