Over twenty days ago, Yan Junyu was tasked with escorting a batch of military supplies to the Yan family's secret base, but halfway there, he was ambushed by a group of space pirates, forcing him to make an emergency landing on ME219, an undeveloped primitive planet. The environment here seemed to be deteriorating under some mysterious influence, and so far, no intelligent life had been found.
Yan Junyu had initially thought he could leave this place soon, but he discovered that the planet emitted a strange electromagnetic wave that disrupted his warship's electronic equipment. No matter how they tried to adjust, the warship would fly around aimlessly like a headless fly, and after several unsuccessful attempts, the dashboard and control system were unable to withstand the strain and finally broke down. The same fate befell other electronic devices like the communicator, smartbrain, positioning device, and more.
With no choice, Yan Junyu had to temporarily stay on the ME219 planet. But the tragedy was far from over; after a few days, they realized that the planet's vegetation and animals were dying off in large swaths.
All of this was due to a thing that was both plant-like and Zerg. They had thick shells, and if they curled up on the ground motionless, they looked like rocks, but once they caught the scent of blood, they would immediately awaken from their dormancy, stretching out their slender, vine-like tentacles to tightly entangle living creatures, forcibly entering their bodies through their mouths to feed on their flesh and slowly grow and reproduce, eventually bursting out of their bodies.
The space pirate group chasing Yan Junyu was also forced down on this strange planet due to electromagnetic interference. The first to suffer was one of their members. The gray-brown, rock-like but surprisingly soft creature quickly wormed its way into the man's mouth, a scene that was incredibly horrific.
The agony of his organs being devoured drove the man mad, and he committed suicide by swallowing his gun that very night. However, this was not the end; just as his body fell, the creature inside burst out, the number swelling from one to a swarm, immediately burrowing into the bodies of his companions.
Most space pirates were a bunch of ruthless brutes who never valued human life; they immediately opened fire on the creatures and killed their infected comrades one by one. But soon they discovered that this approach was incredibly foolish; the creatures that entered human bodies would quickly divide and reproduce, so the more people they killed, the more creatures there would be. They were also agile, resistant to water, fire, lightning, wind blades, freezing, and other ability attacks, except for the power of a particle bullet, there was no effective way to completely exterminate them.
The moment they touched the ground, they would burrow into the soil, waiting for the right opportunity to suddenly emerge and pierce through a person's skin to burrow into their flesh. They varied in size, some as large as an adult's fist, others no larger than a soybean, lurking in their surroundings, making it almost impossible to guard against them.
In a single night, the hundreds-strong group of space pirates had been reduced to only a few dozen survivors, the rest turning into breeding grounds for these monsters. Yan Junyu's team had also suffered heavy losses, and to survive, the two groups were forced to temporarily join forces. After a few days of investigation, they finally found a pattern: once infected by these monsters, the best solution was not to immediately kill the host, but to persevere and live. As time passed, the monsters densely distributed within the body would consume each other, the number decreasing, turning into larger, more mature creatures.
When they burst out of the body, they would go from thousands to just three or four, their movements becoming sluggish, making them easier to aim and kill. The feeling of being parasitized was not something ordinary people could endure; pain, fear, and despair tormented the nerves every moment. People who couldn't bear it for a day and committed suicide were numerous, those who could hold on for three days, or even seven or eight, were extraordinary in willpower.
Unfortunately, the powerless Yan Junyu had also become one of those waiting to die. He endured for one day, two days, three days... and now it was the ninth day. The monsters within his body had devoured each other, leaving just one, curled up in his abdomen. Perhaps in the next second, or perhaps tomorrow, it would tear his body apart with its tentacles and slowly crawl out.
He sat by the fire, fully engrossed in reading his smartbrain. Several of his subordinates held particle guns, watching him both guardedly and sorrowfully.
"What are you looking at?" asked Wolf Fang, the leader of the Red Phantom Pirates, with full curiosity.
Yan Junyu did not respond. After closing the smartbrain, he leaned against the tree trunk to feign sleep. In just over twenty days, he had become emaciated, black and purple veins visible on his skin, making him look like a patient with gene collapse syndrome. But only those present knew that these veins were not part of his body but the tentacles of the creature that had parasitized him. It used these tentacles to capture and devour its own kind while absorbing the flesh of its host.
Being pierced through the body by these tentacles and having one's organs worn away, the pain was unimaginable. Wolf Fang stared at Yan Junyu's increasingly pale face and the increasingly thick "veins," feeling both a chill and deep admiration for his incredible willpower.
To date, he was the host who had persisted the longest, never showing expressions of fear, despair, or pain. He did what he needed to do, patrolling, hunting, and seeking a way out. Aside from his changed appearance, he lived like a normal person.
