Chapter Nine: Game Over

In the center of the ancient teleportation array coiled a monstrous ghost beast, five meters tall and thirty meters long. All at once, threads of light wrapped swiftly around its body, and as the light vanished, so did the enormous creature. At the same time, a half-meter-tall, two-meter-long ghost beast and another that could fly disappeared as well. Their sudden vanishing stirred the rest of their kind into alertness; strange cries echoed in all directions, and before long, every ghost beast within the teleportation array had retreated beyond the array’s transmission disc. Immediately afterward, the peculiar radiance of the teleportation array flared to life again. Another wave of ghost beasts appeared within the ancient array.

The cultivators stationed at the Ancient Teleportation Array on Mawei Star, upon seeing this, erupted into curses. Recently, these ghost beasts had begun arriving every three to five days in fresh batches. It seemed they were set on breaking through the formation. Flying ghost beasts were growing in number, and manpower was increasingly stretched thin. It was enough to drive one to distraction.

…

In the conference room of the Pegasus Alliance headquarters,

“So, have you all made up your minds? What I think is, we won’t be here long before forced ascension. Matters of the cultivation world will soon be out of our hands. Let Ling Ren make the decisions—after all, he bears the title of Alliance Leader!” For days now, Yi Mishui had been clear about his stance. The others remained hesitant, unable to decide. Among cultivators, unresolved knots in one’s heart bode ill for future cultivation.

Yi Mishui, owing to his unique cultivation method, approached all things with detachment; being a rogue cultivator, he had no sect or family to consider. Bai Jiegan was in a similar position, but the other three were not. Just then, more news arrived.

“A strange unidentified flying object has appeared over Mawei Star, and today an enormous number of ghost beasts have suddenly been teleported here—far more than usual. The numbers are immense. Mawei Star’s garrison is requesting reinforcements!” a messenger reported through a transmission jade.

“Forget about the unidentified flying object for now. Have the garrison focus on dealing with the ghost beasts,” Wan Lilu replied.

“The situation grows ever more dire. There’s no choice—we must inform Ling Ren and have him negotiate with those in the Solar System. Let us do what we can before ascension, if only for our own peace of mind,” Shi Bushi said helplessly. The others sighed in agreement. Then the five of them set out for Mawei Star to join the battle against the ghost beasts.

…

Aboard the spaceship above Mawei Star, all but Hua Ruoxue now stood outside the high-risk biological containment fence of Zone D, watching the three ghost beasts within. Tang Yi called it “observation.” Though the winged beast arrogantly flapped toward Tang Yi, the place was protected not only by formation arrays but also by high-voltage electric nets and invisible walls of compressed light. The flying ghost beast crashed into the electric net; sparks flashed, blue smoke rose from its body, and it was forced to retreat. The net couldn’t kill it, but it certainly made it uncomfortable. So the beast stayed put, allowing Tang Yi and his companions to observe. After a long while, they still hadn’t figured anything out. Tang Yi even used his psychic powers—ultrasound, x-ray vision, and more—to investigate, but all he could see was that the creatures’ bellies held many materials; nothing else came to light.

“Jet, immediately conduct a comprehensive and three-dimensional scan of the three creatures in the high-risk zone—from inside out, outside in—analyze every biological trait and characteristic,” Tang Yi ordered after his own psychic efforts failed. Jet, after all, never refused.

…

Beneath the spaceship, the battle at the ancient teleportation array raged fiercely. Yi Mishui and the other four masters had joined the fight, yet the situation remained grim. If not for the cultivators’ reliance on protective formations, the overwhelming numbers of ghost beasts would have long since turned Mawei into a barren sphere.

And what of Tang Yi? After instructing Jet, he led the group into a grand entertainment hall, a place with every amusement imaginable: baccarat, roulette, slot machines—every gambling device one might find in a casino, save for the dealers. There were also private rooms, an arcade, and even a retro console room. Tang Yi was now playing Super Mario.

“Damn, dead again. Haven’t played in too long—my skills have dulled,” Tang Yi cursed at the game over screen.

“Tang, what should we be doing now?” Bai Dongfang asked anxiously.

“What should we do? You could do as I’m doing—there are more consoles over there. Play some games with me, or challenge the others to cards, or relax in the tearoom! We’ll wait for Jet’s analysis before making any moves. For now, just keep playing games.” The rest could only respond in speechless silence…

On the battlefield, Yi Mishui and the others dashed everywhere, putting out fires—ghost beasts appeared to the east, then a breach in the formation to the west. After a day of fierce fighting, by midnight, no more ghost beasts were teleported to Mawei Star, and peace finally settled. The cultivators breathed a sigh of relief. Yet after this battle, their numbers were reduced by another fifth. Such heavy losses were due to the fact that any wound inflicted by a ghost beast, no matter how small, was as good as a death sentence.

As fighting paused, attention turned to the unidentified flying object overhead. Yi Mishui called loudly toward the spaceship, “Pray, who are you within the flying vessel? Please, come out and meet us!”

“Brother Bai, would you kindly join me in meeting them?” Tang Yi said to Bai Dongfang, opening the ship’s lower hatch.

“Tang, I have a humble request, if you would grant it,” Bai Dongfang replied.

“Oh? What is it? No need to be so formal. Speak plainly,” Tang Yi replied carelessly. Suddenly Bai Dongfang knelt before him, startling Tang Yi so much he dropped the apple in his hand. “Such a waste!” Tang Yi muttered, as the apple floated itself to the trash bin.

“Tang, I beg you to help the wounded cultivators below. For this, Bai Dongfang kneels in gratitude!” Bai Dongfang said emotionally. Under Hua Fengtian’s guidance, he felt a deep sense of belonging to the cultivators’ world in the Pegasus System; for centuries, Hua Fengtian had taught him the creed, “All for one, and one for all,” a principle etched into his bones over the years.

“Get up, Brother Bai. I promise you,” Tang Yi answered, secretly pleased—he had wanted to examine the ghost beasts’ wounded victims anyway, to better understand the nature of the creatures’ saliva and how to treat such injuries. Now that Bai Dongfang owed him a favor, all the better.