CHAPTER 336: CHAPTER 333 [INSTANT COLD KILL] (PART 1)

Chapter 333: Instant Low-Temperature Kill (Part One)

How should one describe the Captain’s true strength? He was a standout among the Destroyers. Moreover, after Chen Nuo included him among the seventeen individuals for Consciousness Space repair, his power received a substantial buff. Currently, he could be considered to have essentially reached the ceiling for Destroyers. His overall strength was comparable to the "Sea Monster" from the Brazilian tropical rainforest mission. That Sea Monster had been touted as the strongest Destroyer and the foremost candidate below the Controllers, widely acknowledged as the most likely individual to advance to the Controller rank in that era.

Then, the Sea Monster perished in Brazil.

Evidently, being dubbed "the strongest below a certain tier" was never a good omen.

The Captain was well aware of this.

Few in the world knew how the Sea Monster had actually died, but everyone was fairly certain he was indeed gone.

The lineup recruited by the Octopus Monster website for this life’s Antarctica mission had undergone earth-shattering changes compared to the one Chen Nuo experienced in his previous life. After all, the events in the two timelines were separated by several years.

Sitting in the conference room, Chen Nuo looked at the people present and surprisingly didn’t recognize most of them. However, as Vanel made the introductions, Chen Nuo found some names familiar—all were renowned experts in the Underground World.

Naturally, the most powerful among them were the three Controller powerhouses leading this expedition: the Wizard, the Captain, and...

"Mr. Captain, a pleasure to meet you. I am Lillian."

A woman of exceptional grace proactively approached the Captain, extending her hand with a smile.

The Captain’s expression turned grave.

Lillian, also known as "Diamond." A Controller of long-standing renown in the Underground World, and currently the only female Controller besides the Star Sky Empress herself.

This powerful woman, known as "Diamond," actually had another former nickname: "Her Highness the Princess." However, due to the meteoric rise and immense fame of the Star Sky Empress, Lillian later grew to despise being called "Princess." A queen versus a princess—the disparity was too keenly felt.

Although Lillian also possessed significant fame, everyone secretly acknowledged one thing: the Star Sky Empress’s power was likely superior to hers. Of course, no one would dare mention this to her face.

In any case, according to the gossip and rumors of the Underground World that Chen Nuo was privy to, Lillian had always been subtly trying to compete with the Star Sky Empress. Her words and actions always seemed to heavily emphasize her status as a prominent female Controller. She would often try to replicate Lu Xixi’s achievements. If Lu Xixi challenged a Level A team, Lillian would often feel compelled to undertake a similar feat.

Lillian disliked others mentioning the Star Sky Empress in her presence. When it did happen, she would feign respect while subtly conveying disdain...

Let’s put it this way. Imagine in the entertainment industry, when a reporter asks a top actress about another rival top actress, the response is seemingly polite but actually barbed. It was like mentioning one famous celebrity in front of another similarly-named, rival celebrity... something like that.

However, Chen Nuo recalled that, conversely, the Star Sky Empress never mentioned Lillian in any setting, not even privately.

The difference in their standing was clear.

Objectively, however, Lillian’s strength was still formidable. After Lu Xixi’s comet-like rise, although Lillian was thoroughly outshone by the Star Sky Empress, her tenacious efforts to compete over the years still proved her considerable abilities.

Lillian’s age couldn’t be discerned from her appearance. Chen Nuo only knew that this "Diamond" was certainly older than Lu Xixi. But for Controllers, who could manipulate their bodies down to the cellular level, changing their form, face, and appearance, they far surpassed ordinary people in overcoming diseases and delaying aging. Lillian’s appearance was naturally quite striking, making her look like a woman in her twenties.

However, her physique was akin to a Victoria’s Secret model—tall and slender, with broad shoulders, long legs, and a statuesque posture. Her style was completely different from Lu Xixi’s. Her hair was also cut very short.

