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Chapter 103: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada

The atmosphere in Y City had changed.

In the previous period, people’s dissatisfaction and anger had a hidden premise—that this chaos would eventually end, and what they faced was only a decline in their quality of life, not a threat to their lives.

However, after a night at the Grand Theatre, this dissatisfaction quickly turned into panic. There were too many people gathered around the battlefield that day, and even if the people inside the theater didn’t see the situation outside, the view from the tall buildings on the side was quite good. Not to mention that after the prolonged battle, the battlefield was barren, making it hard not to notice.

The screens were still lit, repeatedly playing reassuring announcements. Unfortunately, no one was willing to believe them anymore. Even someone like Zhu Yanchen, who could be replaced and manipulated, couldn’t represent anything with those empty promises on the screen.

At least the drinking water in the square was still available. People no longer complained about the taste and texture of the food; instead, they carefully hid those rations and only gave them to the elderly and children. Those who had been holed up at home didn’t know what to do and had to seal off their windows in a futile attempt to resist something, even though they knew in their hearts that a massive Erosion Swamp could easily reduce high-rise buildings to ruins.

A faint sense of helplessness and despair began to spread among the crowd.

Rely on the military? Everyone saw the state of the military; it was Marshal Zhu’s old subordinate who came to the rescue. On the other hand, what they needed most now were experts on the Erosion Swamp, but Zhu Yanchen was already dead.

Once again, the Ai’s Clinic was crowded with people. The men who used to gossip and give advice on governance were noticeably quieter. Most of them came and went in a dejected manner, buying essential medicines. Someone had tried to use force to seize the medications but was promptly beaten by Ai Xiaoxiao’s subordinates and thrown out of the store.

The people in the clinic knew how to handle such situations. The person was beaten to a bloody mess, looking quite horrifying. The warning had its effect, though the actual injuries weren’t too severe.

The injured person groaned on the ground for a while before getting up and walking away, which made the originally heavy atmosphere even more oppressive.

“…If Zhu Yanchen were still alive, that would be great.” The man who had once fantasized that Yi Ning was the illegitimate child of the Zhu family finally spoke.

“It’s useless to say these things.”

“Why isn’t Yi Ning taking action? After all, he’s in charge of a large synthetic human squad. Zhu Sheng made him responsible for the city, but we haven’t seen much improvement, have we?”

“Why don’t you try taking charge yourself? It’s obvious that Zhu Sheng is using Yi Ning as a shield. The situation outside has become like that, so how can the city be managed well?” Yi Ning’s staunch supporter couldn’t stand it anymore. “You used to be one of the harshest critics of Zhu Yanchen. So what, now only dead people are the strongest?”

“It’s true. In that chaos the other day, where was Yi Ning? Did he react in time? The one who showed up first was Zhu Yanchen’s subordinate!”

“Both Zhu Sheng and Yi Ning were locked in the Grand Theatre. They couldn’t take action even if they wanted to. Who could have predicted that ‘Zhu Yanchen’ was a fake…”

“Oh, come on! Those people at the top definitely knew it was a fake! Even if that impostor wanted to reveal his identity, would he cooperate with anyone other than the United Government? We’ve all been played. Zhu Sheng definitely suppressed him from speaking up before!”

“Yeah, it’s all Zhu Sheng’s fault!” Yi Ning’s supporter seized the opportunity to agree. “Zhu Yanchen was against the player system from the beginning. Those monsters outside were definitely brought by the player system. They might even be synthetic humans! I’m sure of it! Zhu Sheng just wants to continue benefiting from this system and kept the disadvantages hidden from everyone—”

“Thinking about it. It makes sense.”

“When people get old, they get old. They become confused and consumed by their greed for power. Tsk, tsk.”

“We’re the ones suffering… Just think, Zhu Yanchen was such a good person, and he even betrayed his own son—”

Another blood-stained surgical knife flew in, poking in front of a few men.

Ai Xiaoxiao: “Get lost.”

Seeing that it wasn’t good, the men quickly grabbed their medicine and left without daring to complain. The bloodstains in front of the clinic hadn’t even dried yet.

To reserve some hope for the people and be prepared for critical moments, Ai Xiaoxiao didn’t release all the medicine stock. After selling out the quota for the day, she closed the clinic’s heavy protective door, locked it with three bolts, and headed towards the basement.

The “Bellflower” system was no longer in the basement. She had used all the available space for research and reserved a bit of space for someone to take refuge—Xia Liang was wearing Ai Xiaoxiao’s nightgown, absent-mindedly humming a tune. It was her first time having a close female friend who knew her inside out, and she still hadn’t gotten over the excitement. She wondered if it was because she felt frustrated playing the role of Dong Lao, that she was tempted to toss her hair in front of Ai Xiaoxiao.

