Chapter 29: The Battle of Spatial City (Part 3) (Combined)

Chapter 29: The Battle of Spatial City (Part 3) (Combined)

Silver flames extinguished in the sky.

They transformed into Rong Mi's vibrant purple hue.

As the spiritual energy color of the starship's main cannon shifted, every member of Squad One knew that the cannon operator had changed.

Many in the squad instinctively believed that the original cannon weapon specialist of the starship had taken over, but as the purple glow illuminated, they realized who was now controlling the cannon.

It was the mech pilot who had single-handedly held off the Ice Butterflies for a full minute.

Many mech pilots saw Rong Mi for the first time today, when he entered the battle prep chamber, opened the hatch, and remotely fired at the Imdia with remarkable precision.

Decisive, swift, and undeniably cool.

His subsequent maneuvers while engaging the Ice Butterflies individually were so unbelievable that it left their eyes popping out.

Now, as he replaced Lu Yi to operate the starship's main cannon, the pressure he exerted on the Imdia...was barely any less than what Lu Yi had delivered!

This stark contrast startled everyone in secret.

Given that Lu Yi's mental power rank and intensity were both at the remarkable 3S level, even after his injury had slightly diminished his condition... before this mecha pilot named Rong Mi appeared, there were almost no one in the entire Human Federation whose mental strength could rival Lu Yi's.

That was because Lu Yi's mental domain had undergone a second awakening, and he was the one with the highest degree of such an awakening in history.

A second awakener represented the pinnacle of human mental domain evolution and was also one of the core forces in humanity's battle against the insectoids. Very few people could undergo a second awakening; there had been fewer than ten recorded instances throughout history, and only three of them were still alive in the present era.

Rong Mi's current display made a single thought surface in everyone's minds simultaneously.

The Human Federation was about to welcome a new second awakenee in the field of mental power.

Rong Mi himself was indifferent to this.

Just as the existence of human mental domains had become an unreliable legend during the interstellar nomadic era, second awakenings were also among the many speculative theories about the combat capabilities of humans from the old times. Rong Mi had never paid much attention to such "speculative matters."

He had plenty of things he wanted to do.

Like right now.

Embracing battle with unbridled fervor.

Blazing a trail with flaming fury, in collision after collision of energy, he continuously pushed the boundaries of his own power output, expanding the limits of his energy domain.

The main cannon could be operated by two individuals in tandem.

Previously, due to his unique mental power rejection trait, Lu Yi had displaced the main cannon operator and taken full control himself.

Now, with Rong Mi's permission to rest, he took a seat on the secondary operator's chair beside.

He placed the operation helmet on his lap, leaning back against the seat and lifting his head to drain the mental stamina restorative and soothing agent that Rong Mi had brought him from the infirmary. Afterward, he pressed the communication bracelet.

As a commander, it was impossible for him to completely withdraw from the battlefield.

Lu Yi's communication channels were widely open.

In addition to the combat channel of the Spatial City, there were also channels for battling high-level Ice Butterflies in the Storm Sea, as well as operation channels for the wilderness planets.

A minute ago, Sun Tong had reported the completion of their battle in the Stormy Sea. They had successfully defeated the High Rank Ice Butterfly and were now en route to reinforce the Spatial City.

Five minutes ago, the battle against the Fifth Level Ice Butterfly on the Desolate Star had officially commenced.

Awakened from its hypnotized state by the intense assault, the creature fought back fiercely.

Despite this, due to the overwhelming numbers of the encircling fleet, the Desolate Star's Ice Butterfly gradually lost ground, showing signs of defeat.

Lu Yi furrowed his brow slightly.

Starting from the Desolate Star, three high-level Ice Butterflies had appeared in the safe zones.

This attack had exposed a significant vulnerability in the Federation's defenses, but that was not something to be concerned about during the ongoing battle.

Focusing solely on the military situation at hand.

If Rong Mi had not been present, and the ice butterfly venom in Sandel's mental domain remained undiscovered, if the high-level Ice Butterflies in the Storm Sea continued to remain hidden, and if the Sub-Butterflies in the Spatial Cities had not been exposed, the most significant impact would have been on the battle on the Desolate Star.

Or rather, if Rong Mi had not intervened, the battle on the Desolate Star would not have unfolded as it did.

Lu Yi pressed the communicator button.

