The whale emerged, its glowing abdominal sphere pulsating.
Zhou Tianming, who hadn't lost his memories, naturally wouldn't fall for its tricks. The Vermilion Bird darted left and right like lightning to evade.
He wasn't in a hurry to use [Bloodlust]. Although [Soul] could enhance long-range attacks, its 60-point Mindpower cost was prohibitively high. With only 221 Mindpower remaining, using it would be too wasteful.
Fortunately, the whale had high resistance but low defense—[Bloodlust] would be enough to penetrate its armor.
The whale attacked repeatedly, but the Vermilion Bird dodged each strike with agile movements.
Whenever an opportunity arose, the Vermilion Bird charged straight forward, but its speed still couldn't match the whale's intangibility. Left with no choice, it could only skim past the whale and wait for another chance.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
An alarm blared inside the Vermilion Bird's cockpit. The energy gauge turned red, with only one-tenth remaining, causing its speed to plummet instantly.
At that moment, the whale gathered energy for several seconds before its glowing sphere flashed.
Zhou Tianming tried to evade, but his slowed speed proved fatal—half of the mech's wing couldn't escape the attack range in time and was 'bitten off.'
The Vermilion Bird spun wildly out of control, its green eyes dimming. The surrounding [Feather Plumes] abruptly halted mid-air before scattering chaotically from inertia.
Inside the Black Tortoise, Natarle watched the scene nervously, frantically searching for usable weapons—only to find they were all depleted. When she tried to move to assist, she realized the thrusters had vanished, leaving the ship immobilized.
Sweat poured down her forehead as her hair stood on end. "We've fought before? How many times has this happened?"
Her thoughts were in complete disarray.
Meanwhile, the whale, having landed a successful hit, grew still—yet it didn't approach the spinning Vermilion Bird.
The once-chaotic battlefield fell eerily silent.
Zhou Tianming was gambling—betting that the whale wouldn't attack again but would instead come to consume him.
No matter what, it would have to materialize to eat him.
Even if he couldn't kill it instantly, he was determined to destroy the whale's most conspicuous features—its tentacle-like wings and the golden glowing sphere.
Silence.
Natarle quickly grasped Zhou Tianming's plan, gripping her seat's armrests so tightly she barely dared to breathe.
Sweat trickled down Zhou Tianming's forehead and temples as he suppressed his breathing, eyes locked onto the whale.
It moved!
Instead of attacking, it swayed its tail and swam toward the Vermilion Bird.
This wasn't the final moment—he couldn't let his guard down yet!
Zhou Tianming repeated the warning to himself.
Closer... closer...
The whale circled the Vermilion Bird.
Suddenly, its tail lashed down hard.
Zhou Tianming's heart leaped—his hand twitched toward the control stick—but he bit his tongue sharply, the pain jolting him back to stillness.
The Vermilion Bird shuddered violently from the impact, its External Armor shattering and scattering debris in all directions. The remaining wing snapped at the base, exposing tangled wires and skeletal framework as the mech spun helplessly into the distance.
The whale lingered, as if assessing the situation. Seeing the Vermilion Bird flung far away, its massive head turned toward the colossal wreckage of the Black Tortoise.
Natarle and Zhou Tianming tensed simultaneously.
Zhou Tianming clenched the control stick—utterly silent, utterly motionless.
He understood that if he moved now, all their efforts would be in vain, and neither he nor Natarle would survive.
A window popped up in the corner of the screen, revealing Natarle. She remained silent, only shaking her head quietly.
His eyes reddened, tears mingling with dried blood as twin trails of crimson tears streamed down his cheeks.
Hatred!
Rage!
They surged through his heart like towering flames, while the golden expanse of his consciousness space was invaded by encroaching darkness.
Suddenly, in the silent cosmic space, the singing voice returned.
It was like a bucket of cold water poured over Zhou Tianming's head, clearing his mind instantly.
A golden aperture appeared, and the whale plunged into it without hesitation, vanishing from sight.
[Iron Wall] activated, shielding his brain.
Natarle clutched her head, her face contorted in pain and pale as a sheet. "...Alive... what..."
Their plan to use themselves as bait had failed, but Zhou Tianming had no time to despair—he stood frozen in place.
It suddenly struck him that the mysterious woman's voice always seemed to accompany the appearance of the golden apertures.
In other words, the singing signaled the imminent opening of a golden aperture.
"Natarle, have you ever heard a woman humming before?"
Natarle was puzzled, but seeing the seriousness on Zhou Tianming's face, she didn't question him and answered, "No, never. I haven't played any music like that either."
