Chapter 42 Preliminary Round 2 (Part 7)
Two golden arrows pierced through the tentacles of the black tide creature and its open mouth.
One in front and one behind, they penetrated the darkness that Mingyu thought was impossible to break through and the seemingly endless surging black tide.
Then, in the dead silence, a faint sound was heard.
From far to near, from soft to loud, it overlaps like layers of echoes, until the vague tail sound suddenly overlaps and becomes clear.
"Mingyu." Mu Baixing's tone was cold and he said sternly, "Mingyu!"
Mingyu: “!!”
Mingyu's whole body trembled, and the picture in his vision lit up again.
His vision was still not clear, and the black universe seen by his mental power was intertwined with the scene in the cockpit.
That golden light gushed out from the starship's cannon barrel, but unlike ordinary condensed columnar mental energy, it formed a layer of golden protective film on the starship's exterior. It then stretched backwards along with Mingyu's mental energy, wrapping around the bright and dark blue.
The man sitting in the driver's seat was turning to look at him.
A warm current flowed into Mingyu's body, gradually allowing him to find warmth.
Mingyu realized that he was shaking in his seat.
He took a deep breath and managed to find his voice.
"...Brother Mu." Mingyu's voice trembled and he spoke incoherently, "Brother Mu...it ate me..."
"No." Mu Baixing's voice rang out. He wrapped his mind tightly around the young man's, repeating soothingly, "No."
"You are the one who devoured the black tide energy."
"Look ahead," he said. "You told me the direction. East."
"That's the starport interface."
The starship is about to break out of the black tide.
Mingyu: “…”
Mingyu gasped for breath and looked ahead, following Mu Baixing's words. He couldn't remember what he had said while he was unconscious, but he did see the starport entrance in front of him.
The starship's direction was correct. Mingyu felt relieved. He hadn't let the starship get lost in the black tide.
Mingyu relaxed.
The S-rank Black Tide energy was far too powerful. Even with Mingyu's mental threads dissolving the surrounding energy, he still felt the pain of the Black Tide corroding his breath. The starship entered the starport, its fastening buckles tightened, and the central screen lit up with the words "win the second match," followed by a colorful streamer of congratulations.
Mingyu still sat in his seat.
Mu Baixing frowned, lifted Mingyu's fixator, picked up the designer horizontally, and walked towards the lounge.
Mingyu looked at him blankly.
The designer was still shaking. Mu Baixing hugged him tightly and whispered, "Well done, Mingyu."
"Just take a nap if you're tired."
Mingyu: “…”
Mingyu leaned in Mu Baixing's arms.
"It's very uncomfortable." He closed his eyes and muttered softly, "The black tide energy is so disgusting... or your mental power is more delicious..."
The young man's voice became softer and softer, and he gradually fell asleep.
*
"The patient's mental state and vital signs are stable. The system has determined there's a 90% chance of unconsciousness due to excessive mental stimulation. Treatment: Infusion and observation."
A mechanical sound rang vaguely in his ears. Mingyu felt cold all over and felt that the warmth surrounding him was about to leave. He quickly stretched out his arms, trying to keep him.
“Don’t… don’t go…”
The young man murmured unconsciously, rubbing his pale cheek against Mu Baixing's chest, "Don't... don't..."
"Infusion." Mu Baixing whispered, asked Mingyu to lie down on the hospital bed, and held his palm that was not inserted with the infusion needle.
Mingyu looked uneasy, his curled eyelashes trembling rapidly. He tried his best to retain the warmth that only remained in his palm, stumbling and struggling to leave the darkness.
"……don't want!"
Mingyu suddenly opened his eyes and tightened his fingers instantly.
The temperature of the fingertips is distinct.
The man's hands were thin, with distinct joints and long fingers. Mingyu's breathing became rapid, and his gaze shifted from his clasped hands to Mu Baixing's face.
Mu Baixing: "I'm not leaving."
He sat on the edge of the bed, leaned forward, and pulled the corner of the quilt that had slipped off when Mingyu struggled.
Mingyu: "...Brother Mu."
Mu Baixing: "Where do you feel uncomfortable?"
Mingyu shook his head.
He just felt cold, but after struggling to wake up, the coldness quickly faded away.
The sunlight fell through the window behind Mu Baixing.
This is the StarNet Medical Station, a capsule-like isolation treatment room. Half of the medical robot's light screen displays physical data, and the other half displays the remaining infusion time.
"I seem to have seen your spiritual power in the black tide energy, Brother Mu." Mingyu muttered, still in shock, "It's not our starship... It's not fleeing outward, but at the center of the central star's collapse."
"It was a bird-shaped starship, enveloped in golden spiritual energy and ablaze with flames. Its spiritual energy fluctuations mirrored yours... and together with you... it shot through the star beast born from the black tide."
"Hallucination." Mu Baixing said calmly.
Mingyu: “…”
The man's voice was so firm that Mingyu had no doubt about it. He blinked and came back to his senses.
I was unconscious at that time and only saw the dancing golden light. I didn't know if it was a double image caused by visual deviation.
