Barren Star – Chapter 57

The Price.

Xiong Xun, after receiving instructions from Ning Buyi, marked the Sprout Investigation Team as a key surveillance target. However, he didn’t forget to strike against those “petty thieves” by posting their actions on StarNet. With the next wave of Star Micro’s fans applying for Mountain and Sea Star tours, how could they not curse at these “degenerates” who were damaging the reputation of the Da Xia people?

On StarNet, there was no shortage of talented individuals. After targeting these “rat droppings”, they frantically dug up their dark histories. For instance, the matter between Zhao Yu and the Sprout Experimental Base was uncovered by the resourceful netizens and posted on the forums.

            

——So this Zhao Yu is someone who betrays their teachers and ancestors? No wonder they’re specialized in petty theft.

——Didn’t the Sprout Experimental Base sue him?

——Zhao Yu stole experimental results and gave them to the Xiazhen Base. You know what Xiazhen is? It’s under the Supervisory Department. Common folk can’t fight against officials.

            

——I heard the Sprout Experimental Base had fallen so low they had to sell their land, was it because of Zhao Yu?

…

Among all the exposed individuals, Zhao Yu garnered the most attention, as the theft of experimental results was truly intolerable. The Xiazhen Base acted decisively, immediately announcing Zhao Yu’s suspension pending investigation, promising to uncover the truth and deliver justice to all. Thus, the voices of dissatisfaction against the Supervisory Department gradually subsided.

            

In the Crown Prince’s residence, Xia Tu felt somewhat regretful, as the Supervisory Department had reacted too quickly, giving him no chance to maneuver.

“It seems Mountain and Sea Star isn’t cooperating with the Supervisory Department? Otherwise, why would they expose the entire list of the Xiazhen Investigation Team?”

Xia Tu glanced at the guard who spoke up and sneered: “It’s all just for show, sacrificing an insignificant pawn. You think Mountain and Sea Star is being harsh to the Supervisory Department? That Miss Ning even sent her own brother to the Interstellar Court.” At this moment, Xia Tu believed that Ning Buyi only held grudges against Ning Jun’s faction, after all, getting stuck with such a father would make anyone unhappy. However, she still bears the Ning surname, making her inseparable from the Ning family and the Supervisory Department.

            

In the Mountain and Sea Star Tourist Area.

Zhang Xun and his group followed behind Mei Ping, their expressions rather heavy. According to the experimental data, there wasn’t much difference when they were on Imperial Star, and as for that bit of activity—under normal circumstances, it couldn’t possibly be decisive. They tried breeding in culture dishes, but unfortunately achieved nothing. However, those who entered the “Experience Zone” and planted, all their plants survived. They used the same seeds and the same cultivation agents.

Even Zhang Xun realized all this had transcended the realm of “science.”

            

“Let’s take a break.” Mei Ping’s tone concealed obvious fatigue. It matched her speculation somewhat—plants could grow only because of Mountain and Sea Star’s uniqueness, which meant the Mountain and Sea Star model couldn’t be replicated, in other words, forget about redistributing species throughout the star system.

The less-than-ideal situation left them all dejected.

Zhang Xun absent-mindedly opened his light brain, but was startled by the sudden message. He suddenly jumped up and hurriedly said: “Teacher, Teacher, Zhao Yu has been suspended! The Supervisory Department is willing to reinvestigate that incident!” Back then, the Sprout Experimental Base was almost at its end, and Mei Ping, unwilling to gamble with her disciples’ futures, could only swallow this silent loss.

            

Mei Ping’s eyelids trembled, but she didn’t respond.

Zhang Xun gave an embarrassed smile and turned to his fellow disciples to watch the drama unfold. When they discovered the source was Mystery No. 1’s merciless announcement, Zhang Xun’s fondness for Mountain and Sea Star reached its peak. If they hadn’t been unafraid of the Supervisory Department and published the list, nobody would have dug up Zhao Yu’s dark history. The years of accumulated frustration found release, and the weight of the failed experiment also lifted somewhat.

“I think this is a good beginning,” Zhang Xun said seriously.

            

“Young Zhang speaks well. Although we lost money on this trip, how should I put it… we’ve successfully averted disaster.”

“I don’t have any grand ambitions, I just want to see Zhao Yu’s downfall. Now I won’t even be out of breath after spending ten hours in the laboratory.”

…

            

While everyone was exchanging words, a bionic robot approached Mei Ping.

“Dr. Mei, your qualifications have been verified as suitable. The administrator is now opening the medicinal fields to your team.”

