Volume 1: The Spiral Carving, Chapter 23: Siege of the Cannibal Ants 1: The Giant Combine Harvester

Chen Fan arrived outside a stretch of mountain forest. Looking up, he spotted a courtyard nestled within the trees. A golden-red spark flickered inside the compound, blindingly bright. This meant there was something valuable inside.

He narrowed his eyes and stepped back. "I should head toward the vicinity of the Ninth Base first. I can always come back to investigate this place later."

Just then, an Alien Demon Stone appeared in his field of vision—right at the entrance of the courtyard.

"Is this... a trap? Trying to lure me in?" Chen Fan found it intriguing. Wanting to see what kind of entity was behind this, he drew his rugged pistol and strode toward the gate.

Upon reaching the entrance, he picked up the stone and peered into the yard. As he stood there in thought, another Alien Demon Stone appeared within the grounds. Chen Fan picked up a rock and tossed it inside; confirming there were no traps, he walked over and retrieved the second stone.

"Is there more? If not, I'm leaving!" Chen Fan shouted toward the surroundings.

He glanced at a dark doorway not far off and his pupils constricted. A woman in yellow, her hair disheveled, stood in the shadows. She brushed a lock of hair aside and stared straight at him. "Come in! I have many more good things. Come!"

Her voice was filled with a bewitching quality, possessing the power to manipulate the mind.

"What else do you have?" Chen Fan smiled, aiming his pistol at her.

Without a word, she reached out her right hand and plunged it into her own abdomen. As blood splattered, she withdrew a green stone the size of a human skull. Though coated in blood, the stone still pulsed with a dazzling, brilliant green light.

"It's a Wood Origin Stone!" Catherine’s voice exclaimed in his mind. "That's a real treasure, you absolutely cannot miss it! You must find a way to take it!"

Chen Fan nodded and aimed his gun at her head.

*Bang!*

Chen Fan fired. Amidst the deafening gunshot, her head shattered in the air like a rotten watermelon. Yet, she did not die. To Chen Fan’s shock, she reached onto a nearby table, grabbed a blood-stained skull, and fixed it onto her neck.

Chen Fan’s scalp tingled. This time, he aimed for her chest and fired again. Sparks flew, smoke filled the air, and her chest exploded. What was truly horrifying was that a monster's head crawled out from the cavity in her chest, staring directly at Chen Fan. The creature’s head was terrifying, filled with black fangs, and its eyes were a piercing green.

"It seems to have absorbed the power of the Wood Origin Stone, which is why its vitality is so formidable," Catherine analyzed.

"Come! Come inside! As long as you come in, I will give you this stone!" it said in a seductive tone.

"Give me another gray stone shard, and I'll come in," Chen Fan countered directly.

Without hesitation, it tossed a gray stone shard to him. Chen Fan picked it up and retreated with short, cautious steps. *What is its goal? Why is it trying to lure me inside? What exactly is in that house?*

Everything was a mystery. But for now, Chen Fan did not want to investigate any further. He turned and sprinted out of the yard at top speed.

*Bang!* The gate slammed shut. A red, slime-covered skeleton holding a long blade blocked the exit, preventing him from leaving. Its appearance was grotesque, with slime like oil dripping from its body.

Chen Fan frowned; not wanting to be entangled, he stepped forward and vaulted over the wall. Before he even landed, his heart tightened, as two more slime-skeletons outside had already raised their spears, thrusting them forcefully toward his head. Chen Fan quickly rolled, drew his pistol, blew their heads off, and fled the scene at maximum speed.

"Come back!!"

Its voice rang out, filled with venom and rage. Chen Fan ignored it and sped away.

Nine hundred meters from the Ninth Base stood a mountain. Chen Fan reached the mountainside and looked through his sniper scope at the gray, hemispherical fortress. Two days later at noon, the gate opened, and Jiang Yan emerged, dressed in a gray combat uniform. Chen Fan observed her movements and followed her.

An hour later, in a meadow, Chen Fan finally caught up to her and called out from a distance.

She turned around, and upon seeing Chen Fan, a flash of intense fury erupted in her eyes. She lunged toward him with the speed of thunder, like a hunting leopard.

