Barren Star – Chapter 62
by Little PandaShe chose war.
The warmongers possessed an instinctive greed and cruelty, while the Beast Race rebels entering Jian’an Star needed an opportunity to prove themselves and gain more territory and benefits from Ke’er Limo. Thus during the meeting, after learning of Ke’er Limo’s plans, Xingshan immediately volunteered to lead the warriors through the space gate. While the Beast Race members had extremely strong individual combat power, they were somewhat lacking in numbers, which the Insect Race warriors perfectly complemented. When Ke’er Limo rebelled, he brought along numerous “Insect Mothers”. Though their bloodline was far inferior to the royal family, their ability to produce Insect Race warriors who could quickly become elite fighters was undeniable.
While the distant rebels eagerly crafted their invasion plans, the Mountain and Sea Star base was conducting Phase I, II, and III clinical trials. Drug transportation was more convenient than volunteer movement, so the location was set at the former Sprout experimental base. Though the experimental results were promising, the process was far from pleasant. Within the royal capital, the entire experimental base encountered an attack from mysterious forces. If Ning Buyi and her side hadn’t been prepared, by the time the late-arriving Imperial Star patrollers arrived, everything would have been too late.
The Mystery No. 1’s Starlight Platform only reported safety, but the public’s ignited emotions couldn’t cool down. After all, “Elpis” was the special medicine that could save them from the pain of dark pollution, and someone daring to disrupt the experiment was unforgivable. Under public petition and military pressure, the government had to thoroughly investigate this strange incident.
The investigation results were pessimistic, with arrows pointing directly at Crown Prince Xia Tu.
Watching the heated discussions on the Star Network, Ning Buyi was actually somewhat surprised. Her gaze fell on the composed Hua Zhuoyu as she raised an eyebrow and asked, “Evidence came this quickly?” If such obvious traces were left, then Xia Tu’s team must be truly incompetent.
“First establish this direction, whether there’s evidence or not isn’t important. First defeat him in public opinion,” Hua Zhuoyu smiled slightly and continued, “Even if he’s proven innocent later, his damaged reputation may not be repairable. People’s interest and acceptance of the dark side is always stronger than boring truth.”
Ning Buyi: “…” These methods weren’t righteous and damaged an open and honest image. However, Ning Buyi didn’t say much. She didn’t mind using some underhanded methods that wouldn’t harm the public when achieving her goals.
Plagued by negative news, Xia Tu received another harsh scolding when summoned to the palace by His Majesty. Though he repeatedly protested, believing it was malicious slander, His Majesty didn’t care about this point and only saw the terrible results. He wanted Xia Tu to go to the battlefield to wash away the shame, but Xia Tu was unwilling to go due to government turmoil, and even prevented Xia Tai from going. Since Xia Tu was His Majesty’s hopeful heir and eldest son, to avoid brotherly strife, he agreed to Xia Tu’s somewhat ridiculous suggestion – sending Imperial Princess Xia Sang to represent the royal family as military supervisor.
In the Princess’s Manor
Xia Sang couldn’t help but sneer when she learned this news.
In her father and brother’s eyes, she had always been delicate and harmless. Yet for the royal family’s honor, they would push this “fragile princess” onto the battlefield. If the war situation became unfavorable, perhaps they’d need peace talks, using another “princess” as a hostage? For a political marriage?
“I can fight alongside you now.” Xia Sang raised her eyes to gaze at Ying Jingqiu, her words gentle and sweet. She disliked the dark, bloody, cruel battlefield. In her ideal life, it should be like ancient books described: sunlight filtering through trees like scattered gold, beside rose gardens, inhaling the fragrance of grape wine while turning the pages of ancient scrolls. Unfortunately, this would only remain a dream scene, as she had to go to the battlefield, adorning her future crown with blood and fire.
“Has Lu Zhiwei safely reached Mountain and Sea Star? Any news?” Xia Sang asked again.
