The Snipe and the Clam Fight, Pulling a Tooth from the Tiger’s Jaws【Two-in-One】

The spindle-shaped nuclear warhead plunged into the mist. Guided by sensors, it automatically dodged the intercepting missiles of the Seventh Planet’s air defense system and landed in the midst of the farmland.

A thunderous boom shook the heavens and the earth.

An icy blue mushroom cloud rose slowly from the surface of the Seventh Planet, blooming like a dazzling flower.

The surging mushroom cap shot straight up into the atmosphere, reaching an altitude of a hundred kilometers, tearing away a thick swath of the planet’s heavy fog.

For Lu Chen, who had lived two lifetimes, this was the first time he had witnessed a nuclear explosion with his own eyes.

The nuclear bomb casually discarded by the pursuing ship was even more powerful than the Tsar Bomba, the mightiest hydrogen bomb of his former world.

He had never seen such reckless audacity.

Nonetheless, considering the tracking ship had lost radar and control systems, unable to locate the spirit-magnetic turrets of the Seventh Planet, firing a nuclear bomb in desperation was an understandable choice.

This also suggested that the ship tailing the Leonine was likely operated by an interstellar adventurer group, or perhaps even space pirates.

They were not only formidable, but also brazen and fearless, acting with utter impunity.

Fortunately, in the interstellar age, nuclear detonations were all fusion-based, ignited through clean spirit explosions rather than fission, leaving no radioactive contamination behind. There would be no nuclear fallout to deform the bodies of the Seventh Planet’s inhabitants—

But it would send them straight to the afterlife.

Luckily, the blast site was not a city, but a sparsely populated farming district.

After the Leonine broke through the atmosphere, it did not leave, but hovered at a distance to observe the unfolding conflict.

Inside the cockpit, Golia removed her gaming visor and turned to stare at Lu Chen, a look of shock on her strikingly handsome and spirited face.

“So it’s true—we really were being tailed?”

Lu Chen nodded.

Golia’s finely arched brows furrowed as she mused, “Earlier, before we entered the atmosphere, you told me to prepare for manual control... Was all of this within your predictions?”

Lu Chen leisurely summoned the floating refrigerator, brewed himself a glass of iced tea, and replied with calm indifference, “Otherwise, how would we find our teammate?”

Golia still thought it was all rather risky.

“Aren’t you worried the little wolf-girl might get killed in the blast?”

Lu Chen took a sip of his tea and explained, “If it was a trap, she’d deserve it. If she’s truly imprisoned, she’s likely underground. Unless the bomb lands right on top of her, she should survive a nuclear explosion.”

His argument was reasonable and convincing. Golia hurriedly said, “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go to the farm while they’re fighting!”

Lu Chen shook his head, wearing the expression of a spectator. “Not yet. I suspect both sides are far stronger than us. Landing now would be dangerous. I have a feeling this war will be intense... Besides, the distress message only said the wolf-girl was in a farm. Do you know her location?”

After the nuclear explosion, the pulse spirit-magnetic cannon on the planet’s surface was destroyed.

The ship tracking the Leonine, though still without radar or automated controls, switched to manual piloting, attempting a forced landing.

The planet’s coastal defense forces were shell-shocked.

It took them a while to react.

From afar, coastal cannons and satellite laser batteries in low orbit turned their guns and opened fire on the invading ship.

Old imperial warships launched from subterranean docks, rising to intercept the incoming vessel.

The massive ship, meanwhile, unleashed another beast tide:

Interstellar bats.

A dense swarm of these bats, emitting eerie ultrasonic waves, disrupted the enemy’s missile guidance systems. They clustered around the ship, launching suicidal explosions—like a living Patriot missile defense.

The battle quickly escalated into a frenzy.

Only then did Lu Chen maneuver the Leonine a bit closer for a better view of the spectacle.

Of course, his purpose was not mere entertainment—it was to assess the strength of their opponents.

Through the ship’s high-definition cameras, he finally saw the pursuing vessel in full.

It was a two-hundred-meter-long, level-fifty Kun-class interstellar ship, cloaked in black stealth coating, with a shotgun insignia emblazoned on its flank.

Lu Chen immediately searched the network for the image and soon identified the ship.

It belonged to a group called the “Justice Hunters,” an interstellar adventurer band.

Their flagship: the Justice Hunter.

They were considered top contenders for the Adventurers’ Ladder, boasting hundreds of elite members. They roamed the frontiers of the Pangu Corridor, hunting rival adventurer ships and talent. Experts in stealth ambushes, mechanical nukes, and beast tide assaults, they often invited any surviving enemies to join their ranks.

Lu Chen pointed at the gunman insignia in the photo and asked Golia, “Have you seen this symbol before?”

Golia, struggling to recall, suddenly exclaimed, “Wait, I think this ship once chased me...”

Lu Chen’s question was partly driven by personal suspicion.

