novelraw Chapter 280 - 273: Nameless Cocoon vs. Black Gold
Chapter 280 - 273: Nameless Cocoon vs. Black Gold
"Commander, this 500 milliliters of Purifying Marrow is my final reserve."
"Thank you for your help, Captain Shi."
In fact, he still had another 900 milliliters as a final reserve. The expected price for this transaction had been 3,500 Pure Dome Crystals or Contribution Points. Unexpectedly, after a bit of feigned reluctance, Xivier had voluntarily increased the offer by 33%, which came as a pleasant surprise.
Once the transaction was completed, Shi Ming’s Da Yu Contribution Points rose from 9,500 to 13,500.
Ordinary people couldn’t convert Pure Dome Crystals into Da Yu Contribution Points. However, this transaction involved confronting a super sea beast and was referred by Da Yu. Moreover, King-level Wandering Ships shared countless intricate connections, so the Black Gold naturally had a way to operate across systems.
’Poor Ah Jian.’
After receiving the Purifying Marrow, Xivier, who wore glasses and had a scholarly air about her, quickly returned to the Black Gold. She wanted to press on, using the hard-won Purifying Marrow to complete the final repairs on the Sealed Prison and show that restless insect a thing or two.
...
On the Black Gold, inside a laboratory shielded from Spiritual Power probes, the massive matrix of the Sealed Prison rested on an alloy control console. There was still one noticeable worn spot on it, but soon, that spot would be gone.
The scientist, Abdu, carefully took out 500 grams of Purifying Marrow.
Then, he carefully applied it, bit by bit, onto the worn surface.
This artifact, which had been running continuously for nearly thirty years without a moment’s rest, rapidly absorbed the substance. The last worn spot gradually vanished, and the prison, as if forged from the world’s strongest metal, became as bright and clean as new, having been purified to the greatest possible extent.
"It’s a success!"
Abdu exclaimed joyfully.
Thirty years! Thirty years ago, they had detected a super sea beast hatching in the depths of the Great Rift Valley—one that was incredibly difficult to kill and posed an immense threat. Ever since then, they hadn’t dared to relax for a single moment. If they hadn’t acquired this sealing artifact from "the Fire Seed," the insect in the cocoon would have broken out long ago. Even so, the manpower and resources required to maintain the Sealed Prison had continued to grow, forcing the Black Gold to remain stationary for three decades, unable to regulate the chaos in the Africa Sea Area.
Now, they could finally breathe a sigh of relief!
"Maximum efficiency!"
"Begin forced suppression! At the same time, closely monitor the biological information fluctuations of the Nameless Cocoon. Record and analyze them constantly to prevent a last-ditch struggle."
The Commander issued the next series of commands.
"Yes, sir!"
Abdu excitedly manipulated the matrix of the Sealed Prison, cranking the suppression function to its absolute maximum. He was long sick of his current life; all his research revolved around a single insect, and it was tedious and dull.
HUMMMMM...
The matrix of the Sealed Prison trembled, and the frequency quickly traveled down into the deep sea, reaching the Nameless Cocoon in the depths of the Great Rift Valley.
...
At that moment, the Nameless Cocoon’s Spiritual Power was roaming through the ocean of its past lives’ memories. It, too, was carefully and relentlessly searching for experiences from other Insect Realms. ’Humans are completely untrustworthy. I can’t place all my hope in them. I must find another backup plan. What humans would call a Plan B.’
It had learned many new words.
The Nameless Cocoon explored its sealed memories with extreme restraint.
In its three hundred and eighty-third life, it seemed to recall being suppressed by a treasure that looked like a "purple gourd." At that time, it had spent several hundred years evolving the ability of the Wall-Eating Worm, finally escaping by gnawing through the purple gourd and corroding it from the inside.
Unfortunately, the ability of the Wall-Eating Worm was lost with the restart.
In its seven hundred and twenty-fourth life, it had an encounter where, while still in its cocoon, it was swallowed by a ferocious beast. Back then, it relied on its Undying Cocoon to defend against the stomach’s corrosion but had no way to move on its own. Eventually, after a long time, it escaped amidst the buildup and churning of food fragments. After hatching, it used its Eternal Life Law to make the beast drown in a deluge of jumbled memories, all while it slowly devoured the beast’s flesh in reality, taking revenge for its confinement.
In its one thousand, three hundred and twenty-fourth life...
’Hm?’
