Him and their stars.

Chapter 2215 Farewell, Gray Panda

Yu Lian stared blankly at the scene before him, almost triggering his trypophobia.

It was a large group of strange space objects, which at first glance looked like an overly dense meteor shower, except that they were all crystalline.

The smaller ones are only the size of a fist, while the larger ones are comparable to assault ships and torpedo boats. Their shapes are also extremely varied, some resembling fluffy coral, some like multifaceted geometric shapes, and others like twisted tree branches, but all of them exhibit a semi-transparent texture. Inside, there seems to be a faint flow of energy slowly pulsating, reflecting the chaotic background light of the nebula and refracting a colorful yet cold and eerie halo.

They almost completely obscured the starry sky in front of them, forming a constantly surging and multiplying sea of ​​crystals.

“…Identification in progress…Database matching…” Biological Officer Xiao Hui stared at the screen with a sense of ritual, watching the data stream scroll rapidly on the light screen: “The item with the highest matching degree is the crystalline void planktonic community, commonly known as: space crystal clusters.”

It still felt very ceremonial, but I already knew. Yu Lian thought.

"Scale confirmed, individual quantity assessment: hundreds of millions. Movement trajectory analysis: hunting posture. Energy readings rising. This ship's weapons and shields cannot resist," reported Weapons Officer Xiao Hui, his voice remaining calm.

This hardly needs special reporting. Besides, in my two lifetimes traversing the galaxy, I've never seen such a large-scale crystal cluster. If it came specifically to welcome me, shouldn't I be flattered?
In fact, this vast cluster of crystals had clearly sensed the presence of the Gray Panda. Just after breaking free from the warp fluctuations, its overall direction of motion changed significantly, surging towards this lone little boat!

It's hard to describe the impact by comparing it to sharks and wolves smelling blood. Perhaps it could be more like a tsunami and sandstorm with a sense of smell and a prey.

Yu Lian stared intently at the oncoming torrent of crystal clusters, his finger already on the control stick: "So, why me? This doesn't make sense!"

“Maybe they’re here for revenge,” the vice-captain, Little Grey, replied seriously. “When you crossed the abyss last time, you even captured them to generate electricity.”

"They are just crystal clusters, like energy clouds, at the bottom of the food chain of the cosmic Leviathan. Even pirates occasionally mine them as minerals."

“Don’t underestimate those at the bottom of the food chain! Don’t you admire the power of the people at the bottom the most?” Little Gray said.

I never imagined that one day I would encounter a robot that would teach me what "the power of the underprivileged" means!

"So, is that possible?" Vice-Captain Little Grey pointed to the sky, revealing a vivid expression of lingering fear.

"You're asking me?" Yu Lian stared in disbelief.

"They're a civilization-guiding AI, remember that. I'm guiding civilization. I don't fully understand the 'prohibited matters' school of thought either."

Of course, now is not the time to dwell on such trivial matters. Yu Lian slammed his hand on the control panel in front of the captain's cabin: "Begin evasive maneuvering! Weapon systems, prepare to fire intermittently, clear obstacles ahead of the course, do not engage! Forcefully cut into the gravity well and execute an emergency jump!"

“Poor gray panda,” said the vice-captain, Little Gray.

"Understood." The other little gray ones responded in unison, but their movements instantly became synchronized and efficient.

Yu Lian clearly heard the Gray Panda roaring under its own strain, its engines being forced to operate beyond their limits. The ship also suddenly accelerated, passing straight through the gaps in the crystal clusters.

At the same moment, the turrets, which should have been operated by someone, began to flash, firing beams of scorching particles that shattered the small crystal clusters that were crashing into them.

The flashes of light from the shattering crystals exploded continuously around the ship, blossoming into magnificent and dazzling sparkles before fading away.

This was probably the grandest fireworks show Yu Lian had ever seen.

However, there were simply too many of them. Several larger crystal clusters relentlessly slammed into the shield, producing a teeth-grinding scraping sound and the explosive boom of colliding energy, visibly reducing the shield's strength.