Mei Ping: “!!!” Although she hadn’t responded to Zhang Xun’s words, she had heard all their conversation and had been thinking about Zhao Yu’s situation. However, the moment she heard the words “medicinal fields,” she couldn’t think about anything else. She jumped up immediately, eager to rush to the fields to collect herbs for experimentation.

            

For her, refining and developing special medicines to treat dark pollution would always be her top priority.

The Mountain and Sea Star’s tourist area had time limitations, and unlike the Extreme Investigation Team, they couldn’t waste their precious one-month window.

Outside Mountain and Sea Star.

            

The Demon Phantom Pirates’ ship hung suspended in the dark void of space, which resembled a giant abyss’s mouth.

The signals coming from below were intermittent. While Captain Luke confirmed they were from “their own people”, it was uncertain whether these “own people” had turned traitor.

“Captain, are we just going to stay here?”

            

“They’ve put up a huge amount of star currency and keep urging us.”

“This planet has green plants, if we could take it down—”

“Stop daydreaming.”

            

…

Luke listened to the voices coming through the intercom with irritation, his eye sockets deeply sunken, his eyes gleaming with dark cunning. Just as he was about to dispatch pirates for further reconnaissance, an energy beam suddenly appeared in view, crashing into the ship. Luke’s eyelid twitched as he violently slammed the red button, roaring: “Enemy attack!”

The attacker wasn’t a fleet but merely a silver-white mecha emerging from the dark void of space. The moment it struck, it had already identified the ship’s weakness, targeting the engine with energy shock waves. Although the pirate ships were incredibly sturdy against impact cannons, when faced with a high-end mecha at close range, even the hardest shell would likely crack.

            

At this point, Luke identified the attacker from the iconic mecha, a cold and cruel smile playing on his lips. He activated the ship’s weapon systems, and compressed shells silently cut through the quiet space like a giant beast devouring everything. However, the Pojun Mecha moved swiftly, like an unpredictable ghost. It casually raised its hand, and from its extended arm cannon came a brilliant energy beam.

The speed was too fast to track, and that damned shield could deflect most of the ammunition’s impact.

Luke cursed, knowing their proud mental shock waves had no way of suppressing Hua Zhuoyu. He didn’t even want to pilot a mecha into battle. But retreating now left him feeling reluctant. This person was the Star Court’s Chief Judge, but to them, this title meant nothing. He only knew this damned judge was a powerful figure from Da Xia who saw pirates as targets that must be eliminated.

            

After brief hesitation, Luke ordered his subordinates to surround the Pojun Mecha in the center. He prepared to activate defenses and concentrate firepower, making the scattered ships more densely packed. Under such an encirclement, he didn’t believe the opponent could still escape. However, Luke still had doubts: taking them on single-handedly was practically suicide, right? Would that judge be such a fool? Luke’s mind raced as his subordinate pirates moved to surround Pojun. He secretly reduced speed, piloting his ship to fall back to the rear.

The explosive missiles scattered, forming vast flashes of light, creating chaotic spatial turbulence together with the released energy beams, like multiple vortexes. However, the energy waves emitted by the Pojun Mecha tore through these vortexes in an instant, continuously traversing through the light beams. Nevertheless, Pojun hadn’t escaped the encirclement, and its survival space grew increasingly cramped.

When seeing a ship completely explode in the shock wave, Luke didn’t even blink—he never cared about the lives of pirates under his command. He just suspiciously stared at Pojun, his thoughts constantly jumping. Gradually, those distracting thoughts were eliminated, leaving only one: “the opponent is seeking death.” However, out of caution, he still remained in the outermost ring, using several ships as cover.

            

Inside the Pojun Mecha, Hua Zhuoyu’s expression was calm, countless light points floating before her eyes.

After confirming all ships had entered that distance, a mocking smile curved her lips. As her spiritual power suddenly surged, this section of space began to collapse with her as the epicenter. At this moment, all surrounding light and matter vanished within this bizarre vortex.

In his ship, Luke also sensed that powerful gravitational pull, and he immediately tried to speed away. But it was all futile, as if facing a black hole, nothing could escape. Luke stared in horror at the silver-white mecha as a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

            

Among the Star Court’s judges, only this Chief Judge’s ability was “unknown”!

Hua Zhuoyu watched indifferently as, after devouring all matter in space, the vortex slowly shrank until it disappeared. An intense feeling of fatigue emerged, and all color drained from Hua Zhuoyu’s cheeks, making her look like a thin sheet of paper. She pressed her brow, and before her spiritual power could rebound, she set her destination through manual operation mode and began autonomous submersion.

