Chapter 189
The slimy monster noticed the spaceship in the air.
It ignored the defenders on the ground who were trying to draw its attention and instead extended a massive hand covered in pus and mucus. Fingers outstretched, it reached directly for the spaceship.
Its arm, seemingly made of mucus, elongated rapidly in midair.
The spaceship’s ascent wasn’t fast enough to escape the monster’s grasp. In the next moment, the massive hand, coated with a corrosive liquid, seized the vessel!
A sizzling sound filled the air as the spaceship’s hull began to corrode and melt where the hand gripped it.
Just as everyone thought the spaceship was doomed to crash under the monster’s grasp, a small spirit garlic, which had been soundly sleeping in a storage compartment, was jostled awake by the violent shaking.
Sensing the distance from the other four spirit garlics and realizing that the Earth’s Spirit energy was completely gone—there wasn’t even a trace of it—this little garlic…
“Waaahhhh—!”
The little garlic was heartbroken. It was devastated. It burst into tears!
A powerful wave of sorrow erupted from the little garlic, along with a garlic aroma as intense as the one it emitted when happy or angry—perhaps even stronger.
The scent was overwhelming because it was truly, deeply upset!
“Waaahhhh—!”
The earth’s spirit… the earth’s spirit… not a single trace of it!
“Waaahhhh—!”
It was inconsolable!
This overwhelming sadness released a pungent garlic smell that spread outward like a shockwave, clearing the blood mist surrounding the spaceship.
Even the slimy monster, sensing this strange scent, instinctively let go. It wasn’t knocked out by the garlic smell but clearly disliked it!
The spaceship’s pilots…
Failed to seize the opportunity. The overpowering garlic smell drove away the monster but also knocked out all the pilots in the cockpit!
Inside the cabin, two operations team members who had never been to Base 24 and hadn’t built up any tolerance to the garlic smell lost consciousness almost instantly.
Only Yun Zixu, who had spent some time in Base 24’s plantation, and Li Sinian and Song Zehe, whose bodies hadn’t yet been heavily eroded by resentment since arriving on the prison star, remained conscious.
As for the three young cubs, they were unaffected entirely.
The situation had become incredibly dire.
With the spaceship’s autopilot system disabled and the pilots unconscious, the vessel began plummeting uncontrollably, creating a sensation of weightlessness.
“Xing Xing!”
Lang Ze’s anxious voice rang out.
Thanks to their safety harnesses, they weren’t flung around during the descent, but Xing Xing, who had transformed into a small kitten, wasn’t so fortunate.
He had originally been nestled in Lang Ze’s pocket but had climbed out when the slimy monster appeared.
Now, under the influence of inertia, the tiny kitten was flung into the air. As Lang Ze shouted anxiously, the kitten’s figure suddenly disappeared—
And reappeared in Li Sinian’s hand.
Li Sinian’s face was faintly pale. His mental strength hadn’t fully recovered, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. If the spaceship crashed, they would all perish!
At this point, there was no other option!
Just as Li Sinian prepared to burn his life force to forcibly overdraw his power and transfer everyone off the spaceship…
“Send me to the cockpit!”
He heard Xing Xing’s voice.
The soft, childlike tone spoke loudly for the first time.
What could sending him to the cockpit accomplish now? Li Sinian was about to question this when Caretaker Su’s instructions flashed through his mind before departure: In critical moments, trust these young ones.
Li Sinian felt he might have gone insane, but gritting his teeth, he placed the little kitten he was cradling into the cockpit.
At that moment, they were less than 40 meters from the ground!
The kitten wrapped his tail around a lever to stabilize himself while his two small black paws successfully landed on the control panel.
Simultaneously, a surge of powerful mental energy burst forth.
Xing Xing had only ever flown the 244H model before, but that didn’t matter. After all, the first time he encountered the 244H, he had figured it out on the spot.
With continued practice and learning, his skills had improved significantly. In mere moments, Xing Xing fully grasped the controls of this spaceship.
At that critical juncture, the power valve hadn’t completely shut off. Under Xing Xing’s control, the spaceship quickly steadied its descent.
However, the sections corroded by the slime had already been breached. Continuing to fly wasn’t feasible. In the end, Xing Xing opted for an emergency landing.
In the cabin, Li Sinian felt the ship stabilizing and wore a look of disbelief.
Had the pilots regained control? Or…
Had that little kitten actually taken control of the spaceship and prevented it from crashing? That couldn’t be! How old was that child? Wasn’t he just slightly younger than Rong Heng?
