The survivors who had cheated death felt incredibly grateful to Lin Xiaohé and cooperated fully with the Star Grain Party’s commands.
They lined up and boarded the Ark in an orderly fashion, with no arguments or queue-jumping.
The interior of the Ark was quite spacious. In addition to the five decks above, there were two more below the main deck.
Due to technical limitations, the two lower decks had no windows and were only fitted with simulated starry ceilings.
Wesley, worried that the survivors from the Wasteland Planet wouldn’t be used to such an enclosed environment, urged them to go up to the upper five decks instead.
“Our Ark is divided into thirty-five large districts. Each district can hold up to 100,000 people and has its own recreational spaces and psychological therapy rooms. Living on the first deck gives you a 360-degree view of the cosmos.”
To his surprise, the survivors shook their heads vigorously, like little tambourines. “No, no! Decks six and seven are just fine. If possible, please put us on deck seven!”
Wesley was baffled. In his view, the first deck offered the ultimate interstellar travel experience—so why was everyone clamoring to get to the seventh?
Though he didn’t understand, he respected their wishes.
The survivors found their assigned seats and sat down.
A little girl curiously examined her seat, even leaning in to sniff it.
The leaf-shaped seat was curved at just the right angle to comfortably hold an adult. The little girl, being small, could curl up entirely within the leafy chair.
Her eyes sparkled as she looked up with her dusty little face, as if sharing a secret, and couldn’t help but tell her mother about her big discovery.
“Mommy, the seat has a smell!”
Her mother looked dazed, still unable to believe that both she and her daughter had actually survived!
“What kind of smell?”
The little girl grinned, showing a gap where she’d lost a tooth. “It’s a sweet smell—sweeter than candy!”
With that, she leaned over from her seat to her mother’s side, sniffed her mother’s chair, and then exclaimed in surprise, “Mommy! Why does your seat smell like fresh grass?!”
Her innocent, clear voice brought warm smiles to the passengers around them.
A passenger on the other side of her mother leaned over and chuckled, “Little one, come smell mine and tell me what it’s like.”
The little girl obediently toddled over, sniffed carefully, and announced with great seriousness, “It smells like wheat! Even better than stardust wheat!”
Prompted by the little girl’s discovery, the survivors began to sniff the air more deliberately and indeed noticed subtle, unusual scents.
They also realized that every single seat was different! Even when two looked somewhat similar, the vein patterns on them were completely distinct.
“No way… are these really made from actual leaves?”
How absurd!
But then again, remembering that Lin Xiaohé was a Stardust Plant Manipulator, it somehow made perfect sense.
Looking at it from another angle, they were literally being embraced by Lin Xiaohé’s plants—what a huge sense of security!
“Wah, my mom asked why I’m holed up in my seat? Because I’m soaking in all the love from the great one herself!”
“I wonder if the Star Grain Party is still recruiting? I want to join!”
The little leaf-seats, in a mysterious way, soothed everyone’s anxious hearts.
Director Chen, carrying a small backpack, grabbed Guo Hai and insisted he come along to find Wesley.
Guo Hai didn’t want to go. “They’re busy right now. What are you trying to give him?”
Director Chen patted his bag and smiled mysteriously. “You’ll know when we get there. I’m bringing you along because I see how hard you’ve worked for our Wasteland Planet. Times have changed—from now on, we’re all going to be working under Xiaohé.”
He winked at Guo Hai. “Wherever there are people, there will be hierarchy. Our past resumes and credentials are all reset to zero. We have to build ourselves up again! The brave ones get to enjoy the world first.”
Guo Hai sighed. He didn’t actually want to follow Lin Xiaohé; he wanted to return to his old organization. But in the underworld, you’re never truly your own master.
He couldn’t go back!
“Director Chen, Lin Xiaohé doesn’t like all that scheming and maneuvering.”
“Exactly why we’re going to see Wesley, then!”
Their timing was perfect—one second later, and Wesley would have been out on the Ark’s exterior for inspection.
Wesley eyed the package with curiosity. “Is this a gift for the Star Grain Party? What is it?”
Director Chen and Guo Hai each grabbed an end and unfurled it together.
A massive banner of the Star Grain Party appeared on the Ark’s second deck, instantly drawing the attention of many Stardust Humans.
