Chapter 4
Sector 33 garrison.
Shi Liheng, bearing the temporary command order, requested that the general of the 33rd Legion recall all personnel and prepare to formally notify Xi Hai of his death. Xi Hai's replacement had already been chosen, and he wasn't concerned with the difficulty the other party faced in subjugating the 33rd Legion. He simply required the Central Star Region to follow the following procedures before the transfer order was issued.
The 33rd Legion was too large to train in the spacious training grounds. Legions from other star regions could only watch the live broadcast on the large screens in their respective training grounds.
Inside and outside the big screen, the crowd was silent, a heavy sadness hanging in the air. Just as they had once been high-spirited, they were now repressed and silent.
Because their commander, one of the five great interstellar commanders, the super S-class mecha god of war Xihai, died.
Shi Liheng smiled slightly, reached out and touched the floating microphone in front of him, and was about to speak when the alarm sounded throughout the garrison.
"Alert, alert, a Level 4 pollution outbreak has occurred in the 29th star zone. A Level 4 pollution outbreak has occurred in the 29th star zone..."
Everyone looked up simultaneously, transported back to a week ago. Back then, the alarm that had killed the coach was nearly identical to the one now, only the pollution level was different.
Shi Liheng's smile froze on his face.
Sector 29? Isn't that where he sent Hubi to escort the Xi family kid?
The microphone in his hand was suddenly snatched away: "No. 28 Corps B1 Star Team, No. 33 Corps B2 Star Team, assemble immediately and follow me!"
He is Xihai's former deputy, General Zhai.
Shi Liheng said coldly: "General Zhai, I am conveying the order from the Central Star Region!"
"Just have someone else relay it to me afterwards."
Although Shi Liheng was the commander of a district, everyone was at the same level in terms of military rank, and General Zhai did not give him any face.
"Eliminating pollution is our top priority under any circumstances, and this is also the policy set by the central government."
Shi Liheng: "I'm sending the 32nd Legion. Sector 29 is not under your jurisdiction!"
General Zhai said without even turning his head: "The no-man's land is also not under the jurisdiction of General Shi, right?"
"you!"
Shi Liheng's angry words were interrupted by a message. He raised his light brain and saw that it was sent by Hubi's team members.
"Admiral, the captain has died! We are still fighting the contamination. Requesting support, requesting support!"
After searching all over the galaxy, only the 33rd Legion has installed pollution detection facilities in all the garbage star zones. Shi Liheng, who has already dispatched a mecha star team by mistake, has not received any alarm at his garrison yet.
Shi Liheng's expression was uncertain.
The pollution outbreak was too coincidental and also involved his people. Was it God's help that he could eradicate the problem completely, or was there another reason?
-
In the 29th star zone, the thick gray fog rolled violently and spread outward like a volcanic eruption.
The polluted air was so infectious that even the tightly wrapped mecha soldiers dared not linger inside for too long. Ordinary people, without any protective measures, would be completely infected and mutated in no time if exposed to the polluted air.
However, three thinly dressed people walked out of the fog, with their mouths and noses completely open and part of their skin directly exposed.
They did not mutate, or to be more precise, there was not even a trace of infection.
Xiyao looked at the fog around her in disbelief, while Xipo raised his hand and his eyes fell on the clearly visible lines on his palm.
Everything they had learned at the Mecha Academy couldn't explain this strange phenomenon—a pure space roughly two meters wide formed around the eldest sister. Within that space, not a trace of polluted air remained.
Similarly, the crazy mutated plants on the ground, and even the mutated captain just now, all took the initiative to avoid this space.
All pollutants are like servants of the big sister, respectfully making way for their master to leave a clean passage.
"The God of Pollution..." Xi Yao thought of a word that had been circulating in the city and that she had scoffed at. "Big sister, you... are the God of Pollution?"
"What is the God of Pollution?" This is not part of the common sense Xiyue has learned.
"It's the god who controls the contaminated area."
"Don't we all hope that the contaminated areas will be completely eliminated? How can we call the person who created the contaminated areas God?"
"Uh..." Xiyao couldn't answer this question.
"Because the contaminated areas can't be completely eliminated. They appear randomly. When one is eliminated, another appears." Xipo looked at his elder sister with increasingly complicated eyes, even showing a hint of awe. "It has been like this for thousands of years."
Xiyue probably understood that when fear of something persists for too long, it turns into awe. And inspiring awe is the greatest characteristic of a god.
It’s a pity that in this interstellar apocalypse, the God of Pollution is the biggest villain.
Xipo's emotions were quickly replaced by disgust. After all, he had been taught since childhood how harmful pollution was, and his father had just died in a polluted area.
Xiyue noticed it but pretended not to see it: "The Legion support will arrive soon, go down from here."
The contaminated area was limited in size, and by the time they reached this point, they had already escaped the gray fog. Before them lay a narrow, steep path that led into a dark ravine.
Xiyue vaguely remembered seeing on the Star Network that in some garbage star areas with harsh living conditions, people would seek shelter underground.
The air here is no longer polluted, and there is no need for a pure space. Xiyue went down first, and Xiyao held Xipo's hand and stood there: "Brother..."
Xipo looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar figure below, hesitated for a moment, and took a step forward.
After adjusting to the light, they realized it wasn't as dark underground as it looked from above. The three of them found a small hole and crawled in.
Xiyao curled up beside her brother, hugged herself, looked at Xiyue across from her, and asked, "Big sister, aren't you cold?"
She was wearing her school uniform, trousers and a jacket, while her brother wore a combat uniform, which, though torn in a few places, at least covered him completely. Only the eldest sister wore a sleeveless long dress, and the exposed skin was red from the cold.
