Chapter 458

Chapter 458: Tearing

“Unit Three demonstrated a lack of flexibility in combat, which is inherent to its structural design.”

“Discard it.”

“Unit Five has vulnerabilities in certain areas, such as the underarms and groin, which are prime targets for smaller extraordinary beasts to exploit in ambushes.”

“Is there no way to enhance its protection?”

“No, it’s a structural limitation. Reinforcing those areas would compromise the overall performance of the exoskeleton.”

“Then eliminate it as well. How are the remaining three performing?”

“There are still some issues with thermal insulation, but they’re minor and can be quickly addressed through modifications.”

“Good, proceed as planned. The deadline remains unchanged.”

Yan Ming nodded, as if suddenly recalling something, and turned his gaze to the Speaker before him:

“Late yesterday, a member of the training camp posed a question I couldn’t answer.”

“What question?”

“What is the name of our unit?”

A glimmer of anticipation flickered in Yan Ming’s eyes as he gestured animatedly:

“Hope City’s military forces previously consisted of four groups: the city defense army, the Public Security Team, the Clean-up Team, and the direct superpowered group.

“Now, the first three are being downsized to select elites for the next training phase, and the last one was disbanded by you and reassigned to various positions along the city walls. So, if this new group of trainees needs a name, what should it be?”

The conversation had finally reached the stage Lin Qingliu dreaded most—naming.

Whether for an individual or an organization, a good name is crucial at its inception. Even if it lacks profound meaning, it should at least be memorable to leave a lasting impression.

And this was precisely Lin Qingliu’s weakness.

He fell silent for a few seconds, then cast a pleading look at Yan Ming.

But the man across from him seemed oblivious to his silent plea, entirely focused on getting Arthur to propose a name.

The small conference room grew quiet, and Lin Qingliu’s Fifth Level mind began to race. He turned to the formidable human superpowered individual before him and asked:

“What is the purpose of forming this unit?”

“To fight, of course.”

“Against whom?”

“The mycelium life.”

“And the ultimate goal?”

“Uh…”

Yan Ming paused, deep in thought.

What does this new army truly seek? Clarifying this might spark some inspiration for Lin Qingliu.

“To defeat the mycelium?”

Arthur shook his head.

“Exterminate the mycelium?”

Arthur shook his head again.

Yan Ming stroked his chin and suddenly thought of a fitting term:

“Extinction of the mycelium?”

“Clap.”

Lin Qingliu clapped his hands in front of him:

“Let’s call it the ‘Extinction Legion.’”

Yan Ming left the small conference room, feeling satisfied, while muttering the name Lin Qingliu had just decided.

It was quite intimidating, at least it sounded really imposing.

In Hope City, where most people are educated, the meaning of extinction requires no further explanation.

By using this word for the name, the purpose of the new legion becomes clear at a glance.

In the conference room, Lin Qingliu, who had been busy all day, finally got a chance to relax.

For him, it had indeed been a hectic day, spent mostly on approving documents, along with holding small meetings, formulating strategies, doing the one thing he was least good at—naming—and… self-destruction.

But fortunately, all his actions were meaningful.

With this thought in mind, Lin Qingliu welcomed a new day in Hope City.

—

“Lachesis.”

“You don’t seem to be in good shape?”

In the consciousness space of the mycelium, the three consciousnesses gathered again.

Some time had passed since the last plan was put into action, and even though the consciousnesses could sense each other, this kind of communication was evidently more effective.

“Self-splitting does indeed bring pain…”

Lachesis, in the consciousness space, seemed less spirited. He “looked” at Atropos:

“It’s hard to imagine that you even voluntarily did such a thing to yourself.”

He was referring to a previous self-splitting Atropos had undergone.

That time, Atropos had simultaneously split off a part of his consciousness and a part of his physical body, even splitting off a part of his original human brain matrix.

But the good times didn’t last long; just as the newly born consciousness was continuously learning human knowledge, an uninvited guest brought lightning, causing the entire human brain matrix to overload and completely interrupting Atropos’s plan.

“No need to worry about that.”

Atropos’s voice in the consciousness space sounded especially cold:

“Our evolution speed is very fast, so fast that when I reminisce, I always hate my own past foolishness.

“At that time, we didn’t even have names, but I, who oversee the Analysis, already had the idea of splitting myself.

“We just have different focuses of power, so there’s no need for surprise.

“As for pain… for any life form, tearing oneself apart will always be painful.

“How is your plan progressing?”

Clotho chose to become the leading consciousness and shared her mycelium senses with the other two consciousnesses.

In the Misty Forest, below the giant trees, the biomass that had been purified four times by disposable extraordinary beasts slowly flowed into the recesses of the ground.

It appeared that a mysterious ritual was taking place here:

Sharp and movable branches plunged forcefully into a nearly spherical object, but nothing erupted out.

Biological armor and highly flexible skin wrapped around the incoming spikes, allowing the entire sphere to be lifted from the ground.

Then the branch brought the sphere above a large crater several meters deep, and the spikes inserted into the sphere suddenly spread out and began to spin rapidly.

This time, the flexible outer skin failed to hold back the sharp blades, and biomass began to flow out continuously, falling into the large pit.

At the bottom of the pit, grooves extended in all directions, channeling the biomass toward the surrounding trees.

After repeated experiments, Clotho had found that this was the most reliable method.

In the biomass that had undergone four purifications, the toxins were nearly gone.

In the process of creating the “mining pit,” Clotho seemed to discover the usefulness of these grooves.

Like water channels, they helped her quickly transfer the biomass and store it among countless towering giant trees, as if creating huge ammunition depots.

All of these would serve as her “ammunition,” and at the instant the battle begins, countless extraordinary beasts would emerge from them.