207 Tearfully Accepting the Bare-Faced Inheritance [Two-in-One, Please Subscribe!]

Lu Chen’s treasure-salvaging armor approached the uppermost layer of the surface, peering down through countless fragments of the crust at the battle raging below. The Centipede Man had no idea where Lu Chen was, and he grew increasingly anxious that the boy would suddenly appear to snatch his prey. However, he was even more worried that Lu Chen might simply leave. He was beginning to realize that the value of this Azure-Winged Dragon might not even match that of the youth.

"Little brother, where exactly is your armor!"

Lu Chen feigned exhaustion. "Phew, I’m almost out of this damn planet and back on my *Leonin*."

"You’re almost out?" The Centipede Man was startled. *This guy moves so fast?*

Lu Chen laughed, "What else? My armor is only level forty and my cultivation is even lower; I can't keep it running for long. Fortunately, it's three against one right now, the advantage is ours. As long as we work together to capture the Azure-Winged Dragon, we can split the five-hundred-thousand bounty!"

The Centipede Man feigned arrogance. "It’s two against one, not three. If you run off early, you won't be getting a share of the five-hundred-thousand."

Lu Chen didn't care at all. "The collapsing planet is my contribution. How could the Director be unaware of my efforts?"

The Centipede Man suddenly burst into laughter. "Five-hundred-thousand bounty? Do you really think I don’t know what’s happening outside? The Black Swan, the Black Phoenix, and perhaps even more monsters lying in ambush... Besides that, I received a tip-off before I even arrived here. The Interstellar Herders once collaborated with the Empire, but as more dark secrets were exposed, the Empire grew desperate to distance itself and has now turned on them. How much longer do you think the Beast Paradise can hold out? How much longer will the Director last? It’s even more dangerous to rush out now while the battle is still ongoing. We are exhausted; without you, we can’t kill this Azure-Winged Dragon. Come down and help me seize the Dragon Core, and I’ll give you both two hundred thousand spirit stones each!"

Lu Chen thought to himself that at a time like this, asking him to bring his level forty armor down there was effectively asking him to commit suicide. He might even be planning to capture him. Lu Chen couldn't be bothered to engage with the Centipede Man. Standing on the constantly fracturing, collapsing, and sinking surface, he pushed with all his might against the massive boulders splitting from the nearby crust, attempting to secretly alter the direction of their fall to deflect them toward the Azure-Winged Dragon. Unfortunately, the gravitational pull was too strong, and his efforts had little effect.

The current situation was clear: hunting the Azure-Winged Dragon was too difficult; without external intervention, it was a dead end. Of course, the Azure-Winged Dragon wasn't worth pitying. Anyone who triggered a pop-up alert in his Risk Avoidance Guide either wanted to kill him, capture him, sell him, or take him to a laboratory. The *Centipede* and the *Maverick* armor were also nearing their end. Yet, the two captains had no intention of running, which meant that beyond their obsession with the dragon, they must have had some way to survive.

The situation outside was worsening. If they didn't kill or capture the dragon soon, it would likely be impossible to escape later. Lu Chen decided to end the battle quickly. He used the chaos to locate a branch of the planetary formation. Following the trail, he found another rift near the surface.

Under the current circumstances, fractured branches were everywhere. The one Lu Chen selected was still connected to the main line of the formation that controlled the planet's gravity. Of course, this main line had long since short-circuited and failed. Lu Chen used his own spiritual energy to manually operate his armor once more. He extended the armor’s right palm, injecting resonant spiritual energy into the formation’s branch, which quickly spread to the main gravity line. Soon, he broke through the short-circuit node.

However, since the planet was collapsing, gravity could not be restored. But Lu Chen attempted to use this stretch of the gravity line to control the nearby crustal boulders, forcing them to crash in the direction of the Azure-Winged Dragon. The theory was sound, but with so many interfering factors, he wasn't sure if he would succeed.

"Let's try it!"

...

