Chapter 75

Chapter 75

The sudden appearance of the new Star Worm not only disrupted the students' schedule but also the tutors'.

Green Meadow Star, Joint Council Hall of the Four Military Academies.

Representatives from the four major military academies gathered to discuss whether to change the venue for the election.

"The election has been going on for so long, what's there to change?" said the representative from Nanmi Military Academy, his demeanor serious and rigid. Frowning, he added, "I think we should just go with the current point ranking."

"Although some students have already been eliminated, the current rate of elimination is still not high enough," remarked the representative from Tianquan Military Academy, appearing relaxed as he sipped tea from a cup on the table. "We agreed that the election would last seven days. It's only been a day and a half. If we base the scores on the current points, it might lead to protests from the students."

The Nanmi Military Academy representative scoffed: "If you're not skilled enough and rank low in points, you get eliminated. What's there to protest?"

"That's not necessarily true. We didn’t choose the Luyin Star venue well," sighed the representative from Dongluo Military Academy, shaking his head. "A new breed of star worm has appeared. It’s a significant but manageable issue. I heard that two double S-ranked students from Xizhou Military Academy were eliminated because they encountered this new type of star worm. By this standard, only students with top combat skills can handle these worms. The eliminated students from Xizhou just had bad luck, encountering this tough challenge… It's not exactly fair for them."

The representatives from the other three military academies turned their eyes toward the Xizhou Military Academy.

The representative from Xizhou Military Academy didn't even frown. His grey-green eyes, sharp as if honed, showed no emotion, and there were faint scars near his mouth. He calmly stated, "Xizhou Military Academy accepts defeat gracefully. Being eliminated is just that, and we won't make any excuses to bring those students back into the competition."

The Nanmi Military Academy representative snorted disdainfully, his mockery evident: "The people from Xizhou Military Academy are really something! Putting on such airs of integrity at a time like this. Does it benefit their students in any way?"

The representative from Dongluo Military Academy tried to console: "It's not right to say that. Those students are innocent…” but luck is also a part of strength. To add those students back to the reserve list doesn't seem right either.

The Tianquan Military Academy representative asked, "Speaking of which, how's the progress at the research institute? Our students in isolation are almost growing hair from being confined so long."

The new type of star worm was discovered by students from Tianquan Military Academy, who also took action to eliminate them.

This was in stark contrast to the students from Xizhou Military Academy who fainted near the star worms, almost having their mental energy drained.

But they had to admit, the students from Xizhou were lucky to encounter Bai Sha and his team. Had weaker students arrived, they would have just been fodder for the star worms; if no one had come, they might have perished on the small planet of Luyin Star.

All things considered, Xizhou Military Academy certainly owes Tianquan Military Academy thanks, and others should appreciate them too—fortunately, no lives were lost, making the situation look better for all four military academies.

"This time, it seems rather problematic," the representative from Dongluo Military Academy shook his head. "We have teachers in our team who have studied star worms. After talking with the researchers, it appears the situation is quite complex..."

As the military academy representative finished speaking, the mentors in the conference hall lowered their heads—their optical computers displaying a notification from the research institute.

Following their genetic reproduction and a series of experiments, the new type of star worm has been given a provisional name:

"Star-devouring worm?" The Nanmi Military Academy representative's eyebrows twitched.

The attached report on the optical computer stated that this star worm possesses a distinct consciousness and reproduces by "devouring-copying-hatching," creating symbiotic beings based on the DNA of organisms it consumes. Simply put, if it catches a fish in a river, after devouring it, the worm can hatch an identical life form, which it completely controls. This process, termed "transformation" by experts, enables the worm to merge and multiply, eventually covering the entire planet and controlling every organism with its will. Hence, it's named the "star-devouring worm."

The horror of the star-devouring worm lies in its ability to steal the life force of an entire planet.

"Why does this sound so terrifying?" the representative from Dongluo Military Academy said with concern. "Is the research institute suggesting... to directly destroy Luyin Star and conduct comprehensive extermination of everyone who leaves the planet?"

The Nanmi Military Academy representative retorted: "Star worms don’t devour humans, especially not our imperial citizens! This 'star-devouring worm' only absorbs human mental energy, so why the need for extermination?"

"Because the mimicry of the star-devouring worm is too powerful—a seemingly insignificant creature, or even a leaf not yet withered, could be its incarnation," sighed the representative from Tianquan Military Academy. "The election must be forcibly halted. We'll reschedule it for another day."

"Then what's the point of continuing the election these two days?"

"I think we shouldn't let the students exert themselves in vain," the Tianquan Military Academy representative lifted his eyes, scanning everyone present. "I suggest we pick the main force for this military exercise from the top fifty in the point rankings of each grade. How does that sound?"

