<h4>Chapter 263: Chapter 263: The Counterattack Begins</h4>
After receiving the notice that Cloud Ind had been taken over by the Insect n,
the Insect Brain was still confused as to why the Terminal was nowhere to be seen.
It didn’t know that a shadow, clinging silently to the insects along the way, had already infiltrated.
The Heart rity Spell worked remarkably well.
At the very least, the survivors with the Heart rity Spell applied to them had regained clear minds one by one.
They no longer burned with anger, viewing the World Consciousness as their enemy.
In fact... they were even obedient.
Whatever announcements Xiao Jinsheng made through the Star System Map, they followed them to the letter.
They even obediently lined up to select housing assignments through their Intelligent Brains.
They were courteous to the elderly, the young, the ill, and the disabled.
Xiao Jinsheng watched, amazed.
She eagerly asked Lou Yan Zhi, "Can you mass-produce this Talisman?"
"What are you nning?" Lou Yan Zhi’s guard instantly went up.
"There are so many insects outside..." Xiao Jinsheng hesitated.
Lou Yan Zhi interrupted her by drawing his Heavy Sword.
He extended his right hand beneath the de, as if preparing to sever it.
"What are you doing?!" Xiao Jinsheng quickly stopped him.
"Cutting off my hand to give to you," Lou Yan Zhi replied. "That way, if you need Talismans in the future, you can just use it."
So many insects.
Big ones and small ones alike.
A Talisman for each insect? Xiao Jinsheng was bold enough to imagine it.
She was even bold enough to fund such a massive Talisman initiative.
But Lou Yan Zhi wouldn’t dare take it on.
At worst, she could have the system electrify him into submission.
"I was just casually asking," Xiao Jinsheng rified.
"I thought I had a grudge against you, and you were trying to take my life," Lou Yan Zhi put down his sword.
Clearly, the idea of one Talisman per insect wasn’t going to pan out.
Xiao Jinsheng could only begin brainstorming other ways to deal with the Insect n.
Relying solely on energy bombardments from Mist Continent wouldn’t work forever.
The Insect n’s main base was in the Interster World.
Even if she bombed this wave to death, another wave would follow.
She couldn’t just keep using Star Stone Energy to bomb every iing swarm.
After all, based on her Star System Map, she’d located the Star Stone Energy mines.
They were non-renewable resources, with reserves projected tost no more than a thousand years.
But if... a supplementary source of Star Stone Energy could be found...
At this thought, Xiao Jinsheng’s eyes lit up.
Now that Sector Ny-Seven was stabilized, she handed monitoring duties over to the Star System Map, confident enough to leave.
"Come with me, I’ve thought of something useful," Xiao Jinsheng beckoned Lou Yan Zhi and Ying, while also contacting Li.
"This ’useful thing’ you mentioned... are they it?" Lou Yan Zhi asked, staring skeptically at the Fog Corpses wandering near the Star Stone Mine.
"Star Stone Energy from Mist Continent has to be conserved," Xiao Jinsheng replied. "I want to bomb the Insect n to oblivion."
Sheid out her n, "We need to destroy the Intelligent Worms to reactivate Mist Continent’s defenses."
"As for the Insect n remaining outside Mist Continent, we have no current means to deal with them."
"But the ones inside Mist Continent must be eradicated."
"Seal the doors and exterminate the insects!"
However, since Mist Continent’s Star Stone Energy had to be reserved for defense,
the energy to bomb the Insect n could only be sourced from elsewhere.
Xiao Jinsheng’s eyes gleamed as she looked at the Fog Corpses. For the first time, she found their grotesque appearance oddly lovable.
"Are they controble?" Que Zelian asked with concern.
"Yes," Xiao Jinsheng nodded. "Based on data calctions in the Star System Map, I’ve already simted bombing the Insect n with Fog Corpses. It’s feasible."
The key was reactivating Mist Continent’s defenses.
It was the only way to prevent reinforcements from the Insect n.