The Azure-Winged Dragon possessed nearly infinite stamina, and its physical body was tougher and more flexible than steel. The *Centipede* and the *Maverick* armor, despite the two-on-one advantage in the collapsing environment and their various long-range high-tech weapons, had failed to gain any ground. In fact, they were gradually being battered by the falling boulders.

The Centipede Man sensed something was wrong and quickly opened the channel to ask Su Yan, who was also being pummeled by rocks: "We aren't at the planet's core, so why does it feel like all the boulders are crashing down on us? It’s endless!"

Su Yan only replied calmly: "This is a good thing. Focus on the fight; it’s almost over!"

The Centipede Man was speechless, shouting at the top of his lungs: "How can I focus on the fight? If they keep crashing down, my *Centipede* is going to be totaled!"

Just then, Lu Chen joined the group chat. "The rocks are my doing. You can retreat now; the situation outside is not looking good. We must finish this quickly!"

The Centipede Man couldn't take it anymore and cursed, "You bastard... I haven't even made a move on you, and you’re trying to move on me? There’s no need to be in such a hurry to reincarnate!"

Lu Chen’s voice was calm, even icy. "You don't have to say your inner thoughts out loud... You’ve been dragging this out for ages and still can't handle the dragon. The situation outside is grim; you must retreat, and I will be the one to bury the Azure-Winged Dragon myself."

The Centipede Man questioned: "If you had that kind of ability, you’d be worth more than the dragon. Why would I even be trying to catch it?"

*Are you a Trisolarian? Do you really have to say every single inner thought out loud?* Lu Chen shook his head, too lazy to reply.

In reality, his decision to accelerate the battle was because the situation outside was at a brief stalemate. After the *Leonin* flew out of the collapsing Meiyu Star, it had been observing from the periphery with ease, acting as a war correspondent and providing Lu Chen with firsthand intelligence.

There were two battlefields outside. The Black Phoenix, the Black Swan, and the Star Beast swarm were exchanging heavy fire with the second and third fleets of the Beast Paradise. The two fleets were clearly at a disadvantage and were forced to change tactics, distancing themselves from the swarm to bombard the giant ships from afar. The Star Beasts were only faster than the ships during short-distance sprints; once the distance was increased, their speed couldn't match ships of the same tier. To protect their giant ships, the swarm was forced into a defensive posture, creating a brief stalemate. Only the Black Phoenix remained, chasing down the scattered warships.

On the other battlefield, to Lu Chen's surprise, an eighty-level armored dinosaur had suddenly appeared and attacked the first fleet, which was commanded by the Director herself! Lu Chen took a closer look. It was a Tyrannosaurus Star Beast clad in armor, even equipped with a warp drive—it was essentially a long-range combat armor! However, the Director seemed to have prepared for this. After the initial chaos and loss of ships, she began piloting a small suit of armor to face the beast head-on. The remaining ships kept their distance, using long-range "kite" tactics, determined to wear the machine-dragon down.

Lu Chen saw the Director's combat form clearly. Aside from her head, her entire body was encased in skeletal, hollowed-out armor—even more extreme than the modifications done by the Governor of Dayu Star. It made Lu Chen wonder if the old lady's body had been swallowed whole by a Star Beast, leaving only her head to roll out.

Currently, the battles on both sides were intense, quickly forming a bitter stalemate. This meant that the full combat power of both the Star Beasts and the Beast Paradise had been deployed. The boss behind the Star Beast swarm, who had previously chatted with Lu Chen via the platypus, likely wouldn't be coming to the front line. Meanwhile, the main body of the Interstellar Herders had not committed more forces to the Beast Paradise. According to the inside information from the Centipede Man, the Herders were being held back by the Empire and were unable to provide further support.

Lu Chen had a vague premonition that after this battle, the Beast Paradise would not be able to recover, even if it didn't collapse entirely; it might be taken over by higher-level forces. His hundred-thousand-credit discovery bounty and five-hundred-thousand-credit capture bounty were likely to become empty promises... He had to act now, while the battlefield was in a stalemate!

