Chapter 147: Obtaining the Core

The three of them reached a tacit understanding, not bringing up any of their past grievances. Like three old friends of many years, they stealthily made their way toward the Molcasar Camp.

The majority of the Molcasar soldiers had already evacuated the area. Since staying behind would serve no purpose, Mole had simply ordered them to leave.

Inside the command center, the metal floor had been sliced open. The edges of the cut were perfectly smooth, reflecting a metallic sheen. It appeared that Prince Saster's men had already entered ahead of them.

The three exchanged a glance. Taking the elevator was out of the question; their only option was to descend using a rope.

The Titan Colonization Armor covered Li Yu. His scanner operated at maximum power, sweeping the surroundings during their descent to check for any leftover traps or hazards.

"Where did you get this Nano-Armor?" Kansa inquired. He had been eyeing the suit for quite some time.

Ever since Li Yu used it for the first time, he had been racking his brains trying to identify this specific Nano-Armor.

Initially, it was just to know his enemy and uncover Li Yu's origins. However, he couldn't find a match no matter how hard he looked. It didn't correspond to the vast majority of Nano-Armors known on the market.

"My older brother gave it to me," Li Yu bluffed. The enemy squad had left numerous scanners in the passage.

"Your brother treats you really well. This must be custom-made, right?" Kansa remarked, unable to hide his envy.

Although the Blue Bird armor he wore was not bad, Li Yu's Titan Colonization Armor was clearly much cooler.

"My brother..." Li Yu's expression turned unreadable before he nodded and agreed. "He does treat me quite well."

Kansa's eyes flickered, gazing at Li Yu with a hint of burning intensity. This guy was a massive treasure. Not only did his personal strength break all limits, but he also had an A-rank older brother.

Moreover, this A-rank older brother cared deeply for him, having left a specific countermeasure on him. If the God Slayer was in danger, the brother could arrive instantly, likely utilizing some kind of quantum Warp device.

Kansa was already pondering how to win over the man before him. Gaining the help of the God Slayer was equivalent to securing the assistance of an A-Tier Lifeform.

Although the Amethyst Civilization also possessed A-Tier Lifeforms, even Kansa himself was not qualified to interact with beings of that level.

After all, he was neither the Amethyst Emperor's only descendant nor his most outstanding one.

Li Yu had no idea just how far Kansa was letting his imagination run wild.

They landed carefully. The faint hum of operating machinery drifted from ahead. The three paused their steps, raising their guard.

In the massive underground Karst Cave, the corpses of white-coated researchers littered the ground. Not a single person was left alive, indicating that the intruders had no need for their assistance.

The squad was not small in number. All of them wore standard Amethyst armor, maintaining a vigilant watch over their surroundings.

Upon the Amethyst Core, a giant purple snail was slowly crawling. A thick purple viscous liquid encased the Amethyst Core, shimmering with a dazzling radiance akin to a cluster of stars.

"Beep! Beep! Beep!"

"Unknown lifeform activity detected!"

The three were unable to remain hidden any longer. The sudden blare of the alarm sent a wave of tension through the entire cave. The guarding squad of soldiers moved in perfect unison, aiming their muzzles directly at the cave's sole entrance.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Without any hesitation, streaks of purple energy projectiles shot directly toward their position. The fragile rock walls failed to stop the energy bullets.

Li Yu raised his hand, and the amethyst energy projectiles eerily changed direction. They swirled toward his palm, condensing into a sphere of purple energy.

The volley lasted a full thirty seconds before Yisu raised his hand, causing the gunfire to cease instantly. As the Captain, he glanced at his Combat System and saw that the unknown lifeform was still alive.

Clatter, clatter—

A translucent purple bead rolled out from the entrance. Before he could even react, blinding light instantly flooded the entire cave.

The explosive power wasn't particularly massive; it merely sent the nearby soldiers flying backward.

"Ayla, prepare the Ion Spike Net..."

"Ferry, take your men and guard the core. If anything goes wrong, destroy the core!"

"..."

Yisu barked out a series of commands through the channel, personally leading a team as they cautiously approached the entrance from the flank.

"Everyone..." Kansa walked out of the entrance with his hands raised. His helmet had retracted, and his data immediately popped up on everyone's Combat System.

All the soldiers froze in shock. Wasn't this their Your Highness Kansa? Hadn't he been killed by the forces of Molcasar? How was he still perfectly alive?

Yisu's brow furrowed tightly. As a Captain and part of Prince Saster's inner circle, he knew much more than the ordinary soldiers did.

He subconsciously cast a glance at his Combat System. The unknown lifeform hadn't moved and remained hidden, meaning that the entity was not Kansa.

Even slightly advanced armor could mask scents and heartbeats, alter body temperature, and even absorb sonar detection waves to achieve full concealment.

Unfortunately, the Blue Assaulter suit worn by Mole was worn and tattered, naturally lacking such extensive features.

Yisu's mind raced, his tone calm yet wary. "Your Highness Kansa is already dead. Who are you to dare impersonate Your Highness Kansa!"

"The information you received is incorrect. I am not dead. Quickly notify Prince Saster and have him receive me."

