Discovering her signal was being tracked, Baisha decisively chose to log off.

Chapter Eighteen

Hanbo Star?

As the word entered Baisha's mind, her first reaction was, "Isn't Hanbo Star a front-line war zone?"

"Exactly," Huoman said with a smile, revealing his stark white teeth like a beast ready to hunt in its territory, his eyes sparkling with excitement and madness. "It is the front-line war zone. I want to show you what a real battlefield is like."

The front-line war zone is where the Federal Army confronts the Star Bugs at the forefront.

In the vast border star regions, based on the level of comfort, the most dangerous are the front-line war zones; followed by buffer zones, like Lanslo Star; and finally, the core areas, such as the bustling Loden Star.

Baisha had spent five comfortable years in the orphanage, while in the actual front-line war zones, battles of various scales occurred daily. Occasionally, a few small colonial planets would be destroyed in the attacks of Star Bugs. Thinking back, Baisha was fortunate to have landed on Lanslo Star, impoverished but at least not in mortal danger.

Baisha, worried Yaning would ask more questions like where the exchange was being held, quickly tried to change the subject, but Jingyi frowned slightly, “If your aspiration is to be a mech engineer, don’t always stick to the mechanics circle.”

“Having more skills doesn’t hurt,” Baisha replied with a forced laugh.

In fact, on the Mech Pilot forums, she had also seen many theories related to mental power. They said that the mental power level of a mech pilot determines the upper limit of the mech's attributes. Low-level mech pilots cannot handle the components and designs of high-level mechs. Following this logic, since she just dismantled a C-grade mech cannon two days ago, her mental power must be at least at C-grade or above.

The issue was that she had seen various grades of mech designs on the forum and from other netizens, including B and even A grade. These designs had perception restrictions, but she could easily modify them without feeling any significant difference—it all seemed effortless.

They didn’t take a flyer; Huoman even had Baisha leave her light computer at the orphanage.

But to test her mental power by directly battling Star Bugs was something Baisha had never considered.

“You’re planning to sneak into the frontline?” Baisha asked skeptically. “Wouldn’t that be a big problem if we got caught?”

"We're going openly, as mercenaries," Huoman pointed to the old light computer and an earpiece-like object in Baisha's bag. "Tomorrow, Hanbo Star is recruiting mercenaries for the front lines, and we'll sign up together. Ready to fight and bleed on the battlefield?"

Baisha: "..."

Huoman: "Just kidding. The roles they're recruiting are logistical support. Basically, we'll be following behind the federal soldiers to collect starbug corpses, then immediately dissect them and gather valuable parts."

Baisha: "..."

In essence, it's basically going to do odd jobs.

"You don't actually need to fight starbugs. Killing a few half-dead ones has the same effect. Think of it this way: we won't have to exert ourselves to kill those starbugs; we can just follow behind and pick up the leftovers, which is a huge advantage," Huoman walked over and patted Baisha’s shoulder as if the previous display of battle fervor and madness was just her illusion, "You don’t really think I'd throw you in front of a starbug, do you? Rest assured, I'm not that heartless."

Baisha thought to herself, really? I don't believe it.

It's somewhat amusing that over the years, Baisha never felt completely at ease with Huoman.

She always felt Huoman was hiding something.

Baisha put on the old light computer, arranged her documents, and followed Huoman out of the dark alleys. The neon lights on the street flickered, blurring the faces of the people, and no one noticed the change in Huoman’s companion.

Then they took a hoverbus to the Lanslo Star spaceport. The entrance was guarded by soldiers. Baisha and Huoman lined up for the security check. At the checkpoint, Baisha passed the facial recognition scan smoothly, and everything was unhindered until just before boarding, when a stern-faced soldier checked their tickets and documents and suddenly looked up at Huoman and Baisha, stopping them at the boarding gate.

Soldier: "You're heading to Hanbo Star?"

Huoman calmly and with a smile replied: "Yes."

"That's a frontline war zone. If I'm not mistaken, you two are signing up as mercenaries, right?" The soldier frowned slightly. "I can understand you, looking like a retired soldier, returning to battle. But this young man behind you just came of age. War is no joke; you should think carefully."

As he spoke, a hint of sorrow flashed across his brow: "My younger brother died on the frontline, only seventeen years old."

Huoman paused, then said, "We're from the orphanage, officer. We wouldn't go to Hanbo Star if the mercenary reward wasn't generous enough."