"Don't you feel any pain?" Wolf Fang started a conversation to break the silence.
Yan Junyu ignored him, but inside, he was full of helplessness. How could he not feel pain? Every minute, every second, he struggled in pain that ordinary people could hardly imagine. If not for the memories that were once lost and finally regained, he might have collapsed long ago. After being attacked by Mu Ran's divine sense and having his abilities stolen, the seal Qi Ze had left in his mind began to loosen. He finally understood that he was someone who should have been dead long ago, and the only reason he could sit here peacefully was because Qi Ze had risked everything to prolong his life.
No wonder he was so familiar with Qi Ze, so intimate and so yearning for him. It turned out they had been inseparable for two months. Every muscle, every sinew, every drop of blood in his body was something Qi Ze had personally obtained for him. While soaking in the energy fluid and enduring the thunderous strikes, he remembered clearly how Qi Ze had jumped down without hesitation, enduring the majority of the pain for him.
He had made suppressed moans in his ear; he had gazed at him with eyes full of eager anticipation. He wanted him to live, even if it meant defying fate. And so Yan Junyu lived on, feeling that he was no different from this monster, both depending on nutrients from their hosts for survival, one relying on past memories for support.
Why did you make me forget? Do you know how precious this memory is to me? Occasionally, Yan Junyu would feel this resentment, but soon, his gratitude and yearning for the young man overwhelmed everything. In agony, he could hardly sleep, but when he dreamed of the young man, he would sleep particularly peacefully.
Ding, ding, ding, ding. The young man kept pounding on the mold. His silhouette, once thin and frail, became long and lithe. Transparent beads of sweat slid down his beautiful butterfly bones into the hollow of his waist, then vanished into his pants. This scene became Yan Junyu's lingering beautiful dream, one he couldn't help but recall even when awake. Relying on this memory, he had endured day by day, for this life was given to him by Qi Ze, and he would not give up unless Qi Ze himself took it back.
Several of his comrades were tallying supplies and quietly approached him, saying, "Captain, we don't have much food or drinking water left. What should we do?"
"Tomorrow, we'll go in search of a water source. We can't stay here anymore." He opened his eyes and gave a decisive order.
When they first arrived, this area was a dense forest with clean water and fresh air, quite suitable for human habitation. But after a few days, the forest withered in large swaths, the water source was contaminated by an unknown cause, turning murky and strongly acidic, even those with the formidable physical constitution of special troops could hardly drink it, not to mention ordinary people?
If they continued like this, Yan Junyu had no doubt this area would become a death zone.
"Pack up all the supplies. Tomorrow, we'll move east. Go ask Wolf Fang if they're coming. If not, we'll part ways," he said. The only way to meet Qi Ze again was to stay alive, so Yan Junyu would never sit idly by waiting for death.
"We'll go with you," Wolf Fang glanced at him and suggested. "This is the ninth day. I thought you'd make your team leave and wait to die alone. If you don't mind, I could actually give you a hand. In the last few days, I've also noticed that there's only one creature left in your body. If I shoot here, not only will you be liberated, but we'll all be safe."
He raised his particle gun, aiming at Yan Junyu's abdomen. Yan Junyu's subordinates hastily raised their guns in response, and both sides were in a standoff.
At this moment, a streak of bright red lit up the sky, like a meteor falling or a spaceship crashing. Immediately, a cloud of fire rose into the sky, creating a powerful gust of air. The sound of the explosion rolled over from the distant horizon, scattering birds and enlivening the tense atmosphere. Wolf Fang put away his particle gun and ordered, "Send two people over to check it out."
"You should also go and take a look," Yan Junyu said calmly.
Both groups sent two wind ability users to investigate the situation, then continued staring at each other. The Red Phantom pirates' crew had been in the business of murder and robbery for a long time, and even though they had temporarily reached a cooperative agreement with Yan Junyu's team, they had not given up the idea of killing them. After all, Yan Junyu's spaceship was stacked with supplies, enough to last them several months. With those few months of leeway, their fleet would eventually find the ME219 planet.
Matters of life and death were not to be trifled with, and the Red Phantom pirates wouldn't show mercy; naturally, Yan Junyu wouldn't sit around waiting to die. Both sides knew that one day they would face off against each other.
In the silent stillness, several wind ability users quickly returned, followed by two strangers. As they approached, Yan Junyu, illuminated by the fire, recognized that they were Li Ziqian and Ouyang Ye, and they each carried a person on their backs, their heads bowed so their faces were not visible.
