“Big Boss is pretty decent, just a bit poor—that’s his only flaw.”
That had always been Quike’s opinion.
But Ah Sui couldn’t really let them go into battle armed with just a few oversized tree branches. After some effort, he managed to “borrow” five crates of equipment from Black Fang. Each zerg was now outfitted with a photon gun and a military-grade dagger. While the ammunition was limited, if used sparingly, it should barely suffice.
Ah Sui himself carried a gun for self-defense. Standing at the front of the group, he announced, “These supplies? I just stole them from the Second Leader’s group…”
Hearing this, Xu Cenfeng jabbed him lightly from behind. Ah Sui immediately caught on and quickly corrected himself, “I mean borrowed! These supplies were all borrowed from the Second Leader’s group. Once the battle’s over, we’ll return them, every last one. But tonight, during the ambush, make sure to seize as much as you can—supplies, food, ammo, everything. The more, the better!”
“Yes, Big Boss!” came the rousing reply.
Quike and his crew had fully embraced their pirate lifestyle, itching to raid the Black Hawk Alliance down to its last crumb. Even the plump cook was rolling up his sleeves, eager to redeem himself after the humiliation of being chased around the battlefield last time.
Although Ah Sui only had two starships at his disposal, luckily his forces were small enough to split between them. After glancing at the darkening sky and noting the late hour, he gave the order decisively:
“The first twenty zergs, board my starship. The rest, take the one behind. Gather and move out!”
“Yes, sir!” came the resounding response.
Quike and his team, being former military, swiftly formed ranks and boarded the starships in an orderly manner, their movements sharp and efficient. Xu Cenfeng sat in the cockpit, piloting the starship. Only after Black Fang’s forces had gathered ahead did they take advantage of the night to follow the main fleet toward the Black Hawk Alliance’s territory.
Blairand had already changed into his combat uniform. Sitting to the side of the pilot’s seat, he methodically adjusted his firearm, loading the bullets one by one. Once done, he slid the gun into its holster and lifted his gaze toward Julian’s direction.
Earlier today, when Blairand stepped out of the starship, he had caught sight of Julian sneaking back to the ranks from a distance, his behavior unusually suspicious.
As a commander, Blairand’s instincts told him that tonight’s battle might not go as smoothly as expected. Considering both the timing and terrain, this night presented the perfect opportunity for the military to close their net.
While he couldn’t predict their exact plans, Blairand could only prepare in advance. Noticing Ah Sui leaning against the window to observe the outside, he raised a hand to pull down the light-blocking curtain to avoid making them a target in the dark. “It’s too dark now. You won’t be able to see anything out there.”
But Ah Sui lifted the curtain slightly, creating a narrow gap, and pointed toward the vast, boundless forest below. “See that forest down there? Cenfeng and I passed through it when we first came here. I wonder if my Grandpa San might still be in there somewhere.”
Gazing at the familiar forest below, Ah Sui belatedly remembered his Grandpa San. A faint sadness surfaced on his face.
Hearing this, Blairand glanced down and immediately recognized the dense forest of Solitiam. He couldn’t hide his surprise. Though the military had begun clearing out the remaining beasts in the Solitiam Forest, it was still a highly dangerous zone. “How did you end up in the Solitiam Forest?” he asked, puzzled.
At that moment, Blairand suddenly recalled the Imperial Seventh Prince, Yusto, and his companion—a male zerg who had also been found in the Solitiam Forest under mysterious circumstances. To this day, no detailed information about his origins had been uncovered. The thought lingered in Blairand’s mind, deepening his contemplation.
Ah Sui, however, was clearly unable to provide a clear explanation. “I don’t know how I ended up there either,” he said. “I fell from the mountain, and when I came to, I was already in the forest. I just hope the military managed to rescue my Grandpa San.”
Xu Cenfeng, sitting at the front, overheard their conversation but remained silent from start to finish. By his feet rested two bulging backpacks, their contents unknown, as if he had already made preparations to leave.
The snowy mountains undulated in the distance, and the open wilderness lay eerily still. Only the sound of the mountain wind howling through the void could be heard.
