Recap
The spaceship landed slowly, and a prompt sounded: [Oxygen detected, oxygen content 28%, temperature is too low, air pressure is too low, it is recommended to wear a type III space suit to go out of the cabin for activities]
[Repeat: Oxygen detected, oxygen content 28%, temperature is too low, air pressure is too low, it is recommended to wear a type III space suit to go out of the cabin for activities]
But in the deepest part of space, how can there be life and oxygen?
The searchlight of the spaceship was turned on to the maximum, and before they could see the scene in front of them clearly, the huge bone drifted away from its original place.
The angle changed, so from behind them, a ray of dazzling starlight miraculously shone. Soon a wisp turned into a piece, shining brightly.
Like the sunrise of the universe.
They saw the soft green grass under their feet, the edges of a few white flowers were outlined by the light, they trembled slightly, cheering and jumping. At the end of the field of vision, unseen alien beasts glide through the void in groups, their fur is dark, and they stare at the intruder with curious eyes.
Looking carefully, the entire huge skeleton turned out to be such a vibrant scene. Lives adapted to weightlessness have taken root here, vegetation is lush, and they form an ecosystem of their own. Beyond anyone’s cognition, it is not a lonely death, but a whale who fell from space.
The spaceship navigated the skeletal remains of a colossal creature, its path illuminated by the faint glow of the terminal’s screen. Unfamiliar beings scattered in their wake, startled by the vessel’s intrusion. Familiar plants, their forms warped and alien, clung to the skeletal structure.
The outer layer of this skeleton seemed to be wrapped in spiritual power, which trapped the oxygen inside, just like the planet’s atmosphere. When passing through certain areas, the spiritual force even created a sense of gravity.
The alien beasts here seem to have the ability to move in a vacuum for a short time. Their spiritual power flows on the wing membrane, bringing huge upward force, breaking through the shackles of spiritual power, and wandering in the vast universe.
A very magical scene, different from any other space alien beast known to the alliance, I don’t know how they adjust the air pressure in their bodies.
This space has always been calm, and the radar shows that they have reached the edge of a super-large storm——
Logically speaking, the hull should have been affected long ago. But this skeleton and spiritual power protected this place.
Shen Chaomu felt the fluctuation of the remaining spiritual power in the air.
It is very similar to a storm, like a turbulent current and a strong wind. Or maybe, the super storm was brought by it.
Shen Chaomu said: “Maybe this is why no one else has found its wreckage for so many years. After all, no lunatic would approach a cosmic storm.”
“Probably.” Long Shiyu looked out the window, where there were also fruit trees with unique shapes, which looked delicious, “After all, after so many years of his death, his spiritual power can still be preserved, and he wants to trigger a cosmic storm. It’s not difficult either.”
Going forward all the way, gradually reached another area. The terrain here is different, it is sunken downwards, like a basin, and they don’t know which part of the skeleton it has reached.
A vast expanse of wrecked starships stretched before them, a graveyard of forgotten vessels from countless civilizations and eras. Twisted metal and shattered hulls bore witness to the destructive power of cosmic storms and the relentless march of time. Yet, life had found a foothold even here. Plants sprouted from the decaying metal, their roots entwined with the skeletal remains. Strange creatures darted among the wreckage, their forms alien and fascinating.
Small robots, dispatched from their starship, scanned the derelict vessels, their sensors deciphering the markings and identifying those lost to the Alliance in past missions.
The little robot stretched out its mechanical hand and picked up a small card on a spaceship.
That is the crew’s ID card.
If life comes to an end in the universe, the body will most likely not be found. So the alliance developed this small card, which is strong, safe and reliable. If they carry it with them, even if the body dies and fades away, the ID will travel in the void with their names, and will be picked up one day.
For a long time, this has been the spiritual comfort of space travelers.
Life disappears, but the name can still be buried in the homeland, there is nothing better than this.
After the information was read, it showed that this was a crew member of the alliance.
From twelve hundred years ago.
