Barren Star – Chapter 48
by Little PandaComing to pick you up.
Although Ning Buyi was progressing extremely fast in mecha control, her contact time was still short, and without actual combat experience, she was just a green bird; moreover, her reliance on “Dominate” would lose its effectiveness on other planets. If she were just traveling to the Construction Star, there would be no need for such concerns, however, her destination was the Giant Sickle Star, a battlefield.
“What if I go there and can’t return?” After ending the communication with Hua Zhuoyu, Ning Buyi tried to negotiate with the pretending-to-be-dead Mountain and Sea Atlas. The side quest was only for upgrading the atlas, if she didn’t go, there seemed to be no punishment, at least she wouldn’t need to worry about losing her life.
Perhaps because it involved a side quest, the electronic voice that had been silent finally rang in Ning Buyi’s mind.
γEaster egg has refreshed, collect within three days.γ
Listening to that trembling electronic voice, Ning Buyi felt the system was somewhat unwilling. But this wasn’t important anymore, she looked at the coordinates displayed by the easter egg, secretly speculating about the “creature” inside. Would it be an incredibly fierce beast? Or a fortune beast [qΓ¬ yΓΉn shΓ²u – magical creature bringing luck] like Baize? Or something else?
Perhaps due to Baize’s fortune influence, this time the easter egg’s refresh location wasn’t far away, it could even be considered precise. Ning Buyi didn’t even wait until the next day before heading out with Beidou. She discovered the small creature in the bushes, its form wasn’t large, comparable to a small kitten, snow-white all over, with nine fluffy tails swaying back and forth, making innocent cries from its mouth.
Nine-tailed fox.
Looking at its soft and adorable appearance, it was clearly a cute beast, not a fierce one.
Ning Buyi wasn’t disappointed, she checked the nine-tailed fox’s status panel, unlike Baize’s fortune ability, the little one specialized in “enchantment”. After stroking its soft and fluffy fur, Ning Buyi carried the nine-tailed fox back to the base.
After nightfall.
The entire base hadn’t fallen into silence, whether humanoid or beast form, they were all chasing and playing around, as if the day’s work hadn’t exhausted their energy.
“The Lord has returned, what is she carrying?” Feng Ermao had sharp eyes and immediately spotted Ning Buyi and her “unidentified creature.” At first, she thought it was Baize, but then she saw Shi Huaixiang petting the “sheep,” immediately dismissing that possibility.
Sitting opposite to Feng Ermao, Tushan Sansan was fiddling with her light brain, when suddenly she transformed into a fluffy three-tailed fox, her fur standing on end, eyes blazing as she stared in the direction of Ning Buyi’s approach.
Feng Ermao scratched her head and reached out to pat Tushan Sansan’s skull: “You’ve been at the base for a while now, isn’t this reaction a bit late?” This fellow had been immersed in “beauty makeup” since arriving, practically glued to Jin Feifei, acting as her most loyal little sister, quite an eyesore.
Tushan Sansan swung her tail, slapping it like a whip across Feng Ermao’s hand, instantly leaving a red mark.
Feng Ermao immediately brought her hand to Jin Feifei, looking aggrieved: “She hit me!”
Jin Feifei couldn’t be bothered with the drama queen Feng Ermao, focusing instead on the creature in Ning Buyi’s arms, murmuring: “It’s a white fox.” After a pause, she added, “Nine-tailed.”
The words “nine-tailed” triggered something in Shi Huaixiang’s genes, her expression changed instantly, immediately forgetting about the Baize in her arms as she abruptly stood up to look at Ning Buyi.
In the Beast Star’s inherited γBaize Tuγ, the nine-tailed fox was the ancestor of all fox clans! After this thought flashed by, Tushan Sansan transformed into a red light and rushed toward Ning Buyi. When she was less than a meter from Ning Buyi, she suddenly stopped, raised her front limbs to stand upright, and bowed to the nine-tailed fox.
Ning Buyi: “…” Among Feng Ermao’s friends, Jin Feifei was still the most normal. Freeing one hand to rub her forehead, she said, “Transform back into human form.”