In his words, Huoman implied that they were driven to desperate measures, taking such risks to provide for the dozens of mouths at the orphanage.

With the conversation reaching this point, the soldier had no good reason to stop them anymore, only sighing as if lamenting the hardships of the people, and let them board the ship, adding a word of caution: "I heard the next wave of starbugs will arrive in half a month. You'd better return to Lanslo Star before then."

Huoman and Baisha thanked the soldier and walked into the starship's cabin.

Most seats in the cabin were empty, occupied only by a dozen burly men. Departing for Hanbo Star at this time, they were probably all heading to join the early recruitment for mercenaries. Each of them traveled light, their bulging muscles prominently on display.

In their seating area, there were no beds for resting, but plenty of empty seats. They sprawled across the vacant rows, shoving their luggage under their necks, and quickly fell asleep, soon filling the cabin with a chorus of snores.

Baisha: "..."

She turned her head, gazing through the small circular window at the vast expanse of stars outside. The starship was sizeable and fast, but in the boundless universe, it was merely a tiny glow moving from one point of light to another. Without a clear destination, they could easily get lost in this sea of stars.

Three hours later, Baisha awoke from a light slumber and could already see Hanbo Star in the distance.

It was a planet interwoven with deep blues and gray-whites, its edges emanating a cold white glow. Storms mixed with floating matter encircled it, resembling a long, glowing ribbon.

"Hanbo Star’s climate is much harsher than Lanslo's, often plagued by storms and sudden snowfall, with temperatures dropping abruptly to freezing," Huoman, noticing Baisha had woken up, explained cheerfully, "But the military provides mercenaries with specialized protective gear and weapons."

"That's if you pass the mercenaries' test," a skinny man with a mohawk and wearing a black jacket grinned at them. "Buddy, bringing a kid whose hair isn’t even fully grown to the battlefield, what were you thinking? Are you here to be a mercenary or a babysitter?"

The man seemed a bit sly and opportunistic, yet he openly challenged Huoman and Baisha.

Baisha couldn't help but question her life choices: "Do we really look that easy to bully?"

Huoman: "It's because you're young, short, and skinny as a stick."

Baisha: "So it's all my fault? I notice your muscles aren't as developed as the others' either."

Huoman: "Being a soldier isn't just about muscles, is it?"

The two of them played off each other, completely ignoring the mohawk guy. Seeing his mouth twitch and his face turn sour, just as he was about to say something, Huoman and Baisha suddenly shifted their gaze back to him.

"Let me teach you the first rule," Huoman said to Baisha. "Mercenaries resolve disputes the mercenary way."

Baisha raised an eyebrow: "I'm all ears."

Two minutes later, the mohawk guy lay on the ground, eyes rolled back, limbs twitching, and all his valuable possessions stripped clean.

The other burly men in the cabin just glanced over nonchalantly, then turned away, as if they saw nothing. Some even openly displayed disdain on their faces.

"If you dare to provoke others, you must bear the consequences," Huoman, clutching the emptied wallet of the mohawk guy, crouched down and flicked his face. "Consider this a lesson, hmm?"

The mohawk guy let out a moan in his semi-conscious state.

Soon, the starship arrived at its destination. Everyone began gathering their belongings and exiting the cabin. Perhaps Hanbo Star really needed manpower, as the recruitment point for mercenaries was set right outside the spaceport. The fake identity Huoman had arranged for Baisha was just fourteen years old, meeting the minimum age requirement for mercenary conscription.

Huoman led Baisha through the registration process, filling out forms, and signing agreements. The contract was the usual cliché: "War is blind, death is destined. In case of your unfortunate death on Hanbo Star, we will provide a condolence payment to your family, but no more than 2000 star credits." Additionally, they had to provide a family savings account number (for the government to deposit condolence money) as a mandatory field in the form.

Baisha found this part challenging.

She handed the form to Huoman. With a flourish, he wrote down a series of numbers and handed it back. Baisha saw that the number he filled in was his own personal savings account.

Baisha: "..."

This scumbag!

But the form was already completed, and Baisha could only curse under her breath. She didn't want to start over with a new form – it was too much of a waste of time.

After submitting the forms, they underwent a review.

