Chapter 121: Dark Star's Arrival

Fragmented ship hulls drifted through the void, colliding with another vessel and instantly erupting in a dazzling brilliance. The explosion came and went in a flash.

Severed limbs drifted through the starry sky, accompanied by droplets of blood that tumbled endlessly in the zero-gravity environment. Although this was merely a corner of the entire battlefield, it was enough to reflect the cruelty of war.

The massive Stargate framework had long since shattered. Even its quarter-finished prototype had been bombarded almost out of existence. Fragments of silver-white hulls floated past, and the damaged pentagram insignia on them appeared exceptionally striking.

Under the vast starry sky, only a scattered handful of ships still stood firm. They were all main ship-level vessels, including the main ship of the Starlight Fleet and a single frigate.

Despite stubbornly resisting a fleet tens of times their number and surviving, the Starlight General showed no signs of joy. His expression was incredibly gloomy.

Even before the battle began, he knew that the Stargate could not be saved.

The original plan was to use Dark Star's influence to ensure these marauders wouldn't dare make a reckless move in the short term, allowing them to mobilize all resources to rapidly construct the Stargate.

Once these marauders found out, it was essentially akin to digging up their ancestral graves; it was bound to trigger a fierce counterattack.

And this was the worst-case scenario...

But he could not do that. He was not one of those marauders; behind him stood the Star Glory Empire.

As a powerful interstellar empire, it possessed not only unparalleled military might but also filthy politics.

His mission was to construct the Stargate. It was one thing for the Stargate to be discovered, but what would it mean to turn tail and run without even fighting? Was he afraid of those marauders? Wouldn't that be a smear on the Star Glory Empire?

Therefore, he had to fight. He absolutely had to fight. Even if his entire army was annihilated, as long as he was not dead, he had to keep fighting!

"General! Those marauders have started to retreat. Should we pursue?" Purple Light's exhausted face appeared on the holographic screen.

He was the captain of the only surviving frigate.

The Starlight General's tightly wound heartstrings suddenly relaxed. Just as he had expected, this group of marauders had no intention of fighting to the death, nor did they plan to annihilate them. Their sole purpose was to destroy the Stargate.

It wasn't in vain that, after the Psionic Matrix shattered, he had continuously created loopholes for the enemy, allowing them to destroy the Stargate as quickly as possible. This way, it benefited everyone.

"Do not pursue... avoid any traps... return to No Man's Land..." the Starlight General issued the command.

"Yes, sir!"

The remaining two spaceships began their return voyage. As soon as they entered the biosphere of No Man's Land, the Starlight General was slightly stunned.

He saw plumes of black smoke rising from various spots across No Man's Land, while giant elephant-headed zombies roared in the streets.

There was even a four-armed zombie that leaped from a high-rise building. Its muscles were grotesque, and its terrifying strength smashed the ground, creating spiderweb-like cracks.

A large number of normal lifeforms hid within the tall buildings, fighting back against the surging tide of zombies. Even more spaceships were fleeing No Man's Land.

"What... is going on?" the Starlight General asked in a daze.

"General... preliminary estimates suggest it is that bizarre biological virus. It now appears that they not only possess powerful transmissibility but also a terrifying capacity for evolution."

The analyst quickly drew a conclusion.

"Collect air samples, halt docking for now, and observe their evolutionary trajectory... record sample comparisons..." the Starlight General decisively ordered.

He vaguely sensed that the lunatics at the Imperial Research Institute would definitely be interested in this thing. With their support, he would likely escape any punishment.

"General... there is a communication request from Dark Star. He is asking what happened,"

Another communications officer spoke up.

"Dark Star has returned?" The Starlight General's eyes flickered. Since Dark Star was back, he was likely already an A-Tier Lifeform.

This was troublesome... the Stargate had not been completed, and the elite forces of the Star Glory Empire had not arrived. By himself, he could no longer suppress an A-Tier Lifeform like Dark Star.

"Tell him what happened, and demand to know what is going on. How were the Stargate coordinates exposed!?"

The Starlight General pondered for a moment before making his decision.

Amidst the ruins of the Dark Star main ship—yes... the Dark Star main ship was already a ruin.

When they discovered that Dark Star wasn't here, a large number of marauders took advantage of the crisis to loot the place, plundering everything they could get their hands on.

The remaining Dark Star soldiers were a disunited group without a leader, completely unable to fend off the zombies and marauders.

