Chapter Fifty-Nine: Saved Your Life Once Again

Chapter Fifty-Nine: I've Saved Your Life Again

The tremendous commotion startled the fleeing monkeys, the anxious Long Ruyuan, and Liu Shaoyu, who was on the verge of losing consciousness. Suddenly, the constricting force around his body vanished, followed by a wave of weightlessness.

"Center of gravity shifting, recalibrating... switching to automatic mode." In a daze, Liu Shaoyu felt himself returning from the brink of weightlessness. Then, a voice sounded in his ear.

"I've saved your life again." Scarlet lips parted, and the voice traveled through the comms, reaching directly into his heart. How many times had this voice haunted his dreams, tethered his soul? Through it, Liu Shaoyu could almost see her face.

"Shen Qingyi!"

Who else could this beautiful woman be but her?

"That thing isn't dead yet... Finish it off first." The woman's voice carried a hint of fragility.

Only then did Liu Shaoyu react. He saw that the massive creature had already fallen to the ground, smashing the terrain into a crater.

How heavy must it be... Just looking at it made Liu Shaoyu wince. He noticed a deep blue liquid gushing from its eye region.

"Did that last blow hit its eye?" Liu Shaoyu recalled losing his restraints right after the thunderous noise and guessed as much.

As expected, Shen Qingyi's words confirmed his suspicions.

"Its weakness is the eyes—they're directly connected to the brain's nerve center." No sooner had she spoken than another crash echoed.

This time, the attack came from Long Ruyuan, who had just finished recharging. Shen Qingyi's message had been relayed through the temporary tactical network.

A shriek split the air, and the impact finally destroyed the creature's central nervous system. Its limbs thrashed a few times, blue fluid splashing everywhere, then it fell still.

The smaller creatures that had gathered around scattered in all directions, burrowing underground or fleeing as fast as they could.

At last, the crisis had been averted.

There was no time for relief, no room to acknowledge the pain wracking his body. Liu Shaoyu frantically searched for Shen Qingyi.

Where was she? He scanned the landscape, but saw neither a mech nor a ship.

Radar! Of course! Liu Shaoyu hastily checked the radar. At last, a blinking red dot appeared.

Engines blazing, Liu Shaoyu flew towards the marker. But just as he neared, the red dot flickered and vanished from the map.

"Thomas! What's happening?" Liu Shaoyu demanded anxiously.

"Target armor's energy reserves are nearly depleted."

The answer sent a jolt through him. Something had indeed gone wrong. No wonder his attempts at contact had gone unanswered. Fortunately, he'd memorized the coordinates.

Faster! Hurry! Liu Shaoyu urged himself.

"Warning: system overheating."

No sooner had Thomas's voice faded than Liu Shaoyu felt a searing heat in his legs. The recent overclocking had pushed the engines to their limit; the cooling system couldn't keep up, and his armor had already suffered damage while he'd been restrained. Some parts were beginning to deform.

If he pressed on, the armor would soon sustain severe deformation or even fail altogether. Liu Shaoyu understood the risks, but time was slipping away.

Thankfully, he finally reached the designated spot.

Ignoring the pain in his legs, Liu Shaoyu spotted a mech half-buried in the dirt below, only a charred barrel protruding from its top.

This must be the weapon that had rescued him.

He landed hurriedly beside it. The mech's surface was battered and scarred, with some armor plates shattered, exposing the machinery beneath.

What had she been through? Liu Shaoyu was overwhelmed with mixed emotions.

"Long Ruyuan! Hurry!" he shouted into the comms. In such an environment, Shen Qingyi could only survive within the mech—outside, the hostile conditions would kill her instantly.

"Shen Qingyi! Can you hear me? Shen Qingyi!" Liu Shaoyu pounded anxiously on the machine, hoping for a response, but none came.

No wonder her voice had sounded so frail earlier. Suddenly, Liu Shaoyu understood.

"After energy depletion, the mech's life-support can only supply air for ten minutes," Thomas reminded him.

That calmed Liu Shaoyu a little. Ten minutes would suffice.

At last, the roar of engines sounded and a dust storm swept up—help had arrived.

"How is she?"

Inside, in a pristine medical pod, lay a familiar figure. Her long hair was gone; jet-black locks now barely reached her ears. Yet her face remained unmistakably hers. Liu Shaoyu stood by the surgery bed, gently tracing her pale features with his fingers.

"Vital signs: fragile," Thomas's cold voice reported.

Liu Shaoyu clenched his jaw, slamming his fist down onto the metal panel. The pain in his hand was nothing compared to the ache in his heart—a thousandfold lesser.

Agony twisted from his heart through his arm and into his fingers. So the saying was true: the fingers really are connected to the heart. The heart truly does hurt.

"Why is it that every time we meet, it's life or death for one of us?" Liu Shaoyu muttered, his tone laced with bitter irony, mocking the whims of fate.

"Diagnosis complete. Recommendation: initiate Project God."

"Project God, huh." Liu Shaoyu let out a hollow laugh.

Life was nothing if not full of drama. Last time, he'd been the one lying here; this time, it was her.

But... at least it was this way.

"Incoming communication request from Wang Weifu." At last, Liu Shaoyu's expression settled into calm.

Earth.

Wang Weifu received Liu Shaoyu's call, his brows furrowing. "Is something wrong? Has he run into trouble?" He accepted the request.

Sure enough, the face on the screen was haggard.

"Aren't you in the Desolate Starfield? What happened?" Wang Weifu asked, cutting straight to the chase, already anticipating bad news.

"I'm sending you a report. Take a look," Liu Shaoyu replied, skipping pleasantries.

Both were well used to this style of exchange.

"This is... Shen Qingyi?!" Wang Weifu exclaimed. But now was not the time for surprise; the priority was to assess the situation.

"Fortunately, you remember the armor I told you to bring for her? Put it on her. Even if an accident occurs in transit, it will preserve her mind intact. I'll make arrangements," Wang Weifu said directly, knowing this was what Liu Shaoyu most needed to hear.

On the other end, exhaustion finally settled over Liu Shaoyu's face.

"That's... that's great." With those words, he could no longer withstand the pain and fell unconscious.

Wang Weifu calmly ended the call.

"This kid always knows how to keep people on edge," he muttered with a faint smile, then turned and left the room.

In his memory, Shen Qingyi was still that long-haired girl. She seemed just as beautiful as ever. Liu Shaoyu recited her name silently, though he wasn't sure if he was dreaming or awake; in his dreams, he could feel the smoothness of her hair, catch the faint scent of her presence.

Suddenly, a voice rang out.

"Why! Why is it that nothing good ever happens when I see you!"

"Who?" Liu Shaoyu shouted. No answer came.

Why indeed? Why did she always suffer because of him? Guilt washed over Liu Shaoyu. Suddenly—yes, what had happened? Why was Shen Qingyi in this state? What did she encounter? What about the others?

"Why?!" Liu Shaoyu's outcry startled Long Ruyuan, who was nearby.

A blinding light—so it was only a dream after all, Liu Shaoyu thought.

"You're awake?" Long Ruyuan saw the beads of sweat on Liu Shaoyu's brow and guessed he'd had a nightmare.

"Where are we now?" Liu Shaoyu asked softly.

"Zambia Space Station."

"Send Shen Qingyi home."

"And you?"

"I'm returning to the Desolate Starfield." With that, Liu Shaoyu stepped off the bed.

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