CHAPTER 37: 37. MARCHING TOWARDS DEATH

Bai Xue blurted out, "Why?"

Her mind was filled with countless questions, yet she did not know where to begin asking, ultimately reducing it to these three words.

Mr. Nameless did not respond.

The communication channel fell silent again.

Only the sound of wheels bumping over uneven ground, "bang bang," continued to come from beneath the vehicle.

A few more seconds passed.

The silence was suddenly shattered.

"Everyone, I am the expedition leader ’Ling Tianyi.’ Next, I will describe in detail everything I have experienced. I hope you will all remember this well."

Bai Xue was just about to shout "Captain," when she heard in her headset, "Channel has been muted."

The captain’s voice came back on.

"I have already seen many Poisonous Mosquitoes, they look just like a cloud."

"Their speed is incredible. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would not have believed that mosquitoes could fly so fast."

"I remember that mosquitoes can only fly at two to three kilometers an hour at most, but the swarm of Poisonous Mosquitoes is flying faster than this off-road vehicle. That is clearly not normal."

"I’m certain that there must be some Supernatural Power involved, but I’m not sure exactly what."

"The Number One off-road vehicle that I’m driving has been surrounded by the swarm of Poisonous Mosquitoes. I can’t see anything right now; I can only hear the ’buzzing’ sounds."

The female team doctor, upon hearing this, felt her heart sink deeply.

She understood that these were the captain’s "last words," as he used his life to reveal the secret of the mosquito swarm.

"I discovered something else, the ’buzzing’ sound of the mosquito swarm’s vibrating wings possesses a sort of invisible power."

"Although I can still think and talk, after hearing this sound, I gradually lost control of my hands and feet."

"I can feel my limbs, but even now I don’t have the strength to turn the steering wheel."

"Mr. Nameless was absolutely right; humans greatly underestimated the mosquito swarm. They are more terrifying than humans could have imagined."

"Ah~ah~"

Suddenly, the sound of labored breathing was heard through the channel.

Bai Xue listened, tears welling up in her eyes, as she cursed her own powerlessness.

"My hands want to open the car door... Ah... Ah... I am fighting against my own hands with all my might."

"This is truly an absurd thing... Ah... Ah... I seem to have lost control..."

"I’m very sorry, everyone, I think I must say goodbye to you all."

"Snap!"

Bai Xue heard a soft click.

This was clearly the sound of the car door being opened.

"Buzz~"

The sound of the mosquitoes’ wings grew louder all at once.

This indicated that the mosquito swarm had rushed into the vehicle, drowning out the captain.

Bai Xue clenched her teeth and tightly covered her mouth, trying her hardest not to cry out loud.

A second later.

The "buzzing" suddenly stopped.

This clearly signified that the communication had been cut off.

The vice-captain’s voice rang out, with a tone full of unfaltering determination: "I have communicated with Mr. Nameless; the crisis is not yet over."

"In two minutes, I will leave the off-road vehicle and open fire on the mosquito swarm, trying to buy everyone some time to escape."

This was undoubtedly a decision to go to certain death.

The vice-captain was clearly intending to sacrifice himself to slow down the pursuit of the mosquito swarm.

The team members immediately began to urge him against it.

"Vice-captain, don’t!"

"We should leave together!"

The vice-captain said calmly, "Stop dreaming; it’s impossible for us all to make it out alive. If no one stays behind, everyone will die here."

He paused for a moment, then added, "In times of crisis, someone must step forward. The captain has already set the example, and now it is my turn."

The vice-captain made one last instruction: "After I disembark, Lieutenant Ma will lead the expedition team."

Bai Xue wanted to interject, but again heard, "Channel has been muted."

Two minutes later.

The vice-captain’s voice was heard again: "You must survive and take the samples back, do not let the captain’s sacrifice be in vain."

Bai Xue could no longer hold back and began to sob, "Wuwu."

The female soldier next to her was also shedding big tears.

"Bang!"

A fellow soldier sitting in the front passenger seat pounded on the dashboard with force, cursing with bloodshot eyes, "Damn it!"

After about ten seconds.

Bang! Bang!

Boom!

The sound of gunfire was heard from behind.

Mixed in were a few explosions.

This was clearly the vice-captain attacking the mosquito swarm.

In the next minute.

The atmosphere in the expedition team was suffocating.

Everyone’s mood was unbearably heavy.

After a while.

The channel mute was lifted.

Mr. Nameless’ somber voice came on: "Everyone, according to my senses, the crisis is quickly moving away. The expedition team is now safe."

Lieutenant Ma’s voice was a bit choked, "I order the convoy to head to El Port, and return to the homeland as soon as possible."

*

Great Xia.

Anling City.

The night was as dark as ink.

Yang Fan stood beside a small reservoir, absorbing the Soul Stealing Wisp into his body.

After departing from Yue Bay District.

With the help of the three Night Owls, he flew more than two hundred kilometers, arriving in the territory of Anling City.

He searched the sky for more than half an hour and successfully found a mosquito egg gathering spot, which was at this reservoir.

The Soul Stealing Wisp quickly drained the Energy from all the mosquito eggs, replenishing the once-dried-up Spiritual Source Points to 1.2 points.

Yang Fan watched the reservoir, his expression somewhat shocked: "It seems that this Poisonous Mosquito disaster is likely a global disaster."

Based on the current situation, Poisonous Mosquitoes are bound to appear in various parts of Great Xia, and no country globally will be spared.

He smacked his lips, engaging in some wishful thinking: "If the Soul Stealing Wisp could drain all the mosquito eggs worldwide, how many Spiritual Source Points could be accumulated?"

Regrettably.

This is impossible.

With his own power, he couldn’t even handle half of Hedong Province, let alone the vast Canglan Star.

Yang Fan looked up at the night sky: "Let’s rest here for two hours, then head to Anling City’s downtown area."

Last night, he had experienced another Dream Realm.

According to the predictions of the Dream Realm, there will be a Red Lightning event in Anling City in six hours, larger in scale than the one in Linjiang City.

He came here precisely to let the Thunder Branch absorb the energy from the Red Lightning.

Yang Fan found a sheltered spot, took out a range of camping gear from the Space Pearl, and within two minutes had set up a tent.

He laid an electric blanket, powered it with the Thunder Branch, and lay down comfortably.

The wind howled outside.

But inside the tent, it was as warm as spring.

"Squeak!"

A squirrel, Damao, popped out of his pocket.

Yang Fan instructed, "Since you’re not afraid of the cold, go out and keep watch."

Damao nodded humanely and swiftly darted out.

Yang Fan closed his eyes and soon started to doze off.

After some time.

He was suddenly awakened by Damao’s urgent "squeak squeak," interspersed with the sound of "tat tat."

Yang Fan woke up instantly, "Those are gunshots!"

Damao dashed in, pointing its little paw southward, signaling that the gunshots came from that direction.

Yang Fan first retrieved a peanut and tossed it to Damao, complimenting, "Well done."

He noticed that, perhaps stimulated by the Spirit Concealment Superpower, Damao developed a hint of Superpower, its intellect clearly improving greatly.

This little fellow had an exceptional ability to sense his intentions, often understanding without the need for words.

Yang Fan crawled out of the tent, glanced south, and speculated, "Could it be that I’ve stumbled upon mutant creatures again?"

He stroked his chin, the more he thought, the more it seemed likely, "I remember there’s a wild macaque sanctuary in Anling City, perhaps the monkeys are revolting."

He used a Mind Link to connect with the Night Owl squad, ordering, "Go check it out."

"Coo! Coo!"

The Night Owls soared into the sky, heading toward where the incident occurred.