Chapter 227: Unexpected Visit
Though the Rank 2 Veilgrasp Slime was aggressive by nature and attacked anyone who entered its territory, the Rank 3 Augmeslime’s Peacebind skill suppressed that aggression and turned it into cooperation. Thanks to this ability, the two Sparks had been able to live side by side as a team within the same area.
On top of that, when Veilgrasp’s manipulation ability combined with Augmeslime’s augmentation traits, they had gained enough strength to control an enhanced first-generation mutant army—strong enough to destroy an entire Shelter City.
Of course, the mutant army had already been eliminated, and with it, the threat was gone. Now, the two slimes stood completely defenseless before Adyr and his team.
"You stay back," Adyr said to the others as he began walking forward.
Even though the two Sparks were no longer capable of direct offense, they still shared one dangerous trait: manipulation. Against someone without strong [Resistance], that alone could still be a threat. That was why Adyr warned his team to stay back, choosing to deal with them himself.
As he approached, there were no shifting grounds under his feet, no rocks falling from the walls. It was clear that Veilgrasp, recognizing the overwhelming gap in power, had ceased all resistance, just as one would expect from a creature with strategic intelligence.
Without encountering any struggle, Adyr reached out and touched the gray slime, releasing a wave of translucent energy that sealed the Spark’s abilities.
Unfortunately, his Spark slots were already full, so he couldn’t subdue it or send it to his Twilight Land. Not that he needed to.
While the abilities of both Sparks were certainly impressive, they didn’t suit his current skill set. Especially manipulation—at his level, his enemies were too powerful for such abilities to have any practical effect.
He turned to his team and asked casually, "Do any of you want these?"
Just because he didn’t want them didn’t mean the others would feel the same. But clearly, Selina and the rest found the Sparks just as useless for their own builds, as they all refused to subdue them.
"Then we’ll sell them to the researchers at Player Headquarters."
It was the most practical choice. Selling them wouldn’t just earn merit points—they might also contribute to the research teams developing new items from the Sparks’ abilities. Considering that, his decision made perfect sense.
The others accepted his choice without argument. There wasn’t much to discuss. Finding this underground headquarters was already enough to earn them their share of the merit points as payment for their service.
After sealing the abilities of the two Sparks, Adyr left them there for now. He still had unfinished business deeper in the cave.
Aside from Victor—whose arms were still useless—he assigned the others to collect the energy crystals from the corpses of the mutants scattered throughout the tunnels.
In his current state, even a single unit of energy wasn’t something he could afford to waste. This wasn’t greed—it was necessity.
Roughly an hour later, the team regrouped at the spot where the two slimes had been left, handing over the crystals they had gathered.
"328? Not that bad," Adyr muttered after a quick count. Most of the crystals came from the mutants slain by Selina and the others. Still, he decided to divide the total evenly.
Though the others protested, saying he should take a larger share, Adyr insisted. Cold and detached as he was, he understood the value of maintaining social bonds—and he had no intention of letting his pride as the strongest distort that balance.
Besides, the crystals themselves weren’t worth more than the loyalty they could reinforce. The stronger Victor and the others became, the more useful they would be for his future plans. Especially considering their strategic location near the entrance to the Midlands.
Now, the only problem was how to transport the three-meter-tall, liquid-like slimes.
Fortunately, Selina stepped forward with a practical solution. "I can freeze their bodies, then we can tie them with ropes."
Adyr raised an eyebrow but approved the idea with a silent nod.
As they explored the underground further, they confirmed that there were no other exits. The only way out was to reopen the hole in the ceiling through which they had entered. Adyr could fly out carrying the slimes, but their slick, fluid bodies made them impossible to secure with ropes—unless their surfaces were turned solid.
That’s where Selina’s plan became effective. By freezing only the outer layers of the slimes without harming them, she could harden their surfaces just enough to make transportation possible.
Without wasting time, Selina activated her skill and began freezing the slimes, forming a thin, solid ice layer around their bodies—just enough to make them firm. As Rank 2 and Rank 3 Sparks, they wouldn’t be harmed unless trapped in ice for an extended period.
Once the freezing was complete, the others used their spare ropes to bind the frozen shapes tightly together, preparing them like packaged cargo.
Now, Adyr could carry them out like oversized gift bundles.
—
Outside the underground sector, a convoy of black military Hummers advanced, engines rumbling as they kicked up thick clouds of dust.
In the depths of the radiation zone, seeing such vehicles was rare. But these machines weren’t standard issue. Their reinforced chassis and custom filtration systems marked them as specialized units designed for deep-zone operation. Anyone familiar with field operations would recognize them immediately: a Shelter City Superhuman Tactical Force convoy.
After several minutes, the convoy slowed and halted in a barren clearing. One by one, black-uniformed STF operatives disembarked with mechanical movements. Their rifles were raised, their helmets fitted with integrated night optics enhancing their vision in the oppressive darkness. Without needing verbal orders, the team spread out, securing the perimeter in perfect coordination.
Once the sweep was completed, a squad leader glanced back toward the convoy. Receiving a silent hand signal from a higher-ranking officer, he moved to one of the closed vehicles. Snapping into a sharp salute, he opened the rear door.
"Perimeter secured, sir."
From within, a man stepped out.
He descended from the vehicle with slow, composed movements. Black hair streaked with grey, his tailored suit untouched by the rough terrain. Authority clung to him as naturally as the rifles held by the soldiers around him.
Henry Bates.
His gaze narrowed as he scanned the lifeless terrain. "Are you certain this is the location?" His voice was low and controlled. The question wasn’t rhetorical.
They had tracked the signal Victor transmitted hours earlier. It had led them here. And yet, standing in this empty wasteland, there was no sign of a headquarters. No structure. No entrance. Nothing.
"Radiation interference can cause significant displacement," came the calm reply. Rhys, an experienced field commander, had exited the lead vehicle, closing the door behind him as he spoke. His tone remained professional, but there was a note of certainty in his assessment. "More likely, it’s a concealed subterranean entrance."
Henry considered this, then gave the order. "Spread out. Locate any hidden entry point—tunnel, hatch, anything."
"Understood." The STF officer saluted crisply, relaying the command to his men.
But before they could move, the ground itself betrayed them.
Without warning, a muffled detonation thundered from beneath the surface.
A stagnant pool just ahead of the convoy erupted violently. Water, soil, and debris blasted upward, cascading down in a torrential spray as the shockwave rolled over them.