Chapter 901
Chapter 901 - 887 - The Lost One
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7 min read
When Lu Ping’an regained consciousness, he found himself being carried on the run.
He twisted his neck, which was somewhat stiff, but since he was still alive, he should not have encountered the worst outcome.
"....How are things?"
He looked around, and even without a response, Lu Ping’an roughly understood the situation.
All his companions were... on a battlefield where he couldn’t directly participate, and if they wanted to join in, it would’ve been in vain.
Meanwhile, beside him, the "dynamic armor-men" still fleeing with him numbered three... their surfaces riddled with scars, with evident severed limbs, and one of them being dragged by a chain by his mates.
"You’re awake? Thank you for your help, we’ve succeeded, although the cost was a bit high...."
An armor close by took the initiative to speak.
But the tone and response of the speech felt somewhat familiar to Lu Ping’an...
"Prince... Casola?"
Realizing who it was, Lu Ping’an’s eyes filled with respect.
"Yes, it’s me. I thought since we can evolve metal armor into a metal body, then a slightly damaged dynamic armor should work too...."
Clearly, the battle did not go smoothly, and the mercenaries could do only so much. Even with all the courtyard’s machinery made available for their control, numbers were still limited.
"...It seems the stronger the power, the stronger the shell after Assimilation. Hah, I never imagined, me, a former miner turned mechanic, could actually fight so well."
"Can you still detach from it?"
"...No, it’s completely integrated and transformed."
The now one-armed, one-legged Prince Casola had lost his armor mask somewhere... The fact that this piece of scrap iron could still move was unreliable at best.
Obviously, Casola was the strongest of the new Luka people, and he joined the fiercest of the battles himself.
The mercenaries could only achieve so much, the rest was up to them.
"Did we win?" Actually, being able to escape now made the outcome quite clear.
"We could say we’ve won..."
They had managed at great cost to break through the blockades set by the Energy-devouring Evil Sunflower, but the aftermath of the battle was sure to attract more. Such an endless war was best ended swiftly.
They had successfully achieved their main objective, consolidating a massive amount of gems in the most populous square area and at the same time, had successfully re-entered the storeroom, taking some supplies with them.
The outcome was indeed good; however, seeing his fellow clansmen die in front of him, many even dying to shield him, still made Casola heave a sigh of lament.
But, the real trouble was just beginning...
"Take off immediately..."
The finally returned Prince and his subordinates brought relief to those who had stayed behind.
The spacecraft, already warmed up, took off directly, making leaving this overly dangerous planet their top priority.
"I’m going....."
"Truly outrageous!"
It was only after lifting off the planet’s limits and looking down from above that they saw a "monster", a "great snake" coiling around the entire planet.
It only had fulcrums on some of the Continental Plates, with most of its body above the Cloud Realm, yet it locked down the planet as firmly as a bone-deep poison.
This world was beyond saving.
"...This is the true complete form of the Energy-devouring Evil Sunflower...."
Only when they were far enough away did they clearly observe that the structure of this monster was so familiar.
It was an Energy-devouring Evil Sunflower magnified countless times, but because it was too large, it couldn’t interfere with the ground at will. It could only use its "descendants" to help clear the area.
Every moment, countless pieces of debris fell to the earth.
It seemed to be slowly constricting its body as if to strangle that world....
"...At least we’ve successfully escaped."
Standing on the bridge, Lu Ping’an, who had finally recovered, also felt much more at ease.
Under most circumstances, Energy-devouring Evil Sunflowers were considered a super threat, especially due to their characteristic abilities, which in a special situation, could even cause a true Rule-level Strongman to flip over unexpectedly.
Seeing the new Luka people’s faces filled with gratitude, it was evident that Lu Ping’an and his group had already done more than enough.
If it weren’t for this group of mercenaries, the new King and the majority of the rescued clan members would probably have been doomed to be buried there.
The ship was accelerating to its limit, and as the giant serpent receded into the distance, everyone breathed a sigh of relief... But as soon as the external pressure from the enemy was removed, the internal troubles were just beginning.
Clearly, those depleted pieces of machinery, especially the extremely limited and exorbitantly expensive military wares, were impossible to "return"... After all, they couldn’t really expect Casola to abandon his new body.
But the most troublesome problem was just beginning...
"Great Prince, I and the entire crew and ship of the Glorious are willing to pledge our allegiance to You. From today onwards, You are our life and sunshine..."
When they hadn’t met the Prince directly before, the Captain and his group could maintain a basic sense of rationality.
But now, as their Prince was indeed out of danger and had even once and for all gotten rid of the limitations of his species, the "first meeting" also triggered their most fundamental thought process, turning them into irrational fanatics, eager to hand over their fortunes like "wealth-inviting juveniles."
Lu Ping’an watched all this unfold with great interest, honestly being an observer for a while... He knew the real drama was yet to come.
As the crew excitedly began their celebration feast for the Prince’s return, the issue only arose when the Captain inquired about the destination of the next Planet. There was an immediate dispute between the two parties.
"We are not Luka people... We are new Luka people."
Although it was only a change of soup, not the medicine, many realities that had been previously avoided all surfaced at once.
Could Casola and his group return to their Otherworldly home? They probably weren’t even Luka people anymore, as crystalization followed by re-embodiment had completely destroyed their genetic spiral structure.
"We might be deemed an aberrant evolution and simply erased..."
The Luka Clan/Hammer-men are Intelligent Creatures, but they are also a kingdom within the Energy Creature Species group, considering the evolution of the Royal Family as an opportunity for collective advancement... But now, with Casola looking like this, is he even still a member of the Luka Clan?
Energy beings completely transformed into a material form, and with the acquisition of new bodies and a clan, they also lost all of their past lives.
Reproductive ability? Technical ability? The shell replacement trait? It seems pointless now for the new Luka people whose technological core was the mass production of "shells."
It’s like a modern person suddenly losing TVs and smartphones, taking a huge step backward in civilization.
Is there any improvement in individual strength? If there’s a confirmation of degeneration, shouldn’t they be destroyed immediately?
Quality evolutions are preserved, but this kind of situation where all Life forms have "strayed," could very likely be considered as inferior degradation by the Ethnic group and directly eliminated.
They might just stupidly return and await their mysterious disappearance.
Now, all the Luka people following Casola had completed their transformation, and there was no turning back for them.
Casola looked somewhat lost; he had finally persuaded the Captain to obediently follow orders and not to contact other Planets or their home country.
But when thinking about their future, he too was full of confusion and helplessness.
At this moment, the friendly "mercenary group" approached, and perhaps, the young man also wanted to play the role of Boss.
"Are you interested in joining us..."
— End of Chapter 901 —