Psychic Parasite

Chapter 296: Surpassing the Depth
”The pile of bodies has reached half the wall’s height. Where are the Espers?” A Transformer bellowed, unleashing his Tier 3 Skill, causing a drove of Stingrays to fall to the ground.

”This is not the only place we are in charge of,” A Ground Controller grunted, panting while unleashing all four psychic arms. The four psychic arms exited the dome and seeped into the hill of carcasses, picking them up part by part.

The body parts were wrapped by his psychic arms and brought into the dome. Ripples formed on the dome as they passed through, making a check to see there wasn’t anything strange or suspicious within the carcasses. It was Psychic Ancestor Marble monitoring the situation while allowing the soldiers entry and exit. He had to actively arrange it every moment.

”Can’t you move it faster?” The Transformer shouted, ”At this rate, our entire city would be buried underneath their carcasses.”

It took the Ground Controller almost thirty seconds to finish transporting the carcass of a Frog, cursing at the time it took, ”A single Frog weight more than 100 tonnes. I am already operating at my maximum strength. If I go any faster, I’ll expend all my psychic energy within a couple of hours. This is my most optimal speed.”

Suddenly, an arm patted the Ground Controller’s shoulder, ”Let me give you a hand, young lad.”

The Ground Controller turned around before he was shocked, ”Sir, didn’t you retire long ago?”

It was a wizened old man that was a legend in the 8th Ring a decade ago. After a major injury to his brain, he retired from service. Wearing a uniform that was a decade old, the wizened old man smiled, ”The attention of our Frenzy Beast foes is currently diverted from us. Let us old fogeys step in for the moment. We’ll retreat once their attention is back on us. Until then, take a breather.”

Five thin psychic arms emerged from his head, as thin as a strand of hair. He looked back, watching a large tower within which all the Espers dumped the carcasses. Workers shuttled within it, placing the carcasses in a lift that proceeded to the Fruit and Grain Strata.

Large boxes were filled and sealed, placed into the underground metro train to be shipped to the 7th Ring. Their destination was the manufacturing plants for the Frenzy Fruits.

’This Wave is actually a blessing in disguise. It would provide us with enough resources to last for the next half-century. I just hope our production plants can keep up with the load.’ His thin psychic arms lifted large pieces of a Frog’s carcass, transporting it to the destination in an instant.

Each psychic arm flashed to and fro, showing incredible efficiency. As the Ground Controller gawked in amazement, the wizened old man praised, ”I should thank Mary Veera and Jyovic Bone for allowing this old man to battle once again. They are our city’s boon.”

The Ground Controller too joined suit, trying to clear up as much as possible. But, the carcasses were still piling up at a faster rate than they could clear them. Soon, he noticed many retired veterans arrive, swiftly beginning to clear up the area. They were all Ground Controllers, with many Sky Controllers hidden amongst.

’Since when did we have so many Sky Controllers?’ Just when he wondered, the ones that had arrived disappeared soon after. Relying on his trained senses, the Ground Controller felt a prying gaze from afar, from beyond the horizon.

The prying gaze disappeared in the next moment but the Ground Controller was no longer calm. He nodded in understanding, finding his back drenched in cold sweat, ’So, this is what Sir was talking about. Those damn Frenzy Beasts are probing our strength through this chance.’

It was then he realised why they were fighting with limited numbers. If every elite from their city made a move, things would have been easier. He then looked around, coming to a realisation, ’I see, the Aristocratic Families have yet to make a move while the Royal Families are just watching from the sidelines.’

”What are you dazing around for?” The Transformer’s shout broke his thoughts, urging him, ”Start working.”

”Yes, sir.” The Ground Controller nodded, continuing to pull up large pieces of flesh one after another. But, what he failed to perceive was the existence of a middle-aged man behind him.

Short trimmed hair with a pair of brown eyes, possessing sharp jaws with thick pursued lips on an otherwise oval face, he was a plain-looking middle-aged man. He wore a set of white, loose clothes, standing barefooted on the wall. Carried on his back was a large cuboidal box, four times his body size.

