Chapter 540: Behind-The-Scenes Operation, Counter-Attacked
A black-purple pillar of light suddenly appeared at the original location of the Spirit Race"s Black Hole. It was a magnificent teleportation portal.
The furious Gajero walked out of the teleportation portal with the dazed Gaia.
Gaia pointed to the location where Vincent had activated the teleportation array and said, "Chief, we found our target here earlier, but we don"t know where he had escaped to, but I think that Benson must have chased after him together with the 1st Corps!"
Gajero looked around and said in a deep voice, "Use the MDT to locate the Black Hole. I believe that he will escape to a world that he is most familiar with. It is either the Beast Race that he has a close relations.h.i.+p with or his original race. So long we find his exact location, I will kill him at all costs!"
Gaia looked troubled after receiving Gajero"s order. His skin had finally healed. However, he seemed to still be in pain.
Gajero turned to look at Gaia and asked with a frown, "What"s wrong?"
Gaia could only stammer, "The MDT is with Abu Solon. I didn"t bring it with me!"
Gajero was filled with fury, but he did not punish Gaia on the spot. After all, Abu Solon was a rare technological genius of the Demon Race, so it was reasonable for him to keep the MDT.
"Forget it, I still have the mainframe connected to all the terminals. Take it and locate the position of the 1st Corps!" said Gajero calmly.
He then raised his hand and an electronic instrument suddenly appeared in his palm. He handed it over to Gaia.
Gaia took the mainframe and operated it in a hurry. However, he did not get the answer he wanted.
Gaia was nervous and covered in sweat.
Gajero waited for a moment. However, he soon realized that Gaia did not move at all. He could not help but urge, "Hurry up! Do you still need to dawdle over such a small matter?"
Gaia wiped the sweat off his face and took a deep breath. He said to Gajero cautiously, "Chief, the situation is not right. I can"t locate the location of the other data terminals. It"s not only the data terminals of the 1st Corps. We have lost contact with all the data terminals!"
Gajero frowned when he heard that. He had a bad premonition, but he still said calmly, "Check the information of the surrounding Black Holes first. We can a.n.a.lyze the Black Holes that he is most likely to go to!"
Gaia did not move. Instead, he said helplessly, "I have checked just now, but there is no information about the surrounding Black Holes in our database. This area is completely unknown to us!"
Gajero turned around and glared at Gaia. He roared loudly, "Impossible, that is absolutely impossible! There"s nothing wrong with the conquest route that I set up back then. All the Black Holes in this area are in our records. How is it possible for us to not have a single piece of information?"
Gaia swallowed his saliva nervously. He did not dare to explain any further. He returned the mainframe back to Gajero with both hands to let him check it personally.
Gajero took the mainframe back and operated it briefly. He discovered that the records of the surroundings in the database were completely blank. It was as if he had never set foot in this area.
Gajero raised his head and looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle. He sighed with a blank expression, "This was previously the Black Hole of the Spirit Race. The Phantom World and Beast World were all nearby, as well as numerous Black Holes that were restricted and could not be entered. The records back then were very detailed and there was absolutely no mistake. How could the records suddenly go missing?"
Even though he was an insufferably arrogant master of the Demon Race, a powerful level 89 creature who was just one step away from becoming a G.o.d and had vast knowledge of the 10,000 races of the Black Holes, he still did not understand high-end technology.
This was because Gajero disdained to understand this type of knowledge that could not a.s.sist in increasing his strength. Therefore, he would not have thought that his mainframe equipment had suffered a mid-range reverse invasion and had been modified.
Gaia suddenly said, "Could it be that there was a problem with our teleportation channel? Maybe it sent us to an unknown area. Plus, when we rushed here, we did not see any Spirit Race Black Holes nearby!"
Gajero shook his head decisively and said, "That"s absolutely impossible. The 1st Corps, the 24th Corps, and the 26th Corps arrived here through different channels at different times. This means that our positioning was not wrong. It"s only possible that something happened in this area that caused our previous data to be completely erased! Right now, we can only search the area without relying on data. The 1st Corps has a large number of demons, so it"s impossible for them not to leave traces wherever they go. We should first follow the traces of the 1st Corps and try our best not to touch the surrounding Black Holes. Everything can wait until we find the whereabouts of the 1st Corps!"
"Yes!"
When Gaia heard that, he quickly nodded and agreed. He then followed Gajero and started to explore the area.
…
On the other side of the s.p.a.ce tunnel, Vincent and Justin were sizing up the leaderless 1st Corps.
The demons soon started to panic and were extremely frustrated. Vincent then said, "It"s about time. All the demons are emotionally unstable right now. We can only go out at this time. It is likely that they would not be too attentive. Next, we"ll see how far our plan can go!"
Justin nodded and said to Vincent tiredly, "After several battles, I can"t hold on for too long. I"m about to fall into a deep sleep. So later on, try to choose a quick way to end the battle. I"ll cooperate with you!"
Vincent nodded. He then opened the s.p.a.ce door and controlled Benson to walk out.
