novelraw Chapter 32 : Speed Race
Chapter 32 : Speed Race
When Chen Sui arrived at the experimental base halfway up the mountain at the Biology Department, He Lanxi, wearing a green protective suit, walked out from the corridor illuminated by ultraviolet lights.
Outside the Biology Department's experimental base was a verification light screen. He Lanxi operated it from inside, and Chen Sui had to scan her student information before gaining access.
"What did you want to see me about?"
He Lanxi helped Chen Sui put on a disposable isolation garment, led her through various outdoor barrier-protected experimental fields, and brought her to the research room in the experimental base.
"It's like this, the seeds that Cheng Wei bought last time, we discovered some mutation situations. Examinations showed that during that period, the seeds in the market had significantly increased biological activity."
He Lanxi explained to Chen Sui what this increase meant.
"If this mutation exists in all species, the Star Alliance will experience a large-scale species revival."
Chen Sui listened in confusion, not understanding, "Species revival and then what? What does this have to do with me?"
After saying this, she felt somewhat aware of her lack of consciousness, so she added: "Oh, indeed it's closely related to each of us."
He Lanxi displayed an expressionless face: "This isn't the time to write headlines for the StarNet reports."
Chen Sui honestly closed her mouth.
"I threatened Cheng Wei with death before he was willing to tell me what happened at the seed market that day."
He Lanxi stared at her with gleaming eyes: "Your spiritual body!"
"Wood attribute!"
"Affinity!"
With each statement, He Lanxi took a step closer to Chen Sui.
Finally, the boy's somewhat rebellious face stopped directly in Chen Sui's line of sight.
Chen Sui calmly waited for his next words, not blinking even once.
He Lanxi suddenly put on a crying face and said sorrowfully: "Now only you can save me!"
Chen Sui wasn't at all surprised by his transformation. He Lanxi appeared somewhat arrogant at first glance, but looking closer, he just seemed immature. She had only one question: "How did you know about the affinity attribute?"
The evaluation values for spiritual bodies were divided into common attributes and rare attributes.
Common attributes included attack, defense, life, and agility.
Rare attributes included affinity, concealment, control, charm, absorption, burst, and other hidden attributes.
Analysts had to expend considerable effort to examine energy crystal values to verify these attributes.
He Lanxi wasn't surprised by her question. He shrugged, "Because of my family background. My surname is He Lan."
He tried desperately to hint.
Chen Sui's understanding of this surname came from the Honorary Member of the Analyst Association, He Lanyi.
Currently one of the three leading figures in the analyst world.
So she asked: "What relation is He Lanyi to you?"
He Lanxi, knowing she had just transferred to the Analyst Department, and to show sincerity in asking for her help, tried hard to demonstrate his value. He had never been so proud of his identity: "He's my grandfather."
"Oh."
Chen Sui nodded faintly.
For someone from the He Lan family, it wasn't strange that he could see this.
She had heard that children from the He Lan family began learning analyst courses from a young age; early education was theoretical, and after awakening, their toys were energy crystals.
The Star Alliance had been established for over a hundred years, and the He Lan family had trained many excellent analysts for the Star Alliance.
Yet He Lanxi saw Chen Sui's expression remain calm and her tone ordinary, so he repeated: "He Lanyi is my grandfather, my grandfather."
Chen Sui nodded, somewhat confused: "I know, I didn't say he was my grandfather either."
"Aren't you curious? Don't all analysts admire him? Don't you know his reputation? That can't be right, you've even made it into the school team..."
"I do know," Chen Sui replied, "but He Lanyi's approach doesn't quite suit me, so I haven't looked into it much."
He Lanxi nodded, "Oh, well indeed, I wouldn't actually recommend you learn from him either."
"Too rigid, inflexible."
Chen Sui reminded him: "Let's talk about what matters. What help do you need?"
"This," He Lanxi took a plant from the research bench. Its leaves were somewhat yellowed, looking unhealthy. "My mid-term exam experimental assignment—could you raise it? Perhaps its chances of survival would be higher."
Chen Sui showed an exasperated expression, not expecting He Lanxi to say so much just for this.
