Chapter 102 Collapse

Chapter 102: Breakdown

The Commander studied the battle reports with a frown. Prolonging the engagement would only put them at an increasing disadvantage. He had no way of knowing if other sectors were faring any better.

Running a hand through his hair in agitation, the Commander couldn't figure it out.

It made no sense. They'd only ever found one White Worm in total before, so why had so many suddenly appeared today?

The scanners couldn't find them; they could only rely on omegas to capture their psychic signatures for positioning and capture.

"Has a message been sent to headquarters?" the Commander inquired.

The communications officer quickly replied, "We just received word from headquarters. Deputy Commander Qiu Li'en is bringing reinforcements and has the newly developed prototype scanner. It's currently in the testing phase, so its effectiveness is unproven."

The Commander had heard about the scanner mentioned by the communications officer.

He'd heard it was originally ready for testing, but the only captured White Worm died, preventing them from obtaining accurate data, so the project was temporarily shelved.

Now that White Worms had been discovered, they would definitely bring the scanner for testing to see if it actually worked.

With over a thousand casualties already, they couldn't afford any more losses.

"How long until the reinforcements from headquarters arrive?"

"Ten minutes."

The Commander was surprised. "That fast?"

The communications officer explained, "When the Bug Swarm was detected, Deputy Commander Qiu began assembling forces. They set out five minutes after we did."

That explained it.

The Commander guessed it was because of last year's incident. Last year, Qi Yanshen and his team also encountered a Bug Swarm, and like this time, it was the main force.

After all, he was the Legion Commander's son. It was understandable they'd be worried about another accident and send Deputy Commander Qiu personally.

*Thud...*

The flagship suddenly shook violently. The Commander nearly lost his footing, swaying twice before steadying himself.

"What's going on?" he shouted.

Soon, someone reported, "Sir, a warship suddenly collided with the flagship. Support personnel are handling the emergency."

The Commander cursed under his breath.

What terrible luck. Nothing was going right.

Before the Commander could issue an order, a second, even more violent tremor followed.

The Commander exploded, roaring, "Damn these fucking bugs!"

"All units, activate shield mode! Cease fire for now!"

All warships immediately activated their shields and stopped attacking.

Just after giving the order, before he could issue a second command, an officer responsible for monitoring student safety urgently reported, "Sir! A group of bugs just broke through the defensive line and headed for the students. Half of them are Advanced Insectoids."

"Shit," the Commander swore under his breath, then quickly ordered, "Open emergency rescue hatches. Send our best elites."

Seconds later, a small opening appeared in the flagship's shield. Dozens of mechas surged out, heading straight for the students.

If the Legion Commander's son died during a military academy assessment within their own Legion's jurisdiction, their Third Legion would never be able to hold their heads high again.

Monitoring the feeds intently, the Commander wished Qiu Li'en would arrive the very next second.

Dozens of mechas advanced toward the Mothership where Qi Yanshen's squad was located, simultaneously eliminating any bugs lagging behind.

The Advanced Insectoids seemed to have a very clear target, heading straight for the command room, ready to attack.

From their current distance, they couldn't intercept them.

Everyone's hearts tightened.

At the critical moment, Thor burst through the porthole, brushing past the bugs. Out of nearly a hundred bugs, not a single one managed to injure Thor.

Then, Thor pulled a hard turn at near-light speed, flying back toward the bugs it had just passed.

At that moment, they realized something was off.

The instant Thor emerged, all the bugs changed direction and charged toward it. Was there something special about Thor?

But wasn't the Legion Commander's son being a bit too reckless?

That's dozens of Advanced Insectoids plus half as many mid-level ones. Breaking through the encirclement would be impressive enough, but turning back? Was he confident he could defeat them?

As it turned out, Thor could indeed defeat them completely.

Thor plunged into the swarm of bugs. The nearby bugs surged forward, completely engulfing Thor. The Commander was already mentally preparing for what demotion he'd face tomorrow.

A few seconds later, the bug swarm was breached, and Thor emerged unscathed.

"Is Qi Yanshen that incredible?" the Commander muttered to himself, shocked and astonished.

After breaking out of the bug swarm, Thor headed toward the rescue mechas. As it passed them, Thor threw a bug toward them.

Simultaneously, the mechas that had been attacking their own comrades froze. A few seconds later, they resumed movement, asking over the channel what had happened.

Why had the Bug Swarm suddenly arrived?

Teammates who knew they had regained control briefly explained, then focused on fighting the Bug Swarm.

