Volume 4: Twilight Galaxy
No one could understand why Gray hadn’t been forced to log out of the game. In the end, the reason was chalked up to Gray somehow just barely passing the world consciousness’s aesthetic threshold. When Shu Xun opened the light screen and saw that all the squad members’ names were still lit up, indicating they were online, the viewers collectively let out a sigh of relief.
Unknowingly, this small team seemed to have become a cohesive unit. It now felt as though the absence of any member would leave a noticeable void. Upon realizing that Gray was still online, the initial confusion was replaced by relief and joy.
After a period of chaos, the live stream gradually returned to its normal rhythm. The unique end-of-the-world survival game had finally unveiled itself to the audience, who were now ready to explore this strange and fascinating world bit by bit.
At this point, about half an hour had passed since the game began. The players and viewers were still reeling not only from the appearance-based restrictions but also from encountering the survivors of Twilight Galaxy. Almost 50% of the players had come across native inhabitants within the first 30 minutes. Most, like Shu Xun, chose to avoid them temporarily. Those who didn’t… well, their outcomes weren’t so fortunate.
Due to the reverence for civilization, the three high-intelligence life planets exhibited an overwhelming uniformity in style. From their architecture to their clothing, everything was instantly recognizable. As a result, even if a player passed the appearance check, their unique attire would immediately alert the natives.
Thus, some players were captured by the natives, others who used abilities to resist were detected by the world consciousness and struck out of the game, and a very small number of players encountered kind-hearted natives and successfully initiated positive first contact.
In Shu Xun’s live stream, the viewers were holding their breath in tense anticipation. The full holographic display vividly depicted everything that unfolded in the night. Shu Xun quietly crouched atop a massive building not far from the central square, where the circular altar at the square’s center was illuminated brightly by torches.
Then, in the warm yellow glow of the firelight, a young man, bound with ropes, was brought onto the altar and tied to the round stone pillar at its center. The man’s eyes were eerily calm, utterly devoid of any emotion—no sorrow, no joy.
Two of the mounted soldiers in the squad Shu Xun had been following dismounted. One of them stepped onto the altar and walked to its center, while the rest of the soldiers surrounded the altar in a disciplined formation, standing tall like sentinels.
The moment the man in metal armor stepped onto the altar, there was finally a slight change in the bound man’s expression. His dark eyes briefly flickered with a faint, pitiful light. But the moment the armored man began to speak, the glimmer in his eyes was snuffed out, leaving no trace.
In the stillness of the night, Shu Xun heard the cold, emotionless voice of the armored man, unwavering in its finality: “Qing Kong of the common folk, it has been confirmed that you have been transformed. The verdict is immediate execution. Does the condemned have any last words or wishes?”
The man called Qing Kong lowered his head slightly, then let out a sudden scoff, a mocking smile tugging at the corners of his lips. After that, as if recalling something extremely amusing, he began to laugh—a loud, hearty laugh. If it weren’t for the ropes binding him, it seemed he would have bent over from laughter. He laughed so hard that tears formed in his eyes. When he finally stopped, he lifted his head, his dark eyes eerily calm once again as he stared at the armored man. His clear, crisp voice echoed through the silent square: “I have nothing to say, only that in all the lives to come, I never wish to see you again.”
Deathly silence spread. Even though they were surrounded by countless people, the world seemed long dead. The expression of the man in the metal armor was unreadable due to his mask, but Shu Xun keenly noticed the bulging veins on the back of his hand as he gripped his sword tightly.
A flash of silver cut through the air, followed by a surge of crimson as blood spread from the man’s chest, flowing from where the sword had struck. Blood dripped down the blade, trailing to the ground. Just as the sword was about to pierce a few inches deeper and reach the heart, an arrow shot out from the darkness, hitting the silver blade with such precision and force that it knocked the sword away from the man’s body. Though the blood splattered, it wasn’t fatal for the moment.
Shu Xun, surprised, narrowed his eyes and suppressed the spell he had just prepared. There was only one person with such extraordinary archery skills. Sure enough, a young, handsome figure emerged swiftly from the darkness. His movements were sharp and coordinated, and in the blink of an eye, he was already next to the altar. His eyes burned with fierce killing intent and his longbow was fully drawn, sending arrows hurtling straight toward the man in metal armor.
The man on the altar reacted swiftly, leaping back and deflecting the arrows with his sword. However, while he was occupied blocking the shots, several arrows hit the iron chains binding the man on the altar. The ropes snapped under the force, and the arrows embedded themselves three inches deep into the stone pillar, with their fletchings still trembling from the immense power behind them. It was clear how terrifyingly strong the arrows were.
As the ropes broke, Qing Kong’s body relaxed and a fierce light burst from his eyes. His once dark pupils transformed into a sinister blood-red. He caught the longbow Gray tossed to him and with a powerful leap, he soared into the air. At the highest point of his jump, the bow was fully drawn and a glowing blood-red arrow materialized on the string. His eyes were now steady, without a trace of hesitation. The bowstring released and the blood-red arrow streaked through the sky, headed straight for the man in metal armor.
