Chapter 95.3
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“Qiao!”
Fan Xiangnan shouted, his voice was full of fright, as he hurried forward to chase after the youth.
Chu Rong noticed Qiao Zhiya’s movement out of the corner of his eye, causing his heart to skip a beat. He intensified his actions, maneuvering closer to that direction while issuing orders, “All soldiers near the Ning and Imperial flagships, retreat immediately! Beware of being sucked into the black hole! All fleets, continue bombardment!”
Yuan Lie, who had entered the Chu family’s flagship control room, heard this, and he quickly issued an order.
The armies began to retreat, but at that moment, both the Ning family and Imperial flagships suddenly turned towards the newly appeared black hole, accelerating rapidly. Simultaneously, the Zerg Queen, previously following Chu Rong, also changed direction and headed towards the new black hole near the Ning family flagship, seemingly attempting to escape.
“What do they want to do? Are they aiming for a suicide!” Yuan Lie couldn’t believe what he saw.
Chu Rong’s face remained as calm as water. Ignoring the Zerg Queen, he continued to charge towards the direction where Qiao Zhiya was located, saying, “No, they’re trying to escape. Keep bombing them, don’t let them enter the black hole!”
The brown mecha was too fast; in just a few sentences, it crashed directly into the black hole where the Zerg Queen had been before. Fan Xiangnan was unable to stop it in time, hurriedly trying to pull the vine that was exposed outside, attempting to pull the brown mecha out. The black-gold mecha arrived just behind, grabbing the vine and pulling it backward with force. At the same time, as if with a consciousness of its own, the vine suddenly retracted backward with a swish. The brown mecha, holding onto something strange, was flung out backwards. Then, with a movement of his hand, the strange object disappeared.
The black hole collapsed unto itself almost the instant the brown mecha came out.
Chu Rong caught the brown mecha and placed it steadily beside Fan Xiangnan. He wanted to scold him, but couldn’t find the words in the heat of the moment. Finally, he restrained his temper and sternly ordered, “Stay put!” With that, he immediately turned around and chased after the Zerg Queen.
Qiao Zhiya lowered his head without saying a word. After Chu Rong turned around and left, he suddenly threw out two plant balls and said, “Xiao Qiu, Da Qiu1Small Ball and Big Ball; two of Qiuqiu’s plant babies, hurry up and help Chu Rong intercept that Zerg Queen.”
The two little balls, receiving their task from him for the first time, were ecstatic. Upon hearing the command, they immediately began to expand and grow larger, with countless vines reaching out and rushing towards the bulky body of the Zerg Queen. They managed to bind the creature tightly before Chu Rong could take another step!
Chu Rong made a move and glanced back.
Qiao Zhiya guiltyly hid behind Fan Xiangnan.
Chu Rong’s brow twitched as he withdrew his gaze, his heart still beat erratically in panic. Seeing the Zerg about to break free from the control of the two little plant balls, He quickly focused his mind, ascending into the air and flying above the Zerg Queen. With precision, he fired a shot directly at the center of its head, then descended and thrust his dagger fiercely into its skull. Afterwards, he swiftly retrieved a transparent sphere filled with liquid medicine from the mecha’s storage compartment and stuffed it into the skull cavity before swiftly retreating.
The moment the sphere entered the Zerg Queen’s brain area, it exploded, and a kind of corrosive liquid poured out. As it burned everything it touched, a sizzle and a burnt stench wafted out.
“Hss! Hiss hsshhh!!”
The Zerg Queen began to twitch violently, its hiss and neural waves were even stronger as it writhe about. Then, it gradually weakened, and finally stopped altogether.
“Not good! The black hole behind the Ning family and the Imperial flagship has expanded, and they are going to be sucked in!”
Yuan Lie’s voice echoed over the channel. Qiao Zhiya remembered the object he had just retrieved from the black hole and furrowed his brow. He peeked behind Fan Xiangnan towards the direction of the Ning family and the Imperial flagships. Seeing them being rapidly sucked into the enlarging black hole, he wasted no time, ascended into the air, and began to prepare his bow.
Fan Xiangnan initially thought that Qiao Zhiya was about to flee again and reached out to stop him. However, when he saw Qiao Zhiya ascending into the air and preparing his bow, he withdrew his hand. To be cautious, he quickly deployed a silver net to tether their mechas together. Then, he instructed the others, “Coordinate with the flagship to attack the Ning family flagship. Regardless of whether the Imperial Royal flagship can stay or not, the Ning Family flagship must be prevented from leaving.”
“Yes!”
Qiao Zhiya didn’t notice the additional “rope” around his waist and focused entirely on channeling the remaining magic into his bow and arrow. He pulled the bowstring slowly, allowing the magic and the energy inside the arrow to circulate, gradually forming a faint golden glowing arrow.
This was his first attempt at such a feat, and his magic was somewhat unstable due to the inherent energy on the arrow. He took a deep breath to steady himself, waiting until the power reached its peak. Then, with a gentle release, the slightly thicker golden arrow shot straight towards the power area on the side of the Ning family flagship.
Above the unconscious Zerg Queen, Chu Rong mirrored the same action. Seizing the moment while the Zerg Queen was incapacitated and the neural waves in the air weakened due to the chaos among the Zergs, he unleashed his own spiritual power to wrap around his double-barreled gun. Then, expending all his energy, he fired off one final shot, imbued with his spiritual power, sending it straight towards the Ning family flagship!
Two streaks, one red and one golden, shot towards the Ning family flagship like intertwined twin shooting stars. The flagship itself had already halfway submerged into the black hole. One pierced through the flagship’s protective shell and plunged into the power core, while the other grazed the edge of the Ning family flagship and disappeared into the black hole, resulting in a thunderous explosion.