At the center of the banner was a cartoon image of Lin Xiaohé, cradling a blue planet in her hands, with the silhouette of a Great Sound Whale vividly swimming within that blue world.
Around them, against a backdrop of twinkling stars, a green vine stretched freely, its roots anchored among the stars, blossoming with green and red flowers.
“Eh?! Isn’t this the giant party flag we made when we won the election on the Wasteland Planet?!”
“Holy black hole! I thought it was destroyed long ago!”
Wesley gazed at the banner, tears welling up in his eyes.
He waved his hand grandly and ordered the flag to be hung in front of the transparent porthole windows on the second deck.
He grasped Director Chen’s hands firmly, shaking them up and down, his voice trembling with emotion. “You’ve put so much thought into this! The cosmos will witness the rise of the Star Grain Party! We, the Star Grain Party, will follow our leader to the death, sweep away all obstacles, and become the mightiest interstellar race in the universe!!”
“Rise!”
“Revenge!”
“Follow the leader to the death!”
“Strongest in the cosmos!”
The Stardust Humans roared with all their might, and even the Great Sound Whales outside the Ark joined in, letting out resonant calls in harmony.
Hehe, they were on the Star Grain Party flag! How thrilling!
Lin Xiaohé, piloting the Ark from the front, heard the commotion from within and smiled knowingly.
With so many companions around, the vast and boundless universe somehow felt a little less lonely.
Just as they were about to leave this star system, an Imperial soldier hesitated and told Lin Xiaohé, “There’s still a group of Federation soldiers on Miluo Star.”
Lin Xiaohé paused mid-step. “Didn’t all the military forces from the Sixth Star Ring evacuate from here?”
“Alas, the Federation troops on Miluo Star are a stubborn bunch. They insisted on staying and perishing with Miluo Star.”
Lin Xiaohé discussed the matter with Wesley and the others, and they unanimously decided to go rescue them.
When the survivors from the Wasteland Planet learned of this, they remained remarkably calm.
“As long as Lin Xiaohé is here, even if she leads us straight into the Giant’s Tomb, we wouldn’t feel a shred of fear!”
“Absolutely! If I so much as blink in hesitation, call me a coward!”
With the help of the Great Sound Whales, the Ark quickly arrived near Miluo Star.
But they were too late.
A Void Devourer was lurking in Miluo Star’s orbital path.
The orbital ring was battered and broken, scattered helplessly into fragments.
Dense swarms of black beetles had reached Miluo Star’s surface, but they were met with fierce resistance from the Federation soldiers.
Artillery fire lit up the sky, smoke billowing everywhere.
Hundreds of mechs rose into the air and launched suicide attacks against the fat worms.
After they fell, another hundred mechs, utterly fearless, took their places!
On the ground, the black beetles couldn’t advance a single step without enduring a relentless storm of concentrated fire.
Any Federation soldier impaled by their feelers would, without hesitation, pull the pin on their last grenade!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The explosions were deafening.
The Fifth Armored Division had been ordered to hold the eastern line against the black beetle swarm, but their ammunition had run dry.
Darcy was driving a buggy with a cannon mounted on the back.
Such feeble firepower couldn’t possibly pierce the beetles’ tough carapaces.
But there was no fear or hesitation on Darcy’s face. He planted a foot on his seat, raised his fist high, and shouted, “Soldiers, tell me—who are you?!”
“The Fifth Armored Division, Direct Reconnaissance Battalion of Miluo Star!”
Darcy’s lips were cracked, his eyes reflecting the raging flames. “Our battalion is a heroic reconnaissance battalion. Countless heroes stand with us. Soldiers, tell me—are you cowards?!”
“No!”
“I can’t hear you! Louder!”
“No! No!” The voices were hoarse and desperate. If looks could kill, they would have wiped out every black beetle on the planet.
Darcy pointed at a flag flying high on the buggy and growled fiercely, “Under our party flag, brothers—charge with me! Let’s kill these bugs!”
The wind howled as a convoy of three hundred off-road vehicles surged toward the eastern front.
They wielded all sorts of weapons—some even carried iron shovels—but every single face wore an expression of absolute resolve, ready to die.
Opposite them, a hundred black beetles screeched and charged forward.
Crush them! Kill them all!
