Barren Star – Chapter 35
by Little PandaUnconscious
Jin Feifei slept on a flower branch all night. Early the next morning, she woke up refreshed and roused Feng Ermao, who was sleeping spread-eagled, asking for help getting a spaceship ticket. Feng Ermao was eager to have Jin Feifei come and cheerfully went to arrange it, suppressing her morning grumpiness.
At the Jin Ming Phoenix Butterfly Clan.
Jin Feifei announced she wanted to go out to work, shocking her parents. Known for being a “homebody” [someone who prefers staying at home] who wouldn’t even travel to other planets, she was suddenly volunteering to work outside. Her parents were partly relieved but also worried she might have been brainwashed by a pyramid scheme. They probed indirectly until they heard about “Feng Heng” from Jin Feifei, then quickly contacted the Feng Jiu Clan to inquire about the situation. The Feng Jiu Clan didn’t say much, only telling Jin’s parents that the Crown Princess had found the base. Jin’s parents were relieved and then packed off their unemployed young relatives as well.
At first, it was just Jin Feifei, but it quickly became a large group. Jin Feifei felt embarrassed and asked Feng Ermao for the coordinates, planning to rent a spaceship herself to reach the base. Feng Ermao waved her hand generously: “No matter how many come, our Lord will cover all transportation.”
One Jin Ming Phoenix Butterfly becoming many delighted Ning Buyi, who didn’t mind the small expense of “transportation.” Though she had nearly depleted her savings recently upgrading the base’s weapons systems.
At the base.
Ning Buyi was clearing fields with Chang Su and others. While the Feng Jiu and Dragon Clans were breaking new ground outside, the original base’s field cultivation fell to them. With more people and machines available, and no need to rush, the task wasn’t too heavy. Though curious about the plants’ origins, these people were tactful and didn’t ask questions, just focusing on their work. Seeing this, Ning Buyi relaxed somewhat.
During breaks, Ning Buyi sat with them, listening to stories of their past. Eight people from different planets had quite different living environments and habits. Ning Buyi particularly enjoyed their planetary “legends,” which somewhat overlapped with her known world. In these ethereal tales, she could find traces of “home.”
Ning Buyi held a bottle, moistening her dry throat with pure water. Just months ago she’d worried about depleting resources, but that wasn’t necessary now. Though money came quickly, it went just as fast. While listening to stories and thinking aimlessly, suddenly rapid footsteps reached her ears. She looked up and glimpsed Hua Zhuoyu approaching with large strides.
After bidding farewell to Chang Su and the others, Ning Buyi followed behind Hua Zhuoyu. Only when no one was around did she lower her voice to ask, “What’s wrong?”
“Po Jun has detected traces of human life.” Hua Zhuoyu stared at the water droplets on Ning Buyi’s lips for a moment before averting her gaze. “According to the charts Po Jun sent back, there are at least ten people there.”
“So many?” Ning Buyi’s eyelid twitched as she bit her lip, feeling uneasy deep inside.
Hua Zhuoyu lowered her eyelashes: “Well, should we take the initiative to strike?”
Ning Buyi took a deep breath: “Where are they?”
Hua Zhuoyu said: “City Ruins Number One.” The abandoned city had lost its original name and was now numbered based on its distance from the base – One, Two, and so on… with “Number One” being the closest to the base. The base stored some related information, as the Ning family had surveyed it while pioneering on the Barren Star. In Ruins Number One, the entire city structure had sunk, its pitted surface covered by endless yellow sand.
“I remember this place,” Ning Buyi paced back and forth. “In Beidou’s database, there are records of the Ning family wanting to awaken the city.” The sunken buildings weren’t necessarily completely ruined. Just as they could build interstellar living platforms in space, they could do the same underground. Unfortunately, the Ning family’s survey team brought back no encouraging news, forcing them to abandon the city ruins and establish a base elsewhere to mine the special minerals of the Barren Star.
Ning Buyi looked confused: “How did those people enter the Barren Star? Why weren’t there any signs?”