After the deafening explosion came a series of intense muffled sounds. The Ning family flagship halted, smoke puffing out from its power core. Simultaneously, violent turbulence caused by the explosive force surged from behind, unexpectedly propelling the flagship out of the black hole! Subsequently, the black hole behind the Ning family flagship distorted for a moment before suddenly collapsing, just like the one where the Zerg Queen had stayed before, disappearing in an instant.
Chu Rong reacted swiftly to the situation, quickly regaining his composure. He holstered his depleted double-barreled gun and loudly ordered, “Surround them, board their ship, capture everyone alive!” With that, he turned and rushed towards the Imperial Royal flagship, which was similarly half-engulfed by a different black hole.
Seeing the situation, Qiao Zhiya wanted to rush forward to help, but he was suddenly pulled back by a force. Turning around, he saw the gray mecha piloted by Fan Xiangnan, staring at him with a hint of protective intensity, holding a silver net in his hand.
“……”
“The Chief told you that you are not allowed to follow him. Stay here obediently.” Fan Xiangnan dragged him back.
Qiao Zhiya glanced at the bow and arrow in his hand, sensing the faint warmth from his magic pool, a hint that it has been depleted. He then glanced at the other soldiers who were still “loading” prisoners and killing the remaining Zergs, feeling reluctant to leave. Reluctantly, he obediently descended, casting one last glance in the direction of Chu Rong.
Fan Xiangnan was finally reassured. He stuffed the youth inside the army’s protection circle again.
After the collapse of the black hole behind the Ning Family flagship, the black hole where the Imperial Royal flagship was located seemed to be stimulated somehow, suddenly expanding by a circle. With force, it pulled the Imperial Royal flagship inward, swallowing a large portion of it, leaving only a tip outside.
Feeling the pull of the black hole as he approached, Chu Rong quickly stopped and retreated. He immediately ordered others not to approach the area, frowned, and cast a cold glance at the tip of the Imperial Royal flagship left behind. He decisively abandoned them and turned around, flying towards the direction of the Ning family flagship.
——First and foremost, he must stop the traitors. After that, he could clean up the scums of the Empire.
“Marshal Chu, wait!”
A somewhat familiar sound suddenly called, causing Chu Rong to pause and turn around to look back. There, he saw a small platinum-colored warship flying awkwardly from the direction of the Imperial Royal flagship, appearing quite inexperienced in its flight.
“Marshal Chu, I’m Ning Kongran. Long Ruifeng and Elder You are on my warship!”
When the battleship approached, the voice called again. Then, the small warship suddenly fell, as if it were about to go out.
Chu Rong stepped forward to help stabilize the small warship. Still frowning, he guided it towards the Chu family flagship.
The black holes in the battlefield quickly disappeared, and the Imperial Royal flagship ultimately couldn’t remain, but fortunately, all the criminals from the Federation were captured. Ning Tianya had attempted to play hide and seek on the flagship to evade capture, but was easily caught by He Hongjun in the end.
With the Zerg Queen unconscious and the smaller Zergs lacking leadership, they were quickly eradicated by the joint efforts of the various military forces. The battle finally came to an end, and everyone returned to their respective flagships to rest and attend to the wounded, as well as to clean up the battlefield.
Qiao Zhiya was scolded by Chu Rong and confined to his room for his reckless action of charging into the black hole. He was forbidden from participating in the subsequent battlefield cleanup and was ordered to eat dinner and rest immediately, with no more staying up late.
After quickly settling Qiao Zhiya, Chu Rong left to attend to the many other tasks that still needed to be done.
Qiao Zhiya obediently sat on the bed and watched him leave. As soon as the door closed, his brows furrowed, then he clutched his head in pain and rolled on the bed uncomfortably. He then took out a piece of jade and began absorbing its energy to alleviate his discomfort.
During the previous battle, he didn’t feel it; but now, after relaxing, his magic pool felt like it’s about to explode – hot and painful, very uncomfortable. This feeling was somewhat similar to the last time during the Star Network Mecha Manufacturing Competition when his magic was depleted, but the symptoms are much more severe than that time.
‘How did I recover last time…?’ Qiao Zhiya thought drowsily as he absorbed the jade. Flashes of Jian’s face crossed his mind, and then he groaned as he pulled the blanket around himself.
‘No, even after absorbing the jade, it still feels uncomfortable. My magic pool is so hot.’
After finishing several pieces of jade, the intense heat and pain didn’t alleviate at all. He instinctively reached for the box that Jian had given him during his engagement party. He opened it, took out a capsule, unscrewed it, and poured the liquid into his mouth.
The liquid tasted sweet as it entered his mouth. Then a warm, comforting sensation spread rapidly throughout his body, finally gathering at the location of his magic pool, bringing a wave of relief.
‘So comfortable…’
His limbs finally relaxed, and he felt a little drowsy. However, not long after that, the feeling of comfort disappeared. His magic pool felt like its burning again.
‘Then, one is not enough.’
His consciousness became somewhat blurry, and instinctively, he reached for the crystal balls, one after another. In the blink of an eye, he had used up everything in the box, yet the stabbing sensation in his mind persisted.
In the end, he simply took out a large piece of jade and lay on it, then he took out many vials of potions made from Yellow Leaf Tree’s leaves and drank them all.
Various pure energies surged into his magic pool, rapidly refilling the previously depleted reservoir. The heat sensation finally subsided somewhat, and the stabbing pain also diminished slightly. Just as he was about to relax, the energy in the magic pool suddenly boiled and churned, while his body involuntarily began absorbing the energy from the jade again, completely disregarding the fact that the magic pool was already full.
“Ah….”