"Sun Ming," he croaked. "Has there been any unusual activity with the Barren Star Ice Butterfly?"

"It's ongoing! Indeed, it's on par with a Level Five Ice Butterfly; it's struggling fiercely. I'm about to increase the output," bellowed Sun Ming, the commanding officer of the Wilderness Star Battle, his voice robust and full of vitality. "How much longer can you hold out over there?"

Lu Yi assessed the situation on the battlefield, the youth's mental energy expenditure, and his own mental domain: "Twenty-five to thirty hours."

"It means I'd better wrap up the battle within an hour." Sun Ming nodded. "No problem! This Ice Butterfly is about to evolve, and its defense is truly remarkable. Its wings regenerate with each fold… It's damn hard to defeat."

Lu Yi's brows furrowed even deeper as he rapidly pondered the possible complications on the battlefield and Ya Die's plans.

"General," Rong Mi interjected suddenly, "I sense that Ya Die's energy emission frequency is off."

"It's been decreasing rapidly since five minutes ago. It's as if it's accumulating extra power for an... attack, or perhaps..."

"A wormhole," both Lu Yi and Rong Mi spoke in unison.

The Admiral swiftly removed the second auxiliary cannon control helmet from the wall.

Rong Mi simultaneously increased his mental power output.

Yadai relied on dissolving its butterfly wings to open a spatial wormhole, thus making it unable to open one continuously.

This Yadai was currently staying in the Spatial City, perhaps waiting for its wings to regenerate.

Rong Mi recalled his initial impression of battling this Yadai.

The energy intensity emitted by this creature was lower than he had anticipated... It wasn't merely due to being underfed.

It was also because its wings hadn't fully recovered yet.

But its wings seemed undamaged, and the sense of pressure they exerted was considerable, indicating that the wings were nearly fully restored.

It had been trying to conserve its strength during combat, awaiting the right opportunity.

Rong Mi was unsure where the wormhole it originally intended to open would lead.

The more distant the location, the more bodily essence the Yadi would consume for precise teleportation. A long-distance spatial wormhole might cause this Yadi to disintegrate entirely.

But it could certainly handle a short-range one!

For instance, opening a wormhole leading to the Desolate Star.

It could carry away that Level 5 Ice Butterfly...

Rong Mi: No.

Ice Butterflies from different breeds weren't exactly cohesive or affectionate with each other!

More likely, the Yadi would devour the Level 5 Ice Butterfly in one gulp, treating it as a rare delicacy to further enhance its own abilities!

This Yadi had come to the Human Star Region to hunt!

It knew... that a Level 5 Ice Butterfly would appear on the Desolate Star!

"Retreat all mecha pilots back to the main battleship," Lu Yi ordered. "Sun Tong, lead the team back to the vicinity of the Peak Ice Butterfly's position on Stormy Sea. Keep an eye on the spatial distortion rates nearby."

"Wasteland Battlezone, be aware of the wormhole..."

"Buzz—"

High above the Spatial City, the seemingly energy-depleted Arachne emitted a deafening low buzz.

This buzz was accompanied by intense energy fluctuations.

Within the city, the war-torn landscape, already damaged by the battle, trembled as if being eroded and disintegrated by invisible energy winds, turning into fragments.

The foundations of the Spatial City then shook. The residents, who had taken refuge in underground shelters, huddled together uneasily, seeking comfort in each other's proximity.

For a moment, the wartime communication channel was overwhelmed with noise, leaving only static. The First Squad mecha pilots, including Lu Yi and Sun Tong, were cut off from their connection to the Wasteland Battlezone.

The communicator inside the starship swiftly adjusted the instruments, searching for a stable frequency band.

All attacks directed at Arachne were deflected and distorted by that buzz, skimming past its body.

Including... the shot just fired by Rong Mi.

Aurora-blue tresses of the Yadi floated aloft.

In this brief respite, it smiled, unfurling its wings and directing its gaze towards the flagship.

"Goodbye," it said with a smile. "I've had quite an enjoyable time. Lu Yi, and the new mech pilot..."

Its butterfly wings radiated a crimson glow, dissolving behind it.

The dark expanse of space seemed to be severed by the glow of the dissolving wings, following an eerie arc, as if the skin of a fruit had been peeled back to reveal the flesh within.

It revealed a mesmerizing interplay of multicolored hues.

"A wormhole!" In the starship's lounge, Ellen, who had been closely observing the battle outside, abruptly stood up.