"Wake up. I've already spiritually awakened. That energy overflow was just a special situation. After awakening, energy concentrates in the spiritual threshold. If I release it, forget about whether it grows well—whether it survives at all is questionable."
He Lanxi looked at her sincerely: "I understand all that. I'll book a holographic training energy field room for you. Really, in the micro-energy field, when you're doing your analyst practical assignments, just let it soak up a bit, that's all."
"Wood attribute, high affinity—it's really rare. You're the first person I've seen who can mutate seeds. Please, Sister Sui, Supreme Sui! Save me!"
Awakened individuals in non-energy field environments find it very difficult to harness energy particles through spiritual body resonance.
But in a micro-energy field, it's possible to drive them, which is why micro-energy fields have become working environments for analysts.
Chen Sui thought for a moment. Holographic training rooms were hard to book, and micro-energy field rooms within them were even more difficult.
If He Lanxi helped her book one, she would save time. She just needed to bring this plant to the training room, and she'd lose nothing.
So she agreed.
When leaving the Biology Department's experimental garden, He Lanxi enthusiastically offered to show her the experimental plants. Chen Sui politely declined and was led down the mountain through a field of failed cultivated plants.
Looking at the yellowing grass leaves by her feet, Chen Sui frowned.
The apocalypse had also begun with the disappearance of other species.
This scene of decay easily triggered her discomfort.
The plant she brought back was placed on the windowsill in Chen Sui's room.
After He Lanxi began helping book holographic training rooms, Chen Sui had more time to study analyst theoretical courses.
After entering the Analyst Department, she received Seven Academy's analyst key, allowing her to find more master courses.
Chen Sui listened to courses from the three current mainstream analysts—He Lanyi, Lal Nuo, Zhao Rui—as well as several honorary chairpersons of the Analyst Association.
Late at night, Gu Qinxue, returning from school team training, saw Chen Sui's life steward still flashing its light screen and walked over.
The life steward's light screen displayed a crying expression but couldn't make a sound.
Gu Qinxue knew at a glance that Chen Sui had muted it.
She shook her head helplessly and tapped on the light screen.
The life steward continued flashing with its noodle tears.
On the last day of March, Chen Sui received a message from Liao Ruyi.
She had booked a holographic training room.
Chen Sui entered the holographic pod and arrived at the virtual battlefield.
Through the channel, Liao Ruyi appeared with Chen Sui in the same channel lobby.
They were set for a challenge match. The channel lobby had only two people, and the light screen panel randomly displayed competition arenas.
"Sorry for taking up your time!"
Liao Ruyi smiled quite politely.
Chen Sui nodded, observing her up close, "It's fine. Choosing a random battlefield?"
Liao Ruyi nodded and pressed the random button.
Although she had been tricked out of the clearance reward in the last holographic competition, Chen Sui had experienced extraordinary joy using a virtual mecha in the virtual battlefield.
She couldn't afford a customized mecha, so why not enjoy a fake one in the virtual battlefield?
The holographic map constructed.
A withered maple forest, with dry leaves intermingled on the ground. The mecha stepped on the leaves, making crisp crackling sounds.
The virtual battlefield announced in a mechanical voice:
"Analyst Speed Race - [Withered Forest Miasma] battlefield, about to begin"
"This competition's task: Place energy monitoring equipment at designated points according to energy field levels"
"Note that once the energy monitoring equipment is damaged, you will be eliminated"
"Number of participants in this competition: two. Each competitor is at the same distance from the designated point. The first to place the equipment wins."
Chen Sui was immediately randomly teleported to an unfamiliar environment.
"Competition countdown: 3, 2, 1"
As the mechanical voice finished, a gust of wind swept in from the distance, stirring up the layered fallen leaves on the ground.
Amid the dancing maple leaves, a gray-brown figure suddenly leaped out from the foliage.
The flowing wind blew up the fallen leaves in midair. Chen Sui gripped her long spear tightly, her wrist trembled, and the four-edged blade embedded with wooden material at the tip of the spear began to rotate.
