"I didn't expect you to come alone."
Ruan Mei tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, surprised that the man hadn't brought the Astral Express crew along.
"What else did you want?"
She just wanted him, didn't she? What use would the Express be?
"No, I just thought I would need to provide my own transportation," Ruan Mei replied indifferently. It wasn't that she had any designs on the Astral Express.
"You wanted a private chauffeur too? Dreaming a bit too big, aren't you?"
She actually wanted to freeload off his fuel costs.
"Let's not get sidetracked. Do you need to make any more preparations? If not, let's go."
Leon asked Ruan Mei what she intended to use to find the Swarm.
"Among the six great Swarm lineages, there is a group called the 'Phantasmal Moth.' They can use pheromones to create hallucinations and can also integrate their own memories into the pheromones for other insects to see."
Ruan Mei gave a hum of affirmation and laid out her plan.
"That is to say, we can use its pheromones to summon, or rather, pinpoint the Swarm."
"Ordinary 'Phantasmal Moths' can certainly only attract common swarms, so we need to capture the leader to catch the bandits. We must take down the 'Phantasmal Moth King' first."
"Through it, we can find the other 'Swarm Kings'."
She listed the habits and abilities of the 'Phantasmal Moth Swarm' one by one. Worthy of a god-tier researcher in the field of biology; her understanding of 'The Propagation' was indeed extensive.
Leon nodded repeatedly. "So, how do we find other 'Phantasmal Moth Kings'?"
"I can simulate and synthesize the 'Phantasmal Moth' pheromones."
Ruan Mei had prepared for this long ago.
"Although it is ineffective against a 'Swarm King' and can only attract some ordinary 'Phantasmal Moths,' that is enough. A 'Swarm King' is always inseparable from its own clan."
Having a guide was enough for them to find the location of the 'Phantasmal Moth King'.
"Shall we go then?" Leon issued the invitation.
Ruan Mei nodded and did not refuse.
Facing the galaxy, they set out in grand style.
*
Galaxy, an unknown planet.
Originally, the 'Phantasmal Moth' was roaming the universe like a street gangster with its clan, looking for the next target to invade and 'Propagate'.
But suddenly, a damage-dumping cur appeared and attacked indiscriminately without asking right from wrong.
"Having to hold back just to leave a shell... what a hassle."
The demon spoke as such. Because he found it troublesome, he didn't lay a hand on the surface directly.
Instead, tracing the 'Causality Line' generated by his contact with it, he unleashed a combo of pure potency.
It was a close call; he almost killed it outright.
"I left you a breath. How should we dispose of it?"
Saying this, Leon raised a hand toward the sky filled with the Swarm.
Imaginary Energy, which was no longer much different from an 'Aeon', manifested directly inside their bodies!
Boom-boom-boom, boom-boom-boom, boom-boom-boom!
After a burst of explosions that sounded like endless artillery fire, this entire clan of the 'Phantasmal Moth' was exterminated forthwith.
He had said it before: unless 'Tayzzyronth' came in person...
Otherwise, whether it was a 'Swarm King' or a swarm numbered in astronomical figures...
Their life and death were all within a single thought of Leon.
Sorry, but having stats means doing whatever you want. The strong should humiliate the weak casually like this.
"You really are crisp and efficient when you act."
Ruan Mei was slightly surprised.
This was the first time she had witnessed Leon take action with her own eyes. It had to be said, it was truly the ultimate representation of violent aesthetics.
An 'Emanator' couldn't last three rounds in his hands.
So broken. No wonder everyone who had seen Leon called him a damage-dumping cur and a stat monster.
Starting with 'Causality' that has no startup or recovery frames... isn't that underhanded?
"It's so big, can you fit it?"
Leon looked at the scattered parts piled up like a small mountain. This was the 'Phantasmal Moth King' after being dismembered by him.
It wasn't that he didn't want to leave the whole corpse, but there was no way without dismembering it.
He didn't know what this bastard ate to grow up, but it was about the size of a star.
If he really left a whole corpse, he didn't know how Ruan Mei would carry it.
"Just taking the parts blessed by the 'Swarm Emperor' will do. These are usually where their abilities lie."
Ruan Mei shook her head.
She hadn't explained clearly before; she never intended to scavenge the entire corpse from the start.
After all, even though the Swarm Kings were 'Emanators', their shells weren't actually anything special.
It was nothing more than being a bit stronger, having a bit more HP, and a bit higher armor.
In general terms, their stats were just a bit higher; aside from that, they were unremarkable.
Ruan Mei stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Leon.
"Mr. Leon, could I trouble you to hold this?"
She took out a cyan bag printed with an earth-colored planet, adorned with beads similar in style to the ones on her neck, from who knows where, and handed it to Leon.
"Can this tiny thing fit it all? Is there some black technology involved?"
Leon let out an 'oh' and smoothly accepted the Ruan Bag.
"En."
Ruan Mei gave a hum in response.
She reached out her hand toward the mountain of organs and limbs, rummaging through them without minding the filth or disgust.