Clutching his throbbing head, he curled up on the jade, reaching for the communicator to call for Chu Rong. Suddenly, there was an explosion in his magic pool, and his blurred consciousness finally succumbed to the impact, plunging into darkness.
Chu Rong, who was listening to Fan Xiangnan’s report, suddenly felt a jolt in his heart. Frowning, he paused for a moment, then got up and strode out.
“Sir?” Fan Xiangnan and the others wondered.
Chu Rong waved his hand to signal them to take a break, then walked out of the control room without looking back and entered the nearest resting room. He pushed open the door and glanced around. His expression changed when he saw Qiao Zhiya lying on a gray-white stone on the bed. He hurried over, “Qiao!”
Zhuang Yu hadn’t recovered from the joy of the victory in the battle and the safety of everyone, when she was startled by Chu Rong’s urgent communication, almost losing her composure.
After hearing the news, everyone rushed to the infirmary. Chu Rong placed the unconscious Qiao Zhiya into the repair chamber that Zhuang Yu had prepared, anxiously waiting by his side with a solemn expression. Zhuang Yu wasted no time and swiftly conducted a comprehensive examination on Qiao Zhiya. Upon receiving the results, she paused for a moment and then said, “Sir, Qiao is just asleep.”
“Just asleep?” Chu Rong’s brows furrowed even tighter. Remembering the room filled with jade stones, he couldn’t shake off his worries. “Double-check, please. He doesn’t usually sleep this deeply.”
Zhuang Yu also thought it’s strange. Looking at Qiao Zhiya in the repair chamber, she started a more detailed inspection. However, the result still indicated that there’s no problem –Qiao Zhiya is just asleep.
Chu Rong’s agitation was palpable, and the atmosphere in the infirmary became tense.
The examination results showed that Qiao Zhiya was indeed just asleep, but it was unusual for a sleeping person not to respond to calls.
“Could it be because of upgrading his spiritual power? Occasionally, during the advancement to high-level mental power, there are cases of falling into a deep sleep,” Ning Kongran, who had also entered the infirmary at some point, suddenly spoke, breaking the silence in the room.
Zhuang Yu’s eyes lit up at his guess, and she clenched her fist and hit her palm excitedly. “I think so too! Chief, do you remember the time when your spiritual power healed? Qiao slept for a long time then too! And afterward, his power increased! Maybe it’s the same this time too!”
But last time, Qiao Zhiya fell asleep because he exhausted his power to help Chu Rong recover, and he was also contaminated by the radiation. After waking up, he was confused for a long time!
Chu Rong tightened his fists, looking at Qiao Zhiya inside the repair chamber. He recalled Qiao Zhiya’s actions on the battlefield, where he dispersed his magic to pacify the Zergs and risked entering the black hole. Feeling increasingly uneasy, he stepped forward, opened the repair chamber, and lifted Qiao Zhiya out. “The rest of you, continue cleaning up the battlefield. Zhuang Yu, come with me.”
Upon hearing Chu Rong’s words, everyone looked worriedly at Qiao Zhiya in his arms before leaving as instructed. Zhuang Yu, on the other hand, swiftly began gathering instruments and preparing various tools.
Finally, Qiao Zhiya was arranged to sleep in a room, but the mattress under him was replaced with top-grade jade.
After Zhuang Yu finished installing various monitoring devices, Chu Rong dismissed her and sat by the bed, watching Qiao Zhiya, who was sound asleep under the covers. After a moment of silence, he leaned down and kissed his forehead, then gently brushed his slightly overgrown bangs that hadn’t been trimmed in two months. In a soft voice, he whispered, “I’m sorry.”
Qiao Zhiya hasn’t really rested properly in these two months. His sudden collapse is definitely related to the excessive depletion of his energy during this time. Chu Rong blames himself for neglecting and failing to notice Qiao Zhiya’s condition.
In his dream, Qiao Zhiya seemed to hear his voice, his eyelashes fluttered, but he couldn’t open his eyes. His consciousness sank into a deeper, more peaceful darkness.
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“Qiao!”
Fan Xiangnan shouted, his voice was full of fright, as he hurried forward to chase after the youth.
Chu Rong noticed Qiao Zhiya’s movement out of the corner of his eye, causing his heart to skip a beat. He intensified his actions, maneuvering closer to that direction while issuing orders, “All soldiers near the Ning and Imperial flagships, retreat immediately! Beware of being sucked into the black hole! All fleets, continue bombardment!”
Yuan Lie, who had entered the Chu family’s flagship control room, heard this, and he quickly issued an order.
The armies began to retreat, but at that moment, both the Ning family and Imperial flagships suddenly turned towards the newly appeared black hole, accelerating rapidly. Simultaneously, the Zerg Queen, previously following Chu Rong, also changed direction and headed towards the new black hole near the Ning family flagship, seemingly attempting to escape.
“What do they want to do? Are they aiming for a suicide!” Yuan Lie couldn’t believe what he saw.
Chu Rong’s face remained as calm as water. Ignoring the Zerg Queen, he continued to charge towards the direction where Qiao Zhiya was located, saying, “No, they’re trying to escape. Keep bombing them, don’t let them enter the black hole!”
The brown mecha was too fast; in just a few sentences, it crashed directly into the black hole where the Zerg Queen had been before. Fan Xiangnan was unable to stop it in time, hurriedly trying to pull the vine that was exposed outside, attempting to pull the brown mecha out. The black-gold mecha arrived just behind, grabbing the vine and pulling it backward with force. At the same time, as if with a consciousness of its own, the vine suddenly retracted backward with a swish. The brown mecha, holding onto something strange, was flung out backwards. Then, with a movement of his hand, the strange object disappeared.
The black hole collapsed unto itself almost the instant the brown mecha came out.
