Chapter 239: Decisive Battle (2/2)
“The Sheng Ao is a very strange creature that has only appeared in recent years. The people that it manipulates are perfectly aware of themselves, have clear memories, and act no differently than before. Even the people themselves do not know that they are being controlled, but all of their actions are being influenced by the Sheng Ao,” Qu Ao solemnly said, seeming as an explanation to Lu Yin, but also possibly to remind himself. Lu Yin did not interrupt.
“Since the Sheng Ao has appeared, the death rate has increased by a third because of manipulated humans, and a great deal of damage has been caused to our facilities as well,” Qu Ao said before looking at Lu Yin and then suddenly switching topics. “How would you evaluate Qu Feng’s strength?”
Lu Yin was caught off guard and perfunctorily replied, “Very strong.”
Qu Ao laughed. “Strong? He couldn’t even enter the top sixteen in the tournament and is still too far too weak compared to Han Chong.”
“Is Qu Feng a member of your clan’s younger generation?” Lu Yin asked.
“Yes, he’s a descendent of the Qu family.”
The room fell silent.
Lu Yin had felt that Qu Ao was being rather friendly, just like Han Chong. He had also been quite friendly to Lu Yin during the Astral Combat Tournament. Could it have to do with his clan name? The Erudite Flowzone reportedly had the highest amount of clans with primeval surnames, but they had all hidden themselves. Could the Qu clan be one of those clans as well?
“Lu Yin, what about your family?” Qu Ao suddenly asked, still gazing calmly at outer space.
Lu Yin’s eyes flashed. Although Qu Ao wasn’t directly facing him, he felt that he was being carefully observed. “I have no family. I’m an orphan.”
“You were born with the bloodline of the Great Yu Empire’s King Zishan?”
“Yes,” Lu Yin answered with a nod.
“Why the family name Lu?” Qu Ao asked as he suddenly turned back around. Lu Yin’s brain rumbled. His mental state was disturbed, and his body suddenly turned limp. In that instant, Lu Yin felt like he had returned to Driftcharge Planet and was reciting the Stonewall Scriptures. That same overbearing pressure had reappeared: the might of a Hunter. If this had occurred before his experiences on Driftcharge Planet, then Lu Yin would have lost all of his reasoning ability and become muddle-headed, but after reciting the Stonewall Scriptures, his mind was able to hold onto a trace of clarity.
“I don’t know. I just feel that I should be called Lu,” Lu Yin painfully bent at his waist as he involuntarily answered.
Qu Ao frowned but did not speak as he continued to study Lu Yin.
Lu Yin vigorously shook his head, panting heavily. He then looked at Qu Ao in a daze. “Guardian, what about you?”
Qu Ao raised his hand to halt the conversation. “Forget about what happened just now and forget about your reply.”
Lu Yin nodded and continued breathing heavily. If Qu Ao had tried to force him any further, then he would have truly fainted; his pressure surpassed even Liu Shaoqiu’s Third Sword. And he had been subjected to this pressure just because his family name was Lu.
Actually, even Lu Yin himself did not understand why he had the surname “Lu.” When he was first rescued by his family, everyone had told him that this was his name, that he should be called Lu Yin. He had never felt any rejection towards the name either. This surname, “Lu,” that he carried had given him and his family much trouble, but he had never regretted having this name.
Not long after, a message was delivered, confirming that the experiment had been a success. The sphere that had been retrieved from a dead Sheng Ao still lit up in the presence of other Sheng Aos, and the warship had been successful in eradicating another horde of astral beasts and obtaining another sphere.
Qu Ao was delighted by the results and immediately ordered an Explorer to personally hunt down the Sheng Aos with the spheres.
The Sheng Aos and their guardian astral beasts were not Explorers, which was why they had to hide on the various planets. This had originally been the source of a huge headache for the humans, but now, Lu Yin’s discovery had nullified these astral beasts hordes’ concealing ability, which was a great contribution for the warfront.
This border zone was not just an area or territory but rather a warfront that concerned the rise and fall of the entire human race. Any contributions made at the warfront would be recorded in the annals of history.
“Good job, Lu Yin,” Qu Ao praised as he patted Lu Yin’s shoulder.
Lu Yin exhaled lightly. “It was all luck, good luck.”
Qu Ao smiled. “Sometimes, luck is more important than strength on the battlefield. It seems that you’re the bringer of good fortune.”
Not far away from them, a screen turned on, showing Shui Chuanxiao gazing gratefully at Lu Yin. Before the commander could speak, however, the spacecraft jerked violently, causing the connection to dissipate. A succession of explosions tore through the spacecraft’s metal hull as its structure fell apart. A terrifying shockwave swept through the ship, distorting the void and making everyone feel as if the entire universe were falling apart.
Qu Ao’s face instantly changed. “Not good! It’s Yao Gu!” Then, the clear sound of a voice reading some esoteric text caused Lu Yin’s entire body to go numb. For an instant, he felt as if the heavens were collapsing, and he could not even hear Qu Ao’s shouts. There was a rumbling sound in Lu Yin’s ears and a massive crack appeared in the warship.
In the vastness of outer space, Wen Sansi’s figure appeared. “Brother Yao Gu, you should reconsider your actions.”
“Wen Sansi, this will be the decisive battle! Let’s see if you can stop me,” Yao Gu shouted as the void exploded again. From the depths of space, the shadows of a dozen enormous beasts emerged. They were all space-exploring astral beasts.
Lu Yin was stunned. Decisive battle?
Qu Ao barked, “Land the spacecraft on Planet Conan. The Explorers will battle in the heavens. The war has begun!” He disappeared immediately after giving those orders.
The spacecraft shook and charged straight for Planet Conan.