Chapter 129: Defeating the Enemy

Chapter 129: Neutralizing the Threat

"The date and time are displayed on supermarket checkout computers and self-checkout screens."

"December 28th, 4:36 PM."

"Unfortunately, we don’t know which supermarket this was. The capital has way too many supermarkets, big and small. And both octopuses and squid are common seafood—some convenience stores even sell them, let alone fresh produce markets. There’s no way to narrow it down from this angle."

"Otherwise, we could have used the supermarket’s location to narrow the scope and further determine which sculpture could break the species' innate abilities."

"After all, in the story, Alice went to the supermarket because she thought Gat must have been upset after his recent humiliation by Carlos. She wanted to score points with him and improve her standing in his eyes, which is why she got the octopus and squid."

"So, the supermarket should be near the sculpture. But again, the capital has far too many sculptures. The sheer number of supermarkets and sculptures makes it impossible to narrow down the range."

"No wonder intel spoon-fed in novels is usually useless."

"Sky-Blue Star can’t wait until they land to start fighting back."

"We have to find these damned alien octopuses before they set their sights on Sky-Blue Star and start working on their damn 'college research reports.'"

Sheng Qingquan realized that while he hadn’t been happy for nothing, he’d jumped the gun.

"December 28th—this date’s our fallback plan."

"If Sky-Blue Star fails to keep them out, then we’ll have to wait until the 28th when they arrive and spring the trap when they come for their 'harvest.'"

But before determining when they first targeted Sky-Blue Star, he needed to pass on the existing information to the Liaison. After all, gathering materials based on the sculpture designs and making preparations would take time.

Sheng Qingquan acted quickly.

The authorities had always trusted Sheng Qingquan’s judgment. Simple—he’d never been wrong.

And that was Sheng Qingquan’s *golden finger*. The fact that the *golden finger* chose to bind with him must have its reasons.

Perhaps the *golden finger* worked best in Sheng Qingquan’s hands. His ability to discern the details in the books might align perfectly with what the author intended to reveal. Their brainwaves might align, which could explain why Sheng Qingquan had never made a mistake so far.

Moreover, after analysis, the official expert team also believed that the sculptures were their best bet.

With both sides thinking the same way, doubling down made sense.

Of course, aside from this, the authorities had also collected some semi-common street items.

With enough time, it was best to be as thorough as possible.

Soon, the materials used for the sculptures, along with some other substances, were ground into micron-grade powder. They blasted the powder into orbit.

Especially above the capital—low orbit was crammed with machines loaded with the powder.

The authorities would have loved to wrap Sky-Blue Star in a protective layer of powder, like rolling mochi in kinako. But there was no way—Sky-Blue Star was too big, and there wasn’t enough material.

So, aside from the capital being the primary focus, other zones got patchwork coverage at intervals.

These transport machines were existing equipment hastily modified for the task, utilizing Sky-Blue Star’s latest technology. Not only could they remain invisible in space, but they were also blazing fast with heavy payloads. The only downside was they’d burn out fast.

But that wasn’t a major issue. Given the current situation, Sky-Blue Star didn’t need them to last long—just until those tacky alien octopuses arrived.

They fortified the inside too.

Since those octopuses believed only the capital was worthy of their landing, if Sky-Blue Star failed to stop them outside, this’d be their last stand.

The capital will release powder everywhere when the time comes. Apart from the capital, other cities won’t hold back either. If the alien octopuses aren’t found after the first round of releases in the capital, the second round will involve nationwide deployment.

For this purpose, Tianlanxing (Azure Star) not only modified sprinkler trucks but also urgently produced many special fireworks. Additionally, to ensure indoor safety, emergency stockpiles of sprayers previously used for disinfection were mobilized across various regions.

After modifications, these sprayers can spray powder indoors just as they once sprayed disinfectant everywhere.

As for pollution concerns, this might be the only bright side. The authorities have long been working to address environmental issues. One of their achievements was the development of seawater purifiers. Every aspect has been considered, so environmental pollution isn’t a major problem for Tianlanxing at the moment.

Especially since this isn’t radioactive contamination—resolving it would simply require a substantial investment in post-operation cleanup, taking about a month for a full planetary cleanup, both inside and out.

While Tianlanxing was working nonstop to prepare, Sheng Qingquan didn’t slack off either, diligently piecing together more clues from the plot.