Chu Rong caught the brown mecha and placed it steadily beside Fan Xiangnan. He wanted to scold him, but couldn’t find the words in the heat of the moment. Finally, he restrained his temper and sternly ordered, “Stay put!” With that, he immediately turned around and chased after the Zerg Queen.
Qiao Zhiya lowered his head without saying a word. After Chu Rong turned around and left, he suddenly threw out two plant balls and said, “Xiao Qiu, Da Qiu1Small Ball and Big Ball; two of Qiuqiu’s plant babies, hurry up and help Chu Rong intercept that Zerg Queen.”
The two little balls, receiving their task from him for the first time, were ecstatic. Upon hearing the command, they immediately began to expand and grow larger, with countless vines reaching out and rushing towards the bulky body of the Zerg Queen. They managed to bind the creature tightly before Chu Rong could take another step!
Chu Rong made a move and glanced back.
Qiao Zhiya guiltyly hid behind Fan Xiangnan.
Chu Rong’s brow twitched as he withdrew his gaze, his heart still beat erratically in panic. Seeing the Zerg about to break free from the control of the two little plant balls, He quickly focused his mind, ascending into the air and flying above the Zerg Queen. With precision, he fired a shot directly at the center of its head, then descended and thrust his dagger fiercely into its skull. Afterwards, he swiftly retrieved a transparent sphere filled with liquid medicine from the mecha’s storage compartment and stuffed it into the skull cavity before swiftly retreating.
The moment the sphere entered the Zerg Queen’s brain area, it exploded, and a kind of corrosive liquid poured out. As it burned everything it touched, a sizzle and a burnt stench wafted out.
“Hss! Hiss hsshhh!!”
The Zerg Queen began to twitch violently, its hiss and neural waves were even stronger as it writhe about. Then, it gradually weakened, and finally stopped altogether.
“Not good! The black hole behind the Ning family and the Imperial flagship has expanded, and they are going to be sucked in!”
Yuan Lie’s voice echoed over the channel. Qiao Zhiya remembered the object he had just retrieved from the black hole and furrowed his brow. He peeked behind Fan Xiangnan towards the direction of the Ning family and the Imperial flagships. Seeing them being rapidly sucked into the enlarging black hole, he wasted no time, ascended into the air, and began to prepare his bow.
Fan Xiangnan initially thought that Qiao Zhiya was about to flee again and reached out to stop him. However, when he saw Qiao Zhiya ascending into the air and preparing his bow, he withdrew his hand. To be cautious, he quickly deployed a silver net to tether their mechas together. Then, he instructed the others, “Coordinate with the flagship to attack the Ning family flagship. Regardless of whether the Imperial Royal flagship can stay or not, the Ning Family flagship must be prevented from leaving.”
“Yes!”
Qiao Zhiya didn’t notice the additional “rope” around his waist and focused entirely on channeling the remaining magic into his bow and arrow. He pulled the bowstring slowly, allowing the magic and the energy inside the arrow to circulate, gradually forming a faint golden glowing arrow.
This was his first attempt at such a feat, and his magic was somewhat unstable due to the inherent energy on the arrow. He took a deep breath to steady himself, waiting until the power reached its peak. Then, with a gentle release, the slightly thicker golden arrow shot straight towards the power area on the side of the Ning family flagship.
Above the unconscious Zerg Queen, Chu Rong mirrored the same action. Seizing the moment while the Zerg Queen was incapacitated and the neural waves in the air weakened due to the chaos among the Zergs, he unleashed his own spiritual power to wrap around his double-barreled gun. Then, expending all his energy, he fired off one final shot, imbued with his spiritual power, sending it straight towards the Ning family flagship!
Two streaks, one red and one golden, shot towards the Ning family flagship like intertwined twin shooting stars. The flagship itself had already halfway submerged into the black hole. One pierced through the flagship’s protective shell and plunged into the power core, while the other grazed the edge of the Ning family flagship and disappeared into the black hole, resulting in a thunderous explosion.
After the deafening explosion came a series of intense muffled sounds. The Ning family flagship halted, smoke puffing out from its power core. Simultaneously, violent turbulence caused by the explosive force surged from behind, unexpectedly propelling the flagship out of the black hole! Subsequently, the black hole behind the Ning family flagship distorted for a moment before suddenly collapsing, just like the one where the Zerg Queen had stayed before, disappearing in an instant.
Chu Rong reacted swiftly to the situation, quickly regaining his composure. He holstered his depleted double-barreled gun and loudly ordered, “Surround them, board their ship, capture everyone alive!” With that, he turned and rushed towards the Imperial Royal flagship, which was similarly half-engulfed by a different black hole.
Seeing the situation, Qiao Zhiya wanted to rush forward to help, but he was suddenly pulled back by a force. Turning around, he saw the gray mecha piloted by Fan Xiangnan, staring at him with a hint of protective intensity, holding a silver net in his hand.
“……”
“The Chief told you that you are not allowed to follow him. Stay here obediently.” Fan Xiangnan dragged him back.
Qiao Zhiya glanced at the bow and arrow in his hand, sensing the faint warmth from his magic pool, a hint that it has been depleted. He then glanced at the other soldiers who were still “loading” prisoners and killing the remaining Zergs, feeling reluctant to leave. Reluctantly, he obediently descended, casting one last glance in the direction of Chu Rong.
Fan Xiangnan was finally reassured. He stuffed the youth inside the army’s protection circle again.
After the collapse of the black hole behind the Ning Family flagship, the black hole where the Imperial Royal flagship was located seemed to be stimulated somehow, suddenly expanding by a circle. With force, it pulled the Imperial Royal flagship inward, swallowing a large portion of it, leaving only a tip outside.