The maple leaves, blown by the wind, changed direction in the air, their tips pointing toward the mecha.
As the howling gale swept across the ground, the gray-brown phantom-like shadow rushed forward swiftly, pushing a huge wall of wind. The maple leaves flew like knives, speeding toward Chen Sui.
"Zheng!"
The mecha dodged sideways, jumping between clusters of maple leaves. The green mecha moved like a silver thread, weaving zigzag patterns in the air and on the ground. The maple leaves struck the mecha's outer shell, producing metallic clangs.
Those leaves were as hard as iron.
Chen Sui passed through layers of leaves, holding her spear horizontally in front of her to protect the energy monitoring equipment attached to her chest, while raising a flash blast gun with her other hand.
The gray-brown phantom in front of her was transparent around the edges, seeming to merge with the current space.
Chen Sui tried to sense its energy crystal.
Her eyes focused intently. In just a breath, a gray light seemed to flash in her emerald pupils, illuminating the phantom's body. Gray light points gathered around it, entering its body, outlining an intricate energy trajectory on its form.
Reflected in Chen Sui's eyes, the phantom's arm fanned out, compressing the surrounding wind into blade-thin edges that rushed toward her.
The mecha swept its long spear. In Chen Sui's spiritual threshold, a green light blazed brightly. Energy condensed at the spear tip, causing the branches of the maple forest to grow rapidly.
Branches behind the phantom interlaced, weaving a huge net to block its retreat path.
The phantom remained unaware. Chen Sui fixed her gaze on the center of its body. The readied flash blast gun spat fire, and a flash blast projectile wrapped in a layer of green energy sped toward the phantom.
Chen Sui's mecha moved faster than the projectile.
She flashed forward, her long spear cutting through the space of interconnected wind blades in front of her.
With a fierce chop, a green light instantly froze the wind blades, forming a green wall in midair.
Her arm chopped down with the spear again, producing a dull sound like a misfired cannon.
The wind blades were cut open by green lines, falling to the ground like shattered glass.
Chen Sui's mecha moved forward swiftly.
Dodging sideways, the speeding flash blast projectile and the mecha passed each other, two streams of light splitting apart, one in front and one behind.
Chen Sui halted in midair, turned sideways, swung her spear, and charged swiftly, following right after the flash blast projectile.
The gray-brown phantom emitted a howling wind. The green energy surrounding the flash blast projectile pierced through one wind wall after another. The projectile rushed toward the phantom, creating a backward-facing outline in its cone-shaped abdomen, then exploded with a boom.
A large hole blasted open in the phantom's abdomen, with gray-brown lines crisscrossing its transparent body.
Chen Sui's eyes focused as she saw the phantom retreating as if to flee. She shouted sharply: "Little Flower, trap it."
Wood-Born Flower displayed the phantom image of a giant tree behind her. The verdant tall tree's vitality caused the forest plants to wildly shake their branches, leaves rustling.
The tree net behind the phantom suddenly closed, forming a huge ball in midair, imprisoning the gray-brown phantom inside.
As Chen Sui quickly crashed into the sphere, the part she touched seemed to merge with the branches, allowing her to pass through the tree ball without obstruction.
The silver-white spearhead pierced the phantom's body.
A dried branch piece embedded in the spearhead emitted a dazzling green light, illuminating the phantom's abdomen brightly.
"Vine birth," Chen Sui commanded quietly.
With her resonance, the fingernail-sized dried branch sprouted countless stems, rapidly growing vines that penetrated the phantom's formless flesh. Under Chen Sui's capture, they found a gray energy crystal in its chest area.
The vines coiled around it, carrying the energy crystal through the phantom's shell.
The long spear and countless vines penetrated the phantom's body.
The slender vines, wrapped around the crystal, carefully and pleadingly extended toward the green mecha, then gently placed it in Chen Sui's palm, still affectionately rubbing against her fingertips.
Chen Sui reached out to grip the spear shaft and pulled hard. The rapidly growing vines quickly retracted, returning to the ordinary dried branch element in the center of the four-edged blade in less than a second.
