Lethal Stunner: Kicking Off with Five Beast Husbands

Chapter 266: Chapter 266: Human Trust is Indeed Fragile

"You really won’t kill us?" Bai Yan asked.

The scene of the Terminal swallowing Insect Brain 2.0 whole still lingered vividly in her mind.

"Of course I won’t kill you," the Terminal chuckled lightly; its chilling voice resounded in Bai Yan’s mind: "But I need you to kill them."

"Bai Yan." The Terminal’s voice turned stern. "Life or death—you need to make a choice now."

Up until now, Bai Yan had a total of eight Beast Husbands.

Excluding Kui Mao, who had already died, as well as Jin Ao and Qing Zelin, who were trapped in the Mist Base.

Those who had survived the explosion under the protection of the Terminal were Xue Ruiyang, Bai Qiming, Kong Chengrui, Ying Fei, and the recently reunited Xi Qu.

Bai Yan’s hands trembled in panic. She kept her head down, not daring to meet the Terminal’s gaze, nor to face Ying Fei and the others.

The Terminal calmly enjoyed her frantic state but did not rush her. noveldrama

Only after five minutes passed with no decision from Bai Yan did the Terminal finally speak again in a low voice: "Xiao Jinsheng has found us."

"She holds the Star System Map, and at this close range, my disguise won’t hold for long."

"Bai Yan, you need to make a decision now," the Terminal reminded her.

The group of Beast Husbands, including Xue Ruiyang, still believed the Terminal was pressuring Bai Yan to agree to escape with it into the interstellar world.

Only Bai Yan knew the true reason for her internal struggle.

The Terminal’s voice rang in her mind again, exclusively for her: "Haven’t you noticed something off about Ying Fei?"

"If you’re unable to decide for now, you can start with him."

Bai Yan’s heart, initially torn by panic and hesitation, wavered further.

Knowing that Xiao Jinsheng was outside searching for her at this very moment—

And remembering how Xiao had previously tried to kill her repeatedly in the Tree Planting Area, aiming to exhaust her limited resurrections—

Bai Yan still wanted to resist.

"I think I could try to talk to Xiao Jinsheng again," Bai Yan said, clinging to hope.

The things she had in her possession might perhaps be worth negotiating for.

"You and Insect Brain 1.0 altered her memories," the Terminal sneered.

"It’s useless. Didn’t you already send Jin Ao to find Xiao Jinsheng and ask for her help?" the Terminal said. "Do you think she found your location by mere coincidence?"

"It’s because you, the Insect Clan, and I are all her sworn enemies."

"Three enemies converging in one place."

"Who wouldn’t erupt in anger?"

"At the very least, Xiao Jinsheng couldn’t hold back."

"Give it up. The memories you’re offering won’t save your life," the Terminal laughed coldly.

The Terminal’s words made Bai Yan realize that no matter which path she chose, it would lead to her death.

Her heart sank, and she lowered her head to hide the sharp light in her eyes.

Wiping away her tears, Bai Yan turned to her Beast Husbands. "At this point, let’s leave the Mist Continent with the Terminal."

Her gaze flickered hesitantly between Xi Qu and Ying Fei.

When her eyes met Xi Qu’s gentle, longing look, she recalled Ying Fei’s cold demeanor toward her over the past few days.

Finally, Bai Yan stepped forward and walked toward Ying Fei. "Ying Fei, let’s escape with the Terminal."

"Xiao Yan, I’m willing to leave with you and the Terminal," Xi Qu interrupted, reaching out to block Bai Yan’s path toward Ying Fei midway.

He grabbed her hand, pulling her closer to him. "The Terminal is good. It’s the Terminal that saved me, so I trust it."

"Xi Qu." Bai Yan felt the heat in Xi Qu’s tightly clasping palm and realized she had missed him, too.

Despite his bad temper, Xi Qu had always been good to her.

"Xiao Yan, I’ve missed you so much," Xi Qu murmured tenderly, tugging Bai Yan closer into his arms.

A cold, merciless blade pierced straight through Bai Yan’s chest.

Bai Yan’s mouth filled with the taste of blood. Stricken with terror, she stared at Xi Qu, the one holding the dagger plunged into her heart. "You... Xi..."

"You’re courting death!" Bai Qiming roared in fury, striking Xi Qu with a palm and sending him flying.

Xue Ruiyang rushed over to support Bai Yan.

Kong Chengrui frantically utilized the limited healing effects of his Wood Element Superpower to treat Bai Yan’s wound.

Ying Fei furrowed his brow, pinning Xi Qu to the ground and pummeling him mercilessly.