Yan Junyu abruptly stood up, one hand forcefully pressing on his abdomen and the other tightly clenched into a fist. He asked, "Was that your spaceship that crashed? Besides you, who else survived?" He stared intently at the figure on Li Ziqian's back, his eyes red and his breathing quick.
"Long time no see," Li Ziqian greeted casually and put the person on his back down, smoothing out their messy hair. The person lifted their head, revealing a little smudged face, with their nose and cheeks covered in dark marks, but only their eyes shone brighter than the stars in the sky.
"I knew you weren't dead!" they said.
"How did you come here?" Yan Junyu was half overjoyed, half anxious. He was delighted to see the young man again before his death, but he was also worried because he had lost his ability to protect him. This planet was full of unpredictable dangers, and he had no confidence in escorting the young man away.
"How could you come here!" The corners of his mouth quickly drooped, and his expression turned sour.
"I came to save you," Qi Ze stepped forward, activated his spiritual eyes to carefully inspect him, and asked in a deep voice, "What's in your belly?" The demonic aura in Yan Junyu's abdomen was even stronger than Li Ziqian's. Was he possessed by some demon?
"Are you injured?" Yan Junyu deflected the question, wanting to pull him closer for a good look, but he was also worried that the monster would burst out and accidentally hurt the young man. He hesitated where he stood, his heart filled with joy, anxiety, and a strong desire to live. The person he most desired had traveled thousands of miles, risking his life to rescue him. How could he bear to die?
"I got a little smoke inhalation, nothing serious," Qi Ze said while wiping his face, the black marks originally just a few streaks now evenly spread out, turning him into a little charcoal ball.
Yan Junyu suddenly laughed, his heart filled with immense gratitude and peace. He took out a clean handkerchief from his Interspatial Button and carefully wiped the young man's face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the little girl on Ouyang Ye's back and couldn't help but ask, "Who's this child?"
"This is Ming Rui, my friend," Qi Ze said, somewhat annoyed. "I originally only brought Ouyang Ye and Li Ziqian to rescue you, but this little one secretly hid in the escape pod. If it weren't for Xiaohei crawling out of the door crack to seek help when the spaceship crashed, we might have left her at the explosion site."
"Sorry, Brother Qi Ze!" Ming Rui apologized hastily and glanced timidly at Yan Junyu.
"She's the little girl we met at the hospital," Yan Junyu had a photographic memory and quickly recalled who she was. He glanced at the rag doll tightly held in the little girl's arms and immediately realized it was Qi Ze's creation. Those eyes were too lifelike, like living creatures.
"There's something strange about this planet. Our spaceship had a malfunction as soon as we got close, and all the electronic devices failed," Li Ziqian calmly analyzed. "If we don't figure out the cause of the magnetic field and overcome it, we probably can't leave."
"You shouldn't have come to look for me; it was too risky," Yan Junyu sighed.
"Now that you're here, what's the point of saying that?" Ouyang Ye rolled his eyes. "Don't say these half-dead words; quickly think of a way to get out of here."
"Yes, we'll think of a way together," Yan Junyu nodded and smiled. Then he served cooked noodles to Qi Ze and Ming Rui, leaving only half a cup of noodle broth for himself. A large man in camouflage ran over and handed Li Ziqian and Ouyang Ye two packs of biscuits, hopefully asking, "Are you the rescue team sent by the marshal?"
"Yes, I have some supplies here; you can take them," Li Ziqian handed a Interspatial Button to the man. The man looked very happy, immediately accepting it and then ran to explain the situation to his comrades.
Wolf Fang had already guessed that these four people had supplies and couldn't help but feel envious. He sneered and exclaimed, "Hey, isn't this Young Master Li? You don't need a wheelchair anymore? These prosthetics are quite good this time?"
"Boss, are they here to save people or to commit suicide? With a cripple and a kid, it's questionable whether they can survive for twenty-four hours," a pirate belittled, and the other members laughed.
To be honest, this rescue team did look a bit ragged. Although Young Master Li was a meta-human, he couldn't overcome his disability; the boy sitting beside Yan Junyu had a very weak body, aside from his pleasing face, there was almost nothing noteworthy; a little girl holding a doll, one might think she was playing house. Only the tall, strong youth with a long sword was somewhat noteworthy, but he wasn't very impressive either.
"Hey, Yan Junyu, doesn't your grandfather think you're already dead, that's why he sent a bunch of amateurs to look for you?" Wolf Fang took a swig of strong liquor and laughed. "You might as well tell them the truth. You're destined to die, either today or tomorrow."
"What does that mean?" Qi Ze stared straight at him.
"You should ask him yourself!" Wolf Fang pointed to Yan Junyu's stomach. "Didn't his team tell you on the way here? He has something in his belly."