The phantom, pierced like a sieve, lost its body and fell to the ground like a floating balloon slowly descending, then quickly dissolved into the air like decomposing garbage.
Putting away the energy body in her hand, Chen Sui glanced forward and quickly left the maple forest.
Following theoretical courses, she sensed the energy fluctuations in the air, continuously feeling and comparing.
The green mecha swiftly traversed the entire dense forest. As the mecha leaped, cannon fire flew, and the long spear moved like a rainbow across the sun—a flash of white light leaving behind only dissolving shadows of energy bodies.
Chen Sui judged the route in her mind. Speed races had time limits, essentially a competition between two sides.
She could already sense the placement point. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.
As for the energy bodies that appeared, except for the initially troublesome high-level phantom energy body, the rest were killed with a single strike.
Deep in the forest, black mist swirled. Viewed from an aerial perspective, another figure could be seen rushing in from a different direction.
Liao Ruyi had been avoiding energy bodies all the way, taking a large detour. Fortunately, things went smoothly. Just as she was about to reach the placement point, she noticed a black pool blocking her path and found it strange.
Along the way, Liao Ruyi had been monitoring energy levels to avoid high-level energy bodies. Currently, the surrounding energy levels were fluctuating within the low-level range.
But her analyst intuition made her feel something eerie about the environment ahead.
After patting the monitoring equipment installed on her chest, Liao Ruyi scanned her surroundings and quickly found an inconspicuous small path beside the black, mirror-like still lake, winding to the other side of the forest.
Liao Ruyi remained uneasy.
The earthen yellow path, about two meters wide, wound into the lake. Around it was black mud covered by a layer of black miasma.
To avoid energy corrosion, Liao Ruyi extended her hand, and a layer of blue energy covered the mecha's surface.
Isolated from the black miasma, she worried the black mud might hide a swamp, so she carefully stepped onto the earthen yellow path.
The mecha's feet transmitted a strange sensation. The small path was uneven with some cracks, like a layer of broken earth.
Yet it was the only passage spanning the lake and swamp to reach the opposite shore.
The mecha's propulsion device lacked sufficient charge, likely not enough to support her flying across the lake, so she had to take this path.
Just as Liao Ruyi reached the middle, the ground beneath her feet suddenly shook several times.
Before she could react, violent tremors like an earthquake caused the mecha to lose balance. Under her feet, she felt something breaking through the ground, emerging.
The dried mud of the earthen yellow path, like shattered armor, immediately disintegrated, pushed up by a protruding yellow-brown body. The pieces fell toward the black mud swamp. Before even entering the bog, they were corroded by the black marsh gas, creating a hissing sound amid the violent shaking and ground-splitting noise.
Liao Ruyi sensed something was wrong. As her mecha became unstable, she quickly felt a powerful energy presence, like a fierce beast attribute. The extremely low energy level in the surroundings suddenly soared.
A chill rose up her back.
Liao Ruyi's mecha was lifted into the air by the rising serpentine body, and she realized—
This wasn't a path below, but a giant snake in the process of shedding its skin!
The snake's head suddenly reared up from the bottom of the black pool.
An earthen yellow, mud-like outer shell split into pieces, falling around.
Her mecha stood on the middle section of this giant snake's body.
Liao Ruyi activated the mecha's propulsion.
The lake was too far, and the mecha's propulsion might lose power connection halfway, but she clearly couldn't consider that now.
The mecha left the snake's body and surged forward.
From the black swamp, a long tail whipped out. Black marsh gas and the surrounding lake gathered a thick layer of miasma.
The black mist was torn up like cloth, rapidly spreading upward.
Behind the mecha, the black mist seemed to lock on, tracking toward her position.
Liao Ruyi's heart jumped in alarm, sensing energy fluctuations far beyond her expectations.
She hurriedly turned back and fired a flash blast projectile. At that moment, the giant snake had raised its entire body from the swamp and lake. The black lake water churned, releasing layers of black mist.
Its dozens of meters long, winding body—the huge snake opened its fangs and roared at the mecha in midair.
