Chapter 29#

The Question#

The man moved forward in a crouch, pressing his palm to transfer the pain. His footsteps matched the rhythm of the giant creature’s movement; the massive mecha left only faint impressions on the slippery insect web.

Nine hundred meters, eight hundred meters…

Ning Feng approached carefully, finally entering the machine gun’s firing range. Looking left and right, he placed several pulse spider mines in the area closest to the lord.

During this time, many subordinate insects passed by, but none detected the presence of the Blade.

Although the number of insects was large, they were all low-level subordinates. As for the seventh and eighth-level insect beasts, they all crouched in the farthest positions from the lord.

The high-level alien insects were located in a place without a single reconnaissance insect?

Suddenly, the phrase “to set the trap” flashed through Ning Feng’s mind.

But since he was already here, it wouldn’t be sporting to leave without taking something. Brushing back the sweaty black hair on his forehead, Ning Feng licked the corner of his mouth, quickly set up the traps, and quietly crept forward again.

Six hundred meters, five hundred meters…

The closer he got to the target, the clearer the voice in his mind became.

[Will he come to save him?]

[He will, definitely.]

[That person values him the most.]

[He will definitely come…]

…

That person?

Who were they talking about?

Clenching his fists tightly, Ning Feng felt the dampness in his palms.

He felt that everything today had gone off the rails. From the moment he entered the stone path, everything seemed strange, abnormal. All their actions had been completely anticipated, like a pre-written script, following a predetermined plot. And the director behind the scenes was leisurely watching the show.

Had the other party also predicted that he would be lurking here right now?

Staring at the round, fleshy ball, cold sweat dripped from his forehead. The intense pain made his fingertips tremble slightly. He bit the tip of his tongue, forced himself to focus, and carefully moved his feet.

Four hundred meters, three hundred meters…

Finally, Ning Feng entered the effective range for collection.

He pushed aside his chaotic thoughts, held his breath, and steadily raised his machine gun. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, Josie suddenly lifted his head and looked straight at him—

[Ah, you’re here.]

Ning Feng heard a voice, carrying a low, mocking laugh, like a thousand needles stabbing into his heart.

What?!

His expression changed drastically, his mind going blank.

Boom!!

Energy splashed out, about to pierce through the eyeball, but was blocked by a transparent membrane. The lord’s pupil contracted, letting out a piercing shriek, then closed tightly.

“Help! Save me!!” Suddenly, Josie screamed bitterly.

The next moment, the swarming guard insects, as if startled, surged in from all directions.

“Tch!” Ning Feng rolled on the ground, dodging several attacks, and roared, “Squad Leader!!”

“Hmph! Who’s the one playing the hero without the skill?” Ou Jingshan swung his iron arm, and several pulse hand grenades exploded inside the cave with a boom. Taking advantage of the stunned insects, he shouldered a flamethrower and swept the entrance.

A large number of alien insects were burned to charcoal, and the remaining insects were immediately drawn over. Ning Feng went invisible again, his mecha nimbly leaping up, drawing a light blade and swiping it fiercely across the tentacles.

The trembling tentacles swung wildly. The ambushed lord screeched loudly, and the other alien insects, hearing this, immediately abandoned the specialized mecha and charged over.

Overestimating oneself.

A sneer on his lips, Ning Feng’s fingers danced across the console.

Boom!!

A巨响, the buried spider mines slammed into the target. Countless alien insects were blasted into a bloody mist, and even the large-bodied Hydralisks were blown to pieces. In excruciating pain, the monster spat out a huge cloud of venomous needles, flying in all directions like a cloud, piercing into the bodies of the alien insects charging toward the Blade mecha.

Ning Feng darted left and right through the swarm, continuously firing and reloading. The entire cave echoed with deafening gunfire and terrifying explosions. Leaping sparks hissed, and the air was thick with acrid smoke.