The review station, a temporary setup, was manned by what seemed to be a government official. Behind him stood a small tent housing various weapons, resembling a miniature arsenal. However, the presence of armed soldiers and military hovercrafts ensured order; even the most formidable-looking mercenaries queued obediently under the strict supervision, without any disputes or altercations, each displaying civility and manners.

"This is the second major rule of being a mercenary," Homman casually remarked. "In front of the regular army, you learn to keep a low profile."

Baisha didn’t respond to him.

Knowing to keep a low profile and yet voicing this theory?

When it was Baisha's turn, unsurprisingly, the reviewer halted her.

"You’re too young," the reviewer frowned.

"Don't judge him by his age; the kid’s got skill," interjected a mercenary who had passed the assessment, examining his weapon. He looked up, adding, "I saw him take someone down earlier with very sharp moves."

Baisha recognized him as a fellow traveler from the same starship to Hanbo Star. It seemed the earlier brawl with the rooster-combed adversary had its benefits, at least making her memorable.

Reviewer: "Sharp moves? Let's put that to the test." With a wave of his hand, a red-haired soldier beside him set down his weapon, removed his armor, and approached Baisha in just his protective gear for a brief sparring session.

"If he lasts three minutes, I’ll consider him passed."

The people behind Baisha instinctively stepped back, clearing a circular area for them. Baisha glanced back at Homman and noticed his beaming smile, having retreated ten meters to enjoy the spectacle from the crowd.

Baisha twitched the corner of her eye.

"Standing there daydreaming isn't a good habit!"

The red-haired soldier swung his fist at her, but Baisha dodged swiftly, grabbing his punching arm, pinning his upper arm, and striking his armpit and waist with her other hand. Underestimating Baisha's strength, he flinched in pain, momentarily losing balance, which Baisha exploited to grasp his throat and lock it from the side while pulling his hair, then deftly kicked his feet out from under him—

The soldier lost his balance and fell backward, hitting the ground with a dull thud.

The watching mercenaries fell silent for a moment, then erupted into loud cheers and whistles.

A few seconds later, the reviewer recovered and exclaimed in admiration, "Military combat techniques, huh?"

And Baisha had clearly integrated these techniques into her subconscious, executing them without any hint of awkwardness. She must have practiced for several years at least.

The red-haired soldier, his face flushed, scrambled up from the ground, eager for another round, but the reviewer intervened, "At your age, shouldn't you be in a military prep school?"

Baisha couldn’t answer that question; a response would reveal too much. Investigating an orphan on Lonslo Star might be challenging, but tracking a military prep school student would be effortless.

Clearing her throat, Baisha displayed a mix of stubbornness and vulnerability, "My family couldn't afford schooling."

Her voice was clear but slightly hoarse, feigning the composure of an adult revealing their difficult past. Despite the effort, a glimpse of hidden sorrow and resentment could be seen in her young, animal-like eyes—

"Alright, I understand," the reviewer, moved by compassion, stamped her registration form. "Welcome to the mercenaries, but at your age, it's better to continue your studies. The reward from this mission should be enough for prep school. Don’t let lack of money hinder your education."

Baisha thanked him, received a mercenary-specific locator chip to insert into her cyber-brain, and was then given a set of protective gear. A soldier was instructed to guide her to the weapons tent to select appropriate armaments.

The weapons tent was filled with an array of arms. Baisha chose a photon dagger to strap to her leg, followed by a laser gun.

"A mercenary's job is to clean up the battlefield, salvage any usable Star Worm corpses. The bulk of your reward will be calculated based on the Star Worm bodies you recover. It’s best to accompany an experienced veteran to learn which parts of the Star Worms are the most valuable. You’ll get the hang of it quickly," explained the soldier helping her with the weapons. "The military will let you into the battle zone after clearing most of the Star Worms. However, battlefields are unpredictable, and some may slip through. Against lower-level Star Worms, you should be able to defend yourself, but if you encounter high-level ones, remember to call for backup immediately."

The locator chip Baisha just inserted into her cyber-brain had a one-click SOS feature.

"But how do we distinguish between high and low-level Star Worms?" Baisha asked, looking up.

"By the extent of casualties in your team," the soldier replied nonchalantly. "The more people die, the higher the level of the Star Worm."

Baisha: "..."

The soldier coughed and joked, "Just kidding. High-level Star Worms would never slip past the military's sensory net. Don't worry."

After saying this, the soldier saluted Baisha and walked away.

Homman approached Baisha, carrying a large sniper rifle on his shoulder.

