wuxianovels18 Chapter 242 - 142: Another Skill, the Star General Camp Begins
Chapter 242 - 142: Another Skill, the Star General Camp Begins
’That’s right!’
’Devour the core, use Taotie to seize its attributes and abilities!’
But just a moment ago, to ensure a one-hit kill, he had used his strongest attack and blasted the core into nothingness.
How was he supposed to devour it now?
Just as a wave of intense regret washed over Lin Ye, a belated system notification soothed his anxious mood.
[Ding! You have shattered the Fungal Descendant Corpse King’s source core. The Taotie mechanism has been activated!]
[You have obtained 17.2 Stamina and 5.8 Spirit!]
[You have obtained a new temporary skill: Silk Puppet!]
Lin Ye froze.
Then, he let out a long sigh of relief.
’Thank goodness...’
He had almost forgotten that he had completed the side quest first.
As part of the quest reward, the [Taotie] mechanism had been upgraded and no longer required the step of devouring the core.
Just killing the target was enough to trigger it.
He wasn’t sure if it was because the probability of capturing skills and traits had increased.
Or perhaps it was because, although it looked like a single Fungal Descendant, Lin Ye had actually killed thousands upon thousands of them.
In any case, he had still acquired a brand-new temporary skill.
"Let’s go."
Shi Ruifeng dispersed the crimson Gang Sha from his body, sheathed his long blade, and spoke to Lin Ye.
In the sky, the fighter jet had already lowered its altitude, and several rope ladders were dangling down.
The three military Martial Artists nimbly climbed the rope ladders and quickly returned to the cabin.
Lin Ye also felt the Healing out of combat mechanism trigger as the burning pain on his skin rapidly faded.
He then followed them up.
The cabin door slowly closed.
In the final moment before it shut, Lin Ye glanced down.
In the scorched, barren forest below, amidst the extinguished flames, the Source Crystals he had used as bait were still emitting a faint, ethereal blue glow.
’What a pity.’
’He had originally planned to use those Source Crystals to enhance his newly acquired temporary skill.’
’But now, in front of everyone else, it was impossible.’
’However, there should be no shortage of opportunities to obtain Source Crystals in the Qiming General Star Training Camp.’
Lin Ye retracted his gaze, found a seat in the cabin, and used the time on the way back to camp to carefully examine his new skill.
[Silk Puppet]
[Type: Active Temporary Skill]
[Effect: A black spore will be implanted into the corpse of any creature you kill. In a suitable environment, the spore will grow rapidly, forming black mycelia that spread throughout the corpse.]
[You can control these mycelia with your mind, share their senses, and make them perform simple actions.]
[Note: Controlling a puppet continuously consumes the mycelia within its body. The connection will be severed when the mycelia are depleted or when the distance between you and the puppet exceeds the maximum limit.]
[Current Maximum Distance: 1 kilometer.]
[Upon enhancing this skill, you will be able to implant spores into living creatures far weaker than you, though the growth and parasitic process will be slower. The agility and number of puppets you can control will increase, and you will be able to read parts of the puppets’ residual memories.]
It was another active skill.
But Lin Ye wasn’t disappointed. On the contrary, the potential for developing this skill was immense, and he could tell at a glance!
[Crystalization] and [Shadow Scale] could both directly enhance his combat power.
This [Silk Puppet], however, while seeming to offer almost no bonus in a direct fight, could provide Lin Ye with the most important thing of all—
Information!
It was a perfect reconnaissance skill.
In the future, if he wanted to scout an area or track a target, he wouldn’t have to risk his own life.
He could just send a puppet in his place.
The jet landed smoothly at the temporary base.
Lin Ye followed Shi Ruifeng and the others off the plane.
He noticed that the base’s rest area was much livelier than when he had left, with lights on in many of the tents.
Apparently, aside from the few who were still fighting desperately for a top-ten spot and those in ninth and tenth place who didn’t dare to relax, the vast majority of contestants had chosen to give up and return to camp to enjoy a steady supply of food, water, and perfectly safe sleep.
The night deepened.
In the dead of night, Lin Ye silently left his tent and slipped back into the fallen zone.
He didn’t go far, just easily dispatching a lone, low-level mutated beast on the camp’s perimeter.
He stood beside the corpse.
A strange sensation washed over him, as if a small part of something inside his body had been separated and implanted into the carcass.
Lin Ye waited quietly.
He could feel a faint connection slowly forming between himself and the corpse.
However, the process was extremely slow.
Lin Ye guessed that the ambient temperature and humidity of the wilderness were probably not ideal for the mycelia to grow.
He wasn’t in a hurry. The corpse was only a few hundred meters from the camp anyway, well within his sensory range at all times.
He returned to his tent, lay down, and waited.
「Several hours later.」
The sky was just beginning to lighten.
Inside his tent, Lin Ye’s eyes snapped open.
His pupils seemed to be covered by an extremely faint black film.
In the next moment, his consciousness felt as if it had been split in two.
A flood of completely different sensory information poured into his mind.
It was a bizarre experience, projecting his will into another body.
At first, the mutated beast’s corpse under Lin Ye’s control staggered and swayed, finding it difficult to even stand.
But as he grew more proficient at controlling the mycelia, they gradually took over all the nerves and muscles within the corpse.
It went from falling after just a few steps to being able to walk simply.
At the same time, the visual and auditory signals sent back by the puppet grew increasingly clear.
Even the sensation of the wind blowing through its fur and the faint vibrations from the ground were vaguely transmitted to Lin Ye’s mind.
Before Lin Ye could continue exploring the limits of this new ability, the connection suddenly severed.
The mycelia inside the puppet had been completely consumed.
’This ability is still too rudimentary. Without being enhanced by Source Crystals, its endurance is very poor.’
But Lin Ye could already see its immeasurable potential.
...
「The next day, at eight in the morning.」
Lin Ye and the nine other contestants who had successfully advanced stood before a large military transport plane.
Wang Lingchuan stood before them, his gaze as sharp as a knife, slowly sweeping over each of their young faces.
"Congratulations. You’ve passed the selection and earned your spot in the Qiming General Star Training Camp."
"But don’t think you’re home free just yet."
Wang Lingchuan’s tone suddenly shifted, growing serious.
"Don’t lose that ticket you’re holding before you’ve even had a chance to warm it up!"
His words left the other nine looking confused, but Lin Ye instinctively sensed that something was wrong.
’Could there... be another twist?’
Finally, Wang Lingchuan gave Lin Ye a meaningful look.
Then, without another word, he waved his hand.
"Board the plane!"
The ten of them boarded the transport plane in succession.
The hatch closed, and with a deafening roar from its engines, the plane lifted off the ground, flying at high speed toward Ninghai City, the capital of Ninghai Province.