LABMY CH79.1

Jian Yuanbai didn’t continue teasing. The kid was thin-skinned; saying too much would easily make him embarrassed and angry.

However, he silently remembered the matter of finding a way to restore Lu Qianyun’s gland. The fact that Lu Qianyun spoke such childish and arrogant words showed that he still cared.

If there was never a solution, Lu Longlong would eventually lose his original brilliance under endless blows and doubts.

Lu Qianyun, who was rebellious and arrogant in front of everyone, was the only one who would blush and feel shy in front of Jian Yuanbai. It was hard for Jian Yuanbai not to feel tempted.

To protect the most childish Lu Longlong in the world, he would do so without hesitation.

But right now, the most urgent matter was the four starships that were steadily approaching, intending to intercept them.

Jian Yuanbai looked at Lu Qianyun and asked, “Do you know how to pilot a warship?”

Lu Qianyun, who had once studied in the Mecha Department of the First Imperial Academy, had naturally learned how to pilot a warship. He understood what Jian Yuanbai intended to do and said, “Go ahead, leave this place to me.”

At that moment, from the four starships, the leading one had already extended its cannon. The man dressed as a star pirate stared grimly at the screen, where the warship remained motionless.

The person standing beside him asked, “Captain, should we open fire?”

The captain hesitated for a moment before saying, “Fire at the flank, and tell them to surround this warship from all directions.”

“If they still refuse to communicate with us, prepare for a full assault.”

“And emphasize this once more: do not harm Jian Yuanbai’s vital points.”

The distance between them and the warship had already reached close-range firing distance. With a thunderous boom, flames and thick smoke burst from the warship’s flank, causing the entire vessel to tremble slightly.

The intimidation worked. The captain ordered, “Send another video communication request.”

The deputy replied, “Still no response.” He paused, then exclaimed, “Captain, what is that?”

On the screen, from within the flames and smoke, a black shadow shot out at extreme speed, so fast that the naked eye could hardly capture its form.

The starship operator quickly captured the image. A cold, rigid mecha appeared before them.

The captain was shocked and shouted, “Shoot it down!”

“What if Jian Yuanbai is inside?” The deputy hesitated.

The captain snapped, “Jian Yuanbai is just a C-level alpha. He couldn’t possibly pilot a mecha. Are you brain-dead?”

“We can’t hit it at all.”

“Damn it! Is he piloting a mecha or a racing car?”

The captain yanked the deputy beside him and said, “Let’s go. We’ll deal with him ourselves.”

From the four starships, thirty-two cannons fired simultaneously, flames and smoke filling the sky. However, in Jian Yuanbai’s hands, the heavy mecha moved nimbly, dodging the incoming bullets from impossible angles.

Two other mechas closely pursued him. On the screen, Jian Yuanbai’s lips curled into a smirk.

In the next second, he charged directly toward the area with the most concentrated firepower from the four starships.

The boundless darkness of space was lit up by the cannon fire. Amidst the deafening explosions and blazing gunfire, the black mecha moved like a dragon swimming through water.

A shell was about to strike him head-on, but he performed an incredible backbend, narrowly dodging the attack.

The mecha chasing him from behind was directly hit by friendly fire from their own starship.

“F*ck!”

The deputy cursed, “Stop firing, all of you!”

On the other mecha, the captain’s expression was grim, but he was far more rational. “Retreat and deploy unmanned annihilation drones.”

“If the cannons can’t hit him, just trap him in a confined area.”

“The rest of you, follow me to board the warship.”

“The mecha pilot isn’t important. What matters is Jian Yuanbai on that warship.”

However, before they could retreat, it was already too late.

A dark shadow streaked past the captain’s mecha. An ear-piercing alarm blared inside his cockpit as the cabin door was forcefully blasted open.

The exposed captain lost all signs of life in less than a minute.

Wherever Jian Yuanbai’s shadow passed, explosions and flames erupted. He pressed forward under intense firepower, causing the other three starships to hesitate and dare not fire for fear of destroying their own vessels.

But while they had concerns, Jian Yuanbai did not.

The pitch-black, ice-cold mecha was like a scythe in the endless darkness of space, mercilessly reaping the steel insects one by one.

Their roars faded away as they helplessly plunged into deeper darkness.

When the chaotic battlefield finally returned to silence, only the black mecha remained standing. It turned its head and looked toward the warship.

Behind it, the wreckage of starships, mechas, and unmanned annihilation drones fell like snowflakes.

In this gray world of death and coldness, the black mecha walked toward the warship, stepping through the void. On the large screen of the warship, Lu Qianyun watched this scene and, for a moment, felt as if he was walking toward him.

