TCPUAAV Chapter 71

 

After feeding the entire vial of medicine to the little fox, the young man let out a slow breath, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

 

Watching as her vitals gradually stabilized, he gently smoothed out her disheveled bangs and whispered, “This is our last chance.”

 

He had tried countless times before, each attempt ending in failure.

 

But this time—this time had the highest chance of success.

 

Carefully placing the little fox back down, he stood up and snapped his fingers. His figure gradually faded, becoming transparent before finally dissolving into the air.

 

Everything returned to normal. The frozen moment resumed, time flowing once more.

 

The little lion cub, still holding Nota’s hand, earnestly finished his sentence, “You have to be a little stronger.”

 

Then, he couldn’t resist reaching out toward her large, fluffy tail.

 

Ten fiery red fox tails, soft and voluminous like living flames—beautiful and mesmerizing.

 

The little lion cub had been eyeing them for ages, but Nota was always too fierce. He had never dared to touch them before.

 

Taking advantage of her unconscious state, he finally gave in to temptation, stretching out his paw toward the tail he had been longing to touch.

 

But just as his fingers were about to graze the fur, the little fox’s eyes suddenly snapped open.

 

Her silver pupils locked onto him.

 

Terrified, the little lion cub instantly yanked his hand back, stammering, “I—I just wanted to see if it felt nice…”

 

Under her unblinking gaze, his voice grew quieter and quieter.

 

Since getting injured, Nota seemed even scarier than before! QAQ

 

The little lion cub curled into himself, completely intimidated.

 

But after staring at him for a moment, Nota ignored him and pushed herself up on her own.

 

In her cub form, the red fox’s eyes looked hazy and unfocused. She tilted her head slightly, sensing something, then silently started walking toward the exit of the underground shelter.

 

Principal Dudd, who had been watching over the cubs, noticed her movement. He was delighted to see she had regained consciousness but also worried that running around would worsen her injuries. He quickly got up to stop her—

 

But Nota evaded his hand, her tails flicking lightly.

 

The ten fluffy tails swayed gently, overlapping with faint, illusory afterimages.

 

Dudd’s gaze grew dazed as if he had forgotten what he was doing. His movements stalled, and then, absentmindedly, he sat back down.

 

Step by step, the little fox walked out of the underground shelter.

 

Her abdominal wound was healing at an astonishing rate. Something within her seemed to be churning and surging, so much so that she couldn’t suppress the urge to lift her head and let out a long, piercing howl.

 

One howl after another, her voice climbing in intensity.

 

Amid the increasingly high-pitched cries, her cub-sized body stretched and grew, her fox tails swirling behind her, leaving behind layers of shifting shadows.

 

It was as if she was rising from the ashes, reborn in flames.

 

A torch may fall, but its fire still reaches upward.

 

At this moment, the proud hybrid had finally completed her transformation.

 

The immense change in her body brought unbearable pain.

 

Her elongated silver pupils lost their murkiness, gradually regaining clarity.

 

It hurt—an agony like her bones being ground down inch by inch.

 

A deep, guttural growl escaped her throat, unable to be held back. Driven by the excruciating pain, the massive red fox broke into a sprint.

 

Her billowing tails stirred the wind, creating ghostly afterimages that made the surrounding Zergs sluggish in their movements.

 

“Is that… Nota?”

 

The little dragon cub, who had been resting, rolled over and scrambled to his feet.

 

Staring at the now-enormous, galloping red fox, his golden eyes widened in shock.

 

“Nota!”

 

His voice shifted from confusion to certainty.

 

Seeing that the little fox was paying him no mind and was about to charge straight into the swarm, he panicked and lunged forward—Sinking his teeth into her tail to stop her.

 

Mumbling through the fur in his mouth, the little dragon cub asked, “Nota, where are you going?”

 

He actually had a lot of questions.

 

Like, why had Nota gotten so big all of a sudden? Was her injury really healed?

 

But his mouth was full of fox fur, making it impossible to speak clearly.

 

The little fox turned her head irritably, her expression confused as her vision finally focused. “Heli?”

 

“Where did you all go?” She frowned, her voice carrying a hint of grievance and dissatisfaction.

 

She was in so much pain. And when she woke up, neither her father nor the other cubs were anywhere to be found.

 

The little dragon cub let go of her tail, spitting out two mouthfuls of fur. “We’re out here fighting the Zerg swarm. You were injured, so you had to stay in the underground shelter.”

 

As he spoke, he bent down curiously, trying to check her stomach. “Is your wound healed? How did it heal?”

 

??????

 

Letting him prod at her, Nota gave him a puzzled look. “Why did you shrink?”

 

The little dragon cub lifted his head, scratching his belly with a paw. “You’re the one who got bigger.”

 

Excitedly, he waved his claws. “But I’m still taller than you!”

 

It was only then that the little fox finally realized what had changed.

 

She lowered her head to examine herself, then lifted her paws, turning them over several times to inspect them.

 

She really had grown bigger.

 

Her thick paw pads concealed razor-sharp claws, far more formidable than before.

 

The pain in her body had dulled into something bearable, replaced by a restless energy that made her itch to unleash it.

 

She had a feeling that, with a single swipe, she could send the dragon cub flying several meters away.

 

She was bigger now. And stronger.

 

This realization instantly erased all her previous confusion. Her silver eyes lit up with excitement. “I’m just like you now?!”

 

She swung her paw through the air and wagged her tails energetically. “I can help now!”

 

Of all the cubs, Nota had always been the one most eager to become stronger.

 

From the moment she had first seen the little dragon cub’s adult form, she had been filled with envy.

 

During her days of wandering, she had wished every single day to grow up faster. But no matter how much she willed it, she had remained small and weak.

 

But now, she had finally achieved what she had longed for.

