Chapter 255: Search and Battle
Following Jack and Levin Mills, Jie Ming flew through this bizarre world where gravity was inverted and a sea of clouds served as the ground.
Soon, he spotted a dozen figures floating in the distance. He immediately recognized them as the other members of Jack’s team, whom he had seen earlier at the junction square. They were spread out, each hovering silently in place. Some had their eyes closed, seemingly controlling something remotely, while others stared blankly, their attention clearly elsewhere.
After a long while, a heavyset wizard slowly opened his eyes, revealing a glint of unconcealed disappointment. With a heavy sigh, he noticed Jack, Levin, and the newly arrived wizards, including Jie Ming.
“Jack, you’re back,” the heavyset wizard greeted listlessly.
Glancing at the number of wizards behind Jack, his face mirrored the same disappointment. “Only this many?”
“Given the situation, we’re lucky to have anyone willing to join,” Jack replied, spreading his hands helplessly.
The heavyset wizard considered the circumstances and said no more.
After the exchange, Jack turned to the new wizards, his tone serious. “Get ready to work.” New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⟡𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚⟡𝘯𝘦𝘵
In the blink of an eye, the heavyset wizard had created a swarm of these buzzing “mosquitoes” around him. His already bulky frame visibly shrank after shedding so much flesh.
Under his control, the mosquitoes split into twelve groups of varying sizes, each flying to a wizard. Jack had explained the mission’s process during recruitment, so no one questioned the procedure. Each wizard used their mental energy to form soul contracts with the mosquitoes assigned to them.
Jie Ming’s group was the largest, outnumbering the combined mosquitoes assigned to the eleven First-Order Wizards. Patiently, he wove his mental tendrils, far surpassing his peers in strength, to bind each mosquito in a soul contract.
Unlike cannon-fodder units, which only required basic contracts for remote control, these precision scouting bioengineered beasts demanded deeper soul contracts to transmit accurate visuals and data. While these contracts could be dissolved after the mission, if the contracted creatures died before then, the resulting soul shock could harm the wizard’s mental state. Too many deaths at once could even cause permanent soul damage.
Unless a wizard specialized in scouting with a resilient soul, most preferred safer, more convenient scouting spells. However, the bioengineered beasts offered a vastly expanded scouting range and more precise information.
Once everyone had contracted their mosquito swarms, Levin Mills nodded. “We’ve searched this area already. Next, we’ll move forward for the next round of exploration.”
The wizards nodded silently. Jack, ever experienced, placed a faintly glowing metal orb as a reference point for their return. The hired wizards followed suit, each marking their coordinates. Jie Ming flicked his hand, releasing a nearly invisible “Glimmer of Light” that vanished into the misty ground below. Feeling the stable link with the Five Aggregates Rainbow Mirror, he nodded in satisfaction.
Watching Levin Mills and the others begin to move, Jie Ming frowned slightly. “We’re starting already?” Without further comment, he followed Levin’s lead.
Under Levin’s direction, Jack’s team and the new wizards began to spread out. Based on the number of mosquitoes each controlled, they maintained safe distances of tens to hundreds of kilometers, forming a massive fan-shaped formation as they advanced. Their contracted mosquitoes scattered like dandelion seeds, conducting a meticulous net-like search of the conical area ahead.
The search was monotonous, the scenery unchanging and dull. Occasionally, they encountered strange, self-evolved creatures in the zone, whose attacks became brief distractions, like toys to alleviate the boredom.
As Jie Ming flew forward, one of his lead mosquitoes shared a distant, blurry vision: a group of incredibly fast creatures charging straight toward them. Their speed was astonishing, breaking the sound barrier with visible sonic boom clouds.
The creatures were too fast for the mosquitoes to discern clearly, but Jie Ming could make out their streamlined forms, like living white projectiles slicing through the air. Two minutes later, as they entered his regular scouting range, his enhanced vision revealed their details. Calculating their approach speed, he was shocked to find they averaged over three times the speed of sound.
Fortunately, Jie Ming had preemptively activated his “Acceleration” rune artifact, boosting his neural reaction speed enough to track them. The creatures showed no sign of slowing, and a collision would undoubtedly be catastrophic.
Pointing at the approaching horde, Jie Ming launched a compressed fireball. The fist-sized orb expanded mid-flight, growing into a hundred-meter-wide “mini sun” blazing with crimson flames. It tore through the sky, trailing a long, fiery tail, and detonated just before impact.
A terrifying explosion erupted, forming a massive, roiling fireball over a kilometer wide. Light and heat surged, evaporating the surrounding mist and creating a temporary vacuum. This was the true destructive power of a Second-Order Wizard, capable of leveling an entire town from Jie Ming’s previous life—not just killing lifeforms but obliterating land and structures entirely.
The high-speed creatures suffered heavy losses, but a few at the forefront, Second-Order peak strength with durable shells and robust vitality, survived the blast’s aftermath and continued their charge, adjusting their posture to accelerate even faster.
Jie Ming frowned. “This is troublesome. Without using ‘matter manipulation’ or ‘force field’ spells, capturing these things alive without killing them is no easy task.”
Glancing at the rune artifact on his wrist, he chose not to use it. Instead, he raised his fingers, gathering elemental energy at their tips.
After a brief skirmish, Jie Ming’s controlled destructive spells battered the “living missiles” into submission, incapacitating them for capture.
Simultaneously, he sensed intense energy fluctuations from afar, indicating other wizards were also under attack. “No one’s called for help in the team channel, so it should be fine for now,” he thought, pressing forward with his exploration.