Chapter 191: Heavy Radiation Zone

As soon as the Guard Corps made a move, the Monitoring Personnel hiding in the shadows received the news.

"Captain, something happened with the Guard Corps. The Princess has returned with the Sacred Relic," a member of the Monitoring Personnel reported while staring at the screen.

Lines of text slowly scrolled across the spaceship's screen, providing a detailed account of everything that had just transpired in the Karst Cave.

It was obvious that there was a spy within the Guard Corps; otherwise, they could never have obtained such detailed information.

"What?!" The Captain, who had his legs propped up on the command console, experienced a slight shift in expression. He swung his legs down and hurried over, pressing his face so close to the screen that his eyes nearly touched the glass.

He read the report word by word, his expression gradually filling with excitement. "Haha!" he laughed out loud, slamming his hand against the command console. "Damn it, I've waited so long I nearly got hemorrhoids, but she's finally back!"

"Quick, hurry, notify the High Priest immediately!"

Several squad members immediately began operating the monitoring console. A clear image popped up on the screen, and after continuous magnification, the slowly moving Guard Corps came into view.

"Captain, they've started moving. It looks like they're heading for the Planetary Core," a monitoring squad member said urgently.

At this rate, the Guard Corps would reach the Planetary Core long before the High Priest could make it back to Blazing Eye Star.

Under normal circumstances, the three branches of the Guard Corps were stationed in different locations across the planet. It should have taken a considerable amount of time to assemble them.

If any unexpected delays occurred, it would have given the High Priest more than enough time to rush back to Blazing Eye Star.

However, due to Simon accidentally exposing himself a short while ago, the three Guard Corps branches were forced to gather temporarily.

And then Li Yu had managed to wipe them out in one go.

"Captain, what should we do?" the monitoring squad member asked.

The Captain's expression was moody and unpredictable. "Report it exactly as it happened for now. I don't know where the Planet Core Passage has shifted to this time, but I hope it's far from here."

The monitoring squad member ran a route simulation, then spoke up with a hint of excitement, "Captain, according to the route prediction, there is a Heavy Radiation Zone directly in their path. We could trigger a Biological Uprising inside."

"Really?!" The Captain was initially thrilled, but then a wave of worry washed over him. "Can they even fight the things inside a Heavy Radiation Zone?"

"We finally waited long enough for the Princess to return. If she dies in there, the High Priest will skin us alive!"

"Should we just forget about it then?" the squad member asked hesitantly.

"If they enter the Planetary Core before the High Priest arrives, we won't even have intact corpses left to bury." The Captain was truly caught between a rock and a hard place.

This wouldn't work, and that wouldn't work. It was simply too difficult a choice.

"No... we still have to stop them." After pondering for a moment, the Captain gritted his teeth. "Trigger a small-scale uprising. Isn't that bodyguard of hers quite the fighter? If he's a suspected B-Class Lifeform, he shouldn't let the Princess die."

With his final decision made, the several spaceships hidden in the area immediately and silently headed in a specific direction.

.........

In the desert, the mighty procession followed their guidance toward the designated location.

Li Yu had originally wanted to take a spaceship there; trudging miserably along the ground was truly unpleasant.

However, Tuya said that opening the Planet Core Passage required a large number of Blazing Eye clansmen to hold a ritual, making it absolutely necessary to bring these tribesmen along.

Since Li Yu's Jalopy Spaceship simply couldn't carry that many people, he could only leave it behind for now.

Tuya and Mo Duo walked side by side, conversing in low voices. Neither of their expressions was calm, and faint tears could even be seen shimmering in their eyes.

They were probably reminiscing about times past, something Li Yu had no interest in.

Simon spat out a mouthful of bloody phlegm, which instantly mixed with the grains of sand upon hitting the ground. He had yet to recover from his injuries, and his steps were a bit unsteady.

Tim walked over, intending to support him, but Simon didn't appreciate the gesture. He swatted Tim's hand away and gave him a hard shove in return.

However, Tim was sturdily built and uninjured. As a result, it was Simon who ended up falling flat on his buttocks.

Li Yu could not help but crack a grin. The expression on Simon's face turned even uglier, cycling between pale and green. He panted heavily as he tried to get back up.

He propped himself up, his face flushing red. The exertion of his muscles aggravated his wounds, making him grimace fiercely in pain. He collapsed back down, unable to stand.

"Haha..." Li Yu could not hold back his laughter anymore. He quickly explained, "Sorry, I couldn't help myself."

The nearby Guard Corps members finally reacted and stepped forward to help Simon up. Without saying a word, Simon staggered quickly ahead.

Tim could only shake his head helplessly.

"Has he always been so..." Li Yu paused, switching to a more polite phrasing, "...straightforward?"

Tim let out a long sigh. "Simon is quite stubborn. He refuses to change his mindset and values our clansmen very highly."

"He's actually a good person, someone worthy of entrusting your back to."