“I need to work. Be quiet.” Ai Xiaoxiao’s tone twisted. Xia Liang’s transformation from Dong Lao to Miss Xia was too astonishing, and she hadn’t figured out how to face this canary that suddenly turned into a vulture.

“I’m specially singing for you. Many people would want this treatment.”

“I’m not fortunate enough to enjoy it.” Ai Xiaoxiao suppressed her anger. “Shut up and go to sleep. Aren’t we going to a meeting tomorrow?”

“What kind of meeting?” Xia Liang leaned against the sofa with a cheerful smile. “In simple terms, it’s just assembling a temporary team. Compared to those formal meetings, what you’re doing here is more important. I’m here to cheer you on, okay?”

Ai Xiaoxiao: “…”

Ai Xiaoxiao: “What about the situation on the Xia family’s side? Have you thought about it?”

Poked in a sore spot, Xia Liang’s smile vanished from her face. “When the battle begins, the old man won’t care about face anymore. Even if Dong Lao’s true form is a dog, they have to let ‘him’ take charge. There’s no other choice—except for that idiot Zhu Yanchen, no one has delved deep into tactics against Erosion Swamps. Even Yi Ning, who was once a free underground resource, was only responsible for overall adjustments. Now that Zhu Yanchen can’t show up, there’s only me left.”

“Is there such a big difference?” Ai Xiaoxiao glanced at the mechanical readings, casually picking up the conversation.

“Before, we were manipulating synthetic humans, and now we’re manipulating humans. It’s like the difference between playing virtual investment games and seriously investing your own capital… No matter how rich your commanding experience was before, this change in mindset is not something to be taken lightly. Something is bound to go wrong. Yi Ning is probably already thinking of dying.”

“Mm.”

“You’re not listening seriously.” Xia Liang crossed her long legs, and her voice became soft and aggrieved, making Ai Xiaoxiao shiver.

“Mm.” Ai Xiaoxiao quickly replied louder.

“Forget it, I won’t bother you. Actually, I wanted to say that you should prepare to evacuate from Y City.”

This time, Ai Xiaoxiao really paid attention. “What are you saying?”

“Y City is in the midst of the most chaotic situation. He won’t be able to refrain from launching an attack.”

“…I thought his relationship with Zhu Yanchen…”

“Sometimes, you research nerds can be quite adorable.” Xia Liang propped her chin on her hand; her voice carrying a playful tone. “If he shows mercy to his subordinates, don’t mention whether he can hide the truth from Luo Duan. Ai Jiejie, the bodies of the synthetic humans are deteriorating more with each passing day, right? Someone like Shu Jun definitely won’t delay on this matter. As for his feelings towards Zhu Yanchen, he has expressed it quite clearly.”

Ai Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow, ignoring Xia Liang’s first sentence.

“…Based on last night’s situation, Shu Jun could have easily destroyed Y City on his own, but he didn’t do it. I always thought it was quite foolish of Zhu Yanchen to trust him. Thankfully Marshal Zhu didn’t trust the wrong person… Haa, to be honest, I can’t bring myself to ‘trust Shu Jun’ at all. He is the most terrifying opponent. Now, I’m even more worried about other things.”

“What other things?”

“I hope Zhu Yanchen’s ‘trust’ and ‘affection’ aren’t part of a plan to save humanity. At this critical moment, if either of them shows signs of betrayal or wavering, the situation will be extremely ugly.”

“Mm.”

“Don’t understand?”

“I indeed don’t understand what they’re planning to do.” Ai Xiaoxiao put down the test tube in her hand and responded in a calm tone. “But even as a ‘research nerd’, I can see that this was originally a life-or-death situation. They insisted on creating two paths of survival, so it’s only natural that the cost is high.”

At this moment, one of the main characters they were discussing was outside the protective wall, giving instructions.

“Lao Hu, take the long-range attack team and destroy their military ammunition depot. They diverted quite a few weapons last night to deal with the Erosion Swamp. Don’t leave a single one behind if you confirm their locations. After blowing up the ammunition depot, immediately reinforce Chai Xuyang.”

“Understood.”

“Chai Xuyang, you go control the residential areas outside the outer city. Focus on the area around the central square, where the population is the densest.”

“What about the people who live in their own homes?”

“We have limited personnel. The good steel should be used wisely. Controlling the central square area is enough—it’s quite conspicuous, and the condition of the residents there is the worst.”