However, the lord was very cunning. Whenever it sensed the man was about to break through, it would twist Josie to the front as a meat shield, and countless alien insects would pounce forward to take the bullets for it. Ning Feng watched helplessly as the lord was repeatedly exposed in the line of fire, and just as many times, he was forced to shift his aim.

For a moment, the battle fell into a stalemate.

Compared to the combat mecha, the specialized mecha was in a tougher spot.

Due to its bulky size and lack of effective countermeasures, even though Ou Jingshan was doing his best to dodge attacks, the mecha still suffered varying degrees of damage.

“Are you done yet!?” He shouted while turning to reload.

“Don’t rush me!” Ning Feng kicked away an insect beast trying to pounce and prepared to launch an assault.

Suddenly, his head spun violently, like an overinflated balloon, swelling as if it might burst. He stumbled, and his foot was instantly caught by the obstructive fungal glue.

“Ugh!” He quickly propped himself up with his hands to avoid smashing his face into the screen.

“What the hell are you doing!?” Ou Jingshan roared.

“I know!” Ning Feng gritted his teeth, fired a sweeping spray ahead, and charged toward the lord, stepping over corpses.

Just then, the communication device on the optical computer rang.

Ning Feng froze for a moment, then a subordinate insect bit into his leg.

It was Yin Beichen’s private communication.

Blowing the insect away with a single shot, he took a deep breath to steady his breathing before pressing the button. “Ah, little Chenchen, you finally called.”

But the only response from the other side was eerie silence.

“Little Chenchen?”

During the operation, in order to quickly consolidate various battlefield information, Yin Beichen had directly patched the communication into the command center of the Norah. This meant Ning Feng’s “little Chenchen” echoed throughout the entire starship, and there was no time to disconnect the link now.

Yin Beichen: …

“It’s nothing.” Coldly glancing at the captain beside him, who was barely suppressing a smile, Yin Beichen frowned and took a breath. “What’s your situation over there?”

“It would have been great if you’d called a minute earlier,” Ning Feng said with a wry smile as he dodged.

“What do you mean?” Yin Beichen narrowed his eyes slightly.

The man was about to speak when suddenly, a slick, insect-like language echoed in his mind.

[Listen, the communication is here, it’s here.]

[Shh, keep your voice down…]

The insect race was eavesdropping!

Ning Feng immediately pressed his lips together, kicked away an alien insect, and said lazily, “It means things are great. Squad Leader Ou and I are hanging out in the lord’s love nest.”

“The lord? Are you acting without authorization?” Yin Beichen’s voice was displeased.

“Of course—not.” Ning Feng said with a playful smile.

Given this tone, Yin Beichen naturally didn’t believe him, but as a commander, he trusted that the other party wouldn’t do anything too outrageous. He paused for a moment. “Ground forces are under attack, support—”

“Speaking of which, little Chenchen, I suspect that banelings have spawned on the Norah.” Ning Feng quickly changed the subject. Swallowing the blood rising in his throat, he struggled to keep his voice steady. “You’d better not fire indiscriminately.”

Banelings?

A cold glint flashed in Yin Beichen’s eyes.

Banelings release large amounts of terrazine. Once they come into contact with super-energy substances like photon cannons, they can trigger a massive explosion. Of course, they could wait for the terrazine to dissipate before acting, but the longer they delayed, the greater the variables.

Moreover, the insect race still had a hostage.

“What about Josie?” he asked again.

[See, he values this person the most, hehe…]

[Want to make some screaming sounds?]

[Good, screaming, screaming…]

The next moment, sharp needles slowly sliced through the flesh. Josie, already weak, grimaced and moaned in pain, “Ah! It hurts… Beichen, save me!!”

Ning Feng’s face tightened. He ducked to avoid the needles of a Hydralisk and immediately spoke loudly to drown out the screams: “Oh, asking about your little lover as soon as you call, but not caring about me at all. How heartbreaking.”

Perhaps because the man’s tone was too flippant and natural, no one in the command room sensed anything wrong; instead, they cast amused glances at him.