Hua Zhuoyu smiled, gazing at Ning Buyi: “Perhaps they were already there. I suggest we take the initiative.”
Ning Buyi looked up, her lips curving: “What a coincidence, I was thinking the same.” After the Ning family abandoned this Barren Star, it had essentially lost its “development” value. People who could survive here wouldn’t be simple. The base’s equipment had been upgraded, prepared for confrontation, but if possible, Ning Buyi hoped the base would remain peaceful rather than stirring up trouble.
“Are you planning to stay at the base and wait for news, or come with me?” Hua Zhuoyu asked again.
“Together,” Ning Buyi said firmly. “Let’s bring Feng Yi and Ling Shu too.”
Hua Zhuoyu didn’t argue with Ning Buyi’s decision, but changed the subject: “Your spiritual power is formidable, and your physical strength is gradually increasing. Have you thought about becoming a mecha warrior?”
Ning Buyi blinked: “Can I?”
Hua Zhuoyu smiled gently: “Of course.”
At City Ruins Number One.
Cold machinery emitted an eerie glow under the searchlight. A scruffy-bearded man sat cross-legged on the ground, his fingers typing rapidly. The screen before him displayed a series of red code, which moments later turned into a huge red exclamation mark: “Access Denied!” The man took a deep breath and slammed his right fist on the ground with a thud. “Failure, failure, and more failure! This is already the 18th time!” After each failed attempt to break the access rights, the entire main control system would fall into sleep mode until reactivating seven days later. They had been trapped in this hellhole for four months.
“If only we hadn’t come to investigate the city traces,” said a young man holding a searchlight, hunching his shoulders and neck, his eyes dim. Ten of them were trapped in a room of fifty square meters, their carried energy sources gradually depleting. If they couldn’t get out of this control room, they would eventually become corpses.
“It’s just radiation, right? Let’s force our way out!” shouted a young man huddled in the corner.
“Easier said than done,” the man gave a bitter laugh. “Have you forgotten how Old Three and the others died?”
At the mention of “death,” the crowd grew more silent. Nearly four months had passed, and they thought they had forgotten, but in reality, the impact of “life and death separation” was strong, gradually pulling at their nerves and filling their hearts.
“The Leader should have noticed we’re missing,” a short-haired woman suddenly spoke.
“Zhao Lan.” The cross-legged man looked deeply at the short-haired woman, his tone heavy, “This is Barren Star Number One. Does the Leader have any way to rescue us? Rather than hoping for the Leader to act, we might as well wait for the Ning family to come explore the ruins again.”
“The Ning family? They only know how to make money from mining. After their first failure, they’ll never come back.” A cold laugh rang out as the speaker looked at the cross-legged man, “Wei Qu, is the central system really that hard to crack? Could someone be intercepting it secretly?”
“I don’t know,” the man said dejectedly. Initially, it was his overconfidence in his system-cracking abilities that led his teammates into the central control room. He never expected this mistaken solution would trap his companions here. The central control system was complex and ever-changing – each time he attempted to crack it, it would switch to a new set of program codes, unlike any known artificial intelligence.
Zhao Lan lowered her eyes and said, “We’re running out of nutrient solution.”
“Then we’ll have to drink blood and dig for flesh. I have little dark pollution in my body, my meat is tender – brothers and sisters, help yourselves first.” The young man shrugged, feigning casualness, but his forced smile looked worse than crying. He had never imagined he would one day starve to death in this wasteland.
“I’ll try again.” Wei Qu pressed his lips together, but his raised fingers dropped again. Forced decryption would trigger the entire central defense system – then, instead of starving to death, they would be cut to pieces by various radiation beams, just like those who died before. Wei Qu hung his head, covering his cheeks, his dry eyes unable to squeeze out a single tear. No one blamed him, but it was his decision that led his companions down this dead end.
Outside the ruins, endless yellow sand. Strange rocks stood jagged, sand flew about, and the bitter howling wind sounded like ghostly cries.