About an hour later, the fleet of starships finally reached the vicinity of their target. One by one, they descended quietly under the cover of darkness. Quike and his team were the first to disembark, assembling swiftly. Their movements were silent and agile, like a pack of hunting snow leopards.
Ah Sui, seeing this, also drew his sword and prepared to head out. But before he could move, someone suddenly grabbed his wrist. He turned around to find it was Blairand. The other’s handsome features were slightly blurred in the shadows, yet the unique sharpness and fierceness of a military elite were still unmistakable. His voice was low as he reminded him:
“Ah Sui, don’t wander off on the battlefield.”
Blairand had already drawn the gun from his holster. His right hand hung quietly by his side, fingers resting on the trigger, ready for any sudden developments. He hadn’t planned on participating in the upcoming battle. His sole mission today was to ensure Ah Sui’s safety. He added in a calm tone, “I’ll stay behind you.”
Ah Sui, hearing this, didn’t think much of it. Without hesitation, he reached out and grabbed Blairand’s hand, saying instinctively, “Then stay close to me. Don’t get separated.”
Their ambiguous relationship was already an open secret, widely acknowledged by everyone, second only to the fact that “the Big Boss is poor.” When Quike and the others noticed what was happening, they all tacitly looked away, pretending they hadn’t seen a thing.
Black Fang, Carlos, and a few other leaders gradually gathered around. They couldn’t help but think that Ah Sui had really taken a liking to this pretty-boy military elite. In their usual gruff voices, they asked, “Grand Leader, the team is all assembled. When do we move out?”
The Black Hawk Alliance’s battle starships were docked not far away, with the space pirates gathered around bonfires in the center of their camp, roasting meat and relaxing. The perimeter defenses were lax. According to the original battle plan, Ah Sui and Black Fang were to each lead a team to sneak up on the starships, sabotage the flight systems, and then fire a signal flare to alert the rest of the group to begin the assault.
The Black Hawk Alliance was skilled in aerial combat, so if they could destroy their starships, the battle would be half won.
Ah Sui, upon hearing this, climbed up a snowbank and used a telescope to observe the Black Hawk Alliance’s encampment. Through the snowy expanse, he could see dozens of bright bonfires burning. The interstellar pirates were gathered around, roasting meat and drinking, celebrating a recent lucrative deal. Countless starships were neatly docked in the rear, almost entirely swallowed by the shadows of the dense forest.
“Their starships are all parked behind the forest. We’ll take a detour. Black Fang, you lead one team to flank from the left, and I’ll take the right. The rest of you stay in position. Once you see the signal flare, charge in and begin the assault.”
The other leaders nodded in agreement. Xu Cenfeng, worried that Carlos might have some tricks up his sleeve, proactively said to Ah Sui, “Grand Leader, I’ll stay behind to hold the position. Contact me through the terminal if anything comes up.”
Carlos let out a cold laugh, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Strategist, you’re not worried we might have some devious schemes up our sleeves, are you?”
Xu Cenfeng didn’t give him an ounce of face, replying flatly, “Indeed.”
Carlos was momentarily speechless, his face twisting with frustration. “You—!”
Ah Sui, also concerned that Carlos might be plotting something, turned to his team and addressed Julian. “Julian, take a small team and follow the strategist. If anything comes up, listen to his instructions.”
“Yes, Big Boss!” Julian responded promptly.
Julian immediately divided the team and positioned them behind Xu Cenfeng, making Carlos’ face shift between shades of green and white with anger. Ah Sui, with a swift flick of his sword, executed a graceful move in the air, then casually threatened, “Anyone who tries anything funny, just wait and see how I’ll deal with you when I get back!”
Though the threat sounded somewhat childish, no one dared ignore it. Black Fang and Carlos were prime examples of why. The entire zerg army had witnessed how they had been beaten into swollen messes the last time they offended Ah Sui. Only a fool would want to test their luck.