"Boss, they didn't tell him," whispered a wind ability user who had been sent to check the situation. The young man had figured it out on his own; there was absolutely no mistake.
Wolf Fang didn't take it seriously. He threw the empty liquor bottle into the fire and narrowed his eyes with a sinister look. He couldn't wait for Yan Junyu to die so he could take over his supplies. As for those team members, those who knew how to behave would stay, and those who didn't would be eliminated.
"What's going on? Why is there demonic aura in your belly?" Qi Ze fully opened his spiritual eyes and suddenly realized. "The seal is gone, you regained your memories?"
"Yes, about you, I won't tell anyone. You didn't have to do that back then," Yan Junyu touched his abdomen and explained. "This planet seems to have been occupied by an insect tribe, and it's an insect tribe that we've never discovered before..."
Li Ziqian and Ouyang Ye were stunned for a long time. An insect tribe that uses the human body as a womb to reproduce was more harmful than any other insect tribe. This was like an incurable plague; once someone caught it, it would spread to a large area. Their reproduction speed was frighteningly fast, and it might only take two or three months to infect the entire population of the planet.
"So what are you planning to do now?" Li Ziqian asked calmly. Ouyang Ye embraced the shivering Ming Rui and patted her, secretly wiping the goosebumps off his own arms.
"Hold on, and when I can't, I'll kill it myself," Yan Junyu quickly glanced at Qi Ze and then lowered his head.
"Young Master Qi is here, he should have a way," Li Ziqian said confidently.
Qi Ze didn't say a word, staring unblinkingly at the fire, various solutions flashing through his mind. Forcing the monster out was easy enough, but then what? How was Yan Junyu supposed to live? He had once been the pride of heaven, but now his upper and lower dantians were both destroyed, and his entire body was soaked with demonic aura; he would have to spend the rest of his life in a hospital bed. Was this the kind of life he wanted?
He wanted to save him but also protect his dignity and pride.
There was only one Bone and Flesh Regeneration Pill, and it had already been used on Yan Junyu. Defying fate was a one-time deal; otherwise, heaven would definitely sense it and send down eighty-one calamities, completely erasing Yan Junyu's existence. Various extraordinary methods could either not be used or lacked the conditions for use, and Qi Ze was stumped.
Yan Junyu rubbed his head and comforted him, "Don't think about it, let's take it as it comes." As soon as the words left his mouth, a small mound formed in the nearby soil. A gap opened at the top, and a swarm of insects wriggled out, their slimy, wet tentacles crawling towards them. They moved incredibly fast, and even though Yan Junyu was on high alert, he was still a step too late, only managing to lift Qi Ze onto his shoulder.
Ouyang Ye picked up Ming Rui and jumped onto the opposite tree. The rest hurriedly scattered in all directions.
Something strange happened; the wave of insects bypassed Yan Junyu and rushed towards Li Ziqian. They rose like a carpet, covering Li Ziqian completely, their tiny tentacles piercing his skin and quickly burrowing in.
Li Ziqian finally understood what the saying "a swarm of ants can kill an elephant" meant. He moved quickly, but he couldn't withstand the sheer number of insects. In no time, they had wrapped him up in a cocoon and turned him into a breeding ground. A large number of insects entered his body, and those that couldn't find a suitable position immediately crawled toward Ming Rui on the tree canopy. As for the others, they were completely ignored.
Wolf Fang and his subordinates stood on a nearby tree, their faces twitching as they watched this terrifying scene. Even though they hadn't been parasitized, they felt an itching sensation all over their bodies, and a wave of despair welled up. With such speed, such elusive methods, and such a large number, who could avoid it? Today, they were lucky to have some scapegoats; otherwise, it would have been their turn to suffer.
"Boss, these insects didn't used to be picky before. Why are they specifically attacking Li Ziqian and that little girl today?" a pirate whispered.
"How would I know? Let's see what happens," Wolf Fang scratched his continuously numbing scalp and said viciously, "That little girl looks like a wimp who can't handle hardship. Once parasitized, she'll immediately die from the pain. The insects were already in staggering numbers, and once they enter her body, they'll multiply rapidly, resulting in an even greater insect wave. No, we have to get rid of her first."
Wolf Fang had long discovered a pattern: these insects never attacked dead objects; they only parasitized living beings.
"Let's kill her first," a pirate immediately pulled out a particle gun and aimed at Ming Rui. Just at that moment, the rag doll in Ming Rui's arms jumped out of her embrace. Her long hair suddenly surged like a black stream, drowning the wave of insects and then scooping them up by the handful to chew into bits.
She stretched her neck as if swallowing, her dark eyes squinting into crescents, seemingly very satisfied. The place swept by her hair was now clean, not a single insect left.