LSDWTWHA chapter 89

Chapter 88

In the vast universe, Su Su, who was struggling to survive, did not remember that today was supposed to be the day of the finals.

The interstellar driving competition arrived as scheduled, with the public’s attention on the starships greatly heightened due to the ongoing war. Many people who had no interest in the game had downloaded it just to watch.

In this final round, “Star Wars” upgraded the starship permissions for players. All participants were equipped with customized SS-level starships. The combat objective in the competition shifted from defending supply points to destroying the mother bug, to win a war. The ten players were allies and enemies at the same time; they had to cooperate to complete this war to achieve victory in the game and win the final grand prize. Their final rankings would be calculated based on their performance in the field and their accumulated contribution points.

All the spectators outside had voting privileges, and their votes could influence the final outcome to some extent.

The nine contestants in the preparation hall were ready, but they soon noticed that the most anticipated contestant, Su Su, was late to appear.

“Where’s Su… the Silver-Scaled Shark? What? Did he agree to meet me here for a showdown and then run away at the last moment?” Zheng Hui maintained his somewhat arrogant tone in the game, but there was an involuntary hint of worry in his expression.

Su Su valued this competition so much, he shouldn’t just not show up for no reason. Could it be that…

“He went to the battlefield.” Jian Fan confirmed Zheng Hui’s guess. “A few days ago, he took the old starship that Qi Hanyi had stored at the backup launch station. The whole military has heard about this.”

“Is he… crazy? He knows that this isn’t the same as a real starship, right?” Although Zheng Hui had some suspicions, hearing Jian Fan’s information still left him gasping for breath. The Dark Tide had studied the simulated driving system. As someone who was originally groomed to steal the Baize, Zheng Hui had undergone corresponding training, so he was even more aware that piloting a real starship was not something that could be done in a day. Letting a gamer who had not received training on starships fly one was tantamount to giving him a death sentence.

“He knows, but no one could dissuade him. I’ve heard that even His Majesty and the head of the Qi family tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn’t listen. In the end, I don’t know how he got Qi Hanyi’s privileges and obtained information about the Silver Shark, and then he snuck off.” Jian Fan said, although there was a hint of admiration in his tone.

“Why does he have to do this?” Zheng Hui felt a deep sense of regret. In his eyes, Su Su’s talent was no less than Qi Hanyi’s. He should become an excellent pilot in the future, yet he was about to throw away his life for this reason. It was too not worth it.

“Do you think he’s doomed?” Jian Fan tilted his head to look at Zheng Hui.

Zheng Hui replied, “Otherwise?”

“I don’t think so.” Jian Fan said, “Wanna make a bet?”

Zheng Hui thought gambling was foolish, but after hesitating for a moment, he still asked, “What’s the wager?”

He didn’t know why he agreed to this bet; perhaps it was merely because he had a glimmer of hope in his heart for the other person’s survival.

Jian Fan raised his eyebrows, “I’ll tell you when I win.”

Thousands of mechas had held the line against the pressure from the bug tide for nearly two days and two nights.

Although they had split into several teams to take turns, everyone was on the brink of exhaustion, both in terms of personal stamina and mental energy, as well as the energy of the mechas themselves.

“The number of incoming bugs is increasing. What do we do, Captain? We can barely hold on!” Number 544, a newcomer in the team, had only joined the assault team for two years, full of admiration for Qi Hanyi. He hadn’t expected that his first selection for the assault team would lead him into such a perilous situation.

It was all the mother bug’s fault; it was too cunning. It could shrink its body and hide, darting away quickly, playing hide and seek among the chase of a group of people.

“We must press on! The Admiral has been holding off six SSS male bugs alone for so long without rest. Where have we been? Everyone, focus! If we let a single bug in, you’ll be punished with fifty hours of intensive simulation training in the Bug Sea mode.” The captain scolded sternly.

Number 544 was horrified. Gosh, if one bug leaked through, he might owe training time that he could never complete next year!

“Don’t panic; your captain is just trying to scare you.” The deputy captain, a gentle woman with a soothing voice like a clear spring, reassured everyone, “Just hang on a little longer. Our main fleet has successfully killed three male bugs, and the remaining three are heavily injured. The mother bug is isolated now; we’ll win soon.”

