novelraw Chapter 365: Alexander’s Ghost Nerve
Chapter 365: Alexander’s Ghost Nerve
As Alexander formed the six-pointed star on his chest, it seemed to activate a mechanism, allowing him to perceive the scattered Ghost Energy around him. The Ghost Energy slowly converged towards his body.
The Ghost Nerve’s primary function was to target the Ghost Energy within the body, with limited influence on external energies. Only the Ghost Energy close to Alexander’s skin was attracted and absorbed into his body.
The amount of Ghost Energy available was scarce; according to the values in the Horror World, it would probably take Alexander half a day to absorb even a few points of Ghost Energy. However, this wasn’t important to Alexander; his main goal was to verify if the Ghost Nerve could function in this context.
If he wished, he could use the Ghost Nerve to quickly absorb the corpses of the black beetles, gaining evil spirit-level strength or even higher in just a few breaths. Given the number of beetle corpses in this area, even if their level was low, they could rapidly restore his strength.
Confirming that the Ghost Nerve worked, Alexander immediately stopped the absorption process to avoid alerting Atos in the distance. The gun in his hand continued to fire rapidly, and with his terrifying accuracy, one beetle after another was pierced and fell to the ground.
Beep beep! Suddenly, a warning sound came from the gunstock, and a blue energy bar turned red. This was an alert that the gun’s energy was depleted.
Although Alexander hadn’t used this type of gun before and didn’t have memories associated with his current identity, its design was not complex, apart from the white patterns on it.
Pressing a button on the gunstock, Alexander stepped forward, picking up beetle corpses from the ground and stuffing them directly into the gunstock, or rather, the magazine. During the process, his fingers trembled slightly, and a few beetles slid into his sleeve unnoticed.
More black beetles broke through the blockade, and Alexander’s subtle actions naturally didn’t draw much attention.
"Another beetle has broken through the net! Quick, shoot! Block it!" Suddenly, a cry of alarm rang out, and to Alexander’s surprise, it was Sofia. Because of Alexander’s frantic shooting and accuracy, the pressure on their side had lessened, and so they had fewer supporting soldiers than other areas.
As Alexander began reloading with beetle corpses and ceased firing, the pressure suddenly increased, and the white net on their side finally couldn’t withstand it any longer and was torn open by the black beetles. Several beetles immediately rushed through the gap.
Sofia and Xiao hurriedly aimed at the gap and fired, but in their panic, only two beetles were hit by Sofia. The other soldiers also fired, but it was too late. Four more beetles had already rushed through.
With a buzzing sound of flapping wings, four beetles charged towards the platform nearest the gap. Alexander shot twice, eliminating two beetles heading for Sofia. The other two, however, were charging at Kalin, who Alexander didn’t get along with very well.
Kalin, unflustered, dropped his gun, drew the short knife from his waist, and slashed at one of the beetles.
As the forbidden energy-infused blade cleaved the beetle in two, Kalin turned swiftly to confront the beetle attacking from behind.
Despite his quick response and extensive combat experience, he was outpaced by the beetle. The last beetle had already clamped onto the back of his head, its sharp black fangs biting down.
Given the sharpness and speed of the beetle’s teeth, even if Kalin tried to strike his own head to fend it off, it would likely be too late. But in this moment of despair, a flash of blade light, swift as lightning, shot forth. The beetle, with a piece of Kalin’s scalp still in its jaws, was nailed to the ground by a short knife.
Kalin felt intense pain and the warm flow of blood down his neck and back. Ignoring his wounds, he turned towards the source of the rescue. Among the soldiers still firing, only Alexander’s waist was left with an empty sheath.
Was it him who saved me?
"Thank you! I owe you my life!" Kalin expressed his sincere gratitude, and then, as if something crossed his mind, he added with an ugly expression, "But don’t think I’ll give up on Sofia just because of this. If I get a chance, I’ll repay you with my life!"
"You’re delusional! My master doesn’t care for me, and I certainly don’t care for you! With or without my master, give up already!" Sofia spat venomously at Kalin from a distance.
