Interstellar Survival: Invasion

Chapter 35: Grasping for Seconds With the Ancient Monster

A massive blue phantom flashed before me, and a powerful paw grabbed me, carrying me back into the air.

"Well done, Blueflash. You arrived at the perfect moment," I praised.

This was what I had been betting on: whether Blueflash was near enough to save me. I had bet correctly. The lava lake erupted as the massive arms acted like a blender, turning the entire lava lake upside down.

At this time, I noticed two changes at two spots several kilometers away from me. Massive red arms had appeared at each location, causing massive damage to the area's terrain.

'Looks like the two-headed monster has fully awakened because of us. Since there are six arms, have Old Du and Zhang Bao'er successfully charged their energy balls as well?' I wondered.

However, I did not see their mounts in the air. Without the support of my suit, I couldn't even try contacting them. I climbed up Blueflash's arm onto its back. Apart from a deactivated suit, I was completely unprotected. I was basically useless at the moment.

'I need to return to the cavern as quickly as possible and reconvene with Xingxing and the others,' I told myself.

Just as I was about to turn around, the entire island shook violently. It was as though a magnitude 12 earthquake was happening. The surrounding mountains collapsed, sending a rain of boulders into the lava lake. Scalding lava splashed everywhere.

Then, a massive figure appeared before my eyes. It was supported by 6 massive limbs, standing at a towering height of nearly 200 meters. All around it, the mountains were being melted by the lava.

The monster was bright red in color. I could see with my naked eye that lava constantly churned in its body, a clear indication of how powerful this creature was. Slowly, a pair of wings over a hundred meters long unfurled behind the monster. The wings flapped, sending lava raining everywhere. The monster was completely immune to lava. In fact, it even seemed to enjoy showering in lava.

Then, the head of the monster, which had been submerged in the lava lake, slowly emerged as well. Two lizard-like heads revealed themselves. The monster had sharp fangs, and its long tongues were left sticking outside its mouths, dripping with lava thousands of degrees in temperature.

'Two-headed monster, you're finally showing yourself,' I thought to myself. 'This monster is not as big as the whirlpool monster, but it seems to contain much more energy within its body.'

The two heads rotated, almost making a rotation of 270 degrees. It was as though the monster was stretching a body that had been dormant for tens of thousands of years.

'This is certainly a scary freak. I need to leave,' I thought as I turned to flee.

Immediately, one of the two lizard heads noticed me. Scarlet eyes shining, it unleashed a massive sound that I had never heard before, something similar to a slowed version of the sound of a microwave.

Then, a massive beam of light shot toward me and Blueflash. The hissing sound of air being torn rang as the beam approached. Just as we were about to be struck, Blueflash made a turn and barely avoided the attack.

'My god, this freak can even shoot light beams the size of pillars. It's much stronger than the other freaks I have encountered,' I thought.

At this time, the other lizard head saw us as well. The two heads opened their massive mouths, releasing four larger light beams toward us. The beams came from four different angles, completely sealing our path of escape.

The attack, leaving no opening, stunned us. Blueflash was so frightened that it became rooted to the spot.

'It's over. Is it really over this time?' I asked myself.

A deafening rumble rang out as a massive energy wall appeared between us and the beam of light. The energy wall reflected the beam, sending it toward a nearby mountain. The mountain was instantly cleaved into two, and it crumbled into pieces that rained down onto the lava lake.

I broke out in cold sweat, looking at the fate of the mountain. When I turned my head, I saw that Zhang Bao'er and Old Du had arrived in the nick of time to save me and Blueflash with their energy shield.

I nodded at Zhang Bao'er, pointed at my suit, and signaled to him that my suit was turned off and I wouldn't be able to talk to him. Zhang Bao'er signaled to me to retreat immediately. The energy wall would only last ten seconds. We took this chance to fly back toward the cavern.

'Did the massive shaking cause the cavern to collapse? How are Zhang Xingxing and the others?' At that thought, I became even more impatient.

Old Du extended his energy shield and protected both me and Blueflash as well. Meanwhile, Zhang Bao'er unhesitatingly launched a nuclear warhead at the monster. A massive mushroom cloud bloomed while the shockwaves created massive, towering lava waves. For a moment, the scene of a massive lava flower appeared midair.

The powerful explosion successfully shifted the monster's attention for now. We hurriedly left. The ground in the cavern was littered with rocks and diamonds. The intense shaking of the island had dealt massive damage to the cavern. Fortunately, the spaceship still stood proud, and its powerful hull seemed to have protected the crew.

