Chapter 41 Preliminary Round 2 (6)
The newly born Kuroshio creatures are huge.
It hadn't yet fully emerged from the planet's interior. Black tentacles wriggled beneath the planet's surface, prying away the icy crust covering the white planet's surface, revealing soft yet rough black tips. The black tide's energy field escaped from the cracks, breaking through the ice and falling into the universe, entwining itself around the central star.
As one tentacles after another appeared, the entire ice crystal planet seemed to be tightly grasped between the tentacles of a giant creature, being entangled, melted... and swallowed from the inside out.
"This appearance... its prototype is supposed to be the low-level Kuroshio creature, the spherical grass!" Rabbit's commentary quickly said in the live broadcast room. "Spherical grass doesn't possess advanced intelligence, but it easily spreads with the Kuroshio energy. Like the Kuroshio insects, they are the most frequently discovered invasive species outside the Kuroshio Star Sea. I'm sure many members of the interstellar exploration team have seen them!"
"Unlike the highly destructive Kuroshio insects, most of the time, Kuroshio spherical grasses are easily defeated! They can be devoured and digested by the star beasts and plants of ordinary planets. Like some of the energy left over from Kuroshio days, they often become nutrients for the growth of rare minerals..."
"But, what if... if there was a spherical grass that happened not to be devoured by the star beast, and was resilient enough not to be dissolved and destroyed by the planet's lava layer...!"
The plush rabbit murmured, "I never thought they would evolve into such a terrifying form..."
"The spherical grasses, having devoured the planet's internal energy, are still common, low-level black tide creatures, but they have reached an energy level of S! Their volume has expanded hundreds of millions of times! The black tide energy they carry is incredibly powerful!"
What happens in this virtual star map are real events in history.
Witnessing the birth of the Black Tide creatures made his heart clench. The plush rabbit's tone was heavy as he spoke involuntarily, "I believe that after this match, the Central Star and the Star Navigation Department will surely issue a more detailed report. The long-dormant investigation into the X7 Star Sea accident may finally be lifted..." He took a deep breath and changed the subject: "Let's get back to the match!"
"As of now, most of the teams that obtained the energy map from the space station have already chosen to leave the starry sea! It's understandable! Their starships are only equipped with the most common black tide energy protection coating. As long as they realize that the collapse of the central star is related to black tide energy, then the most sensible choice must be to avoid it this morning!"
"As for those teams that didn't find any clues within the space station... or simply chose to ignore the distress signals, I can only say, Amitabha." The Rabbit Commentator clasped his hands together and said sincerely, "I wish them good luck."
"And many seed teams! They still choose to travel across the sea of stars! Oh, except for the Rangers!"
"The Rangers from the Central Star Region were the first to change course and leave the Star Ocean ten minutes ago! Yes, the Ranger Observers Vincent and Yang Haoyuan possess a special ability known as twins! Their mental threads can fuse and resonate, and their acuity after fusion is even higher than that of an S-level Observer. Of all the people present, they were the first to notice the anomaly!"
"The rate at which the Kuroshio's energy is gathering is changing...!"
"Let's see how each team responds! The Slayer from the Southeast Star Region and the Eggplant Flower from the Southwest Star Region! These two top teams from their respective star regions are of course still on the march!" The commentator extended his rabbit claws, arranging the light screens of the different teams in front of him one by one. "The equally powerful Central Star and Duck Duck Rush Teams, and..."
"Oh!!" he exclaimed in surprise, "And our dark horse team! So colorful!——"
"Unlike most seeded teams! Their first-round ranking is 2222nd. This means! Like those teams that chose to leave, their starship hulls and protective coatings are made of the most common standard materials!" The commentator's tone was nervous and excited. "So colorful! How will they survive the Black Tide? Or will their Star Navigation Competition end here—"
In the Human Resources Office of the Central Star Region Star Navigation Department, Wu Xiaofan saw the commentator cut the light screen to the colorful scene again, so he picked up the pen again and prepared to observe and record the performance of the starship in the black tide and the response of the observer and the driver.