Seeing that everyone obediently nodded, Ah Sui and Blairand led the team deeper into the forest. The snow was deep and the terrain treacherous, and not long after, Ah Sui noticed a sheer cliff ahead. He quickly raised his hand, signaling for the team to stop. “Stop, there’s a cliff ahead!”
Standing at the edge of the cliff, Ah Sui accidentally kicked a stone loose, and after a long wait, he finally heard the echo. The danger of the terrain was apparent. He furrowed his brow and measured the distance to the opposite side. To his surprise, it was a full twenty meters across, with no obvious footholds or support points. His expression faltered for a moment.
This was bad. It was so far…
How was he supposed to jump across?
No matter how skilled Ah Sui was in lightness techniques, there was no way he could leap across twenty meters without any support. As he pondered how to lead the team across the cliff, Quike’s voice suddenly reached his ear. “Big Boss, don’t worry. It’s not that deep. We can fly across.”
Before Ah Sui could respond, the female zergs behind Quike quietly sprouted wings from their backs. Their bodies lifted into the air, soaring effortlessly to the other side of the cliff. In an instant, they were across, leaving Ah Sui standing alone, caught in the wind, his hair disheveled.
“…”
How could he have forgotten? The female zergs all had wings, flying across the cliff was like child’s play for them.
Blairand, noticing Ah Sui’s stunned expression, couldn’t help but let a hint of amusement flicker in his light blue eyes. He had thought this male zerg was invincible in martial arts, but it seemed even he had his moments of trouble.
“Whoosh!”
A sharp, icy wind howled through the air, and suddenly, a pair of translucent wings unfurled from behind Blairand. He glanced at Ah Sui and whispered, “Hold on to me,” before reaching out to wrap his arm around Ah Sui’s waist. In the next instant, they soared into the air, heading toward the opposite side of the cliff. The nighttime wind and snow hit them head-on, stinging their faces with cold.
Ah Sui, feeling the sudden loss of gravity, instinctively tightened his hold on Blairand. In the blink of an eye, they landed on solid ground. Ah Sui lowered his head and subtly inhaled the faint scent of Blairand’s body, then, finally steadying himself, released his grip.
Blairand rarely revealed his wings in front of unfamiliar zergs. After landing, he quickly folded them back in, resuming his silent watch behind Ah Sui. His gaze was lowered, his brow slightly furrowed, exuding a quiet, refined demeanor. Yet, the cold steel of the gun gripped tightly in his right hand reminded everyone that he wasn’t as harmless as he appeared.
Quike, uncertain if Blairand had noticed their signal to the military, had no choice but to proceed with the original plan. He lowered his voice and said to Ah Sui, “Big Boss, you’re not familiar with the structure of their starships. How about we go ahead and sabotage the launch devices? You can stay here and wait for us.”
It seemed like Quike didn’t want Ah Sui to get involved.
Of course, Ah Sui wasn’t the type to shrink back. Upon hearing Quike’s suggestion, he patted Quike’s shoulder and said, “I’m your Big Boss. If there’s something to be done, I should be the one leading the charge. Let’s go, we’ll head over together!”
“…”
Ah, as expected, a typical innocent fool.
Quike and the others couldn’t help but wear a subtle expression of guilt, as their consciences began to prickle. It seemed that betraying an honest zerg brought no sense of accomplishment—only the weight of moral reproach.
Ah Sui led the team forward through the snow, and before long, they reached the back of the dense forest. From there, they spotted a group of interstellar pirates on guard, armed and stationed not too far away. A quick count revealed about ten of them, and as they drew closer, they could faintly hear their low murmurs and conversations.
“I heard the Black Hawk’s leader has already finalized the price with those buyers. Ten male zergs for ten million star coins. Wonder how much we’ll get…”
“Enough with that talk. It doesn’t matter how much we get. We’re just small fry. They’re the ones drinking and feasting, while we’re stuck here freezing. If you want to make money, you’d better climb up the ranks sooner rather than later…”
The guards clearly weren’t focused on their duty, absorbed in idle chatter and complaints. Ah Sui gave a signal, and Quike and the others quickly dispersed into the darkness. One of them found a starship, quietly sneaking beneath it to begin dismantling the launch device.