Feeling the pull of the black hole as he approached, Chu Rong quickly stopped and retreated. He immediately ordered others not to approach the area, frowned, and cast a cold glance at the tip of the Imperial Royal flagship left behind. He decisively abandoned them and turned around, flying towards the direction of the Ning family flagship.
——First and foremost, he must stop the traitors. After that, he could clean up the scums of the Empire.
“Marshal Chu, wait!”
A somewhat familiar sound suddenly called, causing Chu Rong to pause and turn around to look back. There, he saw a small platinum-colored warship flying awkwardly from the direction of the Imperial Royal flagship, appearing quite inexperienced in its flight.
“Marshal Chu, I’m Ning Kongran. Long Ruifeng and Elder You are on my warship!”
When the battleship approached, the voice called again. Then, the small warship suddenly fell, as if it were about to go out.
Chu Rong stepped forward to help stabilize the small warship. Still frowning, he guided it towards the Chu family flagship.
The black holes in the battlefield quickly disappeared, and the Imperial Royal flagship ultimately couldn’t remain, but fortunately, all the criminals from the Federation were captured. Ning Tianya had attempted to play hide and seek on the flagship to evade capture, but was easily caught by He Hongjun in the end.
With the Zerg Queen unconscious and the smaller Zergs lacking leadership, they were quickly eradicated by the joint efforts of the various military forces. The battle finally came to an end, and everyone returned to their respective flagships to rest and attend to the wounded, as well as to clean up the battlefield.
Qiao Zhiya was scolded by Chu Rong and confined to his room for his reckless action of charging into the black hole. He was forbidden from participating in the subsequent battlefield cleanup and was ordered to eat dinner and rest immediately, with no more staying up late.
After quickly settling Qiao Zhiya, Chu Rong left to attend to the many other tasks that still needed to be done.
Qiao Zhiya obediently sat on the bed and watched him leave. As soon as the door closed, his brows furrowed, then he clutched his head in pain and rolled on the bed uncomfortably. He then took out a piece of jade and began absorbing its energy to alleviate his discomfort.
During the previous battle, he didn’t feel it; but now, after relaxing, his magic pool felt like it’s about to explode – hot and painful, very uncomfortable. This feeling was somewhat similar to the last time during the Star Network Mecha Manufacturing Competition when his magic was depleted, but the symptoms are much more severe than that time.
‘How did I recover last time…?’ Qiao Zhiya thought drowsily as he absorbed the jade. Flashes of Jian’s face crossed his mind, and then he groaned as he pulled the blanket around himself.
‘No, even after absorbing the jade, it still feels uncomfortable. My magic pool is so hot.’
After finishing several pieces of jade, the intense heat and pain didn’t alleviate at all. He instinctively reached for the box that Jian had given him during his engagement party. He opened it, took out a capsule, unscrewed it, and poured the liquid into his mouth.
The liquid tasted sweet as it entered his mouth. Then a warm, comforting sensation spread rapidly throughout his body, finally gathering at the location of his magic pool, bringing a wave of relief.
‘So comfortable…’
His limbs finally relaxed, and he felt a little drowsy. However, not long after that, the feeling of comfort disappeared. His magic pool felt like its burning again.
‘Then, one is not enough.’
His consciousness became somewhat blurry, and instinctively, he reached for the crystal balls, one after another. In the blink of an eye, he had used up everything in the box, yet the stabbing sensation in his mind persisted.
In the end, he simply took out a large piece of jade and lay on it, then he took out many vials of potions made from Yellow Leaf Tree’s leaves and drank them all.
Various pure energies surged into his magic pool, rapidly refilling the previously depleted reservoir. The heat sensation finally subsided somewhat, and the stabbing pain also diminished slightly. Just as he was about to relax, the energy in the magic pool suddenly boiled and churned, while his body involuntarily began absorbing the energy from the jade again, completely disregarding the fact that the magic pool was already full.
“Ah….”
Clutching his throbbing head, he curled up on the jade, reaching for the communicator to call for Chu Rong. Suddenly, there was an explosion in his magic pool, and his blurred consciousness finally succumbed to the impact, plunging into darkness.
Chu Rong, who was listening to Fan Xiangnan’s report, suddenly felt a jolt in his heart. Frowning, he paused for a moment, then got up and strode out.
“Sir?” Fan Xiangnan and the others wondered.
Chu Rong waved his hand to signal them to take a break, then walked out of the control room without looking back and entered the nearest resting room. He pushed open the door and glanced around. His expression changed when he saw Qiao Zhiya lying on a gray-white stone on the bed. He hurried over, “Qiao!”
Zhuang Yu hadn’t recovered from the joy of the victory in the battle and the safety of everyone, when she was startled by Chu Rong’s urgent communication, almost losing her composure.
After hearing the news, everyone rushed to the infirmary. Chu Rong placed the unconscious Qiao Zhiya into the repair chamber that Zhuang Yu had prepared, anxiously waiting by his side with a solemn expression. Zhuang Yu wasted no time and swiftly conducted a comprehensive examination on Qiao Zhiya. Upon receiving the results, she paused for a moment and then said, “Sir, Qiao is just asleep.”
“Just asleep?” Chu Rong’s brows furrowed even tighter. Remembering the room filled with jade stones, he couldn’t shake off his worries. “Double-check, please. He doesn’t usually sleep this deeply.”
Zhuang Yu also thought it’s strange. Looking at Qiao Zhiya in the repair chamber, she started a more detailed inspection. However, the result still indicated that there’s no problem –Qiao Zhiya is just asleep.
Chu Rong’s agitation was palpable, and the atmosphere in the infirmary became tense.
