Si Zhao shook her head.
“Not that quickly. It’ll take at least half an hour for the spatial crystal’s energy to be absorbed and converted.”
They had already waited this long, so Yunyang didn’t mind waiting another half hour.
She stuffed the remaining spatial crystal core into Si Zhao’s hands. The thing was only useful to those with spatial abilities, so there was no point in keeping it.
Si Zhao didn’t refuse Yunyang’s kindness.
One spatial crystal might not be enough to mutate her spatial ability. It was always better to be prepared with more.
Over the next half hour, Si Zhao helped He Youchuan retrieve wounded soldiers from the battlefield while waiting for the spatial crystal’s energy to finish converting.
During that time, the Federation army suffered even more casualties.
Si Zhao watched it all, her brows drawing tightly together.
The Federation army couldn’t wait any longer.
Even if her ability failed to mutate, she would still have to infiltrate the underground insect hive.
From the deep furrow between Si Zhao’s brows, Yunyang could more or less guess what she was thinking.
She didn’t know what to say and could only pray that Si Zhao’s ability would mutate successfully.
If the Beast God truly existed in this world, please show some favor to Sister Zhaozhao.
Yunyang wasn’t a believer, so after finishing her silent prayer, she called out by name, “A-Ye, Leonardo, go stand guard over Sister Zhaozhao.”
Pei Wenye and Leonardo were her two luckiest beast husbands.
With them standing nearby, they should be able to share some of their good fortune with Sister Zhaozhao.
If Lin Ruibo hadn’t still been fighting on the battlefield, Yunyang would have wanted to call him over as well.
With the added boost from her koi-like luck, the chances of success would definitely be much higher.
What a pity…
Pei Wenye and Leonardo nodded and quickly moved to Si Zhao’s side.
The two of them understood the importance of boundaries. They kept a completely safe distance from Si Zhao, but if anything unexpected happened, they would still be able to react immediately.
Yunyang had done everything she could. From here on, they could only leave it to fate.
Wait.
Since her blessing could affect both abilities and mental power, could it also help with events that depended on probability?
Whether it would work or not, now that the thought had occurred to her, Yunyang decisively used her ability on Si Zhao.
Another ten minutes passed. The spatial crystal’s energy was completely converted, and Si Zhao tentatively activated her ability, opening spatial passages in both the public area and the lounge of the spacecraft.
A dark-purple vortex, resembling a wormhole, appeared. Kalunden was the first to stand and walk toward it.
From Yunyang and Si Zhao’s earlier conversation, he already knew what the spatial crystal did, so he volunteered to help Si Zhao test it.
Kalunden straightened his back and walked into the vortex as quickly as possible.
The moment his figure was swallowed by the dark-purple vortex, the scene before his eyes changed completely.
Si Zhao watched the dark-purple vortex nervously.
Even she had no confidence that absorbing just one spatial crystal would guarantee a mutation of her spatial ability.
If it failed, Kalunden would be “spat out” by the spatial vortex and wouldn’t suffer any harm.
But if it succeeded—
Just as Si Zhao was thinking this, the door to the lounge in the distance suddenly opened. Kalunden stepped out, the very person who had just been swallowed by the vortex.
Si Zhao shot to her feet.
She glanced at the other vortex behind Kalunden, which had yet to disappear, then grabbed Yunyang’s hand. She was so excited that she could barely form a coherent sentence.
“Yunyang, I—I did it!”
Yunyang was happy for her as well. After her spatial ability mutated, Sister Zhaozhao wouldn’t have to risk herself alongside He Youchuan.
Their chances of killing the insect mother would also be much higher.
On the screen, the Federation army was steadily losing ground, so the two of them celebrated only briefly before beginning their preparations.
The SSS-level ability users on the battlefield all held the positions of deputy commanders. If they left the battlefield, the insect race would certainly notice that something was wrong.
Therefore, Si Zhao had no intention of taking them into the hive. Instead, she selected two offensive-type and two support-type ability users from among the SS-level ability users.
As for a defensive-type ability user, Si Zhao looked toward Yunyang.
“Yunyang, can you lend me Cang Zhuonian for a while?”
One SSS-level defensive ability user was more useful than any number of SS-level users.
Yunyang nodded. “Sister Zhaozhao, I’ll have Fuyuan, Leonardo, and Cang Zhuonian accompany you.”
The Federation needed to keep one female behind for purification, and someone also had to use the real-time footage transmitted by Butler Four to assess the situation inside the underground hive.
She could only remain on the surface.
Both Leonardo and Cang Zhuonian could play crucial roles on the battlefield. With the two of them accompanying her, if anything unexpected happened, at least they could ensure Sister Zhaozhao’s safety.
As for Fuyuan, his ability was extremely special. Although it was the kind that injured the enemy by a thousand while inflicting eighteen hundred points of damage on himself, it could still be used when necessary.
Besides, Sister Zhaozhao’s mental power had now reached the S level. If any ability user’s contamination level spiraled out of control because of Fuyuan’s mutated sonic waves, she would still be able to handle it.
At a moment like this, Si Zhao didn’t stand on ceremony.
She had He Youchuan bring the four SS-level ability users over one after another, then informed them of the upcoming operation.
Wu Zhengming and Kalunden only learned now that their Empress intended to personally infiltrate the hive.
The two of them wanted to stop her, but when they met the Empress’s gaze, they found themselves unable to say a word.
No one had ever been able to change a decision made by the Empress.
They hadn’t been able to stop her from personally leading the expedition before, and they couldn’t stop her from infiltrating the hive now.
The only thing they could do was stuff Si Zhao with every weapon and piece of equipment representing the Federation’s highest technology.
Yunyang also lent Si Zhao Rose Shadow, along with the various potions prepared by Xuan Yu.
There was no need to hide anything under the current circumstances.
The insect mother could help the insect race evolve. If they didn’t kill it during this perfect opportunity, then once its injuries healed, the Federation would eventually be overrun by the insect race.
When that happened, all beastfolk, male and female alike, would face only two possible fates.
Death—or becoming prisoners of the insect race.
Si Zhao accepted everything one by one. Anything she could equip, she put on; everything else she stored in the spatial ring that was easiest for her to access.
Yunyang took the opportunity to purify the contamination of the four SS-level ability users.
Once all the preparations were complete, she used her blessing on Si Zhao again.
Si Zhao glanced at the footage transmitted by Butler Four and confirmed the insect mother’s location before using her ability to open a spatial passage.
Before they departed, Yunyang took Fuyuan’s hand and asked in a lowered voice, “Fuyuan, do you trust me?”
Fuyuan nodded. “I trust my female master.”
“Good. Then if Sister Zhaozhao’s mental power is depleted, you must restore it immediately.”
Afraid of wasting time, Yunyang spoke quickly.
“The Federation already has potions that can help females recover their mental power. Even if your second ability is exposed, I can guarantee that you won’t be taken away for research. Are you willing to trust me?”
Fuyuan nodded again without the slightest hesitation.
“I’ll listen to you, my female master.”
He believed that even if the special nature of his ability was exposed, his female master would never allow him to be taken away for research.
After all, his female master was the Federation’s only SS-level female. No one would be willing to offend her.
“Good. Go.”
Yunyang released his hand, then turned and said to her three beast husbands at the same time, “Stay safe. No matter what happens, put Sister Zhaozhao’s safety and your own above everything else.”