"Didn't expect this, but you seem quite popular," Homman commented to Baisha. "They even let you pick a photon dagger. I only got a heat-melt knife."

Homman had already donned his protective gear. The material was tough and thick, with an outer layer of chemical fabric impervious to ordinary blades. This suit was tear-resistant, and could withstand extreme temperatures, even blocking some biological contaminants. However, the one-piece design somewhat hindered agility.

Baisha also put on her protective gear. Even the smallest size was slightly large for her, and with goggles and helmet on, she looked like a miniaturized version of herself.

Homman couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Ignoring Homman's laughter, Baisha examined the laser gun in her hands. It had two modes: a direct attack mode and a capture mode, which fired an electromagnetic net to trap prey. But the net's binding effect lasted only eight seconds and consumed a lot of energy.

Weapons like laser guns were useless without power. She had to use them sparingly. The same went for Homman's sniper rifle – the military provided limited ammo, and running out meant buying more at his own expense.

Half an hour later, dawn arrived.

Unlike the neon purple dawn of Lonslo Star, the morning light on Hanbo Star was clear, cold, and bright, slicing through the dark horizon like a dagger.

The light gradually fell on them, yet the air remained chillingly cold. Baisha exhaled softly, shifting her feet – the ground felt even colder and harder.

In this quiet moment, Baisha's hearing seemed enhanced. She could even hear the whispered conversations of mercenaries in the distance.

"What's taking so long this time?"

"Not sure. Heard it's because of an upcoming Star Worm tide. There’s been a significant increase in Star Worm numbers these days, so the military's clean-up is taking longer. As long as the mission isn't canceled, we just wait."

On Hanbo Star, daylight lasted only four hours. The mercenaries rested in the camp, waiting for orders from sunrise to sunset. Some, restless, half-removed their protective gear, tying it around their waists, bare-chested, gathered to smoke and play cards.

Baisha had gradually adapted to Hanbo Star's cold, even its food. The military rations were hard, cold bread and jerky. The steel barrels contained not hot water but strong liquor, which burned down the throat like a blade, exploding with spiciness on the tongue – invigorating and gradually warming the body.

Just as Baisha was about to fall asleep clutching a liquor bottle, the camp suddenly erupted into noise.

"Orders from the military!"

"Get ready, we're moving out immediately!"

The mercenaries quickly geared up, their excitement palpable as they boarded several massive black armored vehicles. The drivers honked impatiently, the blaring horns piercing the night like a hunting call of a beast pack.

Baisha secured her liquor bottle and climbed aboard one of the armored vehicles with Homman. The vehicle, crammed with mercenaries, headed towards the battlefield.

Calling it a battlefield was a bit of a misnomer – upon reaching their destination, they found no sign of the Federation army, only a land marred with corpses and mechanical debris.

The corpses of various Star Worms piled up like small hills. The mercenaries swarmed around them like vultures discovering carcasses, frenzied with anticipation.

The activated heat-melt knife sliced through the tough black carapace of a Star Worm, releasing a pungent smell of charred flesh and a hint of blood. A few drops of purple blood splattered onto Homman's cheek, but he paid it no mind.

He dissected a black hairy spider, twice the height of a human, collecting its white viscous fluid, "This is a C-level Star Worm, the Senluo Spider. Its bodily fluid can be used to make extremely durable materials, selling for three hundred star coins per gram."

What a lucrative find.

However, these materials were to be collected by the military, and the mercenaries were only paid a labor fee. In other words, someone else stood to profit from these finds.

The Senluo Spider yielded only a small tube of fluid. Homman capped it and tucked it into his backpack. Seeing others busily engaged, he whispered to Baisha, "Let's go further afield and hunt for something alive."

They borrowed a motorcycle from their mercenary peers for a fee and left the vicinity of the armored vehicles.

Finding intact or alive Star Worms on the battlefield was challenging. After much effort, they discovered a Star Worm pinned under a fallen aircraft in a pile of rubble. Resembling a centipede, its numerous black segments writhed in the air like waves. Sensing their approach, it opened its white-fanged mouth, emitting a piercing screech towards them.

Homman instructed, "Try handling it yourself. Remember, use your knife, not the gun."

Baisha nodded, drew her photon dagger, and cautiously approached the struggling Star Worm.