The examination results showed that Qiao Zhiya was indeed just asleep, but it was unusual for a sleeping person not to respond to calls.
“Could it be because of upgrading his spiritual power? Occasionally, during the advancement to high-level mental power, there are cases of falling into a deep sleep,” Ning Kongran, who had also entered the infirmary at some point, suddenly spoke, breaking the silence in the room.
Zhuang Yu’s eyes lit up at his guess, and she clenched her fist and hit her palm excitedly. “I think so too! Chief, do you remember the time when your spiritual power healed? Qiao slept for a long time then too! And afterward, his power increased! Maybe it’s the same this time too!”
But last time, Qiao Zhiya fell asleep because he exhausted his power to help Chu Rong recover, and he was also contaminated by the radiation. After waking up, he was confused for a long time!
Chu Rong tightened his fists, looking at Qiao Zhiya inside the repair chamber. He recalled Qiao Zhiya’s actions on the battlefield, where he dispersed his magic to pacify the Zergs and risked entering the black hole. Feeling increasingly uneasy, he stepped forward, opened the repair chamber, and lifted Qiao Zhiya out. “The rest of you, continue cleaning up the battlefield. Zhuang Yu, come with me.”
Upon hearing Chu Rong’s words, everyone looked worriedly at Qiao Zhiya in his arms before leaving as instructed. Zhuang Yu, on the other hand, swiftly began gathering instruments and preparing various tools.
Finally, Qiao Zhiya was arranged to sleep in a room, but the mattress under him was replaced with top-grade jade.
After Zhuang Yu finished installing various monitoring devices, Chu Rong dismissed her and sat by the bed, watching Qiao Zhiya, who was sound asleep under the covers. After a moment of silence, he leaned down and kissed his forehead, then gently brushed his slightly overgrown bangs that hadn’t been trimmed in two months. In a soft voice, he whispered, “I’m sorry.”
Qiao Zhiya hasn’t really rested properly in these two months. His sudden collapse is definitely related to the excessive depletion of his energy during this time. Chu Rong blames himself for neglecting and failing to notice Qiao Zhiya’s condition.
In his dream, Qiao Zhiya seemed to hear his voice, his eyelashes fluttered, but he couldn’t open his eyes. His consciousness sank into a deeper, more peaceful darkness.
Qiao!Fan Xiangnan shouted, his voice was full of fright, as he hurried forward to chase after the youth.Chu Rong noticed Qiao Zhiya's movement out of the corner of his eye, causing his heart to skip a beat. He intensified his actions, maneuvering closer to that direction while issuing orders, All soldiers near the Ning and Imperial flagships, retreat immediately! Beware of being sucked into the black hole! All fleets, continue bombardment!Yuan Lie, who had entered the Chu family's flagship control room, heard this, and he quickly issued an order.The armies began to retreat, but at that moment, both the Ning family and Imperial flagships suddenly turned towards the newly appeared black hole, accelerating rapidly. Simultaneously, the Zerg Queen, previously following Chu Rong, also changed direction and headed towards the new black hole near the Ning family flagship, seemingly attempting to escape.What do they want to do? Are they aiming for a suicide! Yuan Lie couldn't believe what he saw.Chu Rong's face remained as calm as water. Ignoring the Zerg Queen, he continued to charge towards the direction where Qiao Zhiya was located, saying, No, they're trying to escape. Keep bombing them, don't let them enter the black hole!The brown mecha was too fast; in just a few sentences, it crashed directly into the black hole where the Zerg Queen had been before. Fan Xiangnan was unable to stop it in time, hurriedly trying to pull the vine that was exposed outside, attempting to pull the brown mecha out. The black-gold mecha arrived just behind, grabbing the vine and pulling it backward with force. At the same time, as if with a consciousness of its own, the vine suddenly retracted backward with a swish. The brown mecha, holding onto something strange, was flung out backwards. Then, with a movement of his hand, the strange object disappeared.The black hole collapsed unto itself almost the instant the brown mecha came out.Chu Rong caught the brown mecha and placed it steadily beside Fan Xiangnan. He wanted to scold him, but couldn't find the words in the heat of the moment. Finally, he restrained his temper and sternly ordered, Stay put! With that, he immediately turned around and chased after the Zerg Queen.Qiao Zhiya lowered his head without saying a word. After Chu Rong turned around and left, he suddenly threw out two plant balls and said, Xiao Qiu, Da Qiu1Small Ball and Big Ball; two of Qiuqiu's plant babies, hurry up and help Chu Rong intercept that Zerg Queen. The two little balls, receiving their task from him for the first time, were ecstatic. Upon hearing the command, they immediately began to expand and grow larger, with countless vines reaching out and rushing towards the bulky body of the Zerg Queen. They managed to bind the creature tightly before Chu Rong could take another step!Chu Rong made a move and glanced back.Qiao Zhiya guiltyly hid behind Fan Xiangnan.Chu Rong's brow twitched as he withdrew his gaze, his heart still beat erratically in panic. Seeing the Zerg about to break free from the control of the two little plant balls, He quickly focused his mind, ascending into the air and flying above the Zerg Queen. With precision, he fired a shot directly at the center of its head, then descended and thrust his dagger fiercely into its skull. Afterwards, he swiftly retrieved a transparent sphere filled with liquid medicine from the mecha's storage compartment and stuffed it into the skull cavity before swiftly retreating.The moment the sphere entered the Zerg Queen's brain area, it exploded, and a kind of corrosive liquid poured out. As it burned everything it touched, a sizzle and a burnt stench wafted out.Hss! Hiss hsshhh!!The Zerg Queen began to twitch violently, its hiss and neural waves were even stronger as it writhe about. Then, it gradually weakened, and finally stopped altogether.Not good! The black hole behind the Ning family and the Imperial flagship has expanded, and they are going to be sucked in!Yuan Lie's voice echoed over the channel. Qiao