Chapter 606: Inner Layer (1/2)

“You’re back,” Thea said as spotted Zac walking over. “You’re looking better.”

“Finally had some time to rest up a bit,” Zac smiled. “Have there been any problems with the wolves?”

“Not really, a few of them appeared in the distance, but a bunch of Anointed scared them away. I think the Zhix were actually a bit disappointed,” Thea said with a shake of her head.

“Wouldn’t be surprised,” Zac snorted. “Are you ready to set out?”

“I’m ready, but Billy will be sitting this one out,” Thea said.

“Oh, why?” Zac asked with confusion. ”Is he hurt?”

He had already asked about Emily and Joanna from Kenzie, and while neither of them was in critical condition, they weren't ready to set out again either. Emily was still unconscious after overdrafting her Cosmic Energy, but she was being continuously fed healing pills and nurtured by healers. Not having those two available to join the army was already a big loss, and losing an elite lite Billy would definitely weaken his army.

It was a shame for Billy as well, considering where they were. If anyone could find something suitable in a place like this, it would probably be Billy, considering he was a descendant of one of the races brought here.

“No, nothing like that. He suddenly fell asleep and a lot of energy is entering his body. I think he has some sort of epiphany,” Thea said as he nodded over at a tent. ”I had some people drag him over there.”

“Oh, guess he found an opportunity of his own. Well, he can catch up with the real armies later,” Zac said.

The two headed over to a command tent where the Anointed had already gathered, and they shored up their plans over the next twenty minutes. It wasn’t really anything too complicated. The Zhix would set out the moment the treasure matured no matter whether Zac had come back by that point or not, heading for the inner area.

They could technically set out earlier than that, but there were simply too many barriers security checks in the way right now. They were severely lacking in understanding of this place compared to the natives, and Kenzie couldn't be everywhere putting out fires. However, a C-Grade treasure maturing had huge ramifications according to what he had learned, to the point that they could transform whole planets.

This was a risk, but also their chance. Everything pointed to the Dimensional Seed being somehow integrated with the base itself, and the terrifying outburst of power should knock out most security systems. It would both remove the advantage of the natives while simultaneously giving them free passage toward the Inner Layer.

Hopefully, Zac's group would be able to meet up with them there, but if not, then a small group of elite Anointed would enter the core while the rest would start looking for the Dominator’s armies. They would be assisted by all the different factions of the Atwood Alliance, but the goal was for them to only deal with the followers of the Dominators, with Zac’s group dealing with Inevitability and Void’s Disciple themselves.

It was a risk for their army to travel without any real powerhouses to shore up their ranks, but both Zac and Rhubat saw no choice but to take the gamble that at least Void’s Disciple wouldn’t waste his time in the outer reaches, rather rushing for the treasure in the core. It was most likely the same with all factions that chose to head for the riches in the core, like the cultists and the Lunar Tribe.

That left the natives, but Zac felt that the Anointed with their War Arrays and great ferocity would be able to protect themselves. The natives should be smarter than to enter an all-out war against their armies considering their main goal should be escaping.

But for now, the army would finish setting up this defensive perimeter before creating a final one at the main gate leading toward the inner reaches. It was the gate that the Cartava Clan wanted them to open, making Zac a bit reluctant to use it, but there were no alternatives. It was the only path leading inside that they had found except the Lunar Tribe's maps. But those backdoor pathways were simply too narrow for both an army and the hulking anointed.

The two returned to Ogras and Kenzie who had finished her readings, and just the four of them set out accompanied by a squad of a hundred elites that would set up the initial perimeter by the gate. These elites were the cream of the crop, and they had no problem keeping up with Zac's small group even when he exerted some effort.

Their breakneck pace allowed them to reach the inner gate in just six hours, and even the group of Anointed were panting a bit by that point. The larger Anointed were fine though, as were Ogras and Thea.

“This is the place,” Zac said as he nodded at the gate. “We will keep going for a bit longer.”

“How about you let me try modifying this door?” Kenzie interjected. “We don't actually know what will happen when the treasure wakes up. What if the door stays the same? Isn't Tier-4 clearance required to enter? Only we have that”

Zac looked up at the towering wall with hesitation for a few seconds until he eventually nodded in agreement.

“You guys stay here,” Zac said to to the scout. “I’ll protect her if the wall goes crazy.”

The two walked up to the gate, but neither tried to open it. He felt he had reached an accord with Leviala by this point, but he still didn’t want to bet that there was a trap waiting on the other side. Kenzie infused a bit more Base Power into the tablet as she hooked it up to the gate itself rather than the terminal that was a few meters up in the air. Zac looked at his sister inquisitively, wondering if she really knew what she was doing.

“The frame is directly connected to the terminal,” Kenzie shrugged. “It’s all the same to Jeeves whether he gains access to the gate or the terminal itself.”

“Is… Jeeves actually entering these things, or is it just telling you what to do?” Zac asked hesitantly.

“It’s connected to them like this tablet is connected to the wall. He doesn’t actually enter the wall or whatever. Why? What’s wrong?” Kenzie asked with a slightly distracted voice as most of her focus was reserved for the screen.

“The administrator,” Zac said. “It might be a problem if the Base AI consider Jeeves a threat. Jeeves is probably higher-quality tech, but it’s still just F-Grade. Meanwhile, I saw the Administrator fight with what I think was a C-Grade monstrosity on even footing.”