ABRIWMTHM Chapter 103

A D-class mutated star beast broke through the defensive barrier and entered the planet’s atmosphere.

The first layer of the planet’s defense barrier had just been activated and had not yet solidified, when it collapsed under the strong attack of the mutated star beast. The point where the star beast passed through crumbled apart.

【Warning, warning, the planet’s first-level defense barrier has ruptured】

【Warning, warning, the planet’s first-level defense barrier has ruptured】

The renewed alarm during the meeting made all the teams solemn.

Fortunately, at the same time the star beast crashed through the outer barrier, Chi Yao immediately ordered the activation of all available barriers. The time it took to solidify the two layers of barriers was nearly the same; the first layer couldn’t stop the star beast, but before it reached the second layer barrier, this layer had already become quite solid and played an important role in interception at this critical moment.

The star beast gathered its entire mental strength again, but this time, before it could break through the barrier, Chi Yao’s warship rushed in. The powerful mental force, spreading like ripples in water, smashed down on the star beast, tearing it open and causing it to entangle with the warship Chi Yao was on.

As Shi Xing progressed, he felt something. The hand he had extended felt the energy fluctuations in the air, and he confidently said, “The prince is fighting the mutated star beast.”

Er Ya also sensed it.

Without hesitation, Shi Xing said, “The team continues to move forward. Major General Fei, come with me to take a look.”

Er Ya: “I’ll go with you.”

Fu Qing’s warship was also a high-speed one, capable of keeping up with Shi Xing and the others’ speed.

Shi Xing: “Okay.”

“Before I return to the squad, let Major General Tan command.”

The Tan Jue warship was located at the end of the team, from which the situation could be best controlled.

After receiving Tan Jue’s response, Shi Xing’s group began to accelerate.

Just as they approached the second-level defensive barrier, an electronic voice sounded again.

【Warning, warning, the planet’s second-level defense barrier is under attack】

【Warning, warning, the planet’s second-level defense barrier is under attack】

In the high-speed battle between Chi Yao and the star beast, the surrounding energy fluctuations were intense, and a small portion of mental power inevitably slammed into the defensive barrier.

Unfortunately, they were too close to the barrier, and both mental powers vastly exceeded the usual levels.

Shi Xing and Bi Shu’s squad saw each other almost simultaneously, at the same horizontal position in the air; looking up, they could faintly see the second-level defense barrier.

At the same time, the two teams in outer space, mixed with unmanned warships, finally approached. Their rapid support had left Chi Yao far behind while chasing the star beast.

Shi Xing’s mental power dissipated into the air. The mutated star beast seemed to catch on and took the opportunity to charge straight at the defense barrier during a series of attacks while Chi Yao was caught off guard.

The body strength and endurance of the star beast was something humans could hardly match. Its methods were primitive, but the effect was outstanding.

“The second-level defense barrier has cracked.”

As soon as Shi Xing spoke, the damage report for the barrier rang out simultaneously.

“Brother Shi,” Bi Shu connected to their channel, his voice coming through.

“Little Prince.” Major General Zhuang Yuanyin, who was protecting Bi Shu and leading the squad, greeted Shi Xing.

Shi Xing acknowledged, but his focus was entirely on the barrier as he murmured, “No, this won’t do.”

The star beast was entangled too tightly, with strong attack power and high speed. Chi Yao had to protect himself while also hindering the star beast’s progress… it was too exhausting.

If he got distracted, either he would be attacked or the barrier would be compromised.

Fei Chu also saw what was happening, “The barrier is too close; all the combat energy waves are hitting the barrier. Even if it isn’t being attacked, it will weaken the barrier.”

Shi Xing asked in the communication channel, “Can the position of the second-level defense barrier be changed?”

The ground team responsible for barrier expansion and retraction replied, “It can move up or down in vertical increments of 1k meters, for a total of five times.”

Without hesitation, Shi Xing decisively said, “Move the barrier down three thousand meters.”

“Understood, but Little Prince, currently, most of the energy is being used to repair the cracks. Moving it will consume energy, and the barrier cannot withstand any more attacks. If it is attacked again, it might rupture immediately.”

Shi Xing: “Understood, move.”

The team acknowledged, and the electronic notification for changing altitude sounded.

After arranging Zhuang General to hover at the current height with Bi Shu, Shi Xing’s group continued to ascend.

They and the support teams approaching Chi Yao in outer space nearly arrived at the same time.

“General Ye, set up the isolation barrier first.” Shi Xing ordered the support team.

