Chapter 751: The Undying Beasts
What sounded like "light probes" on paper, when enacted in the vacuum of space, quickly devolved into a genuine meat grinder.
It was unclear whether it was a blessing or a curse, but the destructive power of both sides' weaponry was so immense that a single hit meant certain death, sparing soldiers any prolonged suffering before their demise.
There were no injuries, only fatalities.
Whether it was kinetic weapons primarily driven by explosives or pure energy weapons like lasers, for the Wood Elf personal mechs and Acolyte spacecraft – whose stats were almost entirely invested in mobility – any grazing hit proved instantly fatal.
"Why do you think this is, young man?" the voice from the pendant transmitted, querying a young man dressed in a special stealth suit, who was furtively attempting to approach the two women.
"Huh?!" The young man, utterly devoid of stealth experience, inadvertently let out a sound, betraying his previously invisible presence.
"Who's there!" In the very next second, two suppressed firearms were leveled at his head.
"Don't... don't shoot."
A face, so young it was almost naive, slowly shimmered into view in the air.
It was a cutting-edge model of Federation stealth psionic equipment, reputed to be imperceptible to anyone below the six-tier, a divine artifact for assassination and infiltration, with each unit costing a staggering sixty million Federation dollars...
"Equipment worth sixty million, actually worn by a mere mortal?!"
There was no psionic signature emanating from the young man; Mira's divine sense swept over his entire body unimpeded. Aside from a handgun and a military knife, he carried no other weapons whatsoever.
"Who gave you the courage to target us? Even if Sister Mira offered no resistance and let you have your way, with just what you're carrying, you couldn't harm a single hair on her head..." the Wind Elf, Sera, quipped.
"What do you mean 'let him have his way'..." Mira rolled her eyes at her.
"Still, a few hairs might actually get cut off..." she then murmured in a voice so faint it was almost imperceptible.
Mira, already nearing the apex of the fourth-tier and preparing to attempt the Five-Tiers Martial Path Golden Body breakthrough, could indeed completely disregard ordinary bullets and bladed weapons, for such attacks couldn't even pierce her defenses.
Observing the two female cultivators bickering back and forth, completely oblivious to his presence and spouting utter nonsense, the young man found himself utterly speechless.
"I'm just here to save my comrades! There are people I cherish up there!"
"Oh ho?!" Mira's gaze, full of amusement, swept over him.
"Do you know who I am?"
"No," the young man replied, gritting his teeth.
As a mere mortal, with his stealth already compromised, facing the menacing pressure of two fourth-tier cultivators was undeniably a trying ordeal.
...
A moment of silence passed.
"It doesn't matter if you don't know. Go on, and remember to hide yourself well." Mira, recalling the events unfolding in the sky, suddenly felt a wave of apathy wash over her, losing all desire to further toy with the young man.
"Just let him go like that?"
"Whatever. I'm just from the Geocentric Grand Prison, anyway. Once the prisoners are sent to the execution planet, nothing else concerns me."
"Besides, these hot-headed types are quite interesting."
"Isn't it your whip that finds him interesting?"
"A tender, pink little puppy... who wouldn't love to tie him up and 'educate' him, whip by whip?"
"That's your perverse taste, don't drag me into it."
The two women's conversation showed not the slightest regard for the young man standing before them. Though some of their bizarre terms were lost on him, upon understanding the gist, he felt as if he'd been granted a great amnesty, and couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
"Farewell, ladies."
The young man donned his stealth suit once more, preparing to continue his advance towards his comrades' position, taking advantage of the surrounding chaos.
...
"You haven't answered my question yet." Just as he was poised to depart, the voice from the pendant resurfaced.
"Huh?!"
"What's wrong?" Mira stared curiously at the astonished young man.
"Didn't you hear a sound?"
"What sound?"
The young man pointed towards Mira's chest.
"So, he's a little pervert after all?"
After misinterpreting his words, the big-sister-like Mira broke into a smile brimming with wicked amusement.
"No, no! I mean your chest... the pendant on your chest is talking!" the young man, his face flushed scarlet, finally managed to articulate his meaning.
"What are the Warden's instructions?" Upon hearing that it concerned her pendant, Mira and Sera immediately shed their frivolous expressions.
The previous private telepathic message had not been audible to them.
"This young man is quite interesting."
"?"
"?"
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"Could the boss (Warden) possibly share the same peculiar taste?" Mira and Sera simultaneously entertained the identical thought.
They exchanged a glance, but dared not voice it aloud.
"Why, I ask you, must the mortals in the sky fight to the death for a private vendetta between two Immortals?" the pendant suddenly inquired.
"..." Upon hearing the question, Mira was momentarily speechless.
A True Immortal—what a distant existence, yet the dream of every cultivator.
Catching stars, grasping the moon, even rending open heaven and earth—all were trifles to them.
Yet, what did any of this have to do with ordinary people who reported for work at eight in the morning and clocked out punctually at six in the evening?
Honestly, even the elitist Mira found herself utterly incapable of uttering words such as, "To die in space for a True Immortal is their greatest happiness."
"I don't know either. These 'Undying Beasts,' if they have a problem, why don't they just find some planet and fight each other to the death? Why do they insist on dragging us ordinary people along to die?"
"'Undying Beasts'?"
"What True Immortal bullshit is that? They're just a bunch of high-and-mighty 'Undying Beasts' who enslave humanity! Do they even share a shred of resemblance with us humans anymore?!"
"If you want to die, don't drag us down with you!" Mira was truly enraged this time. Her initial flicker of a good impression towards the young man evaporated with that epithet of 'Undying Beasts.'
Every True Immortal possessed a 'Word Spirit'; any remarks concerning them would echo directly into their ears through this power. If a derogatory term like 'Undying Beasts' were to reach the ears of any True Immortal, a casual swing of their sword could easily wipe them all out.
Furthermore, becoming an Immortal was every cultivator's lifelong dream; to hear that very dream slandered, it would be strange indeed if they could maintain a pleasant expression.
"'Undying Beasts'? Why use that term?" The voice from the pendant, upon hearing this, showed not the slightest displeasure. On the contrary, it pressed further.
"Living forever, treating mortals as mere resources—what else could that be but an Undying Beast?
What True Cultivator, Xuan Cultivator, Immortal? One treats ordinary people as air and dust, turning a blind eye, while the other treats them as disposable tools. Do such beings even deserve to be called human?"
The young man, having grown up immersed in the ideology of the Mundane Empire, held an extremely negative view of True Immortals, belonging to the most radical ideological faction. Even though the financial backer behind the Mundane Empire was actually a True Cultivator Immortal, he cursed them without hesitation.
Of course, he wasn't a core member and was unaware of these cruel truths... He had simply stolen the stealth suit from the organization's armory and then risked his life to infiltrate the execution planet, purely to save his comrades.
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