Chapter 34: Mental Power Advancement (Part 3)
Mingyu was drenched in sweat, as if he'd been pulled out of the water. His breathing was rapid, each breath laced with suppressed pain. It wasn't just from overexerting his mental energy, but also from... the excruciating pain of his mental energy being dissolved by the red light.
Cui Xiaoduo's face turned pale, and he almost didn't dare to look at the hellish scene outside the cockpit.
Before today, he didn't think any observer could find the direction to keep the starship intact in such an intensive attack.
I also don't think there is any driver who can operate the starship to make such rapid changes of direction and rise and fall in a short period of time, and shuttle between those light beams and long tongues according to the guidance of the observer.
Ten seconds have passed since Mu Baixing opened fire.
In those ten seconds, Cui Xiaoduo felt like ten years had passed.
The hulls of their starships were grazed by beams of energy from the frogs' eyes and scratched by the pink synapses on their long tongues, but they were never completely caught in the terrible attacks.
"The energy stored in the frog beasts' bodies is limited," Cui Xiaoduo muttered to himself. "Once they open their eyes, their attack duration can't exceed one minute at most..."
But the attack power is extremely strong. Even a warship will be severely damaged if it is hit, and must seek an emergency landing.
It is impossible to make a forced landing.
"Hold on, hold on..." Cui Xiaoduo muttered, "From now on, if anyone Mingyu is a loser, I'll beat him up... Brother Lian, if I see two, I'll beat them up in pairs..."
The platinum-colored energy cannons became more and more dense, connecting into one, like a continuous rain curtain.
Golden threads of mental force drifted in the energy cannon, raising a dark golden mist in the world, tearing apart the long tongues of the frogs and their hard skin.
The gold color was still spreading into the distance, and more and more frog beasts fell in the attack.
The dark blue light on the outer layer of the starship became brighter under Mingyu's urging. It was mixed in the golden light and wrapped in Mu Baixing's mental power. As a result, every thread of Mu Baixing's mental power became more sensitive, and the energy flow in the entire area was also reflected in Mingyu's mind.
He saw the central area of the base rising higher.
Black fragments fell from the yellow earth beneath the base. These weren't impurities in the soil, but the foundation that once supported the central area. Now, the material that had replaced the foundation and supported the central area also emerged, exposed to the air.
It was a dark blue crystal that shone with a deep light.
There seemed to be some liquid flowing inside it, and a bright color wrapped in the middle of the liquid.
The light was dim yet mysterious. The moment the crystal emerged from the ground, it suddenly became brighter.
The frogs suddenly became agitated and turned towards the dark blue crystal that was still growing upwards.
A series of crackling sounds emanated from the crystal. Its outer layer of crystals cracked, opening outward layer by layer, while the base remained connected to the center, like a rapidly opening lotus.
"S-grade Blue Lotus Stone..."
Cui Xiaoduo was stunned.
Huge energy fluctuations came from the center of the blue lotus stone. Even ordinary people without mental power could feel the change in the air at this time.
There were panic-inducing fluctuations in the air, making all living things want to retreat.
The starships circling and watching in the distance turned around the moment they saw the blue crystal and fled into the distance for their lives.
The remaining frogs turned their gazes, no longer even paying attention to the attackers overhead. Their brownish-yellow skins opened, revealing one black, energy-absorbing cavity after another. With a kind of desperate courage, they waited for the light at the center of the stone core to be released.
If the energy released when the S-level blue lotus stone matures explodes, it can destroy an entire space city, and these frog beasts evolve by absorbing energy.
If they can continue to absorb the energy released by the blue lotus stone, evolve while absorbing it, and then absorb it again, they will be able to surpass their current level and become more powerful individuals.
But perhaps, they will be dissolved by the energy wave at the first moment of energy release, turning into a pool of smelly flesh and blood.
However, Mu Baixing did not drive the starship away.
Both he and Mingyu knew that it was too late to run.
A dazzling light has radiated from the heart of the blue lotus stone.
Mingyu seemed to hear a loud bang, and many bright blue mental threads were reduced to ashes in the instant impact of energy. Amidst the severe pain, more mental threads swarmed out and probed towards the light in the center of the blue lotus stone.
Like a masochist who is bringing about his own destruction.
Mingyu seemed to have lost his mind in the severe pain, and acted like a madman out of some inexplicable instinct.
The light illuminated the whole world white.
That light streamed through the transparent window at the front of the starship cabin, piercing Mingyu's eyes and bringing tears to their eyes. The world seen by the threads of mental force that stretched frantically downward was not much different from what the eyes could see: an overwhelming white.
