Chapter 131

Chapter 131

Though puzzled, Big Black Egg was pleasantly surprised by Bai Xiaoyu's initiative at this moment.

The tiger within the egg looked down at the egg containing mental energy, its massive body carefully motionless, its four limbs slightly spread, allowing the egg to rub against things and roll around freely.

The Big Black Egg outside remained still, allowing Bai Xiaoyu to lean against him, holding his egg body, occasionally rubbing his face against it.

The two nearby warriors kept their eyes forward, always on guard, watching their surroundings.

In addition, there was a youth running back and forth, helping to fetch many items. He found it strange seeing Bai Xiaoyu asleep. People who came here typically entered a state of alert immediately, given that this is the black market. Everyone's identity remained unclear, and there were even many space pirates. As everyone knew, F105 planet was the most loosely managed, and the black market here was also an ideal place for fencing stolen goods, leading to many space pirates gathering here.

Some space pirates even chose to live here long-term, along with all kinds of mixed individuals, resulting in very poor security. Many of the original inhabitants who had the means had long since left. Those who couldn't would stay behind, being extremely cautious when going out, not daring to provoke others easily. Even so, accidents could still happen, just like what had occurred with him before.

And yet, here he was, actually daring to sleep in a black market full of dangerous individuals?

The youth, Mo Sen, secretly sized up the trio and the egg. One egg and a young master whose physical and mental condition didn't exceed a C grade, along with two highly-ranked guards with cybernetic limbs.

This team, composed of the disabled, weak, and egg-bound, had everything. How could they possibly sleep so soundly in such a place?

Mo Sen thought to himself, with such a team, how could they possibly think they could obtain the Insect Crystal and leave the planet alive?

He was truly a clueless young master with a heart too big for his circumstances.

As Mo Sen watched Bai Xiaoyu hugging and rubbing against Big Black, he found it oddly amusing.

However, during this time, his optical brain flickered. It was his boss.

He declined the call and sent a message, "Boss, do you need something?"

The reply came quickly, "Mo Sen, glad to see you're okay. Your friend came looking for you, saying you were almost heart-stolen by another kid your age? Weren't you the one who always bragged about being unbeatable and the best in your age group? Every time I tried to get you to train seriously, you never took it seriously. How did you almost lose your life this time?"

Mo Sen scratched his nose awkwardly, "It won't happen again. I've met someone incredibly strong for the first time. I finally believe there's always someone better out there. Besides, I have to rescue my brother. If I died without achieving that, I would die with regret."

His brother, Molin, had taken on a mission that should have been easy—dealing with a good-for-nothing from the royal family who had tampered with the Sixteenth Legion's potions. Yet, they had failed.

However, later on, Mo Sen discovered that the target who had escaped his brother's assassination attempt had gone on to solve the interstellar egg dark matter issue and provided the perfect incubation ratio.

Now, Mo Sen was deeply conflicted. He wanted to save his brother, Molin, and he held a grudge against the person responsible for his brother's disappearance and tampering with the Sixteenth Legion's potions. But across the star system, children adored him, dreaming of being incubated and nurtured by him.

Besides admiring Marshal Bai, the youth around him mentioned Breeder Bai the most.

Mo Sen frowned. Currently, his priority was to rescue his brother. The criminal attempting to assassinate a royal family member is not being processed through the usual judicial system but through a separate, undisclosed procedure, which isn't publicly acknowledged.

Dawn has long been trading with the forces behind the black market, but they couldn't gather any information about his brother.

Thinking about this, Mo Sen's still youthful face turned colder. There was no use dwelling on it now. He should help this person who had saved his life.

Dawn has long been trading with the forces behind the black market, so their relationship is relatively good. Especially since his boss and the black market's boss have additional connections, which was why they were informed about the appearance of the Insect Crystal. They were explicitly warned not to participate in the bidding. Otherwise, even his boss wouldn't be able to protect them.

Most of Dawn's personnel were long-term residents of this planet. This planet was like half their home. After drifting for so long, they didn't want to invite trouble. Therefore, none of them were permitted to participate in this black market auction.