Ah Sui also found a starship, but he had no idea how to dismantle it. It was Blairand who followed him in, helping to locate and remove the fuel pipes under the ship, and then cut off the power supply.
After completing everything, Ah Sui and Blairand crawled out from under the starship. At the same time, Quike and the others had finished their tasks as well. From a distance in the dark, they exchanged a subtle hand signal.
Blairand lowered his voice and said to Ah Sui, “Ask Black Fang’s team how things are going over there. Don’t let them pull any tricks.”
Ah Sui also felt uneasy working with unreliable allies. Hearing this, he glanced down at the terminal on his wrist. “They haven’t sent any updates yet. Let’s hide in the woods for now. If something goes wrong, it’ll be easier to escape…”
Before he could finish his sentence, the sound of gunfire suddenly rang out from the east camp, followed by the urgent shouts of the guards on duty. “Not good! Enemy attack! Alert!”
“Enemy forces near the starships!”
“What?! An attack?!”
As soon as the words were spoken, the entire camp was thrown into a frenzy. The interstellar pirates immediately stopped drinking, grabbed their guns, and rushed toward the starships. The east side was suddenly filled with the sound of rapid gunfire, shattering the silence of the long night.
At the same time, Ah Sui’s terminal on his wrist flickered twice, signaling a message from Black Fang’s team: [Enemy forces discovered, requesting support!]
Ah Sui’s expression changed slightly upon seeing the message. “Not good! Black Fang’s team has been spotted! Fire the signal flare, quickly!”
The moment Ah Sui saw the signal flares shot into the sky, he instinctively drew his sword and led his team toward the eastern side, determined to support Black Fang’s group. The deep red flare, signaling for the Klayt Alliance, and the light red flare for the military, both exploded in the sky, visible from several kilometers away. However, Ah Sui, unaware of the flare color codes, mistakenly thought both signals were of the same importance.
By the time he arrived, Black Fang’s team was already embroiled in intense combat with the Black Hawk Alliance. The sounds of screams and gunfire echoed through the night, filling the air with chaos and tension.
Seeing this, Ah Sui turned to Blairand and said, “Find a safe place to wait for me. I’ll be back soon!”
After speaking, he leaped into the encirclement, skillfully dodging the dense gunfire. His long sword flashed, striking with such speed that only a blur of shadows could be seen. In just a few moves, he had wounded several star thieves.
Blairand, however, did not rashly rush into the battle. A female zerg in a state of mental agitation could easily lose control and enter a zerg-like state if blood was spilled during a fight. He found a safe spot to conceal himself, raising his gun to cover Ah Sui. Every time an interstellar pirate tried to sneak up from behind while Ah Sui was distracted, a bullet would strike, and the pirate would fall, shot dead from the shadows.
“Bang!”
“Bang!”
“Bang!”
Blairand’s expression remained unchanged as he fired shot after shot. He appeared noble, his demeanor as pure as the moonlight, but when it came to taking lives, he showed no mercy. Yet, even after firing all his bullets, there was still no sign of reinforcements coming to their aid.
Black Fang, covered in blood, quickly realized something was wrong. He growled angrily, “What’s going on?! Why haven’t the reinforcements arrived yet?!”
A sense of unease also washed over Ah Sui. He kicked the nearest interstellar pirate aside and jumped onto a nearby withered tree to get a better view. His eyes widened as he spotted a large group moving toward them. However, the uniforms on the zergs weren’t from the Klayt Alliance—they were military combat uniforms. In the distance, at least a dozen pure black military ships appeared, with the pilots deliberately avoiding the captured male zergs locked aboard the starships. Instead, they opened their hatches and dropped a photon grenade directly onto the area of the battlefield where the interstellar pirates were most concentrated.
“Boom—!”
A photon grenade suddenly dropped into the middle of the camp, exploding with a deafening blast. The ground immediately caved in, and the surrounding interstellar pirates were caught in the blast, their limbs flying through the air in all directions. Even Ah Sui was knocked off the tree by the shockwave.
