Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The blades were ruthlessly thrust into the burrowing beetle's vital spot, the secondary blade drawn and slid along the gash, severing its head.

The beetle's body writhed, tumbling over its decapitated head, its sharp mandibles snapping with diminishing vigor as its life force ebbed away.

The sudden arrival of the reinforcements was strikingly familiar.

The fact that the newcomer was also piloting a mech caught both of them by surprise.

Milton, who had regained his senses atop Yan Yan's mech, was the first to leap down, opening his storage device to release a massive object and boarding the cockpit.

Lin Fu was overwhelmed with joy: "Albert!"

The platinum mech looked up, acknowledging the dark mech, and then noticing the relentless pursuit of the dozen high-ranking insectoids behind them. Drawing its twin blades, it charged towards the insectoids, heading in the opposite direction.

He had no time to intervene; within seconds, a plethora of familiar figures in mechs appeared from behind the mountain.

It was the entire crew of Artemis, not a single one missing!

A sense of relief washed over Lin Fu's heart. He halted his forward charge, using his Tang blade to stab into the ground and stop the momentum, turning to prepare for the battle against the superior insect race.

Under Milton's lead, the others snapped back to reality, jumping out of their mechs and successfully opening their storage devices.

For a moment, the green waves surged, revealing colossal beings. Sensing danger, ordinary animals quickly vacated the area.

A surge of intense surprise was exhilarating.

There was no time for reunions; they had to address the imminent crisis first.

Their brief pause and change of plans gave the superior insect race enough time to catch up.

Lin Fu raised his Tang blade for a horizontal slash, but it was caught by the mandibles of a low-flying insect, its immense dragging force trying to disarm him.

Grasping the handle with both hands, he released one hand to strike the back of the blade, sending the insect, which had not yet released its bite, plummeting downwards. As the blade's direction shifted, his not yet exhausted mental energy formed a barrage of psychic needles, suddenly striking the insect's head.

His movements were exceedingly sudden, with both physical and psychic attacks executed simultaneously.

The intelligence of the superior insect race overrode instinct; in its understanding, no human would ever initiate a psychic attack against their kind, for it would be masochistic.

This attacker was an anomaly.

And this anomaly was enough to be lethal.

However, Lin Fu's psychic energy was overextended and insufficient to deal a fatal blow to the superior insect race.

But a moment's hesitation was all he needed.

Bending his knee, he used the weight of the steel colossus to restrain the insect's movements, then raised his Tang blade high to pierce through the insect's body, the shell cracking crisply with every inch.

In just a brief moment of confrontation, the eleven superior insects were reduced by one.

It wasn't just him.

After arriving at the desolate star arena, everyone had been harboring pent-up resentment. Now that they had finally reunited, free from the threat of death, they found the perfect outlet to vent their frustrations.

Milton's great sword carved through the air, the sharp screech of rending air piercing as his attack missed and cleaved into the ground, leaving a deep ravine.

She pursued relentlessly, her actions ferocious and fierce, vowing to shred these despicable insects, to alleviate the frustration she had endured over the past months.

Yet the one causing the most commotion wasn't Milton, but the platinum-colored mech.

Albert.

After dispatching a crawler, he singled out what appeared to be the largest insect.

It was another revolting, squirming flesh worm with two short antennae atop its head and a coarse, dusty-grey skin resembling book cover. It attempted to charge at Albert with its antennae but was continuously forced back by Albert's dual blades.

Its massive strength occasionally overturned it, crushing swathes of verdant forest.

Never having been subjected to such treatment, it launched a psychic attack in fury, only for its mental force to be suddenly seized, as if caught in a vast vortex, tugging relentlessly until it was shredded and devoured.

It struggled violently, rolling about in a last-ditch frenzy, creating a deep pit, oblivious to the mech's assault. It was finally impaled by the dual blades and pinned to the ground, its thrashing gradually ceasing.

Even slightly less powerful S-class opponents could be easily handled by a pair, no problem.

What seemed like a certain fatal crisis was effortlessly resolved thanks to this unexpected turn.

Wary of lingering, Lin Fu didn't stay put. Piloting his mech, he led everyone in a different direction, not stopping until they were far away and had found a water source. Only then did he retract his mech and leap to the ground.

As soon as he landed, he was seized by Albert.

In truth, he desperately wanted to embrace Lin Fu, just to confirm he was indeed alive.

But there were too many people around; crying while hugging him would be too embarrassing, and this restraint made him hesitant.

Clutching Lin Fu's shoulder, his eyes red, he demanded, “Where have you been these past months? Why couldn't I find any trace of you? I thought… I thought you…”

Lin Fu's shoulder ached from the grip, so he wrapped his arms around Albert, patting his back firmly, “I’m alive, and in good shape. Even in the direst straits, I wouldn't die so easily.”

Albert's body trembled slightly, the unreality slowly dissipating.

Tang Qian and Zhong Si had of course noticed Lin Fu as well. They rushed over to embrace both men, their voices trembling with post-traumatic relief, “It's good that you're fine, as long as you both are alright.”

Lin Fu was still filthy, his original skin tone hard to discern, emanating an unpleasant stench.