Ning Buyi was taking a noon rest.

            

She was awakened by Beidou’s alarm.

“Unknown substance detected, extreme danger level!”

Ning Buyi rubbed her eyes, instantly becoming alert. She sat up with a carp flip [鯉魚打挺 | lǐ yú dǎ tǐng | a martial arts move of springing up from a lying position], and a screen flickering with light points immediately appeared before her eyes. However, before she could see clearly, Beidou’s voice sounded again.

            

“Unknown substance disappeared.”

“Mecha entry detected, target locked.

“Confirmed model ‘Pojun’, danger cleared.”

            

“Pojun? Is it Hua Zhuoyu?” After hearing news of Hua Zhuoyu, Ning Buyi’s last trace of sleepiness vanished. She blinked and sent a message to Pojun, but like a mud ox entering the sea [泥牛入海 | ní niú rù hǎi | idiom: to disappear without a trace], there was no response. After waiting for several minutes, Ning Buyi couldn’t help but send another message, yet again there was no reply.

If Hua Zhuoyu had entered Mountain and Sea Star’s territory, it would be impossible to have no communication. But if it wasn’t Hua Zhuoyu, who would be piloting Pojun? Could something have happened? After all, when Hua Zhuoyu first crashed on Mountain and Sea Star, she was in an extremely sorry state. Ning Buyi’s eyelid twitched, growing more uneasy the more she thought about it.

“Lock onto target’s landing position.” Ning Buyi’s expression was grave.

            

The coordinate values on the screen kept jumping, and Ning Buyi stared intently at the screen while continuing to send messages to Hua Zhuoyu.

One hour later.

Ning Buyi directly piloted “Yaoguang” and rushed out of the base.

            

Hua Zhuoyu’s landing position was in the wasteland, an area not yet opened, where beasts lurking in the desert hadn’t been driven out or eliminated. Under normal circumstances, Hua Zhuoyu would never choose to land there. Ning Buyi pushed her speed to the maximum, but even so, it still took half an hour to reach the destination.

Black vultures circling in the sky emitted eerie, harsh cries, while below, beasts gathered in groups. Ning Buyi’s heart trembled as she immediately switched weapons to strafe the vultures above. The gunfire presumably scared off these wild beasts, as both birds and beasts retreated several steps. Ning Buyi clearly saw Hua Zhuoyu half-supporting herself with an energy sword, her clothes stained with blood, a several-inch-long gash on her arm.

Ning Buyi couldn’t understand how the usually composed Hua Zhuoyu had ended up in this state.

            

Familiar with mecha combat, Ning Buyi easily dealt with the beast pack. She jumped down from the mecha’s cockpit and carried the blood-covered Hua Zhuoyu back to it. The wound looked horrifying, but given Hua Zhuoyu’s robust constitution, it was only a minor injury. Her condition appeared to be spiritual power depletion, with traces of black energy—likely dark pollution clinging to her. Ning Buyi spared a thought to check the dark pollution levels detected in the Mountain and Sea Atlas, mentally noting “just as expected.” She glared at the smiling Hua Zhuoyu while drawing out the dark pollution from her body.

Hua Zhuoyu’s mind was foggy, her mental state far from ideal. After crashing, the mecha lost control and vanished autonomously. Only when sharp pain shot through her arm did she barely muster enough spirit to use the energy sword to drive away beasts that nearly dripped saliva on her face. She had always known the terrifying nature of her ability, thus never using it, but hadn’t expected such severe negative effects. During the absorption, even with the mecha’s shield, dark pollution inevitably gathered within her body.

This was both duty and price.

            

Ning Buyi’s room contained a medical pod, purchased initially for convenience in relieving physical strain during mecha training. Since Ning Buyi adapted to that intensity, it was rarely used. She hadn’t expected Hua Zhuoyu would become a “guest” in the medical pod. The human-shaped chamber gradually conformed to body curves after opening, and the spirit recovery agent, known as “golden liquid,” gradually submerged the chamber.

Ning Buyi sat beside it, quietly gazing down at the medical pod, recalling the earlier “alarm”—the so-called “unknown substance” was almost certainly related to Hua Zhuoyu.

“Why aren’t you speaking?” Even with her spiritual domain feeling like it had been run over by a vehicle, Hua Zhuoyu hadn’t fallen unconscious.

            

Ning Buyi looked up upon hearing the voice, concealing her complex expression, and shrugged: “I thought you’d become mute.”