“Good girl” Tushan Sansan argued slyly: “I’m afraid our ancestor won’t recognize me.”
Ning Buyi deliberately sighed: “In that case, Shi Huaixiang seems more suitable to take care of your beast ancestor.”
After becoming Baize’s “pooper scooper” [chΗn shΗ guΔn – person responsible for cleaning up after pets], Shi Huaixiang had changed from her previous fierce and bellicose nature. Upon hearing Ning Buyi’s words, she immediately showed a gentle smile and stated: “I can do it.”
“No, no!” Tushan Sansan’s fur bristled as she jumped about. Though her tone was fierce, her body had already dodged behind Ning Buyi, fearing that Shi Huaixiang might strike her head without warning. If she remembered correctly, these not-so-kind feline creatures were the Beast Star’s war hawks [zhΗ zhΓ n pΓ i – militant faction]. Among the furry ones who cursed her as a “dynasty-worshipping foreign sycophant” [chΓ³ng xiΓ mΓ¨i wΓ i – derogatory term for those favoring foreign powers] on the forum, these big cats must have been among them.
Ning Buyi couldn’t be bothered with them. After placing the nine-tailed fox beside Baize, she went back to rest, as she didn’t have as much energy as these beast clan members. As her body sank into the soft sofa, Ning Buyi’s gaze swept around the empty living room, settling on the flower bouquet in the vase that hadn’t been changed for several days. With the nutrient solution watering, they wouldn’t wither too quickly, but still couldn’t compare to their vibrant freshness when Hua Zhuoyu was here.
“Master.” Beidou tilted its head toward Ning Buyi, showing some concern in its eyes.
But its emotions were all data calculated through computations, not to be taken as genuine.
After a long while, Ning Buyi finally made an “ah” sound. She looked at Beidou and after a moment said: “Can you come with me?” Without waiting for Beidou’s answer, she shook her head and continued to herself, “Not really possible, you need to stay at the base.”
After understanding Ning Buyi’s words, Beidou spoke: “Master, Beidou will always accompany Master.” She extended her right arm, and with a series of crisp clicking sounds, a reconfigured Rubik’s cube appeared in its hand. Passing the cube to Ning Buyi, she said softly, “Wherever Master goes, Beidou can go too.”
“Why?” Ning Buyi took the cube, and the Mountain and Sea Atlas immediately connected with this Beidou’s avatar.
Beidou lowered its head, furrowing its brows, thinking like a human. After a long while, it finally answered: “When Father created me, he used a star core. In a sense, I’m not just a string of data, I’m also the manifestation of a planet’s will.”
“Thenβ” Ning Buyi almost asked about that planet’s fate, but swallowed the words at her lips. After a planet’s will was stripped away and transformed into a star core, that planet would naturally die. If she hadn’t reached the Mountain and Sea Star, if she didn’t have the Mountain and Sea Atlas, then in November, Mountain and Sea Star would have repeated the fatal trajectory of countless dead planets before it, heading down a path of no return.
In mid-March, Ning Buyi boarded the spaceship bound for the Giant Sickle Star.
Before boarding the spaceship, she sent a message to Hua Zhuoyu.
Hua Zhuoyu had already arrived at the Giant Sickle Star before this.
This planet’s pollution levels kept deepening, and only the areas covered by the protective shield could barely resist. The planet’s will was growing weaker, and the residents on the planet were left with only migration as an option. Otherwise, once their internal dark pollution exceeded the threshold, death would be the only outcome. But the planet’s residents had lived here for generations, and not everyone was willing to leave, with slogans of “living and dying with the planet” everywhere. Not only did they refuse to leave themselves, they even attacked those willing to migrate, viewing them as traitors. Between the war with the Insect Race on one side and internal resistance on the other, the entire Giant Sickle Star’s situation was particularly dire and chaotic. At this time, except for official vessels, few spaceships were willing to travel here.
“You’re really only notifying me right before departure?”
“Is the spaceship landing at Iron Tree City? What about the timing?”
