Chapter 2243 Shi Ming is not dead

"Please, Wang and Miss Lucy, believe me! The Devouring Worms have been dormant in the universe for a long time, and now is the time for them to shine again!"

His voice was full of passion and confidence, as if the whole world would change because of him.

Upon hearing this, Lucy nodded in agreement.

"Very well, then go and conquer those foolish human students, let's win this bet in one fell swoop! But remember, no matter what difficulties you encounter, winning the bet agreement is always your top priority! Now, you can continue your mission!"

Looking at Kark before her, so confident and resolute, Lucy smiled with satisfaction. Deep down, she too firmly believed her side would not lose. In her view, the humans' audacity in signing this wager was nothing more than a desperate compromise. These people were attempting to use the brief respite provided by the wager to swiftly quell the escalating chaos on Morning Star!

However, this meticulously planned riot, involving both the demon race and the insect race, as well as the United States, could not be easily quelled in just three to five days. China is currently only struggling to maintain the status quo.

However, time is running out for both the Zerg and the Demon Race, as they are now feeling immense pressure from the Arbitration Council. It's worth noting that the Arbitration Council, which had previously disregarded and ignored China, suddenly stepped forward immediately after the incident. While not explicitly expressing support for China, various clues suggest that unusual voices have emerged within the Arbitration Council this time.

Even more remarkably, it is said that they have dispatched high-ranking officials to make contact with them and warned them not to go too far. After all, although the vast universe is immense, with the help of some powerful intelligence brokers, their every move in the Hope Galaxy can spread rapidly throughout the entire universe in just a few days.

The reason why the most powerful figure of the demon race had not yet appeared was precisely this. At this moment, he had already rushed to the headquarters of the Arbitration Council and was negotiating with them, successfully delaying the Council from taking further action. However, Lucy firmly believed that it wouldn't be long—at most two more days—before this war, in which the balance of power between the two sides was clearly unbalanced, would come to an end.

"Alright, hurry up and go! Once the matter is settled, His Majesty the Demon King will surely reward you handsomely~"

"Lucy said sweetly, winking deliberately, a mischievous and provocative glint in her eyes. Then, she gently bit her lip, staring at Kark in front of her with a half-smile, and continued."

"Perhaps even I will be bestowed upon you."

In the end, Lucy let out a silvery laugh, filling the air with an ambiguous atmosphere.

Upon hearing these words, Kak felt his throat go dry and his heart race. He couldn't help but swallow, and his mind began to wander into fantasies.

Wealth, luxury, beautiful wives… it seemed that all the good things were within reach. But just as he was immersed in his fantasies, he suddenly snapped back to reality—quickly lowering his head to hide his true thoughts.

However, all of this could not escape Lucy's sharp, eagle-like gaze. She merely raised the corners of her mouth slightly, forming a mysterious smile that was impossible to fathom; at the same time, a chilling indifference flashed across her eyes like lightning, but in an instant, she returned to her usual calm and collected state, as if what had just happened was a complete fabrication.

"My subordinates dare not!"

"No one can refuse the king's favor. Let's end this here; you know what you're doing."

After saying that, Lucy immediately stopped the holographic projection playing in front of her, and then Kark's figure disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye, just like smoke, in the spacious and bright cockpit.

“Lucy, it’s really inappropriate for you to tease her like this, after all, you are the king’s darling.”

Just then, a sudden voice rang out from behind Lucy without warning. When she turned around, she found someone standing there watching her with a mocking expression. Lucy responded with a slight smile without saying a word.

Meanwhile, back in the conference room, Carker twisted his neck with suspicion and disbelief, muttering to himself.

"Just now I should have been in holographic projection mode, so why was Lucy able to actually touch me?"

The feeling was so real, as if it were within reach!

Kark was filled with boundless awe and trepidation at the prospect of meeting the king; at the same time, his deepest excitement at the prospect of witnessing Lucy's beauty was indescribable. Caught in this complex mix of emotions, Kark had little time to consider other details—especially what this seemingly real yet mysteriously alluring environment truly meant…

However, at this moment, Kak dared not think any further, fearing that he would become trapped in deeper doubts from which he could not extricate himself. Therefore, he simply attributed all his questions to the groundbreaking breakthroughs achieved by the astonishingly advanced holographic projection technology.

After calming down a bit, Carker stepped into the cockpit and shouted loudly.

"Guards! Bring that human student here to see me immediately!"

As the command boomed like thunder, a clear and loud voice followed immediately.

"Yes, sir!" The reply was concise, clear, and efficient.

Then, a series of hurried and chaotic footsteps approached from near and receded into the distance, gradually fading until they completely disappeared into the surrounding silence...

Just as everything was returning to calm, Zhao Yiming, who had just finished his call with Ye Ye and the others, unexpectedly received an important message—this message actually came from the one of the three cruisers that belonged to Carker, and it was transmitted in an extremely urgent manner!

Faced with such a bizarre and strange event, Zhao Yiming dared not be negligent in the slightest. He stared intently at the brief yet solemn instruction displayed on the screen in front of him, wondering to himself: What could possibly cause the other party to issue such an order in such a hurry? Could it be that things have really developed to the point where there is no time to lose?