Li Sinian started to doubt reality, but in his current state, unless he overexerted his body, he couldn’t investigate the cockpit.
Knowing they weren’t entirely out of danger yet, he chose to conserve his strength rather than satisfy his curiosity.
After the spaceship landed smoothly on the ground, the safety harnesses securing them automatically released. Lang Ze immediately leapt from his seat.
“Xing Xing, you’re amazing!”
Lang Ze exclaimed excitedly.
He had heard Xing Xing’s earlier shout to Li Sinian and was well aware of Xing Xing’s skill in operating machinery. He had no doubt that their safe landing was entirely Xing Xing’s doing!
Yun Zixu, meanwhile, glanced outside at the slime monster still rampaging through the base. He couldn’t spare the time to think about who had landed the ship; he quickly tried to contact the cockpit.
If staying on the ship was dangerous, he needed to evacuate everyone immediately.
After a long wait, the communication line finally connected.
Yun Zixu hurriedly asked about their situation—was the ship in danger, could it explode, and should everyone be evacuated to a safer location?
There was silence on the other end of the line for a while.
Just as Yun Zixu began to fear something had gone wrong in the cockpit, he heard…
A synthesized electronic voice suddenly came through the communicator:
“No, it won’t, no need.”
After the electronic voice finished speaking, there was a faint exhale, as if someone had just sighed in relief. Then the communication abruptly disconnected.
Yun Zixu: “…”
So… who was that just now? And why were they using a synthesized voice to talk to him?
“It’s Xing Xing!” Lang Ze explained. “He doesn’t like talking, so he used the robotic voice to answer you.”
Though it made sense, was he really supposed to believe that a fully beast-shaped cub, only six or seven years old, had successfully controlled the spaceship and saved everyone?
Speaking of which, what exactly was this cub’s ability again?
Yun Zixu pondered for a moment before glancing at Li Sinian, who appeared far more composed than he was.
“You should check on the mutated garlic,” Li Sinian said. “For now, the spaceship seems to be safe.”
“Got it!”
Without lingering on his doubts, Yun Zixu replied, “Marshal Li, I’ll leave them in your care for now while I check on things.”
Since the spaceship wasn’t in immediate danger, there was no need to request reinforcements.
That was probably for the best—the lingering, overwhelming garlic smell would likely knock out any reinforcements as soon as they arrived. Thinking of this, Yun Zixu quickly sent a message to the defenders, warning them to stay away from the spaceship.
Leaving Song Zehe in the cabin to keep watch, Yun Zixu headed to the storage area.
As expected, all the accompanying gardeners who had come along were unconscious. Only the plantation’s director remained on his feet.
“Director Wade, are you alright?” Yun Zixu asked urgently.
“I’m fine. What’s going on outside?” Director Wade was checking on the mutated garlic. The other gardeners were resting in the adjacent room. Though unconscious, they weren’t in any serious condition.
“We were attacked by a monster. Is the mutated garlic still alright?”
They owed their survival to the timely release of the garlic’s scent, but… this overwhelming odor—could something have gone wrong with it?
Director Wade hesitated. “Without proper equipment, I can’t give a detailed analysis, but its vital signs appear normal. It should be fine for now.”
“Alright, stay here and don’t go anywhere!”
The situation outside was still unclear. Given that the spaceship itself wasn’t at risk and the garlic’s potent scent provided some protection, this might actually be the safest place in the entire Base 26.
“Understood,” Director Wade agreed.
After ensuring the director was safe, Yun Zixu left the storage area and returned to the cabin. Just as he was about to enter, a shadow darted past his feet.
Looking closely, he saw the little black cat nimbly leap onto the top of a seat, then onto the small wolf cub. In one swift movement, it burrowed back into Lang Ze’s pocket, tucking itself away once again.
“Xing Xing, you’re back!” Lang Ze exclaimed happily.
Lang Ze exclaimed in surprise and delight. When the little black cat poked its head out, he gently stroked the soft fur on top of its head with his finger.
“Thank you for saving us! Xing Xing, you’re amazing!”
Zheng Xing didn’t respond, quietly staying in the pocket like a well-behaved fake cat. He closed his eyes, seemingly in a good mood, and even nuzzled against the boy’s fingertip.
The sight was incredibly adorable.
