Section 602 Heaven and Hell
This wasn't Ye Zhong's first time entering the purple mist, yet he still felt a trace of tension—a rare emotion for him. In contrast, the crew members were much calmer. The first time Ye Zhong encountered the purple mist, he came face-to-face with a six-toed Red-Tailed Beast. The peril of that situation remained vivid in his memory.
The scale of the purple mist before them was immeasurably larger than the one at Yiju Star. Ye Zhong knew all too well that the larger the soft nest, the more powerful the Red-Tailed Beast "tribe" it housed.
The battle on the planet behind them was intensifying. Both the Red-Tailed Beasts and the Shirley Clan had reached a critical juncture. From what he could see, the Shirley Clan had deployed only their elite forces. They were still using laser guns, but the red beams were equally lethal to the Red-Tailed Beasts. As the Shirley Clan possessed the deepest technological foundation among the three great families, it was no surprise they could develop countermeasures. Even the research team had managed to create laser guns like the G-Z, so it stood to reason that the Shirley Clan could produce them as well.
Had the Shirley Clan equipped such advanced weapons from the beginning, they would not have found themselves in such a passive position. Perhaps it was due to cost, immature technology, or the need for secrecy. However, there were no "what-ifs" in this world, so it was hardly surprising that the Shirley Clan ended up in such a predicament.
At this point, it was not easy for the Red-Tailed Beasts to extricate themselves either. Ye Zhong coldly observed the fierce battlefield, lurking like an assassin in the shadows.
He had already chosen his target.
The massive Darkneth hurtled like a meteor, crashing fiercely into the purple mist!
In the main control room, a dedicated gunner was responsible for guiding their direction. The entire warship fell into an eerie silence. To avoid distracting the helmsmen, all crew members instinctively held their breath.
"Target, radial angle twenty-five degrees! Fire!"
"Target, radial angle thirty-two degrees! Fire!"
...
Thick, scorching beams from the ship's cannons struck like lightning, hitting critical connection points within the soft nest.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Massive explosions quickly threw the purple mist into chaos. The power of the oval-shaped high-explosive shells contained in the ship's cannons erupted violently. The soft tissue, unable to withstand such a fierce impact, was instantly blown to pulp.
The destructive power of the oval high-explosive shells far exceeded Ye Zhong's expectations. The shockwaves from the explosions caused severe damage to the surrounding soft tissue, meaning that a single shell could often destroy an entire area.
It wasn't until Darkneth passed through the purple mist and entered the interior of the soft nest, free from the mist, that An Biluogi, observing the battle through optical mode, noticed this. Immediately, the ship's cannons were replaced with a barrage of high-explosive shells. In ordinary combat, plain oval high-explosive shells were of limited use. However, against soft tissue, they were exceptionally lethal.
Wave after wave of soft tissue was blown into pulpy slurry before their eyes. Though no sound could be heard, the sight was still profoundly shocking. Bubbles thicker than the warship itself suddenly burst, splattering fluid in all directions.
The high-explosive shells were extremely efficient, and the crew felt a wave of relief. The sight of the fleshy tumors hanging from the soft tissue sent chills down their spines. The number of tumors in this purple mist was far greater than what Ye Zhong had seen at Yiju Star.
Each tumor contained a Red-Tailed Beast. The roots of the soft tissue were densely covered with these tumors, likely numbering no less than several hundred thousand.
Without needing any orders from Ye Zhong, almost all the high-explosive shells were frantically launched at these tumors.
Suddenly, a group of Red-Tailed Beasts appeared in front of Darkneth. Their eyes glowing red, they charged toward the ship. This group numbered around a thousand. It was unclear whether they were留守 guards or had just emerged from the tumors.
If any other force encountered such a group of Red-Tailed Beasts, they would have treated it with extreme caution. A thousand Red-Tailed Beasts were a force to be reckoned with, no matter where they appeared.
The high-explosive shells struck these Red-Tailed Beasts, forcing them back but failing to cause any significant harm. This seemed to boost their morale, and they swarmed toward Darkneth like flies drawn to the scent of blood.
They knew all too well that such a large vessel was not to be feared. They had lost count of how many similar behemoths had been gradually destroyed by their arrow-like tails. They were filled with confidence, believing this giant would meet the same fate—riddled with holes by their unstoppable tails.
Suddenly, a blinding light flashed before their eyes, causing a brief moment of blindness. Unfazed, they had encountered such situations many times before, and rarely had it resulted in any real harm to them.
They expertly evaded, anticipating that the next moment would be their chance to strike.
But...
A strange sensation crept into their necks... a slight pain... then intense pain... as if something was draining from their bodies...
Their vision began to blur, their consciousness scattered. The world before them seemed to drift farther away, and their bodies grew unresponsive.
Darkness enveloped their world, and their lives ended in that void.
Fan Rong remained as fierce as ever. With him as the spearhead, the assault was like a sharp blade, cutting through everything in its path. However, on the overall battlefield, he alone wasn't enough to turn the tide of the entire situation.
"Chieftain, our situation is dire," spoke a white-haired old man, his voice trembling.
