Chapter 187: Danger!

A sentence awakens the dreamer.

Otis, in charge of the rearguard, was the first to react.

Asande then seemed to grasp something and stopped his steps.

Others were a beat slower, but they also didn't take Lin Ke's words lightly.

Lin Ke, after all, had been favored by the will of the wizard world, making it hardest for him to be affected by illusion or have his mind and cognition altered.

Even Otis, a third-level wizard, dare not say his resistance to mind-affecting magic is higher than Lin Ke's.

Without waiting for Otis or other teammates to ask, Lin Ke proactively gave an explanation:

"The illusion is real, the Fairy King is real, but there is no trap."

I don't know what method he used, but he made us, in a short moment, simultaneously judge that there is a trap and decide to retreat eagerly.

And, if there really were a trap, why wouldn't it attack us?

Asande had actually already noticed; after being reminded, he violently shook his head, directly freeing himself from the state of having his will obscured, and ruefully said: "Ah, I was tricked!"

"Go back!"

Otis didn't say any reproachful words, and turned around first.

Fourth level is fourth level; a second life essence transcendence cannot be faked.

No matter how weak the Fairy King is, it's still a fourth-level extraordinary lifeform.

Even he, a third-level wizard, was unknowingly obscured.

A second-level true spirit wizard, no matter how strong the soul, has its limits; having one's will obscured is quite normal.

There's no need to blame.

Moreover, at that moment, no one recalled that the Fairy King's innate ability was in illusion.

What they need to do now is not to blame and clarify responsibility, but to try to make up for the mistake.

The special team once again headed toward the lowest level.

Because the previous retreat was too fast, they had already retreated to the fourth level from the bottom.

If they had to go around level by level, it would undoubtedly waste a lot of time.

"Loken, transform, and smash straight down."

Otis didn't want to detour, waste time; upon reaching a suitable spot, he decisively gave the order.

"Roar!"

Loken had no nonsense, immediately obeyed the order.

He opened his mouth wide and let out a loud, frantic roar like a beast.

He clapped his hands, veins bulged in his neck, blood rushed to his head, his face turned crimson, and his muscles swelled rapidly.

Like Bruce Banner turning into the Hulk, Loken instantly grew from a two-meter-tall man to nearly ten meters tall, with arms as thick as Lin Ke's whole body.

His physique, aura, and demeanor seemed like King Kong fighting Godzilla!

With a bang.

King Kong-version Loken's head directly smashed through the dome above.

The breach burst open, bricks and stones flying everywhere.

Loken's subsequent actions were also like King Kong's: he slightly bent his knees, slammed both fists hard into his chest, let out a roar, then heavily pounded the ground.

After transforming, Loken not only had superhuman physical strength, but also various buff-type wizardry enhancements, greatly increasing his strength, speed, endurance, agility, and so on.

The force of this punch exceeds 100 tons!

It also carried various wizardry effects such as magic-breaking, heavy strike, and dizziness.

With a rumble.

The entire inverted pyramid underground labyrinth shook violently.

Lin Ke almost couldn't stand steady, swayed a bit, then managed to keep his balance.

The floor beneath his feet instantly cracked open a large hole.

However, the opening was still a bit small, not enough for King Kong-state Loken to fall through.

Loken, somewhat angry, repeatedly raised his fists and smashed them twice with bangs.

The underground labyrinth shook more violently, the large hole immediately expanded to an opening about four meters in diameter.

Loken was the first to jump from the opening to the level below, then continued smashing down, determined not to stop until he reached the lowest level.

Otis wasn't idle either; he floated in midair and drifted down through the opening.

A single charge, condensing the endless anger after being toyed with, the three-ring light-water compound wizardry: Disintegration Technique, had been fully charged, ready to fire at any moment.

Soon, King Kong-version Loken had smashed through three domes and fell straight toward the lowest level.

With a roar, Loken leapt straight onto the stone platform and hammered it with both fists.

However, the stone platform was empty, smashed to pieces by Loken, and held no significance.

The Fairy King had vanished, no one knowing where he hid.