Zhiya remembered the object he had just retrieved from the black hole and furrowed his brow. He peeked behind Fan Xiangnan towards the direction of the Ning family and the Imperial flagships. Seeing them being rapidly sucked into the enlarging black hole, he wasted no time, ascended into the air, and began to prepare his bow.Fan Xiangnan initially thought that Qiao Zhiya was about to flee again and reached out to stop him. However, when he saw Qiao Zhiya ascending into the air and preparing his bow, he withdrew his hand. To be cautious, he quickly deployed a silver net to tether their mechas together. Then, he instructed the others, Coordinate with the flagship to attack the Ning family flagship. Regardless of whether the Imperial Royal flagship can stay or not, the Ning Family flagship must be prevented from leaving.Yes!Qiao Zhiya didn't notice the additional rope around his waist and focused entirely on channeling the remaining magic into his bow and arrow. He pulled the bowstring slowly, allowing the magic and the energy inside the arrow to circulate, gradually forming a faint golden glowing arrow.This was his first attempt at such a feat, and his magic was somewhat unstable due to the inherent energy on the arrow. He took a deep breath to steady himself, waiting until the power reached its peak. Then, with a gentle release, the slightly thicker golden arrow shot straight towards the power area on the side of the Ning family flagship.Above the unconscious Zerg Queen, Chu Rong mirrored the same action. Seizing the moment while the Zerg Queen was incapacitated and the neural waves in the air weakened due to the chaos among the Zergs, he unleashed his own spiritual power to wrap around his double-barreled gun. Then, expending all his energy, he fired off one final shot, imbued with his spiritual power, sending it straight towards the Ning family flagship!Two streaks, one red and one golden, shot towards the Ning family flagship like intertwined twin shooting stars. The flagship itself had already halfway submerged into the black hole. One pierced through the flagship's protective shell and plunged into the power core, while the other grazed the edge of the Ning family flagship and disappeared into the black hole, resulting in a thunderous explosion.After the deafening explosion came a series of intense muffled sounds. The Ning family flagship halted, smoke puffing out from its power core. Simultaneously, violent turbulence caused by the explosive force surged from behind, unexpectedly propelling the flagship out of the black hole! Subsequently, the black hole behind the Ning family flagship distorted for a moment before suddenly collapsing, just like the one where the Zerg Queen had stayed before, disappearing in an instant.Chu Rong reacted swiftly to the situation, quickly regaining his composure. He holstered his depleted double-barreled gun and loudly ordered, Surround them, board their ship, capture everyone alive! With that, he turned and rushed towards the Imperial Royal flagship, which was similarly half-engulfed by a different black hole.Seeing the situation, Qiao Zhiya wanted to rush forward to help, but he was suddenly pulled back by a force. Turning around, he saw the gray mecha piloted by Fan Xiangnan, staring at him with a hint of protective intensity, holding a silver net in his hand.The Chief told you that you are not allowed to follow him. Stay here obediently. Fan Xiangnan dragged him back.Qiao Zhiya glanced at the bow and arrow in his hand, sensing the faint warmth from his magic pool, a hint that it has been depleted. He then glanced at the other soldiers who were still loading prisoners and killing the remaining Zergs, feeling reluctant to leave. Reluctantly, he obediently descended, casting one last glance in the direction of Chu Rong.Fan Xiangnan was finally reassured. He stuffed the youth inside the army's protection circle again.After the collapse of the black hole behind the Ning Family flagship, the black hole where the Imperial Royal flagship was located seemed to be stimulated somehow, suddenly expanding by a circle. With force, it pulled the Imperial Royal flagship inward, swallowing a large portion of it, leaving only a tip outside.Feeling the pull of the black hole as he approached, Chu Rong quickly stopped and retreated. He immediately ordered others not to approach the area, frowned, and cast a cold glance at the tip of the Imperial Royal flagship left behind. He decisively abandoned them and turned around, flying towards the direction of the Ning family flagship.First and foremost, he must stop the traitors. After that, he could clean up the scums of the Empire.Marshal Chu, wait!A somewhat familiar sound suddenly called, causing Chu Rong to pause and turn around to look back. There, he saw a small platinum-colored warship flying awkwardly from the direction of the Imperial Royal flagship, appearing quite inexperienced in its flight.Marshal Chu, I'm Ning Kongran. Long Ruifeng and Elder You are on my warship!When the battleship approached, the voice called again. Then, the small warship suddenly fell, as if it were about to go out.Chu Rong stepped forward to help stabilize the small warship. Still frowning, he guided it towards the Chu family flagship.The black holes in the battlefield quickly disappeared, and the Imperial Royal flagship ultimately couldn't remain, but fortunately, all the criminals from the Federation were captured. Ning Tianya had attempted to play hide and seek on the flagship to evade capture, but was easily caught by He Hongjun in the end.With the Zerg Queen unconscious and the smaller Zergs lacking leadership, they were quickly eradicated by the joint efforts of the various military forces. The battle finally came to an end, and everyone returned to their respective flagships to rest and attend to the wounded, as well as to clean up the battlefield.Qiao Zhiya was scolded by Chu Rong and confined to his room for his reckless action of charging into the black hole. He was forbidden from participating in the subsequent battlefield cleanup and was ordered to eat dinner and rest immediately, with no more staying up late.After quickly settling Qiao Zhiya, Chu Rong left to attend to the many other tasks that still needed to be done.Qiao Zhiya obediently sat on the bed and watched him leave. As soon as the door closed, his brows furrowed, then he clutched his head