Chapter 302: The Geniuses Arrive
Propagation (Suixing) was unhurriedly chasing Polka, toying with her from time to time with her Swarm.
At that moment, Big Herta arrived outside Omphalos with several geniuses from the Genius Club.
"The Emperor's Scepter. We lack the means of Trailblaze; it won't be easy to enter," Screllum observed briefly. The firewall was considerably thick.
If it was Zandar plus the Emperor's Scepter, this level of defense was understandable.
But... who was it designed to keep out?
"Who cares? It's rare for so many of us geniuses to gather. Let's just do it."
Big Herta's eyes were overflowing with the desire to explore. She had called in so many people; she definitely couldn't leave just like this.
"Um... I'm not interested in that senior. Can I leave now?" A middle-aged man raised his hand, asking weakly.
He hadn't wanted to come, but Big Herta had shown up right at his door.
"Stephen, you're already here. What's the rush?" Herta said, exasperated. This middle-aged man was just the disguise used by that socially anxious genius.
Stephen hung his head, defeated. Since Big Herta had spoken, he could only stay a while longer.
"I'd also like to meet this senior who has been missing for so long," Elias said.
The geniuses reached a consensus and began to work together to break through Omphalos's firewall.
[WARNING]...
Lagus was frantically busy in Omphalos's backend. One wave hadn't even settled before another rose. Seeing the red alert, even his mechanical mind couldn't take it. Who is this pro?
"Big Herta, Screllum..."
After confirming their identities, Lagus's head throbbed even more. Why are these geniuses, scattered across the universe, 'grouping up' to come here?
Are you kidding me?
Dammit! Don't let me find out which bastard led them here!
This was a place even Polka Kakamu couldn't find. First, it was the Nameless of the Trailblaze, and now the Geniuses of Erudition.
Black Swan: Who could have done it? It's so hard to guess.
At this point, he could only fight these geniuses from the backend, completely unable to get away.
Annihilation Gang Lords! Where are you?! Get over here and deliver this baby!
On a certain planet.
"Excuse me, do you know how to get to Omphalos?"
Acheron, lost as usual, stopped a person whose face was covered in white cloth to ask for directions. Although Kenji's help had nullified the effects of Nihility on her, her "getting lost" attribute remained.
"?"
"A Self-Annihilator. No wonder."
Scorching Wind was stunned at first. After all, there was no precedent for someone asking an Annihilation Gang Lord for directions. He then sensed the thick "Nothingness" on Acheron.
"It seems you don't know." Acheron shook her head and turned to leave.
"Wait." Scorching Wind spoke. To ignore him like that... how arrogant.
"Yes?" Acheron tilted her head, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.
Scorching Wind didn't speak. The black blade in his hand had already expressed his intention: Destruction.
An Emanator-level Self-Annihilator... Worth killing!
"Ai..."
Acheron sighed. It seemed she had asked the wrong person for directions. This half-black, half-white person felt a bit hostile.
I'll have to make IX (the ATM) drop some more gold coins.
Without Nihility affecting her, she could take as much as she wanted. IX wouldn't care.
"Iks (IX)! Lend me your power of Nihility!"
Scorching Wind's brow twitched. The purity of this Nihility was absurd! Why haven't you dissolved yet?
This is even better. In the end...
"Nah, I'd win."
Chat Group
[Sherry]: "Do you know what I just saw in the newspaper?"
[Sherry]: "Shinichi Kudo is still running around as an elementary schooler. The 'Winery' (Black Organization) hasn't done anything. Has Gin gotten that soft?"
Shiho Miyano didn't get it. She hadn't even changed Shinichi Kudo's status to "deceased" on the list, yet the organization was still ignoring him.
[Star Forger]: "He's too curious. Also, it's probably the 'world's corrective force.' Just like how Wolffy can never eat Weslie."
Shinichi Kudo just hasn't learned his lesson.
[I Love Frying Pans]: "Why bring me up? I have much more delicious mutton now. Weslie and the others are nothing!"
[Gudako]: "That's called 'forgetting your roots.'"
[Stank]: "Mutton is a wolf's main prey, but wolves also hunt deer and the like. Don't you have those where you are, Wolffy?"
[I Love Frying Pans]: "I do..."
Wolffy frowned. Even if he couldn't catch Weslie, he could catch other prey. But... he always ended up with frogs or plants as a backup.
[Star Forger]: "The show is called Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf. It's about the goat and the wolf."
[Star Forger]: "Little Ai, did you never have the urge to use Shinichi Kudo as a lab rat?"
[God's Tongue]: "Isn't that... a little wrong?"
[Sherry]: "There's nothing wrong with it. But it's unnecessary. I'm not interested in the 'A-Drug' anymore."
(If she had also shrunk and hadn't joined the chat, she admits she would have experimented on him. Like... drawing a few hundred milliliters of his blood.)
[Naughty Xi]: "I studied your 'A-Drug' a bit. It's not a perfect product. It has significant side effects. The body shrinks, but not completely."
The intellect is still an adult's, which means the brain activity is also an adult's. Running that in a child's body... wouldn't that cause problems in the long run?
Kenji (thinking): It won't, because it's an anime.
[Miss Pink Elf♪]: "For de-aging, I think Mobius's method is pretty good♪."
[Ruan Mei]: "Herta's is also fine."
[Shadowkhan Queen]: "I have a question. Did the Xianzhou never think of other ways to achieve long life?"
[Lifts-Bemstar-With-One-Hand]: "Perhaps they did. But with so much internal conflict, how could they succeed?"
The Xianzhou isn't the Land of Light. It can only maintain surface-level stability because it fears the Generals' power. If one General dies, that ship falls into chaos.
[Star Forger]: "Jailbird Jing is the 'legendary pressure king.' The Luofu is probably the most chaotic of all."
He's the only one left of the High-Cloud Quintet. As for Seer and the others, they can't really keep those "demons" in check.
"Jail-gus, I'll add some more fuel to your fire."
Kenji saw the frantic Lagus. Being the kind-hearted person he was, he decided to help him out.
"Elysia, let me borrow that Key of Erosion Fu Hua gave you."
"Okay ദ്ദി♪"
"Darling daughter, it's your time to shine."
"The twelfth is 'Erosion' (蝕), causing the mortal world to decay, and spirits to lose their way."
Little Anya-kun grasped Jizo Mitama. Activated by the Herrscher of Finality herself, the Divine Key's authority was massively amplified.
A highly corrosive virus began to penetrate the backend. It didn't affect Omphalos, but it made Lagus's head start to smoke.
Dammit! Is there no end to this?! How is this virus even more absurd than the Iron Tomb's power?!
It was a perfect natural counter to anything mechanical.
Kenji (thinking): Cosmic hillbilly, taste the Mamba Elbow Strike!
"Cooperation from the inside and outside."
Big Herta and the other geniuses noticed. They accelerated their assault. If they still couldn't 'bust open' this firewall...
They could really just call themselves the "Dummy Club" from now on.