A Chemist's Interstellar Saga

Chapter 176: Deicide
Chapter 176: Deicide

Arix shot him a respectful glance before tossing a piece of rock at the mecha.

The pilot panicked, thinking Arix was attacking and had thrown a boom.

He almost dodged but then saw what it really was. It was the alloy orb he had been chasing for miles, the one he’d been dreaming of.

Without a second thought, he caught it like it was a treasure.

”Why did you give this to me?” His rough voice softened, sounding awkward.

He seemed a bit shy and touched.

Arix rolled her eyes, feeling detached. ”Think of it as me being tired. I’m logging off, goodbye.”

”Hey, wait, at least let’s be friends!” he called out, sounding desperate.

Arix didn’t stop. She logged off even faster.

She couldn’t believe someone who had chased her for miles just wanted to be friends.

If he added her as a friend now, it was probably to get back at her later!

’Ha, I’m not falling for that!’ Arix vanished quickly, leaving the pilot standing there.

He murmured regretfully, ”I really wanted to be your friend...”

Once out of the interstellarnet, Arix was ready to give Drexel a good lesson.

But when she got out of the Connective Pod, Drexel’s spot next to her was already empty.

Turns out Drexel had sneaked away a while ago.

Arix sighed. ’When it comes to brazen, Drexel takes the cake!’

”Master, it’s very late now. You should sleep,” said PO. He had been the loyal guardian of the Connective Pod.

Still gritting her teeth, Arix managed to hold back her rage and told PO gently, ”Okay, I know.”

After a few deep breaths to calm down, Arix tidied herself up and went to bed.

Five days went by, and it was Saturday.

During those days, aside from giving Drexel a good beating, Arix attended her mecha practical classes in the Department of Combat.

At night, she joined Elio and the others in the interstellarnet to raid bosses.

Since the escape training on the first day went so well, Arix spent the following days getting familiar with common weapons and basic mecha combos.

When she’s not having mecha trainings, Arix mostly stayed in her bedroom or study, devouring the books and notes Bryndel and Magen had given her.

During this time, Sims also video-called to check on Arix’s progress.

Pleased with her results, he sent over a bunch of potion books and notes from famous people on the opticomputer.

Arix didn’t mind having more books. She treated each one like a hidden treasure.

Understanding these books wasn’t easy. Arix relied on interstellarnet searches and hands-on practice in the lab to fully grasp the knowledge.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

The sound of knocking came, followed by Drexel’s voice outside.

”Arix, it’s time to get up. Elio and Cirilla will be here in half an hour.” This time, Drexel knocked gently, remembering the lesson from last time when his ear hurt.

Hearing Drexel’s voice, Arix slowly opened her eyes and, after a moment of confusion, remembered.

Today, they were going with Elio and the others to the Second Legion to compete against the Dragon Clan from the Empire.

”Got it, I’m getting up now,” Arix said hoarsely. She scratched her messy hair and headed to the bathroom.

After washing up, Arix went to the dining room and saw only her mom there.

”Mom, where are Dad and Kellan?” Arix asked curiously.

She hadn’t seen them since last night.

”They are on a mission. They probably won’t be back this week,” Fleur explained casually, used to this routine.

”Oh, I see. By the way, Mom, Drexel and I are going to Planet Snorri today. We’ll be back by tomorrow afternoon,” Arix informed Fleur, thinking about the trip with Drexel.

Fleur thought they were going out to play and smiled, ”Going to see Elio?”

”Sort of,” Arix replied with a guilty look in her eyes.

She didn’t want Fleur to worry, so she had to keep things vague.

”Go ahead, have fun,” Fleur said gently, giving her daughter a few more words of advice.

Then she looked at Drexel with a warning tone, ”Take good care of your sister. If she loses even a nail, you’ll be in trouble.”

Drexel rolled his eyes secretly and grudgingly agreed while eating.

After breakfast, Drexel and Arix hurriedly said goodbye to Fleur. They took a Lev and headed to the space station.

As soon as they arrived, they seamlessly boarded the Second Legion’s warship.

”Arix, Drexel, we’ve been waiting for you,” Elio greeted them warmly at the ship’s entrance.

Behind him stood an elderly man in a tailcoat, who bowed respectfully when he saw the siblings, ”Mr. Kering, Miss Kering, good morning.”

”Good morning, sir. Please, just call us by our names,” Drexel said, pulling his sister along as they returned the bow.

This old man was the butler of the Lasair family. He had watched many of the young masters and misses grow up, so his status was second only to the Lasair family members.

”Mr. Kering, Miss Kering, you flatter me. I won’t delay you any longer. Please, go ahead and talk,” the butler said respectfully, bowing again.

Drexel smiled and nodded. Then he looked at Elio and asked, ”Has everybody arrived?”

”They’re all in the meeting room. We were just waiting for you two. Follow me; we need to discuss the strategy for the competition,” Elio said, leading the way.

Drexel and Arix quickly followed, not wanting to waste any time.

In the meeting room, there were six competitors along with Admiral Sykes from the Second Legion, who was overseeing the competition.

”Hi, Mr. Laisair,” Arix and Drexel greeted him as soon as they walked in.

Sykes smiled, gave a nod, and said, ”Sit down.”

The siblings took their seats.

Once everyone was settled, Sykes took a moment to look around, pride evident in his eyes as he glanced at the six young faces before him.

Elio, Cirilla, Zephyr, Varden, Drexel, and Arix.

These six were the future of the Alliance, especially the young girl from the Kering family. Sykes felt a mix of pride and the bittersweet realization that his generation was passing the torch.

With those thoughts swirling, Sykes finally began outlining the competition.

”This year, the competition takes place around Planet Dunesphere, right on the front lines. It’s dangerous out there, even for seasoned soldiers. Your safety is the top priority. If things get too risky, you must withdraw immediately. This isn’t a suggestion—it’s an order!” Sykes said, his tone serious.

The six competitors exchanged glances and then nodded in agreement.

Sykes, satisfied, continued, ”The task is straightforward—at least, it sounds that way. The team whose mecha lasts the longest and takes down the most insectoids during the insectoid wave wins. Sounds easy, right?”

He gave a humorous wink, but the young competitors stayed silent.

Elio broke the silence, asking, ”Grandpa, are you sure it’s an insectoid wave? There are only six of us. Can we really handle that?”

Sykes nodded confidently. ”Don’t worry, lasting an hour will be no problem.”

Elio, looking worried, responded, ”That’s not what I mean. We’re just kids. Are we taking down the insectoid wave, or is it taking us down?”

Sykes, annoyed, snorted. ”Elio, show some backbone! The Empire’s mecha teams aren’t scared, and neither should our Alliance’s teams be! Right?”

He looked around for support.

Zephyr, eyeing the ten billion astrocredits, finally nodded coolly.

Cirilla, on the other hand, was buzzing with excitement. To her, the thrill of battling the insectoid wave was even more enticing than the prize money.

Drexel was all about the ten billion astrocredits. He’d take on an insectoid wave, a broodmother—whatever it took for that prize.

Varden was just there for the fun. He nodding indifferently, not really fazed by anything.

Arix had a dual motive: she wanted the money and thought the experience would be incredible.

Seeing everyone onboard, Sykes’ smile grew wider. He then cast a disdainful look at his hesitant grandson.

Elio had no choice but to keep his mouth shut.