Chapter 115: Why Are They Like the Saint Casians?

Chapter 115: Why Are They Just Like the Saint Casians?

A relaxed, reassuring voice came through the screen, gently chuckling, followed by a light tap on his mech's hatch.

After endless despair came validation—

"We've always admired that about you."

Little Chuzao said brightly, then turned his gaze to the panicked Branch Monster that Chao Huangmu had obliterated halfway as it scrambled away in panic.

He observed it carefully for a while, studied it intently before giving a firm nod.

"It's just a Branch Monster."

After years of using that name, it had stuck. *Vine Beast*? Such a formal name—did these ragtag monsters even deserve that?

Meanwhile, Yu Ye, who had let slip a single tear, stared wide-eyed as the young boy crouched atop his mech effortlessly wrenched apart the Vine Beast's limb with one hand. In one fluid motion, he leaped up and pinned the barely conscious, evolving beast beneath his foot.

Unfamiliar with the situation here and opting for a low-profile approach, neither Finn nor the Little Crown Clan displayed their crowns or wings. In fact, they had even discussed carrying compact psychic firearms for disguise purposes if needed along the way.

Now, Chu Zao swiftly drew his gun from beneath his military coat and aimed it at the creature's head.

"Ah... ah... barrier... you—"

The Vine Beast could hardly form coherent words, but it understood the situation all too well.

That tantalizing scent of flesh—it had smelled it before, but before it could take a bite, that scent had become their nightmare.

From these fragmented words, Little Chuzao could put together some meaning.

Combined with what Chao Huangmu had said earlier...

So this thing came from beyond the barrier?

Did that mean this place wasn't too far from the barrier?

Ah... Great-grandfather still hadn't repaired Zao Zao's crown—who knew how he was doing now?

"Now that I think about it, what a coincidence."

Meeting this thing before coming here, and now running into it again after arriving.

Chu Zao squeezed the trigger with a quiet laugh.

"Goodnight."

The psi-gun groaned under the overwhelming force of the Crown Clan's formidable mental energy, emitting an unsettling creak.

But the next second, it blew the Vine Beast's head apart.

"Easy there—you'll wreck the gun."

Finn watched his young charge's actions with a smile, though he was wound tighter than a spring—Finn had never been this tense before.

After all, other times, Amos had their backs, and they were familiar with that sector of space, having dealt with Aberrant Beast Legions across many star systems. With plenty of Crown Clan members around, Finn could get away with being careless.

But here, everything was unfamiliar—there was that goddamn Survival Contest, and from the sounds of it, countless Monster Commanders lurking around. The usually carefree Finn wouldn't venture more than ten meters away from Chu Zao.

"This gun's different from the ones back at school."

Chu Zao muttered, flexing his wrist slightly as he aimed at the sky where the Vine Beasts, now leaderless, were frantically trying to flee.

A rapid volley of shots—

Combined with the swift encirclement and pursuit by the Sacred Territory team, the remnants of the Vine Beasts, which had once posed a significant threat, were relentlessly worn down and forced into a stalemate, with only a handful managing to escape.

The fight continued. Chu Zao glanced up at Yu Ye.

He was about to say something when he heard Yu Ye’s confident reply—

“You’re right. They’re just Branch Monsters.”

In the midst of freefall and desperation, someone had agreed with him, had reached out a hand—Yu Ye felt he would never forget this sensation in his lifetime.

He didn’t understand why the elders of the Sacred Territory so deeply missed their homeland, but he knew that no matter what the future held, today would be a day he’d recall countless times.

Now, Yu Ye finally grasped the source of that earlier unease. In a place so indifferent to mech development, yet so effortlessly capable, it was simply because their own innate power was too overwhelming—rendering mechs just weren’t worth the effort.

Chu Zao: ?

Weird, this feeling of instant agreement over the slightest remark.

Wasn’t this just like the Saint Casians?

Especially when the other party was called the Sacred Territory. After hearing Saint Casians endlessly pledge their all to the Sacred Crown, this "Sacred Territory" thing felt oddly familiar.

Having long regarded Saint Cas as his inviolable home, Chu Zao’s goodwill toward this group skyrocketed in that moment. The thought made him couldn’t help laughing.

“If we share similar views, I think we could collaborate.”