…
Through the text jumping on the screen, Ning Buyi could almost imagine Hua Zhuoyu’s expression. She reached out to gently pat the nine-tailed fox’s head, then replied with the timing, location, and spaceship’s identification number.
After weighing the pros and cons, she chose Iron Tree City as the landing point. This city was located on an iron tree nearly a thousand meters tall, its branches as hard as steel supporting a grotesque city that resembled a demon, but this also allowed it to largely avoid being affected by the fires of war.
Iron Tree City.
Dim moonlight fell through the tree gaps, illuminating this strange city “made entirely of steel.”
Between the thick branches were crisscrossing roads made of iron chain ladders covered with metal plates. They were stable and could bear enormous weight, though they swayed dramatically like swings in the wind. Looking down from the edge of the rope ladders, there was a misty cloud cover and a terrifying void below. One careless slip would result in being smashed to pieces. At the end of this branch was a tree house resembling a “bird’s nest”, appearing simple on the outside but containing plenty of high-tech equipment inside.
At this moment, Hua Zhuoyu sat cross-legged in a chair, fiddling with a weapon.
The walls had bullet holes and scorch marks, while on the floor was a pool of blood that hadn’t yet dried. The room was quiet, but just looking at the mess, one could guess that an intense fight had taken place here not long ago.
“These stubborn people!” He Chao spoke angrily, not understanding why Hua Zhuoyu could remain so calm after experiencing a terrorist attack. The Empire’s soldiers on the front lines were fighting to intercept the Insect Race, yet within this safe zone, these people not only refused to help at the front lines but also caused huge disturbances in the rear. They wanted to live and die with Giant Sickle Star, and no one would force them otherwise, but what right did they have to push all blame onto the Judges? Was it the Judges’ arrival that caused the planet’s death?
“Didn’t we already know such people existed? I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve experienced this.” Hua Zhuoyu spoke casually, loosening her hand to drop the weapon on the table, looking at He Chao and asking, “How are the infected people in Iron Tree City? Can the medical equipment keep up?”
“Even with the protective shield, it can’t completely isolate the dark pollution.” He Chao pressed his brow, showing signs of irritation, “We need to evacuate people quickly. But that damned Governor already fled alone, and waiting for support from the nearest Construction Star will take some time. Moreover, we might face attacks on the way.”
Hua Zhuoyu sighed: “The planet is withering too quickly.”
He Chao retorted: “But doesn’t Mountain and Sea Star have a way of revival?”
Hua Zhuoyu raised her eyes: “So what?”
He Chao suddenly froze under the cold gaze, the words at his throat suddenly stuck. After a while, he turned and said: “I’ll go check on the situation in the city.”
After He Chao left, the calmness on Hua Zhuoyu’s face immediately disappeared.
She stood up and expressionlessly stared at the pool of blood in the room, her eyes showing traces of mockery.
Mountain and Sea Star’s life force was reviving, but before the “Mythical Forbidden Zone” was resolved, this revival would ultimately be limited. Perhaps after everything settled down, she should take some radical action.
On the spaceship, Ning Buyi sat in her room, not leaving even for meals.
This first interstellar journey wasn’t going smoothly. In just a few days, they had already suffered no less than ten attacks, fortunately, the spaceship had a set of countermeasures against space pirates, forcefully repelling these “uninvited guests”. However, even so, the tourists on the ship were still disturbed, with various reports and complaints being heard constantly.
The spaceship traveled along the flight path between major Construction Stars, with people coming and going continuously. However, this scene changed as they approached Giant Sickle Star. One day when stepping out of her room, Ning Buyi discovered that she was almost the only passenger left on the ship. The Rubik’s cube Beidou floated above Ning Buyi’s right shoulder, connecting with the ship’s intelligent system, broadcasting some bad news about Giant Sickle Star.
“At least our spaceship is safe.” Ning Buyi comforted herself. However, just as her words fell, the spaceship began to shake violently, with sounds of falling objects coming from the corridor. A few minutes later, Beidou’s voice rang out again: “We’re under attack, the navigation system has malfunctioned.”
