With a gentle snap of his fingers, sparks of fire gathered in Qi Yu’s hand, the sudden appearance of light within the dark passageway attracting the attention of the female zergs, who had been quarreling, now all turned towards the direction from where the light emanated.
Qi Yu casually picked up a small trinket someone had discarded on the ground, transferring the flame onto it. The fiery glow cast upon his fanged mask made him appear even more menacing.
Qi Yu took a step forward, heading in the direction of the five zergs.
He walked slowly, his feet crunching on the dry soil, producing a rasping sound. The rasping, in the quiet passageway, was particularly grating.
The five female zergs tensed up immediately, especially Tony, who had just spoken. Seeing Qi Yu approaching, his face turned a shade paler, his heart beating faster than usual.
He hoped his earlier comment hadn’t been heard. It shouldn’t have been…
But when had that female zerg been there, and why hadn’t he made a fire?
A chill ran up his spine, cooling his brain and bringing him to his senses.
…It seemed he was mistaken. That female zerg, not making a fire in such a place, must also possess A-grade strength. How much of their conversation had he overheard?
Initially, Tony had feigned compliance only to seek a chance to live. Now, he was genuinely afraid. Carrying weapons and possessing such strength, to dare venture into such a place without means for warmth, perhaps he had been following them all along…
…This zerg might even be more formidable than Nanda, especially with weapons…
Qi Yu took step by step, his footsteps echoing in Tony’s ears, as if trampling directly on his heart, making it thump violently in response.
Though the distance seemed considerable, in less than two minutes, Qi Yu arrived in front of the anxious group of five zergs.
“The benefactor.”
Nanda called out, looking at Qi Yu, who had changed his attire, and found it somewhat odd. The benefactor had been gone for two hours; could it be that he went to change clothes? What kind of female zerg from which household would care about cleanliness in such a place?
Could he be a female offspring from some household out to experience life? But considering the benefactor’s attitude towards himself just now, it didn’t quite fit.
Could he be an adventurer from another place? One who likes cleanliness? Unable to come to a conclusion, Nanda decided not to ponder further. “The benefactor, I have no intention of leaving. I, Nanda, might not be a noble zerg, but I wouldn’t go back on such a minor agreement.”
Qi Yu nodded, it was unclear whether he believed it or not. He lifted his gaze towards Tony, his voice hoarse and tone very flat, “Do you want to leave?”
Being stared at by those deep green eyes, Tony felt a wave of panic. For some reason, he felt a deeper fear than before, and it seemed that the source of his fear was the zerg in front of them, those deep green eyes.
Nanda and the others also sensed a dangerous aura, different from the zerg they had fought earlier today. This zerg, wearing a fanged mask, seemed as if he had unlocked some kind of seal, becoming even more dangerous.
Could it be… A bloody thought flashed through Nanda’s mind, sending a chill down his spine.
Tony was nervous, even more so than when facing battle. For some reason, he felt that in front of this zerg, he would die, truly die. If he spoke out of turn, he would die. It was the rule of three strikes, and he had already experienced two today…
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
The scent of blood seemed to waft through his nostrils. Tony lowered his gaze, but in the moment of looking down, he instinctively widened his eyes. He saw what appeared to be spots of fresh red on the hem of the female zerg’s mask and attire in front of him.
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“In that case, I’ll trust you this time.” He glanced over the other zergs, his deep green eyes carrying a hint of coolness. “I have located several obsidian deposits. Let’s see how we can extract them more efficiently.”
He paused, then added, “Tony, dig up a couple more pieces on your own.”
*
Over the next two days, Qi Yu relied on his mental strength to locate obsidian, directing Nanda and the zergs to excavate it. However, in such a place, opportunities to find easily accessible obsidian were rare. Much of the obsidian was buried deep within the soil, requiring considerable time to unearth.
The efficiency was somewhat slow; in two days, they had excavated just over twenty pieces of obsidian. Yet, Qi Yu was satisfied with this rate.
Initially, he had collected all the obsidian he could find, which resulted in varying qualities. The smaller pieces of obsidian could hardly sell for many star coins. Later, he became wiser, opting only for the larger pieces. Although this approach was slower, it ensured quality.
In just two days, he had become a small wealthy man.
Aside from mining obsidian, Qi Yu also had a comfortable life these two days. With his spatial ability, returning home was a piece of cake. Unwilling to compromise his rest for even a moment, he simply went home to sleep during lunch breaks and at night. This led to his pet, a round creature, getting used to its master showing up only at night to share his day’s adventures.
After living in the icy wilderness for two days, Qi Yu’s complexion was even better than before, hidden beneath his mask, unknown to the zergs.
On this day, just like the previous two, Nanda and the other zergs were mining obsidian, and Qi Yu watched them for a while. Seeing no issues with their technique, he left the group to look for the next obsidian site.
Qi Yu was holding an obsidian piece he had just excavated, intending to store it in his space. However, before he could do so, he felt as if he had become the target of a zerg’s gaze.
The zerg fixating on him seemed to be a veteran, extremely cautious, even its gaze only intermittently rested on him, afraid to linger too long as if fearing to draw his attention.
In places teeming with zergs outside, Qi Yu might indeed have overlooked such a creature. However, here, where zergs were scarce, coupled with his heightened sensory perception, it was difficult not to notice such a being lurking nearby.
In the past few days, Qi Yu had encountered various zergs, but most would hide upon seeing their numbers, never having faced one like this before. Was he now targeting him because he seemed an easy target alone?
Without a hint of emotion, he extended his mental power to survey his surroundings. There were no other zergs nearby, meaning this one had come alone to watch him. Knowing he had subordinates, he still dared to tail him, suggesting he either had the confidence to defeat him or he was foolish. However, reaching this place, it couldn’t possibly be the latter, implying that this zerg had some sort of weapon.