A beautiful middle-aged woman hummed softly in acknowledgment. She didn't need the old man to tell her; she could see it clearly enough. How could the esteemed Chieftain of the Shirley Clan fail to see something so obvious? But at the moment, she had no good solutions. The struggle against the Red-Tailed Beasts had been ongoing for years, yet their own situation had only grown worse. Their living space had been compressed to the extreme, while the Red-Tailed Beasts they fought had grown increasingly powerful.
Who could have imagined, before all this, that the prestigious Shirley Clan would be driven into such a wretched state by another species? No, their current situation could no longer be called merely wretched; they had reached a critical juncture of life and death! They had only this last planet left; they had no room left for retreat.
The fearsomeness of the Red-Tailed Beasts far exceeded their expectations, and certain characteristics of the Beasts had placed the Shirley Clan in a passive position from the very beginning. Among the Three Great Families, the Shirley Clan's situation was the most precarious.
But, driven into a corner, the Shirley Clan erupted with astonishing power.
The Red-Tailed Beasts also encountered the most difficult battle they had faced so far. From the beginning, the Shirley Clan had fought while retreating, until now, where there was no more room to retreat. Their losses were severe, though these were mostly peripheral forces; the core strength of the clan hadn't suffered a fatal blow.
The battle quickly reached a stalemate, but the Shirley Clan's resilience this time far exceeded the Red-Tailed Beasts' expectations. The Beasts seemed unprepared for this situation and were momentarily thrown off balance.
The Chieftain silently watched the fierce battle unfolding on the holographic screen.
She had held the position of Chieftain for over twenty years. Throughout those twenty-plus years, she had constantly been trembling with fear, as if treading on thin ice. She was deeply aware of the immense weight of her responsibility. But back then, when her elder sister suddenly disappeared, she had no choice but to brace herself and take the seat.
Fortunately, over the years, she hadn't made any major mistakes! A wave of inexplicable emotion welled up within her. Coming back to her senses, she was startled, a sour and bitter feeling rising in her heart. So, this had been her state of mind all along.
"Chieftain, look! There seems to be a situation!" The voice of her maid, Xue Nü, beside her, held a note of surprise.
A situation? The Chieftain quickly gathered her emotions, her expression returning to normal. Among the girls around her, Xue Nü was her favorite. Although nominally a maid, she was practically like a daughter to her. Xue Nü was clever and sharp, the most outstanding among the younger generation. In truth, if speaking purely of intelligence, the top in the clan should be Yu Shan, her son. However, Yu Shan had suffered from a strange illness since childhood, preventing both his body and mind from maturing, leaving him like a child of seven or eight. In reality, he was already twenty-four.
But as if to prove its fairness, heaven had bestowed upon Yu Shan a peerless, genius-level intellect. The Shirley people were already renowned for their exceptional computational abilities, which was why they excelled so remarkably in mechanics. But Yu Shan's intelligence reached an awe-inspiring level even within the entire Shirley Clan.
No one would have thought that the Shirley Clan's top combatant, the true creator of their finest mechs, was this little boy who never grew up.
Ever since Shang, from all those years ago, disappeared along with her sister, the Shirley Clan had lacked a truly top-tier combatant. But reality is always full of drama. Around the same time, the Ye Family's top expert, Ye Luo, also disappeared. Shortly after, the top expert of the Xi Feng Tribe was killed in the Free Star Zone. The fall of these three top experts had shocked the entire He Yue Star Domain at the time.
Fan Rong's growth was accompanied by Yu Shan; they were like brothers. At times like this, she, as a mother, was filled with pride. However, although Yu Shan was brilliant, he wasn't suited to be the Chieftain. As for Yu Shan's future safety, she wasn't worried; with Fan Rong around, no one could harm him.
If Shang were still here, they would probably get along very well.
Whenever she thought of her sister and Shang, she felt a sense of nostalgia. Shang should still exist, but its owner wasn't her sister; it was a boy named Ye Zhong. She had always wanted to figure out what relationship Ye Zhong had with her sister, but she never expected this boy named Ye Zhong to possess such immense killing intent. And she herself had also been somewhat forceful at the beginning. Thus, grievances between the two sides had formed inexplicably.
The only thing she found difficult to understand was that Yu Shan seemed to like Ye Zhong very much, and Ye Zhong also took good care of Yu Shan. One must know that Yu Shan was extremely picky and had virtually no friends within the clan. Yu Shan had once told her that he liked Ye Zhong very much. She also learned that Ye Zhong had once asked Yu Shan about Shang.
This also proved that Shang was indeed in that young man's hands.
To some extent, Fan Rong was a product of Yu Shan's attempt to imitate Shang, just utilizing many newer technologies. However, in terms of materials, it couldn't compare to the original Shang.
Fan Rong was probably roughly on par with the Shang of back then, but she herself was not as capable as her elder sister! In her heart, her sister was always filled with decisiveness. Feeling physically and mentally exhausted, she couldn't help but miss her sister even more.
But clearly, now was not the time for sentimentality.
These thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant. She forced herself to focus her attention on the battle at hand.
"Where is the situation?" she asked gravely. Years of experience as Chieftain had taught her to mask her emotions well.
