Chapter 71: Return
After all, the Tomies outside were now appearing in clusters, and eliminating even one Tomie might not be enough to temporarily break their hold unless a large group of Tomies was wiped out at once.
Marcus turned on the TV and watched the news again.
It was even more chaotic now; Tomie had even become a military commander and was waging war.
The fanatical men all had expressions of fearlessness.
Billions of strange fish also surged from the ocean depths onto land. There were massive whales, sharks, and giant squid, as well as small bass and trout.
These strange fish infected many humans who had been bewitched by Tomie. Those people turned completely green, lost their minds, and grew sharp spines.
They then joined the strange fish in attacking Tomie and the bewitched men. Tomie directed the retaliatory artillery fire, but as the fighting progressed, the soldiers suddenly turned green and changed the direction of the artillery fire.
Due to the large number of casualties, newly born monsters were constantly appearing on the battlefield, launching indiscriminate attacks.
It was an unprecedented free-for-all.
Seven days later.
Marcus spent seven full days at the research facility, nurturing the remains within and absorbing their energy at set times. He obtained roughly the equivalent of twenty Tomies.
He wasn't entirely satisfied with this amount, but as long as it strengthened him, and it was relatively safe, that was enough.
At this moment, Marcus stood atop the highest point of the mountain behind the facility, observing its direction through binoculars.
The battle lines between the Tomies, the monsters, humans, and the strange fish had completely expanded to this area last night.
Fanatical pilots, bewitched by Tomie, were diving and bombing the swarm of strange fish, their bombs creating massive explosions and flashes.
Amidst the frantic charge of the strange fish, a group of ferocious sharks lay quietly in place.
A team of humans, their bodies a sickly green, approached with torches. Ignoring the surrounding explosions and artillery fire, they used the torches to ignite the shark monsters' gas vents.
The sharks' rear ends began to spew forth intense blue flames, and with the surge of propulsion, they shot into the sky like rockets.
They steered through the air using their fins and tails, mimicking swimming, drawing S-shaped patterns as they chased and surrounded fighter jets.
Most of the strange fish exploded mid-air, turning into green virus fragments that fell to the ground, infecting more species.
A few fish caught up with the dive-bombing fighters, using their spikes as spears to pierce them directly. The gas inside their bodies exploded violently, like a propane tank being ignited, instantly destroying the aircraft.
However, the pilots, already bewitched by Tomie, felt no fear, but instead became even more fanatical, wanting to prove to Tomie that both sides were fearless.
Large numbers of infantry controlled by Tomie, wearing gas masks, drove armored vehicles, relentlessly firing as they approached the strange fish. Groups of fish were shattered by the ammunition, and the land was stained dark green.
As the army passed through a patch of wetland, countless creatures suddenly shot out of the mud.
These creatures were no longer soft-bodied; they had all transformed into sharp, cone-like projectiles, like spike traps, shooting rapidly from the ground with a buzzing sound like arrows.
Some bounced off the armored vehicle's steel tracks and broke off.
But many more pierced through soldiers' boots, embedding themselves deep in their leg bones from the heels, some even piercing the soles of their feet, and others puncturing vehicle tires.
A cacophony of screams filled the battlefield as many soldiers, infected and turning green, turned against their former comrades.
Then, the remaining soldiers slowly retreated, and from behind appeared ten giant centipedes, each three hundred feet long and fifteen feet wide, commanded by Tomie.
Their backs protruded from the ground, their lower bodies twisting and crawling along the shallow soil, layer upon layer of earth being torn up, exposing the creatures' bodies to the surface, where they were bombarded by artillery fire.
Next, a group of strange beings, their skin covered in countless holes, crossed the land first.
Swarms of flying insects constantly emerged from these holes, attacking the remaining creatures.
Just as they left the damp area, the strange beings were frantically entangled by the surrounding plants and then torn apart.
It turned out that these weren't plant vines at all, but a group of infected marine creatures, adept at camouflage.
Then, a group of zombie-like creatures, resembling walking corpses, marched forward in unison.
A team of scouts wearing masks, but with multiple eyes on each mask, reported the situation.
A commander, moving in an unnatural position, supporting himself on his hands and feet, with countless skulls connected to his head, issued orders.
Strange beings, strange fish, and various bizarre creatures, mainly led by Tomie and the strange fish, engaged in a frenzied battle; the battle line had already pushed past the research facility and was about to reach the foot of the mountain.
This was just one battlefield; at this moment, similar wars were raging throughout the region.
Marcus simply watched quietly from the mountain, not intending to participate in this frenzied conflict.
As time passed, the war began to advance along the foot of the mountain, towards the mountain where Marcus was.
A message arrived:
[Basic mission in the story world completed. Forced return in 5 seconds]
Items to carry:
World: Tomie (20,000,000 survival points)
Anomalous: Unlimited Venus Flytrap (6,000 survival points), Soul-Bearing Venus Flytrap (1,000 survival points)
Common: Bioweapon Virus (500 survival points), Tactical Suit*2 (20 survival points), Lab Coat (2 survival points), Soil (1 survival point)
"Yes, carrying Unlimited Venus Flytrap, Soul-Bearing Venus Flytrap, Bioweapon Virus, and Tactical Suit."
[Survival points deducted successfully. Teleportation initiated]
Just as Marcus disappeared, Naoko stood quietly before a dark and deep pool. The disaster with Tomie seemed to have had no effect on this place yet.
"Is this the place where one can gain power?"
Naoko stared at the deep pool before her. With her injured body, if she went into the water, it would be very difficult to swim back up.
Suddenly, she seemed to sense something, abruptly turning her head to look south, a feeling of loss washing over her, as if she had lost something.
He... he's already gone!
Naoko took out a sealed piece of drawing paper from her pocket, examined it, then carefully put it away close to her body. Her eyes filled with determination, she slowly walked into the icy pool.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the water.
A gentle breeze rippled the surface, shimmering with a deep, eerie light, but Naoko was nowhere to be seen.
Marcus was unaware of all this.
As the countdown ended, he felt as if he'd been struck hard on the head with a sledgehammer. The mountains, trees, and strange fish before him vanished like a dream, and he found himself in a dark, empty settlement space.
His body reverted to that of a figure wearing a mask.
Text began to appear before his eyes:
[Plot Summary]
[Anchored World This Time: Tomie]
[Survival Mission Completed (Default), 500 Survival Points Received]
[Plot Mission Completed: Kill Tomie (3000 Survival Points)]
[Completed All Plot Missions, Plot Rating Increased, Exploration Progress Reached 57%, Obtained One Plot Entry Ticket for This World]
[Exploration Progress Reached 50%, All Plot Missions Completed, Obtained Core Fragment *1 (Bound)]
[Plot Rating: S]
[Settlement Completed, Settlement Space Disappears in 10 Seconds]
[Choose Return: Reality, Crossroads]
"Return to the Crossroads!"
The surrounding darkness dissipated, and Marcus was already standing in the Crossroads Plaza. Two masked figures noticed the movement and cast their gazes.
He activated the Crossroads Mark with his thoughts and quickly entered his private room.
Marcus rubbed his head; this final forced teleportation method was truly rather jarring.
Arriving in his familiar room, Marcus sat on the couch to check his gains.
He was somewhat surprised by the evaluation of this mission; another Core Fragment had appeared. This thing automatically merged into the Crossroads Mark when the reward was distributed.
(End of Chapter)
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