Chapter 375 Surrounding His Highness Su Miao? - Socially Anxious Witch in the Apocalypse

A flash of light streaked across the sky as Su Miao swiftly appeared above the area where Lin Jiu Jiu and Xia Xiao An were located. "Your Highness, Su Miao!" Myna was the first to spot Su Miao, her voice bursting with delight. Upon seeing their sister Su Miao, Lin Jiu Jiu and Xia Xiao An were overwhelmed with excitement. "Get into the villa. I'll take you away," Su Miao instructed as she remained seated on her alloy staff, hovering without landing. She waved a hand to gather the tables and chairs from the villa's front into her magical space, but decided against it last minute. Though Lin Jiu Jiu, Xia Xiao An, and Myna were unaware of the unfolding situation, they promptly hurried into the villa. With a flick of a mage's hand, Su Miao lifted the entire villa into the sky. "Did something happen?" Lin Jiu Jiu asked inside the villa, her face reflecting her concern. After all, the distant explosions had been growing in magnitude, and they even witnessed the sky descend into darkness. "I don't know," Xia Xiao An replied, unable to hear Sister Su Miao's thoughts and too cautious to try. Myna, too, remained quietly obedient, trusting that what Her Highness Su Miao said was for the best. Moments later, the alloy villa reached the airspace above a temporary camp. Down below, Secretary Tao Yu Jie was in confrontation with a group of newly arrived Earth ability users who had ventured into the icy wastelands. This diverse group of over 160 people included individuals from South Asia, Southeast Asia, and various ethnic backgrounds, including those of Caucasian and African descent. Tao Yu Jie's group was small, and with several members already injured, their situation looked dire. Wait a minute, Tao Yu Jie’s cat ears and tail—they look so adorable. No, could they have been tainted already? As Su Miao approached with the alloy villa, the new arrivals naturally took notice. They looked skyward, gazing at the witch known as Su Miao atop the villa. Their first reaction was one of astonishment, followed promptly by an inexplicable surge of malice. "It's her, the one who killed our people near the Mountain Elder's relics..." a South Asian ability user shouted. The surrounding ability users all turned their eyes toward them, united in a common enmity. However, they quickly realized that it was foolish of them to harbor ill will towards such a powerful individual. Unfortunately, by the time they grasped this realization, it was already too late. With an elegant gesture, Su Miao raised her hand, and icy arrows whistled downward. Below, the ability users attempted to resist. Under ordinary circumstances, they might have blocked or dodged these icy arrows, but this time, laws of magic were embedded within them. Their attempts at resistance were as futile as mantises trying to stop a chariot, as ants attempting to push a millstone. They were crushed and pierced by the falling icy arrows. In the end, only a meager few survived. Su Miao ignored these remaining survivors and said, "Jiu Jiu, infuse the power, open the path back." "Okay," Lin Jiu Jiu immediately replied, jumping down from the villa to the newly constructed platform Tao Yu Jie and her team had set up. With the divine power of Si Tian infused into the platform, a dazzling beam of energy shot up into the sky. Amidst a blur of action, Su Miao sensed the spatial nodes being pried open. She felt Earth's presence once more. The path for their return had successfully opened. This time, the passage was a direct return, completely different from last time when a malfunction occurred. "Back to Earth!" Su Miao instructed, prompting Xia Xiao An and Myna to exit the alloy villa. She then stored the villa in her magical space and stood on the platform. "You as well," she directed. "Yes!" Tao Yu Jie responded, her heart filled with joy. Remaining here much longer, she feared, would see her fully succumb to becoming a beast-transformed ability user. The newly grown cat ears were manageable, but the cat tail was truly inconvenient. "Everyone, get up here, quickly!" Tao Yu Jie began directing her colleagues to follow her in an orderly fashion onto the platform. As for those Su Miao had left behind, they had no right to step onto this escape route. Those few survivors stood immobilized by intense fear. They watched Su Miao and her entourage vanish in a flash of light from atop the platform. "The witch, she's terrifying..." murmured one of the survivors after Su Miao had teleported away, their voice trembling after a long silence. "I don't want to die, I don't want to die..." another person chanted, still gripped by terror. Additionally, owing to one ability user's mental collapse, eerie gray mist began to appear unknowingly, slowly creeping towards their body and transforming them into a curly-haired baboon. The other surviving ability users watched in horror as the transformation happened, their own bodies beginning to unconsciously mutate with