Volume 7 - Chapter 20: First-mover advantage

First-mover advantage

“Finally, and also what I want to inform you, please scroll through your nightmare imprints again. Carefully examine our mission content – 3 days, protect the core engine of this valkyrie from being destroyed! It is not ‘protect the RDA worker’s lives within the 3 days’, and it is also not ‘preventing the beast from invading the shuttle’! As long as we return the item the beasts wants; would those beasts really want their teeth, claws and blood to be wasted on this giant, unfeeling, icy cold piece of metal? This is the only f***** way of accomplishing this mission!”

“…………..”

“…………..”

Upon recalling Sheyan’s words, Reef and Mogensha couldn’t help but sense a cold shudder surge through their backs. At present, they couldn’t help but repeatedly recall the notification of their nightmare imprint – ‘In a short while, you will face wild beasts, aboriginal inhabitants…..of course including your own kind’.

Beforehand, the two viewed ‘your own kind’ as referring to contestants. But now, it seemed like their understanding was a mistake.

Before the first mission concluded; due to the uneven distribution of benefits amongst contestants, mutual conflicts was definitely a possibility. However, it was also a fact that the harsh standards of the enemy was no exaggeration. Under the immense pressure of the boundless beast horde, virtually no one would harbour devious thoughts against each other as of now.

Thus, this mission was hinting at another target; and shockingly, it should be the RDA workers of this shuttle!

At this moment; Sheyan marched over with a menacing countenance, carrying faint blood footprints beneath him, that stretched far into the darkness. Within Sheyan’s hands, was a silver-white card soaked in blood!

Right now, the low-key shell that Sheyan had been wearing the whole time was utterly shattered. Now, the feeling he emitted was that of brutal ferocity and valiantry. Also, a cruel untamed air of displaying his might!

But just when Sheyan had brushed the card against the identity verification slot, his face suddenly changed drastically. He fiercely forced the card into Reef’s hands, and issued a low tone into the party channel.

“Do exactly as I say.”

After speaking, Sheyan then retreated half step back and stood behind Reef, hanging down his brows and retracting his gaze. The shadow managed to cover his face, it was as if his entire aura had strange transformed; now, only his robust body frame and tightly clenched fists could be seen. In a flash, Reef was now the main lead of their party.

Within a short span of 10 seconds, a group of people walked in from the shuttle’s channel pathway.

This group appeared rather exhausted, their bodies were covered in speckles of bloodstains. However, they had an undivided loftiness when they congregated together, it was as if the air was shrinking in retreat to their every step.

An upright lady with long hair fluttering against the wind led the front; though one couldn’t see her features clearly, they could sense a unique aura emanated! Lovely, charming like a blade; Capable, experienced like a blade; Floating like a blade!

Her every advance was as though the clouds stirred, advancing like thunder and moving like the wind! Contestants surrounded and protected around her, seemingly representative of her razor-sharp claws that would claw away any obstructions!

Observing this lady, Sheyan couldn’t help but recall the Metals Professor. A prejudiced, tenacious lady, yet with a tinge of ludicrous stubbornness! During the winged-keys stage of that ‘Metals digestive system’, Sheyan had personally witnessed a beautiful woman reduced to stunning bones in a flash! However, after he had heard of news of the Metals professor possibly reviving, Sheyan could sense a deep profound threat stabbing against his back; like an immense pressure.

To the former Sheyan, the Metals Professor’s formidability degree was even stronger than Zi. Yet now, it seemed like their positions had to be swapped in current regard.

Zi!!

At this very moment, that woman Zi was actually leading the Illume-union’s core members and several ordinary members, as they arrived here!

Obviously, the Illume-union had more people infiltrating this shuttle than Sheyan; hence, to hide away from everyone’s notice, the difficulty of covert infiltration was much larger! Therefore strictly speaking, Zi’s deliberations and judgment was in no way inferior to Sheyan; it was merely that her party’s scale was enormous, and required more time to operate.

However, that time difference was enough to result in her being shy of the first mover’s advantage. Just a tiny step would be enough to determine success or failure in many things. For example, Zi’s party was definitely overwhelmingly superior to Sheyan’s current strength. Yet beneath their overwhelming might and the difference in party scale, they became one step too late.

Facing the hastily arriving Illume-union core members, Reef suddenly stretched a step forward; directly stepping into the middle aisle from the darkness! His step was long, and massively heavy; sending clear shivers across the ground when his solid foot sole trampled onto the steel floor.

