On one side, Xie Xingyan was desperately resisting Direna's mental strangulation, a force far above her level. On the other, the Zerg soldiers surrounding them all launched psychic attacks at once under their queen's command.
Xie Xingyan had already been barely holding on, and now, with so many additional mental assaults crashing against her, her spirit was pushed to the very brink of collapse.
Helpless, she could only keep swallowing spirit-soothing potions with her left hand, while her right hand clung stubbornly to the laser sword embedded in Direna's body.
Not far away, an instructor who had noticed the situation quickly abandoned his fight with the lesser Zerg. He leapt forward, soaring to Direna's side, and opened his mech's co-pilot cabin for Xie Xingyan to hide inside.
His arrival disrupted Direna's attack, but it also enraged her further. The queen's fury, already at its peak, now turned into relentless assaults on the mech—she was determined to tear apart the one who had ruined her kill.
On Direna's back, Xie Xingyan felt as though her body was shattering. Her bones seemed fractured in multiple places, and the sharp barbs on the queen's back pierced her flesh mercilessly.
But no matter how Direna thrashed, she refused to let go of her sword. With every wave of pain, she twisted the blade deeper, widening the wound.
Fury blazed in Xie Xingyan's chest. Since this monstrous insect wanted her life, she would not let her enemy take it easily. Even if she died, she would bite off a piece of flesh in return.
The instructor, however, was struggling. After five minutes of combat, his exhaustion showed.
But his identity as a former mech warrior echoed in his mind: He could not retreat. Protecting the citizens of the Federation was his mission.
Direna's ice-blue eyes flashed with vicious intent.
Suddenly, her legs grew longer and thicker, doubling in strength and power.
The instructor's heart sank. Not good—this Zerg is unleashing her strongest attack. She wants to end this fight at once.
At that moment, dozens of mechs descended from the skies, intercepting her violent strikes.
Reinforcements had arrived. Emil and the others, seeing Xie Xingyan's blood-soaked form clinging to Direna's back, were filled with panic.
"What do we do? How can we save her?"
"Now that reinforcements are here, we have to get the captain down immediately. If this drags on, it'll be too late."
In the end, it was Sayer who, using the same method Xie Xingyan had used to climb up, managed to bring her down.
Direna tried to stop him, but over a dozen instructors kept her occupied, leaving her unable to interfere.
Before leaving, Xie Xingyan ordered Biyer to leave a little "gift" for the foul bug—through the open wound, Biyer channeled strands of her Different Fire energy into Direna's body.
To avoid being noticed, they kept it subtle, sending only a few wisps inside.
But even those were enough. They disrupted Direna's natural healing system, causing her wound to fester and rot further.
Once rescued, Xie Xingyan was taken into a rescue instructor's mech and rushed to the treatment chamber aboard the starship.
There, she felt something strange. Something inside her mind was devouring the spiritual power she had painstakingly cultivated.
Every bite it took came with stabbing pain, making her convulse violently in the treatment pod. The instructor watching grew uneasy.
Externally, she's just injured. Her spirit levels read as normal. So why is this happening?
Biyer, linked to Xie Xingyan through their soul contract, dove into her mind to investigate.
She found it: a clump of sinister black mist.
Not daring to act recklessly, Biyer used her Different Fire to seal off its pathways, trapping it within a sphere of flame.
With that, Xie Xingyan's condition finally stabilized. Her spirit eased, and her trembling body gradually grew calm.
Meanwhile, realizing her plan had failed, Direna fought defensively while retreating. Using her minions as shields, she barely managed to slip away from the instructors.
But once she returned to the garbage star, she discovered to her horror that the wound on her back was festering, worsening by the hour.
The realization filled her with dread.