At the northern frontline where the battle between the living forest and the dark root network was the most intense, the entire battlefield had evolved into a state that was completely beyond common sense and historical records. Massive mutated lifeforms were slaughtering each other deep underground. Above them were thick rocks and soil, and above them was the white-hot battlefield between the mortal empire's mechanized army and the Dark Order's biological army. Between the two battlefields, there was a large number of biomass factories and piping systems built by the Cecil Empire, as well as the Dark Order's treant priests and wriggling vines. These war machines that were far more powerful than before were fighting to the death like behemoths. The pressure of war not only allowed the mortal empire's army to grow rapidly, but also greatly promoted the evolution and perfection of the dark creatures cultivated by the Everything-End-All Society.
The tough vines tore through the thick rock layers, while the seemingly soft mimicry roots supported the rocks and soil. The liquid flowing in the plant's vascular system glowed faintly, illuminating the tunnel deep underground. Betheim's roots were wriggling rapidly between the slippery rocks and vines, and the massive root network was constantly transmitting information collected from the surrounding environment directly into his consciousness, allowing him to clearly understand the 'battle' ahead.
The encirclement was gradually taking shape, and the 'immune barrier' of the root network had clearly gained the upper hand. Now, his' minions' had successfully blocked a portion of the hostile roots from the living forest in an underground karst cave, and cut off a large number of biomass piping around the target. And in the deepest part of the encirclement that was gradually shrinking, the massive mental pulse was as obvious as a light in the dark night.
In this battle between 'plants', it was rare for the root network to gain the upper hand. One of the main reasons was that the terrifying living forest had higher operating efficiency and adaptability than the root network. And for a long time, Betheim and his men had been trying to figure out the secret behind it. After considerable effort and sacrifice, they finally made some progress.
They learned that the reason why Bertilla could easily command the living forest at the southern foot of the Gloom Mountain Range and even maintain high operating efficiency as the forest grew larger and larger was because of an 'auxiliary thinking organ'. This thinking organ expanded and multiplied along with the forest, which was equivalent to Bertilla's' auxiliary soul '. It could work as a whole to deal with macro problems, and also use its powerful intelligence to operate and fight autonomously in local areas.
After learning about these things, one of Betheim's biggest goals was to capture such an 'auxiliary thinking organ' to find a way to completely defeat Bertilla.
Of course, it was not easy. The auxiliary thinking organ was very important to the living forest, and Bertilla would not allow such an important body to be exposed to danger. Usually, these thinking organs would be protected by massive roots and biological battle groups, and sometimes even hidden in the steel fortresses of Cecil's people. Betheim had tried several times, but to no avail.
However, there were no absolutes in the world. Those 'thinking organs' were not always in a foolproof state. Because the living forest needed to spread to the depths of the wasteland, and its scale was expanding every day, Bertilla had to constantly create new thinking organs and deploy them to the frontline. These organs and their 'guards' could not be completed and deployed in an instant. Like all biological units, they needed some time to mature.
Usually, Bertilla had calculated the maturity time very well and would not give others any chance. But she was just a mortal after all. As long as the battlefield was vast enough, the nerve nodes that needed to be dealt with at the same time were complex enough, and the counterattack of the dark root network brought enough pressure, she would always make mistakes. For so many days, Betheim had been waiting for this opportunity.
He believed that as long as he could successfully capture an 'organ', with his attainments in Druil spells, he could crack the defects of these organs. Even if he could not crack it, as long as he handed one of the thinking organs to the hierarch, it would be a great achievement.
The sound of dripping water suddenly came from afar, and a trickle of water appeared in the damp underground tunnel. Betheim quickly woke up from his reverie about the future. While maintaining the connection with the nearby root network, he spoke to his followers in the depths of his mind. "Stay alert. There is a natural underground space ahead. That crazy woman is earlier than us."