"Shield strength 67% remaining! Starboard armor plate has been directly impacted and is slightly damaged!" Damage control officer Xiao Hui quickly reported.

"Weapon reserves have dropped below the yellow line," Gunner Xiao Hui reported from the turret.

"The coordinates of the gravity well entrance are partially obscured by the crystal cluster! The risk of direct jump has increased!" Navigator Xiao Hui warned.

Well, there are just too many little gray creatures out there, but what's the point?

Yu Lian glared at the vice-captain Xiao Hui beside him, then stood up abruptly. Ignoring the vice-captain's thumbs-up gesture, he stared at the vast cluster of crystals outside the porthole and snapped his fingers.

This action doesn't actually have any real meaning, but it still needs to be performed with a sense of ritual.

His psionic energy expanded and materialized outside the ship, transforming into a barrage of psionic bullets far more powerful than a volley from the turrets, blooming within the crystal clusters. In an instant, in the vacuum of space where no air existed, bright chain lightning suddenly burst forth, leaping and thrashing within the crystal clusters like ferocious predators, easily stripping away all the material stability of these space creatures.

Smaller crystal clusters silently turned to dust in the bright shockwave. Larger ones, on the other hand, seemed to be bombarded by an invisible giant hammer, with cracks spreading across their surfaces before being torn into countless fragments by the imbalance of internal and external energies.

Yu Lian did not stop. He guided the spiritual energy storm with his mental energy, keeping it burning.

The projectiles from the spirit particles were like multiplying crystal clusters, constantly spreading and splitting, fiercely extending into a depth of hundreds of thousands of kilometers.

Yu Lian had to admit that of all the spiritual energy storms he had unleashed, this one was the most powerful and exhilarating. It felt like taking a refreshing urination, flushing out his kidney stones.

Perhaps it is precisely because there is no air in the universe that there is no natural obstacle, and the destructive power of psychic energy influencing reality appears all the more vivid, exciting, and intense.

And so, wherever the spiritual storm passed, it was utterly unstoppable. Within the dense clusters of crystals, a narrow but completely unobstructed passage was forcibly torn open!

Yu Lian was still somewhat dissatisfied. The Spirit Storm was a technique with theoretically no upper limit; as long as he continued to improve, its power and range could be continuously enhanced.

Yu Lian's current goal is to gather a higher level of spirituality into his spiritual bullet screen, so that it can act on certain spatial rules and perhaps achieve the effect of an arc cannon.

...Although I am still quite far from reaching that level, it is by no means impossible.

With this in mind, he unleashed his third spiritual storm. This time, within his boundless spiritual perception range, he sensed the destruction of tens of thousands of crystal clusters.

"See, shouldn't we have done this a long time ago?" The voice of the vice-captain, Little Grey, drifted into my ears.

"Don't talk! Can't you see we're working?" Yu Lian shouted.

"Okay, okay, I won't say anything then. Master Yu Lian is throwing a tantrum! I know, I know, a good woman shouldn't bother the men while they're working, she should just do her job in logistics, right?" Vice Captain Xiao Hui said in a tone as if coaxing a naughty child.

Even so, Yu Lian felt a warm and soothing touch on the back of his head and neck. It was two little gray dogs giving his head and neck a massage.

So it turns out there really are a few more technicians named Xiao Hui!

They used their hands, of course. What else could they have? What are you expecting?
Although Yu Lian still felt something was off, his mind was calmed, and his mana bar began to recover faster. He stopped thinking about it, closed his eyes, and for the third time...
The other little gray creatures said nothing more and just kept their heads down, operating the equipment.

On the exterior of the ship, some nano-units that are difficult to see with the naked eye begin to vibrate at a specific frequency, releasing a carefully modulated composite gravitational wave.

They acted on the ship's precarious shields, yet achieved a subtle resonance with the gravity of the gravity well channels.

"Maximum thrust, cut into the gap, target the gravity well core." Helmsman Xiao Hui pushed the control stick all the way down.

