Chapter 143: The World's Cancer

Meng Luo, Ai Rui Si. Ke La Ke, and Lin Ke are not blind.

After the announcement on the public channel of their wristwatches appeared, they sensed that the situation was about to undergo a sudden change, which was greatly disadvantageous to them.

There was no time to lose; they decisively gathered together to discuss countermeasures.

Sure enough, not long after, figures appeared around the mountain basin.

The number was not large, fewer than a hundred people.

Scattered over such a large area, it was impossible to form a tight encirclement.

At most they just blocked the main routes, plus some surveillance.

The danger was great, practically lethal.

As everyone knows, terrain that is easy to defend but hard to attack is often not conducive to maneuvering.

Especially a mountain basin; to maneuver, one can only cross the great river or go downstream along it.

Crossing the great river still offers a chance of successful maneuvering.

Going downstream along the river, without boats or rafts, one can only enthusiastically feed meat to the ferocious beasts in the water.

However, on the far bank of the great river, there already stood a small but obviously elite squad guarding it.

Leading them were the four effeminate men who had been directing the pursuit of Ai Rui Si. Ke La Ke and Meng Lu all along.

After overcoming the difficulty of crossing the great river, they still had to storm the beach and land, making things even harder.

The possibility of maneuvering was completely strangled.

Therefore, aside from building fortifications and setting traps, Lin Ke and the others seemed unable to do anything else.

The situation could be said to have taken a turn for the worse in an instant.

At the critical moment, Lin Ke came up with an idea.

That was to abandon holding position, dig deep underground with all their strength, and try to dig a tunnel that would lead out of the encirclement.

The effect of the minor earth-moving technique in digging and construction is known to whoever uses it.

This was the only possible way Lin Ke could think of to escape with their lives.

With no time to hesitate, and having no better countermeasures, Ai Rui Si. Ke La Ke and Meng Luo agreed to the plan.

The four small teams gathered together, yielding nine wizard apprentices with an affinity for the earth element.

Naturally, one could not rely on these nine people to excavate a tunnel of such magnitude.

Most of them were First Grade Wizard Apprentices, with limited mental and magical power, and a limited number of spell casts.

After each interval, they had to perform a brief meditation to restore their mental and magical power.

The digging speed could not be fast.

After thinking it over, Lin Ke made another arrangement.

When the nine earth-element wizard apprentices exhausted their strength, the others took turns.

They exerted their utmost to unleash the highest-level attack spell they mastered, blasting the earth walls and blasting open one opening after another.

By rotating in this way, people could rest while the excavation work could not stop.

When encountering overly hard stone, they directly used self-destructing fire thunder.

In short, they tried every means to speed up the tunnel's excavation progress.

The excavated earth was not transported; instead, it was piled directly behind them to block the tunnel they had come from.

First, it could block pursuers; second, it cut off any other thoughts of their own side, allowing them to dig with all their might.

In dire straits, everyone burst forth with unimaginable energy.

When the Pureblood Will came rushing to block the entrance of the mountain basin and prepared to launch an attack,

they had almost finished digging through a small hill on one side.

Breaking out of the encirclement was not a fantasy; barring accidents, it was about to be realized.

At that moment, the people deep underground felt their wristwatches vibrate simultaneously.

Then they looked at each other.

Has the faction mission just been completed?

Who completed it?

Meng Luo first looked at Lin Ke, his eyes full of suspicion.

If one were to say who was most likely to have completed the faction mission, Meng Luo's first suspicion fell on Linke Grand.

Ai Rui Si. Ke La Ke immediately also fixed her gaze on Lin Ke, as if looking at a toy that greatly intrigued her.

That look, eyes gleaming, salivating incessantly, made Mo Li feel deep hatred and anguish.

Mo Li stepped forward and blocked Ai Rui Si. Ke La Ke's line of sight.

"What are you looking at me for?"

Lin Ke met Meng Luo's gaze calmly; under the operation of the Brain Seal Technique, both his expression and tone were extremely natural.

Even if a master of microexpressions or a psychology expert stood before them, they could not detect any flaw.

"Is it you?"

Meng Luo asked directly, his tone very certain, "It must be you."

Lin Ke shrugged: "I don't know, but I also hope it's me. However, I haven't done anything particularly special."

After a pause, Lin Ke emphasized: "We've been together all this time; what could I have done? You'll notice what I've done as well."

"It must be you."

Meng Luo could hear and see that Lin Ke's tone and demeanor were very open and honest.

But his intuition told him that the one who completed the positive faction mission must be Linke Grand.

So, he simply would not listen to any explanation.

It was decided that the person who completed the mission was Lin Ke.

Ai Rui Si took a step sideways, dodging Mo Li's obstruction, and said with slight anger: "You jerk, you don't care about loyalty, not even bringing me along on such fun, cool stuff. I'm pissed!"

This also confirmed that Lin Ke was the one who completed the camp mission.

The basis wasn't just intuition; there were also Lin Ke's statements on the camp channel earlier.