Having lost his Star Stone and narrowly survived thanks to the Terminal, the powerless Xi Qu couldn’t muster any resistance against Ying Fei’s violent assault.

With bloodshot eyes, Xi Qu glared at Bai Yan, cursing furiously, "Liar! You’re nothing but a liar! You’ve been deceiving me from the very beginning!"

He had escaped death by a hair’s breadth.

But without a Star Stone, there was no hope of survival in the apocalyptic Mist Continent.

He could die.

But he wouldn’t let Bai Yan, the one responsible for all his tragedies, continue to live either.

"The trust among humans is truly fragile," the Terminal interjected with a laugh.

Its dark gaze lingered on Bai Yan, who had narrowly been saved from death. In a tone filled with hidden meaning, it remarked, "It seems even the bond of the Contractual Totem can’t fully protect you or ensure anyone’s unconditional trust in you."

Bai Yan’s face turned ashen.

Because of Ying Fei’s recent attitude toward her, she’d chosen him as her first target.

Never did she expect that the unexpectedly reunited Xi Qu was already harboring a deep, murderous intent toward her.

Cold sweat drenched Bai Yan’s back. Glancing at Xue Ruiyang and the others now protecting her, she felt her heart grow hollow.

Not long ago, Xi Qu was just like them, shielding her.

But simply because he learned she had chosen him among the Beast Husbands and had even fed him the Star-breaking Pill at the cost of her own lifespan, everything changed. It gave birth to his murderous intent toward her.

What about the others?

If Xi Qu turned out this way, and Ying Fei as well—

Bai Yan couldn’t guarantee that, if Xue Ruiyang and the others discovered her fleeting thought of killing them, they wouldn’t act exactly like Xi Qu and strike first.

"What are you waiting for?" the Terminal urged coldly. "Xiao Jinsheng is already here."

"I can’t..." Bai Yan’s voice was low. "I can’t kill four Thirteen-Star Beastmen at the same time."

The Terminal paused briefly.

Then it let out a satisfied chuckle. "The Insect Brain truly chose the right person."

·

Xiao Jinsheng felt certain that Bai Yan wasn’t dead, and neither was the Terminal.

As for Insect Brain 2.0, she had personally witnessed the Terminal devour it through the Dome Screen.

The Terminal was difficult to kill.

But its strength in eliminating the Insect Clan was beyond question.

After teleporting into the Sealed Defense Zone, Xiao Jinsheng activated the Star System Map, scanning a kilometer beneath the surface.

She searched inch by inch.

The Beast Husbands accompanying her guarded her vigilantly on all sides.

Even Lou Yan Zhi wasn’t slacking, meticulously calculating the possible hiding spots for the Terminal and Bai Yan.

Through multi-level technological searches, Xiao Jinsheng indeed discovered something unusual.

Deep underground, there was a new space created by some sort of special energy.

However, this new space had already become ownerless.

The energy supporting it was also dissipating.

Xiao Jinsheng immediately directed the Star System Map to extract the space to the surface.

Once exposed to the outside world, the energy within the space completely disintegrated.

The contents of the space spilled out like garbage, piling into a small hill.

There were finely crafted, clean tableware sets and the remaining exoskeletons of Insect Clan creatures with their meat gnawed off.

And a few corpses...

"Aren’t these Xue Ruiyang and the others?" Yu Yunxiao exclaimed in shock.

Using the Star System Map, Xiao Jinsheng confirmed that they were indeed Xue Ruiyang and the others.

Five bodies in total.

All of them people they knew well.

Xue Ruiyang, Bai Qiming, Kong Chengrui, Ying Fei, and Xi Qu.

The first four bodies had gaping wounds where their Dantians used to be; their Star Stones were gone.

Each of them had been killed by a single, precise slash to the throat—a swift and clean death.

The last body, Xi Qu, was different from the other four. His injuries were numerous, and his body bore signs of a brutal beating.

His Dantian remained intact, but his Superpower Level was 0 Star.

It was obvious that his Star Stone had been taken earlier.

"This has to be the work of the Terminal," Xiao Jinsheng said.

The Terminal was infamous for extracting Star Stones, one of its signature methods.

However, the precision of the slash to the throat wasn’t the Terminal’s usual style.

It preferred to directly tear out someone’s heart.

As Xiao Jinsheng pieced together her analysis, she concluded, "Clearly, the Terminal has someone with it."

She added in astonishment, "Could Bai Yan have joined forces with the Terminal?"

"But..." Xuan Jiu looked down at the bodies of Xue Ruiyang and the others. "If it wasn’t the Terminal that killed them, could it really have been Bai Yan?"