Chapter 584: Wu Qi
Chapter 584: Wu Qi
At the passage leading to the underground entrance of the Skywheel Tower, Guan Shangjing was assessing the exact number of casualties.
Deputy Manager Song Zicheng had led the team to capture the Split Body, but he never returned, presumably having perished outside.
This loss deprived Guan Shangjing of a capable assistant.
Before the battle, he had been accompanied by twelve captains, but now, more than half of them had perished, leaving only five. The remaining members under his command numbered no more than fifty.
The elite defense force surrounding him was down to about twenty, and they were the last line of defense for the company's headquarters.
Although there might still be many armed personnel within the building capable of counterattacking, they were almost powerless against the attacks of the combat organisms.
The voices coming from the Jie Ping indicated that casualties were mounting, and the markers representing various company departments on the Jie Ping were gradually dimming, indicating that those areas had fallen. This trend was spreading rapidly, suggesting that the remaining defenders wouldn't last much longer.
The only intact defense team, consisting of thirty members, was stationed at the Board of Directors, and they were quite formidable. However, they were tasked with protecting the directors and couldn't be redeployed.
As Guan Shangjing was contemplating tactics to prolong the resistance, Eagle Tail Director's voice echoed through the Jie Ping:
"Guan Shangjing, how much longer can you hold out?"
Guan Shangjing replied honestly, "Director Eagle Tail, even if we abandon the choke points and retreat, my team can only hold out for half an hour at most.
If those people join the fight... I'm not sure how long we can last, maybe only a few minutes."
"Understood. Guan Shangjing, the Board of Directors demands that you keep the enemy at bay at all costs. The Ferris Wheel Corporation will not fall today."
Guan Shangjing's heart stirred as he realized what the company was planning. A glimmer of hope emerged, and he responded firmly, "Understood!"
At that moment, deep within the Ferris Wheel Corporation's underground space, resembling a well, there stood an enormous creature. Most of its body was concealed by a curtain adorned with High Heaven Sect patterns, revealing only its limbs, which exhibited a bronze tone and a faint bioluminescence that flickered with its breath.
Its body featured orderly arrays of interfaces connected to life vessels extending from the well walls and various other locations.
As they watched, a mist sprayed downward, and a greenish-yellow liquid flowed through the vessels into the creature's body—the Ferris Wheel Corporation's high-energy nutrient was being infused into it.
With the continuous supply, the once-limp tentacles became plump, and the green bioluminescence on its body grew brighter. After about ten minutes, the tentacles suddenly shot upwards, wrapping around the climbing pole above the well, and then, with a snap, it pulled its body upwards.
Inside the tower, the combat organisms of the Three Departments had taken control of most of the Skywheel Tower and had located the underground entrance. They were now launching a fierce assault on that position, which Guan Shangjing and his team were desperately defending.
Xu Chan stood in the hall, observing the situation inside through the Information Field. If it weren't for the narrow terrain and the possibility of hidden explosives, he wouldn't have allowed the defenders to hold out for so long.
However, if they could use explosives, so could the other side. After continuous waves of biologically modified organisms carrying suicide bombs charged forward, the enemy's casualties gradually increased. The defenders had to take advantage of the winding terrain to retreat and resist, but it was clear they wouldn't last much longer.
These modified organisms were easy to breed, lacked intelligence, and only needed to understand one command: to carry explosives forward. The loss of personnel meant compensation, but with modified organisms, there was no such concern.
After observing the attack for about twenty minutes, Xu Chan noticed that the enemy had retreated to an underground hall, apparently reaching a critical position.
Just as he was about to take a breather and prepare for a final push to capture the area, he suddenly felt the ground shake violently, followed by another tremor.
His instincts immediately kicked in, and he spoke through the Jie Ping, "Alert! Abnormal situation! Everyone, fall back!"
This message served as a reminder to his teammates and a command to the rear forces.
The response force was prepared and quickly retreated.
However, even with their swift action, it seemed they were still a bit too late. At the base of the tower, a powerful psychic force erupted.
This psychic force, like a tangible substance, spread rapidly around them, brushing past their bodies and rushing towards the distance.
The five people present had been prepared, but even so, all but Xu Chan staggered, their minds experiencing a momentary dizziness. They stumbled back several steps before regaining their footing.