At that moment, disaster struck.

A massive meteor hurtled toward Jian Yuanbai like an out-of-control train that had veered off track.

Even though Jian Yuanbai reacted as quickly as possible to dodge, the powerful shockwave from the meteor slicing through space shattered the mecha’s outer shell.

The broken mecha, like a kite with a snapped string, plummeted downward.

Watching everything unfold, Lu Qianyun’s eyes nearly split apart as he roared, “Jian Yuanbai!”

Because he hadn’t lost his memory, he saw clearly that the meteor carried the power of the Upper Realm.

He and Jian Yuanbai had come from the Upper Realm.

What seemed like an accident was likely a deliberate attack targeting Jian Yuanbai.

Lu Qianyun’s heart was filled with panic. He gripped the lever on the control panel and forcefully pushed the heavy warship into a steep dive.

One by one, he pressed the complex buttons, and blinding red warning lights continuously flashed. The warship began shedding various components to reduce weight and increase speed.

The warship caught the falling, broken mecha, while the meteor crashed down beside them. The tremendous impact made it nearly impossible for the warship to ascend.

Blue veins bulged on the back of Lu Qianyun’s hands as he used all his strength to pull the lever upward, but the ship continued to plummet rapidly. The shrill alarm grew more urgent with every passing second.

The uncontrollable sensation of freefall made Lu Qianyun’s brain spin with dizziness, but he was more worried about Jian Yuanbai, whose condition was unclear.

They were hurtling toward the planet below at an immeasurable speed. It was already an almost-scrapped warship crashing down—unimaginable what the outcome would be.

Without thinking, Lu Qianyun directly cushioned the mecha beneath him, desperately trying to stay conscious under the intense weightlessness.

A meteor, even faster than them, crashed straight into the planet. With a loud “boom,” a massive mushroom cloud rose, and the powerful shockwave flipped over the warship that followed.

Lu Qianyun’s head smashed hard against the control panel during the violent tumbling, and blood trickled down from his forehead. Yet, his gaze was fixed on the flashing screen, showing the position of the large metal hook that had extended.

His head throbbed painfully, his temples pounding, and his stomach churned from the weightlessness. But the pain kept him awake.

Finally, the hook caught hold of the damaged mecha that had been flung away. Before Lu Qianyun could breathe a sigh of relief, a piercing alarm declared that the engine had completely lost control.

He could only grip the controls tightly, sliding thousands of meters through the crater created by the meteor’s impact. The tattered warship crashed head-on into a massive, glowing blue tree that arched like a gate and stood hundreds of meters tall.

His vision turned black, and he passed out.

Lu Qianyun woke up amidst thick smoke. He staggered out of the control platform, his mind gradually clearing as he walked faster and faster. Ignoring the pain all over his body, he practically leaped off the warship.

“Jian Yuanbai.”

“Jian Yuanbai.”

“Jian Yuanbai.”

He called out anxiously, his voice trembling with panic. When he finally saw Jian Yuanbai unconscious inside the half-open cockpit, he let out a sigh of relief.

Still alive. Thank goodness.

Lu Qianyun quickly grabbed the medical kit from the mecha and struggled to drag Jian Yuanbai out. Limping, he dragged him toward the arch-shaped tree. It was only then that he realized his leg had been pierced by something during the crash.

But he couldn’t stop here. When the warship hit the tree, it had punctured the bark, and blue liquid was now seeping out. The outer shell of the warship that came into contact with the liquid was sizzling and corroding into a puddle of thick sludge.

Lu Qianyun glanced down at his calf. A small metal lever from the control panel had pierced through his leg muscle, and blood was dripping down.

He didn’t pull it out but instead squatted down and carried Jian Yuanbai on his back. Dragging his injured leg, he limped forward, carefully avoiding the slowly flowing blue liquid.

Just as he was about to leave the area, he stepped on what he thought was solid ground. The tree trunk beneath him, as thin as a blue membrane, suddenly cracked, and Lu Qianyun fell straight down.

The hollow, winding interior of the tree cushioned his fall. Like a smooth slide, it sent him straight to the ground beneath.

What he saw before him made him laugh bitterly.

The good news was that he had fallen right into the location where the plot said he could find the seed that could restore his gland.

A fully matured flower seed could replace a gland and become one itself.

The bad news was that the flower seed was about to enter its maturation phase right in front of him, and during this process, its scent would continuously attract the arthropods on this alien planet.

Lu Qianyun only knew this from reading the plot description: “This cave is cold and eerie. Looking up, you can see countless blue holes. A heartbeat echoes through the cave, and upon closer inspection, it turns out to be a flower pulsing like a heart.”

