Developing Superpowers in Another World

Chapter 294 – Biological Weapon

 

Upon hearing the command, everyone immediately closed in on Tu Ran, cutting down any beasts that blocked their path until they formed a unified team.

They exchanged uncertain glances as they looked at Tu Ran’s back, puzzled by General Ye’s decision.

Even if they were breaking out, shouldn’t General Ye, such a crucial figure, be leading them? Why had a newcomer taken that position?

Though this newcomer was incredibly strong—stronger than most of them—they couldn’t understand the decision.

Tu Ran, however, ignored their doubts. It would have been easy for her to break out of the beast horde alone. Deciding to help them escape was already an act of kindness; if they were unwilling to follow, they could choose not to.

“Stay close to Tu Ran, everyone, and don’t fall behind!” Ye Hongci suddenly reminded them.

Those who still had doubts pushed down their conflicting thoughts.

They didn’t trust Tu Ran, but they trusted General Ye.

Tu Ran glanced at the mental power collection progress on the display: 46%.

Enough.

She planted her foot on the head of a crawling beast, using the momentum to leap forward and break through the wall of beasts.

The impact drove the crawling beast’s head into the ground. It braced its claws on the ground, trying to free itself, but to no avail. The mechas following Tu Ran stomped on it repeatedly, and after they had passed, other pursuing beasts trampled it until it was flattened into a thin carpet.

At the front, Tu Ran swung her large blade, letting no beast in her path escape.

She held nothing back with her abilities; [Teleportation] and [Immense Strength] were unleashed to half their potential. Combined with her mental power, she became like a rapidly spinning top, leaving nothing intact in her wake.

At the same time, for the beasts beyond her blade’s reach, Tu Ran used her skill, [Blooming Flowers and Full Moon]. Suddenly, many of the beasts in the center of the horde were affected, and nearly a third of them stopped crowding inward, greatly reducing the pressure on the team.

But no one noticed.

All of Tu Ran’s followers were focused on handling the beasts attacking from the sides. They only vaguely sensed that the beasts’ aggression had lessened.

The alien beasts whose organs were pierced by [Blooming Flowers and Full Moon] collapsed silently, only for others to rush forward to fill the gaps. Their deaths were almost imperceptible.

Perhaps later, someone analyzing this battle would notice the sudden fall of these beasts, but by then, their corpses would have decomposed, and no one would be able to determine the exact cause.

Tu Ran was trying her best to avoid exposing her abilities.

Otherwise, with just one hallucinogenic mushroom, she could have subdued these beasts.

But with so many cameras around, Tu Ran had no choice but to carve a bloody path with her blade.

Unfortunately, her sword was less than reliable.

After piercing a beast’s skull with a forceful strike, she was about to withdraw it when she realized that only half of the blade remained.

The other half had dissolved in the beast’s cerebrospinal fluid.

Tu Ran stared at the broken blade in disbelief. Was this sword seriously not corrosion-resistant?

In a galaxy this advanced, and they didn’t make corrosion-proof weapons? How could that even be possible?

She glanced at the team behind her.

They were all busy fighting the beasts and hadn’t noticed her broken weapon.

Maybe she should use [Wheel of Time] to repair it?

Just as she was about to try, a drone flew overhead, its camera focused intently on her.

Tu Ran: “…” Damn it! She’d nearly forgotten about that.

With resignation, she pushed forward with half a blade.

The beasts inexplicably began converging toward her, including some she hadn’t encountered before.

Through the gaps between the beasts, Tu Ran noticed a mound of earth rising and moving quickly along the ground, as if searching for an optimal position.

It was the same earth-burrowing beast that had injured Ye Hongci’s mecha—it was now coming for her.

Tu Ran immediately focused, keeping an eye on the beasts in front of her while staying alert to the creature beneath, ready to burst out from any spot underfoot.

Originally, these beasts had concentrated their attacks on Ye Hongci.

With the shift in focus, Ye Hongci’s burden lightened, and she quickly sensed the change.

She looked over at Tu Ran, now encircled by the beasts.

These creatures seemed able to identify who posed the greatest threat.

Ye Hongci’s expression grew serious as she surveyed the surrounding beasts, once again feeling that there was a leader orchestrating the horde.

This was a belief she’d held for years—how else could such low-level beasts work together so precisely, pinpointing human positions, attacking in coordinated waves, and retreating strategically? She couldn’t believe an uncoordinated mob could achieve this.

Unfortunately, despite studying numerous videos of these beast invasions, the galaxy’s scientists had found no trace of a hidden leader.

Glancing around, every beast appeared as nothing more than a dull-witted, low-grade creature, with no obvious suspects.

“Tu Ran, I suspect there’s a commanding beast within the horde. If we can find it, we might have a breakthrough. Keep an eye out for any unusual beast,” Ye Hongci said, connecting to Tu Ran’s mecha. Instinctively, she placed a small measure of hope in this newcomer from another world.

“Does it have any defining characteristics?” Tu Ran replied amid her swift attacks.

“No, it’s just a theory.”

“Got it.”

Tu Ran scanned her surroundings, her gaze settling on the beasts’ heads. She focused on locating the one with the highest mental power level.

Though high mental power didn’t necessarily mean a beast was the commander, it was more likely than one of the weaker creatures.

With so many alien beasts around, it was hard for Tu Ran to spot anything unusual right away.

Just then, the ground beneath her shook twice. The earth-burrowing beast, which had been lurking below and waiting for its chance, seized the moment when Tu Ran was briefly distracted. It burst from the ground, aiming its two thick arms—each ending in eight claw-like fingers as sharp as steel bars—right at Tu Ran’s face.

Each claw was half a meter long, brown-black and caked with soil.

If those claws struck her lightly armored mecha, it would surely be torn apart.

“Watch out!” Ye Hongci shouted a warning as she noticed the attack.

Just as the claws were about to reach Tu Ran’s mecha, she turned her head with a smirk and a mischievous glint in her eye.

“Finally, I’ve been waiting for you. Such nice claws—they’re way sharper than this broken blade of mine.”

With a quick sidestep, Tu Ran glided to the side of the beast, catching it off guard. In a single swift motion, she swung her half-blade one last time, severing both of its arms at the base.

Tossing aside her now useless broken weapon, Tu Ran caught the beast’s two severed limbs and slashed them across its belly.

True to its reputation as one of the strongest claws among the beasts, she didn’t even need to use her powers. With a light, ordinary swipe, its twenty-centimeter-thick hide split open, revealing its organs.

Ye Hongci, witnessing this firsthand, thought to herself: … Why didn’t I think of that?