142 Crisis (Request for Votes)

Page 1/3

Inside the room, Zhong Yun gazed out through the transparent wall at the spacecraft. The base had already been swallowed by endless darkness. Suddenly, a sharp beam of light pierced his eyes.

Turning his face aside to avoid the dazzling glare, he realized the ship had just passed through the shadow cast by a huge planet glowing with an earthy yellow light and was now directly illuminated by the star’s intense rays.

A partition blocked the sunlight, and the interior dimmed again. Zhong Yun sat down in his fixed seat, feeling the slight pressure brought on by the ship’s acceleration.

The decompression system on this ship was far inferior to that of the Mars vessel; on the Mars vessel, acceleration was barely noticeable.

The room Zhong Yun occupied was the most luxurious on the ship, spacious and fully equipped, with every convenience imaginable, and it offered a beautiful view of outer space.

Yu Daoqing lived right next door. Because Zhong Yun was the only compatriot from Dawo, and due to their similar psychological experiences, their relationship was rather special—neither like siblings nor lovers. Over more than four months of living together, they had developed a tacit understanding and close bond.

In the ship’s main control room, the deputy captain sat in the captain’s chair with his eyes closed, resting, while a group of crew members busily attended their posts.

These were all excellent pilots. The deputy captain did not interfere but silently calculated the time.

The ship’s acceleration ended, and the prohibition on movement was lifted.

Hearing the announcement allowing free movement, Zhong Yun left his room and headed to the infirmary. He had once encountered the term “recoil effect” in the Galan databanks, where it was extensively described. It had piqued his interest.

According to the description, the recoil effect was caused by mutations in the prime element, transforming it into a cancer-like substance that damaged the human body. This mutation usually came on swiftly, often claiming lives suddenly and was difficult to prevent.

Although the recoil effect was terrifying, it was not incurable. Zhong Yun knew several methods, but lacked the necessary tools and medicines to apply them, so rescue was impossible.

Nonetheless, this did not diminish his curiosity. He wanted to observe firsthand the symptoms of a person experiencing the recoil effect.

Two guards stood outside the infirmary door. Seeing Zhong Yun approach, they did not stop him and let him enter.

Approaching the healing tank, he carefully observed the captain inside. His complexion appeared even more wan, clearly unable to hold out much longer.

After a while, Zhong Yun was about to leave when suddenly, he noticed something unusual.

On the captain’s forehead, there was a tiny scar. If he wasn’t mistaken, the three small holes arranged in a triangle should have been caused by some type of injector.

He had noticed this scar before boarding the ship but had not given it much thought.

Yet now, the captain had been soaking in the healing tank for over an hour, and given the tank’s therapeutic capabilities, such a small wound should have long since healed.

But…

A strong sense of unease welled up inside Zhong Yun.

In the main control room, the deputy captain stared intently at the monitor displaying Zhong Yun’s actions in the infirmary. Upon receiving the report, he immediately pulled up the surveillance footage.

Seeing that Zhong Yun only stayed briefly before leaving, apparently just to take a look, he fell into deep thought. This Zhong Yun was a troublemaker; once in a safe place, he would be the first to eliminate him. But for now, he could not alert the enemy.

Back in his quarters, the more Zhong Yun thought about it, the more something felt wrong. He sent an urgent signal to Xiao Ling, ordering him to bring the Mars vessel immediately to provide support. Then he went to Yu Daoqing’s room.

“Is something wrong?” Yu Daoqing perceptively sensed his heavy thoughts.

Before her, Zhong Yun did not hide his emotions but instead asked, “Don’t you think all the crew on this ship look unfamiliar?”

Page 2/3

A gleam flashed in Yu Daoqing’s eyes. She trusted Zhong Yun was not one to speak without reason. Upon reflection, indeed, since boarding the ship, they had encountered only unknown crew members, seemingly not from the base. The thought sent a chill through her heart.

“I heard that the base’s rocks emit a type of radiation harmless to humans, but prolonged exposure has a minor side effect: fingernails turn dark gray,” Zhong Yun’s expression darkened. “I accidentally noticed one crew member guarding the infirmary whose nails were even cleaner and whiter than mine.”

Yu Daoqing’s face grew grave. “If I’m not mistaken, they were all wearing gloves.”

Unusual recoil symptoms, unfamiliar crew, deliberate concealment—it was clear that a vast conspiracy was brewing.

“What should we do now?”

“Captain, we intercepted an unidentified signal emitted from within the ship,” a crew member stood and reported to the deputy captain seated in the captain’s chair.

The deputy captain’s heart sank. What exactly was wrong? He asked gravely, “Can it be decrypted?”

“At least a few hours,” the crew member replied.

The deputy captain stood up. It seemed the plan had to be set in motion sooner. “I leave this to you,” he said, leaving the main control room.

