The starship had been traveling through space for two days. Ruan Bai, who had never witnessed the cosmic river of stars before, found his interest in outer space growing rather than waning, spending a long time every day pressed against the transparent protective glass to look out.
“Wormhole jump to the Capital Star will commence in thirty minutes. All personnel, enter your hibernation pods immediately,” the starship’s broadcast system dutifully reminded any living organisms that had yet to enter a hibernation pod.
Wormhole jumps were perilous, generating massive tearing forces across space during the transition.
Wormholes were transit points left behind after the Zerg were thoroughly wiped out, with military forces stationed along their perimeters to prevent Zerg from emerging out of the wormholes to attack passing starships.
Zerg toxins would inflict massive pollution upon a person’s spiritual consciousness sea, causing it to collapse and triggering mental power riots.
The psychic shock inflicted by the residual toxins of a wormhole was even greater than fighting Zerg on the battlefield, accompanied by far heavier spiritual pollution.
During a jump, all personnel were required to enter hibernation pods to sleep and mitigate the mental shock brought on by the wormhole, leaving only one or two people in the control room to monitor conditions just in case.
Marshal Huo possessed the only 3S-grade mental power rating in the entire interstellar world and the strongest combat strength. In situations like this, he invariably chose to remain awake to ensure the overall operation of the starship.
Ruan Bai was staring with rapt attention at the world outside.
The vast universe was set against a backdrop of black, dotted with different planets shining like specks of starlight in the deep night, gorgeous and colorful.
These were sights that Ruan Bai, a small ancient cat demon, had never laid eyes on before.
Thump… thump…
Steadily firm footsteps approached as someone pushed open the door and drew near.
Ruan Bai turned his head, and upon seeing the Marshal, immediately extended his paws to ask for a hug.
Huo Jiuxiao reached out, scooped him up, and carried him outward. “We’re about to make the jump and pass through the wormhole. Go stay in the hibernation pod for a while.”
Huo Jiuxiao wore a stern expression, his gaze appearing somewhat cold. His streamlined jawline was pulled tight, and his thin lips were pressed into a firm line, looking as though he were worried about something.
Could it be that he’s run into trouble? I need to be a good boy and not add to his burdens.
Thinking this, Ruan Bai nestled obediently against the man’s chest.
This warm, pleasant illusion was thoroughly shattered the moment Huo Jiuxiao told him to lie inside a hibernation pod.
Staring at the adult-sized pod filled eight-parts deep with nutrient fluid, Ruan Bai’s face was plastered with outright rejection.
Anyone who lay inside would be completely sealed off by the nutrient fluid, let alone a tiny cat like him.
The moment he saw Huo Jiuxiao preparing to place him inside, the fur all over the little white cat stood completely on end.
He delivered a swipe with his paw across Huo Jiuxiao, bolted instantly to the floor, and resolved that he would rather die than get in.
“Be a good boy, get inside.”
The Marshal wore a solemn expression. It wasn’t that he wanted to force Xiaobai into the hibernation pod; normally, if the kitten was unwilling, he wouldn’t push it.
Yet this time, he kept feeling as though something was about to happen. His intuition had saved him countless times on the battlefield, and he didn’t want Xiaobai to take any risks.
No matter what Huo Jiuxiao said, Ruan Bai refused to agree. Left with no other choice, the Marshal had no option but to carry Xiaobai into the control room instead.
“Warning! Warning! Starship is under unidentified attack!”
The starship’s alarm system blared a continuous series of warnings the moment it entered the wormhole.
Huo Jiuxiao’s eyes grew sharp, his expression turning icy as he immediately took manual control of the starship to launch a counterattack.
The moment the starship entered the wormhole, Ruan Bai felt completely unwell, as if he were being suffocated by some filthy, foul-smelling stench that made it hard to breathe.
Looking through the transparent protective shield above the control console, he saw that the outside was pitch-black and swirling with demonic energy, with numerous giant bugs swarming about to attack the starship.
There were too many of them. Looking as far as the eye could see, it was densely packed with demonic energy. The Zerg were hiding within the demonic energy, sparing no effort in their assault on the starship.
The starship presented too large a target. If they didn’t force the attackers back quickly, everyone here would likely perish.
With that thought, Ruan Bai suddenly transformed into a stream of light that flashed outside the starship. His form rapidly expanded as he hurled himself directly into the fray.
A gigantic white creature materialized within view. Huo Jiuxiao gave a start, turning his head swiftly only to discover that Xiaobai, who had been playing nearby just moments before, had vanished without a trace.