Fantasy Game: Infinite City

Chapter 598 Bastion Castle (3)

However, after weighing the pros and cons, Christina finally made up her mind to send Han Zu to Bastinburg. The reason was simple: based on her previous understanding of Han Zu, he would likely leave those within the Lu Clan or other branches of the Ferdinand family who were unfamiliar with Bastinburg and hadn't participated in the family struggle alone, as long as they didn't stand in his way. While it was unclear what criteria Han Zu used for his assessment, even if she took a step back, she could still protect some of them. If things continued unchecked, whether the family feud escalated or Sebastian's ambitions ultimately led to the liquidation of the Unlimited Company, not a single member of the Ferdinand family would remain alive.

Although both options are not good, they should choose the lesser of two evils. At present, choosing to cooperate with Han Zu still has some room for improvement.

"What's wrong with you? If you don't want to continue talking about Bastinburg, you can talk about something else. I can see that you have some concerns."

"...Nothing. Okay, as soon as you're ready, I'll send you to Bastinburg. But I have to make it clear in advance that, while I've been to Bastinburg, it's only once or twice. I was responsible for some raw material inventory. Therefore, I've never been inside the castle, and I'm completely unaware of the conditions there. Besides the main structure, Bastinburg also occupies a vast area beyond the main structure. I only know the specific locations of one crop field, an abandoned tower at the northernmost edge of Bastinburg's territory, and the drawbridge over the moat outside the castle's western gate. I can only send you to the vicinity of these three locations. And one more thing: once you reach Bastinburg, I won't stay, but will immediately return to base. This is for my own safety. I'm adept at running and finding people, but I'm not particularly gifted in combat. The situation at Bastinburg is complex, and I'm not sure I can protect myself. And I don't intend to hold you back. I hope you understand."

"Yes, but I need some more information. How much do you know about Bastinburg and the surrounding areas?"

"Bastinburg doesn't seem to be in our plane, but it should still be on Earth. My teleportation ability can only cover half the Earth at most, and I can't travel further. For example, if I want to travel from you to the other side of the Earth, I need to choose a place as a transfer station and perform a second teleport. Of course, the time is mainly spent on selecting the energy source, and the transmission itself is very fast. Moreover, the difference between planes does not affect the transmission distance.

Secondly, there's the environment surrounding Bastinburg. It still looks like it's from the Middle Ages, so it's possible the Ferdinand family used some kind of technology to hide it in another dimension. Of course, it's also possible it was originally there. The energy tides around Bastinburg are unusually chaotic, and the closer you get to the main castle, the more severe this phenomenon becomes. When I approach the castle gates, my own energy is affected, preventing me from teleporting or using other abilities from within the main castle. This affects not only me but also Sebastian. His energy also experiences issues around the main castle. From what I can tell, your energy level is similar to Sebastian's, so you might be affected in the same way. I'm not sure if this is because our abilities originate from Bastinburg, but it's helpful to share this information in advance so you can be prepared.

"How much do you know about the armed forces and personnel distribution around Bastinburg?"

"There are quite a few armed forces, about a hundred or so, but most of them are gathered near the crop fields, south of the castle. That area is very open. If you're not sure you can kill them all at once, I suggest you avoid the south side of the castle. Those armed forces are quite strong. Although not as strong as you and Sebastian, they're not much behind."

"What about the rest of them?"

"They're spread out along the various roads surrounding the main castle. Their mission isn't patrolling, but guarding the castle's entrances and exits to prevent anyone from entering or leaving. Furthermore, according to my investigation, they seem to be preventing things from escaping from the castle. Remember those strange creatures among the raw materials needed for the creation? Those creatures were obtained from within the castle, but this is a family secret. Aside from Sebastian himself and some trusted researchers, no one knows what those creatures are, where they came from, or whether they were truly discovered within the castle. Even I only learned this news during my private investigations. I've seen several of these creatures, but I'm not sure what they are... Do you have paper and pen, or any other drawing equipment?"

"There's this brainwave thing... Anyway, it can capture the electrical signals generated by your brain when you think, and then generate a representation of what you're thinking on the device. I'm not sure how it works exactly, but it's pretty useful. Do you want to use it?"

"Okay, wait a minute, this thing won't fry my brain, right?"

"No, I used that device to measure seabirds when I was free before, and the seabirds were fine. If the birds are fine, then the people shouldn't be any problem either."

"Ok."

Han Zu handed the device to Christina. It looked like a glasses case. After opening it, Christina simply held it and thought. The device would calculate what she was thinking and display it on the screen of the device itself or another connected device. For easier viewing, Han Zu projected the resulting images and footage onto the wall nearby.

"It's quite accurate indeed. This is what I've seen."

Based on the images and pictures that formed in Christina's mind, the projections on the wall showed several strange creatures, perhaps even living things. These creatures looked like transparent gels soaked in various pigments, floating in the air. Although they appeared very soft, their movements suggested that their bodies were very hard.