It was like the whiteness of a tide that was drowning the world, and a terrifying force that seemed to melt everything.
But in that white, there was actually a dark golden light that Mingyu was familiar with.
Mingyu realized that Mu Boxing was piloting the starship, descending into the terrifying energy wave. With a slight tremor, the starship came to a steady stop on the top floor above the central area.
This is the center of the blue lotus stone after its petals broke open. It is right above the source of the energy wave. It is the place of death that will be melted and reduced to ashes in less than half a second.
The golden rain curtain also contracted here, transforming into the incredibly solid golden shield Mingyu had seen so many times. It stretched from the top of the starship downward, spreading across the damaged outer wall of the central area of the base, and then converged along the bottom of the outer wall, forming a closed protective shield on all sides, isolating the central area of the base from the ore growing in the soil below.
Countless golden threads of spiritual power were submerged in the rush of energy, and more were stimulated to grow by Mu Boxing.
The light emitted by the golden protective shield flickered, but never went out.
It is indeed indestructible, just like the will of its owner, as if it cannot be melted or disintegrated by any event, nor can it be broken up or defeated by any existence.
From within the thick golden barrier, a hint of blue emerged.
Clusters of bright blue spiritual threads followed the golden light downward, poised to break free from the protective layer. The surrounding golden light sensed their movement and extended downward, doing its utmost to protect Mingyu's spiritual threads.
Until it collided with the point in the center of the blue lotus stone, where the source of terrifying energy converged, and which seemed to be a solid bead core condensed from energy light.
There seemed to be a loud noise.
It also seems silent.
At that moment, lights of various colors mixed together, and an even more terrifying energy field erupted from the collision.
But in the next moment, the white, gold and blue lights went out one after another.
Gather in the same place.
It was as if all the energy was absorbed in an instant, and everything was stopped.
The orange sun hung high in the sky, illuminating the earth.
The mining planet was in a mess, the ground was cracked, and cracks extending for dozens of meters formed, and solid waves shaped like tides were piled up.
The ground within several thousand meters around the base disappeared completely.
The soil and the ore within it were shattered by the energy's evaporation, transforming into tiny crystalline dust particles floating in the air. From the sunken pit, heat and a foul odor rose from deep underground. In the darkness, there was no sound. No one knew whether any frog beasts had advanced in the recent energy release, or if they had been completely annihilated.
The blooming blue lotus stone still existed, but its color had changed from dark blue to light blue. The essence in it was instantly absorbed by Mingyu's mental power.
Atop the stone core stood a small, iron-gray, square building, the central area of the base. Its surface bore cracks from the frog beast's attack, yet it remained untouched by any energy.
After a while, a brave survivor felt that the world had returned to peace, so he approached the crack and took a look.
“I’ll go…”
He stood there, unable to believe his eyes, and couldn't help muttering, "What... is happening... outside?"
"Hiss-hiss-beep-hey-beep-"
Mingyu was awakened by the noisy sound coming from the starship communicator.
After losing contact with the outside world for an hour, they finally heard signals from other modules of the star network.
"This is the No. 3 Mine Area Management Department. All signals from the No. 3 mine area have just been blocked by energy waves. What happened in the mine area? Hello, can anyone hear me?"
Mingyu vaguely heard the voice of the communication station and struggled to wake up from his coma.
"Repeat, this is the No. 3 Mine Area Management Department—"
"Data connectivity has been restored." A prompt popped up on Mingyu's personal terminal. "The user can choose whether to log out of the virtual mining area."
Mingyu was still dazed. He took off his helmet and staggered to his feet.
His body didn't hurt, and even the headache that had been intensifying before the energy burst had disappeared. He felt a little dizzy, but that was just the aftereffects of the starship's high-speed travel and frequent transformations.
Apart from this, he felt refreshed, his spirit more relaxed than ever in the past year, as if some dirt and grime had been washed away from his body, and he had completely broken free from the shackles.
Mingyu clearly knew that his mental strength had improved.
And the improvement is definitely significant!
...He absorbed the energy of the Blue Lotus Stone!
It was a completely different feeling from absorbing Mu Boxing's mental power!
There was no scorching heat, nor was there an unstoppable ecstasy. Instead, it felt like swallowing a whole, huge, filling white steamed bun in one gulp. It didn't have much flavor, but it made me feel very full.
Even a little full.
A little blue light appeared on Mingyu's fingertips.
His originally colorless spiritual power thread had become a brilliant bright blue. Mingyu immediately realized that his spiritual power level had increased!