The message clearly stated that Zhao Yiming himself needed to meet with Kark in person, which was no ordinary form of communication! This astonishing discovery made Zhao Yiming's face darken, as if shrouded in a dark cloud.

Just then, a deep, resonant voice, like a booming bell, suddenly rang out behind Zhao Yiming.

"Old Zhao! Could it be that those guys have already figured out our scheme of feigning surrender while secretly plotting against us?"

The sudden question made Zhao Yiming shudder, but he quickly regained his composure and slowly turned around. He saw a man staring at him with a grave and worried expression, his eyes filled with deep suspicion and barely concealed fear. What was particularly striking was that this man had never shown himself during Zhao Yiming's interactions with Ye Ye. If Ning Dan or Zhao Qiaoqiao were to witness this mysterious figure appearing here now, they would undoubtedly be speechless with astonishment! The reason was actually quite simple—the person standing before them at this moment was none other than Shi Ming, the very man who had long been condemned to death in the minds of Ye Ye and the others!

Shi Ming's brows furrowed tightly, as if shrouded in an invisible pressure, causing concern. His body was still wrapped in snow-white gauze, but from his weak and disordered breathing and feeble words, it was clear that he had suffered a severe injury. There was no doubt that the man before him was in a state of illness.

Meanwhile, Zhao Yiming's expression gradually became serious and profound. Faced with such a close-range threat from the Zerg, the slightest misstep could lead to utter destruction. After all, they had already discovered that there was a traitor on the starship, controlled by the Zerg. In other words, if Kark was determined to kill them, he didn't need to consider their sincerity; he could easily control them using mind control. However, the two sides had never met face-to-face, which was the key to Zhao Yiming and his group's ability to implement their strategies. If the other side directly used mind control to dominate them, all their carefully planned schemes would be rendered useless.

"Absolutely not! You must not go on this risk. If you go, returning unscathed will be harder than climbing to heaven!"

Shi Ming looked anxious and tried to dissuade him.

Shi Ming even became somewhat agitated and shouted, but as soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Yiming said with a bitter expression.

"Not going? Do I have a choice? Or are you planning to use our mere starship to contend with the entire fleet led by Kark, not to mention the countless, terrifying Sky-Eating Worms..."

After hearing Zhao Yiming's words, Shi Ming thought silently for a while, but then spoke without hesitation.

"Not necessarily. Maybe things aren't that bad! After all, we're not completely isolated. Don't forget Ning Dan and the others are here too. And didn't we just send out a distress signal? Logically, support troops from the rear should arrive quickly."

At this moment, Shi Ming appeared unusually agitated and anxious, as if he had been greatly frightened; coupled with his previous injuries, his thinking was slightly slower than usual. Under normal circumstances, he would never have uttered such utterly foolish remarks, even if he were beaten to death. However, despite his helplessness, Zhao Yiming ultimately suppressed his surging emotions and patiently explained to Shi Ming in a calm tone.

“Ning Dan? Do you think they are trustworthy? Don’t forget, these guys all surrendered! We can withstand the immense pressure of death and resolutely throw ourselves into this game, but who can guarantee that she has the same courage and determination? Therefore, we must not reveal a single word of our carefully planned schemes to them under any circumstances!”

He said with a serious expression.

He paused briefly, then continued his analysis.

"Even if we were to take a step back and assume they were willing to cooperate, the starships they are piloting have already shut down their warp drives and are currently under close surveillance. If they dare to reactivate their warp drives, Kark will immediately detect the anomaly, and they themselves will likely be the first to suffer and die!"

As he said this, his eyes grew even colder.

Finally, he sighed heavily, shook his head helplessly, and said...

“I simply cannot entrust my life and everyone else’s lives entirely to them! Moreover, as you said before, the most crucial and indispensable factor in realizing the beautiful vision you described is sufficient time; however, unfortunately, time is precisely what we currently lack most and is extremely scarce! Just now, I received a message from Kak, asking what fate awaits us if we continue to delay and refuse to keep our appointment?”

Zhao Yiming spoke with great pessimism, as did his expression.

However, in stark contrast to him, Shi Ming fell into a deep silence after listening. After a long while, Zhao Yiming finally spoke.

"Alright, things aren't settled yet, we can't always think the worst. Maybe it's just a misunderstanding, or maybe Kark suddenly had a whim and wanted to promote me to a minor commander or something."

That being said, Zhao Yiming knew in his heart that the possibility was extremely slim. However, given the current unclear situation, they did need to maintain an optimistic and positive attitude. After all, in this universe full of unknowns and dangers, any glimmer of hope was incredibly precious.

Hearing Zhao Yiming comfort him like this, Shi Ming forced a smile.

Immediately afterward, Zhao Yiming turned and walked straight towards the location of the rescue pod. Clearly, he was determined to confront Kak personally and find out what had happened. Meanwhile, the others in the cockpit silently watched Zhao Yiming's retreating figure, a grim expression on their faces. Despite their deep concern, no one tried to stop him again.