After discarding the white bones, the butterflies flew back into the cave in unison.
Leng Xianye gave Xin Ye a hand signal: *Follow them in?*
The other two also noticed the silent exchange between Xin Ye and Leng Xianye. With a slight nod from Xin Ye, the four of them shed their relaxed demeanor. They lightened their footsteps and moved quickly into the cavern.
Xun Yin sounded as if a switch had been flipped: 【Excellent. We are now entering a vital segment of this preliminary round.】
【Actually, there’s no need to be quite so cautious. After all... you still have four butterflies perched on your shoulders.】
Xin Ye: "...I’m just acting a little scared to show some respect."
【Well said, 'to show respect,'】 Xun Yin agreed with the sentiment. 【Before we reach the butterflies' home base, let’s engage in some self-reflection to set the stage.】
【First: You’ve seen the other areas outside; they’re empty. All the mutants have been concentrated in the central zone. This is clearly the butterflies' doing, but why?】
The space inside the cave was vast, with numerous branching tunnels. Xin Ye took out a flashlight just in case and followed closely behind the butterflies leading the way.
"I’d love to say it’s like humans rounding up animals for a zoo, but it’s probably better to think in terms of biological instinct," Xin Ye glanced at the blue butterfly on his shoulder. "I’ll take a wild guess. Food?"
【Half-right. Time is pressing, let’s skip to the next question.】
【Second: You needed the butterflies to pass through the barrier because the barrier was created by them. So, why do they still want to cling to you after you’ve crossed it?】
Xin Ye noticed the butterflies ahead slowing down. He sensed they were nearing their destination. "...If we were the same kind of targets as those other mutants, the butterflies wouldn't be escorting us personally. That means..."
"We are prey that hasn't been fully captured yet?"
【Bingo.】
Lian Muyun started to step forward, but Tang Qiuqiu pulled him back. "Lian Muyun... I think I hear footsteps other than ours."
【Third: Student Xin Ye, have you considered the broader background of this competition?】
Xin Ye’s mind had already stuttered at Tang Qiuqiu’s warning; Xun Yin’s remark made it stall a second time.
"...The broader background?"
【In your world, the surface was overrun by mutants due to the harsh climate, and humans chose to build underground bases for refuge. What about this world?】
"Isn't it the same...?"
Hearing Xin Ye’s response, Xun Yin suddenly felt a flicker of pity for his "cheap son": 【If the world-building were identical, why wouldn't I just send you on a direct mission? Why bother with a virtual environment? Think it over slowly, no rush. Kill the mobs first; don't fry your CPU.】
【By the way, fighting mobs as a single team is exhausting. I’ve arranged some cheap help for you. Look behind you.】
Xin Ye turned around and saw Chen Anyang—the "clingy candy" he had just shaken off this morning—waving at him with an excited expression.
Since Xin Ye had brought Chen Anyang into the barrier, it wasn't surprising that their team’s exploration progress had reached this point as well.
Beside him were the members of the Regeneration Team. The youth standing at the front was likely the captain; he was staring at Xin Ye as if examining a curious new specimen.
The others quickly noticed the boy’s abnormal gaze. It wasn't until Leng Xianye gave a dissatisfied cough that the youth snapped out of it. He smiled, walked over to Xin Ye, and lowered his voice.
"You’re Xin Ye, right? Sorry, you’re very good-looking; I got a bit distracted," the youth said, seemingly unaware of how startling his words were. He blinked. "I’m Fu Shu, the captain of the Regeneration Team. Thank you for saving Chen Anyang earlier."
"Since we’ve all made it here, would you like to cooperate and check out the butterfly nest together?"
The youth’s skin was very pale, but it was an unnatural paleness, looking as though it had been processed by a heavy beauty filter.
Xin Ye didn't answer immediately. First, he asked Xun Yin in his mind: "This is the 'cheap help' you mentioned?"
【Yeah. Didn't you save Chen Anyang and refrain from eliminating him just so you could maintain a friendly cooperative relationship with other teams?】 Xun Yin seemed curious about Xin Ye’s hesitation. 【I can guarantee this guy isn't weak.】
"What’s his ability level?"
【Rank B, Regeneration. Oh, by the way, is it really okay for a Rank D like you to care so much about ability ranks?】
"Impossible. I have at least some impression of every Rank B in the Seventh Branch," Xin Ye denied instantly. "I’ve never seen this Fu Shu in either timeline. Is he a new character you added? Why does... my intuition tell me he’s not a good person?"
