Chapter 95: The Thrill of Necromancy Unleashed!

Bang!

The commander standing in the center was shot through the head by Su Miao, blood spraying everywhere. He fell straight back, his skull shattered. The angle of the shot had been perfect. In a fleeting moment, Su Miao saw that inside the man's head, there was no brain, but rather a white, jellyfish-like creature. Pierced by the bullet, it shriveled up with extreme speed.

"What on earth is that?"

Su Miao’s momentary shock gave the remaining two commanders a chance to flee. They scrambled behind an overturned heavy transport vehicle. A quick headcount revealed that of the 100-plus people they had brought, only about 20 remained. Added to the 50-plus brought earlier by Old Xiong, the Star Base had lost nearly 150 men in this battle. The two surviving commanders felt as if they were losing their minds. When had they ever suffered such a devastating defeat?

Seeing the two commanders fleeing, Su Miao immediately aimed at those who hadn't managed to escape. Anyone within her line of sight who was still intact received a bullet to the head first. Next, she targeted the wounded. Finally, even if someone had only half a body left, she made sure to deliver a finishing shot to the head. Su Miao had seen clearly now—these people were not humans in any real sense; they were controlled by jellyfish-like monsters that had consumed their brains.

Now, Su Miao truly understood what it meant for these people to be "parasitized living corpses." It was no wonder the necromancy spell had worked on them. The thought was terrifying!

Mu Cheng and Liang Jin, the two special forces soldiers, stared in stunned silence at the battle unfolding at the Astronomy Research Center. They had witnessed just how brutal the Star Base’s heavy firepower was. Under such fire, any military unit would suffer heavy casualties if they were even slightly careless. But what kind of ability users were the people guarding the Astronomy Research Center? A single counterattack had turned the Star Base’s forces upside down. Using binoculars, they counted: only 16 men from the Star Base were still alive and whole. Had the Star Base brought 100 pigs to the slaughter?

Furthermore, they saw clearly that whenever one of the Star Base’s men was injured but still breathing, the people inside the center would finish them off with another shot—always to the head, without exception. Usually, such actions were reserved for clearing the battlefield, but the people inside were doing it on the spot. How ruthless were they?

The Star Base forces were completely overwhelmed. They could neither fight nor retreat; they were utterly trapped.

...

Back at the Star Base, Base Commander Shui Kun, dressed in a blue aquarium keeper’s uniform, stepped out of the "Mother Goddess Hall." The Mother Goddess was their mother, the one who had birthed them all. Why the blue aquarium uniform? Because the Mother Goddess had once lived in a nearby aquarium, and in her memory, those wearing such uniforms were heaven, were gods. Though the Mother Goddess had eventually devoured those gods, she had decreed that the blue uniforms were to be worn only by the leaders of their kind.

People around him bowed, calling out, "Brother Kun!"

Shui Kun’s expression was grim. Just moments ago, the Mother Goddess, who was about to undergo a ritual, had become incredibly agitated, as if sensing something imminent. If there was any trouble to speak of, it was that his three younger brothers had set out with over 100 tribesmen several dozen minutes ago. They had reported that a human military force had targeted the Star Base. The deputy commander, Old Xiong, had taken 50 men to hunt them down. Not long after, his three brothers sent word that they had encountered suspected military ability users and that Old Xiong and his 50 men had been killed.

More than half an hour had passed since then. With the heavy firepower his three brothers had taken, there should have been news by now. But aside from a burst of artillery, the direction of the Astronomy Research Center had fallen completely silent, as if it had ceased to exist. Could something have truly happened to his brothers? How was that possible? He had total confidence in their strength; even against tricky ability users, they shouldn't have fallen so easily.

Shui Kun wanted to see for himself, but he had more important tasks. Standing at the entrance of the hall, he commanded, "Bring in the next batch of vessels."

A guard nearby replied, "Yes."

Within ten minutes, a group of unconscious people were carried into the Mother Goddess Hall.

In the center of the hall stood a massive deep-water tank made of blue bulletproof glass; it was pitch black inside, revealing nothing. Arranged around the tank were numerous mobile beds, each equipped with a small basin at the head, resembling those used in hair salons. The victims, draped in white sheets, were placed on these beds with their heads positioned near the basins. The youngest was 12, the oldest 30, both male and female, all in a deep sleep, oblivious to their surroundings.

They had joined the Star Base recently, lured by rumors of excellent treatment for those selected. They had risked everything to come here, each paying ten catties of grain to join, hoping for protection and a brighter future. Little did they know that entering the Star Base was entering a den of demons. Those who received "excellent treatment" were no longer human.

Twelve priests took their positions in the hall, accompanied by twelve guards bringing a young boy and girl as offerings. Shui Kun looked toward the perimeter, where his tribesmen stood guard with live ammunition, ensuring no one could break in.

"Begin the ritual."

Shui Kun led them into the hall. Light after light flickered on in the dark room. The twelve priests knelt on one knee in prayer. Shui Kun approached the tank, clapped his hands, and began a bizarre, rhythmic dance. It was part prayer, part sacrifice.

"Supreme Mother Goddess, I, Shui Kun, offer you the most delicious human young. May you protect our kin so we may forever flourish and thrive!"

After his eerie dance, Shui Kun knelt. The twelve guards placed the unconscious children into the deep-water tank. Instantly, a pair of enormous eyes glowed in the depths, and translucent tentacles emerged, wrapping around the children and pulling them into the creature's maw.

The tank began to glow. If an outsider were present, they would have realized