Free Web NovelChapter 133: Brutal Dilemma
A bounty of 30,000 merits was placed on Diya by the ancient variant factions.
Uhtred’s eyes constricted into pinpricks as he stared at the red text. Not only him, but every single member of the elite strike force noticed the bounty at the same time.
A whopping 30,000 merits. A bounty that was even higher than the one placed on Uhtred’s head.
It seemed the ancient variants were no longer joking around.
They were not stupid. By now, they had surely figured out that the new name that had popped up into the top five was the source of the plague afflicting them and decimating their lower-level population.
As every member of the elite strike force noticed the bounty, Mateo’s voice suddenly became more urgent.
"This bounty confirms the desperation of the ancient variants. Already, I have received reports that the ancient variant generals themselves have begun to move."
Mateo took a sharp breath, his eyes locking onto Uhtred.
"The Homo erectus general we came here to kill is no longer inside the camp below. Right now, he is executing a brutal rampage through several of our largest human camps in the western regions.
At the same time, Krijn the Neanderthal general has launched a similar slaughter campaign across the camps towards the eastern regions. However, just minutes before I reached here, I met a scout along the way and received a new report: the ascender named Zara has currently engaged Krijn in battle."
Uhtred’s eyes flickered slightly at the mention of Zara’s name, but he did not even have the mind to dwell much on that. Instead, his focus was mainly on everything else Mateo had just revealed.
This was the endgame now.
The ancient variant generals were officially on the move, tearing through human territory like unbridled monsters, and Uhtred knew without a doubt that he was the only human available who could put up a fight against them.
All of the ancient variant generals were Level 24 or at least Level 23 powerhouses. They matched or exceeded his current cultivation level.
Krijn was a Level 24 powerhouse. The Homo erectus general was also a Level 24 powerhouse, or at least a Level 23.
But out of all the enemy commanders, there was the third general who Uhtred was most wary of.
It was that mysterious female ancient variant who had successfully penetrated Mateo’s camp and nearly assassinated him in his sleep three nights ago.
Over the past few days of his travels, he had eventually deduced that the female ancient variant was also a general. There was no other way to explain the ease with which she had incapacitated him.
Right now, Mateo had already revealed the locations of the Neanderthal general, Krijn, and the Homo erectus general, but the fact that there was no word about the female ancient variant bugged Uhtred seriously.
She was the one he felt the most threat from. And for some reason, the fact that her location was unknown made him think of Diya.
If a monstrous entity like that female ancient variant decided to personally hunt down the source of the plague, Diya would be in extreme danger.
It was completely logical for someone like the third general to go after Diya specifically. Not to mention, aside from just the third general alone, there was also that bounty on Diya’s head.
The danger Diya currently faced could be two-pronged. The female ancient variant could be headed toward her right now, and at the same time, Diya might be facing attacks from opportunistic humans whose greed might override the logic that dictated Diya should be kept alive.
Uhtred gritted his teeth. Losing Diya would be a terrible blow, not just to him because she was a member of his crew, but also to humanity as a whole.
Right now, Uhtred was not even the most valuable human within the trials. Rather, it was Diya.
If she was killed, the amount of contribution the ancient variants would receive toward advancing their barrier forward would be very significant, perhaps even more than if Uhtred himself was killed.
It was a dilemma.
Diya had to be protected at all costs, but at the same time, the Homo erectus general was tearing through the western camps, slaughtering humans as he pleased because there was literally no one who could stand up to him.
If he was allowed to continue, the damage he would wreak on the human collective front was eventually going to be much more than if Diya was killed.
Right now, the more people he killed, the more the ancient variant barrier was being pushed forward.
At least with Krijn, Uhtred knew that Zara was already engaged in battle with him. Of course, he was not expecting Zara to defeat Krijn. In fact, he did not think she would. The ancient man was way too powerful. Uhtred had seen Krijn up close and knew this.
But at the same time, he trusted that Zara would at least keep him occupied. She was a fully fledged level 20, even on the brink of crossing to level 21. That, combined with her weird magic and the fact that she was able to fight up her levels comfortably, made him a bit assured.
Krijn was not much of a worry in his mind compared to the Homo erectus general that was running rampant freely.
For a brief moment, Uhtred even considered whether to spend a thousand merits and put up an announcement summoning the next most powerful ascender, King Alexei.
But he dismissed the thought immediately. He didn’t know where Alexei currently was, and even then the guy was a Level 15, perhaps now maybe a Level 16 at most. The level difference between him and the Homo erectus general was too significant to simply bridge by the ability to fight up levels.
As Uhtred’s mind continued to roil, pondering the current dilemma, his focus returned to the present, and he noticed that everyone was staring at him.
He had not even heard what Mateo had been saying for the past minute, but from the many eyes focused on him in silent expectation, he could already tell what was going on.
Everyone here had also come to the same conclusion: that Diya had to be protected, but at the same time, someone had to deal with the Homo erectus general running rampant in the western regions.
However, they all knew that no one here except Uhtred could stand a chance.
Uhtred gritted his teeth. His jaw clenched so hard his facial muscles ached with an obvious, uncharacteristic conflict.
This was a brutal dilemma. He was standing at a definitive crossroads.
On one hand, he could sprint toward the western region to intercept the Homo erectus general. He would be saving thousands of random human survivors he did not know or care about, but whose collective survival directly prevented the ancient variant barrier from pushing forward more rapidly.
On the other hand, he could abandon the western region entirely and sprint into the unknown to locate and defend Diya, who was a vital member of his crew, whose life he valued immensely, and whose sudden death would grant the ancient variants a massive but single territorial push forward.
Uhtred could not be in two places at once. And he had to make a choice, because as they spoke, the players were already in action...
So after a brief second, Uhtred’s gaze became firm, and he looked up at the members of the elite force:
