Reborn As An Interstellar Giant Mosquito

Chapter 1381: Chapter 34: Escaping is not that simple! [Subscribe to the legitimate version]

”This is the place where the ultra-high energy source was discovered.”

In a universe cloaked in the darkness of silence, the massive Giant Mosquito stood proudly against the backdrop of the sky.

Jia Yan scrutinized the meteorite before him, especially the deep, seemingly bottomless cavern on its surface.

This meteorite could be classified as a large interstellar object, with a diameter of over a thousand kilometers—small asteroid-sized, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say.

Of course, such interstellar objects were numerous in the universe, and generally only those rich in minerals were utilized. These types that appeared devoid of value were often abandoned by intelligent beings.

”That Venerable Monster, a team entered the interior of the meteorite through that massive cavern...”

Jia Yan’s compound eyes focused on the gaping cavern on the meteorite’s surface, and without much hesitation, he darted directly into it.

A place where even Intermediate Talented Venerable Monsters could break through and escape didn’t appear to pose any real danger to him at present.

The cavern’s entrance was about twenty kilometers wide, providing ample space even for Jia Yan’s metal monster form to pass through with ease.

Such a wide cavern, stretching profoundly downward and filled with twisting turns, thankfully wasn’t overly deep.

As Jia Yan ventured deeper, he began to sense intense radiation power permeating throughout the cavern, which explained the heavy casualties suffered by that Intermediate Talent Venerable Monster’s team.

If Jia Yan’s real body were here, it might face significant pressure. However, clad in his Conceptual Ship, particularly protected by armor-like defenses, he was almost entirely safeguarded.

”Hmm? The source of this radiation power is actually the core of this celestial body.”

Following the path deep into the cavern for hundreds of kilometers, Jia Yan finally reached the central region of the celestial body.

Here, he noticed several traces of excavation, as well as the corpses of some monsters.

Presumably, they were the companions of that stall monster.

Jia Yan didn’t linger on their remains. He took a few steps forward, where a sudden flash of golden light blinded his view.

Before him lay an enormous deposit of energy ore. The fifty kilograms he’d purchased earlier was merely the tip of the iceberg compared to this!

”At least one hundred tons—far beyond what I imagined. This is fantastic!”

Gazing at the accumulation of minerals, Jia Yan couldn’t suppress the joy gleaming in his eyes.

Originally, his expectation for the site was finding a few tons of ore to meet his goals. Now, with resources nearly a hundredfold greater, it was a delightful surprise.

Jia Yan wasted no time and controlled his octopus-like form of the metal monster, extending one of its tentacles to pierce into the ore, then exerting force to excavate it, causing the minerals to fall loose.

Yet, before the ore could hit the ground, it flashed and vanished into space.

Jia Yan had activated his Space Talent, transporting them into the Subspace.

Subspace, under Jia Yan’s growing mastery, became even more extraordinary. He could now use it for storing and retrieving materials.

Of course, achieving this required immense control over his Space Talent, and Jia Yan also had to use space stones to accomplish it. However, the consumption of these stones was immense, leaving him concerned about obtaining more in the future.

But those were problems for another time. The ultrahigh-energy ore before him couldn’t be abandoned.

Piece by piece, large chunks were collected—each scoop retrieving at least a ton, and the speed was fast.

The radiation capable of harming even Venerable level monsters posed no danger to Jia Yan at all. In fact, he could even use his Conceptual Ship to pull up some records and study them casually.

”I see now—this ore is the raw material for Star Cores. No wonder it looked so familiar.”

After reviewing the records, Jia Yan gained some understanding. It turned out this was the original form of Star Core ore, a substance he had previously used to enhance his powers. He hadn’t expected its initial appearance to look like this.

If interstellar mining teams knew there was such a massive deposit of Star Core ore here and that Jia Yan had taken it, they might very well be infuriated. But, of course, Jia Yan had no intention of revealing it.

The excavation continued uninterrupted, and collecting one hundred tons wouldn’t take long with Jia Yan’s metal body—the task would be finished within minutes.

Unbeknownst to him, a fleet of stealth battleships was swiftly closing in outside the celestial body.

Detection methods used by powerhouses often relied on brainwave strength. However, in the technologically advanced Central Star District of the Genius Battlefield, many cutting-edge battleships were constructed from anti-brainwave materials. With stealth mode activated, even Jia Yan, focused as he was on mining, failed to notice their rapid approach.

”Hmph, I’ve sensed it. The monster who killed my brother is inside. But the intelligence suggested it was an entire fleet—why does it seem like there’s only a single monster here? No matter; once we capture him, we can interrogate him to uncover the truth.”

On the flagship of the approaching fleet, a Medium-Talent Semi-permanent Star Monster gazed coldly at the interstellar object before them.

Such a celestial body was unremarkable to monsters capable of traversing space. Furthermore, the exterior showed no evidence of artificial interventions. The monster didn’t believe this was the base of the force that killed his brother.

”Send people into the cavern to investigate. I just detected a Space Talent strongman within. I’ll stand guard outside. Even if he tries escaping through Subspace, I have methods to stop him. You, the several Secondary Level powerhouses here, enter the cavern. The target is powerful—be cautious.”

The Semi-permanent Star Monster addressed the strongmen aboard the single battleships surrounding him.

”Understood.”

With a unified response, figures from these ships darted toward the meteorite.

Every one of them had Secondary-level power, none weaker than Medium Talent, and one was even a High-level Talent Secondary Powerhouse.

Naturally, the High-level Talent genius had an elevated status; even the commanding Semi-permanent Star powerhouse treated them with respect. However, with minimal immediate danger, after issuing safety instructions, they were sent inside without concern.

”That Space Talent presence feels like a Secondary Level entity, but its strength seems faint—likely just Medium Talent. If that’s the case, even Pi Lai could easily deal with it.”

The Semi-permanent Star genius stationed outside pondered while keeping vigilant watch, fearing the ’brother-killer’ within might sense something and flee.

What they didn’t realize was that their difficulty in assessing Jia Yan’s powers was because his form was composed of metal constructs. Furthermore, the strength emanating from him wasn’t typical brainwave power but rather cell-based physical might, resulting in vague readings.

While the monsters streamed into the large cavern and entered the meteorite, Jia Yan, who had just finished collecting the ultrahigh-energy ore inside, was suddenly struck by a vibration in his heart and mind.

”There are people outside? What’s going on?”

Jia Yan wasn’t an ordinary Venerable. Despite his strength falling within the Venerable range, a group of Secondary Level powerhouses approaching triggered his detection capabilities—it was impossible for him not to notice.

”Are they here to harvest ore as well, or...”

A flood of questions filled Jia Yan’s mind, but regardless of the reasons, neither possibility boded well.

”There seem to be several Secondary Level entities—one of whom has extremely formidable power. I cannot confront them directly.”

After processing the situation, Jia Yan’s compound eyes flickered with thought, and one of the metal octopus tentacles shifted its form abruptly.

On the celestial object’s surface, tremors began to unfold wildly.

”Groundquake? I see—the monster sensed us and is trying to escape in the opposite direction!”

Near the bottom of the cavern entrance, several Secondary Level monsters reacted, startled but unimpressed.

Though their strength paled compared to a Semi-permanent Star powerhouse, their confidence lied in the opponent being merely a Secondary-level genius with Medium Talent. They were certain they could chase him down, rendering escape impossible!

”Run? Where can you run? Underground environments are my specialty! Everyone, follow me!”

One of the Secondary Level strongmen, resembling a pangolin, sneered as he sensed Jia Yan digging his way out. From the sound of Jia Yan’s excavation, it was evident that he lacked expertise. The pangolin dove into the ground, sending dirt flying, and swiftly burrowed into the subterranean layers.

Behind him, the other Secondary Level monsters followed suit, charging into the earth in pursuit.

”These monsters are burrowing to chase me—what should I do now!”

Sensing the pursuit from behind, Jia Yan slowed his pace.

He understood his control over the metal body was still relatively inexperienced, and when it came to digging, he couldn’t compare to his opponents.

”My advantage lies in the Conceptual Ship acting as my body, a wealth of energy, and superior endurance for prolonged confrontations. But my disadvantages are too significant!”

Jia Yan smiled bitterly and shook his head.

The challenges he faced were indeed vast. Despite the enhancements from his cell-based physical strength, he was, in essence, still just a Venerable—a fact that couldn’t be overlooked.

”Wait, my cellular body hasn’t been tested in battle yet. It could turn out to be far more terrifying than I expect, but precisely because it’s untested, I don’t know how to control or even gauge its full potential.”

”For now, it’s better to escape into Subspace, break free of this celestial body, and then strategize to escape further through Subspace.”

Jia Yan felt perplexed by the situation—why had these opponents sought him out so quickly with such aggression? Be it competing for the ore or something stemming from old grievances, it was too swift a rush to demonstrate animosity without clarification.

Nevertheless, Jia Yan had no intention of confronting them directly. He valued his life too much to expose himself to avoidable peril.

Buzz!

Beneath the surface, Jia Yan activated his body, retreating into Subspace with his metal construct form.

”So, he entered Subspace... dreaming of escape? Not so easy!”

Above, beyond the celestial body, the Medium Talent Semi-permanent Star Monster’s expression shifted suddenly, followed by a cold utterance.

At his command, one of his claws swept forward.

The thousand-kilometer celestial object was completely enveloped by an unseen force.

”Not good!”