Suddenly, the Star Worm's body contorted upwards, its mouth gaping open:

Hiss—

A silent wave of energy radiated from the Star Worm's mouth, momentarily distorting the air, sound, and surroundings.

Baisha frowned, swiftly dodged, and plunged her dagger into the Star Worm's lower jaw, severing its vocal cords.

The Star Worm suddenly became immobile, collapsing weakly onto the ground as if a pause button had been hit.

"Not bad, you weren't affected by the C-level Star Worm's psychic attack. And you precisely targeted its vocal cords, indicating your psychic power is at least C-level, possibly even B-level," Homman commented. "For those with psychic powers, hunting Star Worms is almost instinctual. As long as your psychic power is higher, you can quickly identify their weaknesses."

Scratching his head, Homman glanced at the war zone map on his cyber-brain, "Finding a B-level Star Worm won’t be so easy... But with the mercenaries’ information network, we can roughly guess where B-level Star Worms might appear. Let's try our luck; we might actually encounter a few alive."

B-level Star Worms are notoriously fierce, but once dead, they can't escape being dissected and sold by mercenaries. Resourceful mercenaries maintain private contacts with the military, getting tipped off about the locations where B-level Star Worms are taken down, arriving first to claim their share. Naturally, the materials from a B-level Star Worm are extremely valuable... one B-level Star Worm is worth dozens of C-level ones.

"How do you have access to such an information network?" Baisha asked in surprise, feeling that Homman had been constantly surprising her throughout their journey.

Homman sighed, "Did you really think I was supporting the entire orphanage by picking up trash? Besides being your teacher, I have to moonlight as a mercenary on various planets' battlefields every year. It’s not easy, you know?"

Baisha was speechless. No wonder Homman was often absent from the orphanage for several days each year.

"Look at that guilty expression... When I leave Lonslo Star to work as a mercenary, do you kids badmouth me behind my back?" Homman asked, raising an eyebrow.

Baisha slightly turned her head away, "The children at the orphanage always thought that Teacher Homman was either out messing around or hiding from creditors."

Who could blame them? He always seemed so irresponsible and unreliable!

Surprisingly, Homman fell silent for a few seconds before admitting, "Actually, that's not entirely untrue."

"Whenever Old Liao comes to chase me for debts, I run off to be a mercenary and purposely take his calls on the battlefield," Homman said with a chuckle. "With the chaos of war all around – either people or Star Worms getting blown sky-high and bad signal reception – when he nags me about repaying debts, I pretend I can't hear him clearly. He usually gives up after one or two tries, even telling me to focus and avoid answering calls, lest I lose my life."

Baisha was left speechless once again.

"Really, you never do things the easy way, do you!"

Baisha rolled her eyes and slung the laser gun over her shoulder, saying, "Enough of that, let's hurry up and find some Star Worms."

Homman, scanning the map, suddenly let out a soft exclamation.

"There's a cave to the north, an abandoned underground fortress," Homman said, frowning. "The map shows there are B-level Star Worm carcasses there. Two teams of mercenaries have already been sent to dissect them, but the marker hasn’t disappeared yet."

As always in a war zone, the area is extensive, and resources like B-grade starbugs are usually quickly utilized by nearby mercenaries. Once the B-grade marker appears, it typically gets deactivated within ten minutes, indicating that the starbugs in that location have been fully harvested.

Yet, this marker still hangs on the map.

"Could they have failed to find the entrance to the underground bunker?" Baisha glanced at the map, "After all, it was once a mining area with complex terrain."

Hanbo Star was once rich in minerals, but mining operations were abruptly halted due to the starbug invasion. With hurricane seasons on Hanbo Star, the inhabitants built numerous underground bunkers to provide shelter from the storms. These bunkers were interconnected and some even led directly to the mines.

"Let's go and check," Huoman said, lifting the motorcycle and signaling Baisha to get on. "We don't have much fuel left. We'll just take a look around the north and then call it a day."

Huoman started the motorcycle and headed towards the marker on the map.

Upon reaching the entrance of the underground bunker, they spotted two pickup trucks parked in the sand, indicating others had been there before them.

Peering into the dim cave entrance, they saw cracked walls and broken stones. Huoman and Baisha exchanged a look, readied their weapons, and slowly descended into the depths of the cave along the stone ramp.

They walked through the tunnel for a long time without hearing any human voices. The cave's rocks were gray-white. Huoman shone a flashlight ahead, making it seem as if they were walking through a tunnel of snow.

