CH 3

TL: Moonlit

Shu Shuishui found a not-so-tall building and crawled inside through a broken window. Once inside, he discovered a spacious area with many bookshelves. Some of the shelves had collapsed, and books were scattered on the floor. The pristine floor was covered in dust, devoid of any footprints, but beneath the dust lay black bloodstains that remained strikingly visible despite having dried up long ago.

Immediately alert, Shu Shuishui pricked up his ears and listened carefully for a moment to ensure there were no sounds around. He quickly explored the floor and realized it was the third floor. Although he could go down to the first and second floors, they were engulfed in the yellow sand, devoid of sunlight, and felt oppressive.

Confirming that he was the only mouse there, Shu Shuishui decided to find a floor with intact glass, without any damage. The library had a total of eight floors, but climbing stairs wasn’t easy for Shu Shuishui. He had to make an effort to jump and touch the top of the stairs, then push himself up with his little short legs and pull his nest up as well.

After some struggles, before Shu Shuishui could climb to the top floor, the approaching storm had already arrived. In an instant, the outside world turned orange-yellow, with fine sand particles suspended in the air, signaling the approaching storm.

Shu Shuishui suddenly felt a strong sense of danger. Holding his nest, he quickly ran to the window and saw the storm approaching, truly a storm. However, amidst the black and yellow storm resembling towering walls, there were flickering purple lightning bolts. Immense energy collided within the storm, and the high-intensity electric current could instantly kill any living being.

Terrified, Shu Shuishui jumped up in a panic and quickly found a windowless reading room to hide in. He closed the door and began to retrieve things from his own mouth.

Shu Bao mentioned that some spiritual creatures were born with storage ability, essentially having their own storage space. The quality and abilities varied, with some rare ones capable of housing living creatures. However, Shu Shuishui’s storage ability was somewhat inferior. It couldn’t store living creatures, and its space was limited to only twenty cubic meters. To quickly retrieve or store items, Shu Shuishui had to use his mouth since his storage ability was like squirrel cheek pouches, located on both sides of his cheeks, each with a capacity of ten cubic meters.

He took out pieces of spiritual stones and arranged them in specific positions. Shu Shuishui held a cinnabar pen with his two paws, took a deep breath, and his little belly expanded round as he felt his pounding heart calm down. While moving on the ground, he used spiritual power to sketch out a formation. His two hind paws landed on the ground with a steady thud, appearing quite stable.

Soon, the formation emitted a bright light, and the protective array was set. Shu Shuishui quickly picked up each spiritual stone and embedded them into the formation. Finally, with the last spiritual stone in place, a spherical barrier lit up. Although it was no bigger than a floor tile, it was enough to accommodate Shu Shuishui.

！！！His nest!

Shu Shuishui turned around and extended his paws to reach for his nest, which he had left outside the formation. Just as the tips of his paws touched the barrier, the deafening sound of thunder akin to the world-shattering engulfed the surroundings. Even without windows, Shu Shuishui could imagine the apocalyptic scene outside. Terrified, Shu Shuishui quickly withdrew his paws, curled up into a ball, and hugged his paws tightly.

In the reading room, an instant layer of purple-red electric light enveloped the spherical barrier. The electric light flickered and traveled between various objects. Under such high-intensity currents, there was no insulation. One can imagine that if Shu Shuishui was not inside the protective array, he would have turned into a charred rat by now.

Purple-red lightning struck the barrier, turning the transparent shield into a shade of purple-red. Shu Shuishui held onto its paws, motionless, fearing that the protective array would be pierced in the next second. Thunder roared amidst the raging lightning and storm, creating an apocalyptic scene.

Shu Shuishui nervously bit his own paws, his little heart pounding rapidly. Shu Shuishui knew he needed to stay calm.

After a moment, the little creature in the array turned around twice in place, then laid back on the floor with its belly up, covering itself with its big tail, preparing to sleep. If the array could hold, there was no need to waste time waiting anxiously. If the array couldn’t hold, Shu Shuishui hoped to die peacefully in his sleep. So… regardless, he decided to sleep first.

Since the noise was too loud, Shu Shuishui took out a pair of earplugs from his mouth and carefully inserted them into his ears. Regrettably, he couldn’t retrieve the little nest outside the array for now, so he had to lie on the floor. Shue Shuishui also took out a small handful of dried flowers from his mouth, held them in his paws, placed them on his chest, and straightened his hind legs, maintaining a solemn posture as he fell asleep.

Outside, the world remained dark and gloomy. Thick, serpent-like purple electric lights flashed intermittently, while the thunderous sound shook the hearts of people, as if the heavens and earth were about to shatter. The sandstorm covered the sky, and electric dragons rampaged. Everything felt like the end of the world.

The entire city trembled with cries, howls, fear, and despair. Only in a reading room on the third floor of the library, within a small shield, a little creature maintained a stiff corpse-like posture as it slept, looking extremely out of place yet bringing a hint of solace to the hopeless world.

When Shu Shuishui woke up, everything returned to calm. He removed the earplugs, and silence surrounded him. It seemed as though the previous storm was just an illusion.

However, upon seeing the protective array that had been consumed by more than half, Shu Shuishui knew it wasn’t an illusion.

Fortunately, the strong electric current in the storm only affected living beings and didn’t damage Shu Shuishui’s little nest. Shu Shuishui immediately picked up the nest and cuddled it, then moved it back into the protective array. Because it wasn’t certain whether another sandstorm would occur, the array was not going to be dismantled for now. Shu Shuishui now wanted to know what had happened.