What he sought was still time—not when the alien octopuses entered Tianlanxing, but when they discovered it, approached it, and entered its outer space.

“Do we really have to wait until everyone can hear each other’s thoughts before acting?”

“If thoughts can already be heard, they’ll already be lying in wait outside for the results by then.”

“At that point, we’d pinpoint them, but it’d be too late!”

Thinking this, Sheng Qingquan couldn’t afford to relax for even a moment. Finally, he stumbled on a key detail.

“They chose the people of Tianlanxing as samples precisely because they considered them ideal.”

[‘“I’ve never seen a planet with so many people.”’]

[‘“For surveys, the more samples, the better. There’s no planet more suitable than this one!”’]

[‘“Look, not only are the city streets packed with people, but even steep mountain trails have crowds climbing them. The seas are full of ships, all carrying people. Even the beaches are packed shoulder-to-shoulder.”’]

[‘“This planet seems peaceful, and the minds of its humans are stable. Isn’t this stability exactly what we need? Once they can hear each other’s thoughts, whether things improve or worsen, we’ll know immediately.”’]

[‘“Unlike those war-obsessed planets where violence is constant—even if conditions deteriorate, we wouldn’t be able to tell right away.”’]

[‘“Amid his companions’ remarks, Angelo didn’t care about any of that. He just stared at the lively scenes, those countless smiling faces, finding them irritating. Why were these people so happy?”’]

[‘“Especially when groups gathered to eat those round dishes. The excitement peaks—and becomes even more annoying!”’]

[‘“It’d be great if we could ruin it all. Angelo believed that once they could hear each other’s thoughts, his goal would be achieved. So he voted yes.”’]

“And that’s how Tianlanxing was chosen.”

Round dishes?

“There are many round dishes on Tianlanxing—like tangyuan, yuanxiao, various dumplings, and fruits such as longan and grapes. No way to know for sure what Angelo saw.”

“However, while the streets of Tianlanxing are usually crowded, the times when places outside are truly packed are during holidays. That’s when you see crowds everywhere.”

“Setting aside the alien octopuses’ lack of worldly experience—holidays + round dishes. Especially when people gather to eat these round dishes, their excitement peaks.”

“Could it be that they were celebrating a festival?”

“Eating round dishes during festivals.”

Sheng Qingquan’s first thought was eating tangyuan or yuanxiao during the Lunar New Year.

“But many places eat dumplings during New Year celebrations, and dumplings aren’t round.”

“Plus, in the original text, they waited a few months before obtaining the desired results and entered Tianlanxing to collect the surveys on December 28th. This eliminates New Year’s as an option.”

"The New Year’s still a ways off—it’s only late December!"

"But working backward from this date, it feels more like the Mid-Autumn Festival than the New Year."

"Mooncakes at Mid-Autumn? That’s a must-do everywhere in the country!"

"No matter what fillings people prefer, they're all mooncakes. Mooncakes aren’t as round as tangyuan dumplings, but they still symbolize reunion and fit the description of round food."

"The day after tomorrow is Mid-Autumn Festival, and usually, people gather in the evening to eat mooncakes. That means by the evening of the day after tomorrow, those alien octopuses will already be in outer space. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to observe *Tianlanxing* from outside."

*Tianlanxing’s* clock was ticking.

Fortunately, *Tianlanxing* was lucky enough.

None of the contingency plans were needed. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Sheng Qingquan, piloting his mech out from the capital, successfully forced those xenoctopuses out with the machine’s aerosolized crap.

"The hell? Our cloaking’s failing!"

"Did my skill timer glitch? Impossible, it's never been this short before. Last year, after activating my racial cloaking, I could stay hidden for a whole year without being exposed. If I didn’t move too much, the duration could even extend by nearly half a year. I’ve been grinding—no shot it’s worse now."

"What's floating out there? It wasn’t there just now. There’s something wrong with this powder. Gat, you screwing with me? I knew you'd target me. But you shouldn’t drag others into this."

"Quit pinning every damn thing on him, Carlos. Gat’s own racial cloaking failed too—it might not be him. Don’t jump straight to blaming him for everything..."

Amid their panic, the xenoctopuses didn’t notice that something even finer had silently mixed into the powder around them.

Those were mushroom spores, hanging in the air like fog around the octopuses. Combined with the powder, it looked like Sheng Qingquan was trawling for space calamari—and indeed, that's exactly what he was doing.