“Is that the ruins ahead? Where are the human life signs?” Ling Shu asked eagerly, unusually bright beams flashing in her eyes.
Hua Zhuoyu pressed her lips together: “Underground. We need to find the city entrance.”
“Let’s follow Baize,” Ning Buyi spoke, setting down the Baize she had been holding. Baize was a fortune beast, and having it helped her use the “Dominate” skill.
Feng Yi glanced at Ning Buyi, her lips moving, but ultimately held back, saying nothing.
The Baize that jumped from Ning Buyi’s arms shot out like lightning, its wings flapping as it hovered in mid-air. It ran east and west, sniffing everywhere, finally flying along a pile of strange rocks. Ning Buyi’s eyelid twitched as she hurriedly jogged after Baize, only stopping when they reached a depression the size of a well opening.
“I’ll go down and check first,” Ling Shu said eagerly.
“Iโ” Before Ning Buyi could finish speaking, Ling Shu had already jumped into the hole, instantly swallowed by darkness.
“She’s always like this,” Feng Yi said casually.
Ning Buyi turned to Feng Yi and said softly: “Aren’t you worried?”
Feng Yi: “I trust her.”
Two minutes later, a black dragon flew up from the hole. She didn’t transform into human form but instead used her claws to grip the edge of the hole and said: “It’s an underground tunnel, don’t know where it leads. No wild beasts, but I saw corpses. If there are humans, they’re probably trapped somewhere. Should we rescue them?” As Ling Shu spoke, her cold golden eyes showed little emotion.
The possibility of human life threatening the base had decreased. If they were truly trapped here, letting them die quietly might be the best option, but Ning Buyi’s conscience couldn’t take that step. She turned to Hua Zhuoyu to see her choice. If Hua Zhuoyu insisted on leaving, she wouldn’t object.
After a moment’s contemplation, Hua Zhuoyu said: “Let’s go down and look. If there’s danger, we can leave then. At least we’ll have tried our best.”
Feng Yi and Ling Shu had no objections.
Ning Buyi descended with Hua Zhuoyu, their feet landing on the tracks. It seemed they could hear creaking and swaying sounds from ancient times.
They shone their searchlights, but the pitch-black tunnel was like a greedy maw, instantly devouring any wandering points of light.
A white flash crossed before Ning Buyi’s eyes. She thought Hua Zhuoyu had waved the searchlight in front of her, but before she could speak, dizziness struck and she lost consciousness as everything went black.
Hua Zhuoyu’s expression suddenly changed as she spun around to catch Ning Buyi, holding her in her arms.
Ling Shu was startled and turned to look at Ning Buyi, asking in confusion: “Does the tunnel have poisonous gas harmful to humans? Sorry, I didn’t notice.”
“It’s not that,” Hua Zhuoyu’s gaze darkened as she looked at Ling Shu and Feng Yi. “Let’s go back first.”
The exploration of City Ruins Number One was suspended due to Ning Buyi’s sudden unconsciousness. Feng Yi and Ling Shu shrugged, not intending to ask much. They remained on the Barren Star, their main task being to train the Feng Jiu and Dragon Clans who had arrived here. Once that group was completely settled, they would need to return to Beast Star, as they had their own matters to handle.
At the base.
Hua Zhuoyu kept quiet about Ning Buyi’s unconsciousness. She carried Ning Buyi to the medical pod to check her bodily functions, but all data showed normal status, as if it were ordinary sleep. Hua Zhuoyu felt something wasn’t quite right but couldn’t explain why.
“Master is fine,” Beidou’s voice was cold.
Hua Zhuoyu absently made a sound of acknowledgment and carried the unconscious Ning Buyi back to her room.
Last time Ning Buyi had also fallen into a deep sleep. Could it be some recessive genetic disease? If so, they should make a trip to the Imperial Star when they had the chance.
Ning Buyi’s consciousness was hazy, unlike last time when she had no awareness at all.
She vaguely sensed that the Mountain Sea Atlas was upgrading, thinking to herself that it was always so sudden – next time she must ask the system to warn her in advance.