After a brief embrace, he pushed their arms away, “I need to clean up. We’ll talk later, and you all owe me an explanation for what happened on the ground.”

Not far away, Yan Yan and his classmates were also huddled together, some overcome with emotion and crying.

Yan Yan smiled helplessly.

Months of separation had led to significant growth among all.

Lin Fu found a stretch of the river, quickly cleansed himself of months’ worth of grime, donned clean spare clothes, and on his way up to a small lake, he caught a few fish and a small creature, which he cleaned by the riverside.

As he was heading back, he suddenly looked up to the sky, feeling as though he was under surveillance.

Calculating the time, it indeed coincided with the final month of the live broadcast.

Could the council really dare to broadcast the situation here for all to see?

It was unexpected, to say the least.

But if they dared to broadcast, all the better.

He had been concerned about how, upon returning, he would ensure everyone knew he had rightfully earned this victory.

*

On the Imperial Capital Star...

Cheng Jiu caught the moment Lin Fu looked up through the lens.

The camera had just panned down, perfectly capturing human presence.

The youth stood barefoot on the rippling riverbank, clad in a military academy's white shirt, the top buttons undone revealing a delicate collarbone. Wet strands of hair dripped onto the collarbone, forming a droplet that quivered and rolled down into his shirt. The slanting sunbeams seemed to dote on him, coating him in a beautiful dappling of light.

The wind sculpted the outlines of his slender shoulders and waist.

Sensing the camera's gaze, he lifted his eyes and looked directly at it.

Cheng Jiu’s heart skipped a beat, lagging for a moment.

Half a year of hardship had thinned him, visibly tarnishing his complexion, a stark contrast to the proud and buoyant young rose of the military academy. Now, he seemed like a flower battered by the elements, struggling to bloom in the wild.

Yet, his obsidian eyes were more inscrutable than ever, harboring a clarity of ambition, sharper and more defined than before, a fierce yearning for what he sought.

For that, he could endure any storm.

At the same time, numerous netizens across the star systems were tuned into the live broadcast of the Wilderness Star Competition.

Every frame of the broadcast was subscription-based, accessible only to those who could afford the luxury.

Yet, that did not prevent countless individuals from witnessing Lin Fu's glance and feeling their hearts race with madness.

"Ahhh, mom save me!!!! Someone is killing me with their beauty!!!"

"The white shirt is just perfect, I'm done for, sob sob sob, how do I stop my nosebleed?!"

"I wish to be that droplet on his collarbone, sob sob sob!!!"

"Aooooo!!! Our baby!!! Absolutely stunning!! After half a year, still slaying!!"

"Capture this moment; I've got my screensaver for the year!"

"Damn, starting off with such a bang, it's worth the extra wait for this year’s Wilderness Star Competition broadcast!!"

The live broadcast of the Wilderness Star Competition was supposed to start over a week ago, but was delayed for unknown reasons this season.

Many people, unable to wait for the live broadcast, flocked to the official website to urge, only to be told that due to the special location chosen for this Wilderness Star Competition, the exact timing of the broadcast was to be determined, sparking discontent among many.

No commoner knew the extent of the behind-the-scenes maneuvering involved.

The gates of the Cheng family were still being repaired, with efforts to erase all marks, not leaving a single scratch, even on the ground.

With bruised cheekbones, Cheng Ying watched the live broadcast of the Wilderness Star Competition, his gaze heavy upon the well-being of that young boy.

The little one in his arms fell silent, fearfully looking at his mother, reaching out, hoping she would take him away.

His mother glanced at him, smiling gently, yet did nothing.

What was there to fear about one's own father?

If even Cheng Ying was to be feared, then he would never surpass Cheng Jiu. How could that be allowed?

*

Sensing the start of the live broadcast, Lin Fu quietly prepared dinner, whispering to Albert about the experiences of the past days.

Albert was somewhat hesitant, making excuses about having been looking for Lin Fu since his escape.

Lin Fu did not rush to expose his lies, but as soon as he mentioned the events underground, Albert's attention was immediately diverted.

After outlining the general situation, Lin Fu suddenly asked, "When did you start hunting the burrowing beetles?"

Albert replied subconsciously, "The second month after you disappeared, they weren't in their original cave, so we searched..."

He abruptly fell silent.

His expression was one of annoyance.

He had let something slip.

Lin Fu, eyes downcast, flipped the fish roasting over the fire, then asked, "How did you become an S-rank?"

Albert was momentarily stunned, clutching the back of his hand, "I don't know myself."

Lin Fu did not rush to ask more, instead scanning Albert's internal condition with the system while questioning him about other matters, "Have you encountered any other military academy students during this time?"

Albert shook his head, "No, but we've seen traces they left behind. I’ve looked at them, and they should be from the Royal Military Academy."

"Do you have any information on the energy cores?"

"No," Albert said, surprised, "Are you planning to look for them?"

Lin Fu picked up a branch, prodded the fire, sending sparks flying. In the dimming light, the red glow danced, reflecting on his pale face: "Hmm. Since we have no leads, we'll try those who do."