From the other side of the screen came a calm, reliable voice, still smiling warmly, even gently knocking on his mecha’s hatch.
Approving and giving affirmation, after countless times of despair—
“We’ve always admired that.”
Little Chu Zao said cheerily, watching the branch monster, half-blown apart by Chao Huangmu, panic and try to escape.
He watched for a while, made a careful judgment, and nodded seriously.
“It really is a branch monster.”
They had gotten so used to calling them that over the years. Vine beast? Such a proper name—did this rabble of beasts deserve such dignity?
So Yu Ye, with a teardrop falling unbidden, just stared as the little boy squatting atop his mecha casually tore the vine beast’s arm apart with one hand, leapt up, and efficiently pinned the partially awakened, still-evolving vine beast underfoot.
Because they didn’t know the situation here, and in the spirit of keeping a low profile, neither Feeney nor the little Crown revealed their coronets or wings. They had even discussed it and chosen to all carry mini psychoweapons for potential disguise when necessary.
Now Chu Zao, quick and efficient, pulled his weapon from his uniform and aimed at the thing’s head.
“Ah… ah… the barrier… you’re—”
The vine beast couldn’t make itself understood, but it knew very well what was happening now.
That delicious scent of flesh—he’d smelled it before, but before he could taste it, that scent had become a nightmare that the vine beasts feared to face.
From these words, little Chu Zao could deduce a bit.
Especially with what Chao Huangmu had said earlier.
So this thing came from the barrier, did it?
Did that mean the barrier wasn’t far?
…Great-grandfather, how are you now? Zao Zao’s coronet isn’t ready yet.
“Thinking about it, what a coincidence.”
Encountering this guy before coming, and again after arriving.
Chu Zao pulled the trigger, smiling lightly.
“Good night.”
The psychoweapon, struggling under the intense force of Crown Clan mental power, made a tooth-grinding creaking noise.
But the next second, it blasted away the vine beast’s head.
“Told you to go easy—careful not to break the gun.”
Feeney watched his cub in action, smiling too, but his nerves were stretched tight—Feeney had never been so tense before.
At home, Amos always had their backs, and they knew that star sector inside out, having faced countless beast hordes, with many Crown Clan present—Feeney’s unreliability didn’t matter much.
But here was utterly unfamiliar territory, and there was that damned survival contest, and apparently even beast commanders as well. This time, Feeney wasn’t letting Chu Zao out of his sight.
“This gun’s not like the ones I used at school.”
Chu Zao muttered, flexed his wrist, and aimed at the vine beasts in the sky, now fleeing in mad disarray without a commander.
A few rapid shots—
And with the Holy Sanctuary squad quickly responding to block and flank, the vine beast remnants—once a massive threat—were simply whittled down and held back; only a handful escaped.
The battle still ongoing, Chu Zao glanced at Yu Ye.
Chu Zao wanted to say something more.
But Yu Ye just responded, very firmly—
“You’re right, they are branch monsters.”
When falling and in despair, with someone agreeing and reaching out a helping hand—Yu Ye felt he’d never forget the feeling for the rest of his life.
He didn’t know why the elders so missed their homeland, but he felt that, whatever happened, today would be a day he’d return to countless times in memory.
Now Yu Ye finally understood what the earlier sense of incongruity was—such disregard for mecha development, such effortless composure, all because their own strength was overwhelming, making further mecha development pointless.
Chu Zao: ?
How odd, to mention something and get instant agreement.
Why did it feel just like being with Holy Cas people?
Especially since these people called themselves Holy Sanctuary. Hearing so many Holy Cas people talk about sacrificing everything to the holy coronet, and now hearing this—Holy Sanctuary, it was really a bit uncanny.
Having long accepted Holy Cas as his inviolable homeland, Chu Zao’s affection for these people rose sharply in that moment. Thinking so, he couldn’t help but laugh.
“I think, since our outlooks are similar, maybe we could work together.”