Yin Beichen’s expression darkened. Coldly and slowly, he said, “Stop talking nonsense. Your mission is to protect Josie’s safety.”

[That guy is so pitiful. Even in this state, he’s still worried about others.]

[Is this what humans call a simp?]

[A simp, hehe!]

Ning Feng’s breath hitched. Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed through his abdomen.

Mind your own damn business!

A fierce glint in his eyes, he unleashed an impenetrable barrage of bullets, turning the swarm of skittering insects into pulp. His tone carried a barely perceptible trace of sorrow. “I know. I haven’t forgotten a single word you’ve said.”

“Ugh! Beichen, Beichen…”

Just then, Josie, suspended in the center, let out a muffled groan, a pained expression on his face, which was faintly turning cyan. The tentacles coiled around him slowly tightened. A needle as thick as a forearm pressed against his throat, gradually seeping crimson blood. Mixed with the remains of the insect race, it stuck to his body, making him look pitiful and helpless.

Ning Feng stared quietly at this frail man, past scenes flashing through his mind. He even seriously considered whether, if this person disappeared, Yin Beichen would turn his attention to him.

But soon, he dismissed the thought.

Even without Josie, there would still be Chen Xi, Li Xi, Wang Xi…

Yin Beichen could like anyone, except him.

No matter how good he was, how many advantages he had, the other person didn’t like him—and that was a flaw he could never fix.

Never.

A trace of blue blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. Ning Feng calmly wiped it away, swallowing the sour-tasting blood with a grimace. It was nauseating. He didn’t feel sad, but he couldn’t quite name the feeling either. Soon, however, he understood—

It was numbness. Numbness.

A thousand thoughts raced through his mind, but in reality, only a few seconds had passed.

Ning Feng let out a soft laugh. He slammed his shoulder into the gaping mouth of an alien insect, knocking out several teeth. Leveling his machine gun, he fired wildly into the snake-like monster’s face. Under the fierce suppression of firepower, the alien insect twisted, trembled, and writhed. The man watched coldly, a barely perceptible trace of satisfaction flickering in his eyes.

Finally, the intense gunfire caught Yin Beichen’s attention.

“What’s that sound over there?”

“Nothing, the air purifier is broken,” Ning Feng said with a sly grin.

Roar!!

As soon as he spoke, several massive monsters charged at him simultaneously. Their giant scythe-like claws swung viciously. The Blade mecha, struggling to hold its ground, was soon entangled and tightened by the lord’s tentacles.

“Ning Feng!” Ou Jingshan shouted in desperation, charging over with his flamethrower, only to freeze in place at the other’s tactical stop gesture.

Quickly shutting down the squad channel, Ning Feng’s fingers flew across the keys, but his voice remained light and carefree. “You care so much about others, I’m jealous. I’ve decided to just cool off for a bit.”

Yin Beichen’s brows were tightly furrowed, a hint of dark anger in his eyes. “I told you, don’t—”

“Say something disgusting, I know, I know.” Ning Feng drawled, raising the stock of his gun to smash it into an insect head, his breathing somewhat ragged.

[So even he knows it’s disgusting.]

[Shameless.]

[The other person clearly doesn’t like him, and he still throws himself at them.]

[Hehe, a simp.]

His movements paused for a moment, and the surrounding insect beasts immediately pounced forward, gnawing at the mecha’s frame with a crunching sound. Ning Feng’s lips twitched into a bleak smile.

“I also want to know, whether you actually like me or not.”

His heartbeat suddenly stopped for a second, as if a warm current passed through. Yin Beichen froze, a flicker of unreadable emotion passing through his eyes.

Like or not…

Rubbing his hot fingertips, he opened his mouth to speak, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw everyone staring intently at him. He immediately pressed his lips together, his expression turning sour. He took a deep breath, barely suppressing the strange feeling.