Even others, including Ai Rui Si and Meng Luo themselves, were following the "Annihilation-style Salvation" line of thought to complete the camp mission.

In terms of progress, there's an eighty to ninety percent chance they can't beat Lin Ke, the first discoverer.

Moreover, it's still uncertain whether Lin Ke has shared all his discoveries.

Based on the common selfishness of human nature, speculating that Lin Ke is hiding things is highly plausible.

"Holy shit! Boss, did we really complete the camp mission?"

Ba Ke, stunned by the wristwatch message, snapped back to reality and let out a sudden exclamation.

The four Benevolent Brother Group members and the three Social Anxiety Group members stared intently at Lin Ke, hoping for an affirmative answer.

Lan Ni and everyone in Lan Ni's team were the same.

Faced with dozens of eager eyes, Lin Ke shrugged again and sighed helplessly: "I really don't know, I also hope it's so."

Saying this, Lin Ke turned his wristwatch screen toward everyone: "The message I received should be the same as yours, right?"

Everyone's gaze immediately focused on Lin Ke's wristwatch.

Indeed, they matched.

They were both the same notification.

Could it really not be him?

Meng Luo felt doubtful in his heart, and his inference began to waver.

"I don't believe it!"

Ai Rui Si, however, loudly said, "The messages matching is correct, but that doesn't prove the person who completed the mission isn't you. These are two separate matters."

A sentence that awakens someone from a dream.

Meng Luo realized his thoughts seemed to have been diverted by Lin Ke's rhetoric.

This guy is really too cunning.

Clenching his back teeth, Meng Luo began to mutter to himself.

It seems we still need to guard against this guy, lest we be sold out and still help him count the money.

At this moment, Ai Rui Si dealt another heavy blow.

She patted her forehead with a small hand, looking as if she had suddenly realized, and said: "I said it, you jerk, you proactively offered to help us fight just to draw the opposing faction's attention, so your secret arrangements could take effect."

As for this guess, well, it's half right, half wrong.

When Lin Ke made the decision to help Ai Rui Si and Meng Luo repel the pursuers, he didn't know the God Slayers had awakened.

His motive wasn't to attract the opposing faction's attention.

But rather an awkward, helpless move.

Compared to fighting an encounter battle, Lin Ke chose to enter the mountain basin, jointly resist the enemy, and then seek an opportunity to withdraw.

Only after entering the mountain basin did his motive change somewhat.

A remark from Ai Rui Si further deepened everyone's suspicion of Lin Ke, and they began discussing it loudly or softly.

Some admired him, such as the Benevolent Brother Group and the gradually Benevolent Brother‑izing Social Anxiety Group;

Some secretly felt hurt, such as Lan Ni. Tai Le;

Some quietly guarded against him, such as Meng Luo. Bu Li Sai Ni Ao and his few companions;

Some shouted loudly, saying Lin Ke wasn't friendly enough, such as Ai Rui Si. Ke La Ke;

Also, someone quietly stepped a few paces and once again blocked Mo Li. Ji De Man's view of Lin Ke as Ai Rui Si looked at him.

Lin Ke remained silent, letting them guess and discuss as they pleased.

Anyway, his principle was simply not to admit it.

Actually, there wasn't much to admit.

He truly didn't know whether he himself had completed the camp mission.

The academy also gave no special hint.

After a while, once the atmosphere had cooled a bit, Lin Ke said lightly: "The Two Districts Grand Comparison hasn't ended yet; we're still in danger, so keep digging."

Everyone's attention was immediately pulled back to reality.

Indeed, there's no sign that the Two Districts Grand Comparison has ended.

Still, one's life comes first.

We've already wasted some time; we dare not delay further.

Hurry up and start digging.

Deep underground, everyone dug tunnels, the work bustling with fervor.

On the surface.

Entrance to the mountain basin.

Parle. Po Xi Wei Er's towering anger could hardly be contained.

The other faction heads of the "Pureblood Will" were also angry, but not as much as Parle.

After all, the blame for indulging Linke Grand's black pot was basically placed on Parle.

Especially after Lin Ke repeatedly shared progress and discoveries on the camp channel, the "Pureblood Will" interior wasn't lacking someone who proposed to suppress Lin Ke early.

But each was simply suppressed by Parle.

I don't know what he's thinking; he just wants to see the Lu Qi Ya Family's joke, or rather Cui Xi. Lu Qi Ya's joke.

So much so that they forgot this wasn't just the Two Districts Grand Comparison but also involved Wizard Peter Lionel's wager.

Although their respective families, except the Lucia family, almost all do not wish for Peter Lionel to collect a full set of the Percy Sage's drill/rod.

But they also couldn't make it too obvious.

Everyone is a respectable person of high society; they all care about face, right?

Watching Parley Percyvel jump up and down there, stirring the members' emotions, boosting morale, appearing as if he wanted to gut Linke Grand.

Luna Kolonna pursed her lips, disdainfully muttering, "Just like a dog!"