The thorny colleague at the opposite table noticed his action, snorted through his nose, and said sarcastically, "Fool."
"You've got the star map but you still don't know how to run. Do you think you can sail in the black tide energy like those seed teams? Let alone anything else! It seems to me that LUCE is an observer for the first time. He might not even be able to find the direction!" He said critical words, his eyes fixed on the light screen that was showing the colorful response methods.
"Thirty degrees northeast." Ming Yu remained calm and said quickly, "That's the fastest direction to leave the starry sea. According to the trend of this energy explosion, it will only take less than a minute..."
The surface of the white planet was cracked, resembling a strangely shaped circular volcano, or perhaps a bursting pearl about to be bitten, but what flowed out was not sweet and sour fruit syrup, but black tide energy that was extremely harmful to the human body.
The silent explosion occurred the moment Mingyu stared at the planet.
The dancing tentacles of the black tide creatures, carrying terrifying energy, suddenly broke through the planet's surface, which was already full of cracks.
The black energy flow did not have a scorching temperature, but was instead terrifyingly cold, like a river originating from a dead place.
In the silent universe, it gushes out in all directions, becoming black magma that freezes everything with extreme cold.
The powerful gravitational force sucked the fragments of the planet's surface into the core of the explosion. The central star energy field collapsed rapidly and was then spit out at high speed amid the wild dance of the black tide creatures.
In just a moment, the black tide energy engulfed the inner layer of the star sea closest to the central star and chased behind the starship.
“Wow! This isn’t the energy level we encountered before on the outskirts of the Black Tide Star Sea! Boss!!”
The starship's energy detector lost its signal the moment the silent explosion occurred, the light screen automatically closed, and the circuit burned out with gray smoke due to energy overload.
The multicolored furry creatures howled in bursts. Mingyu gripped the armrests tightly and said in a hoarse voice, "Based on the straight line, we're expected to be engulfed by the energy field behind us in five minutes..."
"There's a belt of vibrating energy to the left..." He closed his eyes, trying to concentrate. "The vibration direction counteracts the energy wave behind us, which can buy us some time. Let's go from there."
Mu Baixing piloted the starship into the shock energy zone.
The small silver-gray starship seemed like a ball placed on a spring, jumping up and down and shaking constantly as it moved forward at high speed.
"Oh... Shit... Nima..." Red Hair learned the beautiful vibrato through physical means, "What the... hell... is this... place... Ah..."
"Safety station!—" Blue Hair said excitedly, "Up there—! Should we go in and hide?"
"Don't go in!" Mingyu shouted immediately, "Speed down! If you go in, you will be disqualified!"
The starship passed the safe haven without stopping and dived downwards, avoiding the half-broken star that swept across.
The cutting gear layer on the outside of the starship rotates at high speed, knocking away the stellar fragments that are carried by the energy flow and collide with the outer shell of the starship. The fast-running mechanical wheels make a rumbling sound, and the sharp outer edges burst into bright sparks due to friction.
"Smart choice!" The plush rabbit, who was keeping an eye on the colorful girl, immediately shouted, "Colorful girl didn't fall into the organizer's trap!"
"You know, the requirement for the second round is to escape before the central star completely collapses. However, the collapse process will not stop once the starship enters the safe haven. Dodging the energy explosion in the safe haven does not meet the requirements for advancement—"
"The black tide energy is chasing them! Even with the shock belt's buffer, the black tide energy is still coming!——"
A black energy field spread from behind, first submerging the bright blue mental tentacles that were wandering behind the starship and extending outward.
At that moment, Mingyu subconsciously held his breath and tightly gripped the armrest of the chair.
It was as if a person who couldn't swim was suddenly immersed in icy sea water, and he was enveloped by intense panic and a sense of impending death.
He felt pain, as if his own mental strength was being dissolved by external energy.
He tried hard to stay awake.
In the intense pain, the sounds in the cockpit and the scenery around the starship gradually faded away.
The pervasive black tide and the doomsday scene in the universe became the only reality.
