Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 466 - 417: Kiyo Suzukawa in the Sewer

Chapter 466: Chapter 417: Kiyo Suzukawa in the Sewer

The Crystal Colossus led the Mini Crystal People back with a massive haul, and the enormous sewer system and water facilities of Shangjing became their nest.

Within the filthy environment, everywhere one looked there were posters, phone cases, body pillows, silicone mouse pads, wall hangings, dolls, stamps, custom earphones, collectible figures, life-sized models of Suzukawa Kiyo... as well as Suzukawa Army T-shirts and down jackets. The Crystal People cherished these items bearing the image of Suzukawa Kiyo with obsessive affection.

"Jennie, Jennie," the robust Crystal Turtle Person came to inspect the spoils. They were the backbone of the entire underground community, responsible for protecting the nest from the disturbances of plumbers, gang members, and corporate security personnel.

The Turtle People were far more durable than the regular Crystal People. While the regular Crystal People still had a chance to revert to normal humans, the Turtle People had cut off all hope of turning back into humans. Neither words nor swords could breach their defense. The moment they decided to become Turtle People, they had surrendered their soul, swearing to be the most loyal guards of Suzukawa Kiyo, enduring every attack, whether overt or covert.

The subterranean waterways were damp and stank, equipped with numerous monitoring rooms, connected to what was originally information equipment for maintaining sewer pipes, now repurposed into manufacturing rooms for new Crystal People.

Men and women of various ages, numbering in the hundreds, were tied to chairs with iron chains and straps, suspended overhead their contorted faces were nutrient paste reservoirs, patched together from scrap metal, feeding them through nasal tubes, forcing them to gaze at the projected livestream recordings and fan creations of Suzukawa Kiyo.

"Uh, uhhhhhh—"

"No—don’t play it anymore!"

"My mind feels so strange..."

"If this goes on, I’m going to turn into..."

"No—Suzukawa Kiyo—no!"

"Let me go!"

As the images of Suzukawa Kiyo played, the screams of the people echoed incessantly throughout Shangjing’s sewer system, but to those above ground, it sounded merely like noises from old pipes.

Ever since Mack exterminated the Ratmen, the Crystal People had been here biding their time to grow. Their operations had become exceedingly vicious recently, with the frequency of kidnapping spiking dramatically. This time, they even began looting rare items to offer to Suzukawa Kiyo.

As the Crystal People moved deeper underground, new Crystal People continuously emerged from every viewing room.

"Suzukawa Kiyo! Marry me immediately!"

"Suzukawa Kiyo is so cute pinch~"

"Suzukawa Kiyo is the best in the world!"

"Heh heh, Suzukawa Kiyo, heh heh..."

After relentless exposure to live cuts and related creations of Suzukawa Kiyo in their cells, those who were weak-willed became new Crystal People, obsessively fixated on Suzukawa Kiyo—a terrifying transformation.

The raiding party moved toward the depths of the earth, offering up magical materials looted from the secondhand markets to the Great Elder Al Arliz. Clad in a cloak made of crystals, his burly figure towered nearly three meters tall, holding a crystal scepter in his hand, the supreme leader of the Crystals.

Before his crystallization, Al Arliz was among the most prolific spenders in the Suzukawa Kiyo fan community, with abundant wealth and unwavering loyalty making him a prime example among the elderly, having spent a total of seventeen billion. He was also the one who connected with artists to design the most attractive virtual idol appearance in history for Suzukawa Kiyo.

"Lady Suzukawa Kiyo... is in slumber!" The abominable Great Elder Al Arliz, on the narrow platform of the underworld, raised his scepter high. This platform was previously used by the Ratman leader to announce matters, and after the Ratmen perished, it was occupied by the Crystal Army.

"Woooh!"

"Suzukawa Army, assemble!"

"Yay!"

"Suzu forever!"

"Suzu strongest!"

The gaze of the Crystal Army fell upon the giant flesh cocoon behind the platform—a grotesque and hideous mountain of flesh with too many limbs and external organs spilling out, its shell constantly swelling and writhing, covered in folds, bristling with hair and tumors, pulsing like a heartbeat, vibrating at a set frequency, and it was difficult to imagine the monstrosity of flesh encased within.

But in the hearts of the Crystal Army, it was the supreme being they followed, and as long as Suzukawa Kiyo was reborn from the cocoon, their devotion would not be in vain!

"Gaga!"

"Yes yes yes!"

"Suzukawa Kiyo! My Suzukawa Kiyo—" The Crystal People fervently worshiped the flesh cocoon, offering it their profound reverence.

"We have grown strong enough to plunder the ground and collect sacrifices..." the Crystal Great Elder Al Arliz turned toward the cocoon, raising his hands high, "Continue the sacrifices! Until Lady Suzukawa Kiyo bursts forth from her cocoon, returning to her radiant true form, until Lady Suzukawa Kiyo returns to the pinnacle of the world!"

The giant cocoon was at least twenty meters long, far from a normal life form’s stature, radiating dazzling colors identical to those of the crystals. As the crowd chanted, the massive cocoon consistently writhed, evidently containing an immensely contorted and deformed entity inside. Yet, the Crystal People waited devoutly, believing that with continued offerings, Lady Suzukawa Kiyo would be reborn, ascending from this base form to divinity!

