Interstellar Survival: Invasion

Chapter 131: Toxic Air

The white Gando had fiercely detonated his own body, filling the world with a red fog. At that point, the contained explosion had ended as well, leaving a massive black crater on the ground.

"What is this? The Gando was so angry he killed himself?" asked Zhang Bao'er gleefully.

"We don't know what's happening. Keep your shields on. Be very careful," Old Du reminded.

The red fog spread as far as our eyes could see, layering any solid object with a thick red film. Even our shields were covered. A portion of the red stuff even managed to pass through our shields and stick onto our suits.

Bulu stayed completely still in my backpack. It seemed to have been totally exhausted from the struggle against the Gandos. I moved the backpack to my front to protect it better from the red substance in the air.

"Canyue, I have arrived above you. We saw a red fog cover the underground entrance. Are you fine?" Kelly's voice came from the communicator.

"We're fine. Both Gandos have been terminated. We will proceed to enter the underground palace," I replied.

"You need to be fast. Carter's reinforcements will arrive in 20 minutes. Also, the imperial soldiers and personnel are mustering rapidly. They are preparing to launch another wave of attacks at your group," said Kelly.

"Bao'er, Old Du, we have to ignore the red fog. Let's enter the underground palace," I said.

"Canyue, Old Du, wait. There is a complication," Kelly's anxious voice suddenly came.

"Kelly, what is it?" I hurriedly asked.

"Something odd happened. All the imperial soldiers that touched the red fog dropped onto the ground," said Kelly.

"All dropped? What's going on?" Zhang Bao'er asked doubtfully.

"Shit. Is this red fog poisonous? Bao'er, Old Du, keep your shield on at all times," I reminded.

"Yes, all the imperial soldiers touched by the red fog are dead. The red fog is still spreading even now. The entire area in front of the underground entrance is covered in it," said Kelly.

"What a scoundrel. That Gando intended to have us bring his poison underground and kill everyone inside," said Zhang Bao'er.

"Well, this is troublesome. We won't be able to enter the underground palace this way," said Old Du.

"Even if we can enter, they won't be able to leave. The entrance is completely covered in poison. Kelly, you need to contact Captain Carter and have him postpone the attack," I said.

"I will notify Carter. Try to withdraw as fast as you can," said Kelly.

I ended the communication before saying to Old Du and Bao'er, "Cover me as I go underground. I don't know how the team leader is down there. I will take off my suit later. Cover me with your shields."

"No, I'm going as well!" Zhang Bao'er objected.

"Follow your order!" I ordered Zhang Bao'er in an unquestionable tone for the very first time.

Zhang Bao'er stopped arguing when he saw how firm I was. We rushed through the crack in the gate. After going through the opening, a slightly inclined tunnel appeared before us. The red fog had flooded the area as well. We traveled along the tunnel. The deeper we went, the smaller the tunnel became. Eventually, the tunnel was only large enough for one person to pass at a time.

"This underground palace was designed very oddly. It feels suffocating to travel to it," complained Zhang Bao'er.

After walking for about 50 meters, we found with joy that we had finally left the radius of the red fog.

"Let's split here. Don't keep going, or we might accidentally carry the poison with us. Old Du, help me get my suit off. I'll go alone," I said.

Old Du did as told and wrapped his shield tightly around my skin and Bulu before carefully helping me remove my suit. The moment my suit was detached from my body, I took a step forth, leaving the poison behind me.

"Try to deal with the poison and meet up with Kelly. I'll go to the underground palace," I said.

"You can't contact us from down here. Be careful," said Zhang Bao'er with concern.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine with Bulu here," I said before turning to continue through the tunnel.

After traveling for a while, the narrow tunnel gradually became wide again. Eventually, I arrived in front of a delicate building. The front hall of the building was decorated luxuriously with numerous fine sculptures and grand paintings that showcased the history of the Kingdom of Akko.

However, I was too focused on my excitement to meet Zhang Xingxing again to be able to appreciate the works of art around me.

A massive bubble was blocking my path. Its surface constantly rippled randomly with seven different colors.

'This must be the entrance. I didn't expect them to use some sort of gaseous gate to protect the underground palace,' I thought.

I tried touching the bubble. Despite the bubble's seemingly malleable state, its surface was exceptionally durable. Even when I tried pushing with more force, no change occurred. No matter how much strength I used, I couldn't part the bubble.

I only had a dagger on me so I drew it and stabbed at the bubble. However, the bubble remained firm and undamaged.

"No wonder they use this thing as the gate. It is quite a formidable defensive object," I muttered.

Without any other weapons, I was stuck.

"How should I get through this gate?" I wondered.

While I hesitated, the bubble suddenly moved. The durable surface parted, and a silhouette walked out from behind it. Alert, I took a step back and gripped my dagger more tightly. Soon, I saw a familiar face. It was Prince Toruse.

"Canyue, you're finally here. We have been waiting a few days for you," said the prince.

