Chapter Fifty-Four: The Trap

Chapter 54: The Trap

“Will he go?” A cold voice asked.

“Definitely,” another answered.

“Stupid whore! Let’s see just how much your reputation is worth!” The man spat viciously, hawking a glob of phlegm straight into his beer glass, then flinging it to the floor, where beer and phlegm splattered in a filthy mess.

“We’re approaching the target,” Long Ruyuan said urgently, eyes locked on the holographic display before him.

“Ruyuan, you provide cover from the ship. Monkey, let’s move.” Liu Shaoyu was already armored up, turning towards the hatch.

“Be careful,” Long Ruyuan replied coolly.

“Don’t worry.”

The hatch slid open. Liu Shaoyu and Monkey, clad in armor, slipped out one after another.

Outside the ship, two figures—one in black, one in yellow—launched downwards on roaring engines, their armored forms streaking toward the surface.

“The fog is too thick, visibility’s almost zero. Thomas, open the full tactical map.” The mist blocked Liu Shaoyu’s view entirely. He could only have Thomas eject a device to project a temporary battlefield map.

The new armor was compact, so the detection equipment could only provide a holographic image of about a hundred meters around them. Beyond that, they had to rely on radar.

“Found it!” Liu Shaoyu’s heart leaped as he spotted the warship surrounded by weapons ahead. He fired off a signal immediately.

No one responded. Liu Shaoyu frowned. Had everyone perished?

“Monkey, wait here. I’ll check it out.” If there really were no survivors, he had to confirm it. In such an environment, a human exposed for over ten seconds would die from the planet’s gravity, alien atmosphere, or any number of reasons.

He descended further, and what he saw left him stunned.

A swarm of creatures—yes, living beings! The Desolate Species! And so many of them?

Liu Shaoyu’s appearance put the creatures below on high alert. First there’d been a big one, now a smaller one? No matter. As far as the Desolate Species were concerned, all outsiders must die.

Liu Shaoyu understood there was no reasoning with them. He wasn't even sure if these things were intelligent. Their appearance alone said enough.

The Desolate creatures he encountered were a small variant native to the Desolate Star Domain, with thick, grayish-brown skin that could withstand the planet’s harsh elements. According to intelligence, standard laser rifles could barely penetrate it.

They had four limbs, but all four worked in unison when they moved. Their forelimbs were longer and their hands much wider than a human’s, each with six thick fingers tipped with razor-sharp talons. How sharp? The deep, parallel gouges on the ship’s hull below told the story.

A shrill roar split the air. Among the Desolate Species on the ground, a blue-furred creature howled so piercingly that the translator failed to render any meaning.

No invitation for tea, Liu Shaoyu thought grimly.

Sure enough, after its howl, the creatures below seemed to go berserk, brandishing weapons of unknown material and hurling themselves at Liu Shaoyu.

He realized the shriek likely meant: “Kill him!”

“Monkey! Tons of Desolate creatures below—watch your altitude!” Liu Shaoyu was unfazed by their numbers; after all, he was in the sky. Let’s see you try to reach me!

But as fate would have it, confidence in one’s position is a fickle thing. Otherwise, you’d end up like Liu Shaoyu...

“Damn! They really can jump!” he swore.

The Desolate creatures began leaping, trying to reach the flying nuisance. They weren’t actually flying—they just had rear legs as thick as a man’s waist, and the planet’s gravity worked in their favor. Liu Shaoyu’s flight altitude was within their reach.

“Monkey, cover me!” Liu Shaoyu shouted, dodging the creatures that occasionally soared up at him and firing missiles as he went.

The missiles barely itched them; their power wasn’t enough to pierce that hide. After being knocked down, the creatures just shook their heads and rejoined the assault.

“Damn it, they just won’t die!” Liu Shaoyu was getting frustrated.

The creatures below grew even angrier, gathering in greater numbers.

“Let’s pull out!” Monkey said, having climbed back to Liu Shaoyu’s side and firing at the approaching horde.

“No. We haven’t confirmed if there are any survivors.” Liu Shaoyu shook his head. He’d decided to attempt a rescue, and wasn’t about to give up now.

That was his nature—if he took on a task, he’d see it through.

His eyes hardened with resolve. He turned to Monkey.

“Cover me—draw their attention. I’ll go in and check.” He gestured toward the warship below.

Monkey didn’t hesitate, dropping lower and unleashing a barrage of fire. The Desolate creatures’ focus turned entirely to him.

“Haha! Come on, come on! Try hitting me, you bastards!” Monkey taunted.

Liu Shaoyu could only shake his head—this guy was reckless beyond belief.

But there was no time to waste. Liu Shaoyu drew his particle lightsaber and dove toward the warship.

A few Desolate creatures tried to intercept him, but the lightsaber sliced through their hides with ease. That was a relief—at least the blade could penetrate their defenses.

After cutting down more than a dozen, he finally reached the ship’s upper deck. At one point, he was grazed by a creature’s claw, and his shield energy dropped by ten percent in an instant.

The destructive force startled him. If he got surrounded, he’d be done for.

Quickly, Liu Shaoyu found the emergency hatch.

“Why the hell did they make this thing so thick?” he muttered, frowning at the heavy door. But it was an emergency hatch, and in these circumstances, brute force was the answer.

He was a first-rate cutter—carving through hulls was his specialty. As he sliced open the hatch, he dispatched a few more hapless Desolate creatures with casual swings.

At last, the hatch was cut through. He kicked it open and slipped inside.

A chill ran through him—he had a bad feeling about this. Shivering, he yanked the manual lever to open the second hatch.

“Thomas, connect to the control room,” he ordered, sealing the door shut behind him before moving on.

The usual drill—head for the control room.

But why wasn’t anyone answering his comm requests? He couldn’t help but recall his encounter with the Queen of Fengtower...

God, let there be a survivor, he prayed silently.

As he passed through the second hatch—

“Sir, he’s inside the starship now,” came a familiar voice.

A cold chuckle: “Ha! A whole ship and that horde of mongrels to die with you, Liu Shaoyu—aren’t you something! Ha ha! Detonate.”

It was none other than Huang Xuan’s voice.

Meanwhile, Liu Shaoyu, searching for the path to the control room, suddenly heard:

“Self-destruct sequence initiated. Countdown: ten... nine... eight...”