Chapter 35

Even choosing the shortest route from the border line, it would take just over a week to reach the Imperial Star.

As Cheng Jiu disembarked from the starship at the port, the port manager tumbled down from his hovercar, offering a strained smile: "Major Cheng, what brings you back to the Imperial Star so suddenly?"

Cheng Jiu's face lacked his usual casual demeanor; he sneered, looking down, "Since when do I need to report my comings and goings to you?"

The manager hastened to explain, "No offense meant, sir. It's just your return was so sudden, I was merely surprised..."

He stood blocking Cheng Jiu’s path, as annoying as a buzzing fly.

A frown deepened between Cheng Jiu's brows.

Jing Cun, who was behind him, brushed the manager aside expressionlessly, "Please, do not delay the Major’s journey. Thank you."

With that, they strode off.

Cheng Jiu returned without his soldiers, accompanied only by his personal guard and Jing Cun. The Ninth Legion's forces remained on the front line, guarding against unforeseen incidents.

Upon reaching the Imperial Star, he did not head to the council first but went to the Cheng residence.

The Cheng family's contract could be described as terribly fulfilled.

It had been a long while since Cheng Jiu felt such ire. This kind of emotion would only cloud his judgment, more harm than good.

Yet now, a fire blazed within him, its origin unknown, growing fiercer by the moment. No matter how hard reason tried to extinguish it, it seemed to fan the flames instead.

The council's interference was something he had anticipated early on.

The Cheng family's pledge was just a minor condition he had casually agreed to, of little consequence to him. They would, of course, offer Lin Fu minimal support; he should have known that, shouldn't he?

Agreeing to Cheng Ying's terms was merely a small concession for future plans.

But the raging fury within made him extremely reluctant to grant even this small concession to the Cheng family now.

What was the source of this intense emotion?

The warm night breeze poured in through the open car window, brushing his face. It did nothing to cool his irritation but rather exacerbated his restlessness.

The source of his emotions was that child.

He should have been aware.

Cheng Jiu's grip on the hovercar's steering wheel tightened, veins standing out in stark, fierce arcs.

His affection had sprouted during their extraordinary first encounter, rooting deeply with that one glance upon their next meeting.

With each subsequent encounter, it grew lush and sprawling, like a robust tree.

*

Lin Fu held his knife amidst a dense swarm of insects, his blade slashing through the air, splattering blood which was soon followed by the sound of liquid hitting the ground.

The people behind him repeated the same motions, their expressions numb, mechanically slaughtering the insect horde.

Even splattered with blood on their faces, no one bothered to wipe it away.

They had been traversing through this overwhelming tide of insects for two days.

This was unlike what they had initially anticipated.

The depletion of their strength slowed their movements, their minds scarred from the continuous psychic assaults of the insects, dragging their weary bodies into a relentless fight.

Lin Fu had healed their spirits countless times, his face now shrouded in a pale hue.

His psychic tendrils stretched far and wide, yet still, he saw no end.

It was as if they were trapped in a closed loop, unable to find a way out.

"Pfft—"

The scent of human blood triggered the nerves of some.

Turning around, Lin Fu saw Yan Yan's abdomen pierced by a lurid green tentacle.

With a grim expression, he severed the tentacle, extracted the remnants from the wound, and momentarily erected a simulated barrier to bandage Yan Yan's bleeding wound.

Yan Yan, exerting great effort to retract his arm, patted Lin Fu on the shoulder: "Take down the barrier. We don't know how long the road ahead is, don't waste your psychic energy."

Lin Fu replied indifferently, "I have a headache, so shut up."

Yan Yan was at his wits' end.

After dressing the wound, he supported Yan Yan and followed the team. Shortly after, a leopard suddenly appeared at the rear of the column, trotting towards them.

The faces in the group were all familiar, manifestations of Milton's spirit.

It had twin emerald eyes, which, in the blue luminescent cave full of mineral luster, refracted a bright green light, not like the disgusting dark green of insectoid blood, but like fireflies in a summer night forest, beautiful as gems.

It eyed Yan Yan's abdominal wound, growled softly in its throat, and deftly hopped over to pick up Yan Yan's clothes in its mouth, throwing them over its back.

Although its size was significantly larger than a real animal, it still seemed to struggle when compared to Yan Yan.

It paid no heed to Yan Yan's protests, baring its teeth in threat at any sign of dissent.

Lin Fu's mental tendrils reached further, suddenly glimpsing a flicker of light.

His spirits lifted, he shouted, "The exit is ahead, let's pick up the pace!"

Months of collaboration had led the team to trust Lin Fu unconditionally; they immediately quickened their charge and indeed, half an hour later, they saw the faint glow of white light.

They grew increasingly excited, their utterly exhausted bodies infused with new strength.

System: [Host, a large number of high-level insectoids have appeared ahead. Please be cautious.]

Lin Fu's face turned pale.

The system informed again: [The exit is vertically above, with eleven high-ranking insectoids on the edge of the cliff. If the host uses the mech suit and initiates maximum speed, you can reach the surface within ten seconds.]

They had come this far on their path; there was no possibility of turning back.

Lin Fu's expression turned uglier by the second, and not just him, everyone of S-rank felt an intense sense of crisis.

Milton made a snap decision to halt the team's forward charge.