"Continue the plundering, continue the conquest," the Great Elder Al Arliz roared, "Sacrifice everything for Suzukawa Kiyo!"

"Ohhh!"

The crystallized Suzukawa Army howled with fury, their level of crystallization deepening further.

The more intense their devout love for Suzukawa Kiyo was, the stronger this crystalline power became, limitless and unending!

Meanwhile, Xu Yang and Pan Ruiyi had traversed half the city. Before the Crystal People launched their next raid, they managed to purchase most of the rare items Farosa needed from the black market.

"Farosa." Xu Yang contacted Farosa onboard Purple Wind, "Shangjing really is a marvelous place, to actually have people selling these things in secret. I’ve bought most of the ingredients you wanted, including the footsteps of a cat, a woman’s whiskers, the root of a mountain, and such."

"What about the magic bottles with the crest of the Seventh Generation of the Vampire Dynasty?" Farosa asked, "Without those, I can’t bottle the magic potion."

"Er, the shop selling those bottles was raided from underneath by the Crystal People. I guess they were taken by them," Xu Yang replied, "And now the whole market is locked down by the company’s people; even if there were any left, they’d surely be confiscated. However, I’ve got something better from a private seller — five kilograms of Magical Clay, which can also be used to make magic bottles."

"Oh," Farosa sounded completely satisfied, "The Young Witches will have a fun ceramic art class, then. Hurry and ship it back. But what’s this about Crystal People?"

"Suzukawa Kiyo, the one who originally taught the method of absorbing Dewdrops..." Xu Yang said, "She seems to have turned into some kind of underground monster now, and her followers have become Crystal People."

"I’m certain those crystals are magical materials." Farosa coveted the magical materials, her mind racing with ideas, "Kill them, smash them, and turn them into brand-new ingredients."

"We currently have no suitable way to shatter their crystalline coating," Xu Yang reminded her, "And we don’t yet know of any firearms or magic power that’s specifically effective against crystals."

"There is, of course, there is," Farosa responded with ease, "The treasures of the Little Witch are all smelted with Moonlight Flame, which naturally can melt magical materials. Have Wei Shiyue breathe fire on those crystal creatures, and I guarantee they will all turn to crystal sludge."

"Killing Suzukawa Kiyo should probably return the Crystal People to their original state," Xu Yang speculated.

"Assuming we can get past those guards," Farosa said excitedly, "I really want to capture Suzukawa Kiyo alive. In doing so, these useless humans can be transformed into Crystal People, and the Crystal People can then become magical materials. What a profitable trade that would be."

"Don’t talk nonsense; we don’t know what it’s like underground." Xu Yang said, "What I said is just speculation, without solid evidence. It might not be Suzukawa Kiyo at all, but something that merely looks like her..."

After all, Suzukawa Kiyo had never shown her true face.

After ending the communication, Pan Ruiyi hooked Xu Yang with her foot for a bit, and then Xu Yang finally headed back to the Junyue Hotel.

In the morning, Wei Shiyue was filming the morning video.

"Hi, fans! How are you?" Wei Shiyue waved at the camera, while Du Qianqian held it steady, "How have you been lately? I’m your Wei Shiyue! I’m currently staying at a hotel in Shangjing. Have you all seen the latest news about the Crystal People attacking? It’s terrible, let’s all pray for the victims to recover quickly! Now, it’s fan service time~ I’ll show you how I practice dancing in the morning!"

After recording this segment, Wei Shiyue went to change, slipping into a sports tank top and leggings that really accentuated her figure, making Du Qianqian’s heart skip a beat.

"Ahhh... Sis really spoils her fans."

"Love it love it!"

"Super into Babe Beauty~" The fans were all praise for the video, and Du Qianqian saw that the account had already accumulated seven million in earnings. The speed of harvesting funds was astonishing, and even if half had to be turned over to Nestor Corporation, the remaining half of the earnings was still substantial.

By lunchtime, Wei Shiyue shared her experiences with Xu Yang and the others, chatting away. Suddenly, Wei Shiyue held her breath, closed her eyes, and meditated.

Xu Yang watched carefully. After a while, a thumb-sized drop of amber Dewdrops with jet-black impurities appeared in her hand. This drop contained not only the pure yearnings of the followers but also their dark musings and evil fantasies.

"This is the source of power," Wei Shiyue presented the Dewdrop to them confidently, "Consume a drop and immortality and eternity will follow. Traditional idols are titans of the entertainment industry, basking in the adoration of millions. Virtual idols, on the other hand, are puppets of the service industry, manipulated at will by fans in live streams. The Suzukawa clan is history; I am the true future."

Suddenly, with a rumble of an earthquake, the food on the table in front of them began to sway to and fro.

Shangjing United Security Company issued an alert that multiple locations were under attack simultaneously, including shopping malls, anime streets, parks, and eleven other places! Xu Yang took note that Horse-stud Greenway Park, Dream Island Botanical Museum, Dongxin Industrial Distribution Center were among the targets, seeming to confirm that the plundering of mysterious items was still a major part of their plan.

The Suzukawa Army was reborn in another form, more cohesive and resolute than ever before.