The Legendary Beekeeper-Chapter 49: Fragmentation (2)

The supermind took control, navigating through the extension station’s holographic interface, while Beelathorn continued to scan the walls... wary of an attack.

’They have a sketch of the old face,’ the supermind chimed, and Beelathorn turned to look at the extension station.

There he was, in holographic black and white... a near-accurate sketch of the boy he once was, plastered onto a wild-west wanted poster.

No one could say Heron lacked flair. The shadows and the sharpness of his features made him look sinister, as if he were truly capable of killing 86 people.

"I didn’t kill my classmates," he whispered immediately, as if dismissing it quickly enough would erase his sketch from the wanted poster.

The Shadow woman sighed at that. "Come now, you’re a smarter man than that darling," she said, her voice still a disembodied phantom within the walls. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"It doesn’t matter whether you did it or not," she continued. "Heron will have this broadcast to every claimed territory this side of Apocalypse before the sun sets."

"You’re a fugitive, darling. And a lucrative prize, I might add."

’Her analysis is incorrect,’ the supermind chimed in. ’Current bounty information is based on the "old" face and the "old" name. We are no longer Han, and as such, no longer hunted,’ it said.

And of course, Beelathorn knew it was right. If he walked around in this Bee-humanoid form, no one would realise who he was, not even his old classmates.

However, the problem arose with the members of the Manor. His name had been uttered in that interrogation room, and once Heron broadcast his name and sketch to everyone, they would surely update her on his new appearance.

"So what will it be, dearest?" the Shadow Woman asked.

Beelathorn stilled himself. "What exactly are you offering me?"

"A way out. An equal exchange. You help me out of this, and I’ll help you out of that," the Shadow woman responded.

’It is unlikely that this woman can convince the rest of the Manor not to report you. Likelihood of this being a trap is high,’ the supermind commented.

But Beelathorn already knew, he didn’t need another voice polluting his mind with the obvious.

’Calculate our chances of escaping the manor. Begin preparing countermeasures if she attacks... do something. Just don’t interrupt my thinking,’ he responded, trying and failing to keep his annoyance from tainting his thoughts.

The supermind went silent for a moment. ’Understood.’

"You make an interesting proposition. Now come out so we discuss it," he replied.

If he had any chance of escaping, he needed to neutralise her. But even the supermind couldn’t come up with a plan if it couldn’t see her.

The shadow woman clicked her tongue. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. I’m a veteran darling. I’ve stood where you’re standing," she mused. "Trying to pinpoint my location... I wonder why."

Indeed, it was hard to hide this fact, as the Supermind controlled one of his eyes, constantly shifting its gaze to try and extract what little information it could from the walls.

’Be more subtle in information gathering,’ he warned it.

"Why are you scared? You read the wanted poster, didn’t you? I’m a newly spawned, and you’re nearly level 100. My chances of beating you are slim," he said out loud.

Lies. With Queen’s Gaze and the supermind, this was a winnable battle. His only win criterion was buying enough time until the supermind could calculate certain victory.

"And how did you know my level?" she mused, and Beelathorn instantly realised his mistake. "Was it that earlier skill of yours I wonder?"

’She’s smart. Smarter than I’m giving her credit for,’ he realised.

"Besides, like I said, darling. Our discussion is over. A yes or no will suffice now."

’Should I lie to her? Should I just accept her proposition and run away?’ he wondered. After all, if she had really been after the bounty, she would’ve taken him out before discussing all this.

’Yes. A tool more powerful than anything else humanity has ever come up with. Lying.’

The supermind stirred in his mind. ’It is also likely she had the discussion for information gathering. We are an unknown threat, and she has already deduced the rare nature of our system class,’ it said.

’Lying is only a temporary remedy.’

Once again, it was right. But at the very least, lying might make him look like he submitted.

To appear weak when he might be strong. A powerful enough weapon on its own.

’Processing complete. A counter-measure has been created,’ the supermind said. ’We may proceed with the ego’s plan first.’

Beelathorn breathed a sigh of relief.

"Fine," he said, raising all four of his hands. "You have me beat."

"I accept."

The sound of applause echoed from the walls. "Now that’s the confused little bug boy I remember," the shadow woman’s voice followed.

"Now what?" he asked.

And for a moment, silence drowned the room.

"Now we dance, dearest. Now, we test whether each of us is worth the risk."

Beelathorn’s brows furrowed. "What does that mea—"

Before he could finish that sentence, the floor shifted below him, and a pool of ink black appeared.

"Shadow Craft."

With that, the pool of ink rippled, and a massive black spike rushed upward.

Beelathorn’s wings fluttered to lift him off the ground before he could even process what was happening.

However, that was not enough. The spike rammed a hole into the ceiling, and like a tree branch, another spike shot out from its side, rushing out toward him.

His wings fluttered again, slamming him to the far side of the wall.

The spike stopped growing mere millimetres before it would’ve impaled his face.

’Her effective range has been calculated. Shall we implement the counter-measure?’ Beelathorn’s saviour asked.

If not for the supermind, he would’ve been a swish-kebab of bee and blood.

’Yes,’ he replied, right as another pool of black appeared above him.

’Noted. The battle fragment is currently being loaded onto the main consciousness. Please submit control of the main body.’

The tip of a spike emerged from the pool on the ceiling, this one thinner and sharper, like a needle.

’I submit control. Just get us out of this,’ Beelathorn shot back.

With that, his mind stirred, patches of his consciousness were stripped apart, and those threads that knew of battle were picked among them, rewoven so that all it knew was the fight.

Beelathorn closed his eyes.

And what awoke was something else.

Something... malevolent.