Xiyue's mind had not been here the whole time. After hearing this, she finally felt cold and said with a smile, "You're just cold, not hungry?"
Xiyao hadn't eaten a single bite of the meal she'd cooked yesterday. After all the hard work she'd done this morning, even she was famished.
Hunger made Xiyue feel insecure.
Xiyao pouted in grievance: "Hungry..."
Xiyue looked at Xipo: "What about you?"
Xipo: "Not bad."
Stubborn.
This kid had been eating well and nutritiously since he was young. At 18, he was already 1.9 meters tall. He trained regularly, so his energy consumption was probably more than twice that of Xiyao. Xiyao couldn't eat yesterday. He had risked his life to find Xihai, so how could he eat?
Xi Yue clapped her hands and stood up: "Wait for me here."
"Where are you going, sister?" Xi Yao stood up.
No matter if it was the God of Pollution or something else, the eldest sister first saved her from Shi Liheng, then saved her from Team Star, and finally brought her through the horrifying contaminated area safely.
From now on, her elder sister is her backbone.
"Find something to eat. Be good and stay with your brother." Xiyue did not question it.
Xiyao had no choice but to sit back in her original position and watched her elder sister disappear into the cave, feeling uneasy.
"Brother, where can I find food?"
Xipo's eyes grew darker. Where else could it be except the polluted area?
When Xiyue returned to the surface, she discovered that there were already people around the contaminated area. These weren't the Legion's reinforcements, but rather filthy individuals, each wrapped in rags like a bear, scattered sparsely around.
They should be the garbage citizens who came out of the underground shelter. It seems that they are also planning to pick up recyclables.
Interstellar resources are scarce, but the recycling industry is thriving. Anything can be sold as secondhand, or at the very least, to a recycling station. And when the Legion battles pollutants, they always leave behind small, valuable items. Among these, the most valuable metals—like bullet casings—are a real treasure.
Whoever can drive the starship away will be rich. If they use it frugally, they will probably never have to worry about food and drink for the rest of their lives, Xiyue thought.
Everyone was so focused on the contaminated area that no one noticed her completely different style. Xi Yue chose to go in a less crowded direction and quickly walked into the gray fog.
The pure space was limited in scope, and visibility was very low. Xiyue estimated her location and walked in, treating the mutated plants and lizards that occasionally passed by her as nothing more than air.
She had gotten used to it on the way out and was no longer surprised.
But there were also things she had not expected.
Suddenly a gunshot was heard not far away, and the next moment, a bullet with a red glow hovered in front of her, making her break out in a cold sweat.
It's so speechless that he died from a stray bullet right at the beginning even though he had such a magical golden finger.
Fortunately, after the bullet exhausted its propulsion force, its light dimmed and it was thrown aside. It turned out that pure space was a distorted force field that not only blocked pollution but also protected against weapon attacks.
After the bullet landed, it was quickly covered with a layer of gray mist. As Xi Yue approached, the gray mist on the surface was completely eliminated by the pure space, revealing its copper-like luster again.
It is definitely a recycled product of the best quality.
So Xiyue walked, picking up trash: various bullets, oddly shaped syringes, mecha fragments... anything made of metal, she picked up. However, until she got close to the starship, she didn't pick up much.
Maybe it’s because there are too few mecha soldiers inside, only a ten-man star team.
Compared to when they arrived, the starship was in a state of disrepair. One side of the cabin was completely deformed, as if it had been struck by some powerful force. Its surface was covered in the twisted tendrils of mutated plants, and everywhere it was covered in crimson spikes.
However, the spikes changed direction the moment the pure space approached. The branches even squirmed to the sides, revealing the hatch.
Bang! The hatch lost its support and fell down, revealing a person inside.
Xiyue smiled.
Whether it was a coincidence or the work of the mecha soldiers, Hubie was trapped inside.
His face was as pale as if painted with lime, his eyes devoid of pupils, only a thick layer of gray mist. The most significant change was between his eyebrows. From the muzzle of his gun grew a bundle of blood-colored filaments, like earthworms, filling the cabin.
Xiyue stretched out her hand, and the other party moved back an arm's length, looking confused and funny.
"Well, I didn't expect my shooting skills are quite accurate."
Before he finished speaking, Xiyue lunged forward, and Hubi instantly bounced out of the other hatch. The blood-red thread fluttered after him, as if tied to a kite's string.
"This force field can really be used like this."
Before he could finish his words, a scream and the inhuman roar of the pollutants were heard in the distance.
Uh…I accidentally sent Hubie to the team members.
The filaments that filled the cabin were cleared away, and the mutant plants immediately extended from outside the pure space. Xi Yue took two steps inside: "Don't move!"
Wherever the arm moved, the vines retracted.
If I'm not mistaken, the storage boxes on military starships, like her personal starships, are hidden under her feet. Xiyue searched for a while and indeed found a hidden handle in the middle of the aisle. She pulled it and found that the lid of the box actually took up most of the aisle and was very heavy.
She exerted all her strength and finally lifted the two-meter-long metal hatch. When she saw the full load of supplies inside, she instantly felt it was worth it.
The entire star team, with supplies for ten people, has everything from compressed food, nutritional supplements, bottled water, combat uniforms, cold-proof blankets, and many high-tech equipment that are obviously very valuable at first glance.
I should have brought Xipo here earlier!
Forget it. Turning back would take too much time. The army reinforcements might not arrive by then, and by then all our efforts would be in vain.
Five minutes later, Xiyue changed into a combat uniform that was obviously too big, put on a military backpack that was stuffed to the brim with three cold-proof blankets stacked on top of it, and stood up with difficulty.
Just as he was about to leave, a crackling sound of electricity suddenly occurred in the cabin.
"32-B1, report."
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