Colonial Suit

Chapter 156: Broad-spectrum Elemental Body Modulation

The lake was quite large, appearing to be dozens of square kilometers. It was hard to imagine such a large lake existing in a valley, especially since Blood瞳 and the others had been completely unaware of it. However, Blood瞳 noticed a faint layer of ice fog hovering above the lake. It was almost impossible to detect without careful observation.

Beneath the ice fog, thousands of mutated beasts were roaring excitedly, eagerly jumping into the lake. They greedily swallowed the lake water while soaking their bodies in it. They were so excited that they didn't even notice Blood瞳 in the air. However, the lake water offered them more than just pleasure; some of the mutated beasts couldn't withstand the lake's frigid temperature and were frozen into ice blocks before Blood瞳's eyes.

But what surprised Blood瞳 wasn't this… it was the lake itself…

He had seen it before!!

Yes, he had seen this lake! He had definitely seen it!! It was just that the lake wasn't surrounded by so much ice and snow back then, nor were there so many terrifying mutated beasts. At that time, the lake was nestled in a lush green valley, like a pearl embedded in the valley. But… Blood瞳 was puzzled. He had come to this planet for the first time, so how could he have seen the lake here?

A gust of wind swept across, causing ripples to spread across the lake's surface.

Ah… Blood瞳 remembered when he had seen this lake before. It was in those nightmares! Those terrifying battlefield nightmares!!

Blood瞳 knew that the battlefield nightmares that had been troubling him weren't all about slaughter and bloodshed. At the beginning of each one, he would be placed in a relatively comfortable environment to relax. And this lake… had once been the starting point of a battlefield. Blood瞳 remembered looking down at the entire lake from this very angle. And just a few minutes later, enemies would pour in from all directions, devouring him completely.

But that was a dream… and this, was reality!!

Why was this happening!!

Blood瞳 floated silently in mid-air, his heart screaming. Why was this happening!?

It was too absurd… too incomprehensible…

Why would a dream overlap with reality?

Why would scenes that appeared in dreams appear in reality??

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Blood瞳 would have hardly believed what he was seeing. Gradually, an invisible fear crept into Blood瞳's heart. He felt, in the depths of his being, that a large hand was playing with his fate. This fear was so clear, so clear that Blood瞳 couldn't help but tremble…

“What… exactly… is going on…”

Blood瞳 floated blankly in mid-air, like a wooden sculpture. After a long while, he suddenly woke up and called out in his mind.

“Core!”

“I am here…” The Core's voice arrived as expected, still rigid and calm.

“Can you tell me what's going on?” Blood瞳 asked. He vaguely felt that if anyone knew what was happening, it would most likely be the Core.

But he was disappointed. The Core's reply was unremarkable. “I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about.”

“You know… my dreams, and this lake below.”

“…” The Core was silent for a moment, then replied, “The host's dreams are not within the protection of the colonization system. Do you want to include them? This requires your authorization.”

“Are you kidding me?” Blood瞳's pupils contracted slightly, and a heavy fire ignited in his chest.

He felt like he was being played. In fact, since the Core awakened, Blood瞳 had felt that this colonization control center was far more than just a tool. It was too intelligent and too good at hiding. Although it had been providing Blood瞳 with crucial assistance all along, Blood瞳 always felt that it was hiding something, leading him step by step towards a certain future…

This feeling made Blood瞳 very uncomfortable. No, it was more than just uncomfortable; Blood瞳 had even begun to feel angry. Although he was just an insignificant hunter from the X35 apocalypse, Blood瞳 was not used to being controlled, especially the control of fate.

As a parasite, the Core naturally sensed Blood瞳's anger. Under normal circumstances, it would not express any opinion. But now… it showed a fluctuation.

“Is the host… doubting me?”

“But… this is not something I can change. I am just a tool… a tool that unconditionally obeys the host according to the First Sequence rules.”

“Then what can you change?” Blood瞳 took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in his heart. “Can you change it? Let me know what it is?”

Blood瞳's words were just a fit of pique, but to his surprise, the Core's reply stunned him.

“I can.”

“What did you say?” Blood瞳's voice stopped abruptly, and an incredible look appeared in his eyes. “You can? You know what it is?”

“Yes.” The Core's reply was still rigid and unwavering. “In fact, it's not difficult. Because it originally belonged to a Krodel facility. Number X71145s63, a broad-spectrum elemental body modulation device.”

“This isn't… a natural lake?” Blood瞳 was dumbfounded.

