This is strange. Logically, the system should have triggered a mission, like a Chimera Ant extermination mission. Without a mission, Loki fa
This is strange.
Logically, the system should have triggered a mission, like a Chimera Ant extermination mission.
Without a mission, Loki faced a choice: should he proactively eliminate the Chimera Ants? While the Fire Spirit had absorbed Zazan's soul, significantly increasing his power, a mission would have been better.
But if the system doesn't provide a mission, eliminating the Chimera Ants now might cause him to miss a potential Chimera Ant extermination mission later.
The reason he brought Balda and the others back was to confirm the timeline. Loki remembered the general plot, but not the specific timing. When did the Chimera Ants appear? When did Balda discover them?
The plot isn't entirely fixed; Loki needed to personally confirm some information to determine the current stage of the plot.
"Zazan's contact has been lost!"
In the ant nest, the Penguin Squadron Leader, Peggy, stood on a raised rock, addressing the gathered Chimera Ant Squadron Leaders.
His tone was grave.
The Squadron Leaders, however, remained unconcerned.
"Why did Zazan lose contact? Did she discover some remote human settlement?"
Peggy glanced at the Squadron Leader who spoke.
"No!" He closed his eyes. "Zazan is dead."
"Dead?"
All the Squadron Leaders stopped.
Zazan, a Squadron Leader, was dead? Koruto looked at Peggy. "Is this true?"
"One hundred percent true." Peggy stated confidently.
"No way! What kind of creature could kill Zazan?"
"Among the creatures we've encountered, none should pose a threat to us!"
The other Chimera Ant Squadron Leaders were incredulous.
Among the creatures they'd encountered, none had posed a threat. Even the ordinary soldiers were stronger than any known creature.
And above the ordinary soldiers were the Squadron Leaders, and above them, Zazan.
Peggy looked at them. He knew how shocked they were; he'd felt the same when he first heard the news.
"Whatever killed Zazan is a serious threat and must be eliminated. Otherwise, the Queen's safety will be at risk," Koruto immediately declared, more concerned about the Queen's safety than Zazan's death.
Peggy glanced at him. "A human killed Zazan."
"Human?"
"Impossible!"
"Humans are pathetically weak. Even the weakest of my soldiers could kill a large group of humans."
"Mere humans couldn't possibly kill Zazan."
It would be one thing if it were another creature, but a human? The Chimera Ants simply couldn't believe such weak creatures could kill a Squadron Leader like Zazan.
"Alright, everyone, quiet down," Koruto said, raising his hand to calm the noisy Squadron Leaders.
"Peggy, what exactly happened? We've encountered many humans, but they were pathetically weak. How could this have happened?"
Peggy's gaze swept across the Squadron Leaders.
"It was the King of Humanity!" Peggy said, lowering his head.
"Zazan's last message was that the King of Humanity had appeared. After that, contact was completely lost."
The words 'King of Humanity' silenced the other Squadron Leaders. If it was the King of Humanity, Zazan's death wasn't so surprising.
A 'King,' in the Chimera Ants' understanding, was the strongest individual of a species. Humans were weak, but their King might be different.
"Is the King of Humanity strong?"
"Did Zazan… say how strong the King of Humanity is?"
Peggy shook his head. "Zazan only managed to send that one message before contact was lost."
When Peggy finished, the other Squadron Leaders were stunned.
Only one message!!!
Even a Squadron Leader like Zazan, facing the King of Humanity, only had time to send one message, not even a chance to relay more information! This meant only one thing: Zazan saw the opponent and was killed instantly.
She couldn't even engage in combat, delay, or probe the opponent's strength.
Silence fell among the Squadron Leaders.
This news filled them with unease. This wasn't just about capturing humans for the Queen; it was a matter of survival. The King of Humanity had appeared and instantly killed a Squadron Leader.
If he could kill Zazan, he could kill any of them.
Seeing their silence, Koruto looked at Peggy. "Zazan may have died at the hands of the King of Humanity, but she wasn't necessarily killed instantly."
The other Squadron Leaders looked at Koruto.
"Perhaps the battle location was too far, preventing Zazan from immediately transmitting the message."
"Or, after a battle, realizing she was no match, she chose to transmit the message before her death."
Peggy nodded. "Indeed, upon hearing 'King of Humanity,' I subconsciously overestimated their strength. Humans are weak; even the King of Humanity shouldn't be that strong."
Hearing this, the other Squadron Leaders' faces gradually returned to normal.
"So, what should we do now?" a Squadron Leader asked.
Koruto pondered. "Let's prioritize securing the Queen's food for today. As for the King of Humanity, Peggy and I will discuss a strategy and inform you later."
After the other Squadron Leaders left, Koruto and Peggy walked and talked.
"Koruto, if the King of Humanity is truly stronger than all the Squadron Leaders, what will we do?"
Koruto stopped. "Even if the King of Humanity is stronger than all the Squadron Leaders, we won't surrender easily. We will concentrate all our fighting power."
"We must eliminate the King of Humanity and protect the Queen's safety."
Koruto paused, his eyes turning.
"Recently, I've heard other Squadron Leaders mention that a small number of humans emit powerful life energy."
"At first, I thought it was just a rare phenomenon."
"But now, I wonder if these humans with powerful life energy are the King of Humanity's fighting force."
...
"When did you enter the area?"
"A few days ago!"
"When did you discover those creatures?"
"Yesterday. I found traces of those creatures and followed them."
Balda sat opposite Loki, his hands clenched tightly. He kept glancing at Loki furtively.
"Then, today, I encountered those monsters."
"Several other hunting teams I was in contact with have also lost contact."
"That's when I realized something was wrong."
"But by the time I reacted, it was too late."
Balda seemed regretful, recalling the deaths of his companions.
"Then we were attacked by the monsters. Several of my companions were instantly killed, leaving only four of us to escape."
"Another companion died during the escape, leaving only three of us."
After Balda finished recounting his experiences, Loki asked detailed questions about the names of the other Hunters, whether the Association knew about this incident, and so on.
He ultimately confirmed that among the Hunters Balda knew, there were no familiar names for Loki.
As for whether the Association knew about the incident in this area, Balda wasn't sure, but the other Hunters were probably trying to contact the Association.
He hadn't had the chance.
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