As he spoke, the Little Crown Clan boy, who had initially planned to wait here for his father, changed his mind. He lifted his gaze, the sunlight fully illuminating his soft, gentle, and unnervingly pretty face. The effortless leadership aura he exuded, radiating confidence, instantly drew the attention of Chao Huangmu from a distance—Chao Huangmu couldn’t help but glance at Yu Ye again.

The sunny-faced kid suddenly raised a hand expressionlessly and ripped off a Vine Beast’s arm, tossing it aside—why was Zao Zao smiling so brightly at that guy?

Chao Huangmu thought, sneaking another glance—what did that weakling have that was worth learning from?

Gotta remember this—write it down fast. He’d bring it back to Peng Liang and Yun Songquan and keep pushing—if he absorbed the strengths of a hundred schools, he was bound to outcompete them all!

Behind Chu Zao, the battle against the Vine Beasts raged on like a chaotic mess—no, calling it a battle was a stretch. After these three joined, it had turned into a bizarre one-sided beatdown of the Vine Beasts.

The young boy stood before him, his eyes gleaming like honey. Yu Ye, wondering if that weird energy got to him too, muttered softly, “What?”

“We hate these monsters and will eradicate them eventually. But this place is unfamiliar to us. We could work together.”

The Crown Clan had always been proud, cold, and did things their own way.

They rarely meddled in others’ affairs, as Saint Cas’s history clearly showed.

Initially, the Crown Clan couldn’t be bothered with the earliest generations of Saint Casians in hiding—until the Saint Casians demonstrated their unique traits, and clicked weirdly well with the Crown Clan’s tastes. The Crown Clan had always admired those who fought like hell for their future, refusing to yield or retreat.

Thus, with a final sigh, the original Crown Clan territory expanded into the Saint Cas Empire, with the proud Crown Clan becoming overprotective as hell of their own.

At first, Finn, Chao Huangmu, and even little Chu Zao had barely noticed the Sacred Territory.

They had largely ignored them—until they raised their weapons.

And now.

Chu Zao felt they could develop a new Saint Cas outpost based on the Sacred Territory, gradually eliminating some of the Monsters here to ensure the subsequent entry of the Saint Cas Empire's main forces and to search for traces of the so-called 'god.'

"And that Survival Contest."

Xiao Chuzao blinked and thought for a moment before asking again.

"I'm quite interested in that. Are there Monsters in it? And other organizations? Can we participate? Or maybe just follow you there? Oh, and can we go even without mechas?"

These words fell on the ears of the Sacred Territory squad—though they'd prepared themselves, such questions were still too outrageous.

Even more outrageous was the fact that—against the Vine Beast army they originally couldn't handle at all, they were now about to win.

*

The commotion from the Vine Beasts in the area grew quieter.

The Monster Commanders, who had been focused on the qualifier broadcast of the Survival Contest, diverted some attention.

"Over there—what's going on?"

"Didn’t notice. Maybe they left? Their presence vanished all of a sudden."

"After all, we left some mental energy in non-hunting zones. Since it was a beast close to evolving into a low-level commander, it must have sensed something was off and left."

"Ha, those annoying little ants are really lucky—"

"Who would’ve thought? But whatever, it doesn’t matter. After the Survival Contest qualifier ends, the actual Survival Contest will wipe out these rebellious, irritating nuisances for good. Next up is the Eastern Alliance? Though the Eastern Alliance doesn’t matter—they’re all cowards deep down, only daring to leak information."

"Ah, just saying, but maybe we should keep a small portion."

One Monster Commander stretched out a long tongue, licking around its lips as if reminiscing.

"The Sacred Territory people with strong psychic energy are still quite delicious. I still remember the taste."

"Keep them if you want, but let’s be honest—while Sacred Territory people are tasty, they aren’t tasty enough to endure their annoying presence. After all, the Gesen Empire sends us much better-quality food every year, and their fear is absolutely delicious."

A group of flesh-eating monsters, projecting virtual human forms, sat around a high-tech screen like cavemen, discussing the flavor of flesh and blood.

Meanwhile, in the Gesen Empire.

The string of disturbances still hadn’t been traced to a cause.

But then again, their lands were heavily polluted everywhere, and accidentally wandering into danger zones was common. Amidst this Pollution Power, clashes of energy causing Pollution Tides and various chaotic energy surges were nothing unusual.

In the end, no one paid it much mind.

They, too, were watching the qualifier broadcast of the Survival Contest.

The Gesen Empire had already achieved its kill quota ahead of schedule, securing the most advantageous position and conditions for the official Survival Contest starting in a week.

