Wesley’s idea was straightforward: inform all the survivors aboard the Ark and initiate the evolution process for everyone at once.
But Guo Hai strongly opposed it. “Not everyone is absolutely loyal to Lin Xiaohe. Sending them down the path of evolution would be a waste of effort.”
Wesley’s eyes were cold, like an abyss at the edge of a cliff. “So what? They do nothing, yet they comfortably enjoy the protection others provide. Why should we coddle such overgrown babies?”
Guo Hai was at a loss for words, but he tried to reason: “Maybe they can’t contribute now, but who’s to say they won’t be able to in the future?”
“If the Party Leader fails, there is no future.” Wesley wasn’t about to waste time on trivialities.
In the end, he agreed to give the survivors a choice: volunteer to become Stardust Humans, or not.
“If the final number of evolved individuals is insufficient, those who chose to decline will be forced to step up!”
Time was tight. Everyone had only ten minutes to decide.
All 500,000 soldiers from Moro Star agreed without hesitation.
From Wasteland Star, 950,000 people applied to join the plan.
From Volkos Star, fewer than 300,000.
Aboard the Ark, the survivors split into two camps, each walking their own path.
Guo Hai hesitated. He wanted to become stronger, but he couldn’t bring himself to be loyal to Lin Xiaohe. In his heart, Chu Huaizhi would always be the one true leader.
Darcy respected his choice. “While we’re undergoing evolution, we’ll leave it to you to maintain order inside the Ark.”
“Alright.”
On Xilos, the entire planet was trembling. Earthquakes struck relentlessly; volcanoes erupted violently—it was the very picture of an apocalypse.
The red beetle’s two antennae were severed, and cracks spiderwebbed across its carapace from the white vines’ crushing grip.
Countless white vines tried to slip through the wounds and invade the beetle’s body, but a pale yellow barrier held them back.
Tiantian was growing weaker by the second; her once-plump corn kernels were shriveling up.
Fanfan and Little Red, seizing moments when the white vines weren’t paying attention, secretly tossed tomatoes and chili peppers into the densest thickets of vines.
But instead of the explosions they’d hoped for, they watched in horror as the white vines pierced the tomatoes and peppers—and gleefully sucked out all the energy within, not even leaving the skins behind!
Fanfan cursed, “Is it a starving ghost reincarnated?! Doesn’t it have any standards?!”
Yingzi, who had yet to act, spoke gravely, “I sense a familiar presence.”
Fanfan couldn’t stand this show-off and snapped back, “If you don’t act soon, and we all get eaten, you’ll become part of its nutrients—then you’ll be even more familiar with it!”
Yingzi clicked his tongue. “Young people, so rude. Is that any way to talk to your elders? You think I don’t want to act? I just can’t beat it! It’s a parasite!”
Sucking the enemy’s energy and converting it into one’s own—what a shameless skill! Dealing damage and healing at the same time, with an absurdly high HP pool!
For the first time, all the plants felt completely outmatched. So frustrating!
Lin Xiaohe had no energy left to comfort her little companions. She was being thoroughly battered.
The enemy was everywhere. The rare times she managed to inflict any damage, it would just siphon energy right back from her.
If only she could land a single, decisive blow.
Then, suddenly, Lin Xiaohe sensed a small point of light entering her sanctuary.
It was Darcy!
Darcy’s arrival seemed to flip a switch. Within seconds, a dense swarm of light points poured into the sanctuary—some she recognized, many she didn’t.
They kept streaming in, filling the space around the red beetle until it was nearly packed.
With a thought, Lin Xiaohe manifested a chessboard beneath the beetle’s feet.
The light points flew onto it of their own accord. Some became the board’s lines and grids; others gathered together to form the chess pieces.
After every light point was placed, less than half the board was filled.
In total, 418,579 light points had joined!
Their arrival tripled Lin Xiaohe’s power!
With a mighty heave, the red beetle broke free—and the white vines wrapped around it shattered into pieces.
The Sui envoy leader sensed the sudden surge in his opponent’s aura and grew cautious.
This was an opportunity he had waited for—for so, so long. He absolutely could not miss it!
A cold smirk tugged at the corner of Lin Xiaohe’s mouth. She pulled out the Sacred Tome, used her spiritual power as a pen, and wrote the direction of collective evolution on the very first page!
——-
On the Second Star Ring, at the Federation Political Academy, Melina carried her mentor aboard a specialized shuttle in a hurry.
Several alumni were already on board.
News traveled fast among them.
“Where are we fleeing to? We can’t go to the Sixth Star Ring—the Dead Hand system has been activated there.”
“Can’t go to the Fifth either. The Great Tomb suddenly appeared in our ring, which means the Fifth Ring’s defenses are useless.”
“The Third Ring’s out too—the black beetles there haven’t been fully cleared yet.”
“How about the First Ring?”
The mentor shot that down immediately. “No. The Holy Gate’s been stirring lately. Chu Huaizhi took his people there.”
Everyone exchanged uneasy glances. This wouldn’t work, that wouldn’t work—where on earth were they supposed to go?!
The mentor’s expression shifted uncertainly before he finally made the call: “We’re going to the First Ring.”
Even though Chu Huaizhi wasn’t there, the First Ring still housed many Federation high-ups and powerful conglomerates.
The mentor firmly believed those people must have some contingency plans for survival.
The shuttle raced through space as if fleeing for its life.
Behind them, the silhouettes of the Void Devourers grew smaller and smaller.
Through the portholes, everyone looked back at the Second Ring—now on the verge of becoming a bug buffet—their hearts heavy with mixed emotions.
The tragedy of the Sixth Ring was about to repeat itself on the Second.
To the bugs, there was probably no difference—just one being slightly farther away, the other slightly closer.
Melina squinted. It looked like the Void Devourers were… giving birth? But the offspring looked so much like…
“Professor, come quick! Don’t they look just like crayfish?!” Another passenger had noticed the anomaly and cried out in shock.
The mentor’s mouth dropped open in an O-shape, as if he couldn’t believe his own eyes.
The Leviathan Project had always stated that bugs laid eggs inside nests—so why were the Void Devourers spawning in open space, and guarding their young so protectively?
It defied all logic. Was it really safer out in space than inside a nest?
“Professor?!” Melina gave her mentor a gentle nudge.
Snapping back to reality, the mentor didn’t even need a second look to be certain: aside from the color, the Void Devourers’ offspring were identical to crayfish!
Back when Chu Huaizhi had fallen into a coma, various factions had, for their own reasons, studied those crayfish from head to tail. The related paper reports could fill an entire room.
The mentor could recognize them with his eyes closed!
“So they really are crayfish…”
Everyone was dazed, their minds blank.
Then, suddenly, someone seemed to realize something and let out a piercing shriek: “AHHH! The Void Devourers are edible!”
Another person screamed even louder: “Holy black hole!! Lin Xiaohe killed that many—two full shipping containers of Void Devourers!”
Holy crap!
Chu Huaizhi and his people had to bust their butts just to kill one! Lin Xiaohe did it effortlessly—in just one night, she slaughtered a whole swarm!
With a god of death like that on their side, what did the Federation have to fear from the bugs?!
The Federation cheered: “Whoo-hoo! We’ve found our savior!”