Apart from his boss, Mo Sen was the only other person who knew the reason.

If it weren't for the fact that his savior wanted to come to the dark auction, he wouldn’t be here right now.

His savior's team was too weak, so he had to watch over them carefully, making sure they avoided the Insect Crystal.

Moreover, the savior looked very young and didn’t seem like someone from a major power. Generally, smaller factions wouldn’t be able to do much even if they obtained the Insect Crystal. This savior had rescued him and appeared to be a very kind-hearted person. It was very likely that he would be manipulated as a pawn by larger forces.

He had seen many similar cases in the intelligence reports from Dawn.

Mosen decided to stay until the auction was over, then escort them out and safely see them off the planet.

Just as the auction was about to begin, Bai Xiaoyu suddenly woke up.

As soon as he woke up, Bai Xiaoyu realized that one of his psychic tendrils was inside the Big Black Egg.

His expression immediately turned strange as the mental egg in Big Black’s belly couldn’t help but roll and rub against it several times.

The actions were exactly the same as those the egg had made towards the large white tiger in his dream.

Stiffly, Bai Xiaoyu retracted the mental egg, though he was reluctant. Inside the egg, the bone tiger was also extremely unwilling, its claws and psychic tendrils circling the mental egg.

The bone tiger even lay down, exposing its belly, and waved its paw in this direction.

This was obviously an invitation. Before Bai Xiaoyu could react, the mental egg that had been pulled to the side of the eggshell instantly shot back, once again rolling and rubbing skillfully.

Bai Xiaoyu: "..."

He could feel his psychic energy was both satisfied and excited, and for a moment, he didn’t want to pull away.

Since that was the case, he decided to let his mental egg indulge for a while.

But once he let it stay, the mental egg not only refused to return but even made a nest in Big Black’s belly, clearly unwilling to leave.

Recalling the scene from his dream, each time the exhausted egg was returned by the large white tiger, it eventually left the tiger’s belly.

His mental egg was now beginning to give him that same sensation.

Bai Xiaoyu didn’t resist or retract his mental egg. Instead, he shifted some of his attention to the upcoming auction.

Apart from the Insect Crystal, various herbs and rare materials were also Bai Xiaoyu’s targets.

However, every time he set his sights on something, Bai Qi would also bid on it.

Bai Qi was still resentful about the time Bai Xiaoyu had outbid him for the Insect Crystal. Thinking that Bai Xiaoyu was only here for herbs and materials, he decided to compete for those instead.

With the Huang family behind him, Bai Qi was wealthy and powerful.

Even though Bai Xiaoyu had prepared a large sum of credits, he would give up once the price exceeded his mental value.

Each time, Bai Qi would outbid Bai Xiaoyu for certain herbs, but whenever Bai Xiaoyu stopped increasing his price, Bai Qi would lose interest.

After several rounds of this, Bai Qi, seeing that Bai Xiaoyu wasn’t angry, found it boring and decided not to compete with him anymore.

After all, his account balance was fixed with his fake identity, and he couldn’t transfer more funds like he could with his public identity. There was still the Insect Crystal to consider, and he couldn’t afford to waste his credits on petty rivalries with Bai Xiaoyu. Although the amounts were small right now, what if he came up short at the crucial moment?

With Bai Qi no longer causing trouble, Bai Xiaoyu was able to acquire many of the herbs and materials he desired.

As Lou Hao had mentioned, there were indeed many high-quality medicinal herbs in the black market. Bai Xiaoyu had already secured an auxiliary medicinal herb for the Marrow Cleansing Pill that was about a century old, along with various other herbs that were more than ten years old. He had also won quite a few materials at the auction.

Mechs, weapons, and such were still to be auctioned later, but Bai Xiaoyu wasn’t interested in them. Their performance was far inferior to those developed by Tao Limeng.

After three hours of bidding, the auction finally reached its final stage.