Before him, bizarre hues of iridescent light filled the entire starship's cabin, casting a glow that rendered the Ice Butterfly's already diminutive, almost human-like form, even more insignificant.

Intense levels of cosmic radiation spilled out from the wormhole, piercing the armor of several mechs that had yet to enter the main ship.

The first squad of mecha pilots were suddenly assailed by excruciating pain in their mental domains. Grasping onto their composure amidst the intense agony, they swiftly entered the docking rails of their mechas.

Rong Mi caught a fleeting glimpse of the Silver Wolves' shadow darting past the ship's hull.

"Concern yourself not with the wolves," Lu Yi said swiftly. "Ayin will return."

"Focus ahead. Fire in three seconds."

"Understood," Rong Mi replied promptly.

His attention strayed for only an instant before his gaze returned to the vast, shimmering array of colors before him.

"In preparation for wormhole traversal, everyone," announced Lu Yi calmly over the first squad's combat channel.

The starship approached the wormhole at high speed.

Its hull, more resilient than any armor, deflected the cosmic radiation emitted by the wormhole.

Intensifying cosmic energy struck the starship's metallic exterior, casting a brilliant sheen upon it.

Everything before him was shrouded in a hazy blur.

In this distorted space-time, an unfathomable higher dimension loomed ahead, defying human comprehension.

Rong Mi gripped the weapon control stick, squinting slightly.

Even in his mental perception, the Ice Butterfly was indistinct, shimmering like a phantom, barely visible.

Lu Yi asked, "Have you confirmed the spatial distortion rate here?"

"Affirmative," Rong Mi recalled the sensation of his mental energy flow being dragged away from the target by the wormhole's energy field during the previous shot.

Putting on his helmet, Lu Yi nodded and told Rong Mi, "I'll take over."

"Full speed ahead for the starship. Adjust course to the center of the wormhole."

The pilot promptly executed Lu Yi's order.

The mid-sized starship's engines roared, and its aft thrusters expelled a stream of orangish-red energy.

Under the warping of the spatial field, the energy stream was drawn backward, curving toward the wormhole's center like the petals of an orange lily in full bloom.

Lu Yi's hand covered the control panel, pulling down the lever to switch the cannon's energy form.

The main cannon of the medium-sized warship extended outward, forming an inner and outer layer of firepower distribution.

Violet and silver mental energy simultaneously flooded the ship's circuits, charging the main cannon.

The warship's cannon trembled violently, emitting a resonant sound.

Lu Yi's hand remained on the lever. Veins protruded on the back of his hand, his fingers slender and slightly quivering.

Rong Mi turned to look at him.

The admiral's face was pale, beads of cold sweat on his forehead.

Half of his face was obscured by the pilot's helmet, concealing his expression, but his lips had lost their color, tightly pressed together as he clearly struggled to endure the pain in his mental domain.

Rong Mi turned her gaze away, softly tsking.

The appearance of this Abyssal Butterfly had completely undone Rong Mi's previous healing progress.

The young man was distinctly displeased.

The starship plunged into the wormhole in that instant.

The vessel shook violently as if it were on the verge of disintegration, followed by a sudden decrease in its speed.

It was as if it had penetrated a thick, viscous gel, hindered from moving forward.

"Admiral," the pilot reported via communication, "The engines are already at full power. If we were to utilize mental energy for additional acceleration, both the engine and hull temperatures would exceed safe levels."

Lu Yi pressed the communicator, speaking tersely, "Accelerate."

From the moment they entered the wormhole, this was no longer a battle of endurance.

"Yes, sir!" the pilot replied.

The pilot poured a vast amount of mental energy into the thrusters. With another thunderous roar, the starship's speed increased once more.

It pushed relentlessly forward through the spatial wormhole, entirely enveloped in a kaleidoscope of radiant light.

The black hull glowed a reddish orange from within due to the scorching heat of the energy impact, resembling a meteorite plummeting swiftly through space.

In front of the starship, Yadie's speed was forced to decrease by the resistance within the wormhole.

Rong Mi saw himself drawing ever closer to that elusive figure.

His gaze was unwavering, his focus intense. Mentally, he simulated the curved distortions of space within the wormhole, adjusting the cannon's trajectory with each rapid approach until the Ice Butterfly was within optimal firing range.