Hearing no response from the other end, Ning Feng thought, “As expected.” He wanted to laugh, but as soon as he opened his mouth, it felt like flames were leaping out. He couldn’t help spitting out a mouthful of blue blood. Silently wiping the bloodstains from the console, he looked at Josie, then lowered his gaze to his own arm.

On his honey-colored arm, bulging veins were visible, and round foreign objects were embedded within the blood vessels, squirming rapidly with each breath, like dense clusters of maggots. With every pulse, a piercing pain shot through him, stabbing into every corner of his body like needles. The slightest touch sent the pain straight to his temples.

The world before him began to blur, to warp. Ning Feng panted silently for a moment, then asked with a grin.

“Little Chenchen, if I save this guy, will you fall in love with me?”

Yin Beichen froze. Sensing the surrounding personnel grow silent again, his gaze turned icy. He coldly spat out a few words through gritted teeth. “Ning Feng, I don’t have time for your jokes—”

“I’m not joking!” Ning Feng roared in a low voice, then fell silent for a few seconds before asking softly, “Will you?”

The bridge fell silent for a moment.

Pfft!

Someone laughed. Another reckless soul even whistled. Everyone in the command room wore amused expressions, waiting for the drama, and even murmured about Ning Feng’s past laughable attempts at courtship and his countless “heartbreak histories.”

Yin Beichen’s eyelashes drooped slightly. There was no warmth in his expression, only sharp anger in his dark eyes.

Here we go again.

That flippant tone. That casual, careless attitude again.

At a time like this, he still had the nerve to say such things!

What exactly did feelings mean to him?

Nonsense!

His gaze slowly shifted downward. The earlier rapid palpitations instantly cooled. What Yin Beichen felt was betrayal, a inexplicable sense of humiliation. He didn’t know why he felt this way, but what infuriated him most was that he had actually felt a flicker of joy just moments ago!

His hands were already clenched into fists. Scorching anger surged up, fiercer than before. Yin Beichen’s voice was low, but it carried sharp barbs that struck straight at the heart.

“When you’re dead.”

Hearing this, Ning Feng’s emotions trembled violently. His grip on the control lever tightened until his knuckles were white. His usual carefree facade could no longer be maintained. A lump formed in his throat, and he couldn’t hold back the dizziness any longer. A gush of fresh blood burst out.

[Haha, rejected, rejected in public!]

[How embarrassing, so embarrassing!]

[He’s already lost face, what’s there to be embarrassed about?]

[A simp, hehe…]

Hiss!!—

The insect race swarmed from behind, engulfing the Blade’s legs. The hard outer shell emitted a creaking groan of despair, on the verge of collapse.

A trickle of blue blood slowly slid down the corner of his mouth. Ning Feng didn’t wipe it away; he let the bloodstains drip onto the console. Staring at the three words “Yin Beichen” on the optical computer, he pressed his lips together. Finally, all emotions dissolved into a single laugh—self-mocking, helpless, silent, and sorrowful.

Suddenly, Ning Feng flashed a grin, revealing a row of white teeth.

“It’s a deal.”

With a dull tearing sound, one of the Blade’s ankles was forcibly severed. Instantly, red lights flared inside the cockpit, and a series of ear-piercing alarms rang out.

[Warning! Severe damage detected in right lower limb!]

[Warning! Sensor voltage too low!]

…

Yin Beichen’s expression tightened. “What’s going on?”

But the only response was Ning Feng directly cutting the communication.

He froze for a moment, then immediately called back.

[Hello, the channel you are dialing is closed.]

…

In an instant, the command room fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone had heard the warning, but they all exchanged glances before quickly burying themselves in monitoring the battle situation. No one dared to ask.

The cold, mechanical female voice repeated itself in the bridge. The red exclamation mark on the screen indicating communication failure reflected off his fair face, outlining a bloody red edge. Yin Beichen stood frozen, his heartbeat thundering like a drum.

“…Ning Feng?”