Modern Cultivation : The Strongest Couple Bonded by Vampire System-Chapter 656: Arachne Progenitor

The dragon progenitor. Alex had heard a lot about him from Vesa.

Considering his personality, disappearing from the world after winning the war felt strange.

Alex was still thinking about it when Saryx stood up.

"Now that the deal is done, both of you should leave. I want to rest, and I hate guests." He glanced upward. "Aztaroth. Send them away."

Space folded around Alex and Mingyue.

The next moment, they found themselves far from the star, the heat and pressure gone in an instant.

"That Aztaroth fortress is really something," Mingyue said with a sigh.

It wasn't like they were helpless against it. If they really pushed, they could fight back.

They just chose not to. It would only drag them into another conflict they didn't need right now.

"It is," Alex said. "I tried to probe it during the fight, but I still couldn't find the core. I wonder how it's made. It doesn't feel like a normal computer."

"Maybe they use a living mind and connect it to the system?" Mingyue asked.

"That's possible," Alex replied. "If they use silicon-based creatures, they could interface directly. Either way, this visit gave us more than we expected."

"Resurrect the Arachne Progenitor. He's really ambitious." Mingyue's eyes narrowed. "Vesa, you busy?"

'No, Queen. How can I help?' Vesa replied through their link.

Since they were now in human territory, Vesa couldn't just appear like usual.

"Tell us more about the Arachne Progenitor," Mingyue said.

"Arachne Progenitor?" Vesa paused. 'Did you find her remains?'

Mingyue explained the situation quickly.

'I see,' Vesa said. 'To think her heart ended like that.'

Her voice turned heavier. 'Lolth was once a master of soul and fate. She could weave people's souls together and force an inevitable path. Even if it's only her heart, you need to be careful, Queen.'

Alex felt Mingyue's mood shift slightly, but she didn't interrupt.

Vesa continued, 'When she was alive, she devoured too many strong souls. She imprisoned them inside her heart.'

Alex's gaze sharpened. "So that's why those faces escaped. What about the sword? Do you know it, Vesa?"

'It should be Caliburn,' Vesa replied. 'One of the Asura Progenitor's weapons. It's rumored to be forged from a broken sword from another universe, once named Excalibur.'

Mingyue's eyes narrowed. "What can it do?"

'Purify darkness and negative thoughts,' Vesa said. 'That purification is also what keeps those trapped souls from collapsing completely.'

Alex exhaled slowly. "So that's why it can seal the heart."

Mingyue asked, "Was Asura the one who killed Lolth?"

'Yes,' Vesa replied. 'It was near the beginning of the Progenitor War, before everyone split into factions.'

Her voice turned sad. 'So many Progenitors died in that era. Thousands of species lost their strength and degraded into weaker versions. Those soul insects should be one of the branches that came from Lolth's line.'

"So all arachnes died in the war?" Alex asked.

If they still existed, they wouldn't stay quiet once a resurrection started.

They would come like wolves.

'Don't worry, King,' Vesa replied. 'They should all be dead. They went feral and hunted the Asura. It was a brutal war back then.'

"That's good," Alex said. "At least one less variable."

They talked a bit more, checking on Edonia and Ainode.

Vesa could move between worlds freely, so she acted as a living information nexus.

When they confirmed everything was stable, Alex refocused.

"Where do we go now?" Mingyue asked. "Just wait for the representative to appear?"

"We go back," Alex said.

"Help Captain Jorrent first. As The chief engineer is missing, the base will go into panic soon.

If we disappear too, they'll suspect us. That won't be good for General Kael, since he was the one who vouched for us."

Mingyue nodded. "Let's go."

Both of them turned and headed back toward the human territory.

They moved fast, using Alex's forged access and Mingyue's concealment to pass checkpoints without drawing attention.

By the time they reached the base again, alarms were already being quietly handled behind closed doors.

Patrols doubled near the refinery corridors.

Alex kept his face calm and acted like nothing happened.

Mingyue stayed half a step behind him, letting Alex do the talking when needed.

***

One day later.

They met Captain Jorrent back at the planet.

"You two took long enough. Where were you?"

"Taking a rest and heck some stuff for our operation," Alex replied.

Jorrent's jaw tightened. "Good. Because we've got a problem. The insects are stirring again."

Alex's gaze hardened. "How bad?"

"Bad enough that we're going in," Jorrent said. "Now."

Alex sat inside a SUV plane with metal benches lining both sides.

Across from him, Captain Jorrent checked a tablet with live feeds.

Around them, a full squad already preapred.

Rifles with Shock rounds. Formation grenades in black casings.

Some soldiers carried heavy guns with thick barrels, and chainsaw made to chew through swarms.

Mingyue sat beside meditating recovering her qi.

Outside the small window, the sky was a dull gray.

Below was the massive swarm zone.

A churning sea of insects, layered thick across the ground.

Jorrent's said. "Listen up. We enter the tunnel, we clear a path, and acquire our target. If thing go bad we retreat."

A soldier swallowed hard. "Captain, if that happen what about us?"

Jorrent didn't look away from the screen. "Don't worry I will take full responsibility for this operation."

The SUV shook harder.

A warning tone beeped.

[Reaching Location IN 30 SECONDS.]

Alex leaned forward slightly, eyes fixed on the window.

The SUV jolted as the front ramp dipped, then the whole vehicle slid down into the tunnel.

Cold damp air rushed in at once, and the smell of rust and dirty water hit their noses.

Lights on the SUV's nose turned on.

A wide sewer tunnel opened ahead, with shallow black water running along both sides.

Jorrent leaned forward and tapped the control panel.

The mounted guns on the front clicked, then rotated into position.

TRRTTTT!!!

The first burst tore into the darkness.

Insects burst out from the floor cracks and wall holes, and the shock rounds slammed into them, turning them into crips.

"Keep moving, Don't stop." Jorrent ordered.