The Disintegration Technique, charged with Otis's endless anger and aimed at the vitality of living beings, had once instantly evaporated a three-ring abyss demon, but now had no target.

"Betty."

Otis forcibly suppressed his anger and shouted loudly:

"Understood."

"Black Cat" Betty had actually already taken the initiative to scout.

Not to mention the biomimetic hummingbirds that had fully surveilled the entire underground labyrinth,

She also newly produced a spherical detection magic device, throwing it in all directions toward the lowest level; any crevice that could be entered, she sent it in to investigate.

Cat-like pupils emitted a clear, gleaming light, beginning to scan every corner of the hall.

Search for the Fairy King's whereabouts.

The twins Angs and Marco began indiscriminate destruction.

The two‑ring chained magical explosion, which normally doesn't drain mental or magical energy, is sprayed about like flowing water.

Booming explosion sounds echoed continuously.

Fire surged outward, bricks and stones exploded, and the ground and walls grew even more pitted.

Clad in Armorlan battle armor and the Defender 3202 suit, Link could barely endure the sudden surge in temperature.

His hair slightly curled.

Yet neither Loken's blows, Black Cat Betty's search, nor the twins' explosive destruction managed to flush out the Fairy King or uncover any trace of him.

Clearly, the Fairy King has fled far away.

"Stop!"

Otis the Boss quelled his anger, confirmed the Fairy King had truly fled, and halted any further pointless effort from the team.

Deep in enemy territory, mental strength can recover after use, but draining magical power is quite troublesome.

Hearing Otis the Boss's words, everyone ceased their actions.

Loken, unwilling and resentful, bellowed, shook himself, and shrank from a nearly ten‑meter giant back to his normal burly stature.

The custom suit reshaped with his size change, gathering only some dust and remaining otherwise undamaged.

This is far superior to the Hulk's transformation, which leaves the body bare.

However, Loken's transformation does have its drawbacks.

After returning to normal size, his eyes turned red, his nose panted heavily, he seemed somewhat irritable, pacing back and forth in the hall and occasionally letting out low growls.

This indicates his mind has been affected, his emotions teetering on the edge of losing control.

Had Asande not stepped in promptly to block Link, Loken would likely have punched Link in the face.

"Asande, report to the frontline command: say the Fairy King has awakened, his wounds are not healed, he has fled, and his whereabouts are currently unknown."

Otis the Boss abandoned the hope of finding the Fairy King soon and decided to make other arrangements.

Yet he did not intend to conceal this from the frontline command.

Originally, the special team's mission was mainly to disrupt the Fairy King's recovery by destroying the ritual.

A decapitation would be best; if that fails, they won't be blamed.

Otis the Boss's earlier anger stemmed mainly from being duped by a fake fourth‑tier he despised, nothing more than spite.

Since attaining third‑tier wizard status, when has he ever suffered such a loss?

Under Otis the Boss's care, Asande conducted another ultra‑long‑range communication.

Returning to the underground hall, Link—who had not lifted a finger the whole way except to hurry—now, prompted by Frolando's hint and the Seed's strong desire, walked to the stone‑platform ruins shattered by Loken.

Shattered bricks and stones litter the area.

Some of the stone fragments that still retain shape are stained with the Fairy King's blood.

Link took out his equipment, extracted each blood sample, reserving the bulk for the Seed to absorb and a small portion for research.

Seeing that the special team would likely remain in the hall for a while, Link took a sample for testing.

To obtain the test results quickly, Link sacrificed accuracy for speed.

After Black Cat Betty retrieved the futile returning spherical scouting device, Asande made contact with the frontline command, reported, and received a reply.

Link also obtained the Fairy King's blood test results, comparing the severed‑arm blood found on the Fairy King's periphery with the freshly extracted blood.

Combined with the material ratio restored in the Biochemical Factory and its defects,

as well as changes in the Fairy King's eye color and pupil abnormalities,

Link formed a bold conjecture whose accuracy he was unsure of.

The present Fairy King seems no longer the original one!

Flesh and soul influence each other.

