Having just finished my final IV drip this morning, I rushed to post this chapter. My apologies for the wait, everyone; the sickness at level 45 is mostly gone now, thanks for all your concern and support. Starting today, updates return to normal, and I absolutely promise to make up for the chapters missed the day before yesterday and yesterday next week. Also, the next installment will be posted tonight.

The very first thing Zhong Yun wanted to do was construct a spatial remote sensing device, contact Xiao Ling, and return to Vol. Star.

There is a saying: Fortune never comes in pairs, and misfortune never comes alone. Nothing could describe Zhong Yun's recent experiences more perfectly. Since the crash of the starship, Zhong Yun and his companion have brushed past the Grim Reaper several times. Although they were fortunate enough to land on this unknown planet, it was hardly a safe haven.

The intense, chilling atmosphere in the native village deeply shocked Zhong Yun. Under the guidance of an aged native elder, all the warriors set to march knelt on one knee, right hands placed over their hearts, gazing skyward with devout expressions as they prayed to their gods.

The ancient native spoke a few passionate sentences in the tribal language, then suddenly extended his right hand and slowly drew a deep, bloody gash across his left cheek.

All the warriors imitated him, scoring blood marks onto their own faces. Finally, the elder threw his head back and let out a mighty roar; every native, whether departing warriors or women and children left behind in the huts, joined him in the shouting.

It was a roar of fury, a roar of courage, a silent declaration that they would fight the enemy to the bitter end.

Zhong Yun felt his own blood surge, utterly infected by the natives’ tragic emotion, a surge of high spirits roaring within his chest.

Once the pre-battle ritual was complete, the warriors began lining up to receive their weapons.

Without hesitation, Zhong Yun walked toward the queue for weapons. The native handing them out paused when he saw him, then, with a somber expression, passed him a sharpened wooden spear.

Yu Daoqing looked at him with surprise but said nothing, waiting until everyone was fully prepared. With a wave of her hand, she strode out first in the direction from which the sound had come.

Zhong Yun followed closely behind her. Trailing them, the natives divided into three groups. One group followed Yu Daoqing. Another, led by the tallest native present, broke off and ran in a different direction. The last group remained behind to guard the village's elderly and weak.

Zhong Yun looked back and counted silently. There were about seventy people following behind him. Every single person had their lips tightly pressed together, their expressions solemn. For a moment, the only sound in the forest was the scattered rhythm of their footsteps.

After walking for about a thousand meters, Zhong Yun finally saw the enemy of this expedition. They were a strange species of creature, entirely pink, standing about one meter tall. Their two deep-red eyes took up nearly a third of the area where a face should be. They had a pair of short antennae on their heads. Their mouths were huge, stretching back to their ears, gaping wide like a basin—clearly not creatures of goodwill.

A massive swarm of these monsters rushed toward Zhong Yun and his party—at least three or four hundred of them. They moved with surprising agility, and upon seeing the natives appear, they sped up as if injected with adrenaline.

When they were only fifty meters from the monsters, Yu Daoqing let out a piercing shriek. The seventy natives behind her quickly reorganized into small five-person combat units. With Yu Daoqing leading like a spearhead, they formed a sharp, conical formation.

Behind Yu Daoqing, only Zhong Yun remained. He hadn't expected to be on the absolute front line, but at this moment, he could only grit his teeth and charge forward with her.

Like a red-hot dinner knife slicing through cold butter, the natives, generally over two meters tall, immediately began skewering the pink monsters, which barely reached their waists, upon first contact.

The strangest sight was Yu Daoqing. Whatever method she employed, as the pink monsters approached within three meters of her, they would roll onto the ground, spewing green fluid from their mouths, their condition unknown. This left Zhong Yun utterly dumbfounded.

This was the first time Zhong Yun had encountered such monsters. Out of caution, he carefully observed their characteristics: the pink monsters were nimble, their bodies extremely soft, allowing them to contort at unbelievable angles.

Their weapons were their jagged, stark white teeth, along with four claws that were twenty to thirty centimeters long. Their claws were incredibly sharp. Zhong Yun personally witnessed a claw scratch off a layer of wood shavings from a sharpened wooden spear, which he knew possessed a hardness comparable to special steel. If those claws hit flesh, it would surely be like cutting tofu.

Although the pink monsters outnumbered the native warriors four or five to one, they posed no significant threat. In less than five minutes, the pink creatures were slaughtered completely, with the native side suffering the loss of only five men. Throughout the entire engagement, Zhong Yun only struck once, pinning the last fleeing pink monster to the ground.

Despite achieving almost total victory, there was no hint of joy. They quickly disposed of their fallen comrades' bodies and set off again.

Reaching the village's palisade, Zhong Yun witnessed an exceptionally brutal scene. In front of the wall, thousands of pink monsters were besieging dozens of native warriors. Although they utilized the complex terrain to maneuver and fight, the native soldiers were still in dire peril.

Seeing the reinforcements arrive, the warriors who had been fighting desperately received a massive morale boost and managed to stab a circle of monsters to death.

Zhong Yun, however, felt no optimism. The sixty to seventy men who joined his contingent could certainly kill a thousand of these monsters without much difficulty, but the problem was the endless stream of monsters pouring over the wall. As the numbers grew, no matter how skilled the native fighters were, they would eventually be ground down.

If only I had an electromagnetic cannon right now, Zhong Yun thought with a pang of regret. But he immediately adjusted his mindset: if the situation proved unmanageable, he would immediately take Yu Daoqing and retreat the way they came, pick up Zhang Xiao, and abandon this village to save their lives first.

Just as he made his decision, Zhong Yun saw something that shocked him profoundly: Yu Daoqing, running ahead of him, suddenly lifted into the air—yes, she actually flew. Zhong Yun’s eyes widened to their absolute limit, and he couldn't stop his momentum, nearly tumbling forward.

Yu Daoqing soared above the stalemate between the two sides, took a deep breath, and then let out a piercing shriek. A visible ripple vibrated through the air, shooting toward the cluster of pink monsters gathered near the perimeter of the wall.

The pink creatures seemed to sense danger; their entire formation exploded outward, scattering in all directions, but it was too late. Everywhere the ripple touched, all the monsters shuddered, spewed large gulps of green fluid from their mouths, and then collapsed limply.

With that single move, nearly half the monsters were killed. Humanoid mechs truly lived up to their reputation.

The situation on the field instantly reversed. The native warriors, now reinforced by over sixty fresh fighters, routed the terrified monsters, driving them out beyond the wall in a disastrous rout. Soon, only a ground covered in corpses remained.

Yu Daoqing slowly descended from the sky, landing in front of Zhong Yun. He gave her a thumbs-up. He truly could not have imagined that this woman was the legendary Level Ten powerhouse, a terrifying existence rumored to be capable of defeating a mech.

Suddenly, Zhong Yun noticed something was amiss. Her body trembled twice, and she swayed as if about to fall. Zhong Yun quickly supported her. "Are you alright?" he asked with his eyes.

Yu Daoqing lightly shook her head and leaned her face against his shoulder. It seemed that the last attack had completely drained her strength.

As Zhong Yun held her up, a flicker of suspicion crossed his mind. Her eyes showed no sign of the exhaustion he expected.