Her confirmation only strengthened his belief—this voice could only be heard by Newtypes, those with heightened mental abilities.
It was undoubtedly connected to the whale.
"Tian Ming, are you okay?"
He shook his head, forcing a determined smile. "We'll finish this soon!"
"Mm."
Closing his eyes, he shut off his vision and focused all his senses on his hearing.
Silence.
Then, suddenly—sound!
Frowning, he tilted his head.
Where?
Here? No.
There? No.
As the voice grew clearer and louder, Zhou Tianming strained to pinpoint its origin.
A sudden intuition struck him, and [Seed] erupted without warning.
It was as if an enormous hand guided his mindpower to a specific point in cosmic space.
[Bloodlust]!
The Vermilion Bird's eyes blazed with two piercing green lights, while white radiance flared from its shattered wounds—[Feather Plumes] activated instantly.
The last remaining five projectiles streaked forward, trailing long crimson tails.
They merged, combining into a single scarlet spear that thrust violently into the empty void of space.
Abruptly, the spear's tip vanished into nothingness.
The next second, a shrill, agonized scream echoed through the cosmos.
Not enough!
"[Feather Plumes]!!!!"
Inside the golden space, the whale's head—[Feather Plumes]' thrusters erupted with a blinding red glow, the beam blades at their tips surging forward.
In an instant, they pierced through the whale's skull and deep into its body before dispersing.
The red light flickered like slashing blades.
In the blink of an eye, golden bones, luminous orbs, and tendril-like wings were split apart—the whale was dismembered in an instant.
In cosmic space, a faint golden glimmer flickered and faded, the singing voice gradually vanishing.
Zhou Tianming exhaled deeply, his entire body relaxing.
"We won!"
Suddenly!
The singing voice surged in volume, as if someone was belting it right beside his ear.
One, two, three...
Countless golden apertures unfolded, densely packed beyond measure.
Creatures of varying sizes and grotesque shapes emerged—some resembling the whale, still recognizable as animals, while others seemed stitched together from the limbs and forms of multiple beasts.
Yet all of them shared the same traits: translucent skin, golden skeletons, wing-like tendrils, and glowing golden orbs in their abdomens.
Without a doubt, despite their differing appearances, they were all of the same species.
A bitter laugh—nothing but a bitter laugh.
Zhou Tianming's mind raced endlessly, over and over...
But there was nothing he could do.
He sighed. "I'm sorry, Natarle. If I..."
"Don't say it." Natarle's face was calm, but her body trembled slightly.
"Sorry I couldn't be with you at a time like this."
She shook her head, then suddenly blushed with shyness. "Tian Ming..."
"I love you!"
"I love you!"
They spoke in unison, smiling at each other as they simultaneously raised their hands to press against the screen, palms aligned and fingers overlapping.
Zhou Tianming felt the glow of [Love] within his Consciousness Space, his heart filled with sweetness.
The golden void gradually faded as the singing grew softer.
The alien lifeforms circled around them, their movements accompanied by the beautiful humming of a woman's voice as if performing some ritual.
Unfortunately, he and Natarle were the sacrifices.
"Too bad you can't hear the singing. It's actually quite pleasant," Zhou Tianming joked.
Natarle glared at him. "At a time like this, you're still thinking about other women? Should I play a song for you to set the mood?"
He froze.
Play a song.
Memories flashed through his mind.
Zhou Tianming hurriedly reached for his waist—the cassette tape was still tucked safely in its pouch.
He pulled it out.
Then gave a bitter smile. "What am I supposed to play this with?"
Outside, the alien lifeforms stopped circling, their bodies straightening as the glowing orbs within their abdomens brightened.
Inside the Vermilion Bird's cockpit, Zhou Tianming suddenly noticed something odd about the tape's weight. He hefted it.
So heavy!
Upon closer inspection, he realized it was entirely made of [Psycommu Alloy], even the magnetic strip inside—though specially treated to prevent it from glowing.
He glanced up at the aliens preparing to attack.
"Life or death—it all comes down to this!"
Activating [Sense], he channeled his Mental Power into the tape.
The cassette emitted a white glow, its gears beginning to turn.
A melodious song filled the air.
Zhou Tianming immediately recognized the voice—it was the same woman who had been humming earlier, except now she was singing with lyrics. Why did it sound so familiar?
He figured he must have heard it too many times before.
There was no time to listen carefully. Zhou Tianming turned his attention to the surrounding aliens.
Their attack never came. Instead, the glow in their abdomens dimmed.
They lowered their heads in unison, as if bowing in reverence.
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