Xue Nü replied respectfully, yet with a hint of confusion, "The Red-Tailed Beasts seem anxious to retreat!"
"Retreat?" The Chieftain was taken aback, then began仔细观察ing the battlefield closely. Sure enough, the Red-Tailed Beasts seemed spurred by something, eager to disengage from the battle immediately. Having fought the Red-Tailed Beasts for so long, the Shirley Clan had a very profound understanding of this enemy.
In battle, the Red-Tailed Beasts didn't bother with formations. They appeared chaotic, but in reality, their coordination was highly默契, following an implicit pattern.
In previous battles, there had never been a situation where they retreated mid-fight. Moreover, even though the battle was currently deadlocked, the Red-Tailed Beasts actually still held the upper hand.
Could some unknown incident have occurred?
Sporadic Red-Tailed Beasts had already begun breaking away from the battlefield, desperately fleeing toward their stronghold—the Purple Mist.
The Purple Mist remained eerily calm, appearing no different from usual.
Thoughts racing, the clan leader swiftly issued an order: "Command Fan Yun to pin down these Red-Tailed Beasts! Do not let them escape the battlefield!" Having discerned the intentions of the Red-Tailed Beasts, the clan leader naturally seized this opportunity. Though she did not understand what exactly had happened within the Purple Mist, preventing the Red-Tailed Beasts from succeeding was her most immediate thought.
In fact, this was the only action she could take at the moment. If they failed to stop the Red-Tailed Beasts now, they would gain no advantage when the creatures returned to fight another day.
The pilots receiving the order carried it out with unwavering determination. Since the battle had reached a stalemate, the two sides were already deeply entangled. In such a situation, executing such an order was not particularly difficult.
Moreover, some pilots in the ranks, with their keen insight and rich combat experience, had also detected the unusual behavior of the Red-Tailed Beasts. This made their execution of the order even more resolute. They no longer engaged in direct confrontations but instead adopted tactics of harassment and pursuit.
The forces engaged in this battle were the true elites of the Shirley Clan, possessing exceptional combat prowess. Most importantly, they also held the advantage of long-range attacks.
On one side, there was a determined effort to harass and relentlessly pursue, while on the other, panic-stricken Red-Tailed Beasts desperately sought to flee the battlefield.
In the blink of an eye, the situation on the battlefield shifted dramatically.
Freed from close-quarters combat, the Shirley Clan’s superiority in long-range attacks was immediately unleashed. The Red-Tailed Beasts, with no intention of continuing the fight, soon suffered heavy losses. Vast numbers of them perished under the red beams fired by the Shirley Clan’s pilots.
To protect their stronghold from enemy attacks, the Red-Tailed Beasts' base, the "Soft Nest," was located far behind the battlefield.
It would take them thirty minutes to fly from the current battlefield to the Purple Mist.
And these thirty minutes became the毁灭性的 thirty minutes for this Red-Tailed Beast "tribe"!
Panic-stricken, they fled toward their stronghold, completely disregarding the beams shooting toward them.
Had they gone mad?
From the clan leader down to the lowest-ranking pilots, no one in the Shirley Clan understood what was happening to the Red-Tailed Beasts. However, one thing was certain: this was an opportunity too good to pass up! The enemy was not fighting back, effectively turning into moving beast-shaped targets.
Thus, the battlefield transformed into a training ground for the Shirley Clan, with the training exercise being dynamic shooting while flying at high speeds!
At this point, whether the Red-Tailed Beasts had forgotten to evade or were too frantic to even attempt it, the difficulty of this "training session" was significantly reduced.
Under Fan Yun’s leadership, the Shirley Clan’s pilots launched an extremely frenzied pursuit!
Everyone was consumed by bloodlust! This was the most exhilarating battle since they had first encountered the Red-Tailed Beasts. They didn’t need to consider tactical coordination, nor did they need to worry about the enemy’s unpredictable evasive maneuvers, their terrifying close-combat abilities, or their deadly crimson arrow-tails capable of piercing through mechas…
They didn’t need to consider anything at all—only two things: pursuit and annihilation!
In space, beams fell like rain, the darkness illuminated by dense red rays, dyeing the vision of all Shirley Clan pilots a bloody red.
They had lost count of how many clansmen, how many compatriots, had died under the arrow-tails of the Red-Tailed Beasts.
This was a moment for revenge. The pent-up rage accumulated over countless days and nights was now fully unleashed. Like madmen, they clung tightly to the tails of the Red-Tailed Beast formation, unleashing an overwhelming barrage of beams that swept toward the fleeing creatures.
One group after another…
Rows upon rows of Red-Tailed Beasts fell under the deadly red beams, like pieces of cake being bitten off one by one.
The number of Red-Tailed Beasts decreased at an astonishing rate, yet they completely ignored the beams shooting from behind, streaking like meteors toward their stronghold.
The originally dense and countless Red-Tailed Beasts were reduced to just over a thousand in a mere ten minutes. The remaining thousand continued their fearless flight toward their stronghold.
Just then, the hitherto calm Purple Mist began to undergo inexplicable changes.