In her sleep, she felt a pair of gentle hands touch her face. She tried to open her eyes to see clearly, but her heavy eyelids wouldn’t obey her command.
Ning Buyi remained in a daze, sleeping for three days straight.
When she woke up, she glimpsed Hua Zhuoyu bent over at her bedside, her expression somewhat complex. Probably disturbed by her movement, Hua Zhuoyu raised her head, brushing aside the bangs covering her eyes, and covered her mouth as she yawned: “Awake?”
Ning Buyi made a sound of agreement and shifted her body to make room on half the bed.
Hua Zhuoyu watched her movement with a light laugh, stood up and stretched, saying with a smile: “During your three-day absence, everything at the base remained normal.”
Ning Buyi looked up, blinking at Hua Zhuoyu: “Aren’t you tired?”
Hua Zhuoyu smiled: “Going three days and nights without sleep is a common thing.” Before Ning Buyi could show any touched expression, she added, “I’ve rested before. Beidou was taking care of you earlier. Though I need to tidy up, otherwise I look like I’m about to drive a coal cart to work in the mines.”
Ning Buyi didn’t answer, just stared intently at Hua Zhuoyu. Only after Hua Zhuoyu waved at her and left the room did she withdraw her gaze.
The upgraded Mountain Sea Atlas had added a city construction module, currently with only one model. Ning Buyi reached out to open the model, and a line of text appeared above it: “City Ruins Number One [Awaiting Name].” Had the Mountain Sea Atlas incorporated all city ruins into its system management? Ning Buyi furrowed her brow, entered the characters “Aurora” after “City Ruins Number One,” and immediately a strange button appeared.
Ning Buyi asked: “What happens if I press it?”
ใThe city construction hidden below will reappear on the surface.ใ
“All of it? The complete city?”
ใDifferent sectors need dark pollution reserves to activate separately.ใ
Ning Buyi: “…” Although the abandoned city would reappear, ultimately they still needed to plant trees.
After drinking a strange-tasting nutrient solution, Ning Buyi finally got up to wash. The three-day sleep hadn’t brought any negative effects to her body; instead, she felt refreshed. After washing up, she didn’t leave but sat in the living room waiting for Hua Zhuoyu. She didn’t wait long before Hua Zhuoyu reappeared, looking relaxed and radiant.
“You seem to be waiting for me.”
“Not ‘seem’,” Ning Buyi glanced at Hua Zhuoyu sitting beside her. “I plan to bring Beidou to the ruins to see if we can control the city’s central system.” Actually, she didn’t need Beidou – she just needed to press that button on the Mountain Sea Atlas to connect with the city’s central system. But she had to put on a show, as there weren’t just Hua Zhuoyu but other people in the base now.
“Alright,” Hua Zhuoyu nodded.
Ning Buyi turned to look at Hua Zhuoyu, having to admit that in these matters, Hua Zhuoyu proved exceptionally reliable.
When returning to City Ruins Number One, Ning Buyi didn’t call for Feng Yi and the others, nor did she bring Baize.
Beidou’s form was changeable, and standing alongside Po Jun, it maintained its imposing presence.
In the underground city’s main control room.
Wei Qu and his group, at their wit’s end, waited for the central control system to revive – this was their last chance. Wei Qu’s hands rested respectfully on the keyboard, his expression solemn.
“Beep beep beepโ”
Before Wei Qu could act, an alarm sounded in the central control room. The sleeping machines awakened, and red code appeared line by line on the screen above the control system, flowing like water. The lights in the control room suddenly clicked on, illuminating the silent room as bright as day.
The listless survivors were startled awake by the lights, looking hopefully toward Wei Qu.
However, Wei Qu felt an indescribable panic – his companions thought he had connected to the central system, but in reality, he hadn’t done anything; the main control AI had awakened on its own. His face turned white as paper, terrified by the sudden change.
“What’s wrong?” Zhao Lan turned to Wei Qu.
Wei Qu’s hands pressed down, his shoulders hunching as his pale lips trembled: “It… it wasn’t me.”