The leopard set down Yan Yan and stepped on the insectoids to jump out of the cave to check the situation.

Yan Yan's abdominal wound was slowly healing.

Lin Fu was slaughtering insectoids, his mind racing with ways to escape.

The terrain was unfavorable, compounded by the presence of no fewer than eleven high-ranking insectoids.

Even at their peak, two S-rank individuals were needed to kill just one; their strength had been honed over the past few months, but now, everyone was immensely fatigued, facing the high-ranking insectoids meant certain death.

Suddenly, Lin Fu crouched down, entrusting the rear to the others, and took hold of the storage device on Yan Yan’s wrist, whispering, “Senior, let me try using your storage device.”

Without hesitation, Yan Yan removed it and handed it to him.

In the blink of an eye, the bracelet disappeared into Lin Fu’s signet ring.

He continued, “Channel your mental energy into it and try to open your storage device to retrieve the mech suit.”

As long as the owner’s mental energy permits, it’s possible for someone else's mental energy to enter the storage device.

The only uncertainty was whether one could open a storage device within another storage device.

Lin Fu traced two characters in his palm, causing Yan Yan's expression to change instantly.

Without delay, he channeled his own mental energy into Lin Fu’s storage device.

Few noticed the subtle actions of the two in the rear.

Those on the perimeter were busy fighting the lower-ranking insectoids, while those forging ahead had reached the very edge of the tunnel and saw the situation outside.

—A vast chasm.

Bottomless.

Around the chasm's walls were various small openings, with tunnels inside, swarming with insectoids crawling into the depths.

And on the wall’s perimeter lay a dozen creatures markedly different from the lower-ranking insectoids, massive in size.

Not only were they much larger than the lower-ranking insectoids, but the mental energy they radiated was also countless times stronger. Their insectoid eyes moved, surveilling the lower-ranking insectoids like foremen.

High-ranking insectoids, and eleven of them appearing all at once.

Milton abruptly retreated.

But the high-ranking insectoids had already noticed their distinctly different mental energy from the insectoids.

Immediately, two of the creatures began shifting their limbs, crawling towards their tunnel entrance.

Milton clenched the whip in his hand, instinctively attempting to deploy his mech for combat through the storage device, only to recall with a start that the device had malfunctioned and had yet to be restored.

After enduring for so long underground, was it possible that just as they neared escape, they would perish here?

How could she resign to this fate!

Before she could act, the cave suddenly collapsed, and everyone was grasped and clutched, then hurled from the cave, soaring towards the sky.

Milton glanced sideways, catching sight of the familiar cyan coating, and in a fleeting moment, he also saw the dark mech grasping two people in its hands.

The thrusters at the feet of the mech were firing at full power, shooting straight towards the cave ceiling, while a thin membrane of mental energy surrounded them, masking their mental fluctuations.

Alas, it was of little use. The high-ranking insectoids were momentarily stunned, surprised by the sudden emergence of the massive objects, but quickly their limbs moved with astonishing speed towards the cave mouth.

Lin Fu was acutely aware that the mechs weren't designed for high-altitude flight; they could only ascend briefly by leveraging the power of the thrusters.

Upon landing, their only option was to flee.

He retrieved a long-stored energy ore from his storage space, crudely processed it, and tossed it into the energy slot, causing their speed to surge once again.

After touching down, the people previously clutched in his palm were released to find suitable grips, while Lin Fu and Yan Yan’s weapon bays sprung open, each drawing out a Tang sword.

Even Yan Yan discarded any pretense, wielding a large broadsword.

In such moments, survival hinged on choosing the weapon one was most adept with.

Their forward dash stirred up clouds of dust, the commotion startling the exotic beasts at the forest's edge.

As expected, the high-ranking insectoids pursued relentlessly, their malevolence evident, compound eyes flashing with a murderous, vicious red, and high above, flying insects vibrated their wings, emitting a high-pitched whir.

Lin Fu felt the familiar sensation of overexertion once more.

It was a feeling he hadn’t experienced since the first break through the suspended bridge underground.

Yet, he couldn't help but glance at Yan Yan, who could barely keep pace with him, and a curiosity about his current physical condition took hold.

Even though Yan Yan was injured and not at full strength, and despite his own mental exhaustion and the responsibility of shielding everyone from the high-ranking insectoids' mental attacks in their weakened state,

Did it mean he now possessed the capability to contend with an S-rank?

This thought flashed swiftly through his mind.

Lin Fu activated the burst mechanism, propelling himself a considerable distance forward with the explosive force.

Such an action places an enormous strain on the body, and even high-ranking sentinels seldom resort to this maneuver.

Yan Yan was fraught with concern, yet such dire moments left little room for caution.

They exerted every ounce of their strength in a desperate bid for survival.

Suddenly, a thunderous rumble echoed from afar.

A colossal burrowing beetle emerged from behind the mountain, startling Lin Fu into a ghastly pallor!

Eleven high-ranking insectoids were already in pursuit, and now a burrowing beetle blocked their path?

Clenching his teeth, Lin Fu readied his Tang sword, bracing himself for a do-or-die confrontation.

In the next instant.

A resplendent platinum mech emerged from behind the beetle, raising its blade and savagely plunging it into the creature's head, a gush of thick green splattering everywhere!