"Could it be?"
Hearing this, Leon opened a slit in the bag, closed his left eye, and peered inside with his right.
He thought Herta was the Doraemon, but he hadn't expected Ruan Mei to be the real one?
Pity. He didn't see any wondrous gadgets; all that was left for him was pitch blackness.
He couldn't tell how large the space inside was, either.
Just as Leon moved his eye away and prepared to close the bag...
Ruan Mei found the 'Phantasmal Moth's' gland.
She brought the 'gland' she was carrying close to Leon, clearly signaling for him to open the bag.
Leon did as asked, and Ruan Mei tossed the 'gland' into the Ruan Bag.
"Alright, let's go to the next location."
Having done everything, Ruan Mei took off her gloves and threw them away, exposing her fair ten fingers to the air.
"What about these things? You don't want them?"
Leon returned the Ruan Bag to her, then pointed at the pile of organs and limbs to ask.
"The corpse of a 'Swarm King' counts as decent research material. In the past, perhaps it could have given me some inspiration, but now I don't have the spare time to pay attention to it."
It was true that a 'Swarm King' was precious; in the past, Ruan Mei absolutely wouldn't have let this opportunity slip.
But in the face of what she was about to do immediately, it appeared fundamentally not worth mentioning.
"What I am about to do next is the pinnacle of what I can achieve within my current capabilities."
Ruan Mei referred to reproducing 'Tayzzyronth'. "I have no idle time to waste on 'Swarm Kings' anymore."
"You dispose of it."
"Why the hell didn't you say so earlier!"
Damn it, then why did he rack his brains to leave a whole corpse for the 'Phantasmal Moth' just now?
Did she know he had worked very hard to hold back his power? So annoying.
"Next time, tell me directly which part you want from the 'Swarm King'."
If she only wanted one part, she should have said so earlier. There was a world of difference between keeping one part and keeping a whole corpse.
"I'll pay attention for you. Are you playing me every day?"
Leon looked at Ruan Mei's delicate hands, which were like mutton-fat jade, and said.
One part—that would be much easier to handle. Just rip the required part off first.
Then he could dump damage unscrupulously. Leaving a whole corpse simply couldn't demonstrate his potency.
"Sorry."
Hearing this sentence, Ruan Mei apologized to him immediately.
She was the one asking for help, so naturally, she had to lower her posture.
"It hasn't reached the point of apologizing; I was just giving a reminder."
Mn, this person Ruan Mei had sensitive skin; Leon could see that.
"You don't have extra gloves either. I'll help you; no need to do it yourself."
"Okay, it was my lack of consideration."
Ruan Mei agreed, and her whole person didn't show any emotion because of this.
Her nature was not one to have big emotions over anything.
What prompted her to make the apology was precisely rationality.
In her view, apologizing quickly could minimize the damage.
"Let's go. Are we waiting here for a rabbit to hit the stump, relying on that whatever pheromone you mentioned for a new 'Swarm King' to sense the anomaly and walk right into the trap?"
"Or do we continue to attack?"
Leon waved his hand casually behind him, and the corpse pieces of the 'Phantasmal Moth King' were instantly annihilated by high-magnitude Imaginary Energy.
"Continue."
Ruan Mei had her own plans.
"Fine, which one are we doing next?"
He didn't care; it was all just a matter of convenience anyway.
"'World-Beguiler'."
Her gaze gazed into the distance, as if looking in the direction where the next enemy lay.
*
A certain moderately prosperous planet.
In front of a dessert shop.
Under the reception of a waiter, Leon and Ruan Mei took their seats amidst the flow of people.
The tables and chairs to the left and right were full of people, mostly female students or couples.
One could tell the desserts in this shop were delicious and quite popular with young people.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Leon, who took a seat with Ruan Mei, completely didn't understand what the current situation was.
"I heard that a 'Seawater Lava' flavored snack is currently popular on various planets. I hear it takes water from the sea and lava from the Bitter Blood Mountain Range."
Ruan Mei spoke thusly as she hailed the waiter.
From this distance, Leon could clearly hear her say, "Two orders of Seawater Lava."
Seawater plus lava—did she think she was playing Minecraft? Could this damn thing be edible?
He held a skeptical attitude.
Wait, whether it was tasty or not wasn't important at all.
Weren't the two of them here to kill bugs? Why did it suddenly turn into eating desserts?
Didn't she say we were killing bugs? Where are the bugs?
The 'World-Beguiler King' isn't anywhere on this damn street!
"I did some research; this shop's reputation is the most far-reaching."
Ruan Mei explained to him on her own initiative why she suddenly brought him here.
"Are you serious?"
Leon couldn't figure out if she had other intentions or if she really came to eat some Seawater Lava dessert.
"You don't like it?"
Ruan Mei let out a murmur, her index finger resting against her jaw, seemingly having miscalculated slightly.
"If there is anything you like, you can order it. My treat."
After pondering for a moment, she slid the menu lying on the table over to him.
"Who asked you about this?"
Leon didn't even look at the menu. He stopped pretending and asked directly.
