This villain is too popular.

Chapter 366 The Dreamer's 'Madness'

[Simulated Occupied Zone, Quicksand Planet]

[Remaining survival time: 02:59]

[Current quantity of quicksand star ore collected: 0/10]

rustle
The yellow sand crunched softly beneath his feet. Chen Kong, clinging to the shadow beneath the broken wall of the library ruins, held his breath with all his might.

Surprisingly, Chen Kong only had less than three minutes left before the mission ended.

However, he did not follow the mission requirements to collect the quicksand star ore scattered in the ruins.

Instead, taking advantage of the safe zone that Ennet had previously cleared, they gradually approached the center of the ant nest.

However, even in these places that have been cleared out by Ennet, the current situation in Dust Sky remains fraught with danger.

"Another one."

In the shadows of the ruins, Chen Kong's pupils contracted slightly as he caught a glimpse of three quicksand star black ants crawling slowly towards him along the corner of the wall.

Although these quicksand star ants look similar to ants, in addition to being able to distinguish pheromones using the antennae on their foreheads, they also have very strong dynamic vision.

Therefore, even if he suppressed his aura with the Void Pattern, as long as the distance was less than five meters, their tentacles would still detect his pheromones, thus discovering his hidden self.

In the moment of crisis, Chen Kong raised the Void Weaver in his hand.

boom!
The Sky Pattern bullet accurately hit the foremost Sand Star Black Ant.

Although the shot didn't kill the opponent outright, it disrupted the rhythm of the three quicksand star black ants.

At the same time, taking advantage of the brief commotion, Chen Kong quickly ducked into a crevice in the nearby ruins, like a nimble kitten.

Several quicksand star black ants circled around for a few seconds, but still couldn't find the dust queen. Finally, they crawled deeper into the ant nest to guard their queen.

Looking in the direction the black ants of the quicksand star had left, Chen Kong breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

This was the fifteenth wave of black ants he had avoided; each time he got closer to the ant nest, the danger increased.

However, his actions left the viewers on the 13th station somewhat confused.

'Strange, what is the prison guard doing?'

'The mission requires collecting ore, but Lao Kong hasn't collected a single piece during this time. Instead, he keeps heading deeper into the lair. Does he have some other purpose?'

'Perhaps there's something in this lair that's even more alluring to the prisoner than completing the mission.'

The viewers in the anime/manga world were right; Chen Kong did indeed have something more important to do than complete the mission.

[Simulated Occupied Area Quicksand Star Ant Nest - Outer Perimeter]

[Remaining survival time: 10 seconds]

[Quantity of ore collected: 0/10]

After wasting a great deal of time, Chen Kong finally found his true target behind a pile of rubble.

A Sand Star soldier ant, three times the size of an ordinary black ant, still bore the mark of Ennet's fist on its carapace, indicating that it had just died not long ago, and its body still carried faint stellar energy fluctuations.

Seeing the half-dead quicksand star soldier ant, Chen Kong ignored the quicksand star black ants surrounding him and unleashed his full star power, rushing towards the quicksand star soldier ant.

With '3 seconds' left on the countdown, a black ant's jaws snapped empty behind him, its sharp legs tearing through his combat suit, but he didn't even turn around.

With a countdown of '2 seconds,' Chen Kong's fingertips touched the soldier ant's cold carapace.

With a countdown of '1 second', Chen Kong's Star Source. Dreamer instantly erupted!
Accompanied by a strong fluctuation of stellar energy, a faint black double helix stellar energy trajectory suddenly emerged from the soldier ant's body.

They were like two intertwined 'DNA chains', drilling into Chen Kong's body through his fingertips.

Those stellar energy trails, carrying the soldier ants' 'life information' and 'stellar core characteristics,' left a faint mark in his star source before disappearing completely.

[Simulation complete! Task completion: 0%, Rating: Failed]

The moment the holographic panel popped up, Chen Kong's figure was enveloped in a burst of white light, and his consciousness returned to the simulation pod in reality. [Yellow-level Training Area, Occupied Zone Holographic Simulation Experience Store]

"It's done!"

Chen Kong suddenly sat up in the simulator, unable to contain his excitement, and suddenly shouted out.

The students who were resting nearby were startled and cast strange glances at him.

After all, no one has ever seen someone so happy with a zero completion rate on a task; nine times out of ten, they must be 'crazy'.

However, Chen Kong did not pay attention to the strange looks from others.

As he strode out of the simulation chamber, Bai Kong's long-absent, arrogant voice echoed in his mind.

'Not bad, we have the soldier ant's identity mark as cover.'

"The next time you enter the quicksand planet simulation, you'll be able to use this mark to fool the ordinary black ants and get close to the core area where the queen is located."

Although the remains of the Sand Star Ant Queen are hidden in the core area, it was still a Cataclysmic Star Beast. Even if only the remains are left, a mere Level 2 Star Envoy like him might not be able to easily replicate it.

Not to mention that this is just a so-called 'simulation'.

Therefore, Chen Kong could never say how much success he was confident about.

Therefore, Chen Kong asked himself somewhat uncertainly, 'But are you sure this will allow me to replicate even a portion of the Cataclysmic Ant Queen's abilities?'

I'm not sure.

Bai Kong's answer was somewhat nonchalant, with a hint of mockery.

However, after a pause, his tone instantly became serious.

Even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance, it's worth trying.

'After all, calamity-level star beasts aren't like cabbages at the market, you can't just encounter them anytime.'

'Not to mention that this queen ant was clearly dead, with her body tissues preserved—a catastrophe-level event.'

"If you miss this opportunity, you may never find another one as good as this."

Therefore, instead of worrying about whether you can succeed, you should first think about whether you can even get to the core area.

Although Bai Kong's words were all about 'persuading' himself.

But Chen Kong could sense that he also had some 'scheme' against that catastrophe-level ant queen.

However, considering the enormous boost that could be gained by replicating some of the abilities of Cataclysmic Star Beasts, he was only considering the potential benefits.

Chen Kong decided to continue trying.

At the same time, Lena saw Chen Kong emerge and rushed over, asking with some concern, "Mr. Chen Kong, are you alright? I see your mission completion rate is zero."

"fine."

Chen Kong smiled and shook his head, pointing to the entrance of the simulation store.

"Let's try again next time. We'll definitely pass next time."

Chen Kong's tone was full of confidence, because he knew that his goal was never as simple as 'through simulation'.

[Dimensional Bullet Comment Section]

'Holy crap! So Prisoner Kong was trying to replicate the abilities of the soldier ants! I thought he'd gone mad!'

'A Cataclysmic-level ant queen? That's a huge target! Prisoner Kong actually wants to copy the Cataclysmic's abilities!'

'So, a dreamer can be used like this?'

(End of this chapter)