"Look, the deputy commander is back!"
When the members of the 1st Corps saw Benson suddenly appear not far away, they quickly surrounded him excitedly. It was as if they had found hope to continue fighting.
Benson looked up at all the soldiers and smiled kindly. He said softly, "Don"t worry, everyone. I was accidentally ambushed by the enemy just now, but I still relied on my strength to break out of his trap. Moreover, I have also confirmed the whereabouts of Princess Alexia. Now, as long as everyone listens to my arrangements, we will definitely be able to discover our enemy"s weakness and save the Princess successfully!"
"Alright, we"ll do whatever the deputy commander says. We must teach that guy a lesson!"
"You"re right. He has been hara.s.sing us the whole time. It"s time for us to retaliate!"
"That"s right. After fighting for so long, we still don"t know how strong our opponent is. When has our 1st Corps ever suffered such cowardice?"
Everyone in the 1st Corps surrounded Benson furiously. They were full of fighting spirit as they cursed at their enemy. Moreover, they were all in an active battle stance.
When Benson saw this, he still maintained a smile on his face and said loudly, "Everyone, return to your positions immediately and get ready to form an array formation! Without my order, no one is to act rashly. Our enemy is very terrifying. He will attack us again. As long as we don"t move like a mountain, the one who will reveal a flaw will definitely be our enemy!"
After hearing Benson"s order, the soldiers of the 1st Corps did not immediately move. Instead, they continued to stand at the same spot and looked at Benson with antic.i.p.ation.
After a short moment of confusion, Benson frowned and rebuked everyone angrily, "Why are all of you looking at me? Hurry up and return to your positions!"
One of the soldiers carefully replied, "But… you only said to prepare an array formation. You did not specify what kind?"
Benson fell into a daze. No matter how the others looked and asked, he did not answer them.
At the same time, in the s.p.a.ce tunnel, Vincent had an awkward expression on his face. He was the one who had been using the Cosmic Threads to control Benson.
His original intention was to keep the soldiers of the 1st Corps in a fixed position, giving him the opportunity and time to use the Cosmic Threads.
However, who could have imagined that the 1st Corps combat strength was so high that it required 5,000 of them to form an array formation. It was not a trump card for them, but more like a skill that they were used to. Moreover, it seemed like they had mastered more than one array formation!
This made Vincent feel a bit fl.u.s.tered because he did not search through Benson"s memory earlier. Even the secret of the Black Magic Arcana was dictated by Benson himself. After facing the sudden questioning by the soldiers, Vincent could only search Benson"s memory at the very last minute. He had no choice but to leave Benson in a daze.
The soldiers of the 1st Corps gradually calmed down from the joy after seeing their deputy commander. Some of the officers started to frown and look at Benson in confusion.
Previously, Benson had always lowered his head and never smiled at others.
However, at that moment, Benson seemed confident. He kept smiling foolishly at the crowd. This made some of the smarter soldiers doubt Benson"s current state.
"Demon Eye!"
One of the soldiers soon stretched out two fingers and gently wiped his left eye. A large amount of demonic aura instantly emerged from the pitch-black eye, watching Benson"s every move. Soon, the operation of the demonic aura in Benson"s body was displayed to the soldier accordingly.
After not seeing anything strange, the officer turned his gaze toward the top of Benson"s head. Following that, he saw hundreds of transparent threads densely wrapped around Benson"s head, arms, and torso. He looked as if he was a puppet being controlled at will!
"Cosmic Threads! The deputy commander is being controlled by the Cosmic Threads. Everyone, quickly retreat!"
Following the soldier"s alarmed reminder, the entire 1st Corps began to retreat one after another. At the same time, more soldiers began to use their own methods to check for abnormalities on Benson"s body.
Every member of the 1st Corps was a powerhouse above level 70. Each of them possessed their own unique abilities.
After that, more and more soldiers could clearly see Benson"s current state. According to the internal rules of the Demon Race, the commander-in-chief"s orders were the most important in the army. However, if the commander-in-chief was dead or could no longer command the army, the next highest official would take over the command!
Earlier, Benson had only disappeared, which was why the 1st Corps was in a panic and was in a hurry to find the commander-in-chief who had suddenly disappeared.
However, at that moment, everyone knew that Benson was being controlled by the Cosmic Threads. He had completely lost the ability to continue commanding the 1st Corps. Therefore, the next highest officer would step in to take over command.
"Everyone, return to your positions and set up the Magic Defense Array! Be careful that the deputy commander will suddenly attack us!"
An officer, whose position was only below Benson and Abu Solon, immediately stood out and gave an order.
The rest of the soldiers returned to their positions one after another. They clenched their fists and held them flat in front of their chests in a defensive posture.
When all the demon soldiers were in position, a layer of light purple film suddenly appeared on each soldier"s left hand. The purple film was like a s.h.i.+eld and was as tall as a person.
Every time 50 demons formed an array, the s.h.i.+elds in their hands would automatically stack together, forming an even larger barrier in front of everyone.
