"Mental contamination?! So it's real..."
Wen Nanfeng and Xue Jie both sat up sharply upon hearing the news.
Li Qin had been among the first to come into contact with the Alpha Gold Crown. None of them had imagined the insectoid race had already contaminated him back then.
He hadn't shown any signs of abnormality throughout this entire period, and even the long-term scanners hadn't picked it up. Thank goodness they hadn't sent him straight back to the First Military District...
"Elizabeth, leave that place immediately. All other soldiers, seal off Li Qin's room and his entire floor."
The two deans were in the same office, conferring face to face.
"This is the first contamination case we've discovered. Earlier, it tried to strike against the Commander-in-Chief, but failed."
"Those who are contaminated don't have a seeding insect in their brains, but they're still highly dangerous. If their mental strength is high enough..."
"Dean, let me help with this."
The young woman on the other side of the video call had not yet completed her decontamination procedure. Residual white chemical mist lingered around her protective suit, and the sterilization lamp above her head was still running—clearly, she'd contacted them the moment she'd made the discovery.
"Elizabeth, whether it's the quarantine control center or the Academy of Sciences, you are our only hope right now. That means you cannot afford a single misstep. Understand?"
Wen Nanfeng's tone was serious, and Xue Jie added,
"We'll have a specialized combat unit handle this. Your mental strength is high, but you've never drilled with those soldiers before. After the disinfection and scanning are complete, go rest and recover first."
Elizabeth pressed her lips together.
"...Understood."
The two deans were right. She wasn't just the commander of the First Squad of Santorini anymore. The Commander-in-Chief had entrusted her with such an important mission, and she had to complete it flawlessly.
Wen Nanfeng relaxed slightly seeing her agree.
"Later, remember to—"
Before he could finish, the light-brain on his wrist began vibrating wildly. He tapped it open.
"Dean! Insectoids are attacking! Requesting backup!"
"The contaminated soldiers in the quarantine zone are all rioting at once! The suppressants aren't working anymore—they're about to break through the containment area!"
"Insectoid-parasitized animals are crawling out from underground in droves..."
"The Academy of Sciences is under attack! Dean, we need support!"
Both of them received a barrage of videos and messages simultaneously. Elizabeth could hear it all clearly through the video feed. Xue Jie shut down the half-played voice message on his light-brain. Tianshu Star had been invaded...
"Elizabeth, go to Room 103 in Experimental Building 2 right now. The key is in the pocket of the white lab coat behind the door. Once you're inside, lock the door behind you and don't come back out!"
"Go now!"
With those final words, Wen Nanfeng dialed Deputy Minister Guo Hongfan's comm line. While waiting for it to connect, he strode quickly out of his office, with Xue Jie right behind him.
"Dean Xue—!"
"Go to Experimental Building 2. Do not come out to help. Trust us!"
Xue Jie's tone was urgent yet steady.
"Remember what I said: as long as you're alive, the Federation has hope! We absolutely cannot let the insectoids parasitize or contaminate you. Rest well inside. Once we're done here, you'll have plenty of work ahead of you."
By the end of his sentence, Xue Jie had broken into a run as well. Elizabeth gritted her teeth and replied,
"Understood!"
The indicator light in the decontamination room shifted from red to green. As she stepped out, two fully armed soldiers were already waiting by the door.
"The deans ordered us to escort you to Experimental Building 2."
"...Let's go!"
She had to obey orders now. There was no room for stubbornness. Elizabeth, you must always remember that you are a soldier!
The entire center erupted into chaos.
The contaminated soldiers, regardless of how weakened they'd been before, now dragged themselves up from their beds, charging outward like raving madmen!
The quarantine building's safety measures had originally been meticulously designed. Every contaminated soldier was injected with suppressants. The main entrance was outfitted with high-voltage arc blades, and many high-risk zones were equipped with laser netting, with round-the-clock guards stationed at all times.
But when all these "people" went completely mad with no regard for their own lives, the quarantine center quickly turned into a living hell, with blood everywhere...
The soldiers fought desperately to drive the contaminated back into their original quarters, but those "people" seemed to feel no pain at all!
Even if they tripped, even if their arms and legs were broken, they kept crawling and charging forward regardless... This hadn't been the case before!
The frontmost patients were quickly struck down by the arc blades and lasers, or were shot dead. But when the large masses behind them all surged out together, those measures proved insufficient. Even after one body fell, a living insectoid would leap out and instantly parasitize the nearest host!
And who knew when those "people's" mental strength had become so overwhelming? So strong that the soldiers couldn't even withstand it!
Some soldiers were bound by mental force, forced to watch helplessly as insectoids closed in and then joined their ranks...
More animals that hadn't been found earlier or had just burrowed out from underground kept switching hosts. The parasitized ranks continued to swell. Even the soldiers piloting mechs and the armed guards fell prey, and before long, the situation spiraled completely out of control...
The surface had devolved into absolute mayhem.
Deep within the basement of the quarantine control center, however, the "Qi Chengyan" at its very core was curled up like he was asleep inside the five-layered glass isolation chamber.
Shi Zhixin was still attempting to use the instruments to extract the creature's mental strength.
But for some reason, today its mental energy was so faint it seemed nonexistent, leading the sixty commanders on watch to wonder if this insectoid was on the verge of death.
But the Commander-in-Chief had made it clear: the Alpha Gold Crown was extremely cunning. Guarding it required absolute, undivided vigilance!
So neither the engineers nor the commanders allowed themselves even a moment of relaxation.
At the main door, several senior engineers were still making further attempts. Meanwhile, the commander on duty suddenly received a video call from the Dean.
"Dean Wen."
"Is the Alpha Gold Crown still there?"
On the screen, Wen Nanfeng was running at full speed, hair disheveled, looking visibly agitated.
The commander quickly glanced at the surveillance monitors.
"Report: the Alpha Gold Crown is still here. Its condition is normal. It hasn't moved at all. It just seems to have been sleeping all day today."
Gripping his mech's space pendant, Wen Nanfeng activated it the moment he exited the building. While climbing into the cockpit, he said,
"Good. I need you to kill it with your mental strength right now. The soldiers relieving your shift will arrive shortly. You must kill it! Under no circumstances can it escape!"
All the insectoids going into a frenzy at once, along with so many emerging from underground—chances were high it was all to rescue their "Gold Crown"!
The Commander-in-Chief had already departed for Blizza Star. The Deputy Minister said insectoids were showing up elsewhere on Tianshu too... So they absolutely could not let this one leave alive!
"Understood! ...May I ask, Dean, has something happened outside?"
The soldier on duty, noticing the situation on Wen Nanfeng's end, asked in confusion.
"Level-one alert. Insectoid invasion!"
