Chapter 40 Pursuit

Chapter 40 Pursuit

As the exploration ship lost power and plummeted, its emergency escape function automatically activated.

Ji Jing, who had fainted in the pilot's seat, was automatically enveloped by the built-in escape pod beneath the seat.

At the moment the exploration ship crashed into the sea, the escape pod successfully ejected.

The large spaceship that had been parked on the platform had already ascended and turned to chase in the direction the escape pod had launched.

A massive net shot out from beneath the spaceship, capturing the escape pod like a flying fish, then dragging it inside the ship.

Ask Xiuzhu was already waiting at the entrance of the ship's cargo bay. After the outer hatch closed, he opened the cargo bay door and walked toward the escape pod entangled in the net.

Through the semi-transparent viewport, Ask Xiuzhu saw Ji Jing lying unconscious within the escape pod, his eyes tightly shut, face pale, with fresh blood stains from his nose to his chin, chest, and hands, his fate uncertain.

To be honest, seeing Ji Jing in such a pitiful state, Ask Xiuzhu felt a twinge of pain.

But this pain wasn't for Ji Jing; it was because Ask Xiuzhu had once seen another Omega, a close relative by blood, die in a similarly tragic and silent manner.

This was followed by an intense anger.

Ji Jing was too disobedient.

Ask Xiuzhu never expected that a mere Omega could cause such damage—not only destroying his base but also forcing him to flee again.

Just moments ago, his optical brain showed that before the exploration ship was shot down, it had sent out a distress signal—

"Luo Ke save me, Poseidon—Ji Jing."

Although the exploration ship was promptly destroyed, Ask Xiuzhu couldn't be sure if the message had been sent successfully.

He was cautious, which was why he had survived so long.

Now, to avoid being pursued by Luo Ke Tang En, that mad dog, Ask Xiuzhu had to truly leave Poseidon.

Moreover, Semaya had turned against him, almost preventing him from escaping the mermaids' encirclement.

Thus, the market on Poseidon could no longer operate, leading Ask Xiuzhu to decisively choose to leave.

However...

Looking at Ji Jing, the cause of all this, Ask Xiuzhu's eyes darkened, yet a sly smile slowly crept onto his lips.

Initially, he had merely wanted an interesting little pet, but now, the desire to completely possess this Omega, to make him his private property, grew stronger.

However, Ask Xiuzhu had no time to deal with Ji Jing right now.

The spaceship was leaving Poseidon, and time was pressing. He only brought a few trusted subordinates.

The rest were left behind on the island.

Ask Xiuzhu guessed that given Semaya's character, they wouldn't be killed, but their situation wouldn't be pleasant either.

There was a lot of cleanup work awaiting him, so after confirming Ji Jing was in the escape pod, he ignored him.

After all, the escape pod had an intelligent life support system designed to maintain vital signs, though not as effective as a healing pod in treating severe injuries, it would prevent the occupant from dying quickly.

Time passed, and the escape pod remained quietly in the net, its occupant silent.

If someone had observed closely through the viewport, they might have noticed that something was propping up Ji Jing's waist, but suddenly, it vanished, causing his waist to sink back down.

The little succubus had officially entered maturity.

In the main control room of the spaceship, Ask Xiuzhu was focused on piloting the ship. Just as it was about to exit Poseidon's atmosphere, the radar suddenly sounded an alarm.

Hundreds of kilometers away, a mech was rapidly approaching.

While mechs, as combat weapons, didn't excel in interstellar travel or speed, high-performance mechs like Luo Ke Tang En's Black Panther were exceptions.

Though the shape of the approaching mech was unclear, its speed made Ask Xiuzhu suspect—

It was likely Luo Ke Tang En.

He wondered how Luo Ke Tang En could arrive so quickly. Even if the distress signal had been sent successfully, it would take Luo Ke Tang En two days and nights of continuous high-intensity jumps from the Rose Galaxy.

Unless... he was already in the Narcissus Galaxy, not far from Poseidon.

But how?

In a flash, two possibilities crossed Ask Xiuzhu's mind: someone in the Wolf King Star Pirates had betrayed him, or Luo Ke Tang En had seen through his fake death and escape plan.

He leaned towards the first possibility.

Regardless, Ask Xiuzhu had to avoid confrontation.

Even if he were in a giant starship, facing Luo Ke Tang En in the Black Panther would be risky.

This was why Luo Ke Tang En was known as the "Sword of the Empire."

Two beeps signaled another alert, and Ask Xiuzhu looked at the radar again, noticing the approaching mech had accelerated even further, reaching near-light speed.

Given the current speed and distance, his spaceship would be caught within minutes.

This confirmed Ask Xiuzhu's suspicion that the mech was controlled by Luo Ke Tang En, that mad dog.

Anyone else driving a mech at that speed would have their brains explode.

Time was pressing. Ask Xiuzhu raised his hand to shrink the radar surveillance map so he could see the situation farther away more clearly.

He saw that at the two o'clock direction, there was an asteroid belt with an electromagnetic storm inside, which interfered with device signals.

With determination, Ask Xiuzhu adjusted the spacecraft's course and sped towards the asteroid belt.

He decided to use the asteroid belt to shake off Luo Ke Tang En's pursuit.

This decision by Ask Xiuzhu was not reckless.

Although entering the asteroid belt meant his spacecraft could also be affected by the electromagnetic storm, leading to surveillance malfunctions and potential collisions with asteroids, his spacecraft had an advantage in size. Even if it suffered impacts, they would not be fatal.

In the worst-case scenario, if the spacecraft were to malfunction, he could escape using the emergency escape pod.

In comparison, it would be even more dangerous for Luo Ke Tang En's mecha to enter the asteroid belt. A collision with an asteroid would be lethal.

Even if Luo Ke Tang En managed to avoid any accidents, the electromagnetic storm in the asteroid belt would still cause him to lose track of the spacecraft.

With this plan in mind, Ask Xiuzhu maneuvered the spacecraft into the asteroid belt.

However, what he did not expect was that, just before the radar surveillance failed, the black mecha following closely behind also plunged into the asteroid belt without hesitation.

Without the slightest pause, it did not even slow down.

"Damn!"

Ask Xiuzhu couldn't help but curse, "What a mad dog!"

The Empire's people still had the nerve to call him a deranged lunatic; they should open their eyes and see that their revered god of war is the real madman who doesn't care about his life!

The control system of the spacecraft was disrupted by the electromagnetic storm, setting off alarms, and the entire spacecraft began to shake.

In the cargo bay, the escape pod slid and collided with the wall, making a dull sound.

Then, Ji Jing, lying in the escape pod, slowly opened his eyes.

**Author's Note**

Thank you, momo, for the mine. Thanks, darling~

Wishing everyone a healthy Dragon Boat Festival!