Apocalypse Gachapon

“Let’s talk as we walk. This way, perhaps you can better understand what I’m saying.”

Jikesu was clearly excited by Ye Zhongming’s agreement. Given his status, personally recruiting a piece of trash was already unprecedented, and now he was even going to give Ye Zhongming a tour of headquarters.

As one of the most important figures in the Star-Eye Clan, the old man’s office was predictably secure and luxurious. Though the final answer wasn’t yet known, it was within reach, which put Ye Zhongming at ease and allowed him to focus on the room he was about to leave.

A sense of advanced technology—that was Ye Zhongming’s only impression.

Everywhere were structures and devices he’d never seen before, giving the feeling of technology far beyond Earth’s current capabilities.

Earlier, Jikesu had mentioned that it was those who controlled the wheel who brought the myriad spacefaring races into the cosmos. Did that mean this technology also originated from the wheel?

If so, if Earth were to gain the status of a spacefaring race, would it also possess such capabilities in the future?

The answer was unknown, but Ye Zhongming felt a thrill of anticipation.

At the door, Jikesu took two metal-textured spheres from an exquisitely designed recess beside the doorway, handed one to Ye Zhongming, and kept the other.

“Press the intersection of the patterns on it and inject a small amount of energy.”

Ye Zhongming did as the old man instructed. The sphere instantly transformed. Under Jikesu’s steady gaze, he resisted the urge to move as the sphere turned into flowing liquid metal, quickly enveloping everything below Ye Zhongming’s knees, including his feet.

This was…?

Seeing Ye Zhongming’s confusion, Jikesu laughed heartily, though not unpleasantly.

“This is an auxiliary mobility pod. Try it—you’ll get used to it quickly.”

The old man activated his own sphere, which likewise turned into liquid metal. Once fully encased, a faint palm-sized light screen projected from it. After tapping a few times, the so-called auxiliary mobility pod emitted an extremely faint vibration and carried the old man forward, quickly accelerating to at least 40 or 50 kilometers per hour.

It couldn’t compare to an evolved human’s full-speed sprint, but it was far more effortless. The light screen allowed adjustments to speed and elevation, indicating that this device wasn’t just for use in modernized headquarters but also in outdoor terrain, with a maximum height of over 100 meters and a top speed exceeding 300 kilometers per hour.

On par with a high-speed train! Ye Zhongming marveled inwardly.

Beyond that, the auxiliary mobility pod had built-in navigation. Once a destination was selected, it could move autonomously toward the target. During this time, the user could utilize other functions, such as note-taking, watching programs, working, or even resting.

The two of them hovered about a dozen centimeters above the ground, moving through this underground palace.

“The reason I said not to rush is that your home planet’s situation is somewhat unique—though not singular, as certain planets occasionally encounter this scenario.”

Under Jikesu’s control, the auxiliary mobility pod projected a light screen in front of them. Ye Zhongming noticed that this screen not only facilitated operation but also blocked wind resistance during movement.

“Do you notice anything?” Jikesu asked.

The Cloud Peak King was no longer as agitated as before. With a calmer mind, he observed that the Slave Race enveloping Earth seemed… weak?

Earlier, Jikesu had shown Ye Zhongming an example where the Slave Race’s “bars” were extremely thick—so much so that a planet of that size was fully enclosed by no more than twenty of them. If that planet were the size of Earth, each bar would be as wide as half of China.

But this Slave Race was thin, densely packed with what must have been hundreds of bars, allowing Earth’s general outline to remain visible from the outside.

Ye Zhongming wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but his home planet seemed somewhat dim.

“This is a juvenile Slave Race.”

Ye Zhongming suddenly felt a sense of luck.

“Generally, the Slave Race assigns younger members to feed on planets with fewer resources and smaller areas.”

At these words, Ye Zhongming’s expression darkened slightly.

Earth, it seemed, occupied a rather lowly position in the cosmos.

“Heh, don’t be disheartened. In times like these, it might well be a blessing.”

Ye Zhongming stared at the so-called juvenile Slave Race surrounding Earth and found himself at a loss for words.

“This is the command center of the Silver Mask Warriors, belonging to a madman. You should meet him sometime—he’s quite an interesting character.”

Passing by a certain area, Jikesu pointed at a large building.

“Juvenile Slave Races are still in the stage of cultivating ‘parasites.’ While their own energy absorption isn’t very fast, they also treat their targets as breeding grounds. This process varies in length, depending mainly on the Slave Race’s innate talent. Heh, even these monsters have talent.”

Jikesu gave a cold laugh before continuing. “The longer cases might take over a hundred cosmic years, while the shorter ones take decades. Based on our calculations, the one around your home planet will need about forty-seven cosmic years to complete its ‘parasite’ cultivation before finally draining the planet into a dead star.”

“Parasites?” Ye Zhongming didn’t quite understand the term.

Not the literal meaning, but what it signified.

“Mhm, parasites. At least half of the Slave Race’s terror comes from these disgusting things.” Jikesu shook his head. “I’ll explain them later—I’ll take you to see them. We have specimens here. First, let me explain another reason you didn’t sense anything unusual while on your home planet: the wheel.”

“The Slave Races wander the cosmos. They have no home planet—or if they do, we don’t know.” As the two spoke, they had already reached the exterior of the headquarters. The old man intermittently inserted introductions into their conversation to help Ye Zhongming quickly familiarize himself with the Star-Eye Clan.

“The gods who control the wheel seem to know their travel routes in advance. They seek out life-bearing planets along the way that meet the Slave Races’ feeding criteria and manifest there, using extreme methods to cultivate warriors and rapidly strengthen them. When the Slave Race arrives, these warriors become the force that resists the parasites spawned by the Slave Race. Of course, the parasites are never fully eradicated—at least, we’ve never seen a planet achieve that. They can only be depleted, delaying their proliferation and growth in strength.”

“Yes, just as you’re imagining, the Slave Race absorbs a planet’s energy through its parasites. The more numerous and powerful the parasites, the faster the Slave Race absorbs energy—and vice versa.”