In fact, I’ve always thought Lillian tries too hard to distinguish herself from Lu Xixi, Chen Nuo mused. Her golden-red hair would look much better grown out, long and flowing like seaweed.

Unfortunately, since Lu Xixi had long hair, Lillian always presented herself with short hair.

"I hope this cooperation will be pleasant. And welcome aboard."

Lillian didn’t say much, clearly just a simple greeting—standard etiquette among top Controllers. The final "welcome aboard" obviously wasn’t welcoming him to *this* mission. It was welcoming the Captain to the "Controller echelon."

After they shook hands firmly, the Captain maintained a stern expression as Lillian smiled and left, taking another seat in the conference room.

I’m not panicking! the Captain told himself.

As a veteran Ability User in the Underground World and the leader of an organization, the Captain was hardly a coward. But confronting two Controllers of their stature was a true test of his nerve!

Fortunately, Controllers observed certain unwritten rules, a key one being never to use their abilities to probe one another casually. Such an act was considered a hostile provocation among Controllers. Protected by their "Controller" status, neither the Wizard nor Lillian used their spiritual power to investigate the Captain. Thus, the true extent of his strength remained safely concealed for the time being.

The Captain took a deep breath, and then... he began to drink water. He picked up the thermos he had brought, unscrewed the lid, and took a large gulp.

Vanel, who was standing at the front preparing to present some information, glanced over at the sound. He saw the thermos in the Captain’s hand and its contents, a Huaxia ’elixir’: goji berries steeped in water.

Davarishi suddenly felt a wave of unease.

"This is something I learned while living in Huaxia recently. It’s very beneficial for health," the Captain stated nonchalantly.

Vanel coughed once but said nothing.

The Captain was telling the truth. Besides thermos-brewed goji berries, the Captain had also learned to take a spoonful of black sesame every morning and evening, which was said to be good for the brain. Needless to ask, these dietary habits had been imparted to him by his new friend in Jinling, Brother Lei. Goji berries for vitality, black sesame for hair growth—these were part of Brother Lei’s personal health regimen.

The briefing followed a familiar pattern, similar to the one in Brazil. Vanel began by introducing the various Ability Users participating in the mission. Besides the three Controllers, there were nine other Ability Users (including Chen Nuo, under the alias Anderson).

After listening carefully, Chen Nuo didn’t pay them much mind. They were all just cannon fodder anyway, he thought.

However, he noted one detail carefully and confirmed something: Lu Xixi wasn’t present under an alias among these nine people.

I definitely don’t want another awkward pre-battle reunion with my wife, the Star Sky Empress, Chen Nuo thought. Confirming Lu Xixi wasn’t there and that no one present was Lu Xixi in disguise, Chen Nuo breathed a sigh of relief.

It should be noted that, apart from the three Controllers, the other Ability Users hailed from all corners of the globe. Only one person of East Asian descent was among them: the young man currently seated beside Chen Nuo.

"Hello. Kamisou Ichiro, from Neon Country," the young man beside Chen Nuo said, nodding.

"Anderson, Abyss Organization," Chen Nuo replied.

"I’ve heard much about you. I look forward to working with you," Kamisou Ichiro nodded, his tone serious, though his expression clearly indicated he wasn’t actually expecting Chen Nuo to look out for him.

A young and proud Ability User from Neon Country. According to Vanel’s introduction, this Kamisou Ichiro was a Destroyer who had only been promoted this year, and his strength was notable.

So, Neon Country does have formidable Ability Users after all, Chen Nuo mused. The population base is there, after all.

During his last trip to Japan, the so-called grandmaster recruited by the Truth Society—the old man who had tried to show off with a "sword, come!" display in front of Chen Nuo—was an Ability User, but his strength was mediocre. That merely showed the Truth Society hadn’t managed to recruit a true expert. That didn’t represent the true strength of Neon Country’s Ability Users.