 

At that moment, the young mermaid came running over from the other side. Tilting his head back, he studied the much larger little fox. Compared to the dragon cub, he was thinking more deeply.

 

[Do you feel unwell anywhere?]

 

Nota shook her head, lowering her body and nudging him with her nose, her voice brimming with joy. “I can protect you all again.”

 

The young mermaid, tickled by her touch, couldn’t help but laugh, his sapphire-like eyes shining.

 

He rubbed against her affectionately and tapped his fingers lightly. [Now we can fight side by side.]

 

The three cubs exchanged glances.

 

Then, together, they charged onto the battlefield.

 

Watching them from a distance, Hector let out an amused “Hah,” slashing through another Zerg while muttering to himself, “Master Ruan’s cubs… every single one of them is something else.”

 

But as he observed how the three of them stretched the defensive line, cooperating seamlessly, standing shoulder to shoulder in battle—He couldn’t help but think that this wasn’t bad at all.

 

In times of peace, they could be carefree little cubs attending school.

 

But when danger came, they had the strength to protect themselves. And the courage to fight side by side.

 

*

 

With the asteroid-class shield activated, the threat to B3024 had been significantly reduced.

 

However, the situation was still far from optimistic.

 

Four hours wasn’t an extremely long time, but it wasn’t short either. In that span, the Zerg swarm had already flooded the entire Outer City.

 

If they didn’t eliminate the current wave of Zergs before the shield needed to be reopened for reinforcements—and before a new wave of Zergs arrived—they would be facing an even graver crisis.

 

The immediate danger was postponed, but they couldn’t afford to sit back and do nothing.

 

“We must organize a team to hunt down the Zergs,” Ruan Shiqing declared. “We have enough weapons. If the Inner City and Outer City work together, we have enough manpower to form strike teams and launch a counterattack.”

 

They might not be as efficient as professional soldiers, but small squads could move in coordinated strikes, ensuring safety while exterminating the Zergs.

 

However, the captain of the city guard, who had followed them in, was visibly displeased. “The Inner City isn’t under threat.”

 

The Zergs’ primary target was the Outer City. The Inner City had its own shield, and for now, the swarm couldn’t get through. He saw no need to take the risk of fighting back.

 

As for the Outer City’s survival… what did that have to do with the Inner City?

 

They had already sent out a distress signal as soon as the attack began. The military would surely arrive to rescue them soon. There was absolutely no need to take unnecessary risks.

 

“If you’re on B3024, then whether it’s the Inner City or the Outer City, it’s all the same,” Ruan Shiqing said coldly. “Surely you understand the principle of ‘the lips perish, and the teeth grow cold[mfn]Meaning that if the outer layer is no longer there, the inner layer won’t be protected anymore[/mfn]’?”

 

“If the Outer City is overrun by the Zergs, do you really think the Inner City will hold out until reinforcements arrive?”

 

He switched the holographic display, pulling up the shield integrity levels for everyone to see.

 

“In just four hours, the Inner City shield has already sustained 35% damage. How much longer do you think it will last?”

 

His expression was grim, and his words carried weight. “If the soldiers on the Frontline Districts were as cowardly as you, the Empire’s rear wouldn’t be as stable as it is now. If you don’t take the initiative to fight back, you’re just waiting for death.”

 

The captain of the guards flushed red, unable to refute him.

 

In the end, he could only mutter under his breath, “But there are so many of them… how do we even kill them all? You’re just sending us to our deaths.”

 

“Relax. You won’t die before the Zergs do.”

 

Ruan Shiqing shot him a cold look and then activated the Inner City’s broadcast system, issuing a public call to arms throughout both the Inner and Outer Cities.

 

Any able-bodied citizen who volunteered to join the Zerg extermination force would be granted priority protection and aid for their families and companions, ensuring their safe evacuation to the armory shelter.

 

To prevent the Inner City citizens from clinging to false hope, he also made the shield’s damage levels public across the city.

 

On the massive holographic billboards of the Inner City skyscrapers, all advertisements were abruptly replaced with a live comparison:

 

On one side, the Inner City shield’s damage rate—a glaring red number, steadily decreasing.

On the other, the Armory’s shield status—a solid green bar, with only 5% damage sustained.

The stark contrast sent a chill down the spine of everyone watching.

 

The urgency of their survival sank in.

 

More and more people volunteered to fight.

 

While Ruan Shiqing commanded from the control center, Mo Li organized the volunteers into strike teams and distributed weapons.

 

Once the teams were fully assembled, they moved out in formation:

 

Three second-generation armored walkers led the charge, clearing a path forward. Multiple strike teams followed behind, sweeping through the battlefield with weapons in hand.

 

Medical droids accompanied the squads, treating wounded Outer City survivors on the spot and transporting them to either the Armory Shelter or the Inner City for emergency care. Lightly injured individuals were immediately equipped with weapons and joined the extermination squads.

 

As the battle raged on, the red markers representing the Zerg swarm on B3024’s holographic map steadily diminished.

 

Meanwhile, the territory reclaimed by humanity continued to expand.

 

 

---

 

OUR BABY IS BACK TO HER HEALTH!!!

 

I have a wild idea but do you think… the young man is actually Ruan Shiqing from the future/an alternate timeline? I mean, I’ve always wondered what was the link between the novel’s title and the story we currently have since it’s not like usual novels where the MC knows they reincarnated/transmigrated into a novel/game/setting and know the “villains” they end up rehabilitating…? I don’t know, but I’m so intrigued by the “many tentatives” of that youth and how this is their last chance… (•ิ_•ิ)?

 

Also, not going to lie, I teared up a bit at Hector’s monologue. I’m prouder of these cubs than both their Papas reunited lmao!!!

 

Thanks for reading!

For every three ko-fis, I will upload a bonus chapter~