“…Alright.”

“During this period, it is essential to avoid battles with the main human forces. Until the objective is achieved, operate primarily as guerrilla warfare. The large difference in our numbers is one aspect, and the human military needs to be kept for dealing with Sigma. Did you all hear that? Even if you hate it, keep it to yourselves.”

“Yes.”

“Louder.”

“Yes!”

Shu Jun’s expression was solemn, and his vertical pupils swept across the team. “Those of you who were previously in logistics for various teams, form separate squads to sabotage the purifiers along the city. I also need to create some momentum around the city perimeter. You don’t need to engage in battle—immediately withdraw from the city center after completing the mission and go collect resources and clear hiding places in the surrounding areas.”

“Okay… Okay!”

“Finally, do not harm civilians. Don’t give Zhu Sheng any opportunities to exploit. Focus on using your abilities to intimidate. If someone causes too much trouble, you can take action, but remember to exercise restraint. This time, your opponents are likely Yi Ning and Zhu Sheng. Don’t underestimate them.”

The synthetic humans shattered the last shred of illusion among the citizens of Y City.

After several long weeks, everyone’s optimism and patience had been worn down. Then, within just a few short days, a major deception was exposed, the monstrous Erosion Swamp attacked, and the defense forces were severely damaged. Before the turmoil could settle, the synthetic humans launched a direct attack—the battle against the Erosion Swamp had exposed the locations of the military ammunition depots throughout the city, and the already scarce purifiers were completely destroyed.

Black smoke billowed into the sky, leaving many people despairingly crying on the ground—negative news had shattered their limits of endurance. What was most terrifying was that no one could see a way out.

The purifiers around the city were broken. The military ammunition depots that held hope were destroyed. The only person who had studied the Erosion Swamps had died.

It felt as if the apocalypse had descended once again.

Yi Ning and Zhu Sheng’s subordinates scrambled throughout Y City, but as the erosion substance within the city increased, they couldn’t withstand the players with abilities—the elite teams of Groundwater and Blackbirds moved like ghosts; their shadows untraceable. And once these two teams settled down, both layers of the outer city’s protective walls were completely destroyed, and the people in the city center were also held hostage—

Hu Yan directly erected a massive stone wall around the square. People gathered in the huge pit created by moving earth and rocks, only able to see the sky above. At the same time, countless earth and rocks hung around this artificial stone enclosure. As long as the players with earth and rock abilities were killed or released their abilities, the tens of thousands of people inside would be buried alive.

Even though the synthetic humans lacked weapons and manpower, just with this move, the human military outside kept circling and hesitated to take action.

Meanwhile, around the city center, the monsters composed of erosion substance desperately destroyed the walls. The mutant beasts began to roam the streets. Now, even the people running around were nowhere to be found, and the escort team members were exhausted. The once bustling city had turned into a ghost town.

All of this happened in less than two days.

When dealing with the Erosion Swamp, the United Government had already anticipated this scenario. However, anticipating it didn’t mean having options. They had been losing step by step. Their weapon reserves and combat awareness couldn’t keep up, so they could only try to minimize their losses.

Soon, the negotiators from the United Government arrived at the square, attempting to contact “Supreme Commander” Shu Jun.

“It seems that none of you have taken action, so you must have some ideas,” the person cautiously and politely said. “I can arrange a holographic conference between Mr. Shu and Zhu Lao. Otherwise, if things continue like this, both sides will suffer.”

“No need for a conference, and there’s no room for negotiation.” Hu Yan struggled to deliver the lines given to him by Shu Jun. “We will propose suggestions, and you will accept them. Otherwise, there’s no point in discussing.”

“Well…”

“Tell Zhu Sheng that we haven’t harmed civilians so far, and that’s already quite polite—we haven’t even touched those people in the residential areas. These people grew up on the bodies of our compatriots. Anyway, we have no way out. It’s not about preserving the entire tile, but about shattering the jade*.”

*Broken jade (玉碎) Metaphor for a beautiful thing encountering misfortune. It refers to being self-destructive rather than compromising.

The negotiator’s face turned pale.

The words were remembered by the spies lurking in Y City, and they were relayed back to Sigma without missing a single word.

Luo Duan sat on the giant hand, and almost half of his body had turned into surging erosion. Even so, his expression remained calm.

“Just wait a little longer,” he said. “It’s not time yet.”

Then he turned his head and looked at the black ocean. The first time he saw Sigma, he found it extremely terrifying, but now, he had become accustomed to it.

“Although it’s not time… the timing is almost here,” he whispered to Sigma.