Xun Yin chuckled: 【Your intuition is really something... Since this is a side story, why would I add new characters? He has appeared before.】
【It’s just that his screen time was very short, and only the protagonist, Leng Xianye, ever met him.】
Xin Ye turned to look at Leng Xianye, only to see him wearing a stiff expression, clearly disliking the person in front of them as well.
Alarm bells rang in Xun Yin’s mind: 【You’re not going to refuse, are you? Don't! If you refuse him, I’ll have to rewrite the detailed outline!】
Xin Ye ignored Xun Yin and gave Fu Shu a smile that was clearly distant. "Sorry, our team doesn't have a captain at the moment. I’ll need to ask for everyone’s opinion on this."
"I refuse," Leng Xianye was the first to speak. The look he gave Fu Shu was complicated. "I don't think our team needs cooperation to explore the nest."
Lian Muyun, being a loyal childhood friend, sensed the subtle shift in Leng Xianye’s mood. He grinned and cast a dissenting vote: "Sorry! I’m pretty confident in us. I also don't think we need to partner up."
Tang Qiuqiu had always been one to follow his teammates' lead. Thus, Xin Ye shrugged at Fu Shu. "Sorry, looks like we won't be cooperating this time."
Fu Shu evidently hadn't expected to be rejected. A look of surprise crossed his face.
"Let’s go," Xin Ye said. He found Fu Shu’s presence unsettling, so he took the lead to leave. "The sooner we finish exploring, the sooner we can get out of here."
It wasn't just the people; the cave itself was oppressive and the air was dry. Xin Ye felt the organizers had intentionally created this environment to test the contestants' psychological fortitude.
Seeing him actually prepare to take on the boss as a single team, Xun Yin sighed several times.
Xin Ye tossed the fragment in his hand. "Stop sighing, Teacher Xun. You still haven't given me the answer to the third question."
'Teacher Xun' seemed pleased by the title and actually stopped sighing: 【You contestants are the only humans left in this region, right?】
Xin Ye gave a soft "mm-hmm."
He had been walking along the stone wall and had finally reached the innermost part of the cave.
The butterflies had vanished somewhere. There was nothing here. When the only path ahead turned into a dead end, experience prompted Xin Ye to look up.
He saw that above his head, a massive circular dome had either formed naturally or been excavated. Butterflies were swarming in a small semi-circular space, busy with some unknown task. Hanging from the very center of the dome were rows upon rows of butterfly eggs in various colors.
If not for his excellent eyesight, the density was such that Xin Ye might have mistaken the eggs for a solid membrane.
Tang Qiuqiu’s pupils dilated; his cat-like eyes shimmered in the darkness.
Once he saw clearly what was on the dome, his whole body shuddered uncontrollably. He instinctively grabbed Xin Ye’s sleeve. "Xin Ye... up there. The butterfly eggs aren't stuck to the stone."
"Between the eggs and the wall, there’s a layer of something that looks like flesh. Do you think... it was scraped off those mutant skeletons we saw outside?"
Xin Ye bit his lip. "Most likely."
Xun Yin: 【And you, the last remaining humans—whose instructions are you following? What role do the 'organizers' you see play in this world?】
Xin Ye’s breath hitched.
He understood.
Lian Muyun, that jinx... they really had fallen for the organizers' trap. Or rather, Xun Yin’s trap.
Xun Yin felt the chaotic thoughts in his mind and curled his lips slightly: 【Think carefully about what you want to do. After all, you have to stay here for a total of seven days.】
The Regeneration Team caught up behind them. Their members clearly had weaker psychological resilience; upon seeing the state of the dome, everyone except Fu Shu let out gasps of horror.
Fu Shu merely glanced at the clustered eggs a few times before withdrawing his gaze. Instead, he addressed Xin Ye: "What do you plan to do?"
Leng Xianye seemed to truly loathe Fu Shu, replying coldly, "Aren't you a captain? Can't make your own decisions? You have to ask other teams?"
Lian Muyun reached out and pressed Leng Xianye’s shoulder, signaling him not to be so aggressive.
"I’m just curious about the thoughts of the team with the fastest progress. I want to learn," Fu Shu said, seemingly unoffended. "After all, the notification only required us to explore; it didn't specify *how* to explore, did it?"