His ship was hit by a meteorite, and after being damaged, it lost contact forever. The method of storing data at that time was different from now, after a long decoding, photos appeared on the screen one by one. It was a young man, hugging his wife and smiling happily.
Not only him, but more ID cards were picked up.
These ships, after a long voyage, strayed into the cosmic storm, and then entered this huge skeleton, and because of the spiritual power shrouded around it, they could never leave again.
After the little robot collected dozens of authentication cards that fell on the upper layer, Shen Chaomu drove the starship to continue moving forward.
The tomb of the spaceship is endless, and they can’t see the end at a glance. They flew for about half an hour before arriving at the center.
Here, the remnants of the ghost whale’s spiritual power have changed.
Steel quietly surrounded a small area in the middle.
It seemed to be specially emptied, a small private starship stayed there, covered with scars, surrounded by green grass and white flowers.
Looks different.
Shen Chaomu said: “Shall we go down and have a look?”
“Yeah.”
They put on their spacesuits and went down. Getting closer, the private starship came from the alliance, it was a very old model, the hull had serious impact marks, and the security system no longer existed. It took the robot some time to cut open the door.
The oil lamp floated beside Shen Chaomu, and the light clusters illuminated the long corridor. It was badly damaged here, and they climbed over several collapsed ceilings and half of the wreckage of the torpedo launcher before reaching the cockpit.
The cockpit is fairly complete. It seems that the impact did not affect this place, and the pilot’s chance of survival should be very high.
There are a few books lying on the ground, and the special materials make them only have some blurred handwriting after many years.
Long Shiyu squatted down and looked at it: “’Rules of Space Navigation’? What is this?”
“The rules formulated by the alliance a hundred years ago, no one uses them now.” Shen Chaomu said, “These books are from a long time ago.”
Looking at the console again, the golden light flakes wiped away the dust and debris, revealing a white cup, a few pens, and a… ID card.
The small robot read the data again, and half a minute later, the information showed:
[Shen Xing, 2096.1.1]
Shen Chaomu’s eyes widened slightly.
He remembered the tombstone on the family island. It was not in the cemetery, but stayed in a corner, allowing moss and vines to climb on it. The elder who offered flowers to the grave mentioned that she was a “whale whisperer”.
Long Shiyu also found something.
There is a backpack next to the console, and there is a recording pen-like device in the grid. People who sail in space often use this kind of instrument to record.
Press the switch, the files of the holographic projection are all damaged, only intermittent audio remains.
The sound quality was very poor, and a woman’s voice came, hoarse with electricity:
[Today I discovered new meteorites, their structure…must…the voyage has been 100 days, and I still haven’t found a new planet…]
[On the 107th day, I should have listened to them and not brought too many cans of the same kind. I really don’t want to eat peas and luncheon meat anymore]
[On the 113th day, I finished drinking all the coffee, and I have to arrive at the next transit station… There is a riot on another planet, and my family wants me to go back]
[Today I finally got off the starship, and I happened to sit by the river and watch a fireworks show, it was very beautiful, I had a good dream]
[……]
After that, there were still intermittent recordings, it seemed that she had the habit of recording every day. The amount of audio is huge, and they will not be able to finish listening to it for a while, so Shen Chaomu put it away temporarily.
The news from the association was jumping on the terminal, he had been out for too long this time.
They walked out of this private spaceship, and within the next hour, Shen Chaomu placed different trackers in every corner of the skeleton, ensuring that they could return here next time – during this period, those strange beasts with black fur still looked at them curiously and vigilantly. They glide through the void.
He didn’t tell anyone in the association about it.
Shen Xing’s recording pen was in his hand, small and heavy.
He vaguely felt that he had found a key, and he didn’t know where the door led.
They were on the starship and ready to leave.
At the last glance, the figures of those green grasses and those strange beasts gradually disappeared, and the huge skeleton continued to wander silently in the storm.
And at the end of the cosmic storm, the coordinates of the Dragon Clan’s treasure house are still changing.
Shen Chaomu said: “We will definitely come back here again, soon.”