“The urgent matter is to get off this ship,” Yu Daoqing said calmly.

“The escape pods.”

They exchanged a glance and, not daring to delay, headed for the door.

“Open the door!” Yu Daoqing shouted, but there was no response. Her pupils constricted; she shouted again, “Open the door!” Still no response.

Both felt a sense of danger. Were they going to take action?

“It seems they were alerted because I came to find you,” Zhong Yun sighed. The enemy was too vigilant. He had merely visited the infirmary, then come to see Yu Daoqing, and they had already detected him.

The situation was extremely perilous. On the entire ship, the only trustworthy people were three ordinary female secretaries without special abilities and a captain on the verge of death, kept alive only by the healing tank.

Even the doctor’s loyalty was uncertain.

“I guess I just don’t get along with Dawo’s spacecraft. This is the third time I’ve been on one, and two times there’s been trouble,” Zhong Yun said with a bitter smile.

Though unfamiliar with the term “get along,” Yu Daoqing understood his meaning. “You can still smile at a time like this?”

“With a tenth-level expert like you protecting me, what is there to fear?” Zhong Yun simply sat back down.

Yu Daoqing was not so optimistic. “The captain is also a tenth-level power, yet now he’s lying in the healing tank.”

“I don’t know how they managed it, but it’s nothing more than dirty sneak attacks. Now that you have uncovered their ruse, it won’t be so easy to pull it off again,” Zhong Yun said dismissively, his hand casually dropping to the floor.

“Are we just going to sit here and wait to be killed?” Yu Daoqing’s tone was filled with reluctance.

“Can you open this door?” Zhong Yun asked.

Yu Daoqing was silent. Her ability was not strong in destructive power; forcibly breaking down the door was impossible.

Zhong Yun had such a technique, but he was simply too weak. “Their target is you. Do you know who they are?” he asked.

Page 3/3

Yu Daoqing shook her head, unable to guess.

“No need to guess,” a sudden voice interrupted—it was the deputy captain’s voice.

“It was all my design.”

“Wang Jingze.” Yu Daoqing spat the name through clenched teeth. “I thought I treated you well. Why repay kindness with enmity, framing me like this?”

“You treated me well?” Wang Jingze, the deputy captain, laughed as if hearing the greatest joke on earth, unable to contain his mirth. “Hahaha...” His mad laughter echoed through the room.

“You treated me well?” After laughing, he repeated her words in a voice so tender it was chilling. “If you really treated me well, how could I do this to you? I love you more than you know.”

“How dare you,” Yu Daoqing rebuked, her face darkening.

Zhong Yun sighed silently. In a word: a femme fatale.

“How dare I?” Wang Jingze chuckled twice. “For today, I have served you for fifteen years. Did you really think I was like that old man lying in the healing tank, coming and going at your command?”

“Every time I saw you so high and mighty like a queen, I thought how tempting it would be to see you obedient and docile.”

Yu Daoqing was so furious she couldn’t speak. When had anyone dared speak to her like this?

“To plan and endure for fifteen years for a single purpose, Brother Wang, I admire your patience,” Zhong Yun said loudly.

“I never understood what you saw in this guy that made you treat him differently,” Wang Jingze’s voice immediately grew cold upon hearing Zhong Yun speak.

“Who exactly are you?” Yu Daoqing quickly regained her composure. “You couldn’t have done this alone. Who’s behind you?”

“There is no mastermind,” Wang Jingze said angrily. “You underestimate me. I, Wang Jingze, would never be a puppet.”

“Looks like Brother Wang’s love has driven him mad,” Zhong Yun said with a smile.

Yu Daoqing shot him a sharp glare.

“Zhong Yun, I have a question for you,” Wang Jingze regained his composure quickly, proving his deep scheming.

“Ask,” Zhong Yun said, already guessing he was stalling. But he himself was also buying time. Though uncertain of Wang Jingze’s methods, his strategy was sure to be a thunderous blow.

“Xiao Ling, hurry up! My life depends on you,” Zhong Yun prayed silently.

“How did you see through it?” Wang Jingze asked.

“Intuition,” Zhong Yun tapped his head and began to ramble, “When I saw the captain, something felt off. Once on the ship, the feeling grew stronger. Everything seemed too strange. So I wanted to ask her, and you should know what happened next.”

“I see.” Wang Jingze’s voice was tinged with excitement, though clearly not due to Zhong Yun’s explanation. “The game is over.”

Postscript: Over a hundred monthly votes gained in one day—I don’t know how to describe how I feel. Thank you all so much. Now only ninety-nine votes stand between me and sixth place. Brothers, let’s go!

Book title: Criminals of the Stars, No. 1258317. A new wave of sci-fi and supernatural powers, featuring lolis, dominatrix queens, sisters, and an apocalyptic free-for-all...