The Fairy King's mentality, affected by incomplete biochemical enhancement, severe near‑fatal injuries, and life‑form changes from evil rituals, becomes increasingly unsound.

An unsound mind leads to a serious consequence: the tearing of the soul.

Because he lacks understanding of fourth‑tier supernatural life, Link truly does not know whether his speculation might lead to absurd deviation.

Furthermore, he does not know whether voicing this uncertain speculation will affect Otis the Boss's and others' judgments.

Thus, a rare hesitation arises.

While collecting samples and equipment, everyone's demeanor seemed somewhat unusual.

Asande noticed this; although he has a frivolous face, his personality is actually meticulous and steady.

The helmet's built‑in chat system's private channel is actually not very private.

As team leader, Otis the Boss can actually hear the private chats between team members.

This time, given that Link's anomaly is the first occurrence after they became acquainted—and it appeared after a test—Asande chose to use a first‑ring mental link spell.

First, understand the situation, then offer advice.

The defense of the Brain Seal Technique gave Link a prior buffer.

After quickly scanning his sea of consciousness and finding nothing abnormal, Link accepted the request for a wizard‑version quantum‑encrypted communication link.

"What discoveries or speculations do you have?"

Asande's voice suddenly surfaced in Link's mind.

"Yes, but I'm not sure."

With a thought, Link sent his voice along the established ethereal channel.

"Go ahead and say it; I'll take it into consideration."

I suspect the Fairy King has already...

After hearing Lin Ke's inference, Asan De also felt uncertain about how likely Lin Ke's inference was to be correct, and also uncertain whether, even if it were correct, it would help in tracking the fairy king.

After all, they still lack understanding of fourth‑order extraordinary life after the second life‑essence transcendence.

The special squad probably only Otis, a third‑order wizard, has some understanding.

After thinking, Asan De felt he should still give a heads‑up; whether to say it or not is up to Lin Ke, and whether to adopt it is Otis's call.

Lin Ke heard that, agreed to do so, then politely declined Asan De's offer to relay the message on his behalf.

Lin Ke knew Asan De meant well.

Doing it this way, if they succeed Lin Ke gets a share of the credit; if they fail, the blame won't fall on Lin Ke.

On this journey deep into enemy rear, Lin Ke felt he had already received enough care from Asan De.

If this continues, Lin Ke won't even be able to count how many bowls of Iris's soft rice he's eaten, and it will be harder to repay the favor later.

Lin Ke can't possibly end up losing himself, can he?

Being this useless, Lin Ke will get knifed!

"Captain, I have an inference I'm not entirely sure about."

Having made a decision, Lin Ke walked over to Otis, the big shot, and spoke quietly.

However, before Lin Ke could finish speaking, Otis, the big shot, had not yet responded.

Luo Ken, who had been pacing back and forth to vent his emotions, heard Lin Ke's words, suddenly interrupted, sneering: "If you're not sure, don't just spout nonsense—if something goes wrong, are you going to take responsibility? I've put up with you all along the way; among all these people, who isn't higher ranked than you, who isn't more senior than you, who isn't less knowledgeable than you, and when do you get to say this and that? It seems only you get to study biology, only you get to develop potions."

"Luo Ken!"

Otis, the big shot, shot him a glare filled with killing intent and coldly rebuked:

"Go stand aside, calm down, don't delay my business."

"Besides, I recall more than one person reminding you not to overlook the impact of body‑tempering on your sanity, yet you've never listened—how are you now?"

"Can you still effectively control your emotions?"

"Don't turn yourself into a beast!"

Luo Ken opened his mouth, but in the end he did not lose his reason completely like the mutated fairy; he barely suppressed his boiling emotions.

Luo Ken glumly turned around, squatted in the corner, and pounded the ground to vent.

Body‑tempering wizards, in the process of hammering and reshaping the flesh, if they lack the nourishment of special potions, their minds are extremely prone to hormonal imbalance and to the influence of restless mental energy, making their emotions prone to wild swings.

Why does Selin the wizard indulge Luo Ken so much?

Because Selin had originally promised to help Luo Ken concoct that special potion, but later failed to develop it.