The vast universe seemed to shrink as the black energy tide was filled with tiny stellar debris from the explosion. And the S-rank black tide creature born from the central star opened its mouth wide.
Mingyu shouldn't have been able to see its mouth clearly in the darkness. But his fading mental strength still made out a terrifying wave of energy emanating from a point in the center of the darkness, like a creature opening its mouth and letting out a muffled roar.
The second wave of black waves is coming.
Compared to them, the energy wave that initially submerged Mingyu was as gentle as a shallow spring stream.
Violent energy rushed through him in an instant, and Mingyu couldn't help but let out a suppressed scream, and his bright blue mental power suddenly went out.
The black current energy waves have destructive power on human mental strength, human body, and all matters that humans are accustomed to.
It was not until this moment that Mingyu finally understood the definition of "devastating".
It was to destroy the original him, cleanse his spiritual realm, make him disappear as an individual, and merge into the black tide that seemed to control everything.
The pain emanating from the tentacles of his spiritual power was tangible, and Mingyu felt every bone in his body trembling. He felt as if he were being chewed and shattered.
But he didn't back down.
New mental tentacles were still growing outward. In this darkness, he knew that he was the only one... who could still tell Mu Baixing the direction of the starship.
He cannot be dominated by the black tide energy.
He cannot be swallowed by the black tide energy.
Their starship cannot be lost in this sea of stars that is about to be destroyed.
"Keep the course, Brother Mu, don't turn..." Ming Yu breathed rapidly, his mental threads flickering, instinctively fighting for territory with the black energy.
In the chaos, he subconsciously recalled what Mu Baixing had told him not long ago.
He can not only devour Mu Boxing's mental power.
It can also absorb the majestic black tide energy.
"Try again...I'll be successful..." Mingyu murmured, but his efforts could not dispel the pain.
The energy network erupting from the central star is too dense, too oppressive, and too powerful.
Mingyu absorbed one point, but there were still nine points, closely following behind him, pouring down like an overwhelming force.
They won't leave Mingyu any time to rest.
The bright blue spiritual power was annihilated and then regenerated. Back and forth, the blue stayed in the black tide energy for longer and longer.
Between the interruptions, the cut and shattered fragments grow again to form a thin yet tough line.
Mingyu couldn't help but groan in pain.
He was fighting the black tide with all his might, not even noticing the changes in his own mental tentacles. He only clearly saw the black tide creature behind him...
It's still growing, still getting bigger.
All the black energy strands were its outward-growing tentacles. Within those rough tentacles, a shapeless mouth emerged...with terrifyingly sharp fangs.
They bared their fangs and claws, and were furious, biting the blue mental power that they had been unable to attack for a long time.
Then the world shattered in silence.
Mingyu wailed.
The scattered fragments filled Mingyu's lungs, making it impossible for him to breathe. The fangs pierced his heart and sucked his blood.
His body was no longer under his control, his limbs had lost their strength, and his blue mental energy flickered, but contrary to what the Black Tide creature had hoped, it did not go out.
"Forward..." Mingyu's eyes lost focus amidst the intense pain, and he murmured, "Keep moving forward...Brother Mu."
He was still subconsciously describing the route he sensed, but he no longer knew what he was doing.
It was even difficult to tell who he was calling Brother Mu.
Mingyu almost lost consciousness in the attack of the black tide.
He could not hear the roar of the engines, nor the harsh sound of the starship's hull peeling off layer by layer because the speed seriously exceeded the load.
He couldn't hear Mu Baixing calling his name.
The overwhelming darkness was like the cloak of death, enveloping him and making him give up struggling and breathing.
Mingyu didn't know how long he could hold on, or how long he had already held on.
It seemed like a second, and it seemed like a century had passed.
In the gradually darkening vision, a golden afterimage suddenly appeared.
Like an arrow shot from a heavy bow.
Like the hallucination everyone sees before they die.
Leaping in from afar, penetrating through the black chaos.
They converged into a line and broke through the black tide.
Remaining in Mingyu's vision.
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