A Chemist's Interstellar Saga

Chapter 257: Saving The Beasts
Chapter 257: Saving The Beasts

”Oh no, what have we done?” Arix’s eyes widened in sheer panic.

Regret didn’t even have time to sink in. She quickly spoke into the mecha channel, her voice tight with anxiety, ”Wait, hold on! Don’t kill these Fallen Beasts just yet.”

The rest of the mecha team caught her urgent tone. Although confused, they halted their attacks and switched to defensive positions.

”Arix, what’s going on?” Drexel asked, his voice puzzled over the channel.

Arix didn’t answer immediately. She first listened to Sylvana’s explanation, then, with a heavy heart, finally spoke to the team, ”These Fallen Beasts...they’re actually Celesterrors. They’ve been infected by some virus that turned them into Fallen Beasts. If we can find a cure, we might be able to save them.”

A stunned silence fell over the entire team. They stared at their bloodied weapons and the carnage around them, struggling to process the truth. The creatures they’d been slaughtering weren’t just wild beasts—they were Celesterrors, a species they’d considered allies.

The Celesterrors were intelligent, on par with humans, and realizing what they’d done hit hard. It felt like a massacre.

”Damn it, the Empire of Eden never told us these were Celesterrors!” Cirilla spat out, her anger barely contained as she considered smashing the competition point.

The Celesterrors weren’t just protected by the Alliance; they were friends—especially to Cirilla, who had close ties with the Celesterror Lord. The betrayal cut deep.

”The organizers probably didn’t even consider these sick Fallen Beasts to be Celesterror anymore,” Varden added with a cold sneer.

”So what do we do now? Do we just quit? I thought they were just beasts, but knowing they’re Celesterror...I can’t keep fighting,” Elio said, his voice pained.

”Arix, is there a way to save these Fallen—no, Celesterror?” Drexel asked, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.

Arix nodded, then hesitated, ”I think so, but I can’t promise it’ll work. I can only try my best.”

”How confident are you? What are the odds?” Drexel pressed.

”Maybe forty percent. But if we can get our hands on the original virus strain, I might push that to sixty,” Arix estimated after thinking it over.

”Got it,” Drexel said, his eyes narrowing with determination. He pressed his headset, his voice firm as he commanded, ”Given the situation, we’re changing our mission. Our new objective is not to rack up points by killing Fallen Beasts. We’re going to solve this virus and save every Celesterror on this planet! Team, are you with me?”

The squad exchanged determined looks before turning back to Drexel. In unison, they answered, ”We’re with you!”

”Excellent! Here’s the plan: Cirilla, Elio, Marceau, Deanna—you’ll contact the other mecha teams. Fill them in on the situation. If they want to join us, great. If not, no pressure; just head back to base immediately,” Drexel ordered, his tone serious.

”Understood!” the other four responded in unison.

They quickly maneuvered their mechas in different directions, nodding to each other in reassurance before splitting off.

With his team members dispatched, Drexel continued, ”Lydia, Marco, Quinnie, and I will head to Inferno’s capital to find that virus strain. Protect Arix and Varden with everything you’ve got.”

”Understood!” the three replied quickly.

After giving everyone their tasks, Drexel turned to Arix and Varden, his expression serious. ”The virus situation is in your hands,” he said solemnly.

”I’ll do my best!” Arix replied, her voice steady with determination.

”Don’t worry,” Varden added with a firm nod.

”Alright, let’s move out!” Drexel commanded, leading the way.

The rest of the team quickly followed, but Quinnie lingered for just a moment, her eyes flickering with thought. She tapped her screen three times, a decision made.

...

Since there was no audio, viewers in the livestreaming channel were left baffled as they watched the Alliance mecha squad.

They couldn’t understand why a team that had been fighting so fiercely suddenly started splitting up and retreating. It looked as if they couldn’t handle the Fallen Beasts anymore.

This sudden shift in behavior sparked a wave of mockery and frustration among viewers in the chat.

ZombieResurrected: ”The Alliance mecha squad is so weak! They can’t even handle a few Fallen Beasts. What a disgrace to the entire galaxy!”

TruthHurts: ”Yeah, what are they doing? If they’re not going to kill Fallen Beasts for points, why even join the competition?!”

WowCrazyGoddess: ”I think they must have a reason for this. Maybe there’s something we don’t know.”

Angry comments flooded the screen. Even when a few viewers tried to defend the team, their messages were quickly buried under a barrage of criticism from trolls, who were more interested in ridiculing than understanding.

Unlike the silent chatter on the interstellarnet, the live streams for the six referees picked up all the sounds at the competition site. This meant the refs clearly heard what was going down with the Alliance’s mecha team.

When they realized that the Fallen Beasts were actually Celesterrors, all five referees immediately turned their attention to the minister of the Empire of Eden.

Admiral Crude managed to keep his cool, showing only a slight hesitation before sighing and shaking his head. He chose to stay quiet. But the admirals from the other four nations weren’t as restrained.

Even the typically unreliable Admiral Kaser from the Empire of Merman had a mocking look in his eyes. As for the other three countries, where Celesterrors were still a protected species, their reactions were even colder.

Admiral Sykes was the first to break the silence, his expression darkening. He said to the minister of Eden, ”Sir, it appears that when you chose this competition site, you neglected to inform us that these Fallen Beasts were actually Celesterrors. I expect a reasonable explanation from you, or I will have to suspect that the Empire of Eden is intentionally provoking the Alliance.”

Admiral Roland, straightening up, spoke in a casual tone, but his eyes were razor-sharp. ”I think everyone in the galaxy is aware of the close ties between the Empire of Kraiton and the Celesterrors. Please don’t try to tell us you didn’t know, minister.”

Scion stayed silent, but the cold scrutiny in his gaze spoke volumes, making anyone in the room squirm.

The minister of Eden wasn’t easily intimidated, but under the intense stares of the admirals, he swallowed nervously before trying to put on a calm face. Awkwardly, he began, ”Gentlemen, there’s been a misunderstanding. Please allow me to explain.”

Though the admirals didn’t say a word, the icy tension in the room made it clear they were expecting a solid explanation. If he didn’t deliver, they wouldn’t hesitate to take action.

This blatant disregard for his authority made the minister furious, but he knew better than to push back too hard.

After a moment of internal struggle, he put on a sorrowful expression and said, ”It’s really not our fault. The Empire of Eden had no choice but to select Inferno as the competition site.”

Before he could continue his performance, Sykes cut him off. ”Oh really, and then what happened?” Sykes stared at him with an expressionless face, his eyes practically mocking him, as if daring him to spin more lies.

Seeing that he wasn’t going to fool these seasoned veterans, the minister gave up and came clean. ”This really isn’t our fault, and the Elden can’t be blamed for what happened. It all started back when Inferno was still a tourist destination.”