"Fire preparations," came Lu Yi's voice simultaneously through the communicator and beside him. "Three, two, one."

Rong Mi abruptly pulled the control lever.

Silver light scattered, engulfing the outline of the Ice Butterfly, swiftly spreading a thick, crystalline ice shell across its body.

The center of the cannon barrel illuminated with a brilliant purple, like a flaming spear piercing through.

Dead on target, it penetrated the Ice Butterfly's body right through the center!

*

"Ssshh... ssshhhh..."

The sudden noise interrupted Lu Yi's words.

Inside the main warship of the Desolate Star Battlefield, Commander Sun Ming frowned and repeated, "This is Commander Sun Ming of the Desolate Star Battlefield. Can you hear me? Lu Yi? Hello?"

"Rustling... Rustle..."

All he received in response was still the chaotic static. Sun Ming glanced at the communication screen momentarily.

The screen was filled with static, and the connection with Lu Yi had abruptly been severed.

Sun Ming looked at his own battlefield's combat communication screen, which displayed a stable signal.

"Peculiar," Sun Ming murmured. "What about that insect...?"

His gaze shifted to the enormous Fifth-Grade Ice Butterfly outside the cabin, and a vague sense of unease began to creep into his mind.

If any other fleet had experienced such a sudden loss of communication, Sun Ming would have suspected an ambush or a crash.

But with Lu Yi leading the First Squad of the First Legion, it was absolutely reliable, and a crash without any warning was implausible.

Despite not knowing what was happening on the other side, Sun Ming intuitively felt that the situation there was somehow connected to their battle.

"Return all mecha pilots to the warships," Sun Ming instructed. "Change formation, and let the larger warships take the lead! Charge all main cannons!"

At this point, conserving energy or preserving strength was no longer a priority. The quickest resolution was the safest strategy!

"One warship in position."

"Two warships in position."

Reports poured in through the communication channels. Sun Ming followed up with, "Five-second salvo countdown, four, three..."

His voice suddenly trailed off.

"Wait a moment," Sun Ming narrowed his eyes. "What kind of energy fluctuation is that..."

Behind the colossal Fifth-Level Ice Butterfly, he noticed an odd anomaly of color.

It seemed as if all the colors in the world had converged into a pinpoint, radiating rapidly outward.

In the very instant Sun Ming's command paused, that minuscule point expanded with a speed beyond human perception, seemingly materializing out of thin air as a dazzling stellar orb, emitting a kaleidoscope of radiant beams.

"Damn it," Sun Ming suddenly understood what Lu Yi had been trying to convey just now.

...It was the wormhole initiated by Yatie!

"Buzz —— !"

Energy erupted, and a wormhole suddenly blossomed, emitting a chilling high-pitched buzz from its depths.

"You... humans... ————!"

Yadie's enraged cry resonated in a unique frequency, piercing through the silent cosmos and echoing within everyone's minds.

In Sun Ming's mental domain, a sharp pain pierced through, causing him to roar. His mental energy surged, forcefully severing Yadie's influence over him.

Within the fleet, all faces paled simultaneously. No one doubted that this was a wormhole initiated by Yadie.

However, the first sight that emerged from the radiance was not Yadie's figure.

It was a scattering of purple, shimmering flames intertwined with delicate, crystalline ice particles.

They drifted through the wormhole and suspended in the air of the desolate planet, resembling the inception of a surreal dream.

"Who...” Sun Ming muttered. "The silver spiritual energy fluctuation resembles Lu Yi. Who's the other one with energy intensity comparable to his?"

The scattered energy fragments swept across the planet's surface.

In the next instant, the massive Fifth-Order Ice Butterfly on the barren planet let out a frantic, ear-piercing cry.

"Woosh!!!"

From amidst those silver-purple fragments, it keenly sensed the presence of an Arachne — one of higher rank and greater strength than itself.

It knew this Arachne.

This Arachne wasn't from the same clan as it and had long listed itself as its prey.

"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz——"

The Barrenstar Ice Butterfly flapped its damaged wings frantically, attempting to break through the encirclement of the outer ring warships and escape this double ambush.

However, before Sun Ming could speak, a vibrant purple bolt suddenly surged out of the wormhole, piercing the butterfly's body in an instant.

"So noisy..." Rong Mi couldn't endure it anymore, "Shut up!"

Purple flames spread from the wound, engulfing the Barrenstar Ice Butterfly's body.

