Chapter Sixty-One: The Unspoken Matters Between the Monster and Me

Chapter Sixty-One: The Matters Between Me and the Monster

Unknown star system in the desolate stellar domain.

A camouflaged battleship soared through the sky, trailed by a creature with enormous wings.

“Is this thing never tired?” Liu Shaoyu was on the verge of cursing. He was nearly out of the planet’s atmosphere, yet the creature still pursued him.

Moments ago, a single mouthful of viscous spit from this beast had almost killed him.

Liu Shaoyu referred to the substance the creature spat as sputum—it certainly didn’t look clean, and who knew what it had eaten to produce such filth. But one thing was certain: it had to be avoided at all costs.

Finally, just as the vessel broke free from the atmosphere, the creature ceased its pursuit.

It raised its head and let out a long, mournful howl.

“Roar!” The sound was filled with frustration. Another mouthful of spit followed.

Thomas’s piloting skills were truly unmatched—everyone who had ever flown with him agreed. With a deft maneuver, they evaded the spit without incident. Liu Shaoyu began to prepare for a counterattack.

From experience, he knew this creature’s hide must be thick—at least thicker than that giant rat. The best way to defeat it would be to target its large eyes or similar vulnerable spots. But Liu Shaoyu had already devised a new tactic: fire a pulse cannon into its mouth the moment it spat. A direct shot straight through.

The pulse cannon had long been primed and ready. All that remained was the right moment. With Thomas calculating the trajectory, dodging attacks would be effortless, leaving Liu Shaoyu ample time to aim and fire. Everything was in place; all that was missing was the opportunity.

Yet, five minutes later, Liu Shaoyu found himself locked in an intense staring contest with the beast. It hadn’t spat again. Perhaps it had exhausted its supply?

“Come on, pal! Weren’t you spitting like crazy just a moment ago?” Liu Shaoyu grumbled in frustration.

He waited and waited, hoping for another attack, though this time things seemed not quite as expected.

Analyzing the situation, Liu Shaoyu suspected that the substance the creature used for its attacks was either stomach acid or a secretion from some unique internal organ. Previous attacks had produced earthy colors, but now there was a faint blue tinge.

This triggered Liu Shaoyu’s instincts—this attack would be different, more dangerous. Naturally, he wouldn’t foolishly wait for it. Preemptive escape was the sensible choice.

He also realized that if he didn’t attack now, he would miss a golden opportunity. Judging by the creature’s pursuit speed, its engines matched his own inside the planet’s atmosphere. If it escaped now, their next encounter would surely be another fierce battle.

“Thomas, keep calculating the trajectory. Let’s finish this!” Liu Shaoyu made up his mind. He could not afford to let the beast escape.

A mass of irregular liquid detached from the monster’s body, hurtling toward Liu Shaoyu’s location. Instantly, the ship tilted, then the engines flared, suspending the vessel at an odd angle. The cannon’s muzzle shimmered with concentrated light.

All this happened in a flash. The attacking beast hadn’t even closed its enormous jaws.

The truth of light speed became evident.

A pure blue beam shot straight into the creature’s mouth. Blue spots began to appear beneath its body.

A deafening explosion—finally, the blue spots transformed into a beam, erupting in brilliance. The monster shattered, fragments and blue liquid raining down from the sky.

Only then did the beast’s attack reach Liu Shaoyu’s ship, but thanks to the strange angle, it narrowly missed.

“Phew.” At last, it was over. Liu Shaoyu breathed a sigh of relief.

What an experience—he found himself amazed. This planet was truly fascinating.

“Thomas, why do you think the diversity of life here is so much greater than that of other desolate stellar domain planets?” Liu Shaoyu voiced his curiosity.

He asked because he sensed that Thomas, unlike ordinary artificial intelligences, seemed… smarter.

“According to the data, the two species encountered so far are both newly discovered in the desolate stellar domain. Judging by their appearance and size differences, it seems this planet’s environment is particularly suitable for such life forms to thrive, resulting in greater numbers and diversity.”

“So you’re saying… there might be more species here than the two we’ve encountered? Maybe many more?”

“That is correct.”

Thomas never spoke carelessly; given his calculations, the probability was sixty-five percent—entirely plausible.

This realization dampened Liu Shaoyu’s spirits. He had assumed only surface creatures existed, so he traveled at high altitude. But it appeared even the skies were unsafe. Relying solely on ground-based robots to explore such a vast planet would take forever.

However, creatures of such size shouldn’t be too numerous, Liu Shaoyu mused. If beasts like the one before him filled the skies, he would have to hurry back to where he came from.

His and Thomas’s speculations were soon confirmed. Over the next two days, Liu Shaoyu encountered a variety of creatures—bizarre in appearance and with an array of attack methods. Yet they shared several characteristics:

First: These creatures possessed a skin structure resembling armor, similar to many species in the desolate stellar domain, able to withstand ordinary laser fire. Yet an ion cutting blade could easily slice through.

Second: Their blood was blue. The larger the creature, the deeper the shade.

Third: These creatures exhibited intelligence, with varying levels among different species.

The most unsettling hypothesis was that this planet likely harbored highly intelligent life.

Liu Shaoyu had been lurking outside a settlement in the desolate stellar domain for four hours. He activated reverse light screens to prevent electromagnetic leakage from his armor, for he discovered these creatures were highly sensitive to such signals. Previous attacks had all resulted from this, so he now played the assassin—entering the village quietly, leaving his gun behind.

What surprised him was that the creatures in this settlement closely resembled those he’d faced in ambush on another planet.

They were likely a unified species, and they had constructed simple shelters. Patrols circled each small settlement.

It was reminiscent of humanity’s ancient villages. Liu Shaoyu had no doubt that, given a few millennia, these beings could evolve intelligence rivaling humanity’s own.

Moreover, the settlement was shrouded in a faint blue aura, built between two hills. Behind the settlement lay a winding, shadowy path leading to a cave halfway up the mountainside.

This setup… were they guarding something?

Ice ore! Liu Shaoyu instantly connected the dots.

He had only found this place thanks to Xin Qingyi’s starship. About five minutes from the settlement, Liu Shaoyu discovered this massive vessel and other wreckage.

Naturally, the area was crowded with desolate creatures, as if these were their trophies. They continued hauling items from the ships.

By following the transport convoy, Liu Shaoyu found this location.

“This is the place, without a doubt,” Liu Shaoyu affirmed.

This strengthened his conviction that there was likely ice ore here.

Which led to the next question—what exactly had Xin Qingyi encountered?

To the readers:
Today’s first update! Second update at three in the afternoon, and if there are more recommendations, a third chapter in the evening! Please recommend! Please bookmark! One chapter for every twenty votes! Even though I vote ten or so for myself every day.