The live feed was currently tracking the Gesen Empire’s mechas.

All citizens of the Gesen Empire were even watching the broadcast with excitement.

"Long live the Empire!!"

"This time, the Gesen Empire will surely come in first again!!"

"Absolutely! Our champions never disappoint—they've always protected us!"

"This time, we’ll again sacrifice the fewest people to the Monsters, hahaha! So lucky I was born in the Gesen Empire. When I went abroad to study, you should've seen how envious everyone around me was."

"Bets are open! First place is in the bag this time. Wanna take bets on who will be the last ones driven into the hunting zone?"

"I bet it's the Eastern Alliance! They're just a disorganized mob with no backbone, and no talents have emerged from within their ranks."

"I think it's the Sacred Land. There's only one day left in the prelude, and the Sacred Land doesn’t even have a working live feed anymore. No one cares about them. Big deal if they’ve got strong psy-ops? They’re still a laughingstock. This prelude has made it clear—they were the first to be ostracized."

"Don’t forget the Vos Empire. Such a small place is also in danger, right? They’ve suffered a brain drain—their mech operators have all died in past Survival Contests. They can’t even compete with the Sacred Land."

"They’re all six of one, half dozen of the other, in my opinion. Anyway, my money’s on the Sacred Land going down in flames. I can’t stand those guys, playing the martyr. Even the Eastern Alliance knows to stay under the radar. Do they really think they’re that impressive? If they were, they wouldn’t have fallen so far."

"Actually, the Sacred Land is still quite strong, but the beasts can’t stand them either—wait, too soon to say that out loud?"

Gesen Empire Palace.

Emperor Yakai of the Gesen Empire also had his eyes glued to the stream.

His ministers sat below, all grinning at the sight of the Gesen Empire at the top of the rankings.

"Your Majesty, the Sacred Land is about to send in their third batch of participants. With only one day left, should we continue to keep the pressure on?"

Emperor Yakai leaned back in his chair, studying the feed. After a moment of thought, he replied,

"Continue. Even though victory is already secured, we shouldn’t let them withdraw. You know the beasts’ intention this time is to drive the Sacred Land into the hunting zone—and that’s our goal too. Two batches of Sacred Land members have already gone missing. One more, and we’ll thin their ranks enough. By the time the main Survival Contest begins, the Sacred Land won’t have anyone left to hold out."

Emperor Yakai let out a cold laugh.

"Coincidentally, I’ve always found those people insufferable."

"Your Majesty is absolutely right."

"This time, even Lai Te, the youngest son of Sacred Land’s council leader Lai Qing, has gone missing. Let’s see how high-and-mighty they act now."

"I’ll send the orders to our operatives immediately."

Emperor Yakai flipped a hand dismissively before standing and leaving.

There was no need to keep watching the broadcast. The outcome of the prelude was obvious. As for the Sacred Land’s broken broadcast equipment—like anyone’s watching? Hardly anyone paid attention to them anyway.

Here, only those who adapted and integrated perfectly, like the Gesen Empire, would last.

Who cared about those whiners?

Survival Contest Prelude Site.

Inside a collapsed stone cave.

*

The beat-up squad of Sacred Land members, already declared missing or even dead, sat facing each other, covered in dust.

Their broadcast equipment, shattered by falling rocks, sparked and fizzed uselessly beside them.

They had been targeted from the start. No matter how strong they were, they couldn’t withstand the gang-up of so many skilled opponents. In the end, they had no choice but to hide here, licking their wounds.

"Captain, what’s the play? We can’t contact our people."

"There’s nothing we can do. We’re SOL. We’re too far from the Sacred Land."

"Perhaps the third batch is about to be sent in. Should we just keep waiting here?"

"That's enough."

The speaker was a young man in his twenties.

He glanced around.

"This is just the preliminary round. You've seen their attitude—they're determined to drive us into the hunting zone. Don’t throw your lives away in the prelims. Save it for the official Survival Contest if you must protect our territory, understand? It’s just as well the broadcast equipment’s busted, so no snitches can spy on us."

"What about the injured members?"

"Hang tight. Only a day and a half left—"

Lai Te said softly, his eyes brimming with frustration. He exhaled deeply, lowered his gaze, then looked up again, as if willing himself to see past the barricade of boulders.

But could they hold on?

Lai Te was on edge.

Of course, his concern was justified.