Through the flickering flames, Sun Ming caught sight of shimmering light within the wormhole.

Moments later, he clearly saw the interplay of ice and fire.

Flames burst forth while icy crystals stretched outward, with the trapped Yadi caught between the two elements.

It was a perfectly synchronized collaboration.

During their fleeting passage through the wormhole, Lu Yi held Yadi firmly in check, while Rong Mi's flames seared it relentlessly.

Under relentless assault, Ya Die could no longer maintain its human form and revealed its true colossal insect shape.

Its body was a vivid scarlet, with most of its butterfly wings on its back concealed, leaving only stumpy halves behind. A venom gland coursed through the pale blue butterfly wings, forming an eerie irregular pattern.

Its long and rigid insect limbs stretched forward, as if attempting to break free from its constraints.

In the center of its body, deep purple flames burned, their flickering tongues of fire seemingly eternal.

Rong Mi's mental domain was under an unprecedented load, reaching its highest point in years.

He was drenched in sweat, with a pulsating pain throbbing on his forehead.

Despite this, he didn't decrease his mental power output; instead, he pushed his mental energy outward with reckless abandon.

For the flames on Ya Die's body, though unceasing, weren't spreading either.

This indicated that they hadn't gained the upper hand in this battle yet!

"Buzz... Buzz..."

A faint humming echoed from within the icy crust. With its scarlet eyes rolling, Yadi spotted the Barrenstar Ice Butterfly ahead.

It was the prey it had chosen for itself.

It had intended to devour it to advance its own level.

It never imagined that achieving this goal would exact such a tremendous cost!

But as long as it could consume this Barrenstar Ice Butterfly and temporarily break through, there was still a chance for it to escape!

"Buzz... ——"

The ice crystals shattered yet stretched, behaving erratically.

The irregular, razor-sharp ice layers indicated that Lu Yi was teetering on the edge of losing control within his mental domain.

"It's not enough with just us..." Rong Mi spoke with exhaustion, her breath uneven. "We need the starships to focus their fire! We've already reached the Desolate Star... Why haven't the starships surrounding the Icy Butterfly engaged? Why hasn't the commander of the Desolate Star given the order... Lu Yi?"

"Lu Yi!" With no time to turn her head, Rong Mi raised her voice. "Are you still conscious?!"

"…Here." After a moment, Lu Yi's voice echoed, strained and faint at the end of his words.

The Admiral's voice had become gravely hoarse. Roused from his trance, he reached out to press the communication device.

Amidst the chaotic and intense energy currents, even though their distance from Sun Ming's starship wasn't great, communication remained impossible.

Yet, the combat channel within the First Squad's starship was still operational, thanks to the relentless efforts of the communications officer.

"Signal… lights," Lu Yi managed to utter, "Focus fire… on Adet."

Flashing lights appeared before the First Squad's starship.

In the dazzling array of bright energy beams, the glow from the ship's headlights was barely noticeable.

Nonetheless, Sun Ming caught the subtle flickers of light.

His fingers curled into a tight grip.

As the Vice Commander of the Third Legion, Sun Ming was a seasoned warrior. Although the sight of the wormhole opening had momentarily stunned him, he quickly regained his composure.

The lack of command was due to uncertainty.

What emerged from the wormhole was an enslaved Arachne, desperately struggling to break free.

Its limbs stretched frantically, attempting to escape the icy crystal and reach the higher-level Ice Butterfly ahead, which was melting in flames yet still struggling.

The tip of the Arachne's limb was sharp, and under intense longing, it eventually pierced through the ice.

"Buzz——!"

The loud buzzing seemed to mock Lu Yi.

The limb continued forward, even as the silver ice layer reformed. From its tip, a splash of bright red venom gland from the Arachne spewed out.

It was very close to the higher-level Ice Butterfly in front.

So close that the crimson venom gland surged into Rong Mi's purple flames, ready to pierce through the fire and devour the butterfly before it.

"Buzz——!"

Yadie let out another cry, and Sun Ming's expression tensed up.

He knew that what he needed to do was to have all the starships focus their fire on both Yadie and the Barrenstar Ice Butterfly simultaneously.

Given the firepower of their fleet, eliminating a healthy Yadie would indeed require a prolonged engagement, much like their battle against the Barrenstar Ice Butterfly just now.

But the Yadie before them was severely damaged.