“That’s the Justice Hunters. They scour the front of the Pangu Corridor for resources and talent, seeking to climb the Adventurers’ Ladder... Don’t tell me you led them here?”

Golia’s expression darkened with anger. “Are you saying my shipwreck was their doing? I must have my revenge!”

Lu Chen shook his head. “No, no. Your ship’s demise was due to its crew and vessel, not them. Revenge is pointless—their ship is level fifty, with over a hundred members. Unless their strength was similar to ours, they wouldn’t dare fling nukes at the Seventh Planet.”

Golia refused to concede. “Level fifty? I’m level thirty-eight. Rounding up, that’s close enough!”

Lu Chen couldn’t be bothered to argue further. “Go ahead, then.”

Why aren’t you stopping me? Golia shot him a glare, then calmed herself. “No, we have more important things to do.”

For now, their job was to watch and let the two sides fight each other to exhaustion.

A retired major general, infamous for his hatred of interstellar adventurers, squaring off against a band of ruthless resource-hunting adventurers on the brink of the Ladder—

It was like Mars colliding with Earth, dry tinder meeting wildfire.

The battle was about to explode, and it quickly reached a fever pitch.

Before long, the ship-to-ship cannonade devolved into close-quarters combat.

Many of the Justice Hunter’s crew disembarked—pilots in battle armor, fighter pilots, beast tamers, and sword-wielding spirit warriors.

On the other side, the retired Major General Arden Fema personally arrived at the front lines to duel the enemy commander—

At least, this was Lu Chen’s supposition.

After all, the Leonine was hiding at a relatively safe distance; the cameras couldn’t pick out people at such range.

Only the radar detected one level-fifty spirit energy signature and one at forty-nine.

Those should be the two captains.

Generally, level fifty was known as “stellar class” power.

Meaning: a level-fifty cultivator could defend an ordinary star system.

In remote, resource-poor star systems like Blue Valley, even the warden general was less than level forty.

Right from the start, they had drawn the attention of two major powers.

Lu Chen pointed to the spirit energy signals on the radar. “See? They’re both stronger than you.”

Golia snorted in defiance. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m suppressing my inner demonic side. What you see is just the tip of the iceberg. There’s no need to risk everything when it’s not life or death.”

“Sure, sure. Whatever you say.”

Lu Chen sipped his tea and resumed observing.

Thanks to the all-consuming conflict, no one paid the Leonine any mind, and Lu Chen received no further danger warnings.

It was clear that Arden Fema and his forces were evenly matched with the enemy commander, and had more ships and discipline.

But in terms of equipment and talent, the Justice Hunters far outstripped Fema’s defenders.

After all, the Justice Hunters came from the Pangu Corridor, where treasure and peril abound. Only the strong and wealthy survived long there.

Soon, the defenders began to falter.

Arden Fema was forced to rally all planetary defenses and call for reinforcements from the Rogel Warden’s Army.

This only made the Justice Hunters’ assault more aggressive.

They aimed to grab whatever spoils they could before reinforcements arrived, to offset their losses.

Lu Chen glanced at the treasure map.

Still no red dots.

He hadn’t expected to see any.

This was a populated planet; anything of value was long ago claimed, disqualifying it from unowned status.

Even if the little wolf-girl really was Fema’s slave, Lu Chen was no liberator.

There were countless slaves in the universe; until he became the strongest, he lacked the power to free them all.

He sought the wolf-girl simply because he needed a teammate.

The time had come.

Lu Chen set down his tea and said to Golia, “It’s relatively safe now. Let’s check the farm. Reinforcements will arrive soon—we have at most half an hour.”

“Alright.”

Golia cracked her knuckles, turned, and leapt onto her motor-skiff.

Wearing a qipao on a motorcycle, her snow-white, shapely thighs exposed—

Lu Chen glanced over; it seemed impractical for action.

But time was short, and he didn’t bother telling her to change.

The Leonine left the battlefield and once again descended into the atmosphere.

They flew through the mist above a farm.

“Ride your motor-skiff down, capture a few farm managers alive, and bring them up... Remember: alive!”

Golia, dressed to captivate, brimmed with confidence. “Trust in your big sister.”

She donned black goggles, started her engine, and shot down in style.

Moments later, Golia returned astride her skiff.

Trailing behind, three farm managers hung bound with straw ropes, dragged all the way into the ship’s aft compartment.

Lu Chen eyed the trio: bloated, greasy faces, expensive green robes—clearly farm administrators.

But Golia had already beaten their faces swollen.

Lu Chen untied them and said, “We came in response to a distress message in a bottle, here to rescue the wolf-girl. Tell me where she is.”

Hearing they were there to help, the managers relaxed, thinking Lu Chen was a good man.

One even spat, “Think you’re a hero? All space pirates should die!”

Lu Chen shrugged and glanced at Golia.

She understood at once and twisted the man’s head.

Crack!

His neck broke; he slumped, lifeless.

The remaining two scrambled to answer, “She’s in the general’s private estate basement!”