"What are the characteristics of this thing?"

"These things have obvious reactions to moving objects, especially sound and light. If you are close enough to them, they will slowly move towards the position of the moving object. If these things are stimulated during this period, whether it is physical touch, sound, or light stimulation, they will immediately become agitated. Although their movement speed will not change, they will immediately emit a kind of... uh... I don't know how to say it, it seems to be a part of their body covered with energy in the direction of the stimulation. The direct damage that this thing can cause is very limited, like... someone threw a sandbag at you? But once this thing comes into contact with the surface of a living thing, or the skin of the human body, the areas that come into contact with the thing will immediately become transparent, and then a reaction similar to calcification will occur. The cells in the area hit will quickly die and cannot be treated by conventional means. However, after the body fluid extracted from the corpse using this thing is injected into the injured area, no matter how severe the transparency and other reactions are, it will gradually begin to recover, but the speed is very slow.

Furthermore, once this treatment is initiated, the subject's brain activity will become sluggish from the moment treatment begins. If too much fluid is injected, it can even lead to a deterioration in thinking ability. While experimental results show this condition is not irreversible, recovery will take an extremely long time, measured in years. Furthermore, if the fluid is continued, the recovery time will be significantly extended. One experimental record I saw recorded a subject whose entire right arm was exposed to that substance. After his arm was healed and the medication was discontinued, it took him three years to gradually return to normal. During this time, he was unable to speak for over two years, his movements were extremely slow, and beyond the basics of eating, drinking, and defecation, he was unable to perform any independent actions, even moving at all, relying only on crawling.

"So what about these things that are similar to this but different colors?"

"Different colors are linked to their level of danger. The least dangerous are those that are mostly green and blue. They move slowly and have slow reactions. Unless you get them right in front of your face, it's impossible for anyone without brain damage to be attacked by them while still conscious. Next up are the red ones. Their movement speed, or rather, floating speed, is faster, but the projectiles they launch are... the same speed as those mostly green and blue, but their attacks are more frequent."

Then there are those white and gray ones. They move very fast and attack frequently. The speed of transparency caused by hitting will also increase. However, these white and gray things are very gentle. As long as they are not stimulated, even if they are directly touched, they will not attack. However, these things are very sensitive to brightness. They like dark environments. If there is no shadow in the environment they are in, then they will always be in a state of restlessness and indiscriminately attack all moving objects.

Finally, there are these brown and black creatures. These creatures seem to have a sense of territory and are very aggressive. As long as someone enters their territory, they will quickly attack and try to get close to the other person. And unlike creatures of other colors, these brown or black creatures tend to gather in large numbers, so they are very dangerous.

Although these creatures appear fragile, they are actually very sturdy and difficult to destroy. Furthermore, upon death, all of these creatures emit a powerful white flash. This white flash is extremely eerie. Facing the flash, no matter what action is taken, it blinds you for an hour, leaving you unable to see anything but white. Even closing your eyes, wearing sunglasses, a special protective mask, and a helmet are no protection against the flash. Strangely enough, the solution to this flash is also very simple: simply turn your back, and nothing will happen, though you may experience a few seconds of tinnitus.

"Have you seen any other creatures?"

"Yes, but not many. There are some strange ones... probably insects. There are giant centipedes over a meter wide and several meters long that spray venom. There are also some things that look very similar to dragonflies from ancient times. These things fly very slowly, but they also spray toxins. There is also something similar to... uh... scarab beetles, except they are all white and they spit out a slime-like substance that can quickly freeze anything they hit."

"Is it the dung beetle that can breathe ice?"

“…Is that okay?”

"Anything else?"

"Yes, and a lot of them, but I haven't seen the others myself. But judging by the products that use them as part of their raw materials, capable of creating a vast array of experimental targets with varying abilities, the anomalous creatures within Bastinburg must be numerous, and their levels of danger vary. Most importantly, for some unknown reason, not only are these creatures numerous, but their numbers are also enormous. From what I understand, it's been at least sixty years since the Ferdinand family began building that secret laboratory, and even faster than it is today. This suggests that the number of these creatures must be enormous, and some may even be capable of self-reproduction."

Christina's expression grew increasingly serious as she recalled Bastinburg. It was clear she was deeply resistant to it and didn't particularly want to recall it. Nor did she particularly want to return. Han Zu, however, reacted in a completely different way. Christina's descriptions only intensified his interest in Bastinburg. For him, it was a natural testing ground, a place where he could confidently test his current combat prowess. Furthermore, there might be a wealth of resources he could use to enhance his own strength. Although Christina had mentioned that the unusual energy environment near Bastinburg might suppress other energies, Han Zu wasn't concerned. Even if he truly couldn't use energy to attack upon arriving at Bastinburg, his physical strength was still immense.

"That makes me excited! Shall we set off now?"

"Now? You're going to Bastionburg now?"

"what happened?"

“…Not now, we have to wait two days.”

"why?"