, but even though you’re part of the Black Star unit, deep down in our hearts, we all know that you belong to a world different than ours. I would die for you, but there’s just a gap that it’s impossible to cross. Girls like Ning Xue and Mao Miao belong to your world; you guys share the same world vision. Know your boundaries, or else it’ll be you that will end up getting hurt, understood?"

Zhang Heng balled his hands together, but he uttered no retort. Within his heart, other than the previous appreciation and curiosity about this woman by the name of Ye Mu, a new sense of empathy emerged.

Then everyone went back to work. The surveillance unit was tasked with taking pictures of Moon 2 at 30 minute intervals, while the rest was spent lying on the gra.s.s waiting for stuff to happen. So far, the diagnostic on the planet’s atmosphere and virus was still progressing, so the team had to be in s.p.a.cesuits because no one was allowed to have direct contact with the planet’s environs for the sake of safety.

The true enemy of the day was boredom. Time was spent literally staring at clouds in the sky. Even though the s.p.a.cesuits came with 1 TB storage, making it possible to upload movies or music into it, no one dared to do so for fear of Ying’s wrath. When the situation required it, Ying could be more heartless than Yao Yuan, and no one dared to test the extent of his wrath.

Time whiled away until it was almost midnight and the team started to nod off. The only person fully awake was Ying. To preserve his energy, he only used his seeker’s power during the photo sessions that occurred every 30 minutes. Regardless, it was impressive that Ying had managed to maintain full alertness while everyone else, including those who weren’t using their powers, were already leaden with tiredness.

Zhang Heng found himself drifting into his dream when he was suddenly a.s.saulted with a tense warning. He shot up into a seated position so drastically that the gun that sat in his grasp flew out into the air.

"Danger! Everyone be prepared, danger incoming!" Zhang Heng yelled at the top of his lungs.

The rest of his team came to their senses immediately. No one doubted Zhang Heng’s capability as the Diviner. Ying reacted the fastest; with an arch of his body, he sprung up to train his gun at the sky as he activated his power. He whispered, "Where’s the danger? From the sky? Around us? Is it the mutated meat ball? Or a threat from this planet?"

Zhang Heng had paled considerably. His eyes wandered their surrounding aimlessly, adding, "Not from the sky, it’s coming from around us. I’ve never felt so disgusted in my life. I feel like I’m being slimed all over with guts, blood, and offal. The feeling also won’t recede."

With that, everyone knew what he was referring to… the meat thing on Moon 2!

Ying whipped his head upwards. The sky was empty, not even a cloud in sight. With his seeker’s power, he could see the creatures still crowding the meat monster on Moon 2; they were inactive. He yelled, "Everyone return to the shuttle, but don’t let your guard down. Liu Bai, I need you to take a look at Zhang Heng; he’s not doing so well. Ren Tao, tell me, what do I need to do now?"

Ren Tao issued a bitter laugh. "Why does every single one of you sound like Yao Yuan? I can’t help you if we don’t know anything, okay?"

Ying glared at Ren Tao and shouted, "Ebon, come with me! Ren Tao’s right, we need information. Where is the source of malice, how will the enemies from Moon 2 appear? There are too many unknowns… Liu Bai, you need to bring Zhang Heng back to the Hope. Then report to Yao Yuan immediately and tell him we need back up!"

Liu Bai saluted and carried the limp Zhang Heng in his arms as they rushed towards the shuttle.

The expressions of the 5 Survivors instantly soured. The shuttle was their only way back; if there was apparent danger, why couldn’t all of them just retreat? Now they were trapped.

As if reading their minds, Ren Tao warned, "Don’t even dare to think of running. This hole is the only way to reach the Hope. If there is an actual alien threat, we’ll have to keep this entrance safe with our lives. Don’t you guys get it? If this entrance is lost, all our families and friends will die trapped in the s.h.i.+p!"

Simultaneously, he ran to the shuttle and yelled, "Liu Bai, tell Yao Yuan, we were tricked! The creature on Moon 2 had already sent over its underlings when the sun was still high in the sky. Their traces were covered by the planets’ rotation. We forgot to account for the back of the moon that was hidden during the day."

Liu Bai didn’t verbally respond, but he waved his hands to signal that he had heard Ren Tao. 10 seconds later, the shuttle door closed and it descended down the hole.

Ebon and Ying scanned their surroundings with their weapons out. Ying had a Gaussian sniper rifle, and strapped onto his back was an electromagnetic sawblade. Ebon had a mini Gaussian rail cannon in his hands and a sawblade on his back. However, to match his size, Ebon’s sawblade was so ludicrously big that it looked like a cardboard cutout.

Before the pair could begin their recon, they found themselves blanketed by shadows. Under the 2 moons’ weak light, the shadows materialized into monstrous silhouettes… Their attackers had st.u.r.dy exoskeletons, scythe-like claws, and mouths that extended to 6 gaping cavities. The smaller among them was about 1 meter tall, while the bigger ones were more than 6 meters in height. There were more than a million of them, and each one occupied a different form… "As Black Stars!" Ying yelled.

"For life or for death!"

Came Ebon’s lonely echo before it was drowned out by the artillery sound of his rail cannon!