The bug that was thrown over was about the size of a tiger. It was a pale green caterpillar. Like the White Worm, it had two antennae, but its antennae were a vibrant, emerald green, like fresh sprouts.

Against the massive metallic frames of the mechas and the generally large size of the bugs, it appeared rather small.

The captain who caught the bug instinctively wanted to crush it, and he tried, but a force blocked him, making it float in front of him, impossible to harm.

The captain retreated to the center, where the battle situation was relatively easier. He immediately contacted the fleet Commander.

"Have you finished dealing with things over there?" the Commander asked.

Facing the Commander's question, the captain quickly replied, "All are free from control. Just now, Thor also threw a bug over. Apart from the color, it looks very similar to a White Worm."

"Looks very similar to a White Worm?"

"Affirmative."

The Legion Commander immediately ordered the captain: "Your new task is to guard that bug. Other teams will handle the students. Just ensure it's still there when the main force arrives."

The captain called up a display and saw all the insects on the battlefield motionless, suspended in the void.

A rescue team member stepped forward and prodded one with a Light Blade, but the bug didn't so much as twitch. The instruments showed no life signs.

It was as if their lives had been snatched away in an instant.

No one there had ever seen anything like it.

Even the Bug Swarms near the other students were the same.

One moment, they were locked in a desperate melee; the next, everything suddenly stilled, with all enemies dead on the spot.

"What is that mech doing?!"

A shout shifted everyone's attention to Thor, still streaking through space at top speed.

After jettisoning the bug toward the rescue captain, Thor headed for the fleet.

Just as Thor neared the fleet, all the bugs lost their life signs.

Thor didn't stop, brushing past the fleet and speeding toward the main insect forces.

Even if instruments showed them dead, who could guarantee it wasn't a trick? As the academy's top-ranked cadet, Qi Yanshen couldn't lack such awareness.

"Damn it! What's he doing? Is the link still not through?!"

The Commander was nearly furious. If young Qi died here, the Legion Commander would have his head!

The communications officer was also anxious. "No, the connection request isn't being accepted."

"Then initiate an emergency forced link—with video!"

The Commander threw a data chip from his chest. The officer took it and activated the emergency link.

An emergency forced link would connect even if the other party refused.

...

Inside Thor's cockpit

Ji Anjue, wielding immense psychic energy, saw the link request and severed it without a thought, blocking any reconnection.

Ji Anzhi was slumped in the pilot's seat. The moment he unleashed his psychic energy, his body began to break down.

Every pore oozed blood, his face was masked by it, and his uniform was soaked through and dark.

Had Ji Anjue not soothed his psychic energy and cut his neural transmissions, Ji Anzhi would have taken his own life the next second.

After today, they would be exposed.

There was no need to let the Federation see Ji Anzhi's wretched state before leaving.

Ji Anzhi's consciousness could barely function; his throat could no longer produce sound. He could no longer control his muscles, reduced to mere biological instincts.

Even those basic instincts required Ji Anjue to sustain.

Ji Anzhi weakly asked in his mind, 'How are you holding up?'

'Let's deal with your situation first.'

Ji Anzhi suddenly said to Ji Anjue, 'I'm sorry... for dragging you into this...'

It didn't bother Ji Anjue. If not for Ji Anzhi kindly taking in Xiaoxue, that creature from his own homeworld, the one they protected each other with, he wouldn't have been discovered.

Without Ji Anzhi's kindness and indulgence toward Xiaoxue, Ji Anjue might have been thrown into the trash, gone forever.

But Ji Anzhi didn't. Even when he got Xiaoxue to take him out to develop quickly, he indulged them both.

Later, learning Ji Anjue was an intelligent being, he never thought of turning him in. Instead, he spent a fortune to help him develop, indulging him time and again.

Ji Anzhi might indeed be heartless, but he was also more compassionate than anyone.

It's just that his compassion wasn't directed toward his own kind.

Ji Anjue said seriously, 'You're not dragging me down. If anyone's to blame, it's me.'

If not for him, Ji Anzhi would never have undergone a second psychic development, nor would the subsequent events have occurred.

Ji Anzhi struggled to lift a faint, almost imperceptible smile, his mental voice tinged with emptiness: 'Is it over...'

Receiving the information from Ji Anzhi's psychic threads, Ji Anjue replied, 'Almost. Half a minute more.'

Ji Anzhi gave a soft hum; he was on the verge of collapse.

His psychic energy was out of control, not only breaking down his body but attacking everything around him.

Including himself.

With his energy briefly matching Ji Anjue's, he sensed Ji Anjue's psychic fatigue; he too was operating beyond his limits.