Their stories matched, so Lu Chen chose to believe them.

He released one, keeping the other as a guide.

If he killed them both, the survivor might rebel or play tricks—not a good guide.

Lu Chen set the Leonine to autopilot.

He donned his armor and took the guide.

Golia mounted her skiff again.

Together, they set off for Arden Fema’s private estate.

It was past midnight.

The estate was vast, brightly lit, beautiful, and rich in spiritual energy; the night breeze was refreshing and invigorating.

Lu Chen told Golia to force her way through the main gate.

Soon, Golia encountered the estate’s security team—ground troops in level-twenty battle armor.

For Lu Chen’s scavenger suit, it might have been troublesome.

But for Golia, it was child’s play.

“Who are you?”

Golia dismounted with elegance, drew her sword, and attacked without a word.

Soon, the crisp sound of armor splitting rang out...

Meanwhile, Lu Chen circled around in his scavenger armor, heading for the farm’s basement entrance.

As he approached, a danger alert came through.

The basement entrance was heavily guarded.

Eight level-thirty battle armors!

He had nearly walked into a tiger’s den...

Despite the chaos above and below on the Seventh Planet, these guards had not abandoned their posts.

Which meant the wolf-girl was real—and valuable.

Lu Chen’s excitement grew.

But he didn’t act rashly.

He hid in the shadows, waiting for Golia to finish off the outer guards and charge the estate, heading for the basement.

The eight armored guards were forced to engage.

Lu Chen seized the opportunity, slipped into a nearby grove, and dug through the soil straight into the basement.

To call it a basement was an understatement—it was more like an underground city.

Luxuriously decorated ecological cells lined the corridors, holding female interstellar adventurers and beastwomen alike—a secret garden for Arden Fema.

“Your general really knows how to have fun,” Lu Chen remarked.

The farm manager replied awkwardly, “Well, he’s a man... When you’re a general, you might outdo him.”

Lu Chen’s voice turned cold. “Forcing others isn’t fun.”

At that moment—

An intruder alarm blared through the basement.

Lu Chen was quickly attacked by the wardens.

They were only low-level warriors with guns, none above level twenty, looking like retired soldiers.

Lu Chen showed no mercy.

He unleashed his level-twenty palm laser cannon, eliminating a dozen guards one by one.

Guided by the farm manager, he soon reached a special cell.

All the other cells were ordinary rooms.

But this one was a vault!

Lu Chen tried his armor’s saw, excavator, and palm laser cannon, but couldn’t penetrate the door or walls.

He examined the palm print lock.

Palm-pattern bloodline recognition!

Full-body camera scan!

A passcode as well!

“Impressive.”

Lu Chen pressed his hand to the scanner and activated item identification.

[Shield Tiger Brand Vault: Level-100 spirit energy defense, internal short-term life support system, containing one wolf-girl.]

“This is it!”

Using item identification, Lu Chen analyzed the tri-lock spirit pattern.

He could crack such locks—but it would take time.

Time he did not have.

So he activated the excavator on his left arm, hollowed out the cement around the vault, then used the scavenger suit’s cables to bind all sides.

He fired up the flight engines, hoisting the ten-ton vault out by force.

His scavenger armor weighed only a bit over three tons.

He had to kick out the overweight farm manager.

Flight was a struggle, but he managed to haul the vault back to the ship.

No sooner had he returned than a danger warning sounded—

[General Arden Fema has noticed the host. The Rogel Warden’s Army is about to arrive on the Seventh Planet. Leave immediately!]

But Golia had yet to return.

He called her via wrist comm.

“I’ve got the wolf-girl on board. There’s no need for you to keep fighting. Get back here, now!”

Golia, her battle finished, was busily cutting up armor to salvage the engines.

“Come down here and help! Let’s grab a few engines to sell!”

Lu Chen wanted to, but there was no time.

“General Fema is onto us. The Rogel Army is almost here. I order you to return at once.”

Golia had no choice.

She took one intact engine, tied it to her skiff, and reluctantly returned.

Without another word, Lu Chen sealed the cargo bay, maxed the engines, and blasted away from the Seventh Planet.

The Leonine had barely left when the Warden’s fleet arrived in force.

The Justice Hunter withdrew from the battlefield almost simultaneously with the Leonine.

Unfortunately, its radar, controls, and stealth were badly damaged, so it could not pursue.

Still, they had captured a retired imperial warship, recouping some losses.

The Justice Hunter, being faster, exited the star system ahead of the Leonine and vanished.

Elsewhere, Lu Chen wasted no time or concern for loot, piloting at full speed to escape the Rogel star system’s outer limits.

“Confirm destination coordinates.”

“Check route safety.”

“Warp engines to maximum.”

“Acceleration countdown—ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!”

“Jump!”

Lu Chen and Golia froze in an instant.

When their senses returned, the ship had arrived at the entrance to the Pangu Interstellar Corridor—

Seafarer’s Haven.