"Aren't we here to kill bugs? Now we're suddenly eating snacks—what kind of play are you acting out?"
He looked at Ruan Mei in confusion.
"Have you ever understood the 'World-Beguiler' clan?"
Ruan Mei didn't mind that walls had ears and discussed this issue with him right then and there.
"Never understood it, but the Swarm shouldn't have any good goods anyway."
Leon looked at Ruan Mei. She couldn't possibly be wanting to say something like 'World-Beguilers' are good girls, right?
"I think there's absolutely no mistake in killing them."
"High-end hunters often appear in the guise of prey."
Ruan Mei spoke indifferently. Just as she prepared to explain to him, his retort came directly.
"Bullshit!"
Leon did not accept this statement.
After all, seeing as 'The Hunt' contains the word 'Hunt', it naturally represents the hunters themselves.
"As a hunter, am I not high-end enough? If I don't humiliate the weak, what kind of powerhouse am I?"
And as the current face of 'The Hunt', how could he tolerate losing to the logic-defying 'Propagation'?
If it were another Path, he wouldn't rebut.
But for an existence like 'The Propagation' that was born to be prey, to try and claim the title of hunter over 'The Hunt'?
"I am using the 'World-Beguiler' clan alone as the standard."
Just as Leon discovered Ruan Mei had sensitive skin, she also discovered Leon was quite sensitive too.
"Others are temporarily categorized outside this circle and not mentioned."
She still had no emotions, merely adding some limiting words as he wished.
Leon felt comfortable now and waited for her to continue.
"The habits of the 'World-Beguiler' clan are already written in their name. World-Beguiler, to beguile the world. Swarms from this clan will choose to discard the skin of a hunter."
"That is, the shell of an insect."
"They will imitate prey, imitate humans, imitate the figures, appearances, and voices of their enemies, and finally infiltrate among the prey when the great work is done."
Ruan Mei spoke calmly.
"Until the prey embraces them, until the prey calls them friends, the succulent granaries will open to them, becoming a hotbed for 'The Propagation'."
She briefly introduced the racial habits of this 'World-Beguiler' swarm.
There was a word, or a nickname, very suitable for them.
That is: Parasites. As aliens, they parasitize human society in the guise of humans.
Then, on a certain day, they catch everyone off guard and trigger turmoil.
No, for intelligent existences like 'World-Beguilers', their style shouldn't be described as turmoil.
They wouldn't cause too big of a commotion; instead, they would encroach little by little.
Until the entire planet no longer had humans existing, but was entirely made up of disguised kin.
Another achievement would then be added to 'The Propagation's' record.
This kind of silent upheaval is far more terrifying than the Swarm directly devouring a planet.
At least with the latter, one can know what happened—knowing that people existed but are now dead.
But the former is completely closed off. If there are no flaws, one fundamentally cannot detect any anomaly.
"That's some intel."
Hearing Ruan Mei's introduction, his first feeling about 'World-Beguiler' was just those three words.
Gathering intel, lying in wait, observing, waiting for the opportunity.
If this isn't intel work, what is?
However, while Leon complained, he didn't feel a shred of pressure.
With his intensity, it was impossible to feel pressure facing this kind of trash.
If he had to say something, it would only be:
The 'World-Beguiler' clan already has a path to death; they absolutely cannot be left alive.
As self-proclaimed hunters, their so-called shrewd disguises can only fool those at the level of Pathstriders, and they still have to pick the specific 'Path' type.
Leon didn't think those walking on 'The Hunt' would be deceived by this seemingly perfect disguise.
'The Hunt' are the true hunters.
And hunters always possess a keen intuition when facing prey.
Once a Swarm, always a Swarm!
Even if they put on human skin, the alien stench on their bodies cannot be washed away.
*
Promotion:
Synopsis:
A former web novel author transmigrates to the Umamusume world, becoming the yet-to-debut pony, Fengxia Baixue.
Fengxia Baixue just prepared to conquer the newcomer award for light novels, get an anime adaptation, and become the King of Entertainment...
But she accidentally awakens a system. As long as conditions are met, she can perfectly replicate scenes from books.
Fengxia Baixue decides to start writing Umamusume fanfiction.
[Debut battle: Tokai Teio encounters the greatest rival of her life, becomes a prisoner of war, and loses her debut battle; Teio is so angry she secretly cries little pearls back in the dorms.]
[Accumulated popularity exceeds 10,000. Reward: Perfect Replication x1.]
She can become stronger just by writing novels?
When Tokai Teio saw this fanfiction, she thought it was a spoof.
But she never imagined that on the day of her debut, a passerby Horse Girl would suddenly dash out and kick her to the curb like a roadside stray!
As this book became more and more popular, Orfevre and Gentildonna all met their prophesied endings!
Many years later, Fengxia Baixue stood at the pinnacle of the Umamusume world.
And the others finally discovered her writing alias and fell into deep thought:
"So this was a crime notice?"
PS: The author has been a Horse Girl, not writing nonsense.
____
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