After muttering, Luna Kolonna couldn't help but feel curious about Linke Grand, whom everyone agreed had completed the affirmative side's mission.

That guy—how exactly did he complete the camp's mission?

While directing the digging of the tunnel, Lin Ke also wondered:

How the God Slayers were implementing the salvation strategy of Annihilation-style Salvation.

At the source of the world.

The God Slayer, his whole body like jade-like dry bones and draped in pure black wings, lifted his right foot, which had pierced the god's slug‑shaped (kuoyu) yet hideously ugly fleshly body and heart.

Organ fragments, blood, mucus—all filth automatically sloughed off from the right foot's bone.

Like jade, pure white, unstained by dust.

"You've actually managed to survive for over a thousand years."

The God Slayer's jawbone opened and closed, emitting an indifferent sound as he sneered, "Just to stay alive, you parasites cling to worms—you gods are truly disgusting."

"God Slayer, at least I'm still alive."

The god, covered in pustules, lay on the ground, emitting a screech like fingernails on a blackboard, "And your daughter has long been dead."

It fell from the divine realm over a thousand years ago, lacking a divine body, lacking divine status, possessing only a trace of divine power.

It barely sustains itself by drawing the leaking source power from the world's origin and converting it into life force.

Where is an opponent for the God Slayer, whose combat power remains at its peak?

A single encounter and the God Slayer knocked him flat.

The God Slayer didn't even move his God‑Slayer Sword.

The worm god can only bluster.

When speaking, he curls his worm‑like body as much as possible to reduce blood loss.

It is now a mortal flesh.

Blood is its life.

As long as it has life, it has everything.

It only wants to keep living.

To live forever.

What if it can't beat the God Slayer?

Moreover, it isn't afraid of the God Slayer.

Having hidden in the world's origin for over a thousand years, it has become deeply bound to it.

As long as the world does not perish, it will not die.

The God Slayer has guarded his daughter's coffin for over a thousand years without moving.

Now, emerging at the brink of the world's annihilation, he has come solely to save the world.

If the world does not die, then neither can it!

As long as it doesn't die, what does a few blows or humiliations matter?

The God Slayer paid no heed to the disgusting worm.

His flame‑flickering hollow eye sockets fixed on the dim, shattered world origin, no larger than a fist.

Over a thousand years ago, the great war ended.

Although the world's origin was wounded, it had not shrunk to this extent; it still retained half its original size, about the size of a grindstone.

Now it has shrunk to this degree.

No wonder, upon emerging, he discovered that the world's area is now only one‑thousandth of what it once was.

It turns out this worm has been parasitizing the world's origin, continually drawing off the leaking source power to eke out existence, thereby accelerating the origin's destruction.

"You gods are truly disgusting."

The God Slayer once again expressed his feeling.

Even though he fully understood the gods' true nature, he was still disgusted.

This world is indeed on the verge of collapse because its resources are constantly being demanded with no return.

It's not merely an ecological imbalance; it has also never been corrected.

Moreover, there is an additional worm that greedily takes more and knows no restraint!

Since they are all lying on the world, sucking its blood…

"Then let's destroy this world together."

As the God Slayer's words fell, the pure black wings formed from his God‑Slayer Sword detached from his jade‑like dry bones and flew straight toward the world's origin.

During flight, the pure black wings shifted shape, becoming a furnace.

Within the furnace burned fierce flames.

The God Slayer fully understood how rising temperature would adversely affect life.

Therefore he intended to directly burn the world's origin with fire.

To raise the world to its highest temperature in the shortest time.

"No, no, you can't do that!"

The insect-like deity panicked instantly.

It shouted in panic.

"Quickly stop, quickly stop!"

"You will destroy this world, utterly destroy it!"

"Do you not care about your daughter anymore?"

"If you destroy the whole world, where will your daughter rest?"

God Slayers turned his head, eyes blazing with fire fixed on the insect deity, and said indifferently: "In my heart."

Not wanting to hear the disgusting deity's noisy clamor, God Slayers flicked a finger, sealing the insect's mouth.

The furnace contains the world's origin.

Blazing fire roasts.

The silenced insect writhes back and forth.

It is deeply bound to the world's origin.

The world's origin being roasted is equivalent to it also falling into the fire and being roasted.

Extreme pain strikes the insect deity's flesh and nerves.

I thought the memory had been completely forgotten, but it surged into the mind.

It involuntarily recalls a thousand years ago, when God Slayers tortured it with the God-Slaying Sword, stripping skin, cutting flesh, picking bones.

Pain so great it wishes not to live!

It suddenly wonders why it should continue living.

Having gasped for over a thousand years, merely surviving to today—could it be that it seeks another round of torment?

It would have been better to have died back then!

God Slayers ignores the insect's writhing, silently watching the world's origin being roasted by the furnace.

It needs some reaction time.

But it will be soon.

Thanks to the patron Shuidu Shouhushen from a reader for the reward, thank you!

(End of chapter)