Chen Fan smiled, pulled out his rugged pistol, and said, "Let's talk this out, shall we? No need for physical altercations."

Wary of the gun, she hesitated for a moment before stopping ten meters away. After scanning her figure, Chen Fan looked into her eyes. "You suspect I killed Lu Yan?"

"Isn't it you?" she challenged with a charming voice. The day after Lu Yan’s incident, she had rushed to that gray island, only to find... a tombstone for Lu Yan.

"If I say I didn't do it, would you believe me?" Chen Fan sat on the ground, placing his right hand on his knee with the gun aimed at her to prevent a surprise attack.

"If not you, then who? Do you think I'm a three-year-old? Today, I will avenge Brother Lu Yan!" She stared stubbornly at Chen Fan, clenching her small fists tightly. It was clear that she and Lu Yan had been very close, and his passing had dealt her a massive blow.

Chen Fan sighed and recounted the events of that day exactly as they had happened. After listening, the anger in her eyes slowly faded, replaced by confusion and emptiness. After a long while, she finally accepted the truth, crouched on the ground, and began to sob.

Chen Fan offered no words of comfort, letting her vent her negative emotions through tears. Ten minutes later, she finally stabilized and extended her right hand to him. "Thank you for burying him and setting up a monument, and thank you for being willing to keep your promise." Her eyes and nose were red from crying, and her voice was nasal, a sight that made one's heart ache. At this moment, she didn't look like a powerful Level 1 mutant, but rather a helpless little girl.

Chen Fan shook his head slightly, walked over, and took her delicate hand in his large one. He produced the exquisite pistol and the plastic box of ammunition—items he had retrieved from the Black Rock Organization's laboratory on the gray island. He handed them to her and said, "I once promised Brother Lu Yan that I would help look after his sister, Xiaoya. But I cannot enter the Ninth Base right now. Please deliver these to her for me."

She took them with both hands and nodded heavily. "I will give them to her. I will also teach her how to shoot!"

Chen Fan hummed in acknowledgment. "Is Xiaoya doing alright?"

"For the first few days, she kept crying to see her brother, but she's doing much better now." Her eyes showed gratitude; she was thankful that Chen Fan was willing to care about Xiaoya.

Chen Fan finally felt at ease. "Are you out on a mission?"

"Yes. There are over a thousand people in the Ninth Base, and everyone has a job. The base doesn't keep idlers."

"Where are you going for your mission?" Chen Fan asked.

"In a town 60 kilometers away, there is a large combine harvester. Base director Yang Yu asked me to check it. If it's still functional, I need to report back quickly!"

Chen Fan’s eyes lit up. "Can you take me with you?"

"Sure!" She didn't refuse; having a companion was better than being alone. Women feared loneliness.

Five hours later, they arrived outside the town. It took them an hour to find the large harvester inside an abandoned factory. Chen Fan pulled back the dust cover, and as the dust billowed into the air, the machine revealed its true form. It was massive, like a steel beast, and looked as pristine as a new machine.

After searching the vicinity, Chen Fan found the diesel storage. Upon opening the door, a room full of diesel barrels appeared before him. Chen Fan was overjoyed and spent the shortest time possible filling the harvester's tank. Only after the storage was empty was the tank of the steel beast finally full.

"Let me see if it works!" Chen Fan said, excited. He entered the driver's cabin and started it expertly.

*Rumble!*

He drove the mechanical beast out onto the main street.

"Great! I'm going back to report this immediately." Jiang Yan was ecstatic. This was a significant merit; once she reported it, she wouldn't have to go on missions for the next few years.

"Can I store it away?" Chen Fan blinked and asked Catherine, unwilling to let go of such a world-ending artifact.

"Absolutely! While the system inventory isn't infinite, it’s more than enough to store a combine harvester."

So, amid Jiang Yan’s gasp of shock and a sky full of golden-red light, the harvester simply vanished from the street.

"Why is it gone?" Jiang Yan was frantic, staring daggers at Chen Fan, her eyes almost brimming with murderous intent.