The host had robots bring out a metal case. "This is the last item up for auction, the Insect Crystal of legend! It is said to possess extremely powerful energy and is exceedingly rare. The crystal is formed from the condensation of the energy absorbed by a Zerg Prince over its lifetime, crystallizing upon death. Currently, in the entire interstellar region, apart from the royal family, this is the only Insect Crystal available. Those interested, whether for collection or resale, should not miss this opportunity. There won’t be another chance like this."

The host then opened the metal case, which was over a meter tall, revealing a massive coiled crystal tentacle, thicker than an adult’s waist.

The details of the Insect Crystal were displayed, and Bai Xiaoyu’s eyes lit up upon seeing its weight of 316 kilograms. This crystal was clearly genuine and dozens of times larger than the one he had obtained from the royal family auction. It would be enough to feed the two at home for quite a while, so they wouldn’t have to stare at him longingly anymore.

At that moment, not only did Bai Xiaoyu react, but Bai Qi immediately stood up. "So it is an Insect Crystal, much larger than the one that idiot Bai Xiaoyu got before."

This time, he was determined to get it no matter what.

In another private room, a masked man had not reacted yet, but the youth beside him let out a low roar. His entire skin instantly turned deep blue as he rushed forward.

However, the masked man reacted swiftly, grabbing the youth’s head and forcefully slamming it against the wall. By now, the youth’s body had undergone a drastic transformation. Except for his deep blue head, his body and limbs had involuntarily transformed back into their original form—a massive blue tentacle that almost filled the entire room.

When the youth, now with black dot-like eyes, opened his mouth to try and speak again, the masked man covered his mouth with his other hand and shouted, "Greedy Wolf, shut up. Have I ever let you lack an Insect Crystal? What’s the matter with you in this disgraceful state? If you don’t change back, forget about the Insect Crystal."

The youth’s eyes rolled, feeling wronged, and he transformed back into his human form, though his clothes had been ruined in the process.

He didn’t mean to lose control. The emperor had previously forbidden him from hunting, and the food he encountered—so tantalizing—was off-limits. The heart he almost snatched was denied to him, and now his appetite was out of control.

The masked man then said, "Don’t you have the battle suit prepared for you after transformation? Wear it."

Soon, the youth was fully dressed and began staring at the Insect Crystal intently. Each time he tried to rush forward, he was stopped by the masked man.

As the final item, the Insect Crystal immediately sparked fierce bidding from various factions interested in it.

Bai Xiaoyu was still watching, considering Mosen’s earlier advice. The youth didn’t seem like someone who would lie. He was likely quite talented, having achieved S-rank in both physical strength and mental power at such a young age. He also exhibited a more mature and composed demeanor than most children his age.

So, despite the allure of the Insect Crystal, Bai Xiaoyu only hesitated for a moment before thinking clearly. Given Bai Qi’s presence, who had shown a determined attitude in Imperial Star before, Bai Xiaoyu knew he couldn’t outbid Bai Qi with his current credit balance.

Neither Bai Qi nor the masked man made a move yet. They were waiting for the final bidding to heat up.

At that moment, Mosen noticed Bai Xiaoyu’s expression and thought he wasn’t taking his previous advice seriously. He quickly reminded him again, "Don’t bid. Trust what I told you earlier."

Bai Xiaoyu turned his head. "Don’t worry, I’m just looking."

Mosen breathed a sigh of relief and continued watching the bidding.

Every time a bid was placed, Mosen mentally braced himself, knowing that all those bidding were likely already being targeted.

Meanwhile, in another private room, a group of men and women who appeared human turned their attention to the room where Greedy Wolf had transformed.

One of them licked their lips. "They’re here."

The others also showed excitement. The emperor awoke and sensed that a new prince had awakened during his weakest moment, along with the corresponding prince. They had already sensed the presence earlier. While they had encountered one awakened prince, they couldn’t rule out the possibility of others awakening.

This Insect Crystal was bait to lure them out, part of the emperor’s plan to capture the young princes.

Their main focus was on this prince, but they also had to watch the other bidders.

The group also placed Bai Qi’s private room on their must-capture list.

Of course, all those who participated in the bidding would rather err on the side of caution and avoid letting anything slip through.