After repairing the array, Shu Shuishui left the reading room and quickly ran to the window, leaning against it to look outside. The sky outside seemed veiled in a gray mist. The sandstorm seemed to have taken away all the wind, leaving everything still like a frozen painting, devoid of any signs of life.

What kind of world is this? Shu Shuishui had traveled through the Great Desert with Shu Bao before, but even there, life still existed.

At the same time, in the C1B3 district, several tens of kilometers away, in a conference room.

On both sides of a long table with a brown-black lacquer finish, two teams sat, each team with distinct appearances and styles. One team had a rugged and rough demeanor, while the other team exuded elegance and grace. The only common point between the two teams was a dangerous aura, indicating that the individuals seated at this table were not to be trifled with.

“The electromagnetic storm has already reached Zone C2. The Imperial City has been completely covered for a duration of two hours, and it shows signs of spreading. It’s only a matter of time before the entire Zone C1 is affected. We gathered here today to discuss what we should do next,” said a slender man with medium-length hair.

“Do we even need to think about it? Of course, we should go and seize Zone B’s territory,” a rugged man with a scruffy beard said, slamming his fist on the table. The solid wood table trembled under the impact, clearly indicating his tendency to solve problems through violence.

Both individuals speaking were leaders of the opposing factions, while those seated beside them were followers and subordinates.

The man with medium-length hair smiled. “If seizing Zone B were so easy, would we still struggle to survive in Zone C? Even if we combine our forces, it’s unlikely that we can take control of a B3C3.”

A handsome man seated beside the man spoke up as a reminder. “Have you all forgotten that there is still one faction in Zone C1 that hasn’t arrived?”

Silence fell upon the long table as the people wore various expressions. Finally, the rugged man with a beard couldn’t hold back and cursed. “Damn, I refuse to believe that Gu Langu, that lunatic, doesn’t want to migrate.”

The handsome man sneered. “Then why don’t you go and persuade him to take action?”

The seemingly fearless big man hesitated for a moment and then backed down without saying a word, indicating his reluctance. Afterward, perhaps feeling a loss of face, he attempted to salvage the situation and continued, “It’s not that I’m afraid of him. The problem is he’s not a normal person! I can’t possibly withstand his reinforced steel body. Filo, you’re not plotting something, are you?”

Filo was the man who spoke initially. “You can’t say that. Although Gu Langu is half-machine, he still has half of his humanity. As long as it’s a living being, no one can withstand an electromagnetic storm. Gu Langu will undoubtedly migrate as well. The question is how to make him take us along.”

The bearded big man, who had likely been tricked numerous times, didn’t continue following Filo’s words. “He’s just a madman. If he’s not in the mood, we’ll all suffer. I’d rather fight my way out myself.”

Filo leaned back in his chair. “So, negotiations have failed?”

The bearded big man sneered dismissively. “If we fail, then we fail. I don’t care if I continue to associate with you.” With that, he stood up, causing the chair behind him to scrape the floor, and his subordinates followed suit as they left the conference room.

Filo furrowed his brow, displaying signs of annoyance. The handsome man next to him tried to console him. “We will find a way. The electromagnetic storm won’t reach here for at least another four or five months.”

Filo nodded. “I didn’t expect Hu Sichen to become smarter.”

The handsome man remained silent for a moment, thinking that it was just because he scared him off. Moreover, considering Hu Sichen’s personality, the probability of him compromising and seeking Gu Lan Guo’s help was not high.

Thinking of Gu Langu, the handsome man couldn’t help but furrow his brow. This man had been on the Battle Star for nearly a year now. He clearly had enough strength to live in a better environment, but he remained here because his landing point was in Zone C1.

It is often said that those who are hateful also have their pitiable aspects, and Gu Langu is perhaps such a complex existence. His power was once renowned throughout the entire Canghai Galaxy, and his downfall shook the entire interstellar community.

The glory of the Gu family was born because of him, but in the end, the Gu family abandoned him. After all, he was ultimately a semi-mechanical creation and not a true human being.

The group led by Hu Sichen, who had departed, also thought about Gu Langu. There’s just no way around it—some people are naturally attention-grabbing. As soon as he appears, he attracts everyone’s attention.

The people following Hu Sichen were also engaged in discussions. One man, who had recently landed on the Battle Star, smirked in a somewhat lewd manner. “I heard that when Gu Langu was rescued from the battlefield, only his brain was left alive. So, later on, apart from his brain, his entire body was synthesized using advanced technology. In order to adapt to the battlefield, his bones are made of the toughest super metal material. Do you think he still has the functions of a man? Hahaha!”

Upon hearing this, the others around the lewd man burst into laughter. Hu Sichen slapped the lewd man’s head. “Behave yourself and stop causing trouble.”

“Boss, what are you afraid of? No matter how powerful he is, he can’t hear us now. Besides, what I said is based on some information. It is said that in order to maximize Gu Langu’s combat effectiveness, the Gu family erased his emotions, sense of touch, pain, taste, and smell. It was all to avoid various interferences. Unfortunately, the Gu family didn’t anticipate that Gu Langu would eventually lose control,” the lewd man lamented.

Author’s Note:

Gu Langu, the man with no senses: “I heard that men with no qualities have a hard time finding partners on Earth?”

The dead body of a mouse holding a bouquet of flowers: “ZZZ~”