“Yeah.” Long Shiyu yawned beside him, and began to concentrate on building a nest on the bed, preparing to sleep with the fragrant princess in his arms.
It’s said to be soon, but in fact, when he gets busy later, Shen Chaomu can stay away from home for several days.
They went to other galaxies.
The alien beasts are still in the outbreak period, they keep fighting each other until the strongest is determined, and they challenge the throne. The mercenaries’ actions have become more frequent, and occasionally thunderstorms can be heard somewhere, but when the hunters rushed there, the trees fell and the ground was scorched, but Royasno was nowhere to be seen, and there was a crushed bright red rose on the ground.
During a break, Shen Chaomu lit a cigarette and leaned against the wall.
After Uther muttered something, he talked about the recent situation: “Lao Shen Chaomu*, your performance today is really excellent! I assure the Goddess of Victory that even the Dragon King is no match for you!”
*(terms often indicate closeness and endearment. For example, someone may refer to friends around the same age or younger than themselves as ‘Xiao’ (small), e.g. Xiao WANG. A person from an older generation may be called ‘Lao’ (old) – e.g. Lao WANG.)
Shen Chaomu just smiled noncommittally.
“We should hear about the Dragon King soon,” Uther stared intently at his crystal ball, “After all, he has been on the throne for too long. His prestige once made all the alien beasts tremble, but ah, Everyone can’t grasp the branches and leaves of the evergreen tree.”
Shen Chaomu flicked the ashes from his cigarette: “Perhaps.
Back in the house, Long Shiyu fell asleep with his tail coiled.
Beside the terminal was another Landlord who went bankrupt, and he didn’t even play a single card.
Shen Chaomu skillfully recharged him.
Sitting by the bed, he remembered what Uther had just said.
There has never been a precedent for leaving the throne safe and sound. Once you sit on it, you will face endless challenges until death comes and a new king is born.
Alternating from generation to generation, it has always been this way.
So he looked at Long Shiyu, feeling mixed emotions for a while:
Are you really the being I think you are?
During this period of time, they went to several different planets in a row, killed different strange beasts, and solved different riots.
After delaying for nearly two months, they finally returned to the Kahala galaxy.
It wasn’t because they had free time to come back, but because there were a large number of mercenaries operating on the main star Meistan here, accompanied by large-scale thunderstorms.
Meistan is the hub city of Starnet.
As soon as Long Shiyu got off the starship, he saw the aerial rail train whizzing past overhead, making a rumbling sound.
There are many high-rise buildings and bright lights, and the images are projected into the air: huge light blue words read “Welcome to Meistan!” Then the fonts were wiped horizontally, and sweet smiling faces began to advertise, and brand names flew across the air. On the deeper night sky in the distance, a huge airship-like aircraft flew by, flashing dots of light.
Shen Chaomu also came here for the first time. After getting off the plane, he changed into casual clothes and walked through the streets and alleys, following the traces of the church and mercenaries.
Long Shiyu happily held the princess’s hand as they went along, eating and drinking all the way.
The economy here was exceptionally prosperous. Robots had replaced most of the manual labor. After every automatic food order, Long Shiyu would receive a warning from the system: [Please purchase as needed to avoid waste!] or [Warning! An adult’s daily calorie intake should not exceed 2500. You have seriously exceeded the limit!]
After half a day passed, they finally returned to their hotel.
Fang Qing and Song Qianqian had come along as usual, and the group, rare for them to relax, gathered in Fang Qing’s room to play cards.
Long Shiyu had just approached the door when she heard Fang Qing shouting, “Li Jianchun, are you cheating? Are you cheating?!”
As always, Li Jianchun’s response was slow, while Song Qianqian, unceremonious as ever, immediately retorted, “Lao Fang, stop losing your temper—you’re just been outplayed! Hurry, hurry, hand over the money!”
Shen Zhaomu knocked and entered, only to see a mess of snacks scattered on the floor. Song Qianqian smiled slyly, grabbed Fang Qing’s chips, and, seeing him enter, said, “Ah, the chief is coming to catch us gambling!”