Minutes later, they reached the end of the tunnel, where the path was completely blocked by stones. However, there was a medium-sized hole on the right, leading deeper into the cave.

"This hole was blasted open," Huoman noted, observing the marks on the ground.

Huoman checked his light computer to confirm the B-grade marker was still active, then looked up and gave Baisha a nod.

Baisha, holding her gun, bent over and passed through the hole.

As Baisha stretched out her hand to feel the surrounding walls and took a few steps forward, she gradually encountered a faint light source. When she finally emerged from the tunnel and looked up, she found herself in an entirely new world.

In front of her was a round, dome-shaped underground fortress, with a massive movable skylight set up high. The steel skylight was now rusted and let only dim light filter through vertically. The stone walls were dotted with numerous square recesses, each holding a crane. Slender stone bridges crisscrossed in the air, built by the fortress's former inhabitants to reduce travel time between areas. Most striking was a gigantic silver sphere floating in the air—a metal moon emitting a silver halo.

"That’s a ‘Metal Moon’ held aloft by an anti-gravity magnetic field," Huoman said, approaching Baisha from behind and speaking softly. "It's the moon created by the people of Hanbo Star. The material of the ‘Metal Moon’ is unique, allowing it to float for thirty years on a single electromagnetic charge."

The moon hadn't yet fallen, but the humans who built it had long since disappeared.

Baisha wanted to step forward for a closer look at the “moon” when suddenly, white flesh-like tendrils appeared out of nowhere, stretching towards her!

"Back off!" Huoman shouted, firing two bullets from his sniper rifle, scattering the tendrils in an instant. Baisha retreated swiftly, instinctively drawing her dagger to cut off the tendrils stuck to her protective suit.

Looking up, Baisha saw a gray-white creature emerging from a cavern in the mine. Its upper body resembled an octopus and the lower half a jellyfish. It moved along the walls of the underground fortress, its long, tendril-like tentacles drifting slowly as if swimming in water.

"This thing is A-grade!" Huoman yelled. "I’ll distract it, you call for military backup!"

Baisha looked at her light computer: "No signal!"

"This creature’s psychic power can block light computer signals..."

Gritting his teeth, Huoman’s entire demeanor changed, his eyes and every muscle radiating an intense ferocity like a suddenly awakened lion.

"Follow me," he said.

Carrying his sniper rifle, he leaped out of the cavern, sliding a few steps on the nearly vertical stone wall before grabbing onto a nearby crane's beam. Baisha followed closely. As they shot at the creature, they ran along the beam to the crane's control room and locked the door.

The enclosed space was better than standing in the tunnel. The creature’s tentacles were too agile; even if they ran into the tunnel, it could pull them back. Hiding in the control room was safer—it would have to “open a can” to catch them.

"Stay here and don't come out," Huoman said with determined eyes. "I'll go out and deal with it."

"Is this thing also a starbug?" Baisha asked incredulously.

"Actually, what we see of starbugs is just their outward form," Huoman replied while reloading his sniper rifle. "Each time they conquer a planet, they absorb local lifeforms for genetic transformation, leading to bizarre mutations until they take shape. Starbugs can be snakes with legs, leopards with rhino horns, or fish that fly in the air... In short, they can have any strange form."

Baisha commented, "Sounds like their appearance is pretty random."

"Yes," Huoman suddenly smiled. "But guess what, the only gene they can't absorb is that of humans. That means, unknowingly, humans have evolved to be the natural predators of starbugs. Thus, for years, our endless conflict with them has been like a fated battle."

"Are you confident you can handle it?" Baisha asked seriously, looking into Huoman's eyes. "You just said it's A-grade."

"I'm also A-grade," Huoman said nonchalantly. "You need to have faith in your teacher. We'll definitely win this."

Baisha: "..."

An A-grade federal soldier could easily be a mid-level officer. What was he doing teaching kids on Lanslo Star?

Tentacle sounds of the starbug scraping the crane came from outside the window.

Without saying more, Huoman opened the control room window and jumped out, followed by several gunshots.

Huoman's bullets aimed at the starbug's umbrella-like cap. It raised its long tentacles to deflect some of the bullets and then erected a transparent barrier in front of itself – the starbug's psychic power. The sniper bullets hit the barrier, causing only minor ripples.