After confirming that the Saint Cas members were missing but not yet officially declared dead, the Gesen Empire’s mecha pilots, who had already clinched first place in the preliminary round, received orders from the Empire. They began combing the area near the last known location of the lost signal, trying to locate the wreckage of their mechas.

Meanwhile, the notice for the third batch of Saint Cas members to enter the Survival Contest preliminary round had also been issued.

*

Elsewhere.

On the wasteland of Planet 67.

In the eyes of Yu Ye and the others.

The last Vine Beast was wrenched out of the air by Finn just as it was about to take flight, crashing to the ground and sending dirt flying.

Finn dropped like a stone, landing hard on the Vine Beast from above and ripped straight through its armored hide.

Finally, it went limp.

Chu Zao had been standing not far from Finn, watching him wrap things up, when he was suddenly swallowed by the dust cloud Finn had stirred up.

Xiao Chuzao didn’t have time to run.

Chao Huangmu was also too far away to shield Chu Zao in time.

Thus, the freshly cleaned-up member of the Little Crown Clan emerged from the dust, filthy all over again, and glared at Finn.

Chu Zao coughed a few times, eyeing Finn suspiciously.

Finn looked back at him, taking in Chu Zao’s dirt-streaked face. Earlier, Chu Zao had clearly cut a deal with the Saint Cas group, planning to experience the local Survival Contest, size up how these factions stack up against Saint Cas’, and observe the Monster Commanders.

Though it was a hell of a gamble for them, who hadn’t explored much of this place yet, they weren’t about to sit back and watch Saint Cas be run out like dogs while trying to establish a new base.

After confirming they could participate without mechas, Chu Zao had come to inform Finn.

Then, covered in dust, Chu Zao saw his uncle pause—before cracking up.

Chu Zao: *deadpan stare*

Face blank, Chu Zao fished out his little notebook from his pocket.

He took out his pen again and clicked it twice.

Finn got goosebumps the moment he saw that notebook.

"Wait—wait—"

Finn darted over.

Sure enough, he saw Chu Zao scribbling in his little notebook—

‘Took care of a bunch of Branch Monsters. Third Uncle dusted me good at the end.’

Obviously, the first part didn’t matter—the latter half was what Chu Zao really wanted to record.

"What’s wrong?"

Chu Zao even glanced up at Finn.

Finn: "Zao Zao, be reasonable, will you?"

Chu Zao blinked.

He tousled his messy curls—already dusty, now he was downright grubby.

"Oh."

Chu Zao lowered his head and added.

‘Third Uncle scolded me.’

Finn: "..."

Finn instantly made a face.

Clearly—reason?

Nope.

Zao Zao wasn’t having it.

Seeing Finn’s expression, Chu Zao couldn’t help but laugh too.

"Third Uncle, let’s go check on that Survival Contest. Seems like they’ve lost contact with a lot of people."

Clearly, the kid was relenting.

Finn looked over, tsked as he wondered if Amos would murder him if he took this little one on an adventure.

In the end, Finn figured—yeah, probably.

But—

Chu Zao casually jotted down the local situation in his notebook, drawing circles around stuff like "beasts devouring humans" and "most humans submitting, offering flesh and blood."

The Little Crown Clan, all sweet and polite on the outside, who had all of Saint Cas eating out of his hand mindlessly, clenched his jaw slightly and muttered under his breath, just like when he was a child.

"So damn annoying."

And now, the Saint Cas team had already pulled up beside them in their mechs.

Yu Ye and the others were now facing Chu Zao, Finn, and Chao Huangmu, feeling slightly at a loss. Their gazes involuntarily lingered on them, especially on the young boy Xiao Chuzao—

with a hint of unconscious reliance—

"The Survival Contest warm-up round isn't going well. We're about to enter the third batch. We just made contact with our territory again, and they're coming to pick us up. Are you seriously going? It's dangerous—not just the beasts, but also those people, and the mechs—"

"Yeah, don't worry."

Chu Zao glanced up at them.

Finn muttered under his breath, "Mechs? More like flimsy paper shells."

Seriously though, Amos, when are you finally arriving?

Have you noticed your kid is missing?

Your kid's become his own boss now, no longer the five-year-old you could just pick up and carry away. He even threatened me.

"Just stay behind us."

They heard the dusty young boy speak with such reliability and calmness—weirdly comforting, like elders' nostalgic stories of home.

The Saint Casians, who didn't yet understand the importance of their arrival, once again proved—no matter when or where, Saint Casians would quickly and fiercely rally behind the Crown Clan again.