422: New star core fragments, the closest place to the sky

He strode towards the Expeditionary Force Base camp area.

As soon as he entered the camp area, Yang Dian heard a burst of laughter and chatter coming from not far away.

Following the sound, he looked in the direction from which the laughter came. Wasn't it a group of Beast-Ear Tribe children, with various animal ears and tails, playing games unique to children?

Not far away, a small Beast-Ear Tribe girl, wearing a blue dress and rabbit ears, about three or four years old but exceptionally thin as if a gust of wind could blow her over, squatted alone to the side.

When she saw Yang Dian walk into the camp, her eyes immediately lit up. She skipped over to Yang Dian in a few quick steps.

“Big… brother, Tu Tu doesn’t… have nut paste~”

Hearing the little rabbit girl speak Mandarin with a strange accent, Yang Dian couldn’t help but reach out and pat her head, then picked her up:

“Because this is my first time at Base No. 3.”

As he spoke, Yang Dian glanced at Ya Zi again.

An information box was hovering above its head.

“Tu Tu Tu, orphan, rabbit girl, 6 years old. Three days ago, because her Mandarin learning progress was faster than her peers, she was rewarded three candies by Zhao Song, a member of the Third Squad, Seventh Company, Third Regiment of the Expeditionary Force. She is relatively close to and dependent on humans.”

‘She’s already six, but due to malnutrition, she looks like a three or four-year-old child, even thinner and smaller than a three or four-year-old child in Huaxia?’

Muttering to himself, Yang Dian took out a strawberry he had stored in his spatial ring, intended for Tong Tong, and placed it in the little rabbit girl's palm:

“Your Mandarin is good. Keep up the hard work. Once you’ve fully learned Chinese characters and can speak Mandarin fluently, there will be more rewards.”

The little rabbit girl took the strawberry with her thin hands, squinted her eyes, and smiled:

“Thank you, big brother.”

Yang Dian once again reached out and patted the little rabbit girl’s head.

Who would refuse a soft, weak, cute, seemingly easy to bully, and obedient little rabbit girl?

Just as Yang Dian was chatting idly with the little rabbit girl,

the other Beast-Ear Tribe members stood timidly in the distance, and the young Beast-Ear Tribe children wanted to approach Yang Dian but were held back by the adults. At that moment,

Hu Ling, having received the news, rushed out from inside the camp with Gou Sheng.

Turning the corner of the barracks, upon seeing Yang Dian holding the little rabbit girl, Hu Ling’s breathing became momentarily erratic.

Although she had never met Yang Dian in person, she had been observing his virtual projection for the past two days.

So, even from a distance, seeing Yang Dian’s silhouette, she could confirm that the figure holding the little rabbit girl was the Commander of the Expeditionary Force, the supreme Commander of this powerful army capable of destroying their civilization dozens or hundreds of times over.

She stopped, took a deep breath, adjusted her hair and the moon-white sacrificial robe she was wearing, then hurried to Yang Dian in small steps. Without a word, she bowed her head, intending to kneel.

Seeing Hu Ling bow her head and bend her knees, the other Beast-Ear Tribe members also instinctively bowed their heads, wanting to kneel before Yang Dian.

Seeing this, Yang Dian merely raised an eyebrow, and those Beast-Ear Tribe members felt as if their knees had stiffened, losing all sensation, and no matter how they tried, they couldn't kneel.

“The warriors of the Expeditionary Force should have told you that, besides elders and ancestors, we Huaxia do not kneel to anyone, nor do we need anyone to kneel before us.”

Hu Ling, who had raised her head, opened her mouth, then lowered it again, saying with a hint of respect:

“We just want to thank you and your warriors for saving our civilization.”

Listening to the clear and precise Mandarin spoken by Hu Ling, Yang Dian couldn’t help but smile, saying meaningfully:

“Is it saving your civilization, or saving your lives?”

Hu Ling suddenly looked up at Yang Dian, whose face seemed to hold a hint of a smile, but whose eyes were cold and emotionless.

Yang Dian’s words were very clear.

If they chose life, they would abandon their civilization, accept everything about Huaxia, and integrate themselves into Huaxia.

If they chose civilization, they would struggle for survival on their own, and not pray for their help.

‘Civilization, or, or...’