"You'd entrust your back to him?" Li Yu cast a strange glance at Tim. "Then your relationship seems quite good."

Tim felt that this man's gaze was rather odd, leaving him a bit bewildered. "We're old friends. With the current situation, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that every time we meet could be our last."

"Then you really must take good care of each other's backs." Li Yu nodded, revealing a mysterious smile.

Since everyone was wearing armor, the group's traveling speed was quite fast. When night fell, Tim stared at his Armor AI, his expression gradually growing solemn. "It's this path..."

Li Yu glanced at Tim and asked, "What's wrong?"

"If we keep going a bit further, the distance between us and the Heavy Radiation Zone will be less than two kilometers. That is a dangerous proximity," Tim said with a frown.

"Heavy Radiation Zone?"

"That is a place that was bombarded by a Gamma Energy Cannon. The residual ultra-high radiation birthed a massive horde of Radiation Beasts," Simon explained with a sorrowful expression. "Originally, that place was a Red Crystal Ore Mine, one of our clan's most important locations."

"A Red Crystal Ore Mine?" Li Yu's eyes flickered as he rubbed his chin.

Seeing that Li Yu's expression was a bit off, Tim hastily added, "That place is extremely dangerous. Those Radiation Beasts cannot be compared to normal Biochemical Beasts. Every single one is terrifying, so don't even think about provoking them!"

Li Yu nodded dismissively. There were still five other such Heavy Radiation Zones scattered across the entirety of Blazing Eye Star.

"Everyone, slow your pace and stay alert!" Tim ordered. The speed of the entire Guard Corps immediately dropped.

"Heh, do you really think those Radiation Beasts will attack us for no reason?" Simon sneered. It wasn't that he disagreed with the order.

He was simply annoyed with Tim. Who asked Tim to stand there watching the show while he was getting beaten up earlier?

......

Dark clouds blanketed the sky above, swirling with hues of purple and black. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but a vast expanse of blowing dust.

Viewed from the sky, the massive Basin looked as if it had been blasted out by something. The terrain here was no longer a yellowish-brown desert, but instead consisted of clumped black soil.

Countless ferocious beasts with hideous appearances occupied this patch of blackened earth. Their numbers were staggering, and their species varied wildly, with many giant beasts measuring dozens of meters in size.

Many of them were natural enemies occupying different rungs on the food chain. Occasionally, they would lunge and slaughter one another, rolling around and sending mud flying everywhere. The ground was littered with skeletons that had been gnawed completely clean.

They were different from Biochemical Beasts; their outward appearance was far more gruesome, and their nature seemed far more tyrannical.

Hovering diagonally above this blackened earth were several spaceships in stealth mode. They were still quite a distance away from the radiation zone, which should have been relatively safe.

The beast horde stretched for several miles, forming a magnificent and terrifying sight. However, due to the intense radiation interference, the scanners could not probe into the depths of the Basin. Normal vision was also severely hindered by the pervasive dust clouds.

"Are the radiation munitions ready?" the Captain asked nervously. They were merely a monitoring squad and didn't possess overpowering military strength.

Facing one of the very few Heavy Radiation Zones on the entire Blazing Eye Star, even he felt a deep sense of unease.

"Squawk!" An ear-piercing shriek rang out as a giant bird with a wingspan of dozens of meters roared past the spaceship. No fewer than a hundred pairs of hooked talons grew along its wings.

Its head lacked any facial features; instead, its abdomen was densely packed with writhing eyes and mouths that squirmed incessantly.

Its appearance was exceptionally grotesque. A single glance would be enough to make an ordinary person lose their appetite for three days.

The swirling air currents generated by its extreme speed caused the spaceship to shake slightly.

Cold sweat involuntarily dripped down the Captain's forehead. He forced a smile. "We only need to aggro the outer beast horde. Just ignore these mutated Radiation Beasts."

It was hard to tell whether he was explaining the plan to his squad members or simply trying to hype himself up.

The blast door at the bottom of the spaceship opened, and a small, unmanned flying vehicle slowly drifted out. Inside the ship, the Captain and several squad members nervously fixed their eyes on the screens.

The drone gradually ventured deeper into the beast horde. After flying for a short while, a red-and-black tentacle suddenly struck it like a cannonball, swatting it out of the air and sending it crashing into the dirt.

Crack-crack-crack...

In the next moment, the red-and-black tentacle wrapped around the drone. Possessing an elastic, gel-like property, the tentacle rapidly contracted, crushing the drone to pieces in an instant.

A massive amount of ammunition burst outward, only to be directly devoured by that red-and-black substance. Those were all radiation weapons.

The surrounding beasts acted as if they didn't even see it. The mass of red-and-black substance that had shot down the drone simply rolled across the ground and vanished without a trace.

"What just shot it down?"

Inside the heart of the spaceship, everyone wore looks of confusion. The control interface had gone completely pitch-black; the moment the drone was hit, the video feed disconnected entirely.

