Just then, the investigator wearing glasses hurried over. Holding a detector, he spoke in an urgent tone, the data he collected confirming Bai Ci's hypothesis.
“Captain Chen, according to the detector's readings, the swarm is primarily flying out from the direction of the underground passage. Moreover, quite a few of the bugs are carrying pieces of flesh they've gnawed on and are flying back in that same direction. Based on this, there is a high probability that the insect queen is deep inside the underground passage.”
Bai Ci rubbed her ring. A single detector had easily verified and even expanded upon what they had spent so much effort investigating. This made it glaringly obvious how lacking their group was when it came to gathering information.
If they had gathered more intelligence beforehand, would the situation still have ended up this terrible? She couldn't help but wonder. This was a perspective she had never considered before.
Bai Ci snapped out of her thoughts. Now was not the time for self-reflection; resolving the crisis at hand was the top priority.
Its range was limited, it was bound to Bai Ci herself, and the level of attacks it could withstand was unknown. Furthermore, if the attacks were too frequent, there was a risk that the protection would fail.
She briefly explained the general limitations of the ring, helping Captain Chen make an informed decision.
Captain Chen thought for a moment before saying solemnly, “We must first find a way to lure away the majority of the swarm to buy us time to enter the underground passage and kill the queen. Otherwise, if we encounter a massive swarm, even with the ring's protection, it will be difficult to hold out until we find her.”
With that, he shot a look at the investigators beside him. They all nodded, their faces filled with grim determination.
Captain Chen took a deep breath and continued, “At present, the vast majority of the living people in the apartments have already been consumed by the bugs. The only human flesh left to attract them is us.”
As for the very few survivors who might still be out there, in this kind of emergency, there was no time to search for and convince them. The effort and risk far outweighed any potential benefit.
“Therefore, I have revised our original plan as follows: several of our investigators will voluntarily bleed themselves to attract the majority of the swarm and lead them toward the breakwater outside the apartments. That area is at the very edge of the containment barrier and currently has almost no bugs. This will draw the swarm away from the underground passage and prevent us from being hopelessly surrounded.”
The bugs pursued human flesh, and beyond the breakwater lay only the open sea—there wouldn't be anyone there.
“Let me do it!” Lin Wenyu volunteered. “I... I'm fast, much more agile than you guys.”
She had her own calculations. She was a player; even if she “sacrificed” herself here, she wouldn't truly die. She would simply resurrect once the instance ended, at most losing some points and evaluation score.
But the investigators were different. They were natives of this world. Once they sacrificed themselves, they would truly be gone forever.
To her, the investigators were equivalent to the police in the real world. Even though they were just NPCs, Lin Wenyu couldn't bear to watch them sacrifice themselves so tragically.
Furthermore, actively participating in luring the swarm would highly likely grant her an extra score bonus. It was killing two birds with one stone.
“Absolutely not!” Captain Chen immediately refused, his voice stern. “You are innocent citizens who only happened to obtain a special item by chance. You have no obligation to sacrifice yourselves for this.”
“We are the Field Unit of the Bureau of Investigation. It is our duty to handle these anomalous events and protect the safety of ordinary citizens.”
“Moreover, the outbreak of this insect swarm is highly likely due to our own negligence. When we were investigating Lele's disappearance and the murder on the first floor, we must have tipped our hand and aroused Li Mingxuan's suspicion, driving him to take such extreme measures. We must bear this responsibility.”
“Captain Chen, I am not some innocent, helpless citizen,” Lin Wenyu insisted, her eyes stubborn. “Since I agreed to cooperate with you, I've already prepared myself to take risks.”
“And I am faster than you all—don't doubt that. When the swarm first broke out and we hadn't discovered the ring's function yet, I was the one who pulled Bai Ci out of harm's way. If I'm the one drawing the bugs, it will be much more efficient.”
The two reached a standstill. Bai Ci stood to the side without saying a word, quietly watching them.
She could understand Captain Chen's resolve, and she also understood what Lin Wenyu was thinking.
Captain Chen fell silent for a moment. This was no time for arguments. Seeing the determination in Lin Wenyu's eyes, he finally relented, saying gravely, “Fine, I agree. But this won't be a solo mission for you. The original plan remains the same.”
“We need to lead the bugs to the very edge of the containment barrier, near the breakwater. During this process, several of our investigators will bleed themselves first to lure the swarm. You will follow behind them. If anything happens to them and they can no longer draw the bugs, only then will you take over.”
“This is the biggest concession we can make, and it is our bottom line as investigators.”
If anything happens... what could possibly happen? Nothing other than death.
Lin Wenyu nodded, appearing to have genuinely compromised. “Alright, I agree. It's a deal.”
Captain Chen nodded to the investigators beside him. The one wearing glasses returned to their vehicle, brought out a new hazmat suit, and handed it to Lin Wenyu.
At the same time, another investigator was taking off his hazmat suit. Although the heavy suit provided some protection, it restricted movement and would prevent him from effectively attracting the swarm.
“Wait!” Lin Wenyu suddenly spoke up.
Just as everyone paused their movements, Lin Wenyu suddenly dashed out of the protective range of Bai Ci's ring. As if that weren't enough, she pulled a pocket knife from her pocket and, without a moment's hesitation, slashed her own left arm.
The sharp blade instantly sliced through her skin. Dark red blood welled out immediately, trickling down her arm and dripping onto the ground, releasing a strong, metallic scent of blood.
The scent of fresh blood was like a drop of water falling into a pot of boiling oil. The surrounding swarm instantly went wild. They stopped gnawing on the corpses and flew toward Lin Wenyu, the buzzing of their wings growing louder and louder.
Without offering any explanation, Lin Wenyu bolted, and a massive portion of the swarm began to move with her.
The investigators on the scene reacted quickly as well, immediately giving chase to keep up with Lin Wenyu as they ran toward the breakwater.
Lin Wenyu had used her own method to seize the role of the first bait. The die was cast.
“Miss Bai, it's time for us to move too.” Captain Chen quickly regained his composure. He had already taken off his hazmat suit and stepped into the ring's protective range.
Removing the suit made his movements much swifter, and it also fully exposed his eyes, which were now brimming with tears. They held self-reproach, deep emotion, and unwavering resolve.
“Miss Lin has bought us precious time. We cannot let her sacrifice go to waste. Let's head to the underground passage right now, find the queen, kill her, and put an end to this crisis once and for all.”
Rate on N.U.