Kalin’s face fell, his previously determined expression vanishing, his heart seemingly crushed by this harsh rebuke from his admired one.
"I’d rather spend my time killing more black beetles than dealing with this nonsense!" Alexander rolled his eyes, his shooting uninterrupted, speaking indifferently.
Jolted back to reality, Kalin hurriedly picked up his gun from the ground and rejoined the fight. As time progressed, more breaches appeared in the white net.
Despite Alexander single-handedly blocking several gaps and holding a section of the wall, he was, after all, just one person with one gun. His rapid firing and accuracy had limits.
Facing the increasingly frenzied beetle swarm, the soldiers were forced to retreat into the base for defense, abandoning the first layer of the white net. The second layer didn’t hold for long either, and soon a vast number of black beetles broke through, attacking the soldiers inside the camp.
Even Atos, with his Prince-level strength, couldn’t cope with so many beetles, and casualties among the soldiers began to mount.
Fortunately, even a major beetle surge was not endless. With continuous bombardment from the towers within the base, the end of the massive swarm was finally in sight.
As death tolls exceeded half, the beetles, sensing fear, began to retreat, flying towards the sky.
The soldiers erupted in cheers amidst the relief of having repelled the massive beetle surge.
"We did it, we held them off!"
"Damn, that was a huge beetle surge! We almost got wiped out, it was terrifying!"
"Who cares if it was big or small, at least we can rest easy for a few days now!"
Their voices filled the air with a mixture of relief and triumph. Atos, with a tired but smiling face, addressed the troops, "It’s finally over! For now, we can be sure there won’t be another beetle surge today. One person stays on guard duty, the rest of you go and rest."
As he walked toward the central room of the base amidst the cheers, Atos passed by Alexander and nodded appreciatively, having witnessed his remarkable performance during the battle.
"Hey!" Kalin approached Alexander with a complex expression as Alexander was about to arrange guard duty.
Sofia and Xiao stepped in front of Alexander, facing Kalin warily. "Kalin, what do you want? You just got saved by my master, you aren’t looking to cause trouble now, are you?"
"I’m not that kind of person," Kalin replied with a wry smile. He acknowledged Alexander, "Regardless, you saved my life. I can’t just let it pass with an ’I owe you one’. In this damned world, who knows if there will be a chance to repay.
There shouldn’t be another beetle surge for a few days, especially today. Commander Atos said we only need one person for alert duty. Our squad will take turns watching this section of the wall. You guys go back and rest."
"Alright, thanks then!" Alexander nodded and didn’t hesitate to accept the offer.
"At least you have some conscience," Sofia remarked snidely, then hurried over to Alexander’s side and took his arm. "Master must be exhausted. Let me help you rest. Your shooting today was divine!"
"I want to help too!" Xiao rushed over, grabbing Alexander’s other arm, her face full of admiration.
"Captain, your shooting was incredible! Not only did you not hit the wire once, but you also hit every shot. It’s unbelievable how you defended a section of the wall all by yourself. I’m so impressed!"
"That’s true," Alexander replied, serious yet slightly teasing. "I also find it hard to understand how you managed to hit the wire with every shot, almost single-handedly destroying a section of it. I’m impressed too!"
"I... I was just nervous!" Xiao’s face turned red with embarrassment, and she shyly looked down.
Behind them, a soldier from Kalin’s squad patted his shoulder, his expression solemn. "Give it up, Captain. You don’t stand a chance."
Heartbreak +1
"Yeah, Captain," another soldier chimed in, patting Kalin’s shoulder. "A forced love is not true love."
Heartbreak +1
"It’s more than just unrequited!" another teammate added, joining in. "The bonds of her heart are too strong, Captain. You can’t force them open."
Heartbreak +100
"Damn it, all of you, get to the wall and stand guard! No one comes down until it’s dark!" The frustrated and embarrassed captain’s voice echoed as he ordered his team to their duties.