Outside the city ruins.
Beidou bowed to Ning Buyi, saying seriously: “Master, we have successfully connected to Aurora City’s control center.”
Ning Buyi made a sound of acknowledgment, firmly grasping Hua Zhuoyu’s wrist and said in a deep voice: “Let’s back up. Further back.”
Though puzzled, Hua Zhuoyu still summoned Po Jun and retreated ten kilometers as Ning Buyi instructed.
At this moment, Ning Buyi had no time to worry about Hua Zhuoyu’s feelings. In her mind appeared a scene like Sun Wukong breaking free from the Five-Finger Mountain. A magnificent city reappearing in the world should surely be as dramatic as mountains collapsing and seas rising.
However, the actual scene differed greatly from Ning Buyi’s imagination. After a thunderous explosion, there wasn’t much movement. This city hidden underground immediately deployed its protective shield when the central system awakened. Sand storms pushed outward like waves, while the internal structures remained intact.
Yellow sand filled the sky, making it impossible for human eyes to see through the thick dust to the distant view. However, Beidou and Po Jun both brought back special images and news of human life signs.
“This is the central control room, they’re trapped inside,” Ning Buyi pointed to a corner in the image. “The self-defense system around the control room is activated. If they step out, they’ll be shot to pieces.”
Hua Zhuoyu: “The sand is still pushing toward the city’s perimeter, creating a small disaster storm. Well, are you planning to go over?”
“What do you think?” Ning Buyi threw the question back, knowing her understanding of disasters wasn’t as thorough as Hua Zhuoyu’s.
“We can take a look,” Hua Zhuoyu pondered for a moment. “Those people’s life signs are very weak, they probably won’t last much longer.”
Sand and dust wrapped around large rocks as they spun, creating an irritating heavy friction sound. Po Jun’s mecha loaded with new black exoskeleton armor traversed through the storm circle. Thump thump thump, thump thump thump โ hearing the sounds from outside, strange melodies cycled through Ning Buyi’s head. Although the exoskeleton resisted the storm’s sand waves, Hua Zhuoyu still didn’t choose to bulldoze through clumsily. Her fingertips moved rapidly, as if playing a fast and loud storm sonata. Po Jun’s twisting movements were strange, but gradually the thumping sounds disappeared, apparently having mastered the storm’s rhythm and completely tamed it.
At this moment, Hua Zhuoyu possessed the beautiful qualities of a protagonist.
In the sandy city, tall buildings stood everywhere, with circular elevated passages decorating the sides like glittering silver ribbons. But it was silent, without the glamour and bustle of neon lights. Ning Buyi pulled up the model from the Mountain Sea Atlas and saw only some areas were green, indicating she only had access to that small section.
Ning Buyi exported a map and sent it to Hua Zhuoyu, explaining: “Beidou only controls a small part.”
Hua Zhuoyu smiled: “Then let’s go check out that small section.”
The two jumped out of the mecha, and Beidou also transformed to normal human size, following behind them.
After gaining control of the central system, at least they didn’t need to worry about the “defense system” in the green zone – they could move freely.
The city’s central control room was in a dome-shaped building resembling an opera house. Machinery with a phosphorescent blue glow made up the building, giving it a strange texture and austere feeling when the lights were on. Ning Buyi and Hua Zhuoyu walked side by side, descending the circular stairs, their footsteps echoing in these long-abandoned corridors.
In the control room.
“Did… did you hear something?” The young man crouching near the door asked in panic. That trembling sensation traveled along his nerves, slowly taking over his entire body. His mind had no complex thoughts left, only the desperation of approaching death.
Zhao Lan pressed her lips together, holding an old-style submachine gun, her fingers occasionally touching the safety catch, ready to switch modes and load. Initially, they had many energy weapons, but as their time trapped in the base increased, most had been dismantled for use.
They once proudly called themselves interstellar civilization explorers, but when truly trapped, they suddenly discovered it took less than half a year to completely destroy their will.
Thank you for the chapter!!