A figure stood amidst the wreckage of the main ship. He surveyed his surroundings, his face devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

Buzz!

His Smart Terminal vibrated. He glanced at the message from the Starlight main ship, and a sneer surfaced on his face.

He gently raised his hand, and the colossal Dark Star mothership began to float. A pink, jelly-like substance bubbled up, completely enveloping the mothership.

He carefully sensed the entire mothership... every damaged area... Through the jelly-like substance, he could perceive every single spot inside the vessel.

"Hmm?" A glint flashed in his eyes. He instantly clenched his fist. The massive Dark Star mothership trembled violently before exploding with a loud boom.

Scattered parts crashed down around him, crushing the swarming zombies flat.

Only one area was completely preserved by him: the prison block.

Those interstellar lifeforms, whose goal was to snatch precious items, hadn't lingered in the corpse-filled prison block. This inadvertently left the area almost entirely free of any additional damage.

Three damaged prison cells... Dark Star stepped inside, observing carefully... He vividly remembered who was locked in each cell.

That Ape-Man was the prince of a minor civilization. He had already demanded an astronomical ransom from that civilization and was waiting for the father to pay, keeping the prince locked up here.

Now, only a torso remained, lying dead not far away.

Glazed Star's father... his leverage over Glazed Star. There was no corpse... the ventilation duct on the cell's ceiling had been smashed open...

He looked at the headless corpses around him. Was this where the virus had spread from? Who could it be... It definitely wasn't Gore; he didn't have the capability.

Dark Star arrived at Li Yu's cell and looked at the fragments of the Gene Suppressor on the ground. Was it this person? Interesting...

A smile suddenly curled the corners of Dark Star's mouth. He spread his arms, closed his eyes, and muttered, "Let me see exactly where you are."

A terrifying aura erupted from his body. The illusory phantom of a colossal beast materialized behind him; its head alone was comparable in size to the Dark Star mothership.

Its face was covered in black scales, and its two purple eyes were enough to make one shudder in fear.

A short while later, he snapped his eyes open, revealing a deep purple gleam...

"Found you!"

The hideous behemoth behind him opened its massive maw and swallowed him whole in one bite.

Meanwhile, inside Li Yu's spaceship, Gore's face twisted in agony as he spat out a clump of pink, jelly-like substance. Only then did he let out a sigh of relief, collapsing onto the floor and panting heavily.

The moment Li Yu saw the pink substance, his pupils shrank... His heart pounded wildly. A resplendent golden Light Blade materialized in his hand, crackling with purple electric arcs. He raised his hand and slashed at it.

However... the pink jelly seemed fragile but was incredibly sturdy. The golden Light Blade was directly deflected, sending Li Yu crashing into the metal cabin walls.

Mo Duo raised her hands, her scarlet eyes flashing incessantly. Suddenly, her face turned deathly pale, and she staggered backward.

Star Speech was even more drained of color, completely at a loss for what to do.

Hunter was somewhat bewildered, clueless as to what was happening. Back then, aboard Hel's HMS Silence, he had been controlled by Mo Duo, resulting in him having zero memory of the events that transpired during that time.

Otherwise, he would definitely know that this meant Dark Star had arrived.

Soon after, the pink jelly began to quiver, and the blurry phantom of a massive beast emerged. The beast let out a deafening roar, its sonic waves vibrating so intensely that it left everyone's ears ringing.

Then, under their dumbfounded gazes, a figure was spat out by the giant beast.

"Everyone..." Dark Star looked around. Upon seeing Li Yu, his smile widened. "To think it's actually you. What an unexpected harvest."

"Dark... Dark Star?" Hunter was still confused, his eyes wide in disbelief, wondering if he was dreaming.

The group backed up against the metal walls. Even though it was completely useless, it barely provided them with a shred of security.

Gore struggled to get up from the floor, a look of guilt plastered on his face. He had figured it out as well... the reason Dark Star could appear here was entirely due to the thing in his stomach.

And he had absolutely no idea when Dark Star had planted it inside him.

"You put an avatar inside his stomach, aren't you afraid he'd just crap it out..." Li Yu feigned a casual tone, but he was already clutching the Even Match card. If anything went wrong, he would immediately activate the Even Match.

He hadn't expected Dark Star to value Gore so highly.

The only reason he could think of was that Glazed Star was far more important than Li Yu had imagined, at least to Dark Star.

"That thing latches onto his stomach lining..." Dark Star wore a clear smile, seemingly in quite a good mood, and even offered an explanation.