Yun Zixu, at a loss for words, heard Song Zehe beside him chiming in with praise for the little one called Zheng Xing. After hesitating for a moment, Yun Zixu stepped forward and offered his thanks as well.
But…
The little black cat immediately zipped back into the pocket and completely ignored him.
Feeling awkward, Yun Zixu scratched his head and decided not to press further. Instead, he turned to look outside the window.
The slime monster had left the square where the spaceship was parked. While the garlic’s scent hadn’t knocked it unconscious, it had successfully driven it away.
The defenders at Base 26 were chasing after it. So far, there hadn’t been any large-scale casualties, but if the monster was allowed to continue rampaging through the base, the consequences could be dire.
At that moment, Yun Zixu’s communicator buzzed.
“Yun Zixu, what’s the situation over there?” It was the commander leading the defense against the slime monster.
“Everything’s under control,” Yun Zixu replied with a concise report of their status.
The commander asked, “I heard Caretaker Su didn’t come back with you?”
“That’s correct,” Yun Zixu hesitated before adding, “But he sent some helpers, including the former marshal of the Tes Empire, Li Sinian.”
“The former marshal? He stepped down?”
The commander muttered briefly before quickly continuing, “Then have those helpers join the fight! The base just went through a grueling battle last night. If this continues, my men won’t hold out much longer!”
“But—”
“And what about the mutated garlic? Can it be moved?” The commander interrupted. “Could it be used to drive the slime monster out of the base?”
“The mutated garlic is just a seedling,” Yun Zixu explained uneasily. “It just arrived by air transport, and its condition is still unstable. If we recklessly use it in battle and something happens…”
This was an expensive purchase for the base, and all the data supported its effectiveness in repelling monsters and the red mist.
If anything went wrong, he couldn’t bear the responsibility. More importantly, the plantation director was also on board and still awake—it wouldn’t be easy to convince him.
The commander seemed to accept his explanation and nodded. “Alright, then bring your helpers here as soon as possible.”
The mutated garlic seedling would have to remain a last resort.
After finishing his instructions, something urgent seemed to happen on the other end, and the commander abruptly hung up.
Yun Zixu stowed the communicator, turned to Li Sinian, and asked hesitantly, “Marshal Li, what do you think…”
Li Sinian, having overheard their conversation, would have stepped forward to help without hesitation under normal circumstances. Yun Zixu wouldn’t have even needed to ask.
But now… his mental strength hadn’t recovered yet!
Li Sinian opened his mouth, about to explain, when Song Zehe suddenly interjected, “Lang Ze, Ran Lie, where are you two going?”
Li Sinian and Yun Zixu froze. It was only then that they noticed the two cubs walking toward the cabin door.
The previously sealed door automatically opened as they approached. Yun Zixu watched them dash down the corridor and hurriedly chased after them.
“Where are you two going?”
But just as he reached the doorway, the cabin door closed automatically behind them. No matter how he tried—verifying his identity or entering the password—he couldn’t get it to open!
At that moment, Yun Zixu’s communicator buzzed. He quickly answered, and the image of the wolf-eared boy appeared on the holographic screen.
“Hehe, Uncle Yun, we’ll be back soon. That snot monster isn’t scary at all… Oh, by the way, Lie Lie told me to remind you not to forget your promise to Su Su.”
Promise to Caretaker Su? Was he referring to the 10,000 square meters of greenery?
Just as Yun Zixu was about to stop them, the figure on the screen disappeared. Panicked, he turned to Li Sinian.
With the Marshal’s telekinetic abilities, he should be able to bring them back, right?
In the corridor, Lang Ze switched off the communicator.
The communicator had been a gift from Su Su on the day they were assigned to Base 26. Each of the three cubs had one.
“All right, let’s go!” Lang Ze eagerly called out to Ran Lie.
Ran Lie ignored him, scanning the corridor until he found another entrance to a cabin. With Xing Xing’s help to open the door, he stepped inside.
Lang Ze tilted his head in confusion as the metal door shut behind Ran Lie.
“Xing Xing, why did Lie Lie go into that room?” he asked, looking down at the small black cat.
Before the little kitten could answer, the metal door slid open again, and Ran Lie, now transformed into a blazing crimson tiger, strode out with his head held high.
“Hop on. I’ll take you there,” Ran Lie said confidently.
Without hesitation, Lang Ze climbed onto the tiger’s back with the little black cat in tow. With both passengers secure, the crimson tiger carried them swiftly toward the spaceship’s exit.