"Prince, it truly isn't easy to reach this place. How is everyone doing?" I asked in excitement when I saw the prince.

"Everyone is fine. However, the king and the duke have been trying to find out what is happening outside. Unfortunately, the Gandos are keeping us trapped," said the prince.

"Are you talking about the black and white Gandos from Lidu?" I asked.

"Yes. Those two have been keeping watch outside the tunnel. We have no heavy weapons, so none of us can leave. How did you even get in here?" asked the prince.

"We got in after killing the black and white Gandos. It's a long story. Take me to Zhang Xingxing first," I said, slightly anxious.

"Ok. Where are the others?" asked the prince.

"They're keeping watch outside. Let me enter first," I urged.

The prince did not say anything else and stepped aside before gesturing at me to enter. I quickly walked through the bubble to enter the underground palace, which also served as a bunker.

The moment I passed through the bubble, a row of guns appeared before my eyes. Dozens of Akko soldiers were standing in a strict formation. They all saluted the prince when he returned. I followed the prince as we walked through the army camp. Immediately, a familiar face entered my eyes.

"Canyue, you're finally back!" Zhang Xingxing ran over in excitement.

She jumped on me, catching me by complete surprise and almost knocking me off my feet.

"Team Leader! Private Canyue reporting for duty!" I said as I straightened my body.

Zhang Xingxing seemed to realize that she was too excited, so she looked rather awkward. She quickly calmed down and looked at me, joy filling her big eyes.

"Canyue, the king and the duke are waiting for me. Let's not delay," urged Prince Toruse.

We followed the prince through the row upon row of soldiers. Before long, we arrived at a temporary command room. Both King Xido and Duke Yidon were sitting at a big table. Even Principal Sosse was present. They were impatiently waiting for me.

"How are things outside? Was the Akko army able to hold the line? Was the league's attack on Lidu successful?" asked Duke Yidon before I could even get settled.

I told them everything I knew. Everyone frowned when they heard about the cruel battle at Goldsteel City, whereas Prince Toruse had a smile on his face.

"How is Goldsteel City doing now?" asked King Xido.

"I don't know. I came straight here the moment I entered the planet's stratosphere," I said.

"Why didn't the league attack Lidu faster and eliminate the empire's Northstar Army? What were they thinking? We need to leave as quickly as possible. I must return to the main headquarters to take charge of the war efforts," said Duke Yidon with a frown.

"Captain Carter is on standby and is ready to launch a surprise attack to cover our retreat. However, the exit is covered by a toxic fog right now," I said.

"Toxic fog? What do you mean?" asked Master Crystal.

I then told Master Crystal about the nuclear attack on the Gandos and the subsequent self-detonation.

"You mean the Gando can create a red toxic fog after self-detonation? I did not expect them to have that ability," muttered Master Crystal.

"You know of this ability?" I asked.

"Sarje, tell them the lost tribe you told me about before," said Master Crystal.

"We Gandos all originated from Planet Gando of the Orion Constellation. Since ancient times, we Gandos have been martial in nature. Historically, our race specialized in providing protection services for the kings, nobilities, and high officials of the various kingdoms on Planet Gando. In fact, the Gando actually consists of several races. One of them is known as the Migang race," said Sarje.

"Migang? The name itself sounds mysterious enough," I said.

"Yes. The Migang race lives in a poisonous swamp. The swamp's toxic air is extremely powerful, capable of killing with a single touch. The tribe stayed there for generations. Very few of them had ever left the swamp. That lasted until an imperial spaceship appeared on Planet Gando, revealing a part of the Migang Gandos before public eyes," said Sarje.

"In other words, after living for generations in a poisonous environment, their bodies had become the vessel of poison," I said.

"No. The Migangs I had met before can't self-detonate at all. According to the legends, only the direct descendants of their line of priests possess such an ability. However, as the highest rulers of the Migangs, their priests have never shown themselves to any outsiders. Because of that, the self-detonation ability has remained a legend," said Sarje.

"You mean the white Gando might have the lineage of the Migang priests? How long can that toxic fog last?" I asked.

"It won't dissipate quickly. Furthermore, it will enter any solid objects in the area. Any life form will immediately die upon exposure," said Sarje.

"How long exactly will the fog last?" I asked.

"I don't know. According to the legends, it might take a year," said Sarje.

Everyone sank into silence. I had not expected the red poison to be so powerful, keeping everyone firmly imprisoned here.

"The morph-capable shield is able to block the poison. If I leave and bring over more shields, we will be able to get everyone out," I suggested.

"We still have four morph-capable suits here. Titan and I each have one. Duke Yidon and his assistant have one each as well," said Zhang Xingxing.

"With four suits, we can help out King Xido and Duke Yidon first. After establishing contact with Captain Carter, we can think of a plan to rescue everyone else," I said.

"This is an emergency. Let's follow Canyue's plan," Duke Yidon decided.