Shen Zhaomu chuckled, “In just these few days, you’ve already broken enough rules to get half a month’s salary docked.”
Nearby, Lu Shanhui was sound asleep, a magazine covering his face. Shen Zhaomu glanced at it, and the big words on the cover read: [CEO! Madam…!].
Shen Zhaomu was startled, quickly grabbing Long Shiyu to escape the scene, leaving the group still happily at play inside the room.
Back in their room, he sat at the desk and started listening to the voice recordings left by Shen Xing.
He had been listening to these audio recordings on and off for a long time. Part of it was to find clues about the Ghost Whale, the Throne, and the High Wind plan, but part of it… part of it, he didn’t know why, but some kind of obsession had settled in his heart.
The voice on the recordings wasn’t particularly beautiful—slightly hoarse, but calm and measured.
It had a nostalgic feeling to it.
The family had never mentioned Shen Xing’s life, but in these recordings, Shen Xing had mentioned her own family.
Cheng Yi.
Her husband’s name.
Shen Zhaomu had heard of him—he was from another dragon-hunting family, a genius well-known in that era. If he hadn’t died young, his name could have been as famous as Shen Di’s.
But the family records never mentioned Cheng Yi having a wife. Like a lonely gravestone, Shen Xing had always been excluded.
In the recording, however, the woman’s voice was filled with uncontrollable joy.
She said: [I… I can’t believe it, we’re going to have a child, a boy!]
[What kind of person will he be? Will he like the soup I make? I had a dream last night, I dreamed that he became a brave warrior, a great hero, and like us, hunting in the sea of stars, everyone would have heard of his name.]
[When I told Lao Cheng, he laughed at me for daydreaming, saying that ‘hero’ is not something you can just get.]
[Of course, I know that. Actually, it doesn’t matter if he’s not a hero. He doesn’t have to go hunting or become a warrior. As long as he does what he loves and grows up healthy, that’s all I want.]
After that, the audio became less coherent.
It seemed there were some issues between her and Cheng Yi, and they had a big argument. The more she spoke, the less she mentioned Cheng Yi.
Then, for a long time, Shen Xing stopped recording. Shen Zhaomu checked—it was around the time Cheng Yi died in battle.
When she returned to recording, her tone was tired.
She said: [No doctor has seen this kind of disease. He has a fever again tonight… They say it could be due to his inherent strong spiritual power. I used to think of this talent as a blessing.]
[I’ve packed up. We’ll be going to another star system to look for a cure.]
[Everyone says his talent is unmatched. If he survives, he’ll surely be a historical figure. They told me not to worry, that every hero’s birth must go through trials… but I don’t want a hero. I just want him to grow old safely and healthily.]
[Give me a little more time.]
After that, most of the recordings were made in space. It seemed that something had happened to her ship in the Jiale system, and they were forced to stop their journey and temporarily head to Meston for rest.
That was the last recording.
After that, there was nothing more.
A certain guess lingered in Shen Zhaomu’s heart.
Unlike his suspicions about the High Wind plan, it wasn’t clouded with darkness or layers of mystery; instead, it was filled with disbelief and a trace of sourness.
Long Shiyu leaned over and asked, “Are you still listening to this recording?”
“…Mm,” Shen Zhaomu replied. “I’m almost done. How’s your injury?”
The wound had mostly healed in the past few days, with just a small patch left.
“It’s all healed,” Long Shiyu said. “Totally healed.”
Shen Zhaomu smiled and ruffled his hair. “That’s good. I’m free tomorrow night. Want to go to the night market here?”
“Of course!” Long Shiyu grinned, immediately rubbing his tail against Shen Zhaomu’s wrist. “You’re such a good princess!”
Shen Zhaomu added, “But after this, you’re absolutely not allowed to tie a bow on my bathrobe belt again.”
“Why? Don’t you like it?”
“I don’t like it.”
“Ying.”
“…Anyway, no more.”
“Then, can I secretly tie a knot for you later? I’ll be very careful.”
“Sure.”
___
Author’s Note:
Daily “ying” (1/1).
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