Chapter 332: Probably Dead.
“Hmm, the view’s great, but the sea breeze is too damp. It’ll cause severe aging of metal parts.”
The Ruin City stopped at the northern coast of the Original Continent. Jié Jié leaped out of the Ruin City, enjoying the pristine beach and the boundless expanse of the ocean.
He wove a silk bag, then caught a few shield crabs and shellfish on the beach, stuffing them inside as snacks for later.
Returning to the Ruin City, he circled around it and drove it to a relatively dry place – behind a shield-shaped mountain near the sea, blocking the sea breeze perfectly.
After circling around again, there were no dangerous monsters nearby. Perhaps because of this, he spotted the Thunder Wolf Dragon migrating northward once more.
“Tsk tsk tsk tsk~”
“Uruuru~”
The Thunder Wolf Dragon emitted a slightly sorrowful sound, thinking why it always encountered this golden bug wherever it went.
A few Thunder Light Bugs flew out briefly before retreating, making it even more disheartened. It escaped from the Queen Mantis’ line of sight and disappeared.
But Jié Jié’s insight was incredibly sharp; he immediately noticed the small gaze peeking from the corner.
Clearly, it hadn’t given up on this territory just yet.
Jié Jié ignored it and drove the Ruin City into the back of the shield-shaped mountain. The dragon head of the Ruin City rested atop the mountain peak, resembling a little pavilion overlooking the sea.
Below the Ruin City, he transformed into the Flame King Dragon, baking the soil within the mountain to dry the surrounding environment.
Then, transforming back into the Queen Mantis, he added several layers of silk nets over the Ruin City, securing it tightly.
Stepping back to admire the Ruin City blending seamlessly with the shield-shaped mountain, he confirmed that the preservation effect was satisfactory. He then ascended to the dragon head on the mountaintop.
Sitting in the little pavilion, munching on snacks, watching the sunset’s afterglow dye the ocean red, the atmosphere was filled with the grandeur of an ending.
…
“The Ruin City hasn’t moved for a long time. After confirming its status one last time, we might need to return.”
Far away on the mountain, Kempe lowered his telescope and spoke slowly.
The Ruin City remained silent. They had observed it from afar for two days, but it still showed no signs of coming back to life, nor had they seen the Queen Mantis King move about.
Such a situation had never occurred before.
The condition seemed quite clear now; taking a closer look would mark the end of their journey.
“Let’s go see what’s wrong with that guy.”
The hunter squad cautiously approached the Ruin City partially embedded in the mountain. As they neared, their gazes shifted from looking down, to level, and finally upward.
Even with broken materials, such a magnificent creation could be built.
This wasn’t some game where stones crawl out of the ground to kick you upon approach; the creation didn’t revive due to their presence.
Golden silk threads still reflected light, but the nets had accumulated dust from the collision between the Ruin City and the mountain, causing many stones to shed powder.
Finding the right angle through the gaps in the metal structure, they saw no tear marks on the golden cocoon, which looked like a coffin.
They climbed onto the Ruin City, peering through the metal gaps to get closer to the golden cocoon, carefully reaching out to touch it.
Previously, facing the Queen Ruin City, they only thought of smashing the core golden cocoon. This was the first time they touched it, feeling its smooth texture easily.
Everything was filled with a cold, quiet, and deathly atmosphere. The answer was already obvious.
“Should we open it?”
The female archer pondered and asked.
“No, we have no right to interfere with the natural death of a monster. Let it return to dust and soil.”
“He has chosen his own tomb and coffin; we shouldn’t open it.”
Kempe shook his head, and the Katana Warrior also opposed the idea.
Hubble said nothing, only sighing as he gazed at the internal structure of the Ruin City. They had chased it all the way, watching it evolve to its current form.
“Let’s go; the mission is over.”
Kempe turned around, glanced at the map, and headed toward the nearest fortress, planning to inquire about the Flying Airship’s route and see if they could hitch a ride.
Meanwhile, Jié Jié transformed into a spider, watching everything from a dark corner, confused by the heavy atmosphere.
Were the hunters mourning for him?
How did I die without knowing?!
Dying isn’t bad either; after all, the best ending for an alias is death.
After patting his seaside villa in the Original Continent, indicating he’d often come back, Jié Jié transformed into a flying bird, exiting the cave, then inflated into a Fire Dragon, flying towards Dongduoluma.
…
Dongduoluma was the same as before, but the anti-dragon cannon on the southern combat platform caught Jié Jié’s great interest. He examined the firing platform carefully, then entered the cannon barrel to explore.
It would be great if this thing could be installed on the Ruin City’s head or back!
After thoroughly observing the anti-dragon cannon’s structure, Jié Jié began searching for traces of the second phase team within Dongduoluma.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t difficult. Various emblems and flags hung on Dongduoluma’s houses, and he found one familiar one.
With black and red contrasting blocks as the flag base, it featured the emblem of the Ancient Dragon Investigation Team of the New Continent, a spiral forge flame corresponding below the Cross Azure Star of the first phase team.
Without a doubt, this was the flag of the second phase team of the Ancient Dragon Investigation Team of the New Continent.
The base of the second phase team was in a spacious large house. Bright flames danced in the forge, and the bald young man had draped the team flag over himself, clearly recognized as the true Phase Leader.
The Dragon Person Youth leaned against the wall of the big house, flipping through a book lightly, seemingly unaffected by the noise inside.
At this moment, the Phase Leader was hammering out a part on the anvil, cooling it before piecing it together with other materials. A rough iron contraption was attached to his arm.
“Hey, hey, take a look!”
He raised his hand, showing off the equipment on his arm to everyone in the base.
By unfolding three folded mechanisms, a structure resembling a slingshot formed on his arm. He placed a small part on the bowstring trajectory and locked it in place.
A slight movement of the arm seemed to trigger some mechanism; the locking mechanism sank, releasing the bowstring with the small part, which exploded into sparks on the anvil.
“A crossbow on the arm, quite novel.”
“Yeah, I prefer calling it a projector. There’s a convenient wrench here for work, which can be replaced with an anchor hook, ready to throw.”
Such things weren’t unheard of; most were personal-use equipment. This design was good, and the Phase Leader wanted to popularize it.
“It doesn’t take up space on the arm, and we can add new functions based on the actual conditions of the New Continent.”
“Good, good, good! Just being able to transform is cool enough. Make me one too!”
Jié Jié watched the raised projector from the roof beam, sighing deeply.
Alas, the projector.
Alas, the climbing claw.
333