“No.” Ying Jingqiu shook her head, not expecting Lu Zhiwei to contact her voluntarily.
Xia Sang let out a light hum, disregarding Ying Jingqiu’s answer, and smiled while resting her chin: “What do you think my dear brother will do to salvage his precarious reputation?”
“The list?” Ying Jingqiu spoke, only able to think of this. Previously, the Crown Prince’s Manor’s swift actions had dealt with some people, but ultimately became embroiled in “harboring criminals” when the entire list was exposed. News on the Star Network changed quickly, with few voices still discussing these matters now, but this didn’t mean the dangerous situation had passed.
“He might not risk that, so let’s have Xia Tai set an example, starting with the marginal figures in Xia Tu’s faction.” Xia Sang’s eyes glinted with cunning. She didn’t want these troublesome figures remaining until her reign. If Xia Tu noticed Xia Tai’s actions, he might take strong measures, and the government turmoil caused by “righteously eliminating one’s own” would be relatively smaller – he might not face fierce counterattacks. Of course, this didn’t mean he would “surrender without a fight”. Since political enemies had opened the prelude to conflict, he could only continue down this path.
Xia Tu didn’t know what his dear sister was plotting.
To ensure the smooth “departure for war,” he instructed his crown princess to invite Xia Sang to a tea party before her departure, hoping to nurture their relationship. Xia Sang naturally accepted gladly, and after gathering enough information, she boarded the spaceship, following Ying Jingqiu to the battlefield to find the Da Xia army that had already established a fortress on Jian’an Star.
The civilization’s turmoil made the situation in the Greedy Wolf Star System worse, with recent news all related to warfare. The Insect Star had completely cut off communication, falling into dead silence. However, the Beast Star responded, after all, some of the rebels were Beast Race defectors who had fled from there.
On Mountain and Sea Star.
Ning Buyi knew her territory was a “sweet cake”. Perhaps the Da Xia military would be more civilized due to face concerns, but those rebels were like fierce wolves. Although not yet affected by the flames of war, Ning Buyi remained extremely vigilant, sparing no expense to keep the entire sky fortress in “wartime status.” The warriors of the Beast Race, such as the Dragon Clan and Lion Clan… their task was no longer exploration, but rather forming small teams patrolling the developed territory’s perimeter, ready to strike immediately upon discovering invaders.
The invaders appeared suddenly one day.
The moment Ning Buyi sensed them, Beidou scanned the unfamiliar spacecraft. Unlike the previous ship that had held Little Feng Jiu hostage, this one was completely intact, forming a “solid fortress” immediately after landing. The invaders aboard didn’t rush toward the base, instead cautiously observing this unfamiliar territory. At this time, the patrol team discovered the “fortress” flying unknown colors, and though they attempted to drive away the spacecraft, they chose to retreat under heavy fire.
If it were just one or two people, Ning Buyi would have chosen to pilot a mecha herself. But that massive spacecraft was clearly a small fortress, likely containing a well-trained army. Ning Buyi was confident they couldn’t break through the protective shield, but this didn’t mean she would tolerate others “sleeping soundly” in her territory.
“It’s the Flashing Star Silver Wing Butterfly.” Jin Feifei recognized the spacecraft’s owner, slightly furrowing her brow. Although they belonged to the same Butterfly Clan, the two clans rarely interacted. The Flash Butterflies often had space-time gifted ones awakening. Their silent appearance here indicated reliance on this spatial gate traversing ability. “I heard this spacecraft was built with the entire clan’s effort, claimed to be indestructible,” Jin Feifei added.
Ning Buyi shrugged, not believing anything “indestructible” existed on Mountain and Sea Star. “We must remove them as quickly as possible,” Ning Buyi said. “War” brought dark pollution, and she didn’t want past efforts wasted because of this. “First activate the fortress’s Star Cluster Bombardment, then let the guard forces charge.” Ning Buyi’s tone was casual, but her heart bled – the so-called “Star Cluster Bombardment” was the fortress’s strongest attack, burning money every second.