"So, should we go capture some Fog Corpses now?" Su Ye asked, ready to spring into action.
"No need to capture them," Xiao Jinsheng pressed him back down. "The Star System Map can handle it."
The Star System Map was tied to her.
And her initial world was bound to Mist Continent.
The energy source of Mist Continent was Star Stone Energy.
Fog Corpses, coincidentally, contained Star Stone Energy within their bodies.
As long as Star Stone Energy was in use, Xiao Jinsheng could control it through the Star System Map.
Once the n was set, she led the group back to Mist Base, preparing nonstop.
On the thirteenth day of the Insect n’s invasion of Mist Continent,
Insect Brain 2.0 looked at the poison fog resistance devices developed by the Insect n and smiled with satisfaction. "Extract Star Stone Energy, and we can produce poison fog resistance devices."
Its mocking gaze rested on Bai Yan. "Weren’t you previously bound to Insect Brain 1.0? Howe it didn’t figure this out?"
"Maybe because it didn’t have a brain," Bai Yan retorted.
"Well, it really didn’t," Insect Brain 2.0 sneered.
"Now that the poison fog resistance devices are ready, begin mass production."
"Isn’t there a Star Stone Mine beneath Cloud Ind?"
There were no Star Stone resources in Mist East.
Mist West had plenty, but they couldn’t prate it.
Fortunately, after the Terminal vanished, the Star Stone resources left under Cloud Ind were sufficient.
The Insect n only seeded in researching the resistance devices after taking over Cloud Ind.
"I told you, taking over Mist Continent will only take fifteen days," the Insect Brain grinned.
It looked skyward, toward the massive eye in the red mist above.
Soon, Mist Continent wouldpletely fall under the Insect n’s control.
As the Insect Brain smirked confidently, a white light suddenly shed across the sky.
The colossal eye in the heavens exploded into fragments under the energy bombardment.
Pieces of the Intelligent Worm rained down like a sudden storm, only to be collected midair by the same white light.
The red mist nketing Mist East dissipated amidst the explosions.
Sunlight, unseen for half a month, finally pierced through the sky.
Now, only the Insect n remained in Mist East.
A soft, white fog-like barrier emanated from Mist West, spanning the sea of stars to envelop and shield all of Mist Continent.
A gentle, mechanical female voice reverberated across the sky of Mist Continent, echoing in every corner of the world.
[This is the World Consciousness of Mist Continent]
[The Mist Continent Interster Protection System has been reactivated]
[Invading species detected: Insect n, Terminal]
[Home Defense War: Now initiated]
[Remember this: The counterattack begins]
The celestial screen descended over Mist Base, synchronized in every Intelligent Brain tied to survivors in Mist Continent.
Anyone with an Intelligent Brain linked to Mist Continent could see the devastated familiar homes overtaken by the Insect n disyed on the celestial screen.
White beams of light bombarded Insect n bases one after another.
The green safe zones unlocked by Mist Base expanded outward at astonishing speed.
"The World Consciousness is killing the Insect n!" someone in the crowd eximed excitedly.
"So the Terminal was the real invader all along?"
"The Terminal imed that the World Consciousness attacked it and stole its power."
"If that power was stolen by the World Consciousness, then why can’t the Terminal just wipe out the Insect n directly? But the World Consciousness can?"
"So the Terminal is the viin?"
"The Terminal *is* the viin!"
Amid the celestial screen’s explosions, the jubnt cheers of the survivors grew louder and louder.
But in the crowd, someone turned pale as the Insect n bases exploded.
"Bai Yan!" Jin Ao shouted urgently, "This is bad! Bai Yan is still with the Insect n!"
The explosions were targeting the Insect n.
If the Insect n perished, Bai Yan wouldn’t survive either!
Jin Ao didn’t dare imagine the oue and urgently pulled Qing Zelin. "Hurry, we need to go back and save Bai Yan!"
But as he tugged, he realized Qing Zelin hadn’t moved an inch.
Qing Zelin stared ahead with vacant eyes.