"Ever since our last parting, I have been impatient to find you..." Dark Star looked as if he held all the winning cards. He was unhurried, seemingly planning to slowly torture the group.

"I'm still very curious to know exactly how you used Mental Suggestion on me..."

Relaxed on the outside but tense on the inside, Li Yu shrugged and replied, "Take a guess..."

Dark Star stared at him. "Could you do it to me one more time? I want to see if you can still escape."

'Is this guy sick in the head?' Li Yu was speechless. The effect of Even Match would only work on Dark Star and himself.

This meant that the attacks landing on him wouldn't have much of an effect, but they would be lethal to the others, including this spaceship.

Fighting here would be the worst-case scenario.

"I can't use it anymore, it was a one-time thing..." Li Yu said honestly.

Dark Star gave a noncommittal response and glanced around...

"Oh, Captain... I have heard the great name of Augu. You are useful..."

Hunter's expression changed slightly.

"A Blazing Eye Race member... what beautiful eyes..." Dark Star praised. "However... I know more of your secrets. You are useful too."

Mo Duo's gaze flickered.

"And... you are?" Dark Star looked at Li Ping, an expression of confusion surfacing on his face.

"Former sales representative for Camon Aerospace Company, currently Mr. Li Yu's servant..." Li Ping declared loudly. Even when facing Dark Star, he showed no fear whatsoever.

"Oh... then you're useless..." Dark Star raised his hand, and the pink substance materialized out of thin air around Li Ping.

"He's the illegitimate son of a Camon board director... he is useful..." Li Yu quickly added.

"Hmm?" Dark Star was somewhat surprised. "Your group truly is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Then I'll spare him for now."

He continued to scan the room...

"Gore... must be kept alive. Glazed Star is someone I value very highly..."

"You..." Dark Star laid eyes on Star Speech and slightly narrowed his eyes. He gently lifted his head, and Star Speech floated over to his side. She was pale, her entire body trembling.

"You are one of my people, aren't you? Why are you here?" Dark Star asked with doubt, furrowing his brows slightly before realization dawned on his face.

"Oh... so you're a traitor..."

Star Speech shuddered uncontrollably, but she didn't try to argue or beg for mercy. She simply closed her eyes.

"I remember... I rescued you from a slaver group, didn't I? Why did you betray me?" Dark Star continued to press.

Star Speech's lips quivered. She opened her eyes, which were brimming with dread. "No... you didn't rescue me. It was Lady Glazed Star who saved me... It has nothing to do with you..."

"Is that so?" Dark Star appeared to recall something before shaking his head. "Whatever, I don't care to think about it..."

In an instant, the pink substance enveloped Star Speech. As if melting in strong acid, she slowly vanished into the pink gel, leaving behind only a puddle of murky liquid.

"Wait..." Li Yu had barely raised his hand when it was already too late. Shaking his head, he dropped his arm. "If you kill her, Glazed Star will probably be very heartbroken."

"Her being heartbroken... what does that have to do with me?" Dark Star found this quite baffling.

"You don't care about her?" Li Yu retorted, then added with a hint of embarrassment, "My mistake. I thought you harbored some kind of twisted affection for Glazed Star. Sorry about that."

Gore's eyes widened. 'Am I going to be a father-in-law?'

'Can you f*cking stop provoking him?!' Hunter roared frantically in his mind.

Even if Dark Star thought they all had value and wouldn't easily resort to killing, there was no need to go out of his way to fan the flames like a maniac!

"No need to test me..." Dark Star shook his head, not at all angered by Li Yu's words. Perhaps in his eyes, this was nothing more than an ant's provocation.

"You couldn't possibly guess Glazed Star's true purpose..."

Li Yu fell silent. At the end of the day, Glazed Star was merely an undercover agent. Did Dark Star really need to value her so much?

"I wonder how many benefits I can exchange you for with the Star Glory Empire..." Dark Star scrutinized Li Yu as if inspecting a piece of precious cargo.

Li Yu didn't mind at all and instead analyzed the situation. "How much value do you really expect to squeeze out of me? The Stargate has already been destroyed once. Once this news spreads, with or without me, it will be very difficult for the Star Glory Empire to enter the No Man's Land System..."

Why was it that the Star Glory Empire's previous incursion into the No Man's Land System hadn't caused much of a stir?