Inside the “Flash Butterfly” spacecraft.
The Insect Race’s vice general Huo Lamu, Wolf Clan’s Lang Li, Butterfly Clan’s Xing Shan and others were in a meeting. Their landing site wasn’t far from the obtained base coordinates. Shortly after landing, they engaged in close combat with Mountain and Sea Star’s guardians. However, these “guardians” surprised them somewhat.
“They’re Beast Race mercenaries.” Being from the Beast Race himself, Xing Shan knew the terror of these Beast Race warriors and was unwilling to face them directly. After pondering for a moment, he said, “We have sufficient energy, we can hold the fortress. The Beast Race aren’t patient people – after failing their first assault, they’ll attack again. Then we can strike them with our artillery, weakening their forces.”
“But how will we get those plants and medicines this way?” Lang Li spoke impatiently, clearly a typical example of “impatience.”
“Nurturing Insect Race warriors also requires sufficient energy.” Huo Lamu similarly disagreed with Xing Shan’s opinion. In his view, forming a black tide with absolute numbers would be enough to overwhelm the fragile base without defense forces. What were mere Beast Star mercenaries? They couldn’t possibly form an army of tens of thousands.
However, Huo Lamu, Lang Li, and the others quickly found their discussion needless to continue. Because a massive energy beam formed a blindingly bright spear, hurling toward their spacecraft, crashing against the shield with a deafening sound. “What the hell is that?” Huo Lamu shrieked, suddenly standing up. Yet the attack didn’t cease after one failed attempt – countless mini-stars seemed to appear, falling with dazzling light and terrifying presence.
For the first time, Xing Shan felt their clan’s “indestructible” spacecraft was as fragile as paper!
The hard metal shell caved inward, black smoke rising from multiple locations with bright flames. The walls swayed precariously, cracks visible everywhere. All this happened in an instant, and only after they completely regained their senses did they discover the previously hidden “sky fortress” from the dots on their display screen.
There might not be Imperial Defense Forces here, but this was still a militarized planet, not an “abandoned place.”
Realizing this, Huo Lamu cursed, slamming the table, knowing they couldn’t keep hiding in this spacecraft. No matter what they chose, the base’s people would charge at them like tigers and leopards. They had been hasty – what awaited them wasn’t rich fruit, but fierce strikes.
This brief battle ended by evening. Neither Ning Buyi nor Hua Zhuoyu appeared on the battlefield. Although most Insect and Beast Race members became prisoners, a small group still escaped from the chaotic battlefield. Mountain and Sea Star wasn’t an easy place to survive – outside the protective shield, dark pollution constantly permeated, attacking the planet’s life. Without the ability to escape, they had only one fate – complete madness under dark pollution, becoming mindless savage beasts.
Though the saying goes “Heaven always leaves a way out”, under the control of the “Dominate” skill, escapees had no chance of survival against all odds.
The Aurora City prison was packed with prisoners – never before had the entire Aurora City been this “lively.”
The closely monitored one was the Flash Star Silver Wing Butterfly with spatial gate jumping talent. Although Da Xia had developed special medicine to block such talents, its effectiveness wasn’t 100%, leading to occasional accidents. Ning Buyi didn’t want such accidents, fortunately Mountain and Sea Star had Xiezhi. As the Beast Race’s “Ancestral God” of “breaking punishment and deciding life and death,” its gift was stripping rebels of their bloodline abilities.
Initially after capture, Xing Shan remained composed, but upon seeing Xiezhi, Baize and other “Beast Ancestors”, he could no longer maintain his calm. The shock and impact from the Beast Ancestors was tremendous – he became completely dazed, even breaking down and shouting at Ning Buyi, saying if he’d known Mountain and Sea Star enshrined Beast Ancestors, he would never have chosen rebellion and invasion.