Chen Fan coughed a few times and turned his head away. "I don't know either. How about... you find another mission?"

"I'll kill you!!" She rushed forward, grabbed his collar, and radiated killing intent. Chen Fan looked at her innocently, offering no resistance.

After a while, she sighed, released her grip, and took out a booklet. After flipping through it for a long time, she closed it and put it away.

"There is an abandoned city 20 kilometers from here. It contains a Thunder Origin Stone. If I can bring that back, it will count as atonement for my failure. Come with me." She turned to look at him, her eyes still murderous. "This time, don't you dare play any more tricks on me, understand?"

"Thunder Origin Stone..." Excitement flashed in Chen Fan's eyes, and he nodded vigorously.

"You're still coveting it?" Seeing his excited expression, Jiang Yan was about to explode with rage.

Chen Fan coughed, quickly suppressed his excitement, and said seriously, "You're overthinking it, I'm not that kind of person!" He turned his head away, feeling guilty as if he were a thief caught in the act, not daring to meet her gaze.

"You'd better behave yourself!" She led Chen Fan toward the abandoned city at a brisk pace.

An hour later, Jiang Yan sat on the ground and huffed. "Come here and massage my legs!"

"Massage your legs? Are you joking?" Chen Fan refused outright.

"Give me back my combine harvester!" She looked at Chen Fan, grinding her teeth.

Chen Fan swallowed hard, knowing he was in the wrong. He stepped forward, crouched down, and began to knead her calves.

"Higher!" she commanded.

"Don't you think you're going a bit too far?" Chen Fan frowned.

"The harvester!!" Her eyes flashed with cold light as she looked down at him.

Chen Fan grinned, feeling slightly awkward. He stopped arguing and complied with her orders.

"Keep your distance from her," Catherine’s voice suddenly echoed in Chen Fan's ear, sounding somewhat displeased.

Chen Fan pondered why Catherine would act this way, wondering, "Does an AI understand what love is? Could she be jealous of me?"

"Don't let your imagination run wild, I don't mean anything else! I just wanted to tell you: it’s easy to draw the skin of a tiger, but hard to draw its bones; it’s easy to know a person's face, but hard to know their heart. She might not necessarily be a good person!"

Chen Fan smiled to himself and agreed.

Two hours later, the two arrived outside the ruined city. It was a gray city; dilapidated skyscrapers stood against the sky like mountains, giving off an atmosphere of epic grandeur. Thick mist hung in the vault of heaven, as if a storm could break at any moment. A violent wind swept through the city, and even from far away, one could hear the creaking of windows.

*Bang!* A window was blown apart by the wind. As Chen Fan watched, it plummeted from the fiftieth floor and smashed into the hard pavement below. Several mutant wild dogs were active on the street; although the loud impact was jarring, it didn't seem to bother them. They were clearly used to it.

Chen Fan’s expression turned solemn. At the same time, a golden-red spark appeared deep within the ruined city. His intuition told him this place was dangerous. Extremely dangerous.

After entering the city, Chen Fan drew his rugged pistol. After surveying the surroundings, he stepped onto the gray asphalt road and walked slowly forward. Jiang Yan followed close behind. Although she was a Level 1 mutant, she felt a lack of security at that moment. If not for Chen Fan, she doubted she would have dared to step into this desolate, ruined city.

*ROAR!!*

When Chen Fan had walked two hundred meters, five mutant wild dogs on the street spotted him. They opened their foul, cavernous mouths and charged at him. Their eyes were savage and crazed, a terrifying sight. They were incredibly fast, reaching him in almost five seconds.

Chen Fan’s eyebrows stood on end. He gripped his long blade and swung it with all his might!

*Awoo!*

Two of the mutant wild dogs let out miserable howls, as the flash of the blade sliced their black bodies in two. Various internal organs scattered across the ground, and their intestines were shredded. Yellow contents splattered everywhere, and as the heat rose from them, a pungent, fishy stench assaulted the senses.

The howling continued, and with each flash of the blade, Chen Fan decapitated the remaining wild dogs. The ground was instantly stained red. It looked like a splash of red paint on an ink wash painting—striking and vivid.