They needed to delineate the combat area; otherwise, once the real hunt began, the safety of command and control personnel could not be guaranteed.

Chi Yao interjected in the communicator, “Right.”

Another wave of energy combat surged, and he focused again on entangling the star beast.

General Ye Jun, coming to support, replied, “Received!”

The guardian ships passed over Chi Yao and began to position themselves, delineating the combat area.

The second-level defense barrier protecting the planet also began to slowly contract and descend.

In the meantime, another wave of mental attacks crashed into the second-level defense barrier.

Shi Xing intervened, releasing a barrier that absorbed all the violent mental energy, and then it vanquished as well.

The energy was entirely consumed in the confrontation with the star beast.

“Awesome.”

The thickness of the barrier Shi Xing deployed wasn’t thin, yet even that was shattered by a single blow; truly, it was a D-class mutated level 3 star beast.

After confirming that Chi Yao was okay, Shi Xing didn’t dare to rush in, remaining beneath the defense barrier while waiting for the guardian ships to delineate the combat area.

【Establishing combat isolation barrier】

【Establishment successful】

Once the isolation barrier was activated, Shi Xing exited the safe zone, and his mental power further dissipated into the air, stimulating the mutated star beast into a frenzy, growing more audacious with each conflict.

Sensing that all teams in the plan were about to get in position, Shi Xing called out to Chi Yao.

Immediately, Chi Yao’s warship was enveloped in a layer of Shi Xing’s mental power, forming a soft barrier that changed the situation from dodging attacks to charging directly at the star beast.

The air was compressed by the energy, producing a tremendous sonic boom.

Chi Yao’s mental power spread outward fully, the pressure causing even familiar faces like Fei Chu and Fu Qing to feel slightly strained.

Shi Xing, however, was fine.

During the maturity period, he had absorbed too much of Chi Yao’s mental power, and while the connection protected him, his level had also increased greatly.

All the positioned teams heard the enormous sound.

Longtime aides to Chi Yao knew what it represented.

Chi Yao: “Ye Jun, use the guardian ships to outline the combat area.”

“High-energy particle flow cannons ready.”

“Yizhenqiang, lead the battleship team to encircle.”

“Bi Shu and Zhuang Yuanyin, come up.”

Issuing a series of commands in one breath, Chi Yao’s warship descended unscathed through the explosion of mental force, while the mutated star beast was sent soaring by his unrestrained attack.

A distance was created, but everyone knew that the D-class mutated star beast would return shortly.

Everyone sprang into action, preparing for the subsequent hunt.

Shi Xing saw Chi Yao’s warship approaching them and let out a subtle sigh.

“Too close, move down.” Chi Yao was referring to the position of Shi Xing’s warship.

Shi Xing: “We’ll do it together.”

Meaning they would wait for Chi Yao’s warship to arrive before retreating together.

Chi Yao stopped speaking, tacitly agreeing.

But just before their meeting, a sudden change occurred.

Shi Xing sensed it first; he was particularly sensitive to the fluctuations in energy in the air.

“Be careful!”

An attack emerged out of nowhere, slamming into the barrier that Shi Xing had released in an instant, causing another burst of energy.

The high-speed warship was tossed by the energy produced from the collision and had no time to adjust its flight posture before the next attack came.

Fei Chu was knocked about, “What the hell is that? Is that thing back?”

Chi Yao shook his head affirmatively: “No.”

Then he released his mental power barrier overlapping Shi Xing’s beneath, the two of them working together seamlessly, and Shi Xing felt the pressure lift sharply.

This wave of attacks continued for several minutes, enveloping several squads, the attacks utterly erratic with no warning, and ultimately, it was Chi Yao and Shi Xing who withstood all of them with their barriers.

Strangely, the detectors returned reports that the star beast had been knocked out of the atmosphere and had just stabilized.

As soon as the attack ceased, Chi Yao immediately said, “Start getting in position according to plan!”

All the officers responded, with the elite squad of the first legion gathering in front to form a hunting formation to greet the next wave of attacks from the D-class mutated star beast.

When Shi Xing caught his breath, he realized that at some point, Chi Yao had already reached the outside of his warship, looking at him with concern.

Shi Xing was momentarily stunned, and Chi Yao frowned, “Your mental power is dropping too quickly.”

Shi Xing had only provided barrier protection.

In other words, the attack mental power of this mutated star beast was also quite high.

Chi Yao called out to Er Ya, and the Blue Star human’s mental power flowed back into Shi Xing, replenishing his mental sea.