Chu Zao said. The little Crown, originally waiting here for Dad, had changed his mind. He looked up, sunlight falling fully on his soft, warm, and striking face, a natural hint of leadership and bold spirit making even Chao Huangmu look over—Chao Huangmu couldn’t help glancing at Yu Ye again.
The sunny puppy suddenly broke off a vine beast’s arm with a blank face and tossed it aside—why was Zao Zao smiling so happily at that guy?
Chao Huangmu mused, then looked again—did that weakling have anything worth learning from?
Better record it, fast, and go back to keep competing with Peng Liang and Yun Songquan—only by collecting strengths from all houses could he win!
Behind Chu Zao, the fight with the vine beasts raged on, apocalyptic dust and debris everywhere—or rather, now that these three had joined, it was less a battle and more an utterly one-sided trampling.
The little boy just stood there, honey-colored eyes shining. Yu Ye didn’t even know if he too was affected by some strange power, only murmured softly, “What?”
“We despise the beasts, and will wipe them out in time. But we’re new here—let’s work together.”
The Crown Clan had always been proud and cold, doing as they pleased.
They rarely bothered with other people’s business as Holy Cas history showed.
At first, Crown Clan didn’t pay much attention to those hiding Holy Cas’s earliest generations—it wasn’t until the Holy Cas people showed their own particularities, which oddly fit the Crown Clan mood—Crown Clan appreciated those who struggled for their future, who never yielded or retreated.
So, finally, with a soft sigh, the original Crown Clan habitat expanded into the Holy Cas Empire, and those proud Crowns became fiercely protective.
At first, Feeney, Chao Huangmu, even little Chu Zao—all hadn’t cared about Holy Sanctuary.
They mainly ignored them, until weapons were drawn on them.
And now.
Chu Zao felt they could develop a new Holy Cas base out of Holy Sanctuary, take out some local beasts, prepare for bringing in the main Holy Cas forces, and hunt for that so-called “god.”
“And that survival competition.”
Little Chu Zao blinked and asked again.
“I’m pretty interested—are there beasts in it? Any other organizations? Can we join? Or go along with you? Oh, can we go without mechas?”
These words fell on the Holy Sanctuary squad’s ears—prepared though they were, these questions were just too outlandish.
Even more absurd—facing a vine beast horde that they’d previously been powerless against, but now they were about to win.
*
The commotion among the vine beasts was dwindling.
The beast commanders, who had been watching the survival contest preliminary broadcast, were slightly distracted.
“Over there—what’s going on?”
“No idea, did they leave? The signal just vanished.”
“We left some mental power marks outside the hunting zone; that beast, almost a junior commander, likely sensed something wrong and left.”
“Hah, these annoying little ants are really lucky—”
“No kidding, but forget it. Once the survival contest preliminary ends, the competition itself will wipe out all these stubborn, irritating types. Next is the Eastern Alliance? But who cares about them, they’re all cowards, only daring to tattle.”
“Hey, why not keep a few around?”
A beast commander stretched out a long tongue, licking his lips, smacking like recalling a tasty treat.
“The Holy Sanctuary folk with strong mental power really are delicious, I still miss them.”
“Keep them if you like, but honestly, they’re not tasty enough to put up with their annoying ways; after all, the food Gerson Empire sends every year is much more delicious, and their fear is such a pleasure.”
A horde of man-eating monsters, now in illusory human form, sat around a tech screen as if in a primitive tribal feast, discussing the flavor of flesh.
Meanwhile, in the Gerson Empire.
The series of noises remained unexplained.
But with pollution everywhere, it’s easy to stumble into danger; tides of pollution and all sorts of energy surges are nothing unusual.
In the end, no one cared.
They too were watching the preliminary’s livestream.
Gerson had already completed their elimination target, securing the most advantageous spot and conditions for the formal contest starting in a week.
Right now, the broadcast drone was tracking Gerson Empire mecha.
All the people of Gerson were happily watching.
“Long live the Empire!!”