But he didn't have the mind to deeply experience this feeling, because Mingyu saw Mu Baixing leaning on the driver's seat.
The man's arms were hanging down, with a horrific wound on his right arm. He was still wearing his helmet, his head tilted to one side, and he had not yet regained consciousness.
"Brother Mu." Mingyu hurried to the driver's seat and took off his helmet for him.
Then he saw bright red blood oozing out from between Mu Boxing's tightly pursed lips.
"...Brother Mu! What's going on..." Mingyu threw the driver's helmet aside. A loud thud startled the little brown squirrel, which had been lying on the seat and slipped out of its restraints.
The little squirrel groaned, pushed off his helmet, climbed up, and called out, "Mingyu!"
He raised his long tail, jumped off his seat with a thud, and leaped onto Mingyu's shoulder.
Mingyu should have been shocked by Cui Xiaoduo's change in appearance, but all his attention was focused on Mu Baixing at this moment, and he could not spare any thought to feel any emotion other than worry.
He patted Mu Baixing's cheek and saw the man frowning slightly, so he remembered something. He quickly stood up and went to find the first aid kit in the cab, took out a tube of mental sedative and pushed it into his arm.
Mu Baixing still hadn't woken up. His face was almost transparently pale, and his eyes were closed. Mingyu's fingers were shaking as he felt his breathing.
"Don't be afraid! I've called emergency services!" Cui Xiaoduo rubbed his furry body against Mingyu's cheek, comforting him. "They'll be there in three minutes! It's probably the mental overload and the chaotic mental energy that caused the organ damage... As long as they can get him to the hospital, he'll be fine! Should we let him lie down first?"
Mu Baixing's weak breathing brushed against Mingyu's fingers, giving Mingyu a glimmer of hope. He quickly unfastened Mu Baixing's restraints and lowered his seat back.
As the angle changed, Mu Baixing frowned, his body shook, and he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
His body trembled and curled up slightly, and then he vomited blood again.
"Brother Mu!" Mingyu quickly stopped, almost stunned. He had never seen anyone cough up blood before, and his voice unconsciously tinged with tears, "Mu Baixing!"
Cui Xiaoduo: “!”
He was caught off guard and Mingyu's shouting made his hair stand on end. He almost thought that the other party was calling his soul.
"Calm down! Mingyu! He's still alive! Emergency is coming!"
Cui Xiaoduo was much calmer than Mingyu. This was because he had experienced many critical illnesses and had developed a strong heart.
"Look!" the little squirrel exclaimed, "He's awake again..."
Mu Baixing's eyelashes trembled.
He frowned and opened his eyes with some effort.
The sounds around him were not clear, but he heard the designer calling his name.
"Mingyu?"
Mu Baixing's voice was very soft, and he pursed his lips before the last syllable ended, but he couldn't help but cough again. As his lips opened and closed, more blood gushed out.
Mingyu reached out to wipe it for him in panic.
"It's okay." Mu Baixing coughed a few times and spoke with difficulty, the corner of his lips brushing against Mingyu's fingers. He was still frowning, but his expression was much clearer. After a moment, he held Mingyu's arm and supported himself to sit up.
But he still couldn't help coughing, and his black combat uniform was stained with more blood.
"Don't move!" Mingyu held his shoulders. Seeing him coughing up blood was frightening and uncomfortable. He spoke quickly and hurriedly, "The emergency room will be here in a minute. Let's send you to emergency treatment first..."
Mu Baixing: “No need.”
"What……"
Mu Baixing took a deep breath and continued, "There's medicine outside."
The outside he was talking about was the reality outside the Star Network.
"Don't worry." He looked at Mingyu, and before his vision began to blur again, he clearly saw the deep anxiety and helplessness in Mingyu's eyes.
The designer was still wiping the blood from his lips.
"It's okay." Mu Baixing repeated. He really didn't have much strength to move. The support of his arms was exhausted after a few seconds, and the weight of his body was pressed on Mingyu's arms.
The designer's arms were shaking slightly with anxiety.
Mu Baixing: “…”
He was in great pain, breathing rapidly, and it was difficult for him to say a word of comfort, and he didn't have the strength to raise his hands.
So he did something simpler and easier to do.
Mu Baixing tilted his head and kissed Mingyu's fingers on his lips.
With a very soothing meaning.
The man's lips were cold, but the blood on them was warm. Mingyu's fingertips touched something moist and soft, but the special feeling disappeared in the next second.
"Go back and have a good rest." Mu Baixing's voice was even lower than before, and he lowered his eyes and said, "Don't worry about me."
"Mingyu."
"See you next time."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