Kansa did not expose Saster's treacherous actions, as these were just ordinary soldiers. There was no point in saying too much to them.

Thus, he merely claimed that the intelligence Saster received was flawed.

"Impossible..." Yisu retorted decisively. He was about to continue when Kansa interrupted him, the armor on his body slowly opening. "I am willing to disarm and go with you to verify my identity."

Yisu instantly frowned. Most of the squad members were already hesitating. They were, after all, Amethyst citizens. Forcing them to attack now might trigger unnecessary complications.

It would be better to apprehend Kansa first and silence him once they returned. Weighing the pros and cons, Yisu decided that prioritizing the Amethyst Core was the right move for now.

"Fine. Eli, go up and confiscate his weapons. Do you have any other accomplices?" Yisu questioned cautiously.

"I do..." Kansa nodded. From the entrance, Mole also walked out with his hands up, his profile simultaneously appearing on the Combat System.

'Mole? The Archon of Molcasar? Isn't he the enemy?' A wave of confusion surfaced in the hearts of all the soldiers.

"This is my prisoner, keep him under strict guard!" Kansa declared, preventing the soldiers from immediately attacking Mole.

Yisu frowned deeply, a faint sense of foreboding welling up within him. He glanced at the Combat System; the unknown lifeform was indeed registered as Mole.

Was there no one else?

Clearly, Li Yu's trio knew that they had been exposed because of Mole, which was why they pushed him out as well.

"Continue the extraction..." Yisu raised his hand, and the giant snail immediately resumed its sluggish crawling over the Amethyst Core.

He paced near the entrance, staring suspiciously at the Combat System, but he found nothing.

"What is that snail?" Mole inquired curiously.

Kansa clarified, "It's a derivative creature of an Amethyst Beast. That slime can stabilize the internal structure of the Amethyst Core, accelerating the extraction process."

The reason Molcasar's extraction speed had been so agonizingly slow was due to the extreme instability of the Amethyst Core. The slightest misstep would cause its internal structure to shatter.

Thus, they had been forced to chip away at it slowly, whereas the Amethyst Civilization solved the problem with a simple little snail.

The extraction machinery hummed over the Amethyst Core, slowly stripping away the rocky crust encasing it.

Yisu stared at Mole and Kansa. No matter how he looked at it, these two did not seem to share a prisoner-captor dynamic.

"Captain, the core has been fully extracted," a subordinate reported at that moment. The crystal-clear, dazzling Amethyst Core, swirling with exotic colors, was carefully taken down.

A massive Metal Storage Box had been prepared well in advance, equipped with multiple safety measures to prevent any damage to the core inside.

As the Metal Storage Box closed with a heavy thud, Kansa and Yisu simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.

"You can make your move now," Kansa suddenly announced, though it was unclear who he was addressing.

Yisu's pupils contracted. Before he could even react, a blade of golden light pierced straight through his chest from behind, then was swiftly yanked back out.

Stumbling, Yisu collapsed to the ground, staring at Kansa in utter disbelief. His vision gradually blurred, catching only a glimpse of a boot covered in white armor stepping out from behind him.

Thanks to the Sandworm Skin, Li Yu could also achieve Optical Invisibility. Moreover, it was a much more advanced form of stealth than the Hunter's, as it didn't require the implantation of Mimicry Skin.

The soldiers present immediately fell into a panic. They hadn't even processed Yisu's sudden death before some reflexively raised their weapons.

Kansa instantly bellowed, "Hold your fire!"

Caught in a dilemma, the soldiers looked at each other in dismay. Kansa continued, "Yisu betrayed the Amethyst Civilization. He got what he deserved."

Kansa's face still held considerable weight. Although some soldiers harbored doubts, if a C-Tier Lifeform like Yisu could be eliminated so effortlessly, there was simply no way they could make any waves.

As the first soldier lowered his weapon, the rest followed suit, silently awaiting Kansa's orders.

Kansa had no further commands. He merely waved his hand. "You are all dismissed. Leave this place."

Finding it somewhat hard to believe, the soldiers hesitated for a long time before anyone finally stepped forward and evacuated the area.

Meanwhile, Li Yu was already standing in front of the Metal Storage Box, rubbing his chin as if contemplating something.

Aboard the Pathos Flagship, Rui Jin was frantically dealing with Dark Star. For the time being, neither side could gain the upper hand.

However, Dark Star was, after all, fighting as an individual unit, while the Pathos Flagship was far too bloated and cumbersome.

"An accident has occurred with the ground squad. Yisu is dead."

A small section was split off on the Holographic Screen, displaying the scene within the cave.

Although the Interstellar Network had been blocked by the Pathos Fleet, establishing a temporary communication channel with subordinates was not difficult.

Saster's expression finally changed. Facing Dark Star had only caused him to frown, but now his face darkened drastically.

He glared at the three individuals in the cave, focusing particularly on Kansa, while completely ignoring Mole and Li Yu.

"My dear nephew..."

Back in the cave, Kansa was busy trying to figure out how to survive in Li Yu's hands.

Having experienced the despair of Saster's arrival, followed by the hope brought by the God Slayer's older brother, who would ever choose to die when they could live?