Chapter 294: An Opportunity, an Explosive Suggestion

Chapter 294: Chapter 294: An Opportunity, an Explosive Suggestion

A nuclear war?!

Nuclear explosions alone were enough to destroy civilization.

But the consequences, compounded by the Aberrant Radiation, were catastrophic.

The world’s ecosystem completely collapsed.

The surviving humans and creatures, tormented and catalyzed by multiple forms of radiation, underwent unimaginable mutations.

The world devolved into an Inferno overrun by mutated monsters, where order had crumbled and humanity had sunk into depravity.

The Holy Spirit Clan and the Crypt Folk were merely microcosms of humanity’s desperate struggle to survive, fractured factions that emerged from the cataclysm.

After hearing Tex’s account, Seraphina Sullivan was silent for a long time.

The background of this instance was far heavier and darker than she had imagined.

This wasn’t just a natural disaster.

It was a man-made catastrophe, born from humanity’s own greed and arrogance.

’Just as I thought. The root cause behind these so-called ’natural disaster instances’ the system sends us into is never an irresistible force of nature. It’s always a man-made catastrophe, a result of humanity shooting itself in the foot.’

As Seraphina listened to Tex, a complex feeling of helplessness washed over her.

This drama of self-destruction, driven by greed and arrogance, seemed to play out endlessly across different worlds.

’When will humans ever truly see themselves for what they are?’ Seraphina thought with a hint of scorn.

’Researching and creating powerful weapons is understandable if it’s for defending one’s home and protecting what’s important. But to do it for the ethereal goal of ’conquering the world’... only to end up playing with fire and taking the entire civilization down with you.’

Seraphina shook her head.

Endless greed would ultimately lead to one reaping what they sowed.

This world of Aberrant Radiation, and other apocalyptic instances like it, were the most gruesome examples.

Now that she knew the world’s background and the origin and dangers of the Mutated Meteorite, Seraphina no longer hesitated.

She decided to get to work on [Side Quest 2]: eliminate the radiation source.

This world’s disaster had nothing to do with her.

Her job was to survive and gather as many supplies as possible.

But before dealing with that meteorite fragment hanging high above, Seraphina had to ensure her operation wouldn’t be interrupted.

This meant she first had to take down all the Holy Spirit Clan members outside the cave, whether they were reveling or on patrol.

Just as she was planning her next steps, the Effect of the Sweet Fragrance began to fade.

Tex groggily began to wake up.

At first, she was a bit dazed.

But soon, as one of the more intelligent members of the Crypt Folk, she keenly sensed that something was wrong with her condition.

There was a brief gap in her memory, and the sleep of the clan members around her was extremely unnatural.

Tex quickly realized someone must be nearby—and it was someone who could turn invisible.

With that thought, a glimmer of hope flashed in Tex’s eyes.

"Who? Who’s there!" she whispered, her voice low, calling out into the seemingly empty cave.

Tex’s eyes were wary, but they held more hope of finding an opportunity to escape this place.

Seraphina was a little surprised.

She hadn’t expected Tex to wake up so quickly, nor for her intuition to be so sharp.

"I know you’re here! A moment ago... were you controlling me? What do you want?"

Tex forced herself to calm down, her mind racing.

Her captor had been able to silently take everyone down without harming them, which spoke volumes.

Seraphina still didn’t reveal herself. She wanted to see how much this woman named Tex could deduce.

After all, the intel had said that while their Power wasn’t high, they were exceptionally intelligent.

Seeing that the person in the shadows didn’t respond, Tex continued her probing analysis.

"With an Ability like yours, you can’t be from the Holy Spirit Clan, and you’re not one of us, the Crypt Folk... Are you from another survivor tribe? Is your target... the Holy Spirit Clan’s Holy Spirit Stone?"

In a world where a century had passed since the disaster and civilization was fragmented, Tex’s understanding framed Seraphina as a member of some other, unknown faction of human survivors.

When the other person still didn’t appear, Tex grew anxious.

This might be the only chance to save herself and her people, and she had to seize it!

She quickly added, her tone earnest and urgent, "Listen! You can’t possibly get the Holy Spirit Stone by yourself. Maybe I can help you! I know things you don’t."

Hearing this, Seraphina couldn’t help but feel curious.

Why was Tex so certain she couldn’t do it alone?

Just then, as Tex watched nervously, a clear and calm female voice suddenly spoke from the empty air in front of her.

"Oh? I was able to take all of you down without anyone noticing. You think... I can’t do the same to the entire Holy Spirit Clan?"

Upon hearing this, Tex’s eyes flew wide open, her face a mask of disbelief.

She hadn’t expected the one with such an incredible Ability to also be a woman, like her.

Tex had no time to dwell on how the other woman managed her Concealment or how she had taken everyone down.

She had to seize this fleeting opportunity to persuade this mysterious and powerful individual.

She hurriedly explained, "You could take us down easily because there aren’t many of us, and we’re all chained up here, unable to fight back or escape. But the Holy Spirit Clan is a completely different story!"

Tex’s words came faster.

She tried to make the hidden individual understand the difficulty. "The Holy Spirit Clan’s camp is very spread out. They’ll never all be gathered in one place for you to deal with at once."

"Even if you do have the Ability to take down some of them, the slightest commotion, or even one person going missing for too long, will alert the Guards and clan members in other areas, and they’ll sound the alarm! When that happens, you’ll be facing a frenzied siege from the entire tribe. No matter how powerful you are, you’ll be caught in endless trouble!"

Hearing this, Seraphina frowned slightly, inwardly agreeing with the assessment.

Although she was confident she could manage with her Concealment and abilities, silently eliminating a scattered group of possibly hundreds of Holy Spirit Clan members would indeed be extremely time-consuming and exhausting. The risk was also significant, and she could easily lose the initiative.

After weighing the pros and cons, Seraphina decided to reveal herself and talk.

With a shimmer, her form rippled into existence as if emerging from water, and she appeared whole before Tex.

"Oh?"

Seraphina looked at the woman, bound by chains yet with an urgent look in her eyes, and asked directly, "In your opinion, then, what’s a better way?"

Seeing that the other person had finally appeared and was willing to listen to her suggestion, Tex was overjoyed, knowing her chance had come.

She took a deep breath and laid out a plan that left even Seraphina stunned:

"I know where the Holy Spirit Clan’s armory is,"

A resolute gleam flashed in Tex’s eyes. "I can blow this place up!"

Seraphina: "???"

She stared at the woman before her, tied to a stone pillar yet possessing an incredibly determined gaze, and for a moment, she couldn’t quite process it.

’Isn’t this solution... a little too hardcore?’