To some extent, Luo Ken's changes in character and conduct are Selin the wizard's responsibility.

Why does Paro the sage ignore Luo Ken's "provocation"?

Just don't argue with a fool.

"You speak."

Otis, the big shot, seeing Luo Ken still able to control himself, withdrew his killing intent and pressure, turned his head to Lin Ke, and signaled Lin Ke not to mind Luo Ken's interruption.

"Hmm."

Lin Ke nodded, didn't take the little incident to heart, and continued to voice his inference.

After listening, Otis, the big shot, offered no comment, merely fell into thought.

Lin Ke lacks understanding of fourth‑order extraordinary life, and is unaware that after the second life‑essence transcendence the soul can actually detach from the body and exist independently.

As for the body, the negative factors Lin Ke mentioned—incomplete bio‑modification and enhancement, serious injury, and life‑form changes caused by problematic evil rituals—are insufficient to cause the fairy king's soul to tear apart.

Therefore, Lin Ke's inference does not hold!

Although a mistake occurred, Otis, the big shot, did not look down on Lin Ke because of it; instead, he came to better understand why Paro the sage and Selin the wizard value Lin Ke.

Not everyone has the courage to infer the unknown from what is known.

Moreover, not everyone can, in this situation, risk stating an inference they are unsure of.

Courage, responsibility, fearlessness toward authority, daring to explore the unknown, plus talent and character—in the not‑distant future, Linke Grand, as long as he doesn't die midway, will surely achieve something.

Besides, although Lin Ke's inference is unfounded, it does give Otis, the big shot, a reminder.

The fairy king is gravely wounded and on the brink of death, to the point of needing to rely on an evil ritual to recover.

Now the ritual has been interrupted; not only are his wounds not healed, but he dare not even attack the special squad, and can only deceive and then flee at top speed.

What does this indicate?

It indicates the fairy king has lost his combat ability!

Then, where can a fairy king in this condition escape to?

"Let's leave this place first."

Otis, the big shot, had worked out a plan in his mind and made a decision.

The special squad immediately entered stealth mode, formed a search formation, and retreated from the lowest level.

The commotion in the underground labyrinth had long since disturbed the two factions of fairies attacking each other.

The gravely wounded second prince forced himself up from sickbed, ignoring the guilty‑looking remnants of the fairy king's guard and the "new generation" fairies.

Bringing his own retinue, he entered the underground labyrinth to assess the situation and search for the enemy.

The special squad and the fairy guard led by the second prince passed each other shoulder to shoulder.

All that was left for the second prince to inspect were a series of large holes, the lowest‑level hall almost completely destroyed, and the ruins of the stone platform.

"Search, everyone go search!"

The second prince roared angrily, aggravating his stabbed lung and bursting into violent coughing.

The "demon" from another realm, right under his nose, comes and goes freely, destroying his father's recovery.

It is simply too arrogant!

The special squad came to the surface, detoured around the two still‑confronting fairy factions, and returned to the high ground they had previously occupied.

"Contact the frontline command headquarters, request a carpet bombing of the underground labyrinth, on the grounds that we suspect the Fairy King did not flee far and is still lurking nearby."

"Otis coldly glanced toward the underground labyrinth and ordered Asande."

"Yes."

"Asande likewise did not take the lives of the two groups of fairies confronting each other on the surface nor the fairies in the underground labyrinth seriously."

"These fairies, in the wizard world and to the Paro Sage Legion, are not good fairies; they are targets for eradication."

"Death by carpet bombing does not count as collateral damage."

"Asande contacted the frontline command headquarters, reported the situation, and submitted an application."

"No one noticed that, beneath his transparent visor, Lin Ke's complexion twitched slightly."

"An imperceptible black shadow, from Lin Ke's shadow, sped up his ankle, calf, thigh, and spine, quickly entering his brain."

"The defense of the Brain Seal Technique was opened to its maximum, yet it was still broken through."

"The Fairy King's soul silently invaded Lin Ke's sea of consciousness, rushing wildly toward the spherical meditation law rune structure."

"He wanted to seize a body!"

"(End of chapter)"