Ever since taming the mushroom spores, Sheng Qingquan found that dealing with numerous enemies was easier than dealing with fewer.

Especially when those enemies were already at each other’s throats.

All Sheng Qingquan had to do was stir up those conflicts.

"Carlos, what are you doing? Stop!" A shrill voice rang out as a slightly smaller, uglier xenoctopus suddenly cried out in alarm.

"Carlos, have you lost your mind? You're attacking me?!" Another xenoctopus, relatively more presentable with fewer tentacles and bumps—less of an eyesore—instantly spread its limbs, defensively shielding itself.

It stared in disbelief at the larger xenoctopus.

"Stop this. Fine, I admit I don’t like you, and I’ve given you trouble before. But it really wasn’t me just now. I wouldn’t risk involving others, especially Mickey—how could I embarrass him like this?"

Gat was pissed. This was bullshit.

"And even if I *did* mess with you, you’d *kill* me for that?"

Carlos didn’t answer—just came at him harder. Gat met his cold gaze and saw genuine murderous intent in his eyes.

He truly wanted to kill him.

Then it hit Gat—this was the perfect setup.

There were only a few of them here. This low-stakes recon trip meant no real danger—as long as they didn’t provoke powerful civilizations, their natural camo made it a cakewalk.

So when they left, neither their school nor families were worried. It was treated as nothing, just a quick ‘don’t die’ and they were out.

And the targets were picked on a whim—no plan, no rules.

This was a golden fucking opportunity.

Carlos could take this opportunity to get rid of himself, then go back and say he didn't listen to advice, stubbornly targeting a powerful civilization.

Angering one of the strong figures in that civilization, he was killed by them.

With his well-known temper and arrogant personality, Carlos's excuse would be entirely plausible.

The family wouldn't risk confronting a powerful civilization just for him.

Realizing this, Gat began fighting back desperately, even trying to rally the others.

"Alice, don't you like me? I'm willing to be with you—just help me kill Carlos!" If Carlos wanted him dead, why shouldn’t he return the favor? After the initial rage, cool-headed Gat genuinely thought this was the perfect chance to leave Carlos behind.

Carlos had prepared an excellent alibi—except it suited him far better than anyone else.

Gat turned to persuasion: "Angelo, from what I hear, you want to apply for Professor Bart’s graduate program. Carlos is aiming for it too, but there’s only one spot. Help me, and not only will I give up my own application, I’ll pull strings to get you in. You’d eliminate two competitors at once."

"Mickey, Carlos doesn’t actually like you—he’s just using you to get at me. Because I like you, he’s manipulating you to hurt me."

"Actually, he prefers bigger, stronger women."

"Knowing this, don't you want revenge?"

"Do it, and I’ll not only stop bothering you, I'll make it worth your while," Gat tempted. "How about 200,000 SeaBucks? Your family doesn’t give you much allowance, does it?"

Having pursued Mickey for so long, Gat knew his family, though respectable, was poor at business. Their allowances were small.

"With that sum, you could commission a custom AI companion, or pick up guys at clubs—whatever floats your boat. That money could keep you indulged for ages. Way better than what Carlos offers."

"Rami, weren’t you searching for Clearstone? Carlos has a piece. He knows you need it but won’t tell you, just to watch you struggle. He’s waiting for you to despair before playing the hero and selling it to you at an outrageous price..."

While Gat worked on persuasion, Carlos wasn’t idle either. Faced with Gat’s accusations, he snapped angrily: "You'd trust Gat? He'll lie through his teeth. Saying I struck first? He’s the one who hit me!"

"That Alice woman just sucks up to Gat, backing his lies."

"Everyone, anything Gat's promising, I can match."

Before Carlos could say more, the others—ignoring them both—started fighting among themselves.

Not because either had convinced them, but because the two had inspired them. This was a perfect chance.

"I wasn’t going to act, but Angelo, you’re too insufferable. That condescending air of yours is disgusting. Yes, I’m poorer, without your fancy background. But you’re no great noble either—just slightly above commoners like me. How dare you look down on me?" Rami suddenly went after Angelo.

"Did you just glance at me sideways again? Think it’s pathetic how I chase after a piece of Clearstone?"

"Your talent isn’t even as good as mine. Without your family’s resources, you’d never have reached this level."