The flash blast projectile headed straight for its blood-filled mouth, following its throat, and exploded inside the giant snake's mouth.
A huge noise, with sparks and blood spurting out.
The giant snake suddenly opened its eyes, revealing a pair of dark gray vertical pupils.
The black miasma completely blocked the view below the mecha as the mist rose.
Liao Ruyi felt the black energy eroding her mecha. The propulsion device's energy supply was running critically low; she needed to find the designated point for a new supply.
Blue light illuminated from around her, but it was completely obscured by the black mist, the blue glow extremely faint.
In the distance, Chen Sui, who had just completed a one-sided slaughter in the dense forest, flicked her wrist, shaking all the blood from her long spear.
As she blasted apart a tree person's body with a flash blast projectile to extract its energy crystal, she heard a similar sound from another direction.
Chen Sui's ears twitched slightly as her gaze swept around, quickly locking onto a position.
She paused, briefly sensing the energy fluctuations in the distance, when suddenly a sharp light flashed in her eyes.
Such powerful energy fluctuations.
Chen Sui heard a roar follow immediately, the energy fluctuations strengthening even further from their original level, making her look again.
Based on energy levels, the wave patterns of energy bodies and spiritual bodies had some differences. Chen Sui sensed two types of energy patterns.
Liao Ruyi was fighting with that high-level energy body.
She glanced at the placement point just within reach.
In her sensory domain, the spiritual body's wave pattern was declining, meaning the other side was dominant.
Chen Sui's eyes focused, not even needing to think. She changed direction, and her mecha swiftly traversed through the forest.
She sped toward the direction of the battle sounds!
Liao Ruyi was quickly dodging in midair. The black mist, substantial as it was, gathered in the air to form a long snake.
The golden snake's body writhed on the ground, constantly attacking from below. When it opened its fangs, it spewed a mass of black mist, gradually covering the surrounding view. Liao Ruyi could only judge the position of the aerial black snake through energy fluctuations; her vision was shrouded in darkness, making it extremely difficult to see.
The black snake lunged head-on, its fangs looking sinister in the black mist. Liao Ruyi reacted quickly, activating her mecha's propulsion. Blue energy like arrows evaded the black energy, then shot toward the black snake's trajectory.
The black snake's body dissipated upon being hit by the energy attack.
Liao Ruyi hadn't even caught her breath when the hair on her back stood on end as a cold sensation rushed in.
Before she could react, energy fluctuations rose from behind. Masses of black mist gathered, the shadow of the black snake reforming behind her. As Liao Ruyi turned her head, it solidified and charged at her.
Liao Ruyi instinctively dodged, her mecha tracing a path upward.
Unexpectedly, the black snake followed, turning and crashing into the mecha.
The black mist frantically corroded the blue energy surrounding the mecha.
The water attribute energy barrier, under the black mist's attack, shattered like glass in midair, falling into the black mist, enveloped by black energy, and finally annihilated.
Liao Ruyi's spiritual threshold was heavily damaged, her head suddenly in pain. She had no time to care, only managing to slash backward with her light sword, the streamlined blue light cutting through the black mist's trajectory.
But now, the mecha, having lost its energy protection, was already enveloped by black mist. The mist entangled the mecha's hands and feet. Liao Ruyi's mecha was suspended in midair, its propulsion device forcibly stalled due to insufficient energy supply, but she wouldn't fall.
This was because the black mist was pulling her upward. The golden snake growled lowly, raised its body, its enormous form extending several meters. Its long tail slapped in the marsh, continuously releasing black mist.
The golden snake's terrifying mouth stopped in front of the mecha. Liao Ruyi's heart pounded wildly like a drum as black energy surged around her, seeming to suffocate her.
Just as Liao Ruyi held her breath, a powerful whistling sound rushed in!
"Whoosh!"
A long spear carrying enormous force traversed the space in front of her.
Then it tore through flesh, embedded in the golden snake's head, the force pushing the snake's massive body toward the side marsh.
Liao Ruyi's eyes flickered, and she quickly warned: "Be careful with your weapon, the swamp will swallow it."
"I know!"