Gazing at the starry sky outside the viewport, Ji Anzhi thought of his sister. Was this their fate for resisting destiny?

Truly... unwilling...

Using the data from Ji Anzhi's psychic threads, Ji Anjue piloted Thor deep into the Bug Swarm.

They could have jumped away then, but Ji Anjue had detected several King Insects with insect crystals.

Ordinary crystals he'd ignore, but one King Insect had powerful regeneration. He wanted it, thinking it might help Ji Anzhi's collapsing body.

Besides, once started, they wouldn't stop easily. Might as well take it.

Piloting Thor into the center, all insects within his psychic range instantly died.

Reaching the swarm's rear, before the special King Insect, only it remained alive.

The King Insect sensed this, its massive body trembling uncontrollably as the oppressive presence arrived.

Finally before it, Ji Anzhi left his last words.

'Wipe Qi Yanshen's memory...'

With that, his consciousness faded, unsure when it would return.

Ji Anjue agreed, erasing Qi Yanshen's memory. They were not on the same path; sometimes, forgetting was better.

It's scared.

The silenced Thor thought, *The Zerg can actually feel fear? Now I've seen everything.*

Not that he'd lived that long—only twenty years.

But

Thor looked through the surveillance camera at Ji Anzhi, drenched in blood. The earliest blood had already turned black, with fresh blood layering over it, so it never had a chance to scab.

Looking at the immense spiritual power within Ji Anzhi, Thor had a rough guess.

Spiritual power clearly surpassing SSS-level—appearing in a Beta with average physical fitness. It was a miracle his cells hadn’t completely collapsed.

But what method did Ji Anzhi use to suddenly boost his spiritual power so much? Even the research institute didn’t have drugs with such an effect.

Thor had no way of knowing any of this.

But before Thor could figure it out, he saw the spiritual power conduits on Ji Anzhi suddenly detach, and his entire body levitated in mid-air.

If he could speak, Thor would've definitely voiced his shock.

Suddenly, the silencing was lifted, and a line of text appeared on the mech’s display screen.

“Open the mech hatch.”

“Who?!”

“Open it or not? If you don't, you might never know if your pilot is alive or dead.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“Open it or not?”

“…Fine, I’ll open it. But what are you going to do? And who are you?”

“You don’t need to know. Open the hatch.”

Though he didn’t know who this was, he had to protect Xiao Yanshen. Xiao Yanshen was a child he'd watched grow up, and either way, he would always put Xiao Yanshen first.

The hatch opened, and Ji Anjue made Ji Anzhi float out of the cockpit, simultaneously scooping up all the blood and taking it away.

Thor was nearly scared out of his wits, his words stumbling.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! What’s going on? What are you doing? Xiao Anzhi, come back quickly! If you die, Xiao Yanshen will never forgive me! …Shit! Why can’t I move?!”

Thor had intended to raise the mech’s arm to catch Ji Anzhi and pull him back in before he suffocated.

Now that he couldn’t move, Thor could only curse helplessly.

Ji Anjue ignored him, guiding Ji Anzhi’s spiritual power to open the Space Bracelet, retrieve the Treatment Pod, and place Ji Anzhi inside.

The Treatment Pod had 1,000 units of energy, enough to temporarily preserve Ji Anzhi’s life.

At the same time, Ji Anjue took out his own body, painfully plucked three leaves, and used them to repair Ji Anzhi’s dangerously fragile spiritual sea, lest Ji Anzhi never wake up again.

Under Ji Anjue’s instructions, the King Insect carefully cradled the Treatment Pod, afraid of damaging it.

If Thor were human, his jaw would have dropped in shock, needing to be reset by a chiropractor.

What was he seeing?

A King Insect was actually! Cradling the Treatment Pod and leaving!

If there were no living being inside, it would be one thing, but there was a living person lying inside! And that person was injured and bleeding, which to the Zerg was no different from an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Yet it wasn’t attacking Ji Anzhi and was instead carefully cradling him away?!

Another line of text appeared on the screen.

“You have ten seconds to close the hatch. The restriction will be lifted in two hours.”

Thor tried to move and found that he actually could. He quickly closed the hatch tightly, hoping Xiao Yanshen wouldn’t suffocate inside.

Shortly after, Thor was once again prohibited from acting autonomously. When he tried to communicate with the other party, his messages sank without a trace.

Thor sighed helplessly and looked at Xiao Yanshen inside the mech cockpit.

Why wasn’t he waking up yet?

His wife had already run off.