AWB Chapter 317 [Empire] Gamble with Life
Chapter 317 [Empire] Gamble with Life
Walking out of the yard, I glanced back at the small wheel on the table and the curious mouse poking its head out. I felt a strange sensation. Perhaps it was because I, like it, was trapped in some invisible cage, running endlessly, in vain but unable to stop.
Shaking my head, I quickened my pace, heading straight for the mission hall.
The mission hall was bustling with activity, mercenaries of all stripes streaming in and out, some laughing and chatting, others cursing softly. A giant screen on the hall wall displayed a rotating display of missions, ranging from simple escort missions to high-risk combat plant eradication missions.
I walked up to the counter and a receptionist who was sorting documents looked up at me with a somewhat nonchalant look in her eyes: "What's up?"
I raised the new optical computer on my wrist and said, "Ayaji, senior mercenary, see if there are any missions suitable for me."
The receptionist glanced at my laptop, a flash of surprise in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. He tapped the terminal on the desk a few times, and a series of task information popped up on the screen.
"High-level mercenary, right? You can take on these missions," he casually clicked on a few mission interfaces. "There are combat plant searches, interstellar escort missions, and even work at exotic animal breeding farms. Of course, the rewards vary greatly. You can decide for yourself."
My eyes quickly scanned the screen, finally landing on a mission marked "High Risk"—clearing mature combat plants. The mission was set in the pristine jungle of a remote planet, targeting a suspected habitat of mature combat plants. The reward was high, but the risk rating was even higher.
I pointed at the task: "This one."
The receptionist looked up at me and frowned: "Are you alone?"
I smiled slightly. "Yeah, it's more freeing to act alone, isn't it?"
He was clearly a little disapproving of my choice, but he didn't say anything more. "Alright. But I remind you, this kind of mission is best completed in a team. If you act alone, the survival rate..."
I interrupted him, saying in a relaxed tone, "Don't worry, I know my limits."
The receptionist sighed and confirmed the task assignment on the terminal: "Okay, the task information has been transmitted to your optical computer. Good luck."
I nodded and turned to leave the mission hall.
But I didn't feel relieved at all - I knew this wasn't just a "try of luck." It was a gamble, and the stakes were my future.
I glanced down at the mission details on my laptop, a sneer playing on my lips. My team members? No need to think too much, of course it's that conceited little creature—that green seedling. Isn't it quite arrogant? Does it think vampire vines and hunting vines are inferior? Well, let's give it a try this time and have its fill.
"Let's see who will devour whom." I snorted in my heart, and the image of this seedling with a face full of "unable to hold on" appeared in my mind.
This mission was destined to be no easy task. Just a few key words in the mission brief were enough to make any veteran mercenary frown - mature form, high active aggressiveness, complex terrain, suspected lord-level plant.
Even in the eyes of seasoned mercenaries, a lord-level combat plant is nearly invincible. But I know that if there's one thing that can suppress it, it's the future form of the seedling.
In other words, this operation is not only a high-risk clearing mission, but also a gamble with life as the stakes: Can I ensure that the seedlings have everything they need to grow, and at the same time, can I leave the primitive jungle alive?
I touched the light computer on my wrist, mentally calculating supplies, routes, and emergency plans. My eyes fell on the "water gun" filled with plant energy at hand, and I tapped it twice with my fingertips.
"Hey, little guy, this is your chance to show your skills." I looked at the seedling lying quietly in my backpack, as if it could hear what I said.
The green leaves trembled slightly, as if in response, but also as if in provocation.
I sneered and put away my weapons and supplies. "Let's go, buddy."
The cargo starship made a low roar during its voyage in space. I sat in the simple cargo hold with a light computer on my lap. The screen flashed with information about lord-level combat plants.
Most of this information was collected from public databases, mercenary exchange forums, and even some black market documents. It can only be said that it is scattered and incomplete, but it is much better than knowing nothing.
The characteristics of lord-level combat plants can be summed up in one word: "absolute".
Absolute Vitality: Roots penetrate deep into the planet's core, burning environmental resources as a source of life, and invulnerability is a basic operation.
Absolute territoriality: Their existence will directly transform the surrounding ecology, turning an area of hundreds of miles into their exclusive territory, and even the air contains deadly toxic or paralyzing components.
Absolute Threat: The top-level Lord Plants not only pose a threat to interstellar battleships, but their evolutionary direction even surpasses biological logic, becoming a kind of "artificial intelligence".
"This is such a gamble." I closed my laptop, leaned back in my seat, and glanced at the backpack at my feet.
The seedling inside was unsettlingly quiet. Ever since it boarded the ship, it had maintained a state of meditation, neither moving nor making a sound, completely devoid of its usual aggressive demeanor.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure you eat enough this time." I whispered to myself, as if negotiating with it.
The cargo hold management AI nearby heard what I said and issued a mechanical reminder: "This ship's voyage is estimated to have ten hours left. Passengers, please be patient."
I rubbed my temples and closed my eyes, trying to clear my mind of distracting thoughts, but I couldn't help but think of Nightingale's words.
"Standing by that person's side comes at a price. Is that a price you can pay?"
Yeah, can I?
Clenching my fists, I chuckled, opened my eyes, and looked out the porthole at the endless sea of stars.
"Who knows?"