Not long after his voice trailed off, his team had passed through the tunnel forcibly opened up by the root network, and an underground river immersed in darkness appeared in the perception of the dark priests.
The gurgling sound of water echoed in the ancient natural karst cave. Cold water seeped out from the cracks of the nearby stones, converged into a trickle between the gullies, and flowed into the depths of the vast underground space. The river glowed with an abnormal light blue glow. It looked exceptionally beautiful, but it was so beautiful that it was strange. Occasionally, strange creatures flashed across the river. They looked like fish or some kind of amphibious creatures, but in the next moment, these creatures disappeared into the water as if they had never appeared before, not even leaving behind a ripple.
When the river flowed far away, these strange creatures suddenly appeared again, but their forms had more or less changed. It was as if they had fallen into another space and time in the process of swimming and had undergone an unknown 'reorganization' in that space and time.
Betheim, on the other hand, was not surprised by the strange phenomenon in the underground river. He just glanced into the water and then muttered as he looked away. "The power of the wasteland is everywhere."
He continued to lead the team into the depths of the darkness. Not long after, the remains of some recently dead creatures began to appear before him and the dark priests.
They were withered vines and roots, but there were also some strangely shaped remains of creatures with ferocious combat organs. The surrounding air was filled with a mixture of stench and sweetness, which made the dark priests feel a sense of danger. Without waiting for Betheim's warning, everyone activated the magic barrier to filter the air.
"We have entered the 'battlefield'," Betheim said in a low voice. "Just ten minutes ago, our underground defense forces had a fierce battle with the invading forces of the living forest. Look at these remains … there are many immature individuals."
The wriggling of the roots and the low murmur echoed in the surroundings. The dark priests and the mutant servants searched for signs of creatures that did not belong to them. Betheim focused his mind and sensed the omnipresent and increasingly complex thought pulses in the vast underground caverns.
At this moment, a shudder suddenly spread from the depths of his perception, accompanied by a tangible chill. Betheim felt a stinging pain in his' mind ', and a distant, low, and full of cold malice directly drilled into his mind. "Betheim … long time no see. I am surprised that you dare to appear in front of me again …"
"Bertilla …" Betheim fought against the fear that was left in the depths of his soul due to the previous mental trauma, and as he gathered his willpower, the fear gradually subsided. "I know you are bluffing! I have already grasped your weakness here! Admit the reality, we have exchanged offense and defense here. At this moment, I am the hunter, and you are the prey! "
"You are just lucky to have surrounded a part of my organization … and you think you have grasped the lifeline of victory …" The distant and cold voice stirred in Betheim's mind, still maintaining the contempt and arrogance that made him extremely disgusted and resentful. "Then let us wait and see. Let us see who is going to become the enemy's nourishment in this dark underground …"
The stinging pain in his mind suddenly disappeared, followed by emptiness and trance that shrouded Betheim briefly. He felt that Bertilla's will had left, but this did not make him feel relaxed.
Instead, he was facing a formidable enemy.
"Watch out, the enemy's counterattack is coming!"
The dark patriarch suddenly reminded his followers, and almost as soon as his voice trailed off, a series of low rumbles and dense cracking sounds suddenly broke the silence of the underground cavern and surged in from all directions!
From the corner of his eyes, Betheim saw countless enormous vines crawling out of the crevices nearby, and a lot of combat creatures that were judged to be corpses suddenly 'came to life'. Further away in the depths of the cavern, a large swarm of combat splits swarmed over like a swarm of insects, their black chitin shells and sharp battle claws flashing coldly in the blue light emitted by the underground river!
These were all the 'guards' lurking around the cavern. They had used pheromones or nerve interference to bypass the perception of the root network and had been lurking until just now!
Behind the dark patriarchs, the mutants that had followed them all the way from the surface let out a series of frenzied growls and murmurs, and without hesitation, they charged at the enemy that appeared in their perception. A chaotic and terrifying battle suddenly broke out in the underground cavern, but at the center of the fierce battle, Betheim, as the commander, could not help but laugh in a low voice.