The Gray Panda's engines unleashed unprecedented power, propelling its bulky hull like an arrow shot from a bow, narrowly escaping into the passageway.

Countless sharp crystals gleamed outside the porthole. They should have torn the pirate ship, which was already at its limit, to pieces, but instead, they were all shattered on the spot by the constantly rippling spiritual screen from a safe distance.

"Warp drive at maximum power. Activated. Path calculation complete." Navigator Gray's voice came through amidst the ship's violent tremors. Even now, his voice remained calm.

Outside the porthole, the stars began to lengthen again.

However, just before fully entering the jump channel, Yu Lian clearly sensed that the sea of ​​crystal clusters left behind seemed to have become turbulent.

The endless crystals collided and rubbed against each other, creating a dazzling yet blinding glow of energy that rendered the entire scene bizarre and fantastical. Yet, deep within that sea of ​​crystal clusters, he vaguely sensed another presence once more.

A crystal-clear ruby, its calm halo seems to conceal an entire abyss.

Why is it always you?
...Well, surprisingly, I'm not curious at all. Yu Lian sighed, feeling inexplicably tired but quite calm.

The streaks of light from the leap completely obscured the view.

When the tremors subsided, the Grey Panda found itself in a relatively peaceful part of the universe.

Beyond the porthole, a star gleamed with an intense white light—a rare, young star in the vast Abyss Nebula. Within the galaxy, four enormous gas giants also rotated peacefully.

The tranquil starry sky was serene and magnificent, while the lingering background noise echoed within the ship. In an adventure movie, this would be the standard scene after the protagonists escaped danger—a picture of perfect peace and tranquility. All that's missing is the background music for a happy ending.

"Yeah, right." Yu Lian snorted. Before his senses could adjust, he clearly detected some other mass outlines.

“There’s an even tougher group ahead,” said the vice-captain, Little Gray.

“I felt it,” Yu Lian said irritably. “I’m even certain that it was the work of the Void Crown.”

"Oh." The vice-captain blinked. Her golden-gray eyes were watery and full of innocent clarity.

"Oh? That's all? Didn't you say that thing can't directly affect reality?"

"Yes, so it can only have a certain guiding effect. This is a tool left behind by the Forbidden Matters School, and as I said, they are not familiar with it. But thinking about it carefully, it is quite reasonable for it to passively influence the Leviathan in space," Little Grey answered solemnly.

"This useless robot." Yu Lian asked again, "Didn't you say it meant no harm?"

"Strictly speaking, no. Can a mere cluster of crystals really pose a threat to you?"

Yu Lian thought about how he had broken through a passage with just four spiritual storms, and felt that what she said made a lot of sense.

At this moment, lookout Xiao Hui reported in a completely flat tone: "An abnormal spatial disturbance has been detected. Analysis of the characteristics shows that it perfectly matches the energy spectrum of the crystal cluster. They are pursuing us."

"No. Crystal clusters are space creatures that follow stellar tides. They will actively drive away and attack any spacecraft that approaches the cluster, but they will not actively pursue them," said Xiao Hui, the science officer in the white coat, expressionlessly.

There are so many more little gray ones! It's almost overflowing!
The vice-captain, Little Grey, concluded in a serious tone: "In short, although you were very brave just now, you didn't manage to take down all the crystal clusters. So they all chased after us, and they were all incredibly brave!"

As soon as she finished speaking, billions of crystal clusters shimmering with a cold light reappeared in the starry sky behind her.

Like an enraged swarm of bees, they clung tightly to the tiny Grey Panda.

Of course, at this time, the pirate ship, which had been charging at near-light speed, had actually left the crystal clusters behind by 20 to 30 million kilometers.

In theory, she should have been able to escape unscathed.

If it weren't for the large group of people mentioning Yang Kaiqun appearing directly in front of them...

These cosmic squids, with their thick, armored heads swaying like armored mushrooms and their tentacles waving, emerged from behind the distant purple giant planet.