The Nameless Cocoon felt an extremely strong sense of pressure. The black threads wrapped around its cocoon were tightening their grip on the fragile body within. The omnipresent suppressive power seemed to have more than tripled, crushing its fully grown but still unhatched body, making it difficult to resist even with its profound Spiritual Power.
HISSS—
’Bastards! These despicable humans!’
’This suppression is even more unbearable than the ones from the past two days. The actions of this King-level Wandering Ship have been getting more and more intense!’
The Nameless Cocoon curled up its body, resisting the suppression of the Sealed Prison.
’Based on my previous experience, as long as I can endure the peak impact and restraint, the Sealed Prison will enter a long overheating and cooldown period. Even if it has been repaired by the Purifying Marrow, the Energy Stones and Sea Beast Hearts on the great ship aren’t infinite.’
’It always gives me a chance to breathe.’
But this time, it was different.
The Sealed Prison had received the most perfect repairs. Now, it no longer needed to consume Sea Beast Hearts; with just enough Energy Stones, it could run at full capacity like the youngest, strongest workhorse!
HISSS!
The peak period was endless. Finally, the Nameless Cocoon couldn’t take it anymore. A powerful wave of Spiritual Power surged from within the cocoon. This fluctuation was the strongest attack it could currently muster. Although it was far inferior to the Eternal Life Law, it decided it had to teach the humans on this ship a harsh lesson!
...
"Commander, we’ve detected a super-strong Spiritual Power fluctuation! The insect is counter-attacking!"
"Activate the King Trait! Thousand-Mile Conquest!"
"Yes, sir!"
BOOM!
The massive Black Gold instantly entered a state of war. Under Thousand-Mile Conquest, the ship’s hull became a single, integrated entity. Every structural plate, every resident, was now an inseparable part of the great ship, collectively supporting its formidable Attack Power and sharing its impenetrable, super-strong Defense Power.
The many become a fortress, a single, unified whole.
Any who dare to offend, no matter how distant, shall be conquered.
This was the King Trait of the "Black Gold": Thousand-Mile Conquest! As long as there were enough people on the ship, they could become a fortress, unified in both offense and defense.
The Nameless Cocoon’s surging Spiritual Power attack pierced through the three-thousand-meter-deep Great Rift Valley and then through another two-thousand-plus meters of open sea. By the time it reached the Black Gold, which had activated its King Trait, the attack had been diluted by nearly half from the seawater. It now collided head-on with the ship!
INVASION!
Amidst the formless Spiritual Power attack, all the residents of the Black Gold felt their minds go dizzy and dull for three seconds. They subconsciously closed their eyes to fight the discomfort, and by the time they opened them again, the feeling was completely gone. Most residents even forgot what had happened in the last three seconds.
The Spiritual Power attack from its cocooned state versus the Black Gold’s Thousand-Mile Conquest—a complete failure!
The Nameless Cocoon slumped in defeat.
What greeted it next was an even more ferocious suppression.
...
...
...
At the edge of the Africa Sea Area belonging to the Black Gold, Shi Ming used his own Spiritual Power to faintly observe the confrontation. He currently couldn’t probe too far or in too much detail, but he could get a general sense of the clash.
The Black Gold had activated its King Trait and seemed largely unaffected.
After its fierce assault, the Nameless Cocoon fell into a state of exhaustion.
It looked like a crushing defeat for the Nameless Cocoon, and in fact, it was. However, Shi Ming could clearly sense that in the sea, five thousand meters below the King-level Wandering Ship, more than half of all the small creatures—like swimming fish, sea worms, and common sea beasts—had died during that Spiritual Power blast. Those that didn’t die had their brain structures completely destroyed, turning them into walking corpses that had even lost their instinct to eat.
’As expected of the third-ranked sea beast. Even without hatching, it could force the Black Gold to use its King Trait with its Spiritual Power. Its Attack Power is terrifying.’
’But is this all it can do?’
Shi Ming smiled a simple, honest smile.
’Ah Jian, I wonder if you’ve ever heard this saying? When Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility upon a person, it must first temper their will, tire their muscles, starve their body, and leave them wanting...’
’For now, just endure the suffering of the Sealed Prison.’
’Only by enduring the bitterest of hardships can one become the insect above all insects. This is the tempering a King Insect must undergo. When the time is right, your investment will pay off.’
’Then, I will give you three choices.’
’Three whole choices.’