As the shop owner spoke, Pipinav chimed in. "Underwater racing is one of the favorite pastimes of the B'ant people!"

As the two of them narrated, Yang Ying and the others gradually understood that the submarine industry on Planet B'ant was as highly developed as the automotive industry on Earth. Underwater racing, in turn, was like Earth's formula racing, only conducted beneath the ocean surface.

Every one of these underwater racers was a submarine specifically designed for competition, capable of speeds that, when converted to Earth units, could reach six hundred kilometers per hour! Many sports cars on land couldn't even achieve that velocity.

"That sounds rather appealing. Let's purchase a few as souvenirs."

Yang Ying’s departure from the solar system this time had no particularly vital objective; he was merely exploring the galaxy, familiarizing himself with alien environments—a form of relaxation. Buying trinkets didn't require considering whether they would actually be usable.

"That would be splendid!" the shop owner exclaimed with delight. "What you see displayed here are the latest models, their performance and aesthetics being top-tier on this planet. If you're not satisfied, this establishment maintains an underground exhibition hall with an even larger and more comprehensive collection of racers. Furthermore, should you purchase three or more vessels, we will provide one complimentary intelligent maintenance robot, along with a full set of repair equipment, for the upkeep and servicing of these craft."

"In that case, I thank you kindly," Yang Ying replied with a smile. Although he knew Pa'u could certainly repair these vessels, it seemed rude to refuse the owner's offer of gifts.

Consequently, Yang Ying selected three underwater racers in the shop: the fastest one, the one whose appearance most appealed to his aesthetic sense, and a third one—he had intended for Katerina to choose, but she held no interest in racing. He finally settled on a two-seater model, mentioning she could co-pilot with him.

Pipinav stayed behind to haggle with the shop owner over the final price, eventually arranging for delivery. All the racers, along with the complimentary equipment, would be crated and sent directly to the Giant Beast, eliminating the need to carry them around.

Leaving the underwater racing shop, the group continued forward, only to be stopped by a sudden clamor erupting from the street ahead.

Upon hearing the noise, Yang Ying immediately discerned that one side of the argument was speaking the Singer language, with remarkably beautiful voices. The group parted the surrounding crowd and moved closer, discovering that the dispute indeed involved a male and a female Singer. The opposing party consisted of nearly a dozen tall aliens whose skin was a dull grey, their bodies covered in patches of rock-like musculature. Their eye sockets were extremely prominent, and their faces featured sharp, chiseled angles, as if carved by a knife. They had encircled the two Singers.

"They are Kustarians," Pipinav made a gesture of helplessness. "Incidents like this happen frequently. The Singers and the Kustar are ancestral enemies; whenever they meet, trouble is bound to brew. Even though this is a public supply planet where, by tradition, all races maintain restraint, some individuals simply cannot hold back."

As Pipinav spoke, he subtly watched Yang Ying's expression. Given that Yang Ying spoke the Singer language and used Singer currency, he was curious what Yang Ying might do now that the Singers were in trouble.

Both the Singers and the Kustar are highly influential advanced civilizations in the nearby star regions. Given Planet B'ant's status, naturally, no one could afford to offend either faction.

Yang Ying listened for a while and grasped the basic sequence of events. The two groups had encountered each other on the road. Seeing the Singers were outnumbered, the Kustarians had developed malicious intent. They first blocked the Singers' path and then used verbal provocation, intending to thoroughly humiliate the pair.

Because the two races have been hostile for so long, they generally understood each other's language, so the Singers responded with equally sharp retorts.

Yang Ying observed that the two Singers showed no trace of fear; both fixed the surrounding Kustarians with sharp gazes. Their verbal barbs were even more incisive than those of the dozen Kustarians, and they managed to curse without resorting to a single vulgar word. After a continuous barrage of words, they thoroughly—from the inside out—criticized the Kustarians as utterly worthless, enraging the dozen Kustarians beyond measure.

Suddenly, the leading Kustarion reached to his belt and unclasped a lightsaber hilt, activating a blade of purple light with a Zz-la. Yang Ying had already perceived that this leader was a master-level expert, and the other Kustarians had also awakened, their strength ranging from upper-tier to lower-tier. In contrast, the two Singers were both upper-tier, significantly outmatched by the Kustarian contingent.

As the two groups prepared to fight, the aliens on the street immediately dispersed. Some retreated far away, unwilling to be caught in the crossfire, while others stopped not far off, clearly intending to watch the spectacle.

The surrounding shops showed no panic. They first ushered out all their customers, then immediately closed their shutters, each shop raising a faint protective shield to envelop its premises.

"We should probably step back as well; it wouldn't be good to get caught in the middle," Pipinav suggested spontaneously, as he couldn't quite gauge Yang Ying's thoughts. "The Enforcement Squad will receive word soon enough; we can just wait a moment."

"That seems wise. Let's move back a bit," Yang Ying chuckled, turned, retreated thirty meters, and joined the gathering crowd at the street corner.

At that moment, the two Singers also produced two flute-like instruments, about twenty centimeters long, from behind their waists. As they held them lightly, the instruments emitted a pleasant, ringing sound. A blade extended from one end of the flute.

