441 Chapter 441: Killer Bees (1/2)
We crept to the edge of the forest, staying cautious as we hugged the trees for cover. There were a couple of harrowing moments when the scouts hurried back, reporting sightings of a Phantom Tiger or a Medicinal Mastodon, both of which were massive monsters with enough power to wipe out a small platoon. They were not creatures we could rush into battle with, not without expecting a few casualties at least. Of course we could kill them, but that would just draw the attention of other monsters lurking in the mountains, and as mentioned earlier, it was not a simple matter of Doctor Dorden casting healing magic on them and they could jump back up to their feet and immediately fight again.
This was a search and extraction mission, not a combat one, so there was little point into getting into meaningless fights. While the goal was to eventually exterminate all monsters from this world, it remained unrealistic. Not unless we could somehow stop Emergence Events totally.
So for now, we had no choice but to coexist with the monsters. Defend against them when they attacked, but otherwise it was unwise to launch a campaign of extermination and genocide. We were not going to hunt them into extinction, not like we did with normal animals a thousand years ago. Monsters were a lot more tenacious, adaptable and ferocious. In a battle of attrition, it would be us humans who lose. We only had the slight edge in technology and magic, but numbers wise the monsters had us totally beat.
Eventually, the journey toward the plains – while only a couple of miles – took longer than expected because of the hiccups and powerful monsters who passed by, their massive shapes being within a whisker of our location. The monsters didn't notice us, or if they did we were beneath their notice, like ants to a dragon (though I was pretty sure that all monsters were hostile toward humans and would find any excuse to attack us, so I suspected it was the former). Fortunately, we were there within the hour and lurjed at the edge of the forest before committing ourselves forward.
Just as well we did, because the scouts reported movement back to us.
”Sir, there are monsters in the plains.” It was Shen Cha. He had dropped back, keeping his profile low as he made his way toward Feng Hai. ”A whole swarm of them.”
”What type?” Feng Hai asked without any hesitation, and I could almost hear the gears whir in his mind as he contemplated several strategies simultaneously. Should he launch an attack and wipe out the monsters in the plains? But what happened if our battle attracted the attention of other monsters? Then should we wait it out and hope the monsters leave? What if they settled down on the plains and refuse to depart? A diversion to draw away the monsters, perhaps. Then who should be assigned such a dangerous mission, and how would they regroup with the rest of the guild afterward?
I was so glad that I wasn't the leader. Each of these choices weighed heavily on Feng Hai, and the burden of leadership was a massive one. He was responsible for all the lives of his men, and a single mistake could condemn many of us to our deaths.
Even so, we trusted him to make the decision because we knew that he could handle it. Not everyone can be a leader, but those who proved themselves capable possessed amazing judgement and an impressive tactical nous. Just like Harrison, now that I thought about it. I wondered how my team was faring in the tournament. Even though I left them to handle the third place match, I still couldn't help but be concerned for them. Would they be able to win without me?
No, that was quite the arrogant statement to make. The world didn't revolve around me alone. The Jing Tian Academy team, even without me, was still a formidable one. I wasn't deluded enough to think that they would fall apart the moment I left, that my presence would make a difference. Sure, perhaps it did, but I wasn't the only one in the team, and I certainly wasn't the smartest or most skilled. Probably I could make the claim that I was the strongest in terms of raw magical power (none of the other members could boast about being able to nuke an entire city), but that was about it. Strength wasn't everything. Skill and intelligence also made a considerable difference – just because I had the power to nuke cities didn't mean I was invincible. I would still fall to an Assassin's blade as easily as any other mage.
My spells might be strong, I might command an army of Constellation spirits, but my physical body certainly wasn't immortal. I was not a god. I could be bested in a match of blades, just as Charles Lacroix proved.
”I'll trust my friends and pray for their victory,” I muttered to myself.
”Huh? What was that, Brother Richard?” I must have been louder than I thought, for Adrian heard me. I shook my head.
”No, it's nothing. Just talking to myself.”
I didn't suppose I could ask Adrian if he knew the result of the match. Right now, we were cut off from the rest of the world. Even with magic and advanced technology, we still couldn't receive a signal in the middle of nowhere, where there were no satellite towers or whatever it was that allowed cellphones to work. So we had no reception, and no way of knowing what happened in the outside world. It reminded me of the times when I couldn't contact Dad because he was away on a mission. It was the same logic there – Dad's missions often took him to places where he wouldn't have reception for his phone, so I couldn't contact him, and he couldn't call me. He usually turned off his phone during missions anyway, because he had to go incognito.
So, as tempted as I was to call Harrison or Yue Chu to inquire about the results of the match, I couldn't even if I wanted to. I had to be patient and wait until I returned, and I was sure I would receive the notification of them sending me an email once I set foot back into civilization.
I turned my focus back to Feng Hai and Shen Cha, who obviously didn't pay any attention to the exchange between me and Adrian.
”Killer Bees.” Shen Cha had come up with the identity of the monsters. ”An entire swarm of them.”
”Oh, Killer Bees, huh?” Doctor Dorden popped up of nowhere and strode toward us, his figure hunched. He nodded thoughtfully. ”That makes sense. They collect nectar from the flowers, and in doing so help to pollinate the Belfrost Flowers.”
”Despite their sizes?” Shen Cha asked dryly, spreading his hands out to indicate how big they were. About the size of a human hand, it seemed. I double-confirmed that with my knowledge of monsters and that sounded about right.
”Why wouldn't they be able to pollinate flowers? They are just twice the size of normal bees.” Dorden had a blank expression on his face, totally missing Shen Cha's joke, and then he shrugged. ”Even though they are monsters, they are still part of the ecosystem, and the honey they make from the nectar of Belfrost Flowers are often rich in nutrients and antioxidants. Now that I think about it…their honey might be another source of ingredients that Ling Dan might use for his medicinal remedies.”
”So should we go look for their beehive as well?” I asked, unable to keep the sarcasm out of my voice. Dorden shook his head, completely missing my attempt at wry humor.
”No, I don't believe that is necessary. I mean, if we fail to find anything here, we could consider that as the next step, but it would be extremely dangerous. After all, there's the Killer Bee Queen that we have to worry about as well.”
That did not sound good. I remembered one of my favorite sci-fi horror movies (well, the sequel, anyway) and how the Queen turned out to be this badass monster that was several times the size of the drones and infinitely more dangerous. I would hate to deal with the Killer Bee version of that. In any case, I prayed we didn't have to deal with that bitch, and focused my attention on the plains just beyond the edge of the forest.