Chapter 15: The Mutated High-Energy Stone Worm

Chapter 15: The Mutated High-Energy Originium Worm

“Here they come! Take your positions!”

Amiya shouted loudly. Before the formation, boulders tumbled and dirt flew as a massive Originium worm emitting an orange glow emerged. Its translucent body vaguely revealed a viscous, high-energy substance within.

Zhou Jinru encountered for the first time the dreaded enemy that had made countless players grind their teeth: the High-Energy Originium Worm. It detonated upon death, dealing massive damage to units within an eight-square radius.

To handle such a creature, one either had to rely on high-level training to endure it or deploy a sacrificial unit to quickly eliminate it. The ideal method was to use a second-tier operator like Lappland to silence its special effect. Gravel, who could revive rapidly, was the preferred choice for most doctors without Lappland.

But where could he find Gravel now? Even if Gravel were nearby, she likely wouldn’t agree to charge ahead and sacrifice herself for the greater good. Besides, he couldn’t bear to ask.

“Yato,” Amiya whispered.

With eight years of combat experience, Yato crouched and dashed forward. Placing her hands on the shoulders of two heavily armored operators, she vaulted into the fray. Her figure was ghostlike as she approached the High-Energy Originium Worm.

The monster’s greatest threat only manifested upon death; while alive, it was less formidable. Yato’s foot landed on its forelimb. She moved far more swiftly than the worm, and most of the Originium worms in the area had already fallen to Amiya’s tally. As the largest High-Energy Originium Worm, it had become the main target.

Dulin, the petite operator, raised his wand and cast a blue orb of light at the enemy. The already sluggish worm slowed further. Proudly, Dulin glanced back just in time to catch Zhou Jinru’s gaze on her back. It seemed he remembered something, causing her to scowl and turn away.

That careless doctor was staring at her again, surely about to say something insulting about bald operators, yet unable to hit him. It was infuriating. She just wanted to go back and sleep early; staying up late to fight was bad for her skin.

In a fleeting moment, Yato leapt onto the worm’s back, her boots scorching the heated shell, emitting a foul burnt smell. She raised her long knife and plunged it into the worm’s softest part of the outer skin. Even Rhodes Island’s standard weapons couldn’t withstand the heat—the handle became too hot to grip. Yato released it, stepping on the handle and driving the blade deeper into the worm’s back.

A ferocious roar erupted.

Without hesitation, Yato jumped down, collapsing into the dirt and rolling over ten meters away.

“Doctor, close your eyes!” Amiya shouted urgently.

Zhou Jinru quickly shut his eyes but was still a bit slow. A burst of intense light pierced through the gaps in his eyelids, followed by an explosion and a rolling heat wave carrying a nauseating stench. His body staggered, nearly falling from the high platform. Nearby, Gravel grabbed his sleeve and raised her staff, casting a healing spell.

“Thank you,” he breathed.

The cool sensation eased the burning in his eyes, though tears still streamed uncontrollably. He quickly expressed his gratitude as Amiya’s voice, full of self-blame, reached his ears: “It’s my fault—I forgot to warn the doctor.”

“It’s alright,” he reassured her. After all, even temporary commanders occasionally make mistakes, especially such a charming figurehead.

Zhou Jinru sensed sadness and surprise in Amiya’s emotions. Sadness could be understood since the doctor had been affected, but what was the meaning of the surprise? Had his amnesia relapsed again?

After a thorough check by two medical operators, Zhou Jinru’s eyes, though irritated by the bright light, showed no severe damage. A more detailed examination could be done back at base.

After applying eye drops, Zhou Jinru rested in the vehicle, carefully recalling the battle scene. It differed greatly from the game mechanics he knew. In the game, a defeated operator could redeploy after a minute, but here, defeat meant a real threat to life.

That High-Energy Originium Worm—its size rivaled that of a transport vehicle, unlike the game’s model, which was only as large as a big dog. What if several such worms appeared simultaneously? Amiya seemed very skilled at handling them, as if she knew their weaknesses intimately. Had she faced many of these before?

This world must not be underestimated. The reality spawned from the game surely held many unknown dangers. He would need to be more cautious in the future.

Reflecting on this, Zhou Jinru opened his swollen, peach-colored eyes slightly and noticed his sanity had dropped dramatically—from nearly full at 117 points down to 73. He had lost about 40 points for reasons unknown, causing him some alarm.

Unexpectedly, a message appeared in his vision:

“Sanity loss due to Originium dust erosion triggered by explosion of mutated High-Energy Originium Worm. Corresponding sanity has been consumed to mitigate effects. Please increase training level promptly. At the initial stage, reaching maximum training will improve sanity recovery rate.”

No further information was provided.

Reading this, Zhou Jinru shuddered. Could a single mutated High-Energy Originium Worm’s explosion cause such a massive sanity loss? What would happen if his sanity dropped to zero? Madness? Or becoming infected?

As Zhou Jinru’s mind wandered, the medical team busily attended to everyone. All present, except the careless doctor, knew that even being near the explosion of a High-Energy Originium Worm could sharply increase Originium particles in the bloodstream, easily forming new lesions. Gravel and others skillfully conducted preliminary checks on all operators.

The astonishing result: no one was affected!

How could this be possible?

Yet the data matched previous records exactly, as if they had collectively dreamed it. The fragmented worm’s carcass lay before them—it couldn’t be false.

Amidst the tangled thoughts, Mopo clutched the medical report, confused, then looked at Gravel. Gravel forced calm and stuffed a stack of reports into her suitcase, assuring, “Everyone’s examinations are fine. You can rest easy.”

Amiya nodded. “We’re clearing the battlefield now. We can continue advancing shortly. I’ll send intelligence to base. We need to deploy a team to survey the terrain and locate the Originium veins.”

“Amiya,” Gravel called softly, stopping her as she prepared to leave. “The doctor hasn’t been examined yet.”

“It’s fine. Let him rest. His amnesia might have acted up again.”

Gravel nodded without responding further. The doctor’s amnesia was severe; he had forgotten most things and become almost a different person.

Moments later, four transport vehicles set off again. The remnants of the enormous Originium worm’s shell remained piled at the spot. On a gleaming fragment of its carapace, the reflection of a pair of pristine new boots shimmered.

(End of chapter)