Ning Buyi: “…” Had her good luck remained on Mountain and Sea Star?
“Please return to your rooms, passengers.” Although few passengers remained on the spaceship, the intelligent system still called out to those who had left their rooms in a sweet electronic voice.
Ning Buyi wanted to return, but she heard extremely violent impact sounds coming from the cargo hold direction, as if the entire spaceship was about to be torn apart. Combat robots ran one after another toward that direction, but then a man in black clothes appeared behind them, mysteriously raising an eerie smile, and in the next moment attacked the robots.
“Dark pollution concentration approaching critical levels.”
The Mountain and Sea Atlas’s warning sound immediately rang out.
Ning Buyi’s eyelid suddenly twitched; if she remembered correctly, this person should have been one of the passengers.
But his sudden attack on the robots – could he be working with the terrorists outside, preparing for a coordinated attack from within? Perhaps this was why the spaceship’s defenses had been breached. Ning Buyi’s expression immediately became grave. The Rubik’s cube Beidou slid down, landing and transforming into a humanoid robot, locking onto the man in black.
The man in black grinned and whistled.
His body was quickly covered by mechanical armor, holding a pulse gun in his hands, with a stream of sounds bursting from his communicator.
He wasn’t using the universal interstellar language, his voice had a strange emphasis, like a hundred ducks screaming next to one’s ear.
Beidou: “Giant Sickle Star language.”
Ning Buyi frowned, several uneasy emotions suddenly floating up in her heart.
The next second she summoned the mecha “Yaoguang”.
In the simulation training room, her teammates were either combat robots or “Pojun”. Against combat robots, she had both victories and defeats, but facing “Pojun,” she had absolutely no chance of winning. If she hadn’t known that Hua Zhuoyu represented the pinnacle of interstellar mecha combat masters, she might have developed a phobia of mechas.
After getting used to the “brain control” mode in training, Ning Buyi directly obtained command of “Yaoguang” through mental power. In the spaceship’s confined space, “Yaoguang” was controlled at a height of two meters, gleaming with silvery-white flowing light under the corridor’s illumination, but even more dazzling was a blue beam of light that cut like a sharp battle blade toward the mechanical shell of the man ahead. The man clearly hadn’t expected there to be a mecha warrior in the cabin; a twisted expression appeared on his face covered by mechanical skeleton, and with a bang, his entire body was thrown backward. The Rubik’s cube Beidou flew toward the man, controlling the nano-robots and mechanical outer suit within his body in less than a second.
Ning Buyi glanced at Beidou, somewhat surprised by its performance.
Interstellar nano-robot technology was highly developed. Besides immune robots [miΗn yΓ¬ jΔ« qΓ¬ rΓ©n – medical nanobots], there were also armed mechanical robots that merged with blood and, after connecting with neurons, functioned like new muscles and bones, moving without any hindrance under conscious control. Beidou had affected the nano-robots, directly competing for primary control.
“Now I understand why it’s a prohibited item marked for destruction,” Ning Buyi muttered to herself. She didn’t follow the broadcast’s instruction to return to her room, but instead looked straight ahead. Hearing the continuous explosions outside, she knew the battle was intensifying.
“The power system is also about to collapse, the ship’s outer shell has multiple damages, and the ship’s AI brain will soon enter hibernation.”
Beidou’s information was not optimistic.
Whether the ship was hijacked by terrorists or completely paralyzed due to the AI brain’s hibernation, neither was a good option. Ning Buyi took a deep breath and ordered Beidou: “Take over the ship’s main control.” She herself piloted the mecha, floating out like a silver light.
In the mecha cabin’s co-pilot seat.
The nine-tailed fox sat obediently, its gaze gradually becoming profound, slowly taking on the colors of starspace, like a vortex formed by starlight rotating at light speed.