The three of us rushed into the spaceship. Inside, I saw Zhang Xingxing and the others waiting anxiously. Soon, sounds of discussion broke out. Zhang Xingxing stepped forth and said something to me with concern. I hurriedly pointed at my earpiece, indicating that I couldn't hear anything. When Dodo saw, it hurriedly took out an emergency battery and installed it on my suit, restoring my communicator.

"The two-headed monster has awakened. It is unimaginably powerful. We need to leave immediately. Only after reaching a safe place can we plan our next step," said Old Du.

"I agree. In a few minutes, the monster will probably come for us. This place can collapse entirely at any time," I supported the suggestion.

"Even if we leave, we must leave with this spaceship. Otherwise, we would have come for nothing. The secrets of this place will remain forever buried as well," said Old Du.

"After you guys left, Dodo studied the spaceship's system extensively," said Zhang Xingxing.

"That's right, and after studying the spaceship, I found that the ship had been preserved excellently. It is as though the prophet had intentionally left this ship behind to be used in the future," said Dodo.

"More importantly, can this ship still fly?" I asked anxiously.

"Yes, but energy is required. Also, only Brightlings can pilot it," said Dodo.

"We're running out of time. Can you give us more details?" I said.

"We will provide the ship with all the energy we have, allowing it to recover its flight functions. The Brightlings will then be able to operate the ship through the thought-navigation system," said Dodo.

"Thought navigation? What is that?" Old Du asked.

"When I checked the flight system, I found that there were no interfaces or control panels. Only the Brightlings can operate the ship by placing their palms on the sensors. I did remember that the legends mentioned this as one of the abilities Nommo possessed," said Dodo.

"That was Prophet Nommo. But the two Brightlings we have with us have never operated a spaceship before. Can they even do it?" questioned Zhang Bao'er.

While we were discussing things, the world around us suddenly shook. Massive boulders started falling from the ceiling, creating loud thuds as they dropped onto the hull. The same microwave-like roar rang out outside the cavern.

"The two-headed monster is coming. Don't hesitate. Let's move," Zhang Xingxing commanded.

Dodo then gathered the remaining energy in everyone's suits to power the ship.

I also handed the three crystal balls we had charged to Zhang Xingxing and said, "If we can't escape in time, you, Titan, and Amethyst must leave on the flying fish. The monster's energy attack is extremely powerful. It will be easier to escape in a smaller group. So long as you have the crystal balls with you, there is still a chance you can unveil the secrets of this world and find your father."

Zhang Xingxing appeared touched.

"Life or death, we shall stick together," she declared firmly.

The ship shook as its engine received an injection of power. I could feel that the ship was slowly turning operational.

"We have limited energy in our suits. After transferring all our energy to the ship, we have just enough energy for flight. The energy is indicated by the ships system as being in the yellow range. We will only have one chance to escape," said Dodo.

"One chance. Now, we rely on Titan and Amethyst," I said.

Old Du relayed our findings to Titan and Amethyst. The two nodded, indicating that they would try their best. The fearless spirit of the Brightlings where they would stare at death itself to accomplish their goals was something worth respecting.

"They have never operated a spaceship before. Canyue, do you think we can rely on them?" Zhang Bao'er was still worried.

"You are free to provide a different solution if you have one," I said.

He shut his mouth. Everyone started praying silently, putting our hopes on the shoulders of two pilots who had never flown before. Several shrieks broke the silence. When I looked back, I saw Zhang Xingxing gesturing at Blueflash, Toruk, and Little Snow to leave because the situation was becoming too dangerous. Blueflash lingered at the exit and looked at me with reluctance. I gave it a reassuring nod, telling it that we will meet again outside. Only then was it willing to leave.

'Well, now that they're going, we're really in this together until the very end,' I thought to myself as I looked at Zhang Xingxing.

A look of praise covered my eyes. Zhang Xingxing had once again acted against the league's principle of optimal selection in favor of supporting me. Suddenly, a massive thump rang out. When I looked over, I saw a massive red hand smashing into the cavern. Rocks flew everywhere while the world shook. The two-headed monster had arrived.

"Titan, Amethyst, activate the thought-navigation system immediately," commanded Old Du firmly.

Yet another loud rumble rang out as a massive boulder knocked against the window of the cockpit. From the ceiling, a stream of lava poured down like a waterfall. We could not afford any delay. Titan and Amethyst immediately placed their palms on the sensors. The moment their palms touched the sensors, they fell unconscious.