“This time, the Empire will be number one again!!”
“Of course, the Empire’s talent never lets us down, they’re always protecting us!”
“This time, the ones we hand to the beasts will be the fewest, haha, so lucky to be born in Gerson! When I was at school, you can’t imagine how much others envied me.”
“Place your bets! First place is a sure thing—let’s guess who’ll be sent to the hunting zone last?”
“I say Eastern Alliance! Just a rabble, not strong, and no talent inside either.”
“I think it’s Holy Sanctuary—the preliminary’s got one day left, Holy Sanctuary doesn’t even have a working broadcast drone, nobody cares about them. So what if their mental power’s better? Nobody likes them. The way they were squeezed out early in the prelims says it all.”
“And there’s Vos Empire, such a tiny country? Also in danger—their mecha pilots are all dead from past survival contests, they can’t possibly beat Holy Sanctuary.”
“I think it’s all about the same. I’m betting on something bad for Holy Sanctuary—I really can’t stand that bunch, always acting so righteous and unyielding. Even the Eastern Alliance knows to keep a low profile. If they were really strong, they wouldn’t have fallen this far.”
“Actually Holy Sanctuary is pretty tough, but the beasts can’t stand them, so—can we say this out loud?”
Gerson Empire palace.
Emperor Arkai was also watching the broadcast.
Ministers sat below, proud to see Gerson leading the standings.
“Your Majesty, Holy Sanctuary is about to send their third group in, only one day left. Do we keep going?”
Arkai leaned back in his chair, watching everything in the broadcast.
He thought for a moment.
“Proceed. Even though our win is secure, let’s not let them withdraw. You know the beasts want Holy Sanctuary driven into the hunting zone, and that’s our aim too. Now two batches are already missing—another lost, and when the real contest starts, Holy Sanctuary won’t have anyone left to compete.”
He sneered coldly.
“Just as well, I’ve always found them annoying.”
“His Majesty is right.”
“This time, Sanctuary’s council head Lai Qing’s youngest, Lai Te, also went missing—let’s see if they still act high and mighty.”
“I’ll send the message to our members.”
Arkai waved his hand dismissively.
Finally, he got up and left.
No need to keep watching; the preliminary outcome was clear, and no one bothered about Holy Sanctuary’s busted livestream. Nobody really cared about them.
Here, only the perfectly adapted, seamlessly merged Gerson Empire would last.
Who cared about those irritating voices, anyway?
*
Preliminary survival contest site.
In a collapsed stone cave.
The battered, already-declared-missing or dead members of Holy Sanctuary sat face to face, covered in dust.
The livestream drone had been smashed by falling rocks, crackling loudly at the side.
They’d been targeted from the start; no matter how tough, they couldn’t withstand so many skilled pursuers and encirclements, so they could only hide here, bitter and frustrated.
“Captain, what do we do? Can’t contact home.”
“No way, we’re too far from the Sanctuary.”
“Third batch is probably coming—should we just wait here?”
“All right.”
A young man, about twenty or so, spoke up.
He looked around.
“This is just the preliminary; you’ve all seen their attitude—they’re set on driving us into the hunting zone. Save your lives in the preliminary; only bet everything to protect our home in the actual contest, understand? Maybe it’s even good the livestream is broken—less chance for some to rat us out.”
“What about the wounded?”
“Hang in there, only a day and a half left—”
Lai Te said softly, eyes full of helplessness, sighing, lowering his head, then gazing up as if hoping to see through the blocked stone above.
Could they hold out?
Lai Te truly worried.
And he was right.
With Holy Sanctuary members only confirmed missing, not dead, the Gerson Empire’s top mecha pilot—already guaranteed first place—had received orders to search near the area where their signal vanished, trying to find mecha wreckage.
Meanwhile, the order had already gone out for Holy Sanctuary’s third batch to enter the contest’s preliminary.
*
Meanwhile.
On Uninhabitable Star 67.