The masked man also looked over at the three chieftains' private rooms, a hint of disdain at the corners of his mouth.

Even if the old fool’s henchmen discover something, so what? He had guessed the old man’s intentions and had come here on his own accord.

Even though he was not yet fully developed, anyone who wanted to catch him would find it impossible.

He then turned his gaze back to Bai Qi, who was still bidding. The Huang family was wealthy and arrogant, but continuing to compete with Bai Qi over this was pointless. All he needed to know was that the Insect Crystal would end up with Bai Qi.

In the end, Bai Qi successfully secured the Insect Crystal.

At the same time, Bai Xiaoyu was putting away his spoils from this trip.

Mosen suddenly received a message and turned to Bai Xiaoyu, saying, "The situation is urgent. All of you, follow me now."

Bai Xiaoyu nodded, and the Big Black Egg bounced onto his back as he followed Mosen out with two warriors.

At this moment, others were also gradually leaving. Just as Bai Xiaoyu and Mosen emerged from the underground auction after several twists and turns, a massive explosion erupted beneath them.

Mosen was stunned. The sound clearly came from the underground auction, and many people had not yet made it out. The attackers were clearly not only targeting those who bid on the Insect Crystal but were ruthlessly conducting an indiscriminate attack.

Who could be so cruel?

Bai Xiaoyu had not expected something like this to happen. He turned back, but Mosen pushed him as a series of explosions went off, and the entire ground collapsed beneath them.

Suddenly, someone let out a terrified scream.

"It's the insectoids!"

Bai Xiaoyu looked up and saw countless insect creatures crawling out from the collapsed area. The first to emerge were tank-like beetles, their size not particularly large. But the insects that followed grew larger and larger, the largest so far being the size of a single-story building. Its entire body was covered in fleshy nodules, and the slime it secreted could corrode all plants and animals in its path.

Bai Qi had just emerged, looking at these insects with an excited lick of his lips.

These insects appeared to be a squad under one of the Insect Emperor’s chieftains. Even the weakest, the cannon-fodder vanguard, were strong enough to flatten this small planet.

He glanced at Bai Xiaoyu, who seemed frightened out of his wits. They still had many unresolved issues.

One of Bai Qi's subordinates asked, "This is within the jurisdiction of our 155th Legion. Should we notify them to come over?"

Bai Qi replied, "My presence here must remain confidential. Let's go."

By now, many people had realized what was happening and started to flee desperately. Some had flying vehicles, some had mechs, and others were running with children, the elderly, and adults clutching eggs, all rushing past in a panic.

Bai Xiaoyu's steps felt incredibly heavy. This was his first time directly facing the insect race and the despair of terrified humans.

The insects had not yet attacked. They seemed to be watching as their prey tried to escape. More and more insects emerged, an endless sea of them. The largest were as tall as three-story buildings. As they gathered, they slowly began to advance toward him, causing the ground to tremble with each step.

Bai Xiaoyu could hear people crying and screaming, but no one could stop the advance of the insect race.

Just then, the Big Black Egg, which had been on his back, suddenly hopped down and positioned itself in front of everyone. But facing the mountain-like swarm of incoming insects, the lone Big Black Egg looked small and unassuming.

Bai Xiaoyu almost immediately felt the skeletal tiger inside the egg use its mental tendrils resembling tiger claws to hold his mental orb and move it aside. The vacant beast eyes looked at him and said, "Bai, go with the others and leave. I’ll stay behind."

His mental orb was then pushed back to him.

Bai Xiaoyu looked at the tall, round, and bulging back of the Giant Black Egg and saw a faint, indistinct figure on it. The figure stood as steadfast as an ancient pine. As if as long as he was there, he would always stand at the very front of everyone, shielding them.

What appeared before his eyes was not any scene that had ever appeared in his dreams, but something that suddenly surfaced in his mind.

The person standing against the backlight in a mysterious dark military uniform turned his head slightly to glance back, instantly overlapping with the image of the Giant Black Egg.

This scene felt incredibly familiar, as if he had seen it countless times before.