When 5,000 of them formed an array at the same time, they formed a barrier that led straight to the heavens and earth. It was like a natural moat, perfectly separating Benson from them.
"Spread out the defense, be careful of the opponent"s Cosmic Threads!"
The demon officer once again gave an order, reminding all the soldiers to be careful of Cosmic Threads that might fall from the sky.
Then, half of the 50-man team in the 1st Corps raised their fists toward the sky. They formed a light purple film in the sky that s.h.i.+elded the entire 1st Corps.
When Vincent saw the scene, he quickly controlled the Cosmic Threads to attack the 1st Corps.
However, the Cosmic Threads that fell like rain were repelled the moment they touched the light purple film. They were unable to break through the film and control the 1st Corps below.
Vincent sighed helplessly, "We"ve been exposed. Carry out the second plan!"
He then opened the s.p.a.ce door and left the s.p.a.ce tunnel first.
Justin and Kurt, who had been beside Vincent, followed closely behind him and returned to the Black Hole vision.
At that moment, Benson, who was standing in front of the 1st Corps, suddenly moved his limbs stiffly like a puppet. He showed a painful expression. The soldiers of the 1st Corps felt their scalps go numb.
"Hurry up... kill me... Soon, I won"t be able to control myself!"
Benson looked at the soldiers of the 1st Corps with a pained expression as he gave the order intermittently and decisively.
"Look! The deputy commander is still conscious. He didn"t attack us. He didn"t hurt us!"
Some demon soldiers sighed with a pained expression. The other soldiers fell silent. They did not choose to carry out Benson"s order.
Even if the Demon Race was born greedy, ruthless, and cold-blooded, they had fought everywhere together and experienced life and death together. This had allowed them to acc.u.mulate a lot of friends.h.i.+ps. Unless it was absolutely necessary, they would not want to make a move against their own comrades.
Even the officer in charge of commanding at that moment was moved by compa.s.sion. He growled at all the soldiers, "Since the deputy commander has not been completely controlled by the Cosmic Threads, as long as we kill the person who controls the Cosmic Threads, we will be able to save the deputy commander!"
All the soldiers were immediately filled with excitement. At that moment, there was only one thought in their hearts, and that was to find that elusive enemy and kill him to save the deputy commander who was still trying his best to fight against the Cosmic Threads.
At the same time, Vincent and the other two suddenly appeared miles away from Benson. They looked at the 1st Corps that was in hiding but they did not attack. It was as if they were waiting for Benson to be completely subdued by the Cosmic Threads.
When the soldiers of the 1st Corps saw the scene, they shouted spontaneously, "We must not give him the chance to control the deputy commander. Let"s maintain our defensive array and attack together!"
They did not wait for their commander to give an order.
Their excitement and pa.s.sion were well received by the remaining soldiers of the 1st Corps. They stepped forward and charged at Vincent together.
Only the demon officer in charge was left behind because he did not give an order earlier. He instantly felt that something was wrong. However, he did not know what was wrong at that moment.
This was because Vincent deliberately controlled the distance between him and Benson. He wanted to separate the demons and stretch out their formation.
The 1st Corps was in front of Vincent, Kurt, and Justin.
Not far behind them was Benson, who was twitching constantly.
The officer who was currently in charge of the 1st Corps was still standing in front of Benson.
The 1st Corps, which used to be very powerful, was currently separated from each other. This made it difficult for them to react in unison in the face of an emergency.
"This group of idiots who only have strength but no brains! They actually thought that Benson, who was restrained by hundreds of Cosmic Threads, could still retain his own will. They deserve to die here today!"
Vincent sneered disdainfully at the soldiers that were charging at him. He then raised a finger and pointed at the 1st Corps in front of him. Dark purple death rays started to condense on his fingertip.
"Death Ray Cannon!" shouted Vincent.
The dark purple light beam instantly created a black mark in the air and smashed heavily onto the light purple film in front of the 1st Corps.
Due to the great difference in strength between the two sides, Vincent"s attack collapsed the moment it touched the purple light film. It did not leave any traces behind.
The soldiers of the 1st Corps who were charging forward did not notice that Vincent"s attack was so weak, let alone that Vincent had mastered black magic!
This was only possible because Benson had been fully controlled by the Cosmic Threads.
At the same time, Benson, who had been twitching in front of the commander, suddenly stopped. He looked at the demon officer in front of him with a calm expression and sneered.
Benson then raised his staff and turned around to point at the back of the 1st Corps that was no longer protected by any s.h.i.+eld.
"Multiple Death Ray Cannons!" shouted Benson mercilessly.
A huge black-purple ball of light appeared in front of him. Closely after that, the huge ball of light split into several black-purple b.a.l.l.s of light and lined up in the air. They then shot at the 1st Corps.
An army made up of all level 70 creatures were indeed powerful. No matter how hard Vincent tried, it was impossible to shake them off in the slightest. Therefore, Vincent had no intention of making a move himself.
Instead, he decided to use a level 80 powerhouse. A level 80 powerhouse destroying such an army was as easy as snapping one"s fingers.