Blairand instinctively looked toward the horizon, his pupils contracting in alarm. He immediately shouted at Ah Sui, “Ah Sui! Fall back! The military is coming!”
Ah Sui was still processing Blairand’s words when Black Fang, already pale with fear, reacted swiftly. Seeing the military forces gathering, he nearly lost his mind. He snatched a weapon from one of his subordinates and began to fire desperately at the surroundings, shouting, “Damn it, we’ve been set up! Fall back now!”
Black Fang’s subordinates were not only fast at looting but also exceptional at fleeing. As soon as they realized they were surrounded, they immediately grabbed whatever treasure they could from the ground and fled in a panic into the dense forest, not even sparing a glance at their trapped comrades.
Ah Sui was just about to flee when the battlefield became too chaotic, and the entire team was scattered. He saw the military forces charging down from the nearby snow slope and urgently tried to find Quike and the others. But suddenly, a powerful force struck from behind, and before he could react, he was knocked down by Blairand, tumbling down the snow slope.
“Boom—!”
There was another violent explosion. The spot where Ah Sui had just been standing was hit by a light energy bomb, creating a deep crater, and Blairand’s back was shredded by flying debris, his flesh torn and mangled.
“Ugh!”
Blairand groaned in pain, cold sweat pouring from his forehead. But he didn’t have time to dwell on it. Struggling to rise, he pulled Ah Sui up from the ground. “Ah Sui! We have to go! If we don’t leave now, it’ll be too late!”
Ah Sui was still stunned from the blast, his usually pale face now darkened, resembling a little black bear. He had intended to mention that they hadn’t rescued Quike and the others yet, but before he could speak, Blairand suddenly unfurled his wings and flew into the air, swiftly carrying him away, cutting through the cold winds towards the distance.
Blairand flew fast, and Ah Sui could only feel the wind rushing past his ears, so fierce that his eyelids could barely stay open. Below, the sounds of battle grew fainter and fainter.
Instinctively, Ah Sui tightened his grip around Blairand’s waist. But then, his fingers suddenly brushed against something sticky. He brought his hand to his nose and sniffed, the scent was metallic and sweet—just like blood.
Ah Sui’s eyes widened in panic. “Blairand, are you injured?!”
Blairand couldn’t respond, his efforts to flap his wings growing weaker with each beat. With every flap, blood flowed faster from his wounds, and eventually, his strength gave out from the massive blood loss. Unable to maintain flight, he collapsed heavily from midair.
“Boom——!”
The two of them crashed into the snow together, creating a deep crater in the ground.
In that moment of crisis, Ah Sui quickly adjusted his position, cradling Blairand tightly in his arms. He only felt his vision spinning wildly as they rolled several times before finally coming to a stop.
Panicked, Ah Sui scrambled to his feet, rushing to check on Blairand’s condition. What he found shocked him—the back of the female zerg was a mess of blood and flesh, the clothing soaked through. He hurriedly applied pressure to several major acupoints, trying to stop the bleeding, and spoke anxiously:
“Blairand, you’re hurt! What should we do? Let me carry you to find a doctor!”
Ah Sui was about to lift Blairand from the ground, but the female zerg suddenly stopped his movement. Blairand’s face was so pale it nearly seemed translucent. Struggling to push himself up, he spoke in broken sentences, his voice weak: “Ah Sui… go hide behind a tree… don’t come out…”
Blairand lowered his head in pain, his light blue eyes gradually shifting to a deep crimson. His pupils contracted to the size of pinpricks, and his mental state was slipping, almost unable to maintain his human form. He was on the verge of transforming into his most primal, insectoid state. “Hide… don’t look back…”
Blairand didn’t know if Ah Sui would be scared of his insectoid form. He only knew that most of the males in Salaranfa couldn’t accept the primal form of a female zerg, finding it ugly and terrifying.
He was on the verge of losing his current form and didn’t want Ah Sui to witness that grotesque transformation…
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![The Rebirth of the Last Days and Return to [Fang] Hao](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image_2021-09-11_143139.png "The Rebirth of the Last Days and Return to [Fang] Hao")
