The spacecraft circled in the sky for a while before slowly descending through a glowing passageway. Through the viewport, Ye Zhongming could see they were moving within a tunnel of light.
Waking up from dimensional travel was never pleasant. Initially, Ye Zhongming had assumed they were in some pocket dimension, but the surrounding scenery confirmed they were simply in another corner of the universeâthough how far from Survivor Fortress No. 5 remained unclear.
Closing his eyes, he adjusted his breathing, feeling his bodily functions gradually stabilize. He was quite satisfied with his physical recovery.
"Drink this. We still have over an hour before reaching the base camp."
Aslan handed out several vials of medicine to Ye Zhongming and the othersâlikely some kind of restorative. The rest drank theirs immediately, but Ye Zhongming stowed his away in the spatial backpack heâd obtained from the Star-Eye Clan.
"Dimension tunnels arenât kind to living beings. You shouldnât rely too much on your bodyâs natural recovery," Aslan advised, seeing his reluctance.
She had far more experience in this than Ye Zhongming, who knew nothing about dimensional travel.
But she didnât understand Ye Zhongmingâs circumstances. He merely waved her off, signaling it was fine. The female birdman could only sigh in resignation.
Right now, she had no authority over him. Among the other three, Jie Kui seemed to want to say something but held back after seeing Ye Zhongmingâs attitude. The remaining twoâBu Lanuo and Shi Kangboâwore cold smirks, clearly thinking he was just being arrogant.
"Why so long? The Novice Battlefield planet shouldnât be that far, right?" Bu Lanuo frowned as he looked outside.
Both he and Shi Kangbo were tall, slender lifeforms with long tails usually coiled beneath their clothing, making them inconspicuous. Their most striking feature was their eyesâpupils that constantly shifted between vertical slits and perfect circles.
Aslanâs expression tightened slightly at Bu Lanuoâs words, which carried an undertone of impatience and⊠resentment.
"Our Star-Eye Clan has low status. Weâll be among the last to enter. The planet hosts extremely powerful lifeformsâgetting too close risks attacks in outer orbit that are nearly impossible to evade. The only safe approach is through the Reina peopleâs Light-Splitting Passage."
Bu Lanuo said nothing more and simply returned to his cabin to rest. Shi Kangbo remained but sat down in silence, eyes closed.
Ye Zhongming shrugged, unsurprised by this dynamic.
At the end of the day, none of them were native Star-Eye Clan members. Maybe someday, through some arcane method, theyâd be infused with the clanâs bloodline or granted its legacy. But for now? Impossible.
Low sense of belonging wasnât something that could be fixed with small favors or polite requests.
Fundamentally, they were just hired muscleâthe only difference being that major clans treated their mercenaries like tools, while minor clans like the Star-Eye Clan had to be more accommodating.
That said, many Star-Eye Clan members clearly didnât grasp their raceâs dire straits. The masked escorts casually killing "trash" trainees earlier proved they still looked down on these warriors.
So if these outsiders lacked loyalty now⊠well, who could blame them?
Even Ye Zhongming himself, despite Jikesuâs sincere overtures, still considered himself first and foremost the King of Cloud PeakâYe Zhongming of Earth.
Probably, even the weakest among the spacefaring races wouldnât welcome newcomers muscling in on their already scarce resources.
While waiting, Ye Zhongming remained by the viewport. Aslan stood with him for a while, pointing out which ships belonged to which races and explaining their circumstances. Eventually, Jie Kui joined them to listenâthis was valuable intelligence. Even Shi Kangbo cracked an eye open, eavesdropping.
Soon, the Star-Eye Clanâs ship received docking clearance. The spacecraft slowly entered the Light-Splitting Passage and began its descent toward the Novice Battlefield planet.
Upon entering the planetâs atmosphere, even mentally prepared, Ye Zhongming was stunned by the sight before him.
The air was murky, like moderate smog, tinged a faint pinkâwho knew if it was toxic? Distant flashes of light flickered intermittently, their source unclear. As they neared the ground, a massive pentagonal city came into viewâtowering walls bristling with weapons, patrolled by numerous guards. In several spots, intense bursts of light suggested ongoing battles.
"This is the base campâyour headquarters for the foreseeable future."
Aslan finished speaking and told everyone to wait while she stepped out, likely to handle formalities. When she returned, her expression was grim, but she motioned for them to follow.
Exiting the spacecraft, they were immediately hit by a faint, acrid odorânot overpowering, but living here long-term would surely shave years off oneâs lifespan.
Aslan led them to the northern sectorâs encampment. After registering in a small building, Ye Zhongming and the others received a compact case.
"Three bell tolls will signal the Novice Battlefieldâs commencement tomorrow. You must don the equipment inside these cases, then assemble at Desolation Square with your supplies. Anyone late will lose their head."
A lion-headed being roared these instructions at them.
Though this wasnât Shadowstripe City, they still used Shadowtongue. But compared to that cityâs fusion of aesthetics and technology, this place was as crude and dilapidated as a medieval village.
Ye Zhongming studied the lion-man, sensing an overwhelming aura of bloodlust.
By now, Earthâs apocalypse had lasted nearly seven yearsâplenty of time for countless evolved humans to develop palpable killing intent. Even Ye Zhongming himself, when enraged in battle, exuded a ferocity that most couldnât withstand.
But compared to this being? It was like comparing a candle to a wildfire. Just how many lives had he ended to accumulate such dense, tangible malice?
Carrying their newly acquired supplies, the Star-Eye Clan group turned to leaveâonly to nearly collide with another squad of twelve.
Perhaps because the base camp prioritized function over form, its architecture embodied minimalist practicality, sacrificing beauty for security.
Every structure was built like a fortress.
This room was no exception. One look, and only one word came to mind: impregnable.
The trade-off? The doorway wasnât particularly wide. With the unsealed metal doors taking up space on either side, only about three meters remained for passage.
For humans, that could fit several people abreast. But among the spacefaring races, not all were so slender.
Like the group approaching nowâeach member hulking like a small mountain. Just two walking side by side nearly blocked the entire exit.
The two parties met right at the doorway, forcing one side to yield. Aslan had entered first but was now at the back of their group. By the time she realized the situation, it was too lateâher warning died unspoken as one of the beings outside suddenly threw a punch at the person in front!