"Everyone, stay sharp. We can’t afford any mistakes this time," said Post, the Colonel leading the team, known in the Eternal United States as the Ghost Spider, his voice cold.
He didn’t say this lightly. Something had happened that made him furious.
Lieutenant Colonel Harrington had yet to return. Tomorrow was the day they were supposed to close the net, yet Harrington was still unreachable.
Due to the secrecy of the mission, Post couldn’t contact the United States for help in tracking Harrington.
He couldn’t risk leaking the plan and having the whole situation spiral out of control.
Yet now, an uncontrollable variable had already emerged—and it was a significant one.
A Lieutenant Colonel was a key asset in this operation.
He wasn’t concerned with whether Harrington was dead or alive; he was worried about how his absence would impact the mission.
Post placed great importance on Harrington’s Puzzle Relic: Son of Thunder.
Especially in terms of speed and attack power, even he didn’t dare to face Harrington’s Divine Judgment head-on.
As long as Harrington didn’t make any critical mistakes, a spot among the future generals was guaranteed for him.
He also knew Harrington was one of the chosen talents in the United States, groomed and supported with a disproportionate share of its resources.
Post hadn’t wanted to get on Harrington’s bad side; in fact, he was the one who had suggested Harrington join this capture operation.
It was partly to build goodwill and partly to use his abilities to make the mission go more smoothly.
But now, the one part of the plan that should have been foolproof had gone wrong. How could he not be furious?
The operation was supposed to be a sure thing—basically a freebie to pad Harrington’s list of accomplishments.
While not quite a mere resume-padding exercise, it should have been an easy win.
"Any contact with Harrington yet?" Post asked, after using the man’s disappearance as a pretext to admonish the others.
Frustrating as it was, he still had to take the disappearance of a lieutenant colonel during a mission seriously, especially one who was so highly regarded.
Whether Harrington was actually dead or just missing, it would be a huge headache for Post.
’I came here for an easy victory, and now I’m stuck with this mess. What a raw deal.’
"No, sir. Should we dispatch a search party..." a Captain said awkwardly.
"No need," Post said, naturally frustrated and angry with Harrington. "Harrington isn’t one to lose sight of his priorities. If he hasn’t rushed back by now, something must have happened to him."
But he also knew Harrington was loyal to the United States. Defection was out of the question. More likely, he was dead, or perhaps just delayed.
Of course, he knew what Harrington had gone off to do.
For the sake of morale, he had decided to turn a blind eye.
Who would have thought he’d never return?
"Everyone, on high alert," Post said after composing himself. "There’s a good chance Harrington’s disappearance is related to the rendezvous."
"Go contact the surveillance team. See if there’s been any change on Kong Xiang’s end."
Post had a sharp intuition that something was wrong, so he sent a man to get an update.
The liaison quickly tried to communicate via a Relic, but the other end was silent.
"There’s a problem. We can’t contact our people."
"It’s highly likely the plan has been exposed," a Captain reported, hurrying over to Post.
Post’s expression darkened. "Just as I suspected. The enemy is behind Harrington leaving and not coming back."
"They’ll most likely move up the rendezvous. We’re moving in now!" Post didn’t hesitate for a second.
’If we can’t get the contact, we have to at least grab Kong Xiang. Otherwise, this whole thing will be for nothing.’
So they acted without any hesitation.
"Don’t trouble yourselves. I’ve already arrived." A voice suddenly rang out, causing everyone to simultaneously activate their Relics and attack.
Post, at the head of the group, instantly transformed into a giant, semi-ethereal spider and lunged forward.
"A spatial ability?" Qi Suian’s voice emanated from a humanoid figure draped in clothing.
Of course, his actual body wasn’t here. He had simply remote-controlled the Devoted Holy Orchestra and tossed it over.
Now that he could control it remotely, Qi Suian had naturally never considered coming in person.
"Damn it, it’s poison!" Ghost Spider Post had just warped to his target when he sensed something was wrong.
Large numbers of Profound Priests and Subterranean Nuns materialized, their music and chanting reaching the ears of everyone present.
Alerted by Ghost Spider Post’s warning, the holders of Puzzle Relics with abilities for detoxification, disease removal, and the like immediately activated their powers.
It was quite effective; at least it kept them from turning into zombies on the spot.
However, the Profound Virus still seeped into their bodies. Even when purged, it continued to invade them relentlessly.
Even with their protective barriers, they couldn’t stop it.
It wasn’t lethal, but it manifested as a sickness that weakened their bodies.
"You’re... Kong Xiang’s contact." A terrifying glint appeared in Ghost Spider Post’s compound eyes.