But the closer they got to victory, the more likely accidents were to happen. The mother bug, realizing it was isolated, finally gave up its strategy of focusing fire on the Baize and attempted to summon the six male bugs to protect itself.

The other starship pilots also noticed that the six male bugs started to rush toward them, trying to converge with the three injured ones.

Other starships were preparing to adjust their formation to block the approaching bugs, preventing ambushes.

But they heard Qi Hanyi’s voice, hoarse from exhaustion, come through the communication: “Ignore them. Continue to besiege the mother bug.”

“Yes.”

At this moment, the Baize shifted from its previous defensive position and, like a swimming dragon, blocked the escaping male bugs one by one.

It poured out the energy it had stored, like a brilliant sun, suddenly bursting forth with a dazzling golden-red light that illuminated the surrounding dark universe. But the golden-red was not light; it was a special energy beam belonging to the Baize, with a temperature high enough to melt the hard outer shell of the bugs. Even SSS-level bugs would find it hard to withstand this enormous eruptive force.

Each of them released their abilities, trying to distance themselves from the Baize at this moment. However, after a day and night’s entanglement, Qi Hanyi had long since become familiar with each of their ability characteristics and easily nullified each one.

Cornered, the bugs had no choice but to retaliate against the Baize more fiercely. They understood this was a life-or-death battle; the only chance for them to escape was to kill the Baize.

At this moment, Qi Hanyi was not in a good state. A severe headache seemed to tear him apart, and a sickly sweet blood taste surged in his throat, with various strange and terrifying illusions flashing before his eyes.

He knew he could not lose consciousness now. If he held on for just a little longer, the others could successfully kill the mother bug, ending this war. At that time, those subordinates who had entrusted their lives to him could return home alive.

On the battlefield’s edge, Number 544 pointed with a mechanical arm into the distance. “Captain, that bug looks like a starship… Wait, am I seeing things? Isn’t it just like the Silver Shark?”

Although he had never seen the real starship, he had seen videos of Qi Hanyi fighting in it. The sharp energy blasts and swift flanking maneuvers made it seem like a fierce deep-sea shark tearing its prey apart. It looked exactly the same as the one in front of him.

“What’s nonsense? The Admiral is piloting the Baize, and the Silver Shark is resting at the backup launch station. How could it possibly appear here… Damn, it really is the Silver Shark.” The captain’s tone changed. Not only did he recognize the appearance of the starship in the distance, but he had also retrieved the Silver Shark’s icon from the just-appearing communication signal, along with the communication sent by the other party.

To avoid affecting the combat view, mechas wouldn’t produce images during contact, transmitting only audio. The captain of the mecha squad heard a youthful voice, clear as the sound of waves crashing against rocks, without using fixed communication jargon, but briefly uttered two words: “Make way.”

That clean tone and cold style suddenly reminded him of his days as a soldier under Qi Hanyi, who was still just a squad leader right after he graduated.

His body reacted before his consciousness did. By the time he came to his senses, he had already given the command to make way.

The captain watched as the starship rushed like the moon chasing the stars into the inner circle and scratched his head in confusion. “This is really bizarre. How did that starship appear here? Who’s the pilot, and how did they find their way here?”

Su Su was not showing off; he was simply exhausted and had no energy left to speak. At this moment, he did not even have the heart to think about the reactions of others. His eyes were solely focused on the glowing starship.

He could see that the way Qi Hanyi was acting now could not possibly be due to manual operations. It must have involved mental force. Once Qi Hanyi activated his mental force, it meant that his life was already on a countdown.

Closer, just a little closer. Su Su finally saw the outline of the Baize and located the Baize’s communication interface.

Su Su immediately applied for communication.

[Sending communication request…]

Pick up, Qi Hanyi, quickly!

But in the empty starship, only the electronic prompt sound echoed.

[No one answered the communication request. Would you like to resend?]

Su Su gritted his teeth and confirmed, but a rising sense of unease gnawed at him. Why wasn’t the communication connected? Qi Hanyi was still in a battle; could he really not have time to answer? Or was he about to lose consciousness?

[Resending communication request…]

[No one answered the communication request.]

Damn! Su Su’s fist slammed hard on the control panel, tears swirling in his eyes! He had come all this way! If it didn’t work, he could only find a way to forcibly blow open the Baize’s landing gear and take the risk of getting inside to look for Qi Hanyi.