The nearest force to the Skywheel Tower was two kilometers away, yet even at that distance, an entire area of people lost consciousness in an instant, falling like a row of toppling dominoes.
The combat organisms within range were nearly wiped out, and the flying insects in the sky rained down like a downpour, quickly covering the ground in a thick layer.
Xu Chan's expression turned solemn as he felt the continuous vibrations beneath his feet. Something seemed to be rapidly approaching the surface, prompting him to repeat, "Everyone, get ready."
Not long after his words, a crack appeared in the center of the hall, right where the Ferris Wheel Company's logo was depicted. A thunderous explosion followed, and debris scattered outwards.
An octagonal well emerged from the spot, revealing a pitch-black void below, its destination unclear.
A greenish-blue tentacle-like structure, resembling a long vine, was whipping around within the well. It finally descended, making a loud clanging sound as its grappling foot firmly grasped the hard ground.
Immediately, a rustling scraping sound and a deep, rumbling roar echoed from the bottomless well-like passage.
The sound grew closer, and after half a chime, a massive creature emerged from within, eventually reaching the ground in its entirety.
It resembled a towering insectoid, approximately ten meters tall, with a streamlined body and a slightly pointed tail.
Its head and shoulders were covered by a white exoskeleton resembling an ancient samurai helmet. From the top of its head, a pair of tentacles, several meters long, extended, appearing flexible and retractable with flower-like ends.
The head was slightly flattened, with distinct edges, giving the impression of free and agile movement. From the face down to the chest, rows of insect-like compound eyes glowed with a faint green light.
The broad shoulders extended outward, and a pair of long, whip-like forelimbs hung down to the ground. It had climbed up using these limbs.
Its waist was slightly narrow, connecting to a pair of robust hind legs. On both sides were auxiliary balancing and sensory tentacle structures. Each leg had multiple joints, and the footpads were thick with gripping claws, adhesive structures, and slender exoskeletal supports, clearly adapted for various terrains.
The Ferris Wheel Company's Active Consciousness Entity, Wu Qi.
Xu Chan gazed up at the creature, while the four behind him instinctively took a few steps back, their faces filled with vigilance. It was a natural defensive reaction, and they couldn't ignore the massive entity before them.
Xu Chan, however, stood firmly in place, and a faint light began to flicker on his fist.
Despite his diminutive size compared to the entity, he could sense that while the Active Consciousness Entity might be powerful, it did not surpass their current limits.
The reason was that the entity was young, cultivated for perhaps a decade or more, but definitely not exceeding fifteen years.
Active Consciousness Entities required vast amounts of energy and special substances for sustenance, something the Ferris Wheel Company lacked the resources and connections to provide. However, if they were able to join the Union, which would solve these issues.
Given time, the company could potentially advance the entity to higher levels. Although it might be challenging to deal with now, it was not impossible, and perhaps the best time to confront it.
For the third time, Xu Chan spoke the same words, "Everyone, get ready!"
Within the Defense Department's operation command center, after withstanding the initial impact, the light screens dimmed for a while. Finally, they recovered, allowing a view of the Ferris Wheel Tower's exterior and interior.
Even so, the images were intermittent, as if subjected to strong interference.
Specialist Liang first glanced at the large number of fallen troops around the tower, then turned his attention to the ferocious-looking Wu Qi. His expression turned grim.
The entity's massive size naturally implied a formidable psychic power, and active consciousness often controlled the information field, capable of transmitting information over dozens of kilometers. Therefore, the psychic impact wasn't exaggerated.
However, aside from combat-oriented active consciousness entities like Hong Fu, others needed their physical bodies to display their combat capabilities.
The entity was the real challenge they had to overcome. Only by defeating it could they completely destroy the Ferris Wheel Company.
The communication and support staff present had heard of active consciousness entities and frequently interacted with them, but they had never actually seen one. Witnessing the entity's true form left them momentarily speechless, and they were awestruck by the entity's bizarre shape and massive size.
At that moment, the watchtower spoke up, "Specialist, there's an incoming secure channel request."
Specialist Liang, surprised, immediately responded, "Put it through."
Once the channel was connected, he said solemnly, "This is Liang Guanghai."
After listening for a while, his expression turned serious, and he asked, "Can you confirm this?"
After a pause, he replied, "Thank you for your department's assistance. I understand. I'll review your proposed plan shortly. Our goals align."
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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