Qi Yu pondered quietly, his body tensing slightly.
The Zerg Empire had strict controls over weapons; aside from the military, other zergs were not allowed to carry weapons. Discovery would lead to confiscation. Although the Empire was relatively united, with the vast number of zergs, some outliers were inevitable. Plus, some knew that weapons could fetch a good price in star coins among the populace, leading to a not insignificant number of weapons falling into zergs’ hands.
The most armed were the star thieves—those who lived within the Empire’s borders but had betrayed it for various reasons.
Qi Yu wondered whether this zerg was a free adventurer or a star thief as he continued on his way without showing any signs of alertness, contemplating all the while.
A free adventurer was somewhat manageable; one only needed to be wary of their weapons. But if he were star thieves… that would be troublesome.
Star thieves were deadly foes who, likewise, invested all their star coins in weapons for survival. If this was an encounter with star thieves…
Yet, he was not afraid at all!
Seemingly as usual, Qi Yu’s mental focus was already on observing the zerg. It was only when he approached closer to him that the creature made a move.
Qi Yu watched as the zerg activated its terminal, looked down, and quickly sent out a message.
Did he have accomplices?
That was Qi Yu’s first thought, but he immediately dismissed him as the zerg began to stir.
Cloaked in a black cape, the zerg was fully concealed except for the black mask he wore, leaving Qi Yu unable to see more. After sending the message, without waiting for a reply, the zerg stood up.
With a tall and slender figure, standing at about 1.88 meters, such a height was considered average among female zergs. The zerg was cloaked in black from head to toe, and its eyes were also black, resembling a deep abyss that could draw in the soul if one was not careful. Although attractive, the aura of many years of combat made him appear more daunting than appealing.
It had been a long time since Qi Yu had seen black eyes. Since arriving in this world, he hadn’t seen such eyes, nor black hair, which was considered unlucky here. But he wasn’t a native of this place and didn’t have much insight into these matters.
The female zerg stood, his pitch-black eyes somewhat gloomy as he looked directly at Qi Yu. His expression was indiscernible, and Qi Yu met his gaze, his deep green eyes reflecting a chill identical to the pure black of his.
This one would be tough to handle.
Qi Yu came to a conclusion.
“Hand over the obsidian.”
The other spoke, his voice raspy, obviously suppressed, catching Qi Yu off guard. A cloak, a mask, a husky voice – could this zerg, like him, be someone who shunned the public eye?
He seemed quite formidable. Wondering if the female zerg could fight, Qi Yu felt a sudden urge to engage in a battle, suppressing the sudden burst of combativeness, he curled his lips slightly.
“If you dare…” He paused mid-sentence, as if intentionally provoking, his voice carrying a hint of challenge, “Come and take it yourself!”
The atmosphere turned somewhat peculiar following his words.
The zerg across did not move, his pure black eyes flickering, seemingly pondering something.
Blocked by the zerg, Qi Yu found himself unable to leave. After waiting for a while and seeing the black-cloaked zerg lost in thought with no intention to move, and the initial intrigue sparked by those eyes nearly faded, his patience ran out. He raised his voice, “If sir has no further business, I would ask you to please make way.”
Following his words, Qi Yu saw the black-cloaked zerg look towards him, repeating the demand, “Leave the obsidian behind.”
Qi Yu: “…”
Was this zerg treating himself as an emperor by merely speaking without fighting? How could there be such zergs, thinking they are the center of the world? Believing that all zergs should obey them?
“The same response as before, if you dare, come and take it yourself.” Qi Yu grew impatient. He didn’t mind a fight, but now there was no battle, just a demand for the obsidian. Why not just rob him?
No, this zerg was attempting to rob him.
“Or, if you wish for me to make the first move, I’m not opposed to that either.”
The black-cloaked zerg suddenly fell silent. Qi Yu didn’t dare to just walk past it. He was well aware of his role: a glass-cannon mage, capable in ranged combat but vulnerable in close quarters. Unless his opponent failed to kill him with one hit, he might have a chance to counterattack.
The aura emanating from this zerg didn’t seem like he would be unable to land a fatal blow.
“Since sir refuses to speak, then let us settle this in the manner of female zergs.”
He really thought he couldn’t win!
Qi Yu detested these kinds of zergs the most, blocking someone else’s path. Not bad per se, but not good either, just standing there blocking the way, making it impossible to pass.
Energy of space coalesced into a dagger at his fingertips, Qi Yu’s eyes shimmering with a hint of combativeness as he intently observed the black-cloaked female zerg in front of him.
The black-cloaked female zerg seemed to sense something too, his gaze falling on Qi Yu’s sleeve, still without uttering a word.
The atmosphere began to thicken, both zergs staring at each other, just as a battle seemed imminent, suddenly, a sound echoed.
Ding dong!
The sound rang out, Qi Yu saw the zerg opposite him raise a hand to check a message, and the next second, his previously straight back slightly bent, eventually hunching over.
Then, the black-cloaked zerg closed his eyes. Without a word, he moved his body and walked back the way he had come, his silhouette exuding a sense of desolation, the fighting spirit from before completely vanished.
As if… heartbroken.
Thinking of this metaphor, Qi Yu was: “…”
He watched the female zerg’s retreating figure, unsure whether he should attack now.
Why had he encountered so many strange zergs these days? One vomited in front of him just a few days ago, and now, another seemed heartbroken in his presence, after he had also saved someone rumored to be heartless like Nanda…
Why were there so many odd zergs among the zerg race?
———
Next Update: 27th April (Saturday) ♥
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Thanks for the update ❤️
Interesting. Did someone send him a “don’t mess with this mofo” message? Thanks for the chapter!
Thank you for the chapter! ❤
Aw 🙁
I feel a bit bad for him