This was the backup plan Su Su thought of, but he also understood that there were still six SSS-level bugs entangled nearby, with streams of chaotic energy mixing together. Just getting close increased the damage to the starship. If he dared to leave the ship, it would be tantamount to a death wish; the protective suit would not be safer than the starship’s hull, and he might just disappear as soon as the door opened.

Su Su, unwilling to give up, pressed the communication button again.

[Communication cannot be connected. Detected the same communication account privileges. Would you like to force the communication?]

Su Su’s eyes lit up. He didn’t expect Qi Hanyi’s privileges to still work here. He pressed confirm, and the situation in the Baize’s cockpit displayed on the communication interface.

In the pilot’s seat, Qi Hanyi was dressed in all-black protective gear, his eyes like cold obsidian, yet devoid of the usual commanding brilliance. Although he was awake, it seemed he was in a state of sleep, instinctively fighting while his consciousness had already descended into the abyss of chaos.

Sing! Hurry and sing to him. Su Su anxiously urged himself in his heart. He opened his mouth, but his throat was hoarse; it felt like there was a stone stuck in it, and he couldn’t make a sound.

“Ahh!” The little shark let out a futile sound, as if it had forgotten how to speak at that moment.

Sing, how do I sing again? Su Su struggled to think and finally recalled what Yi Qing had said: “The mermaid’s song is a manifestation of mental force, a resonance with what one loves.”

Feel, resonate, use mental force! Yes, use mental force!

Su Su forgot that his mental force was still connected to the starship; he simply thought of using mental force to feel, resonate, and sing.

He imagined that starry night, the seawater, reefs, and beaches, a young boy sinking into the deep sea. He remembered the serene moonlight at night and the shimmering stars of the Baize. He looked through the porthole at the battlefield. Mech starships arrayed like stars against the surging tide of bugs, the bugs writhed in the scorching flames, their lives moving toward eternal silence in the cold night. And in the center, the ever-shining, seemingly undiminished brilliance, and the person to whom he had devoted all his love.

The song began to resound, but it did not pass through his throat nor rang out from the communicator; it echoed through the Silver Shark, resonating across the entire battlefield’s starry sky. The armored warriors heard it, the pilots of the starships approaching the mother bug heard it, and all the soldiers still alive in the assault team heard it.

They heard the blood-stained sky and falling stars, as well as the eternal flame of hope and faith. The exhaustion of prolonged fighting seemed to be swept away by this song; the original confusion, despair, and fear gradually faded. They remembered their initial resolve to fight, remembered the reasons they stood here, and recalled the places they wanted to protect.

But Su Su did not care about all this; his song was only for one person.

As the song ended, Su Su softly said in a hoarse voice, “Qi Hanyi, I’ve come for you. You must not die.”

It was as if the best artist had applied the final touches to a beloved piece, dialed up Qi Hanyi’s originally vacant eyes, slowly filling them with starlight. His gaze gradually focused on the screen, and through the communication interface, Qi Hanyi gently looked back at him and said, “Okay.”

“You’re awake!” Su Su jumped up from his chair in surprise, tears rolling down his cheeks. “You finally woke up.”

“I heard my little shark calling me.” Qi Hanyi said.

“Uh,” he clumsily wiped his face, only to accidentally smear himself into a mess. Looking at Qi Hanyi, he seemed to forget all the fatigue he had endured along the way and proudly lifted his chin. “I told you I can always wake you up.”

“Yeah, you always can wake me up.” Qi Hanyi did not inquire why Su Su was piloting the Silver Shark, why he appeared here, or why he looked so worn out. He did not ask how Su Su had learned to sing the mermaid’s song, nor how much suffering he had endured to get here. He didn’t need to ask. He knew Su Su was here because he wanted to find him. He understood that the journey must have been fraught with peril, that it was definitely a painful ordeal. Su Su had expended all his effort to save himself and would need to repay it with a lifetime of love.

The ensuing battle became much simpler. Without the torment of a headache, Qi Hanyi’s offense was even more ferocious than before. With Su Su providing support from the Silver Shark, all six male bugs were annihilated.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of the opportunity created by Qi Hanyi, the other starships finally surrounded and killed the cunning mother bug. The mechas that had been holding the outer line suddenly felt a great relief. The bugs, devoid of their leading force, began to turn on each other in chaos, while the assault team safely triumphed after clearing the battlefield.