The sound of rustling filled the cave as creatures crawled out from the darkness. Lu Qianyun gripped the metal rod in his leg and yanked it out.

His chest heaved violently, and sweat mixed with blood flowed down his face. The extreme pain almost made him faint, but his hands remained steady as he applied medicine to the gaping wound and tore off a piece of cloth from his shirt to wrap it up.

No time to relax, Lu Qianyun glanced at the unconscious Jian Yuanbai. His body was faintly covered in black scales, not ugly, but instead carrying a strange, demonic beauty, like a creature from legend that lured people to their downfall.

Lu Qianyun’s mind was filled with chaotic thoughts. The meteor that struck them had the power of the Upper Realm. Could Jian Yuanbai’s amnesia be related to this?

And why was this mission assigned to Jian Yuanbai in the first place? Was it coincidence or deliberate arrangement?

His head throbbed with pain from the countless unanswered questions, but now wasn’t the time to think.

He took a deep breath, eyes narrowing in determination.

They’re here.

Thump-thump. The massive flower, as tall as half a person, slowly cracked open a thin slit. An overwhelming, pungent fragrance instantly filled the entire cave.

One by one, arthropods the size of an adult’s arm crawled out of the darkness. Their heads resembled human faces with long antennae, and their bodies, like centipedes, were covered in countless legs.

Lu Qianyun didn’t know exactly what these creatures were. He only knew that they were bloodthirsty and carnivorous. In the plot, the protagonist barely managed to obtain the flower seed while covered in blood and wounds— and that was without injuries.

But now…

Lu Qianyun gripped the metal rod tightly. He could abandon the flower seed, but he had to get Jian Yuanbai out of here.

…

Heavy breathing echoed against the pounding heartbeat of the flower. Lu Qianyun’s face was covered in blood, unclear whether it was his or the arthropods’.

His once beautiful face was now a bloody mess, but his eyes remained calm and resolute.

He stabbed the metal rod into the head of one of the creatures, swiftly blocking another that lunged at him.

The creature’s claws dug deep into his arm, and its sharp fangs bit into his flesh.

Lu Qianyun expressionlessly tore it off and slammed it to the ground. His flesh and blood flew off along with the creature, yet his face remained emotionless as if he couldn’t feel pain.

The sound of rustling filled the air as the creatures swarmed toward the fallen flesh and blood. Lu Qianyun didn’t seize the opportunity to kill them one by one—more of them were closing in on him.

He bitterly smiled in his heart.

Without a gland, he couldn’t even handle these creatures. His body was already at its limit, and the blood loss made his vision go black.

No way out. No chance of escape.

Fortunately, they were backed against the cave wall. The blue corrosive liquid that dripped from above prevented the creatures from circling around him.

But he wouldn’t last much longer.

Lu Qianyun glanced at Jian Yuanbai. If he died here, it would simply be a failed mission. He could still reincarnate with no memories.

But Jian Yuanbai… he wasn’t sure.

He couldn’t afford to gamble.

Lu Qianyun’s gaze hardened. He sliced open his palm and pressed his bleeding hand against the heart-like flower.

As long as the flower seed continued to mature, the creatures wouldn’t retreat.

A fully matured seed could revive his gland. But forcibly extracting an immature one… could kill him.

The sound of the flower’s heartbeat abruptly stopped. The creatures grew restless.

Lu Qianyun ignored everything and shielded Jian Yuanbai with his body, allowing the creatures to bite and tear at his legs.

His hand, however, desperately reached into the crack of the flower’s heart.

One inch.

Lu Qianyun’s body stiffened as searing pain surged from his fingertips to his entire body. Sweat poured from him like rain, and even breathing felt like burning agony.

Two inches.

The pain from the bites on his calves could no longer be felt, as there was no part of his body that wasn’t in pain.

Three inches.

The heart-like flower plant split open with a gaping crack, releasing a spicy scent that replaced the previously pungent floral fragrance. The swarm of limb-segmented insects grew restless and retreated, yet their instincts kept them circling nearby.

Lu Qianyun let out a breath of relief. Now, he didn’t have to worry about the places he couldn’t fully shield — Jian Yuanbai had been bitten.

Clenching his teeth, he suddenly reached in another inch.

The scent was the flower plant’s self-defense weapon, but what caused the deepest harm lay within the plant itself.

Invisible, fine mist-like fluid, as if alive, rapidly spread from Lu Qianyun’s fingers, wrapping around his entire body.

Lu Qianyun didn’t notice at all. His eyes lit up slightly, and for the first time, a faint smile appeared on his face.

His fingertips touched the seed.