At this instant, Reef’s appearance was like an abrupt, resounding mountain smacking into the Illume-union’s face. This mountain was not at all steep, but gave off a majestic sensation of spanning a thousand miles; as though it wouldn’t collapse even at the ends of the world! His abrupt appearance caused the Illume-union to suddenly halt their footsteps, with a sour taste welling in their mouth; as though they just complacently walked into an invisible wall!

“It’s you?” Zi couldn’t contain her surprise. The 3 rhombus glows around her started revolving rapidly, displaying her unstable emotions.

Humbly hanging his head down, Reef suddenly raised his palm. That blood soaked silver-white card shockingly lodged between his fingers.

“I know what you are thinking, Zi! And I know what you seek! It’s too bad you’ve arrived too late, this is the only key that allows entry into the upper floor of this valkyrie! Do you want to try seeing if I would snap this card into two first, or whether you can kill me and seize this card first?”

Archeaphill advanced forward with a huge stride, scoffing disdainfully.

“Reef, since your luck isn’t bad and you managed to sustain your tiny life when your party was obliterated, then you should cherish it and not rush to court death!”

Instead, Reef ignored him, as he continued negotiating with Zi.

“Think very carefully, the upper floor RDA workers can at anytime alter the scope of authority of this identification card, and reduce it to trash. Every delay of a second, is undoubtedly increasing the immensity of risks involved!”

Zi sighed deeply, and very frankly responded.

“What do you want?”

Reef snapped back.

“Obviously to cooperate.”

Zi gently replied.

“Cooperate? Sure! Then hand the card over, or you can just open the door right now.”

Reef stared coldly into Zi’s eyes.

“If you still think making a joke here is fine, then I wouldn’t mind delaying here with you guys as well. My conditions are – Party alliance for 3 days! The alliance scope must include the clause of no mutual harming; the fees will be paid by you, and any loots acquired will be split 50-50 within the alliance!”

Zi remained silent. Instead, Sable stepped forward from the back as he fumed angrily.

“In your dreams!”

But when Sable’s words vanished, Zi very straightforwardly replied.

“Fine! Your new party’s name!?”

Sable was stunned as he looked back and urgently cried out.

“Zi!”

Zi gently shook her head, faintly sighing.

“We were one step too late. Besides, time waits for no man, we don’t have a choice now. I definitely wouldn’t allow emotions to affect my decision, or that mere 20,000 utility points to play with everyone’s lives!”

From the darkness, the observing Sheyan couldn’t help but feel moved by Zi’s decisiveness. Such a woman who conducted her affairs without sloppiness. She may be willing to forgo smaller matters, but would become extremely very blunt and courageous with regards to bigger matters. Such a behavioral style was just like her force controlling energy; sharp and decisive, yet without form as it pressed against one’s body!

Nearly 10 seconds later, Sheyan and Mogensha both received notification from the nightmare imprint.

“Your party has formed a temporary alliance contract (advanced) with the Illume-union (party). Duration of 72 hours; during the phase of this alliance, allied forces are unable to have mutual conflict.”

After the allied contract was formed and officiated by the nightmare realm, everyone let loose a little. Reef gripped that silver-white identification card, as he slid it into the computer slot ahead! Clunk! The card was swallowed in.

Closely following, a spiralling set of steel stairs descended down. Demondream of the Illume-union core then astonishingly transformed into a mist as she sped forward; her speed didn’t seem outstanding, but in reality, she had already floated forth in a flash. She had even stole first place from the nearest advancing Reef.

However, Demondream immediately halted at the stair’s only entrance, because the computer generated voice warned:

「 This is a forbidden zone; if you insist on entering, all your battle contributions will be deducted by the RDA company, and all ship-based weapons will turn hostile. 」

Before reaching her current stage, Demondream had already cleared up all her RDA battle contributions. Instead, the last sentence inevitably caused her to shrink back!

“All ship-based weapons will turn hostile!”

At this moment, Sheyan had already scrambled forward, scoffing disdainfully and confidently into his party channel.

“The valkyrie shuttle is designed for interstellar transportation, and not for combat. Besides, what era is it now, don’t tell me that huge naval ships still fought in close proximity in this era? Even a warship wouldn’t install that many machine weapons internally; perhaps its exterior would be equipped with weapon systems, but internally, there surely wouldn’t be many ship-based weapons. Most crucially, if this is really a forbidden zone, clips and bursts of gunfire would’ve been unloaded already, why would they care to bullshit so much?”