In Yu Ye and the others’ eyes—
With a heavy tug, Feeney dragged the last fleeing vine beast down from flight and slammed it to the ground in a cloud of dust.
He landed nimbly, coming down hard and tearing apart the vine beast’s tough hide.
After that, all was quiet.
Chu Zao had been standing not far from Feeney, now watching him finish up, only to be smothered—before he could even move—by the cloud of dust Feeney had raised.
Little Chu Zao didn’t manage to escape.
Chao Huangmu was also a bit far off, too late to shield Chu Zao from the dust.
So the Crown cub, who’d just tidied himself up a little, crawled out of the dust once again, messy as ever, looking at Feeney.
Chu Zao coughed, eyeing Feeney suspiciously.
Feeney looked back, taking in the messy face; it was clear Chu Zao had wrapped things up with the Holy Sanctuary folks, planning to check out this survival contest, local powers, and how they compared to Holy Cas, and the beast commanders.
While it wasn’t without some risk and boldness, since they were establishing a new base, they couldn’t just let Holy Sanctuary get chased off in disgrace.
Now that he was sure they could join without mechas, Chu Zao was about to tell Feeney the news.
Then, covered in dust, Chu Zao saw Third Uncle freeze, and couldn’t hold back—he burst into happy laughter.
Chu Zao: …
Expressionless, Chu Zao took out his notebook.
He pulled out his pen, clicked it twice.
Just seeing that notebook made Feeney’s scalp tingle.
“Wait—wait—”
Feeney darted over.
Sure enough, Chu Zao wrote—
‘Handled a lot of branch monsters, Third Uncle showered me in dust at the end.’
Clearly, the first half wasn’t that important—the second half was Chu Zao’s real focus.
“What is it?”
Chu Zao even looked up at Feeney.
Feeney: “Zao Zao, can’t you be reasonable?”
Chu Zao blinked.
He fluffed his little curls—even dustier now.
“Oh.”
Chu Zao looked down, wrote again.
‘Third Uncle scolded me.’
Feeney: …
Feeney’s face twisted in pain.
Plainly—reason?
Doesn’t exist.
Zao Zao was never going to be reasonable with you.
Seeing Feeney’s expression, Chu Zao couldn’t help but smile too.
“Third Uncle, the survival contest—we should go take a look. They’ve lost contact with many.”
Clearly, the cub had softened.
Feeney glanced over with a tsk, mentally weighing whether Amos would kill him if he took the kid on a risky adventure.
He concluded it was very likely.
But—
Chu Zao idly jotted down information about the place: cannibal beasts, most humans submitting, circles around “flesh offered up.”
The little Crown, who looked so warm and polite with all Holy Cas obsessively fawning over him, bit his lip lightly, muttering softly just like when he was little.
“So infuriating.”
Just then, the Holy Sanctuary squad piloted their mechas over.
Yu Ye and the others, facing Chu Zao, Feeney, and Chao Huangmu, were a bit at a loss, their eyes drawn helplessly to them—especially to little Chu Zao—
Carrying a dependence they hadn’t even noticed themselves—
“The survival contest preliminary isn’t going well; our third batch is due in, and we just got in touch with headquarters—they’re coming to pick us up. Are you all really going? It’s dangerous—not just beasts, but also people, and mechas—”
“Mm, don’t worry.”
Chu Zao looked up at them.
Feeney muttered quietly, “Mechas? Fragile junk.”
Ah, but really—Amos, when are you getting here?
Do you realize your cub is missing?
Your kid is full of ideas now; he’s not that five-year-old you could just scoop up and carry off anymore. He even threatens me now.
“Just stand behind us.”
Hearing the dusty little boy say that—utterly reliable, utterly calm—it was strange; it felt like listening to the elders’ stories of home, so reassuring.
Not yet truly understanding what these newcomers meant, the Holy Cas survivors once again proved—no matter when or where, Holy Cas people would quickly and feverishly fall in line with the Crown Clan.