"That's right..." Mingyu whispered, "The center of the black tide energy explosion, how unlucky."
It shouldn’t be Mu Baixing.
Even if someone manages to survive the center of the Kuroshio outbreak, they will likely carry incurable injuries for the rest of their lives.
He let out a long sigh, and then suddenly remembered what should have been the most important thing.
Mingyu: "We successfully escaped from the Star Sea?!"
He sat up from the bed and looked at Mu Baixing with sharp eyes.
"Yes." Mu Baixing said, "The energy fluctuation information has been collected very completely, so the bonus will not be small."
Mingyu let out a wow and laughed, and his slightly weak and dazed look was replaced by joy.
"That's great! Brother Mu!" He looked so excited that he seemed like he could jump out of the bed.
Mu Baixing held his shoulder and said, "I'm still receiving an IV drip, don't move!"
"If you want to sit down, then sit down." He pulled a pillow from the side for Mingyu to lean on, his tone cold, "There's still half an hour left. Finish the infusion and log off to rest."
Mingyu: “……?”
Mingyu studied his expression.
"Brother Mu?" The designer stared at him for a long moment, then pinched Mu Baixing's hand, which he was still holding, and asked tentatively, "Brother Mu? Are you angry?"
Mu Baixing: “…”
Mingyu: “?”
"Why are you so angry?" Mingyu asked in confusion, "I didn't point you in the wrong direction!"
Mu Baixing looked down at him, his eyes swept across the designer's dry lips, and said coldly: "No."
Mingyu looked at him, trying to decipher the meaning behind his cold gaze. Unable to do so, he asked, bewildered, "What is that?"
The designer's voice is clean and clear, but the ending tone is slightly prolonged, which makes it sound a bit like he is acting coquettishly.
Mu Baixing: “…”
"S-class Black Tide creature." He was silent for a while, then finally spoke, "I wasn't able to keep a close eye on your movements while piloting the starship."
He could see the black tide behind him, but he didn't notice how far the young man's mental power extended.
Therefore, it was not until Mingyu almost lost consciousness that he realized that the other party's mental power had been submerged.
Mingyu: “…”
Mingyu said "oh", thought about it carefully, and said seriously, "But your mental strength level is only A-, ah Mu-ge! Isn't it normal that you didn't notice it?"
"The mental power of ship-type awakeners is not as sharp as ours. Isn't it normal that they didn't notice it?" He saw Mu Baixing's face tense, paused for a moment, and deliberately said, "Your mental power level is not even as good as mine!"
Mu Baixing: “…”
Mu Baixing had a cold face and pulled his hand away from Mingyu's fingertips.
His actions could be described as childish, which was totally inconsistent with his handsome appearance and stern temperament.
Mingyu suddenly laughed.
"You're kidding, Brother Mu! Everyone's in Area A. If you want, you can pin me to the ground and beat me up."
There's no absolute dominance of mental power within the same zone. Due to the varying characteristics of mental power and the degree of control each person possesses, it's not uncommon for an A- to crush an A+. There have been numerous instances of an A-, with their explosive power, beating an S across zones.
"Hey, I mean..." he said seriously, "You don't have to take it all on yourself—"
Mu Baixing shook his head and remained silent.
"Pour you some water."
He stood up from the bedside, and saw Mingyu still staring at him from the corner of his eye. He didn't know what he was thinking, but subconsciously opened a light screen and pushed it in front of Mingyu.
Mu Baixing: "Watch."
I couldn't bear the designer's gaze for some reason.
It seemed as if some unknown emotion was brewing wildly in the other person's sight.
Mingyu's attention was diverted.
The light screen is playing a live replay of the second Star Navigation Competition.
In the commentary room, a tuxedoed rabbit stood at the podium, his mouth open, gaping at the image floating before him. The colorful match scene was playing before him.
In the black universe, golden spiritual energy continuously gushed out from the muzzle of the circular starship. As the muzzle rotated, a dense golden mist formed by the spiritual energy spread outward, forming layer upon layer of protective film not far from the starship's exterior, making the circular starship look like a giant cocoon of light.
The outer edge of the light cocoon is not smooth.
Sparks flared at the intersection of golden and black energies, occasionally emitting bursts of light that exploded and scattered. The two mental forces tore at each other like two beasts biting each other, each exerting all its might to tear apart the opponent's fur and flesh, forming an irregular outer edge.
At the tail of the light cocoon, thin golden and blue lines extended into the distance.
"Tense—and eye-opening!" After a moment, the rabbit commentator regained his voice. "Colorful is racing against time to escape! But let's talk about some unimportant... no, what should have been important starship changes."
"Look at this muzzle!" the Rabbit commentator exclaimed passionately. "In the last match, Colorful used a modified Lambda cannon barrel! In just one week, after LUCE's modifications, the Lambda cannon is almost unrecognizable!"
"Its energy storage speed, energy threshold, and firing rate are all astonishing! Even more surprising is that LUCE actually removed the energy-gathering valve at the muzzle?!"