That was a horde of over a thousand Tiyankai. The largest of them, the chieftains, possessed main bodies over twenty kilometers long and tentacles over a hundred kilometers long, looking even more imposing than a dreadnought.

This was not the largest Li Yangkai group that Yu Lian had ever seen, but it was certainly one of the most magnificent.

Their chitinous shells are thick enough to withstand the main guns of warships, and the meteorite fragments hanging on the shells are like old barnacles that have accumulated over the years, but instead form another layer of armor.

They spread out in formation, forming an encirclement comparable to the most elite fleet, and surged straight toward the Gray Panda.

What makes a mere pirate ship so special?
Yu Lian sighed: "Why bother? My friendliness towards Leviathan creatures is absolutely positive. The more intelligent they are, the better my relationship with them will be."

The vice-captain, Little Gray, nodded: "Yes, so they're only after the crystal clusters. Tiyankai can also survive by harvesting the overflowing energy of stars and gas giants, but the crystal clusters are delicious."

Yes, the Tiyankai pod was just a group of whales looking to feed. They simply didn't notice their feeding route and thus hid a small, helpless, and pitiful pirate ship. What did they do wrong?
"We need to charge," said navigator Little Gray.

"There's a 17% chance that no hostility towards Yang Kaiqun was detected," said lookout Xiao Hui.

"Full power output. Shields concentrated at the bow. Engines at full power. Preparing for a Category F extreme maneuver." Helmsman Little Gray reported expressionlessly, without any inflection.

The remaining gray units silently and efficiently carried out the commands, squeezing every last bit of performance from the spaceship to its limit. The nanounits continuously repaired the most fatal damage and adjusted the energy distribution.

Even so, such efforts seemed like a drop in the ocean, especially when the ships encountered Tiyang Kaiqun and were forced to slow down.

The vibrations from the ship grew more and more intense, and the alarm blared into a long, chilling wail.

"The port stabilizer is damaged and has stopped working."

"Shield generator overloaded and will crash in 30 seconds. Unrepairable."

"The main energy line is experiencing frequency hopping, and the transition engine cannot be stably preheated."

Amidst the calm, muffled calls of the little gray fish, the Gray Panda, like a wounded fish, struggled to navigate through two increasingly tight nets of death, searching for a possible escape route. However, the further it advanced, the smaller the gaps became.

As the distance between the two sides gradually closed, the five patriarch-level Tyyankai had already extended its tentacles, which stretched over a hundred kilometers away, creating a massive force field vortex.

Having grown to this size, Chief Tiyangkai is already considered a rule-level mythical beast.

Of course, as I said before, Ti Yangkai and his group had no ill intentions towards the gray pandas and Yu Lian; they were simply hunting. They just accidentally dragged the poor, helpless, and weak pirate ship into their midst.

Sure enough, the crystal clusters opposite were pulled by the force field, and like a school of fish being sucked into the mouth of a blue whale, they uncontrollably surged towards Ti Yangkai and his group.

Some of the smaller individuals waved their tentacles freely, just like children dancing and gesturing wildly.

They were ready for a hearty meal.

However, for the Grey Panda, an out-of-control crystal cluster was equivalent to the deadliest javelin rain.

Yu Lian clearly saw the energy vortex in front of Chief Tiyangkai's mushroom head, and also clearly felt the crystal cluster spikes whistling from behind.

He shrugged resignedly.

The next moment, the gray panda's armor was pierced by the fierce crystal cluster.

"No, Gray Panda!" the vice-captain, Little Gray, let out a vivid wail, then pulled out a megaphone from somewhere and shouted, "Abandon ship! Abandon ship! Everyone, escape quickly!"

She seems to have such a strong sense of conviction.

However, he had no time to hesitate or feel sad. Yu Lian stretched out a hand, stirred the air currents in front of him, and opened up a spatial passage.

The last thing he saw was the ship full of little gray creatures being reduced to ashes amidst the tearing hull and the deafening explosions.

(End of this chapter)