Because everyone knew that if the Star Glory Empire truly harbored malicious intentions, the first to lose patience would definitely be the Radiant Council.

As a result, the Radiant Council had shown no reaction, leading the major civilizations to assume that the Star Glory Empire was genuinely just tracking down the person who kidnapped the Imperial Noble.

In reality, the Radiant Council and the Star Glory Empire had reached a tacit understanding long ago: you handle my noble, I'll build my Stargate. Everyone gets what they want.

But now, once the news of the Star Glory Empire constructing a Stargate leaked out, the major civilizations near the No Man's Land System would feel like they had thorns on their backs, terrified that the Star Glory Empire might come knocking at their doors one day.

Therefore, moving forward, the Star Glory Empire's operations would be obstructed at every turn.

And Li Yu, the supposed kidnapper of the Imperial Noble... would become entirely dispensable.

"No..." Dark Star shook his head. "You don't realize it, but someone in the Star Glory Empire Internal Affairs high echelon desperately wants to find you. Your value is astronomical."

"Huh?" Li Yu was completely perplexed, feeling baffled. 'Someone in the Star Glory Empire is looking for me? Who is looking for me?'

Aside from Xia En, he hadn't truly interacted with the high echelons of the Star Glory Empire.

Dark Star revealed an enigmatic smile, showing absolutely no intention of clearing up Li Yu's confusion.

Looking at Dark Star's smile, Li Yu desperately wanted to smash a fist into his face.

'Forget it... I can't beat him...' He pondered before asking probing, "Lord Dark Star, where are you planning to take us?"

"Are we returning to No Man's Land?"

Dark Star shook his head. He was genuinely in a fantastic mood. Hunter, Mo Duo, Li Yu—each of them held great value, and each was hiding a massive secret.

Furthermore, they were grand secrets he could exploit. Therefore, he didn't mind speaking a bit more. "There is no need to return to No Man's Land. You have already turned that place into a chaotic cesspool."

"Where did you get that biological virus..." Dark Star was quite curious about this.

"The Reformers provided it..." Li Yu spat out some nonsense before continuing:

"You haven't answered my question yet..."

The two conversed like old friends. The rest of the group watched the scene with trepidation. It didn't look like Dark Star had taken them prisoner; it looked more like two old friends who hadn't seen each other in years having a pleasant catch-up.

"First, I'll deliver you to the Star Glory Empire... then we'll head to the Blazing Eye Star, and finally, we'll delve into the secrets of Augu."

"What secrets do those two have? Can you tell me?"

"You don't know?"

"I don't... after all, on the surface, we're all friends. It wouldn't be right to push too hard..."

"Then you truly are quite the hypocrite..."

"You flatter me..." Li Yu put on an expression of not deserving such praise, leaving the others utterly speechless. 'He's not complimenting you!'

Hunter was on the verge of a breakdown. 'Brother, you are a captive. Do you really have to chat and laugh so breezily...'

"I feel like you are fearless due to having some sort of backing..." Dark Star stood up and gazed out the porthole. His tone was incredibly calm, making it impossible to fathom what he was actually thinking.

"You already said you wouldn't kill me. Why should I be terrified..." Li Yu answered sincerely.

"But 'killing' is not my only method." Dark Star turned around, his eyes overwhelmingly indifferent. Even though the two had seemed so "harmonious" a moment ago, it was merely born from the pity of someone who had everything under complete control.

Li Yu pondered for a moment before speaking up, "Then please, whatever you do, don't torture me. I am terribly afraid of pain..."

Inside the pocket of his clothes, two words abruptly surfaced on the screen of an old pager—Dark Star. Then, the entire pager vanished once more.

His clothes were actually the Titan Symbiotic Armor, acting as an extension of his own limbs. He could pull off some subtle tricks right under Dark Star's nose with absolute ease.

The target input was complete. He had no idea when he would come into contact with an A-Tier Lifeform again, and as for higher-tier lifeforms, he shouldn't even dream about it for now.

Since he managed to catch a Dark Star, he might as well hurry up and input it, rather than overthinking things.

He was quite curious about what effect would occur if he summoned Dark Star right now.

After some thought, he decided to let it go. After all, burning a precious trump card just to satisfy his curiosity was genuinely unnecessary.

Suddenly, Dark Star's Smart Terminal vibrated. He glanced down at it, and his expression shifted slightly...

"Change of destination. We are heading to Taliskar..."

Dark Star's voice had turned much colder. It seemed something had made him very unhappy.