"The use of a function valve on the psychic cannon barrel can reduce the driver's need for psychic power operation. Without the energy-gathering function valve, the output psychic power will not be naturally gathered into a beam-shaped attack line..."
"Without the external focusing device, the pilot must independently control their mental energy and shoot it outward at high speed. This puts a greater test on the pilot's ability and control of their mental power, and is also more energy-consuming. I believe LUCE must have far greater trust in their pilots than ordinary people can give, in order to remove this auxiliary device, which is widely installed even on military starships."
"The benefits of removing this device... are obvious to everyone! The mental energy ejected from the cannon can change form freely... Oh my god... I mean! No one has ever thought that the mental energy ejected from the muzzle can surround the starship. What is this? A 360-degree surround cannon?"
"Look, this golden spiritual power is actually colliding with the black energy surrounding the starship... Wow! Looking at the shockwave of an explosion, if I were inside the starship, I would definitely be scared to death by this shockwave!"
"Of course! When needed! He can even be used as a backup engine, pushing the starship forward in the opposite direction by counteracting the energy explosion caused by the black tide energy—"
Rabbit's commentary sped up. He paced back and forth on the commentary platform, suppressing his emotions as he finished explaining the mental cannon, finally letting himself go.
"Look at this blue mental power!" the rabbit commentator shouted, "It belongs to Luce... a blue mental power thread!"
"While Mu Boxing was still fully focused on piloting the starship and hadn't had time to pay attention to the rear, LUCE's mental thread was the first to be absorbed by the black tide energy! But in the following few minutes, it remained unswallowed by the black tide energy!"
"Ladies and gentlemen! This blue spiritual energy isn't emitting sparks like the golden spiritual energy! Look! Here! There's even a gap between the blue spiritual energy and the black tide energy... What does this mean?!"
"That means the energies aren't colliding! Look at that flickering blue line. Luce's spiritual power was extinguished for a moment, but then it rekindled... There were no sparks of energy collision! Yet, he wasn't affected by the Black Tide! This means... he's also absorbing the Black Tide's energy!"
"Devouring Psychic Power! Ladies and Gentlemen! To fight against S-rank Black Tide Energy! You need at least A-rank Devouring Psychic Power! This is truly rare! So rare! My curiosity about LUCE is growing day by day!"
"We all know how great the risk is to trigger devouring spiritual power! I wonder if this is a true Langmie or if there was a major mistake during the spiritual awakening process..."
"In recent decades, not only in the Central Star Region, but even in the Southeast and Southwest Star Regions, no high-level Devouring Psychics have appeared!"
"If the competition rules didn't prohibit it, I'd even want to sneak into the organizing committee's database to look for Luce's personal information..."
Mingyu exhaled.
"So! Speaking of which, I'm very curious, are the colorful colors related to the spiritual power colors of each of their observers? But Luce's spiritual power color conflicts with 'Blue Four'..."
Mr. Rabbit paused.
"Oh, these names are so perfunctory..." His ears drooped. "Of course, of course, very easy to remember, 'Red One', 'Orange Two',... worthy of being colorful. I think according to the order on the team list, LUCE can be renamed 'Blue Five', and their pilot 'Mu Baixing' should be renamed 'Gold Zero'..."
"……puff!"
Mingyu was caught off guard and almost spit out a mouthful of water, choking and causing himself to cough repeatedly.
Mu Baixing: “…”
Mu Baixing had an expressionless face as he took the cup of water he had just taken a sip from and placed it on the bedside table.
"Wow—so colorful! As expected—they're rushing towards the border of the star sea—getting closer and closer—"
A border gleaming silver appeared on the screen.
The edge of the starry sea on the virtual map is divided here, and the surging black tide is blocked outside by the boundaries erected during program programming.
The circular starship crashed out of the boundary and entered the starport at high speed.
The starry sky suddenly became quiet, and the blue and golden spiritual power dissipated.
"Let's congratulate the colorful ones! Congratulations to the team members! - Mu Baixing - Hongyi -..."
Mingyu: "It's not Mu...it's Jin...cough cough cough...Jin Ling...! It should be called Jinmao, hahahaha!"
Mingyu couldn't help coughing and laughing, staggering back and forth, and said intermittently, "No... Brother Mu... I didn't mean you were a dog... Hahahaha - cough cough cough! Hahahaha! -"
Mu Baixing: “…”
Mu Baixing had a cold face and patted his back. The blow was not too hard, but not light either.
Mingyu's back was hurt by the slap, and after coughing a few times, he finally recovered. He quickly grabbed Mu Baixing's wrist and asked him to stop.
Mu Baixing's wrist was held and he looked down at him.
The designer's eyes were a little tearful due to choking, but there was still a smile in his eyes. He held Mu Baixing's wrist and looked at the person in front of him carefully.
"Don't say that, Brother Mu." Mingyu said seriously with a smile, "Do you want to dye your hair so you don't stand out among the red-haired guys? ... Then dye it blonde!"
"Brother Mu will look so handsome with blonde hair!"
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