in pain and rolled on the bed uncomfortably. He then took out a piece of jade and began absorbing its energy to alleviate his discomfort.During the previous battle, he didn't feel it; but now, after relaxing, his magic pool felt like it's about to explode hot and painful, very uncomfortable. This feeling was somewhat similar to the last time during the Star Network Mecha Manufacturing Competition when his magic was depleted, but the symptoms are much more severe than that time.How did I recover last time?' Qiao Zhiya thought drowsily as he absorbed the jade. Flashes of Jian's face crossed his mind, and then he groaned as he pulled the blanket around himself.No, even after absorbing the jade, it still feels uncomfortable. My magic pool is so hot.'After finishing several pieces of jade, the intense heat and pain didn't alleviate at all. He instinctively reached for the box that Jian had given him during his engagement party. He opened it, took out a capsule, unscrewed it, and poured the liquid into his mouth.The liquid tasted sweet as it entered his mouth. Then a warm, comforting sensation spread rapidly throughout his body, finally gathering at the location of his magic pool, bringing a wave of relief.So comfortable'His limbs finally relaxed, and he felt a little drowsy. However, not long after that, the feeling of comfort disappeared. His magic pool felt like its burning again.Then, one is not enough.'His consciousness became somewhat blurry, and instinctively, he reached for the crystal balls, one after another. In the blink of an eye, he had used up everything in the box, yet the stabbing sensation in his mind persisted.In the end, he simply took out a large piece of jade and lay on it, then he took out many vials of potions made from Yellow Leaf Tree's leaves and drank them all.Various pure energies surged into his magic pool, rapidly refilling the previously depleted reservoir. The heat sensation finally subsided somewhat, and the stabbing pain also diminished slightly. Just as he was about to relax, the energy in the magic pool suddenly boiled and churned, while his body involuntarily began absorbing the energy from the jade again, completely disregarding the fact that the magic pool was already full.Ah.Clutching his throbbing head, he curled up on the jade, reaching for the communicator to call for Chu Rong. Suddenly, there was an explosion in his magic pool, and his blurred consciousness finally succumbed to the impact, plunging into darkness.Chu Rong, who was listening to Fan Xiangnan's report, suddenly felt a jolt in his heart. Frowning, he paused for a moment, then got up and strode out.Sir? Fan Xiangnan and the others wondered.Chu Rong waved his hand to signal them to take a break, then walked out of the control room without looking back and entered the nearest resting room. He pushed open the door and glanced around. His expression changed when he saw Qiao Zhiya lying on a gray-white stone on the bed. He hurried over, Qiao!Zhuang Yu hadn't recovered from the joy of the victory in the battle and the safety of everyone, when she was startled by Chu Rong's urgent communication, almost losing her composure.After hearing the news, everyone rushed to the infirmary. Chu Rong placed the unconscious Qiao Zhiya into the repair chamber that Zhuang Yu had prepared, anxiously waiting by his side with a solemn expression. Zhuang Yu wasted no time and swiftly conducted a comprehensive examination on Qiao Zhiya. Upon receiving the results, she paused for a moment and then said, Sir, Qiao is just asleep.Just asleep? Chu Rong's brows furrowed even tighter. Remembering the room filled with jade stones, he couldn't shake off his worries. Double-check, please. He doesn't usually sleep this deeply.Zhuang Yu also thought it's strange. Looking at Qiao Zhiya in the repair chamber, she started a more detailed inspection. However, the result still indicated that there's no problem Qiao Zhiya is just asleep.Chu Rong's agitation was palpable, and the atmosphere in the infirmary became tense.The examination results showed that Qiao Zhiya was indeed just asleep, but it was unusual for a sleeping person not to respond to calls.Could it be because of upgrading his spiritual power? Occasionally, during the advancement to high-level mental power, there are cases of falling into a deep sleep, Ning Kongran, who had also entered the infirmary at some point, suddenly spoke, breaking the silence in the room.Zhuang Yu's eyes lit up at his guess, and she clenched her fist and hit her palm excitedly. I think so too! Chief, do you remember the time when your spiritual power healed? Qiao slept for a long time then too! And afterward, his power increased! Maybe it's the same this time too!But last time, Qiao Zhiya fell asleep because he exhausted his power to help Chu Rong recover, and he was also contaminated by the radiation. After waking up, he was confused for a long time!Chu Rong tightened his fists, looking at Qiao Zhiya inside the repair chamber. He recalled Qiao Zhiya's actions on the battlefield, where he dispersed his magic to pacify the Zergs and risked entering the black hole. Feeling increasingly uneasy, he stepped forward, opened the repair chamber, and lifted Qiao Zhiya out. The rest of you, continue cleaning up the battlefield. Zhuang Yu, come with me.Upon hearing Chu Rong's words, everyone looked worriedly at Qiao Zhiya in his arms before leaving as instructed. Zhuang Yu, on the other hand, swiftly began gathering instruments and preparing various tools.Finally, Qiao Zhiya was arranged to sleep in a room, but the mattress under him was replaced with top-grade jade.After Zhuang Yu finished installing various monitoring devices, Chu Rong dismissed her and sat by the bed, watching Qiao Zhiya, who was sound asleep under the covers. After a moment of silence, he leaned down and kissed his forehead, then gently brushed his slightly overgrown bangs that hadn't been trimmed in two months. In a soft voice, he whispered, I'm sorry.Qiao Zhiya hasn't really rested properly in these two months. His sudden collapse is definitely related to the excessive depletion of his energy during this time. Chu Rong blames himself for neglecting and failing to notice Qiao Zhiya's condition.In his dream, Qiao Zhiya seemed to hear his voice, his eyelashes fluttered, but he couldn't open his eyes. His consciousness sank into a deeper, more peaceful darkness.