The spaceship’s outer shell was already in terrible condition, countless fine cracks spreading in all directions like a spider web covering above. These fragments could fall off at any moment, dropping like dense raindrops. Ahead were battling mechas, various colored laser beams interweaving before her eyes. Ning Buyi didn’t know the attackers’ skill level, and with little combat experience herself, she could only choose to fight without holding back. Meanwhile, the nine-tailed fox’s enchantment gradually took effect, instantly causing chaos in the enemy’s originally orderly formation, making them turn their weapons on their companions within a brief two minutes. This short window gave the ship’s defenders and Ning Buyi their opportunity.
Ning Buyi controlled her mecha, rushing diagonally forward like a gust of wind, easily avoiding obstacles that might affect her balance, like a graceful butterfly, while her right hand gripped a battle blade forged from hard minerals, suddenly cutting through a beetle-shaped heavy mecha ahead, splitting its thick shell in half.
Ning Buyi’s participation couldn’t completely turn the tide, but at least it tipped the scales of victory toward their side. Perhaps it was the principle of “extremes reverse”, her recent streak of bad luck had been exhausted, and the goddess of fortune now favored her. Beidou detected the “patrol team” from Giant Sickle Star and immediately sent out a distress signal.
The patrol team arrived extremely quickly, appearing in Ning Buyi’s field of vision in less than ten minutes.
Dozens of mechas flew out from the patrol ship, a massive dark mass. The patrol ship locked onto the “interceptors”, bombarding them with various shells, sending the enemy scattering. These ship-hijacking “malefactors” [Γ¨ liΓ¨ zhΔ – criminals] hadn’t planned for a fight to the death, and seeing no chance of victory, they all returned to their pirate ship preparing to flee. Their vessel’s performance was extremely powerful, resistant to both laser shells and heat ray guns, likely having been modified. Ning Buyi didn’t recklessly give chase, just watching the gradually disappearing raider ship, her expression unpleasant.
However, moments later, a brilliant flash suddenly exploded in the direction of the fleeing raider ship, illuminating the dark flight path and space platform. Ning Buyi’s eyelids twitched wildly, wondering what kind of attack could make that ship explode directly. As she pondered uncertainly, her gaze locked onto that direction. Soon, an elegant silvery-white figure entered her vision, slowly descending onto the patrol ship connected to the spaceship.
When the rescue team arrived, Beidou had already given up consuming energy to repair the spaceship. It transformed back into a Rubik’s cube and followed behind Ning Buyi, also boarding the patrol ship.
Seeing the familiar, real face appear in her vision, Ning Buyi felt a moment of daze. She had many things she wanted to say, but her lips moved without knowing how to speak. She walked step by step toward Hua Zhuoyu, and finally, when the distance between them was closest, she said: “Why did you come here?”
Hua Zhuoyu lowered her head slightly, drawing close to Ning Buyi as if to kiss her brow. But she didn’t do so, only gently pressing her cheek against Ning Buyi’s. After several breaths, she stepped back, softly whispering: “To pick you up.” Her eyes were gentle and affectionate, radiating brilliance as they moved.
Ning Buyi’s heart suddenly skipped a beat, and she avoided Hua Zhuoyu’s gaze, her face instantly turning crimson.
With Giant Sickle Star’s unstable situation, chaos naturally increased along the outer flight paths. Hua Zhuoyu had estimated Ning Buyi’s arrival time and left Iron Tree City one step ahead, heading to the patrol ship. Sure enough, those who called themselves the “Survivor Organization” attacked incoming ships, attempting to destroy the passage to Giant Sickle Star.
After calming her emotions, Ning Buyi gazed at Hua Zhuoyu: “I thought the Insect Race would be the biggest obstacle on this journey.”
“It’s more than that.” Hua Zhuoyu met Ning Buyi’s gaze, letting out a light sigh, “That’s why I didn’t want you to come.”
Ning Buyi frowned: “Why would those people do this?”
“According to them, they’re unwilling to leave their homeland, but in this matter, as long as they sign the consent form, Da Xia won’t force them. They can die with Giant Sickle Star as they wish.” Hua Zhuoyu concealed the coldness in her eyes, shrugged, and added, “Let’s just say they want to take revenge on society.”
Thanks for the chapter! o7