A clear, steady voice grew closer, the last word seeming to fall right beside Liao Ruyi's ear.
The green mecha's voice rushed past, and Liao Ruyi seemed to see only an afterimage before witnessing a mecha giant instantly approach the golden snake's body.
The mecha's foot stepped near the snake's eye, one hand gripping the flying long spear.
Chen Sui kicked down hard.
Using the force of the falling golden snake, she pulled out the long spear.
Red blood sprayed.
The golden snake roared in fury, black mist frantically surging toward the mecha's position.
A green energy burst from Chen Sui, the giant tree's shadow appearing and disappearing with her movements.
The giant tree's vines grew rapidly, cutting the black mist bindings on Liao Ruyi.
"Net!"
Liao Ruyi heard Chen Sui command quietly.
The trees around the lake and swamp grew instantly, weaving a giant net in midair, perpendicular to the swamp's position.
Liao Ruyi looked at her in confusion.
Chen Sui only rotated her long spear, watching the rapidly healing wound on the golden snake.
"Regeneration 3," Liao Ruyi warned her.
"I know," Chen Sui said quietly. "Go supply energy."
As she finished speaking, a vine wrapped around the mecha's body, pulling Liao Ruyi toward the aerial net, creating a stable environment for energy supply.
Liao Ruyi felt moved as she looked toward the green mecha that had already rushed out.
Chen Sui charged toward the golden snake. Sensing the threat, it directed all its black mist to form snakes. The air became like a snake den with black snakes entwined, countless snake heads extending from the black mist.
A black snake rushed toward Chen Sui from behind. She dodged, but quickly another one attacked.
The black mist hampered her approach to the golden snake, and the black snakes were extremely troublesome.
But Chen Sui needed just one glance. She raised her flash blast gun, and the energy wave pattern in midair seemed substantial.
She could clearly know the energy level at any point, see the energy fluctuations at each point, and analyze the black snakes' movement trajectories.
The flash blast gun fired seemingly aimlessly into the air several times.
With massive explosions, it blasted open the black mist in front of her.
By this time, Liao Ruyi had completed her energy supply and propelled her mecha to Chen Sui's side.
In just that second, the blasted gap was immediately filled by black mist again.
Chen Sui glanced at Liao Ruyi, "You're water attribute?"
Liao Ruyi nodded, then heard her ask: "Can you freeze that black swamp?"
Liao Ruyi looked at the black swamp, no smaller than the lake, and shook her head somewhat choked.
"My resonance with my spiritual body, um, can't achieve that level yet."
"Sorry."
Liao Ruyi lowered her head somewhat ashamed.
Chen Sui frowned, then relaxed.
In her mind, she recalled the water attribute people she knew, involuntarily picturing a figure with black curly hair.
Well, the school Team Leader did have that capability.
Chen Sui refocused: "It's fine, help me block the black mist."
Liao Ruyi froze, not understanding what she planned to do, and instinctively asked: "Aren't we leaving?"
"Leave what? Not killing the energy body? It attacks you, and you don't fight back?"
Chen Sui replied matter-of-factly.
This answer made Liao Ruyi's usual analyst training protocol stall momentarily.
In her understanding, speed races never involved entanglements with energy bodies.
"I'm an analyst, why would I kill energy bodies?"
Liao Ruyi quietly questioned herself.
But Chen Sui hadn't heard what she said. As the black mist regathered in that second, another flash blast projectile was fired out, this time not at one position but around them.
A black snake was penetrated by a flash blast projectile, the shell wrapped in green energy dispersing the black mist.
Seeing the golden snake moving somewhat restlessly on the ground, the black mist scattered and not yet regathered, Chen Sui seized the opportunity. Green light enveloped her mecha as she flashed out from midair, her sharp gaze fixed on the golden snake's body below.
Her eyes, brilliant with green light, reflected the energy trajectory inside the golden snake's body.
In a mass of black mist, an extremely inconspicuous black crystal was hidden in the golden snake's tail, which was submerged in the black swamp.
The golden snake's body coiled on its tail, baring its fangs menacingly at the mecha.