Since he had decided not to cooperate, Xin Ye didn't bother giving Fu Shu another look.
He asked Leng Xianye, "How large an object can your Black Box swallow now? Can it handle a thin plane like that dome?"
"Since my ability was overextended this morning, I feel like my limit has broken through a bit," Leng Xianye’s small black sphere manifested in his palm as he focused. "A whole plane is still a bit difficult, but I can adjust the details of the swallowing location at will. What specifically do you want to do?"
Xin Ye reached out and pinched the wings of the butterfly on his shoulder, lifting it before his eyes.
"Regardless of the requirements issued by the organizers, for the espers of the Mutation Investigation Department, there is only ever one goal," Xin Ye’s tone wasn't exactly cold, but it gave off an aura of being unapproachable. "Eliminate the mutants that hinder human survival."
"In this morning’s exploration, these mutant butterflies have already committed acts that hinder human survival."
He suddenly smiled at the butterfly in his hand. "The decrease in alertness in Qiuqiu and Leng Xianye... that was your handiwork, wasn't it?"
The butterfly had been lazily twitching its antennae, but upon hearing Xin Ye’s words, its wings suddenly shuddered. However, that fear was only felt by Xin Ye, who was holding its wings.
Finally understanding what had caused his earlier abnormality, Leng Xianye also brushed the butterfly off his shoulder.
The others followed suit, driving away the butterflies perched on them. In the end, only the unlucky one in Xin Ye’s hand remained in human custody. The mutant, silent for so long, finally spoke again.
"Have you decided to resist?"
The butterfly’s voice was soft and delicate, quite pleasant to the ear.
Except for Chen Anyang, who had already witnessed Xin Ye’s butterfly speaking, the others showed varying degrees of astonishment.
"The premise of 'resistance' is that one side has oppressed the other," Xin Ye mimicked the butterfly’s soft volume, but his tone wasn't soft—it was exceptionally hard and cold. "You’re quite confident, thinking the mutant butterflies have already gained an overwhelming advantage."
"You call us mutants, but in our eyes, you are just high-level mutants called 'humans.'"
The blue on the butterfly’s body suddenly deepened for a moment, then turned pale.
"I really did like you. Your blood suits my taste perfectly. Unfortunately, it seems we won't be able to talk properly anymore."
The butterfly’s body shriveled and turned gray bit by bit. Its corpse was heartlessly tossed to the ground by Xin Ye.
From the swarm on the dome, a larger, more vibrantly colored blue butterfly flew out.
Lian Muyun commented with interest, "So butterflies can play the 'golden cicada shedding its skin' trick too?"
In contrast to his light tone, a sniper rifle constructed from energy appeared in his hands.
Leng Xianye’s brow furrowed. "It’s intellectual evolution. They have higher intelligence and have learned... an alternative method of life transfer."
The butterfly, now in a new body, hovered in mid-air and asked softly, "Then, confident 'mutant humans,' what do you intend to do here?"
Drifting down along with its voice were butterfly scales.
Although the massive amount of powder was still some distance from the espers standing below, there was clearly nothing in the bare stone cave they could use for defense.
"Intellectual evolution is often accompanied by weak offensive power," Xin Ye pulled up his combat gloves and tapped his glasses, prompting Mirror to hand him a CZ 75. "Let it blow its powder; we’ll do our own thing."
He glanced at the energy sphere in Leng Xianye’s hand, a hint of mischief entering his gaze.
"I have a great idea. But it’s a tough task, so I’ll have to trouble you, Brother Leng."
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 再生小队 | Regeneration Team | A competing team in the preliminary round. |
| 浮书 | Fu Shu | Captain of the Regeneration Team. |
| 鳞粉 | Butterfly scales / Wing powder | The powdery substance on butterfly wings, used here as an attack. |
| 金蝉脱壳 | Golden cicada shedding its skin | A Chinese idiom for a strategic retreat or using a decoy to escape. |
| 智力进化 | Intellectual evolution | The process of mutants gaining higher-level sapience. |
| 生命转移法 | Life transfer method | The butterfly's ability to move its consciousness between bodies. |
| 变异人 | Mutant humans | How the butterfly refers to the espers. |
| C/Z75 | CZ 75 | A well-known semi-automatic pistol. |
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Promoted to Protagonist: Persecuted by the Meta-Narrative | Chapter 14 | The Butterfly's Nest | Novela.app | Novela.app