This Kamisou Ichiro clearly had an air of arrogance about him—though Chen Nuo couldn’t see what he had to be so proud about. According to the introductions, among the twelve people present, aside from the three Controller titans, this Kamisou Ichiro, though a Destroyer, was a newly promoted one. His on-paper strength probably ranked him second to last among the twelve. The last, naturally, was my own alias, Anderson.

From the roster, it’s clear my inclusion as Anderson is entirely due to the Captain’s influence, Chen Nuo figured. I’ve been selected as the powerhouse’s attendant.

The Wizard and Lillian had also each brought an attendant. The Wizard’s attendant was a skilled Destroyer from the Cultivator Association. Lillian’s was a Black woman, also a Destroyer.

Compared to the other powerhouses’ attendants, the Captain’s ’sidekick,’ Anderson, is clearly lacking in on-paper strength.

"That concludes the team member introductions. Next, let’s introduce the official personnel involved in this operation. My name is Vanel, deputy head of the operations team for Magic Company. And for this operation, the official in charge is the leader of our operations team."

Saying this, Vanel nodded toward the hook-nosed man at his side, took two steps back, and yielded the floor to him.

"Ladies and gentlemen..." The hook-nosed man stepped to the center, took a deep breath, his eyes sweeping over everyone present, then smiled slowly. "This commission, as its level suggests, carries immense expectations from our company. The resources invested and the caliber of the commissioned individuals are all top-tier!

"I first want to express my deep gratitude to all of you for your trust in our company and your willingness to participate in this grand undertaking. At the same time, I very much look forward to your successful completion of this mission. Our company has prepared substantial rewards, ensuring that the efforts of every participant will not be in vain.

"Oh, and one final thing: allow me to introduce myself. I am Nolan, and I will be serving as the team leader and overall commander for this mission. Should any issues arise during the operation, please don’t hesitate to bring them to me. Of course, I must reiterate one of our company’s standing rules: infighting is strictly prohibited during the mission. Any personal vendettas must be settled after the mission concludes. If personal vendettas impact the mission’s progress... I trust none of you wish to jeopardize the amicable relationship between yourselves and our company."

Chen Nuo sat calmly beside the Captain, quietly listening to the hook-nosed man’s introduction. Nolan, sharing a name with the famous director—though in 2001, Director Nolan was just emerging and far from world-renowned.

Nolan—the hook-nosed man—paused here, looked at those seated to ensure there were no objections, then continued.

"Next, I will brief you on the mission’s content and specific details. Although the mission is classified, it isn’t complex in itself, so I haven’t prepared written materials for everyone. I will give a unified briefing here; I trust its contents are simple enough for everyone to grasp immediately."

As Nolan spoke, he quickly stepped aside, clearing the view of the projector screen at the front. Vanel promptly walked over to the projector and began to load the data.

The room lights dimmed, and the screen lit up, displaying a map of Antarctica. The map featured a red circle marking a specific location, accompanied by precise latitude and longitude coordinates.

"The Red Circle marks our mission’s target location."

CLICK. CLICK.

As Nolan pressed the controller in his hand, the image on the screen changed. A somewhat blurry satellite image appeared, showing a cluster of buildings on the ground. It was clearly a camp constructed from modular units.

"For ease of reference during this mission, we’ll call this location ’The Red Circle.’ The buildings you see now are located within The Red Circle. This was originally a semi-permanent research and survey base built by our company—the structures you saw in the satellite image..."

Nolan explained calmly. He didn’t specify what the base researched or surveyed. Some present were visibly curious, but no one voiced their questions. They weren’t rookies; everyone understood there would be a Q&A session after the briefing, so there was no need to interrupt.

"Originally, The Red Circle base housed sixteen of our company’s employees and technical staff, along with sixteen security personnel..."

A one-to-one ratio of staff to security, everyone present mentally noted. This base must be incredibly important to Octopus Monster.

"However, just over a month ago, we lost all contact with this base."