Hua Zhuoyu tilted her head; the Ning Buyi in her vision was blurry, making it hard to discern her expression. But she could still guess from the tone. “I’m sorry,” Hua Zhuoyu apologized tactfully.

“What do you have to be sorry to me for?” Ning Buyi looked puzzled.

            

Hua Zhuoyu hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking: “For making you worry?”

“Worry?” Ning Buyi stood up and approached the medical pod, looking down at the lying Hua Zhuoyu, nodding, “Worry? Yes, indeed. What you need to do now is rest properly, not talk with me here.”

Hua Zhuoyu pressed her lips together and softly said: “Alright.”

            

Ning Buyi stayed in the room until Hua Zhuoyu entered a sleep state, then quietly left.

She took a turn around the flower field area and cut a bunch of lavender. The fresh flowers in the living room vase had been changed by Beidou this morning, but Ning Buyi felt they were already withered and decayed. Only after replacing them with the new bouquet did she breathe a long sigh of relief. After staring at the vase for a moment, she suddenly furrowed her brows, picked it up and carried it to the bedroom, placing it on the bedside table on the right.

Hua Zhuoyu woke up at ten in the evening.

            

When the medical pod detected her body readings had reached standard levels, the chamber expanded outward, and the top cover automatically opened. Hua Zhuoyu sat up, pressing her temples. Her temples were throbbing, and her back of the head felt like eight hundred people were drumming—these pains were all mental, aftereffects of overusing her ability. She rested for a while before looking up at Ning Buyi, who was sitting on the bed watching a drama.

Although the screen displayed bizarre and fantastical scenes, Ning Buyi’s attention wasn’t on it. When the medical pod’s opening sound came, she knew Hua Zhuoyu had awakened. However, she clearly had no intention of speaking first.

“Beidou detected an unknown substance, was that related to you?” Ning Buyi asked.

            

Hua Zhuoyu nodded, saying casually: “It’s my ability.”

“What over there required using your ability? Space pirates?” Ning Buyi asked again.

“It was them.” Hua Zhuoyu replied calmly. She slid down from the medical pod, rubbing her wrist—the gash from the beast had vanished. Her gaze moved around the room that still maintained its simple essence, searching for a place to sit. Finally, she chose a chair not far from the bed, rather than getting close to Ning Buyi.

            

Ning Buyi kept staring at Hua Zhuoyu, and seeing her choose the “distant” spot, an inexplicable disappointment rose from deep within. However, she quickly suppressed this small emotion, saying slowly: “When you told me not to act rashly, did you mean you wanted me to watch your performance?”

Hua Zhuoyu: “…This was an accident.”

Ning Buyi feigned curiosity: “Is there anything else beyond your control?”

            

Before Hua Zhuoyu could respond, Ning Buyi suddenly asked: “Your protective shield was still active, so why was there so much dark pollution inside you?”

Hua Zhuoyu smiled lightly, saying carelessly: “The price of the Supreme’s blessing.”

Ning Buyi glared at Hua Zhuoyu: “How can you smile about this?” Dark pollution entering the body seemed like an abnormal price to pay—why hadn’t she heard of He Chao and others’ abilities having such costs? Was it because theirs were too weak?

            

The smile in Hua Zhuoyu’s eyes deepened: “Because after meeting you, this price is no longer frightening. Looking at it this way, you are the Supreme’s blessing to me.”

Ning Buyi: “So I’m just a purifier?”

Hua Zhuoyu laughed helplessly. She stood up, leaving that chair that represented distance, gradually moving closer to Ning Buyi on the bed.

            

Her steps were neither hurried nor slow, yet carried an indescribable resolve.

Ning Buyi looked up at Hua Zhuoyu, her heart pounding, her body tense with nervousness. She inexplicably thought of that day on Giant Sickle Star, of that conversation interrupted by the discourteous person.

Hua Zhuoyu gently walked to Ning Buyi’s side without unnecessary words. She bent down and pressed her lips to Ning Buyi’s, leaving a tender kiss. “Using more romantic words, you are the wind, the moon, the flowers, the sea.” Hua Zhuoyu straightened up, but her hand remained on Ning Buyi’s thick black hair.

            

At this point, Ning Buyi’s heart actually became calm.

She asked: “Then what if we use more direct words?”

Hua Zhuoyu: “Then it’s love.”

            

The corners of Ning Buyi’s lips lifted involuntarily, and she quickly lowered her head, letting reason and emotion pull against each other. After a while, she finally responded: “It seems to have come too quickly.”

Hua Zhuoyu replied without hesitation: “It doesn’t matter, there’s still plenty of time, at least enough for two people to fall in love.”

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