Lu Chen was becoming increasingly proficient with the residual gravity formation. He continuously stripped denser boulders from the crust fragments and hurled them at the Azure-Winged Dragon. The *Centipede*, being a Star Beast ship, was already too damaged to fight and could only burrow into a relatively soft, massive crust fragment to hide from the falling debris. The *Maverick* was still locked in a struggle with the dragon, refusing to give it any chance to escape.

In the end, the *Maverick* armor seized an opportunity, suddenly grabbing the dragon by the neck and detonating its nuclear engine. Her engine had been designed to trigger a nuclear explosion in extreme combat situations, allowing her to take her enemies down with her; the explosive force was ten times that of a standard warhead. Because this was a point-blank blast, even the Azure-Winged Dragon was blown to smithereens. The *Maverick* armor was also left without a trace.

The Centipede Man was a bit too far away and wanted to rush over to find the Dragon Core. But the mushroom cloud from the nuclear blast had barely risen before it was buried by the constant barrage of falling boulders. Even the *Centipede* was crushed by the gravity, unable to move—it had become the Sun Wukong under the Five Elements Mountain.

"Damn it! That woman didn't care about her own life, so why did she have to blow up my Azure-Winged Dragon?"

Lu Chen was stunned as well. *Did that woman have a blood feud with the dragon? Was it really necessary to go out together?*

Golia, squeezed into the armor’s cargo hold, was also bewildered. "My Dragon Core... is it gone?"

"Don't panic, the Dragon Core must still be there," Lu Chen said with certainty. After all, his treasure-hunting map had popped up again, showing two small targets ahead. One was definitely the Dragon Core. The other, he suspected, was the *Centipede*...

Just then, the earth-shattering process of the planet's collapse ended. Meiyu Star had been reduced to an irregular ruin only a tenth of its original size, with dust filling the entire atmosphere. Because Lu Chen had interfered with the gravity midway, the collapse wasn't entirely thorough. If the Azure-Winged Dragon hadn't been killed by the *Maverick*, it would likely be lying at death's door, buried under the sea of rocks.

The Centipede Man was dumbfounded. Along the way, he had underestimated the *Leonin*, then quickly been won over, only to overestimate it—and now, looking at the scene, he realized he had still underestimated it. "I didn't think your little armor had such thrust; you’re like a dung beetle. Now look, we’ve all become fossils, just waiting to be dug out after the war ends."

"Is that so?" Lu Chen replied blandly.

A small canyon had split open in the collapsed ruins, leading directly toward the location of the Azure-Winged Dragon. The gap was too narrow and irregular, as if it had cracked randomly under the stress of gravity. No ship could fit through; only Lu Chen’s armor could squeeze in. And so, Lu Chen piloted his treasure-salvaging armor, not even bothering to activate his stealth, and swaggered right in.

"You can even do that?" The Centipede Man was truly panicked now. "We’re teammates! Don't you dare swallow it all yourself!"

He used all his strength, desperately trying to pilot the *Centipede* out of the crushed soil. When he finally looked out, the outside was entirely blocked by massive boulders, pinning him tight; there wasn't a single gap, and he couldn't get out. Lu Chen’s armor passed by the *Centipede*, but with tens of miles of boulders in between, he wasn't about to go dig his teammate out.

"Next time, don't say your inner thoughts out loud. It’s a good thing you met a merciful person like me; otherwise, I could kill you here and no one would ever know it was me."

A chill ran down the Centipede Man's spine. He knew the game was up; he could only wait for rescue, and until then, he had to avoid being killed by his teammate. "I admit you’re strong, maybe some kind of monster—a favored child of heaven—but you’re ten thousand years too early to kill me. If I enter a near-death state, my Centipede Papa will come to save me, and above him are my Centipede Grandpa and Centipede Ancestor. The universe isn't as simple as you think. The Morning Glow Route is just a playground; wait until you go to the Blizzard Route and you’ll see. When you’re out here, you have to talk about factions, about backgrounds. What status do you have?"