fear. "It's the witch! It must be her doing!" someone cried out in panic. Why had they even survived? Was it really the benevolence of the fearsome witch Su Miao? No, the witch had long ago cursed them. ... On the Si Tian platform, Su Miao, Xia Xiao An, Lin Jiu Jiu, Myna, Tao Yu Jie, and others appeared. Breathing in the familiar air and taking in the recognizable scenery, Tao Yu Jie and her companions burst into tears of joy. They were finally back! Alive! However, the Si Tian platform seemed to be hosting many foreign ability users armed to the teeth. These ability users, noticing the newcomers on the platform, looked perplexed. Hadn’t they just sent the exploration team into the Inner World? How could people be returning so soon? Upon closer inspection, they realized these individuals weren’t their own. There was only one possibility. These were individuals returning from the Inner World! Those explorers must have struck amazing fortunes there; otherwise, they wouldn’t return so quickly! "Surround them!" came an order, and dozens of gun-toting ability users moved in to encircle them. Hundreds of drones buzzed overhead, their weapons trained on Su Miao and the others. Their malice needed no further confirmation. Thousands of icy arrows shot forth in a blink, discharging drones and all gun-toting foes aiming at them. The entire event unfolded in the time it took to blink. No one had time to react. All were slain in an instant. Even the newly installed surveillance was utterly destroyed. With a sense of humaneness, to prevent these dead from becoming mutated monstrosities, Su Miao used necromancy to raise them as undead once more. "Do you have a craft?" Su Miao turned to Tao Yu Jie. Tao Yu Jie promptly produced one from her spatial storeroom, "Your Highness, we do." Su Miao nodded. "Alright, you may return ahead. If anything comes up, Lin Jiu Jiu will contact you." Tao Yu Jie replied earnestly, "Yes, Your Highness!" She adhered absolutely to any directive, especially from Her Highness Su Miao. Tao Yu Jie promptly gathered the others into the craft and departed. "We should go as well," Su Miao said, retrieving a craft from her magical space. She departed with Lin Jiu Jiu, Xia Xiao An, and Myna. The remaining ability users on the Si Tian platform could only watch in stark terror, not daring to entertain any notion of resistance. Such power, eliminating so many skilled ability users in an instant, far surpassed their wildest imaginings. And with a terrifying realization, they grasped one undeniable truth. The witch, Su Miao, had returned from the Inner World! This news quickly made its way onto the Night Owl app. [The witch Su Miao has returned from the Inner World!] Posted by: Yuan Da Tou. I was scared to death earlier, almost got killed by Her Highness Su Miao. Our organization found the deserted Si Tian platform and took control, organizing a 160-member expedition team into the Inner World. The leadership went on the exploration, while we were tasked with maintaining the platform, along with collecting passage fees. Barely had we begun when Her Highness Su Miao returned with people from the Inner World. Commandingly, the idiotic ability user leaders in charge of the platform had drones surrounding, and instructed all to prepare for open fire. I figure they expected a windfall and planned a heist, assuming those returning were laden with spoils from the Twelve Divisions. However, in the blink of an eye, they were dead. Just like that. My leader, who stood directly before me in the cement-buried command room, was equally slain—utterly terrifying. Oh, and now my leader seems to have risen as an undead. What should I do? Online waiting for answers, urgent! ... 1st Comment, [Hun Yu Piao Ling]: Hahaha, surround Her Highness Su Miao? That's the funniest thing I've heard. 2nd Comment, [Xing Chen De Jing Tou]: Isn't it said that the Inner World is vast? How did the witch Su Miao return so quickly? 3rd Comment, [San Bing Yi Hao qKongD]: There hasn't been much time since the Inner World was unlocked, has there? 4th Comment, [Xin Ruan Shi Bing Yao Wo Ming]: I noticed the official refuges seem to have been avoiding exploring the Inner World. 5th Comment, [Hou Mu Wu Da Fang Ding]: Could it be that the witch Su Miao encountered danger in the Inner World? 6th Comment, [Su Ling]: OP, thank you for the news. May you rest in peace. 7th Comment, [Yi Jian Zhong Qing]: Everyone, please be serious. Can't you see the OP is asking for help? 8th Comment, [Yao Shou La]: Ultimately, it's that ability user organization digging their own grave, trying to rob the witch Su Miao. Hahaha. 9th Comment, [Feng Shulin 0079]: I'm becoming increasingly curious about the Inner World. 10th Comment, [Cao 233]: Speaking of which, there's been no word from the Twelve Divisions. 11th Comment, [Zhao Zha]: How about letting your leader take a bite? 12th Comment, [Ben Mao Mi Jue Fei Shan Lei]: I don't know about anywhere else, but there's an Inner World entrance near me, and a lot of twisted creatures have been coming out of it. Spooky. 