Ning Buyi couldn’t be bothered with this Butterfly Clan turncoat.
She planned to hand these Beast Race rebels to Feng Yi for disposal, but before that, she needed to recoup her losses. The Star Element consumed during the Star Cluster Bombardment was enormous. These people would plant trees on Mountain and Sea Star for at least a hundred years! With Xiezhi present, these Beast Race fellows immediately lost their ability to resist, however, regarding the Insect Race – Ning Buyi found she didn’t have enough “brainwashing bottles”, but if she handed them to Kris, she feared unrest might occur, after all, Kris was the former Insect Race Queen, the leader of the Giant Sickle Star uprising.
“How should we handle these prisoners of war?” Ning Buyi was somewhat troubled.
“Black Lock.” Hua Zhuoyu lifted her eyelids slightly.
If Hua Zhuoyu hadn’t mentioned it, Ning Buyi would have forgotten the existence of the “Black Lock.” This mark representing “humiliation” was quite fitting for Insect Race prisoners.
“Why are you staring at me, is it not appropriate?” Hua Zhuoyu tilted her head and smiled.
Ning Buyi blinked, slowly saying: “It’s appropriate.” After a pause, she smiled again, “Just remembered some old matters.”
At Ning Buyi’s mention, Hua Zhuoyu naturally recalled, silently walking closer to her, whispering by her ear: “Master?” Her tone held traces of playfulness, her deliberately drawn-out voice coursing through Ning Buyi’s heart like electricity. She stepped back, glaring at Hua Zhuoyu, seemingly reproaching her impropriety.
Hua Zhuoyu cleared her throat, suddenly changing the subject: “This person called Huo Lamu, he’s the vice general among the Insect Race rebels, the one who proposed conquering Mountain and Sea Star.”
Ning Buyi: “Where did his confidence come from?”
Hua Zhuoyu smiled gently: “A secret report from the Empire.”
Ning Buyi: “This is the fatal blow we need, right?”
“Yes, but not now. To salvage his reputation, Xia Tu is doing things beneficial to the Empire. For both emotional and logical reasons, we can’t stop him.” Hua Zhuoyu said with a smile.
While Mountain and Sea Star’s defensive battle was won beautifully, the situation on the main battlefield of Jian’an Star wasn’t optimistic. Battlefields have always been merciless meat grinders, claiming countless young lives. Da Xia’s officers found their tactics useless against these mad rebels, retreating step by step under the Insect Race’s radical and inhumane methods, finally only able to hold their fortifications.
The rebels didn’t care about their companions’ deaths, even becoming more excited by bloodshed, but Da Xia’s officers had to care for their subordinates’ lives.
Star Court Space Station.
The surveillance satellites orbiting Jian’an Star continuously transmitted data to the Star Court’s central system, reaching every judge’s hands. Though Jian’an Star lacked resources, its grade evaluation wasn’t low, but recently, it had lost even this advantage, being rapidly invaded by dark pollution until falling into the abyss of “degradation.”
Report after report showed clear results.
Wherever war arose, planets would age and die at an abnormal speed.
War or peace became a choice before the Star Court judges. In matters concerning planetary fate, they could intervene forcefully.
“The Insect Star has refused communication, we can only contact Ke’er Limo, the Insect Race commander on Jian’an Star.”
“These blood-drinking madmen won’t stop.”
“Are we to watch Jian’an Star die? When necessary, I can stop this war through a judge’s supernatural power.”
…
The Star Court judges’ opinions weren’t unified, their arguments endless, never reaching consensus. At this point, all eyes turned to Chief Judge Hua Zhuoyu at the forefront.
They were in different places now, only able to hold online meetings. However, Hua Zhuoyu’s calm gaze still soothed her seven companions’ emotions. She slowly stood up, looking forward, and swore to the seven judges: “I promise, this will be the last time.”
She chose war, pronouncing a death sentence on a planet in advance.
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