Rami spat bitterly, "Today, I’ll show you that you have no right to scorn me. If anything, I’m the one who should be looking down on you."

Mickey also turned on Angelo—not out of past slights, but because his desired marriage prospect favored Angelo over him. Without Angelo, they’d have no choice but to pick him.

As for his supposed fondness for Carlos? That changed nothing. Arranged marriages don't mean you can't have side action. Carlos was perfect in every way—except as a youngest son, his inheritance would be limited. And his family status fell short of Mickey’s ideal match. Too bad, but he'd be second choice.

If Carlos survived, Mickey would be a good lover to him.

Alice, after weighing options, chose to aid Gat. But even together, they barely managed to stand up to Carlos.

As time passed, they even began to fall behind.

The group was embroiled in battle.

Sheng Qingquan, relying on his mech's stealth mode—undetected by anyone—watched gleefully.

He wasn’t just a passive observer, either. From time to time, he manipulated the illusions created by the spores.

Whenever someone showed signs of retreating, Sheng Qingquan would stoke their fury. If that failed, he’d make them believe they had given up, but their opponents were relentless, pressing the attack harder, trying to finish them off while they were down.

Thus, to survive, they had no choice but to lash out wildly.

All their trump cards and forbidden moves—whether they should have been used or not—were unleashed.

Soon, Sheng Qingquan’s goal was achieved.

Out of the six alien octopuses, only three remained alive.

All three were severely injured. Just as Sheng Qingquan was about to mop up, he saw Lami suddenly ambush the other two, cutting them down without hesitation.

After succeeding, Lami, now the sole surviving alien octopus, finally relaxed. "Though I’ll have to fake my death and lie low on some backwater planet from now on, with all these resources, I can train for centuries. It’s worth it!"

"Who’d still fear those minor families after all that?!"

*Am I witnessing the rise of a protagonist from humble beginnings?*

Admittedly, the scene was straight out of a power fantasy novel.

As Sheng Qingquan watched Lami loot the battlefield, he seized the moment to put him down. Lami was already exhausted, only pushing himself to gather the spoils quickly before any humans from the nearby planet noticed the commotion and he could bolt.

As for why he didn’t tend to his injuries first—it was because he was strapped for cash. To afford the Clearstone, he’d sold off everything of value. Even basic first aid required looting the dead first.

While rummaging through the others’ spatial rings, Lami didn’t let his guard down entirely. But with him hanging by a thread, and Sheng Qingquan at full strength inside his mech, he stood no chance. Even uninjured, he wouldn’t have stood a chance—let alone in his current state.

Sheng Qingquan successfully eliminated this potential protagonist and took everything.

Honestly, even after trashing anything that might carry a homing beacon, the remaining resources would still be a windfall for Tianlan Star.

The resources spent preparing to kill them? It was trivial in comparison.

Sheng Qingquan didn’t know which items were safe and which might invite trouble later, but he had his methods.

First, based on experience—not just his own, but also that of the official expert team—he trashed anything shady.

Only when the system rewards appeared would things be truly safe.

Initially, Sheng Qingquan had worried that killing these alien octopuses might bring their whole clan down on them.

Tianlan Star had been prepared to enter full alert at any moment. But no matter the risk, they had to be eliminated.

Fortunately, their own infighting tipped him off—this wasn’t an issue.

With no retaliation looming, as long as the remnants carried no tracking marks, Tianlan Star would be safe.

More than the items, Sheng Qingquan made sure to trash the alien octopuses’ corpses. Why? Mostly because he’d read too many novels—where clans or relatives could track someone through bloodline tracking. Keeping these bodies around was a death wish.

So even though these corpses technically counted as resources.

After a brief discussion, Tianlanxing still left them behind.

Sheng Qingquan stripped all the items from the corpses, stored them carefully, and dragged the bodies far away—far enough that even if someone tracked their last known location, they wouldn’t find Tianlanxing. Only then did he get to work.

Sheng Qingquan destroyed the corpses one by one. When the last body was obliterated by a blast, and he personally witnessed even its blood vaporize, vanishing without a trace—

Before he could touch anything else, the rewards emerged from the book.

It resembled a clear crystal.

Was this the Clearstone they’d mentioned?

As soon as Sheng Qingquan had the thought, the Clearstone flew toward his forehead and disappeared.

At the same time, the figure in the mech’s cockpit abruptly disappeared.