The hunting formation began to take shape in two or three minutes.

Both Chi Yao and Shi Xing exchanged glances, knowing that the remaining tasks were merely adjustments of positioning and equipment. The current formation could roughly resist the star beast, and both of them let out a collective sigh of relief.

Chi Yao commanded, “Bi Shu, check the positioning and cooperation between the squads.”

Bi Shu: “Understood.”

Bi Shu and Zhuang Yuanyin’s warship exited the command center.

Meeting Chi Yao’s gaze, Shi Xing said, “Your Highness, your mental power…”

Once he opened his mouth, he realized his voice was somewhat weak.

His mental power had indeed been overexerted.

Er Ya: “His mental sea had a crack repaired by you, thus improving his overall capability. He had also been absorbing damage all this time; his mental power hasn’t even been depleted halfway, so don’t worry.”

Reassured by Chi Yao, Shi Xing nodded.

Chi Yao noticed the cold sweat forming on his companion’s temple and wanted to wipe it away, but the current high-level star beast made it inappropriate for the army to observe, so he ultimately restrained himself.

Chi Yao handed Shi Xing a tissue, and Shi Xing thanked him as he took it.

Just as he pressed it to his forehead, Chi Yao’s brows furrowed, moving his fingers to adjust Shi Xing’s bandage upward, “Start from here.”

After he spoke, he let go; though the contact lasted only a second or two, the contained silent care was understood by Shi Xing.

“Where did that last attack come from? What in the world?”

Fei Chu’s words directed the group’s attention back to the last wave of attacks that had consumed Shi Xing’s mental power, leaving everyone puzzled.

Er Ya spoke honestly, “I didn’t see it; it just appeared out of nowhere.”

Shi Xing added, “I could only sense the fluctuations in the air beforehand; I had no idea where it would appear.”

Fei Chu found it strange, “Could it be spatial mutation ability?”

That something could appear out of thin air made Fei Chu first think of that direction of mutation.

Chi Yao thought for a moment and shook his head, “It doesn’t seem like it.”

“Even if spatial mutation ability can distort space to transmit mental power, it cannot cross barriers.”

Exactly, all through the time they had endured that wave of attacks, they had been outside the combat area.

If it were spatial mutation power, the barrier should have withstood all attacks in transit.

Fei Chu pointed out the anomaly, “So, what is the mutation capability?”

A soldier beside Chi Yao pulled up data, hesitating momentarily before quickly reporting, “It shows analysis is still ongoing.”

In other words, it hadn’t been analyzed yet.

Fei Chu spat.

Fu Qing frowned, “It seems the direction of mutation is quite special.”

Er Ya: “The laws of space are among the highest laws discovered by current technology; utilizing mental power to break through. If it’s not spatial mutation, what else could it be?”

Fei Chu: “Whatever it is, it’s not easy to tangle with.”

As he spoke, a beast roar pierced through the clouds.

Fei Chu looked up, frowning, “It’s back.”

Chi Yao pressed the communicator down, his voice steady, “Prepare for battle.”

The star beast quickly charged back.

The hunting strategy against it was precise; initially, Chi Yao and Shi Xing did not need to do anything. They merely watched the drones, high-energy ion flows, and the level 3 mech take turns attacking, wearing down the mutated star beast.

Minutes passed, and Shi Xing’s expression was not looking good as he voiced an adverse observation.

“It has a high level of mental power and recovers faster than ordinary star beasts.”

Chi Yao also noticed it; the blood holes made by his mental power earlier had completely healed now.

This speed… troublesome.

Fei Chu, the raven’s mouth, remarked, “Higher-level star beasts often have higher intelligence; do you think it’s holding back some strength in its attacks?”

Er Ya: “?”

Er Ya: “Please don’t talk if you can’t speak!”

Fei Chu shrugged.

It turned out he was indeed prophetic.

The mutated star beast was indeed testing the formation; once it discerned the formation, it attacked again, targeting the weak points in the coordination.

Moreover, the kind of mental power that could appear out of nowhere returned.

It was indeed related to the mutated star beast.

And it couldn’t be blocked by the combat barrier.

Always appearing suddenly, each explosion resulted in bizarre effects.

Soon enough, the coordination was shattered by this odd mental power from the star beast, and everyone felt the pressure mounting.

In principle, mental power attacks are also energy and can be absorbed. Er Ya tried to absorb such an attack, intending to harness it, but when she first came in contact with it, she withdrew immediately.