13th Comment, [You Shuang Ruo Zhe Yi]: I hope Earth remains safe. 14th Comment, [Ya Long Shi Tai He Sha Xi Mi]: Everyone, if the Inner World can help us avoid Earth's apocalypse, isn't there no need to return? 15th Comment, [Xian Wen Ling Du]: Whoa! The person above just pointed out a blind spot. ... The post quickly climbed the hot topics list, sparking extensive discussions. Theoretically, although the newly discovered Inner World was fraught with dangers, it also promised numerous opportunities. Yet, the fact that the witch Su Miao returned to Earth so soon defied logic and was highly unusual. Furthermore, Su Miao's immense power was undeniable, akin to that of a deity. If she was forced to return due to danger, wouldn't sending ordinary people to the Inner World be tantamount to a death sentence? Meanwhile, Su Miao guided her craft to a stop at a towering peak. Stepping out, Su Miao leveled the mountaintop and placed the alloy villa there, casually planting a mutated persimmon tree. Without a second thought, she cast a Starburst spell on the villa for complete purification. Those eerie gray mists were stealthy adversaries, and purification was undoubtedly prudent. Next, Su Miao set a new table and chairs, laying out a spread of delicious food. Sitting gracefully, she sipped on strawberry juice, breathing a relieved sigh. Leaving behind the frostbitten, mist-tainted world and returning to Earth was truly soothing. Though Lin Jiu Jiu and Xia Xiao An were accustomed to such procedures, they found them somewhat perplexing, clearly anticipating that Sister Su Miao discovered something in the Inner World. "Sister Su Miao, did you find anything in the Inner World?" Xia Xiao An ventured to ask. Su Miao shook her head, "That wasn't the Inner World; we took a wrong turn." Stunned, Lin Jiu Jiu asked, "Not the Inner World?" Su Miao explained, "Yes, the world we entered was called the Frost Wasteland. It’s a planet headed towards destruction and desolation, with bizarre gray mist eroding everything." "According to the Great Sage of the Demon King’s Castle," Su Miao continued, "the planetary conditions visible from the Frost Wasteland are similar. The entire starry expanse is under attack from the gray mist." "Then did the Twelve Divisions open the wrong door?" Lin Jiu Jiu speculated. Su Miao shook her head, "I can’t be sure, because the Twelve Divisions opened many doors, triggering numerous anomalies. Some doors might lead to the Inner World, while others reach different worlds." "So how do we determine if a door leads to the Inner World?" Xia Xiao An questioned further. Contemplating for a moment, Su Miao replied, "I’ll make a post, and surely someone will provide the right answers. Also, the Great Sage occupying the Demon King’s Castle in the Frost Wasteland provided a clue: the Inner World is an even more terrifying hell than the Frost Wasteland." Regardless of whether it’s hell or not, due to the Twelve Divisions’ actions, a portal to the Inner World has opened from Earth. While Earthlings can journey to the Inner World, its monsters can also travel to Earth. Some have already arrived... Thus, under these circumstances, it is both inevitable and necessary for humanity to venture into the Inner World. Su Miao opened the Night Owl app, quickly posting: [The Passage to the Inner World Might Lead to a World of Destruction] Posted by: The Kind Witch The Twelve Divisions' Si Tian Platform didn’t open a gateway to the Inner World but entered an alternate world known as the Frost Wasteland, a supermassive planet. The Frost Wasteland, along with nearby celestial bodies, is under the siege of eerie gray mist. Any ordinary human living there will succumb to beastification, sparing neither evil gods nor demon kings. According to a Great Sage, the Inner World is a bizarre and terrifying hell, so travel there with caution. What is this bizarreness? No idea. If the world you do reach isn’t perilous enough, it may not be the Inner World. ... 1st Comment, [Xin Miao Miao]: Su Miao lost her way? Cute meow~o(=∩ω∩=)m 2nd Comment, [Ji Qi Mao Ai Chi Yan Jiang]: Her Highness the Witch is cautioning us to be safe, how touching... 3rd Comment, [Xing Chen De Jing Tou]: What? The doors opened by the Twelve Divisions don’t necessarily lead to the Inner World? 4th Comment, [Xi Hao Hei Chang Zhi De Er Ji]: Her Highness Su Miao mentioned demon kings, evil gods, Great Sages—did she encounter them all? 5th Comment, [Xian Wen Ling Du]: I just read the post about Su Miao returning to Earth, and now this one—I feel bewildered. 6th Comment, [Yi Chen Zou]: @司夜 are you there? 7th Comment, [Wo Suo Qi Dai De Shi Jie]: @司书 8th Comment, [Xue Xi]: There hasn't been any news from the Twelve Divisions for days. 9th Comment, [Ke Hua Qian Shui Yuan]: I want to know what the bizarreness in the Inner World entails. @Irene 10th Comment, [Dou Fu 233]: Scared~ 11th Comment, [Hou Mu Wu Da Fang Ding]: Seems like no one's worried about the apocalypse anymore... (End of Chapter)