The box was magenta in colour, perfectly sealed to prevent the contents from leaking out. It didn’t seem to possess a lid, a perfectly closed container. The middle-aged man walked forward, calmly brushing past the Warriors and Espers, with not one managing to detect his presence.

Arriving on the edges, he stared at the Swarm, ”Wow, that is a lot of resources at our doorstep.”

He took another step forward, falling down. His clothes fluttered as the wind brushed past him, his fall was soon impeded as he landed on the carcass of an Armadillo. The Armadillo’s body was fully covered by spikes, a sign that it was attacked by its brethren.

His body looked weightless as the middle-aged man walked forward, not even causing the mildest depression on the Armadillo’s carcass. Suddenly, a voice resounded in his ears, ”Are you sure this is a good idea.”

The middle-aged man smiled, ”Don’t you see the Swarm before us? Unlike the Frenzy Beasts, their bodies are easier to treat and use. Imagine the amount of food and Frenzy Fruits we can produce with this amount.”

He then gazed at the walls, ”Besides, we need to gear up for that war in the future, right?”

”You’re right,” The voice sighed, ”Don’t take too much risk. Humanity cannot afford to lose you at this point. The further south you proceed, the greater the chance of Parasite detecting your presence. You haven’t faced it directly, so you don’t realise how scary it is.”

”I am not that arrogant. Besides, mother put a lot of thought into this plan. So, you can rest assured. Also, it’s not like you don’t know about it.” The middle-aged man continued to walk forward, making small jumps to land on the heads of the approaching monsters.

”I am worried because I am still unable to make sense of your Unranked Skill. It is just too…mysterious.” The voice sighed in helplessness.

”This is why I wish for her to reach Tier 6. She would be unstoppable then.” The middle-aged man sighed in helplessness. ”But, this is exactly the reason mother is unwilling to do so. Even at Tier 5, she was able to create something like Memoir Beckoner.”

The voice left him a message, ”After you are done with the task, take the opportunity to visit Dawn. He wished to speak with you.”

”Dawn City is not even close that I can make a visit and return soon.” The middle-aged man grunted, ”It would be difficult for me to head there without falling under the Radar of the River Whales.”

”If the situation turns bad, signal with your aura. I’ll be able to detect your aura from here even if you proceed beyond Dawn City. Light will rush to your aid within a second.” The voice disappeared.

The middle-aged man, Rhachis Ancestor Strongest continued to carry the box, walking undetected amid the Swarm. A Frog landed right before him, rumbling the land around in response. When it jumped again, one of its legs hit him.

Rhachis Ancestor Strongest remained like an unmovable mountain while the Frog tumbled, its face crashing into the ground. It stood up and looked behind, failing to find anything that could trip it, staring in confusion for a second before continuing to hop towards Marble City.

Along his way, many beasts tripped and fell, but he continued to walk in a steady gait. Soon, he began to increase his speed, jumping from the head of one beast to another, unable to spot any vacant spot on the ground.

He continued to proceed in such a manner, finally landing on the head of an Armadillo. He lightly stepped with greater strength as his body shot forth like a bullet, covering more than a kilometre with a single leap.

The Armadillo only fell on the ground from the impact, uninjured. It stood up after a couple of seconds, beginning to move once again. Every second, a beast fell on the ground for unknown reasons.

Within ten minutes, he reached the tip of the peninsular land, gazing at the islands scattered about in the ocean beyond. With a powerful leap, he traversed more than 10 kilometres, landing on a small island. Changing directions, he landed on another island 13 kilometres away.

He gently probed the ocean with his abilities, going in the direction opposite to the movements of the Swarm. Soon, there were no more islands. Rhachis Ancestor Strongest landed on the ocean, his body as light as feather, traversing on the surface.

Soon, he felt a minor change in the air, ’There are lingering traces of Parasite’s aura personification here. Did it come here for something?’

He wondered and jumped into the ocean, swimming past numerous beasts, proceeding deeper and deeper. ’Strange, I never knew the waters here were this deep.’

He had already proceeded five kilometres deep, watching the Swarm swim opposite to him, their source still a long distance away. The more he proceeded, the deeper his frown became, ’This depth has already surpassed the Mariana Trench.’