There were indeed traps here, and Bertilla had indeed set up an ambush, but these traps and ambushes just proved his previous judgment.
It was just so-so.
And the activation of these ambushers also produced a large number of very obvious' command signals', which helped him finally determine the specific location of the 'command source'!
"Release all the servant units, they can all be used as consumables!" He suddenly shouted, and at the same time, activated all the root networks around him. "I have found the real location of the organ. Brothers, follow me!"
A series of thunderous roars burst out from the depths of the thick soil and rocks. The dark root network that was operating step by step suddenly went berserk, and began to attack the living forest roots nearby without caring about the losses. The mutant servants that followed the dark patriarchs also went berserk at the same time, and they pounced on the 'biological weapons' that belonged to Thorin that came out of the underground cavern in a particularly ferocious manner. Roars, cracks, explosions, and the sound of liquid splashing instantly filled the underground cavern. In such a terrible and fierce battle, Betheim and his followers simply abandoned the 'soldiers' assigned to them by Borken and quickly and quietly sneaked into the depths of another nearby cavern.
Just as Betheim said, the 'servants' could be used up. As long as he could catch Bertilla's weakness, everything he consumed here would be exchanged for a great merit!
They walked in the depths of the darkness, leaving the sound of fighting behind. They bypassed or quickly broke through wave after wave of defenses as they approached the deepest space of the natural cavern. After walking for a long time, Betheim suddenly saw a glow in front of him.
The space in front of him suddenly opened up.
No one would have thought that such a place existed in the dark and deep underground world. Lush green plants covered the entire cavern, and glowing vines hung down from the top of the cavern illuminating everything around. A large number of dark brown aerial roots supported the cavern's surface and dome, and the top of the cavern was entwined with flower vines and green leaves, forming a wonder like an underground forest.
This … was one of the 'command nodes' that Bertilla set up at the frontline?
Betheim looked at everything in front of him, dumbfounded.
He could not remember how many years it had been since he last saw such a scene.
But the next second, this' feeling 'turned into greater hatred and anger, and led him to the center of all the thought pulses in the cavern.
A large cluster of flower vines grew in the deepest part of this' garden ', and on that cluster of flower vines, there was something that looked like a brain … No, it was a brain. A brain was lying in the middle of the flower vines, completely defenseless.
It was alive, and its surface was constantly emitting some flowing light, and it was slightly undulating like a heart.
It looked very strange, and … completely unguarded.
It was not until this moment that Betheim really smiled. Although it was difficult for his ugly face to show a real smile, he knew that he was in a very good mood now.
A thinking organ — Bertilla's aesthetic and creativity were just like that — was lying quietly in front of him.
No matter how powerful this thing was, and how many powerful guards it had, it was just a thinking organ. After breaking through the nearby defense system, its body was so fragile and so unbearable.
"You can feel fear too … You slimy lump of meat …"
Betheim said in a low voice. In his senses, the biometric signals of the aberrations and the network of roots that had entered a manic state were quickly dissipating, but it did not affect his happy mood at all.
"Cut off the connection between it and the surrounding biological tissues, and 'remove' it completely."
Betheim said casually.
A dark high priest that he trusted the most immediately stepped out and walked toward the seemingly fragile and defenseless brain.
One step, two steps, three steps … Bang!!
Betheim watched as his powerful subordinate was instantly heavily injured by something. A heavy impact burst out, and the subordinate's wooden body was smashed into countless splinters in the air.
In the next second, he saw the brain floating out of its' base '. Below the brain extended a dozen thick and muscular tentacles, and at the end of those tentacles were heavy mechanical warhammers, giant rods that were flashing with electric light, burners that were ready to fire, and magic cannons that were supposed to be installed on heavy tanks!
Betheim: "?"
(End of Chapter)
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