His gaze swept over the Profound Priests and Subterranean Nuns. Through the power of his Puzzle Relic, he instantly confirmed they were merely summoned creatures.
Qi Suian’s real body was not among them.
"He’s not here! Find him for me, now!" Ghost Spider Post roared.
This was too damn frustrating. They were being run in circles by the enemy, and they didn’t even know where he was.
He could clearly feel the sickness eroding his body, even in his Void Ghost Spider form with its powerful resistance.
But if he couldn’t find a solution, escape would ultimately be impossible.
"I need time," a Major skilled in tracking spoke up.
"We’re pulling back. We can’t stay in the enemy’s domain," Ghost Spider Post ordered. At his words, everyone began to evacuate the base.
But soon, someone discovered the problem.
"It’s not a domain—it’s transmitted by sound! As long as we can hear it, we can’t avoid being corrupted by the sickness!" another Captain sharply observed, identifying the nature of the Holy Orchestra.
He hadn’t, however, realized that the true vector wasn’t the sound itself, but its content.
Of course, under the current circumstances, it made no difference whether the vector was sound or content.
They couldn’t escape the Holy Orchestra’s effects either way.
"Find him. Killing him will solve this." Ghost Spider Post understood one simple truth: if you can’t solve the problem, you eliminate the person causing it.
"I’m trying my best," the Major specializing in tracking said, a strained look on his face. "He has a Relic that’s concealing him, so finding him isn’t easy." Clearly, he was pushing his Puzzle Relic to its absolute limit.
"Keep retreating..." Ghost Spider Post didn’t force the issue. He knew pressing him would be useless, so they could only continue to fall back.
But before he could even finish speaking, he witnessed a horrifying turn of events.
One of the corporals in the retreating group suddenly vomited a mouthful of black blood. Before anyone could call for a medic, his features turned ashen and still as a corpse.
Dark veins bulged on his skin, and his eyes were completely bloodshot.
"S-Sir... take care of my... family..." The corporal, sensing what was happening to him, stammered out with great difficulty.
Ghost Spider Post was just about to offer help, but it was already too late.
The corporal’s jaws gaped open, and he lunged, biting at a comrade beside him.
A stench of decay began to spread from his body.
Thankfully, he was put down in an instant.
Everyone present was a battle-hardened veteran; no one hesitated.
"This sickness... it turns people into living corpses, and it’s horribly contagious," a Lieutenant Colonel specializing in healing reported. He had gleaned this accurate intel from the feedback of his own healing-type Puzzle Relic.
"Don’t just stand there. Fall back, now!" Ghost Spider Post’s face was a mask of calm. This was no time for shouting or rage.
They had to get out of the enemy’s effective range before more men were infected.
Of course he wanted revenge, but while the thought was nice, reality dealt him a crushing blow.
After that first case of zombification, others began to turn, one after another.
Even with immediate treatment to purge the plague from their bodies, the ceaseless music and chanting meant the rate of infection far outpaced their rate of healing.
To deepen their despair, the group of green-robed Priests and Nuns began to advance on them.
Their pace was slow, but they were undeniably getting closer.
Ghost Spider Post also keenly perceived that as time went on, the sound from the Priests and Nuns grew steadily louder.
The longer this went on, the larger their area of effect would become.
’And would the plague’s intensity increase? Without a doubt. It had to.’
’If the intensity remained constant, even with the ceaseless assault, the Puzzle Relics they had prepared would have been enough to hold it off.’
’At least thirty plague- and disease-type Relics, all working in perfect synergy as a native set, or this wouldn’t be possible.’ A chill went down Ghost Spider Post’s spine.
’Honestly, he had no idea what the enemy was thinking.’
’Someone who could control a Puzzle Relic of this power would be a major figure even in the Xuan Empire, at least a Lieutenant General.’
’To personally come all this way just for a few School Officers... wasn’t he afraid of being trapped and killed here?’
’The value this person represented was far greater than that of their entire group of School Officers.’
A thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.
’The Kong Xiang affair is more complicated than we thought!’
’There must be some deeper intel that the United States missed.’
’Otherwise, there’s no way it would have drawn out a powerhouse of this caliber.’
For a moment, Ghost Spider Post was at a loss for words. He’d thought he was dealing with ants, only to find he’d poked a terrifying behemoth.
"Colonel Post, I’ve found him! He’s to the nor—" The Major didn’t get to finish. He coughed up a spray of black blood and, right before Ghost Spider Post’s eyes, turned into a zombie.
The zombie virus was spreading fast—so fast that now even a Major couldn’t resist it.
Without another word, Ghost Spider Post teleported, jumping through space toward the north.
’It has come to this. The only option left is to fight.’