The armored man had just managed to deflect Gray’s arrows when the blood-red arrow was already upon him. He raised his sword horizontally to block it, but in an instant, the crimson arrow clashed with the silver blade. Under the intense gaze of the onlookers, cracks formed where the sword and arrow met and the sword shattered into pieces. The blood-red arrow pierced the man’s chest, directly through his heart, and continued its trajectory, embedding itself into the altar behind him.
The entire scene unfolded too quickly—everything happened in a matter of seconds. Only then did the surrounding civilians begin to react. Meanwhile, the soldiers around the altar surged forward, engaging Gray and Qing Kong in combat. However, neither Gray nor Qing Kong had any intention of prolonging the fight. Gray unfurled his wings, lifting both of them into the sky as they tried to escape toward the outskirts of the city.
But their escape was not as smooth as expected. Though the armored warriors couldn’t fly, they were immensely powerful. Their previous success in wounding one of the soldiers had mostly been due to the element of surprise and the mastery of long-range archery. Now, before Gray could gain enough altitude, repeated attacks hindered their movements. Even some of the nearby civilians were beginning to stir, preparing to join the fray.
Shu Xun quickly cast the formation spell he had prepared, his fingers weaving complex hand seals at lightning speed. The formation spread from the altar, rapidly expanding to cover the entire central square. The natives trapped inside the illusion array instantly became disoriented, losing sight of their targets.
Gray glanced briefly in Shu Xun’s direction before speeding toward the outskirts of the city with Qing Kong. Shu Xun cast a quick look at the illusion array, then followed after them. Almost as soon as Shu Xun left the square’s line of sight, he felt the array being broken. His eyes flickered with contemplation as he mentally reassessed the strength of the natives.
With a light step on the rooftops, Shu Xun’s body soared through the air, quickly catching up to Gray. Soon, he cleared the city walls, leaving the city behind. Under the bright moonlight, the vast wilderness stretched out before them, and the smooth mountain ridges, bathed in a deep, shadowy green, appeared solid and serene in the moonlit night.
Without any solid footing to rely on, Shu Xun simply opted to fly on his sword, hovering next to Gray.
Gray turned his head toward Shu Xun with a bright, happy smile. As always, he spoke in his usual manner. “Shu-Shu-Shu-Shu Xun… thank you…”
“It was nothing. Where are we heading next?” Shu Xun waved it off with a smile, indicating that Gray shouldn’t worry about it. He then shifted his gaze to the man Gray was carrying. The man’s eyes had already returned to their normal, deep black color.
The man, named Qing Kong, was also curiously watching Shu Xun and the flying sword beneath his feet. It seemed that Shu Xun’s method of flight puzzled him somewhat, but instead of asking, he simply smiled warmly and spoke in a straightforward manner. “Hello, Shu Xun.”
Shu Xun was briefly taken aback, as the man hadn’t spoken the language of the Twilight Galaxy but rather the universal language of the interstellar era. Since the goal of this game was to rescue, StarPlay Entertainment had pre-loaded all players with the Twilight Galaxy’s language system before entering the game, allowing them to adapt more quickly to the local environment.
“Hello, Qing Kong.” Shu Xun’s surprise lasted only a moment before he quickly regained his gentle composure, offering a light smile.
The three of them didn’t engage in much further conversation as they headed straight toward the green mountains outside the city. After about an hour of flying, Gray finally descended with Qing Kong. They landed in a mountainous forest, where the humidity was heavy due to the night air. After lighting a campfire, the cold, damp feeling began to dissipate slightly.
Sitting by the fire, Shu Xun remained quiet, while Big Bliss perched on his shoulder, warily staring at Qing Kong. Every now and then, Big Bliss would yawn from drowsiness, covering his little mouth with his hand in a sleepy manner. Eventually, the fatigue became too much, and Big Bliss fell asleep, leaning against Shu Xun’s neck.
A soft chuckle broke the silence. Shu Xun looked up to see that Qing Kong was still smiling. Qing Kong pointed at Big Bliss, now asleep on Shu Xun’s shoulder. “Is it just my imagination or was he watching me suspiciously the whole time?”
Shu Xun: “…” How could he explain his overprotective blue butterfly companion? In the end, Shu Xun tugged at his hair slightly and responded in an exceedingly gentle tone, “Do you know Gray?”
Qing Kong’s smile deepened. “Changing the subject?”
Shu Xun nodded seriously. “Yes.”
Qing Kong was momentarily stunned before breaking into hearty laughter. “Yes, I know him.” He then flipped the longbow in his hand. “I taught Gray his archery. But don’t get the wrong idea—Gray is definitely Zerg and I am indeed a native of this world.”