Shi Xing’s special barrier had blocked subsequent attacks for her.

Er Ya shook her head, “No, the violent mental power contained is too strong; I can’t absorb it.”

Er Ya could only absorb normal attack energy.

Shi Xing gritted his teeth, feeling frustrated that he hadn’t learned quickly, but soon cast that frustration aside; this wasn’t the time for regret.

Fu Qing asked the key question, “So what type of mutation is it?”

An attack rich in violent mental power mainly utilized the mutation talent; the violent mental power itself was a manifestation of a mutation talent.

Chi Yao declared, “Change the formation; the mech squads shouldn’t get close. We’ll still use unmanned warships to drag it out and observe its mutation type.”

“Uman warships have sustained considerable damage; consuming more resources may not be sufficient.” Ye Jun reported.

Chi Yao replied, “Five squads dispatch two groups of warships; Ye Jun, switch to unmanned operation.”

The attack-capable warships were standardized; humans could implement more complex operations, whereas, in the absence of personnel, with the docking control data, the warship simply operated as unmanned.

Acting swiftly, two groups of unmanned warships restored themselves and joined Ye Jun’s squad to position themselves at the front to resist the star beast.

Time ticked by, and the atmosphere was tense.

The warships sustained excessive damage; Shi Xing’s barriers started to appear intermittently in the combat area, protecting the warships while blocking the attacks that appeared from nowhere, alleviating the control pressure on Ye Jun and others.

Er Ya’s hand had already landed on Shi Xing’s shoulder, replenishing his mental power to ensure that his mental sea would not be drained during the high-intensity battle.

The star beast was moving at high speed, and under dense attacks, judging the source of mental power and the attack routes was not easy.

Suddenly, Shi Xing noticed something different.

He even doubted he had seen wrong.

The mental power attack appeared first, and then he saw the star beast execute a swallowing gesture.

This is…

Closing his eyes and reopening them, his first talent activated.

A wave of orange mental power attacks emerged, which Shi Xing’s barrier nullified.

Then, under the capability of his first talent, he saw the star beast make another swallowing motion for an attack, and the released mental power disappeared ahead, its color… identical to the previous attacks.

Shi Xing realized something; his pupils constricted, and he suddenly felt alarmed.

In a panic, he turned to look at Chi Yao, and at that moment, Chi Yao also turned to look at him.

One was alarmed while the other remained composed, but the depths of his eyes reflected turmoil.

“Your Highness, its direction of mutation…” Shi Xing’s voice was hoarse.

“Did you see the delay too?”

Chi Yao had evidently seen it as well.

Shi Xing hesitated and nodded, stating, “The initial mental power attack and the subsequently released disappearing one have the same color.”

In other words, they were attacks composed of the exact same fine energy.

Fei Chu, confused, exclaimed, “What are you two talking about?”

Chi Yao explained, “We are saying that we observed a phenomenon where the mental power attack appears first, followed by the star beast releasing mental power afterward.”

Fei Chu was dumbfounded.

He completely did not understand what they were saying.

“So?”

“What does that mean?!”

Chi Yao pressed his brow, “You know that the laws of space are among the highest-known laws.”

This was something Fei Chu understood.

“Above the laws of space, there exists a natural law— the law of time.”

Upon realizing something, Fei Chu’s voice faltered.

Er Ya’s pupils contracted in disbelief.

Shi Xing continued, “The mental power attack came first, followed by the motion of attack, but in reality, it was a complete attack.”

“It’s just that its direction of mutation is on the time aspect, so…”

Chi Yao interjected, “So the mental power arrives after being released, moving in the dimension of time in reverse jumps.”

Chi Yao took a deep breath and said in a solemn voice, “Congratulations, everyone; you’ve encountered a time-mutated star beast, one that might not be seen for hundreds of years.”

Fei Chu crumbled, “Is there no good news at all?”

What the hell kind of luck is this!

They weren’t even talking about D-class mutation; does the direction of mutation really have to be this freakish?!

No wonder the drones couldn’t detect the type of mutation; there were hardly any of these mutated types seen in the entire star system!!

Chi Yao smiled, a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, “There is good news.”

His tone was teasing, “The law of time is the supreme law, which is rarely breached. Although its direction of mutation is powerful, its use of time dimension is also significantly restricted.”

“From my observation, the time between the action taken for all mutated attacks and the actual attack appearing is no more than a one-minute difference.”

Fei Chu: “So?”

Chi Yao responded coldly, drawing a conclusion: “With some effort, we can still fight!”