Being the same grade as the starbug meant Huoman couldn't immediately discern its weakness. He had to use his limited bullets for extreme probing. The strongest part of the starbug's psychic barrier was its weakness—

The heart!

Huoman activated his psychic power, and the starbug's bodily structure gradually became "transparent" to him. He imbued his psychic power into the bullets. The moment he fired, the shape of the light from the gun's muzzle subtly twisted.

The bullet, like a streak of light, shot across the sky at a speed nearly invisible to the naked eye, colliding directly with the starbug's psychic barrier!

One shot, two shots, three shots.

On the last bullet's contact, the barrier finally cracked, opening a tiny gap.

Blood splattered, striking the heart!

The enormous creature let out a whimper, then thudded down from the stone wall, its long white tentacles curling and withering.

Huoman stood still, the smell of gunpowder lingering around the muzzle. He silently held the empty sniper rifle, his palms sweaty and cold. A few seconds later, he regained his composure, a calm smile appeared on his face, and he turned to call Baisha out.

"Snap, snap."

Two laser beams grazed his shoulder and struck the starbug behind him.

Surprised, Huoman turned around to see the starbug still not completely dead. It was raising its white tentacles to form a net, ready to ambush him from behind!

But with Baisha's two laser shots, the creature finally ceased to live in an instant, blood gushing from its body as the tentacles turned from white to a more transparent gray.

"Well, I just thought it looked like an octopus, and octopuses have three hearts," Baisha sighed. "Although an octopus's hearts are primary and secondary... But with starbugs mutated like this, even if they have three hearts, it's hard to tell which is primary. Better to just shoot them all, to be safe."

Huoman paused, then suddenly realized something and laughed excitedly: "You—"

He was about to say something when he heard a subtle whoosh by his ear, followed by several white tentacles! He rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the tentacles' attack.

"Watch out!" Baisha shouted, firing two lasers.

The lasers flew towards the top of a cavern, illuminating the scene inside for a moment.

The narrow cavern was filled with white flesh masses. Several black, round eyes trembled and fixated on Huoman's figure.

The cavern was still home to starbugs, and not just one.

The starbug they had just fought had laid a brood of young!

"Well, if I remember correctly, starbugs enter a weakened state after giving birth. So, we actually had an advantage in the previous battle," Baisha whispered. "On the bright side, these starbugs are still juveniles... Huoman, how about giving it another try?"

Huoman: "Then lend me your laser gun."

Baisha: "No lending. Your shooting isn't much better than mine."

Huoman: "So, you want to watch your teacher die?"

"You won't die, teacher." Baisha pointed to her light computer on her wrist. "Right after that starbug died, I checked my computer and saw the signal was back, so I immediately sent a distress call to the military. I hear they're very efficient—"

The next second, they heard the sound of engines roaring overhead.

A group of soldiers wearing exoskeleton armor descended on zip lines, followed by a silver-white mech.

A mech!

Baisha's eyes lit up instantly.

She gave Huoman a look: Act weak, teacher!

To her surprise, Huoman was more decisive than she expected. He fell backward, feigning unconsciousness on the ground.

Baisha: "..."

The military discovered the brood of starbugs in the cavern and began firing at them as if facing a major threat.

However, the sheer number of young starbugs, coupled with their A-grade psychic power, meant the military's firepower hardly harmed them.

The young starbugs' black round eyes swiveled, then they leaped from the cavern, their tentacles stretching out with extraordinary flexibility, seemingly about to ensnare the soldiers' heads.

Suddenly, a silver-white mech behind them moved like a shooting star, drawing a long sword in a swift slashing gesture, and then, as easily as slicing vegetables, dispatched the nest of Star Worms in a few swift movements.

The entire process took no more than thirty seconds.

After everything had settled, the mech sheathed its sword, and the cockpit door opened, revealing a black-haired young man.

His complexion was pale and refined, as if he had stepped out of an elegant, serene painting, contrasting starkly with the bleak and shattered surroundings. A faint coldness between his brows added an aggressive edge to his demeanor.

The young man listened to a soldier’s report, waved his hand, and then soldiers appeared with a stretcher, carrying away the "unconscious" Homman.

"There are other A-level Star Worm carcasses at the site," the young man inquired. "Who killed them?"

Baisha, sitting on a crane, took a few seconds to respond, "Are you asking me?"

"There's only you left here," the young man turned and said. "So yes, I’m asking you."