Chapter 32: The Great Battle on the Wasteland Star

The howling wind roared like a giant beast. Under the onslaught of the magnetic core storm, the gray, murky sky above the exile star grew even more chilling and eerie, oppressive and terrifying.

In the violent gale, Yun Qimu’s lips were pale as she gasped for breath, her black hair whipped into a wild mess like a madwoman. Yet, despite her frail figure that looked as if a breeze could knock her over, she somehow managed to run headlong into the wind, moving so fast that even Mo Xie couldn’t catch up and could only trail behind her, struggling to keep pace.

Beside the garbage mountain, countless pieces of trash were swept up by the wind, swirling through the air and battering everyone nearby with the force of the storm.

Zhu Zhu was struck on the back of her head by a rusty tin can with a loud clang, and her tiny, three-heads-tall body toppled face-first to the ground.

The other children running with her panicked instantly.

“Zhu Zhu!”

“Zhu Zhu, are you okay?”

But in the roaring wind, their anxious voices were swept away, barely audible from afar. With the trash and the raging wind wreaking havoc, the children were blown this way and that, scattered in all directions, unable to reach her for the moment.

Zhu Zhu clutched a small cucumber in her left hand and her hair tie in her right, her half-long hair flying wildly atop her little head. She wriggled, sticking her butt in the air as she tried to crawl back up.

“Watch out, Zhu Zhu! Watch out for the wood—”

Hearing the distant cry, she immediately perked up like a little squirrel, her round eyes wide with alertness as she lifted her head—just in time to see a large plank of wood hurtling straight at her.

“Ah!” Her mouth dropped open, her dirty little face full of panic. Instinctively, she hugged her head and ducked down.

But the expected blow never came.

“You’re okay, little one. Quick, get up—we have to run, the berserk beasts are coming!”

Haru dashed over, swatting the heavy plank aside with one hand. The force made him grimace in pain, but when he saw the tiny girl looking up at him, her eyes sparkling with admiration, the pain vanished. He grinned at Zhu Zhu, his face breaking into a goofy smile.

He’d done plenty of rotten things in his life, but deep down, he still dreamed of finding a pretty wife and having a cute kid. This five-year-old girl, Zhu Zhu, hit every one of his soft spots—she was exactly what he imagined his daughter would be like. And just now, she’d even shared a crisp, delicious cucumber with him. How could his heart not melt? He couldn’t hide the fatherly affection welling up inside.

When he saw her fall, he didn’t hesitate for a second—he tossed aside the box of nutrient solution he’d just scavenged and sprinted over, ignoring the jeers of a few star pirates behind him.

“Mm-hmm.” Zhu Zhu grinned at him, showing her tiny baby teeth, then stuck her butt up and kept crawling.

Haru reached out his big hand, grabbed her under the arms, and scooped her up. His honest voice rumbled, “You’re too slow. Uncle will carry you.”

With that, he shielded Zhu Zhu in his arms and charged into the wind.

Behind them, a berserk bull with blood-red eyes thundered after them, but Haru gritted his teeth and refused to put Zhu Zhu down.

“Hurry, hurry! Over here, this way!”

Tang En, looking battered and disheveled, waved frantically from the mouth of a cave, his handsome face full of anxiety as he fired water arrows one after another at the oncoming beasts.

Haru’s eyes lit up. He gritted his teeth and sprinted even faster.

Once inside the cave, several children were already there. As soon as they saw him, they crowded around, all talking at once, asking about Zhu Zhu.

Haru grinned in relief and set Zhu Zhu down, but he’d relaxed too soon.

With a thunderous crash, the whole cave shook, dirt and debris raining down from above. He immediately shielded the children, crouching to one side, craning his neck to peer out the cave entrance.

“What happened? What’s going on?” he asked urgently.

At that moment, Tang En and Yun Xiaoyu had just finished off a berserk beast. The tall and short pair guarded the cave entrance, faces grim and anxious as they stared outside.

In the raging wind, a pack of berserk beasts had clashed with a group of berserk-infected people from who-knows-where. There was trampling, savage attacks, furious roars, and blood-soaked limbs flying everywhere.

Mixed in were a few wild monsters straight out of a video game, tearing into anyone and anything, friend or foe.

In the blink of an eye, a frenzied, bloody battle was unfolding before their eyes on the wasteland star, right in the way of their path back to Earth Village. They had no choice but to take shelter in the nearest cave.

But the magnetic core storm was only growing stronger, and their anxiety mounted.

Sure enough, before long, the fighting drew the attention of the berserk beasts. Several on the outskirts turned their blood-red eyes toward them and charged.

Old Tang, as the elder and the most powerful among them, stepped up without hesitation.

Even Yun’s dad, usually simple and slow, was driven by instinct to join the fight in this moment of crisis.

In an instant, the two were surrounded by berserk beasts, and another brutal battle erupted—blood flowed in rivers, corpses piled up everywhere.

Thanks to Old Tang’s inherited beast-taming powers, the two initially held the upper hand. But more and more berserk beasts kept coming, the air thick with blood. The magnetic core storm brought a dense cloud of dark matter, further aggravating their already-infected bodies.

Their wounds multiplied, and their eyes began to turn red.

Tang En grew more anxious. At this rate, his father and Uncle Yun would lose themselves to the berserk infection as well.

At last, he gritted his teeth and stopped Yun Xiaoyu, who was about to rush out. “Stay here and guard the others,” he said in a low voice. “I’ll go.”

With that, he gripped an iron sword and strode out like a warrior.

“Ah—I’ll kill you all!”

The sword fell, blood splattered, and the sight only enraged the surrounding berserk beasts, who charged at him.

In the blink of an eye, he was swallowed by the horde.

Yun Xiaoyu gripped his silver crossbow, teeth clenched as he stared at the beasts. His little fists tightened and loosened over and over, and tears welled uncontrollably in his big, dark eyes.

Dad, please be safe.

Suddenly, a desperate, furious cry rang out above the wind and roars. Onto the battlefield surged a group of ragged people wielding hoes and other tools, throwing themselves into the fight to help the berserk-infected against the beasts.

Though they looked gaunt, they were surprisingly strong. Working together, they managed to surround and take down a berserk beast, turning the one-sided slaughter into a more balanced struggle.

Still, the sounds of battle were deafening, and the chaos only escalated.

With tears trembling on his long, black lashes, Yun Xiaoyu stood there, mouth agape, staring in disbelief at the new arrivals."