“Of course not. In fact, what's contained inside isn't water, but a special modulation fluid. Its purpose is to enhance the physique and prolong the lifespan of all organisms within its coverage area. In Krodel, this type of broad-spectrum modulation device was widely used in various public places. It belongs to civilian infrastructure,” the Core replied calmly.

“But here…” The Core paused, and a rare fluctuation appeared in its tone. “It has been changed.”

“Changed how?” Blood瞳 noticed the Core's abnormality and hurriedly asked. In fact, he also understood that if it was an ordinary civilian facility, how could it attract so many aggressive and astonishing mutated beasts? And analyzing from the behavior of these mutated beasts, this lake must be very important to them. It might even be… their source of power.

“It's not certain yet. More information is needed,” the Core replied. “It is recommended that the host enter the central control of the modulation facility to investigate.”

“How do I get in?” Blood瞳 calmed down and began to consider the possibility of the Core's suggestion. Right now, the area around the lake was full of mutated beasts. If he went down just like that, it was almost certain that a great battle would ensue.

“The modulation facility has a dedicated work channel. I have marked it on the map.”

Blood瞳's eyes flashed, and he noticed a map of his current area appearing in the corner of his eye, with a small light spot flashing constantly.

After equipping the colonization armor, his vision was already shared with the armor. He could receive direct visual prompts.

Blood瞳 carefully observed the map and found that the entry point was located on a cliff face in the northeast corner of the lake, some distance away from the lake. With his speed, he could completely sneak in without alarming the mutated beasts.

At this point, Blood瞳 didn't want to return immediately. Whether it was the overlap of dreams and reality, or curiosity about the Krodel civilization, it prompted Blood瞳 to continue exploring. He wanted to know what this planet was hiding, and why the scenes from his dreams would appear here.

The entry point was a rock that was completely submerged in the mountain wall. Due to the cold, the rock was covered with ice as thick as five meters. Its hardness was extremely astonishing. From the outside, there was nothing unusual about it. But with the prompt from the colonization armor, Blood瞳 easily found the spot and cut through the ice with his elbow-mounted light blade.

Behind the ice was an entrance disguised as rock. Blood瞳 noticed that there were no opening mechanisms on the rock surface, and it was no different from ordinary ice rock.

Just then, something strange happened. The crystal on the forehead of the colonization armor suddenly shot out a beam of blue light, directly into the rock. Immediately afterwards, the entire rock began to twist, wriggling like a living thing. The camouflage color on the surface quickly faded, revealing the complex muscle tissue beneath.

At the same time, Blood瞳 received a section of thought information in his mind.

“Welcome… First-Order Conqueror.”

“Conqueror?” Blood瞳 was stunned.

“Krodel's general term for combat individuals. Only individuals equipped with colonization armor will be recognized,” the Core explained.

Blood瞳 didn't speak, but a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. From this name, one could see how powerful the Krodel people were back then. Conquest… was this the meaning of their existence?

The wriggling of the entrance intensified, and it quickly expanded in all directions, revealing a deep red passage. Through the entrance, one could see that both sides of the passage were lined with bright red muscle tissue, which quickly hardened into smooth walls. Blood瞳 walked in without hesitation. The entrance then closed behind him, turning back into rock.

“It seems that this place has not suffered any damage and still retains its original function,” the Core said in Blood瞳's mind.

“Hopefully this is good news,” Blood瞳 replied calmly.

The passage was not complicated. In fact, this was just an ordinary control center, so Blood瞳 didn't need much effort to find its core area, a completely enclosed room.

But just then, an anomaly occurred.

A hole suddenly opened in the wall above Blood瞳, and two agile black shadows shot out from inside.

The two black shadows launched an attack on Blood瞳 as soon as they appeared. Their speed was so fast that even Blood瞳's vision couldn't distinguish them. At the same time, the ground beneath Blood瞳's feet suddenly sank, trapping his ankles like a swamp.

In the blink of an eye, Blood瞳 didn't even have time to react and directly crossed his arms in front of him to protect himself. Immediately following was a muffled sound. He only felt as if his arms had been hit hard by a heavy hammer, and they even felt numb.

“What strong attack power!” Blood瞳 was shocked. He looked up again and realized that the two black shadows were actually two strange humanoid creatures.

They were covered in a special black hard shell, looking like they were wearing two sets of special armor. Their movements were extremely fast. After discovering that their attack was ineffective, they all took a step back and let out a series of strange sounds. Their eyes even shot out violent red light.

“How could they be here?” In Blood瞳's mind, the Core's surprised voice sounded.