Selecting the main team members would definitely involve a solo ranking competition. This could be an opportunity to narrow down the selection.

After all, this "wilderness survival" only lasted a day and a half. The points the students earned were fought for with real effort, and it didn't really relate to their "wilderness survival ability," but was purely a reflection of their combat strength... Perhaps there was a bit of luck involved, but it was not a major factor.

"We have no objections," the representative from Dongluo Military Academy was the most optimistic and quickly agreed.

The Nanmi Military Academy representative said, "No objections."

The representative from Xizhou Military Academy frowned but ultimately replied, "No objections."

The four military academies then began discussing where to hold the next competition.

……

Dormitory building, top floor, temporary isolation room.

On the first day in the isolation room, she had already received video communications from the Emperor, Urial, and Han Chong. Seeing that she was doing well in the well-equipped but small isolation room, they didn't say much more. Only Urial was keen on getting her out of Green Meadow Star… Considering the destructive power of an angel, she naturally declined.

Sino and Cen Yuehuai also received communications from home.

Only Yu Yan's light computer remained silent, with no one sending even a message of concern for his well-being.

To alleviate the awkwardness, Baisha and her friends gathered to play games. Baisha and Sino's light computers were the latest models with holographic projection capabilities, allowing them to play augmented reality games. They chose a game theme at random, battling aliens in a castle with light sabers, fighting their way in and out, and enjoying the challenge of setting new game records.

Right before another boss battle, a communication request suddenly popped up on Baisha's light screen.

Baisha was surprised. She signaled her friends to pause the game and found a quiet corner to accept the call, saying to the person on the screen, “Professor Jiang Gui, why is it you?”

Jiang Gui appeared to be in a high-end hotel room, not at the military academy, with dim lighting in the background. “I heard about what happened on Green Pasture Star. Are you alright? I’ve been busy with academic exchanges these past few days, and since I knew you were safe, I didn’t contact you immediately.”

Baisha looked at the faint dark circles under Jiang Gui’s eyes, puzzled, “Academic exchange? But there haven’t been any major mecha designer conferences recently.”

“No mecha designer conferences, but there have been star worm scholar meetings,” Jiang Gui rubbed his temples, eyes half-closed, his skin looking pale under the dim light, “We mainly discussed the usability and developmental aspects of star worm knowledge, along with research on their mutation processes…”

For a mecha designer, the materials and manufacturing of mechas are closely related to star worms. After all, many materials for building mechas come from star worms. And understanding the latest evolution of star worms is essential—the mechas are weapons against them. Mecha designers need to know their enemy to ensure their designs are not outdated.

Baisha remarked, “What a coincidence, we just discovered a new type of star worm.”

“The Star-Eater Worm,” Jiang Gui’s eyes deepened, “They call it the ‘Star-Eater Worm’.”

Baisha was surprised, “You're quite well-informed?”

“This evening at the conference, someone already made this information public. Some think the name ‘Star-Eater Worm’ is an exaggeration, but I agree with it.”

“If it only ‘transforms’ surrounding life forms, then this type of star worm wouldn’t be so terrifying. What's most frightening is its fusion trait. Our focus tonight was on how to inhibit the fusion trait of the Star-Eater Worm, and we made some progress. But just in case, it looks like Green Pasture Star can’t be saved.”

Baisha: “…”

Are they really planning to blow up the entire planet?

“You'll likely be leaving Green Pasture Star soon. Researchers will come to your location to collect samples of the Star-Eater Worm before Green Pasture Star is completely gone,” said Jiang Gui.

Baisha suddenly found this approach familiar.

Wasn’t it the same with the slime mold organism discovered earlier? Upon its discovery, the Empire moved to eliminate the threat as much as possible, then cautiously transferred the remaining samples to various professional laboratories.

The slime mold organism has now been developed into a slime mold material, a material with evolutionary properties that will bring a new revolution to the mecha industry.

So what potential for exploitation do they now see in the Star-Eater Worm?

"The Star-Eater Worm is truly remarkable. It absorbs biological genes, then hatches, and the newly born creature is identical to the original, but reaches a peak in cellular activity," Jiang Gui slowly shook his head, "Through microscopic experiments, we've found that with sufficient nutrients, the 'hatching efficiency' of the Star-Eater Worm can reach 150%..."

What does that mean?

It means if you feed the Star-Eater Worm psychic energy, it can reproduce 150 creatures for every 100 you feed it.

Baisha immediately thought of certain mecha materials. If they could harness the special power of the Star-Eater Worm, wouldn't that artificially increase the production of these materials?

"Once the sampling is complete, my lab will also receive two Star-Eater Worms," Jiang Gui said with a smile, "We have work to do again."

Baisha: “…”

So, did this workaholic make a call just to share his excitement about receiving new work?