They quickly pulled up the playback and slowed it down nearly a hundred times before they finally caught sight of that red-and-black substance.

"What the hell is that thing?" the Captain asked in bewilderment. Heavy Radiation Zones were notoriously high-risk areas. Despite conducting monitoring operations on Blazing Eye Star for so long, they had never dared to actually step foot inside one.

While they were still puzzling over the footage, the countless Radiation Beasts that had been resting suddenly stood up. In perfect unison, they glared toward the sky where the spaceships were hovering, unleashing a cacophony of terrifying roars.

'We've been discovered?' As soon as this thought surfaced in the Captain's mind, his pupils constricted violently. How could that be possible?

However, before he had time to react, he saw a red-and-black tentacle shoot up from the Basin. It spanned an immense distance and wrapped directly around one of the spaceships. Inside the ship, alarm bells instantly blared.

The personnel piloting the ship were terrified out of their wits. They pushed the propulsion engine to its absolute maximum limit, blasting fierce trails of fire several meters long. The red-and-black tentacle was pulled taut, yet it remained unbroken.

Immediately after, the tentacle exerted a violent force and contracted abruptly. A terrifying amount of pressure squeezed the spaceship from all directions. The metal hull let out an agonizing screech as it crumpled under the burden, gradually warping and twisting out of shape until, finally, it exploded with a deafening boom, sending metal parts flying everywhere.

The crews of the remaining spaceships were still somewhat stunned, having no idea what that thing was. They only snapped back to reality when they heard the Captain screaming himself hoarse, and hastily fired up their ships.

Whoosh!

Just as the spaceship the Captain was in activated and rocketed away from its original position, another tentacle surged upward, narrowly missing it.

Down below, the horde of Radiation Beasts let out wave after wave of furious roars and stampeded in the direction the spaceships were fleeing.

"Fuck, what the hell was that thing?!" the Captain roared. He glanced at their flight trajectory and bellowed, "Where the fuck are you trying to fly us to? Head toward the Guard Corps!"

"Oh, right, right..." the pilot responded as if waking from a dream. He frantically adjusted their flight path, aiming squarely for the Guard Corps' current location.

In the night sky, a brilliant canopy of stars shone brightly. Many Guard Corps members would occasionally tilt their heads up to gaze at the cosmos. It was only during moments like these that they felt as though Blazing Eye Star hadn't changed at all.

Mo Duo, her eye sockets slightly red, walked over to Li Yu's side. "Auntie Tuya just told me some things. Once we reach the Planetary Core, I have a gift for you."

"A gift?" Li Yu's unfocused eyes instantly sharpened. He probed, "What kind of gift?"

"It's a secret for now. Otherwise, it won't be a surprise," Mo Duo blinked playfully. Her mood seemed to have improved significantly.

"However, I will say it's something you've been hoping to get for a long time. It is extremely precious," Mo Duo added a moment later.

"Oh..." Li Yu's eyes lit up, though he quickly masked his excitement. He discreetly sized Mo Duo up and asked in a deliberately casual tone, "What made you suddenly think to give me a gift?"

"Auntie Tuya suggested it," Mo Duo's blazing red eyes trembled slightly, her gaze darting away. "You've done so much for me, and I honestly didn't know how to thank you. If Auntie Tuya hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't have even thought of it."

'Tuya... oh, Tuya... If this works out, I guarantee you a lifetime of wealth and glory!'

Under Tuya's confused gaze, Li Yu averted his eyes and gave a placid nod. "There's no need for pleasantries between us. Since you've already made up your mind, it would be rude of me to refuse. I suppose I'll reluctantly accept it."

"Have you guessed what it is?" Mo Duo asked suspiciously.

Li Yu nodded. Just as he was about to speak, Claptrap suddenly sounded a sharp alarm.

"Master, unidentified flying vehicles are approaching!"

The Titan Symbiotic Armor had devoured quite a few sets of advanced armor, so it naturally wasn't lacking built-in tools like short-range scanners.

On his Combat System interface, three red dots were rapidly closing in. Li Yu's expression shifted slightly. Before he could even open his mouth, a deafening roar of rushing air tore through the night.

Rumble—

The Guard Corps members below subconsciously raised their heads, only to see three spaceships streaking across the sky.

Now... he didn't even need to warn them; everyone had spotted the ships.

"Where did those spaceships come from?!" Simon's face drastically changed color.

Tim's expression was equally grim, but unlike Simon's genuine surprise, his eyes hid a deeper, more calculated reaction.

As for Tuya, she had already pulled Mo Duo behind her back to protect her.

"They flew in from the direction of the Heavy Radiation Zone," Tim analyzed calmly.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Simon abruptly whipped his head around to glare at Tim.

The very next moment, the ground began to tremble faintly. Tim didn't even need to answer. Amidst the billowing dust clouds on the horizon, the continuous roaring of savage beasts echoed toward them.

Countless densely packed red dots began to flood the edges of Li Yu's Combat System interface, their numbers too great to count.