Yang Ying's eyebrow twitched. He realized that this instrument served as the hilt for the Singers' lightswords. However, it was unfortunate that the Singers' blades were both standard blue lightsabers, a tier below the Kustar leader's purple one.

The Kustar leader sneered, as if mocking the Singers for overestimating themselves, and brought his lightsaber down to strike. Simultaneously, the surrounding dozen Kustarians also activated their lightsabers or light-staves and lunged toward the two Singers.

From the angle and force of the descending blades, Yang Ying could tell the Kustarians might not intend to kill, but the clear objective was to slash the Singers into mere 'human sticks' to deliver a crushing humiliation.

The male and female Singers appeared to be lovers. They stood back-to-back, struggling to defend against attacks coming from all directions.

As they swung their lightswords, the hilts emitted musical flute notes. Upon hearing it, Yang Ying immediately recognized this as a sonic attack, designed to affect the central nervous system through the auditory centers, causing the enemy's movements to slow and concentration to falter.

However, at this point, the sonic power was focused entirely within the combat zone, with very little dissipating. This indicated that the Singers' control was quite good.

In addition to the music accompanying their saber swings, the Singers began to hum while fighting—their voices melodious and pleasing, maintaining rhythm even amidst the intense battle.

Yang Ying nodded subtly. "This must be the legendary Song Tone of the Singers. It is indeed more potent than the flute sounds; it can actually manipulate the actions of others through sound."

One lower-tier Kustarion on the field seemed affected by the Song Tone, abruptly shifting his lightsaber to strike one of his comrades beside him. Just as the blow was about to land, the Kustar leader instantly appeared beside him, delivering a powerful kick that sent the subordinate flying toward the protective shield lining the roadside. The lower-tier Kustarion slammed hard against the barrier, but instead of passing through, he convulsed violently as if an electric current had passed through him, shuddered twice, and then collapsed.

"Useless trash! You can't even withstand this level of Song Tone; you’re just a liability in combat, get out of the battlefield immediately!" the leader roared at the man.

Hearing this, the lower-tier Kustarion dared not argue. He scrambled away using all fours, hurrying out of the immediate area.

"It seems the Kustar have a high resistance to the Song Tone. Out of the dozen or so, only one lower-tier was affected enough to withdraw, and two other lower-tiers managed to endure it," Yang Ying mused privately. "Truly worthy of being the Singers' sworn enemies."

Although the two Singers protected each other's backs, they gradually began to lose ground under the siege. The Kustar had superior numbers, and every move they made carried significant force, overpowering the slender-framed Singers. Especially the Kustar leader, whose brutal techniques were fierce and sharp. Coupled with the grade advantage of his purple lightsaber, the Singers became hesitant whenever they clashed blades, resulting in their stances being distorted almost every time they engaged.

Seeing that the singing was no longer effective, the pair changed their vocalization. It became ethereally vague, seeming distant one moment and intimately close the next.

Yang Ying quietly noted, "The Song Tone is indeed multifaceted. This piece sounds like... hmm, it also attacks the central nervous system through hearing, but this one induces hallucinations in the enemy."

Another mid-tier and one lower-tier Kustarion were affected by this melody. The enemies in their vision suddenly vanished, and after wildly swinging their lightsabers a few times, they were knocked away.

The ones who struck them down were, again, the Kustar leader, who clearly considered them burdens now and didn't even bother to shout at them this time.

After a few more exchanges, the two Singers were pushed to their absolute limit. The Kustar leader, brandishing his purple lightsaber, found openings to dart in, leaving shallow or deep wounds across their bodies. The lightsaber moved like a venomous snake seeking a fatal chance, missing no weakness.

Traveling members of advanced civilizations usually possess some hidden talents. Yang Ying observed that more than a dozen spectators in the vicinity possessed mental abilities, yet none offered assistance. He thought to himself, "Out of respect for J'ayuna, perhaps I should lend a hand."

A thought flickered in Yang Ying's mind, and an invisible mental force was emitted, unnoticed by everyone else.

This mental force began to vibrate the air, generating sound—the method the Shen Race uses for vocalization. However, Yang Ying used this technique not to speak, but to mimic the spell-casting sounds of the two Singers.

The simulated Song Tone was perfectly identical in sonic speed and pitch to the genuine article. The two sounds merged flawlessly, becoming a single wave. None of the onlookers noticed the change, but the Kustarions in the fray suddenly felt the power of the Song Tone multiply exponentially, piercing their central nervous systems and seizing control of their senses.

The Kustar leader felt a momentary blackout, a shock in his ears; his vision and hearing were instantly stolen. After barely defending a few strikes, his wrist was sliced open, and his purple lightsaber fell from his grasp.

The other Kustarions fared even worse; they were completely subdued within a few exchanges. The two Singers looked down at the pile of defeated Kustarions at their feet, exchanging stunned glances, momentarily speechless. If you wish to know what happens next, please log on to [] for more chapters. Support the author, support genuine reading! The new URL for this site has been changed to: [] Please bookmark this for future reading!