All they needed was a full-force strike.

However, the First Legion's starships were right behind Yadie.

They maintained the optimal distance for attacking it, making it impossible for them to retreat and avoid the conflict.

If the fleet launched a full-scale assault...

The First Legion would likely face dire consequences too.

In that moment of hesitation from Sun Ming, the first squad's starships flickered with lights, silently urging action.

"FIRE! NOW!" Rong Mi pushed her mental strength to its limits, shouting urgently. "What are we waiting for? This is the perfect opportunity! We can't let that worthless Adlet have its way!"

If it devoured the energy of the high-level Ice Butterfly and evolved again on the spot, healing its injuries... all their previous efforts would be in vain! It might even escape again!

Sun Ming let out a soft breath.

"Although I knew what had to be done, it's still tough to make the decision when it comes to it," Sun Ming muttered, mocking himself slightly. Then, raising his voice, he declared firmly, "All starship main cannons, prepare for firing!"

"Full-spectrum bombardment...!"

"Three, two, one... Fire!"

The fleeting radiance above the desolate planet seemed capable of illuminating the entire universe.

A deafening roar of explosive energy reverberated in Rong Mi's eardrums, thundering with overwhelming intensity.

The air around us compressed.

The starship's hull ruptured and collapsed.

A scorching heat swept past, as if it could melt a person on the spot.

Beneath his seat, an escape pod shot out.

Rong Mi genuinely doubted that in an attack powerful enough to breach even the warship's outer defenses, the escape pod's shielding would make any significant difference.

Yet, as he fell into the pod, he faintly caught Lu Yi's voice.

It was barely audible, intermingled with labored breathing, reduced to mere whispers.

"Don't be afraid."

The general's voice seemed to echo right next to his ear, not through the communication system.

Those two brief words were swiftly drowned out by a cacophony of sounds.

Rong Mi heard the roar of colliding energy, and the shrill, desperate buzz of the Yadae.

The anguished cry of the High-Grade Frost Butterfly from the Desolate Star echoed.

The world shattered, and the escape pod descended into that war-torn landscape.

Rong Mi instantly sensed the rapid rise in temperature inside the pod, accompanied by the subtle cracking sounds of its exterior.

But then, the destruction of the escape pod ceased.

In the midst of Sun Ming's coordinated assault, Lu Yi withdrew his mental energy. He no longer restrained the Sub-Dimensional Butterfly, instead unfurling a domain around the escape pod.

He was convinced that under such extensive and intense firepower, it would be nearly impossible for Yada to escape.

He also believed that after battling the First Squad and enduring Rong Mi's scorching mental energy, the Yada no longer had the strength to break free.

Thus, he chose to protect his men... as well as Rong Mi, who had been innocently dragged into this.

Lu Yi furrowed his brow.

Rong Mi had not yet officially joined the First Legion.

Or perhaps he was still too young, brimming with potential, even if he had now joined the First Legion.

Rong Mi's journey should not end abruptly in this unforeseen battle.

He had a broader future ahead of him.

Within the silver domain, dozens of escape pods were lifted by ice crystals and pushed towards the fleet on the outskirts of the energy explosion.

Several main ships extended their docking tracks to receive the pods.

Medical teams rushed forward, pulling people out of the pods and pushing them into examination rooms.

Rong Mi's mental domain throbbed with pain, his breaths rapid, and his head spinning. He was hastily lifted onto a medical stretcher and taken away for treatment.

The young man pressed one hand against his forehead, struggling against the dizziness as he requested, "I'm a healer... give me a sedative, a mental energy replenisher..."

He still had to save others.

Amidst the cacophony of voices and the bustling medical robots, his words couldn't be accurately discerned.

"The therapist is ready." The medical robot assumed he needed treatment and promptly responded.

Detecting excessive mental domain fluctuations in Rong Mi, it followed standard procedure by administering a sedative to stabilize his mental state, reducing the likelihood of him lashing out at the unfamiliar therapist during the treatment due to instability. Then, it escorted him into the treatment chamber.

Rong Mi: "..."

Under the influence of the sedative, he couldn't resist the overwhelming drowsiness that overtook him.

With each wave of excruciating pain in his mental domain, his consciousness began to fade.

Terrible, he thought hazily in the moments before he lost consciousness.

He wondered which starship Lu Yi's rescue pod had landed on.

...And whether it would arrive in time to save him.