*Is being a Child of the Plane enough?* Centipede Papa, Centipede Grandpa, and Centipede Ancestor... *The small one calls the big ones?* He used to love reading stories like that in elementary school. Lu Chen smiled without a word, ignoring him completely.

Golia, however, was defiant. She forcibly opened the cockpit hatch and leaned in front of Lu Chen’s microphone, shouting, "Our background is heaven-defying! I’m afraid if I told you, it would scare you to death, you dead bug!"

The Centipede Man was taken aback. *Why is there a woman on the Leonin? Lu Chen has a woman, and he’s still this strong? That’s not scientific!* "Who are you?" he asked curiously.

Golia shouted arrogantly, "I am the woman riding on Lu Chen’s head!"

In reality, at that moment, half of Golia’s body was pressed onto Lu Chen’s legs, making him uncomfortable in more ways than one. Fortunately, her chest was soft, even if it was stifling. Lu Chen pushed Golia to the side and said, "You’re crushing me! Since you’re so tough, go down there and fetch the Dragon Core!"

Golia wasn't falling for it. She grinned and said, "The dust outside is too thick; I’m not going. The Dragon Core might have already been destroyed."

Just then, the Centipede Man’s voice came over the channel. "Thank you, woman. I feel much better now."

Lu Chen shook his head, too lazy to explain. After pushing Golia out of the cockpit, he piloted the armor to the core of the Azure-Winged Dragon, which was being squeezed by the boulders. The surrounding rocks shifted aside. In the center was the site of the nuclear blast. The stones had been scorched and melted. The air was thick with the smell of charred dragon meat, even with a hint of fragrance. Lu Chen gained a new perspective on dragon meat.

"An Azure-Winged Dragon of a branched lineage, even after a point-blank nuclear blast, was only blown to bits and didn't turn to ash... what kind of flesh is this?"

Golia suggested, "Why not pick up some dragon meat to grill, or find some dragon bones to make soup?"

Lu Chen said with sudden seriousness, "This is an atavistic humanoid; I can't bring myself to eat it."

In truth, his treasure-salvaging armor was already at capacity and couldn't carry these fragments of bone and meat. Besides, if dragon meat and bone couldn't be melted by a nuclear bomb, what kind of pressure cooker could tenderize it, and what grill could cook it?

Golia curled her lip. "What a hypocritical human... Good thing I’m a Nether Demon. If pushed to the limit, I’d eat a living person just the same."

Ai Li suddenly spoke up: "Since the dragon meat and bones didn't turn to ash, the Dragon Core must still be there!"

"That’s right!" Golia became excited and urged Lu Chen, "Hurry, look in the cracks of the rocks! The Dragon Core must be there."

On the other end of the microphone, the Centipede Man was on the verge of tears. He said nothing, only the sound of his centipede legs clicking...

Lu Chen used his treasure map to quickly narrow down the target range. He found fragments of the *Maverick* armor’s endoskeleton, which had also been melted by the blast. Soon, he actually found a sword hilt over a meter long among the rubble.

—A level fifty lightsaber hilt!

"The hilt is quite sturdy, actually resisting a nuclear bomb... no, wait, it seems it was knocked away earlier. The *Maverick* lost her lightsaber and perhaps felt forced to take the dragon down with her."

Lu Chen remembered that in the beam of that lightsaber, the exterior was a cold, blue force field, while the interior was a white, volatile core of high-energy spirit beams. This was the treasure he had been dreaming of! It was far higher in level than his own lightsaber, and its technological level wasn't even from the same era.

As his armor gripped the hilt, Lu Chen looked at the object and thought of its former owner, tears welling up in his eyes. "Su Yan, you died so tragically..."

Having said that, he tearfully collected her legacy.