In a daze, Hu Ling looked around at the towering camp area, built in just a few days, the war robots patrolling the camp, and her own somewhat bewildered and helpless tribesmen.

Finally, as if resigned, she lowered her head:

“Thank you for saving our lives.”

“A wise choice.”

Yang Dian reached out and stroked the head of the little rabbit girl in his arms, then continued:

“I heard from Ya Zi and the Expeditionary Force warriors that you’ve been trying to communicate with me in person?”

As he spoke, he glanced at the time on his wristband:

“You have 5 minutes to tell me what you want to say.”

Hu Ling took a deep breath and said directly:

“The world is warning me, our planet is falling into crisis, and it could die at any moment.”

“Once it dies, the world will be completely controlled by the Strange Star, and we will forever fall into the deepest darkness.”

“By then, whether it’s us or you, there will only be one outcome: being devoured by the Strange Star.”

“So, please save our world.”

“This is also saving your world.”

Yang Dian stroked his chin and thought.

Hu Ling seemed to be talking about the Heavenly Dao Ghost devouring the star core fragment.

If the star core fragment were completely devoured by the Heavenly Dao Ghost, then without a doubt, the Heavenly Dao Ghost would become terrifyingly powerful.

If they truly ignored and indulged the Heavenly Dao Ghost, and their own strength didn't improve,

what Hu Ling said might indeed come true.

“So, how do we save your world?”

“Kill all the visible Strange Stars in the world.” Hu Ling said earnestly:

“As long as all the visible Strange Stars are dead, the God of Strange Stars will lose its influence over the world.”

“It will eventually be eroded by the power of the world.”

Yang Dian smiled:

“Isn’t that what we’re already doing?”

“Besides this, what else needs to be done to save your world?”

Hu Ling was silent for a moment before speaking:

“I only know that this is the only way to save our world.”

“So, for this thing that we’ve been doing all along, you wanted to communicate with me in person?”

Hearing the dissatisfaction in Yang Dian’s tone, Hu Ling reached out and somewhat reluctantly took off the necklace hanging around her neck:

“Also, I want to offer the treasure that protects our civilization from destruction in exchange for your protection.”

Yang Dian’s eyes narrowed sharply when he saw the necklace Hu Ling handed over.

However, before he could reach out, the Dimension Butterfly residing in the Subspace of his glabella had already impatiently flown out of his glabella, landing on the golden gem, or rather, the star core fragment, in Hu Ling’s palm.

Recalling the fleeting glimpse he had into the Star Core Space when he tore open the Heavenly Dao Ghost’s eyeball earlier, Yang Dian frowned again:

“Where did you get this thing?”

Yang Dian was certain that the star core fragment in the Strange Star’s Star Core Space was complete.

Therefore, this star core fragment in front of him could only have fallen from another star core fragment.

Moreover, since this star core fragment was golden, it meant that the world it belonged to had not yet shattered.

After all, he had personally shattered a star core fragment.

A completely shattered star core fragment was silver.

Hearing Yang Dian’s question, Hu Ling honestly replied:

“This is a treasure my grandmother left me.”

“Grandmother said it fell from the sky in the third year after the sun turned blue.”

“She told me that as long as I nourished this gem with my own life Qi, it would emit an aura that could not only mark out Strange Stars but also erase our concept of existence from the Strange Star’s perception.”

“It is also thanks to this gem that we have been able to survive in this world until now and have not been discovered by the Strange Stars.”

Yang Dian nodded, reached out, and picked up the Dimension Butterfly that was tightly clinging to the star core fragment:

“No one’s fighting you for this thing, why are you holding it so tightly?”

“Absorb it, then try to analyze the coordinates of the world where the star core fragment is located.”

“Dimensional Wars only happen once every hundred years on average. Even with the influence of the will of all beings on Earth, it’s impossible for her to initiate a Dimensional War in a short period of time.”

“We can only take the initiative ourselves.”

“This will require your effort.”

The Dimension Butterfly emitted a joyful emotion, holding the star core fragment and flying back into Yang Dian’s glabella Subspace.

Yang Dian looked at Hu Ling, who seemed a little nervous after hearing the eleven words ‘Dimensional War, take the initiative,’ and said:

“I am very satisfied with your treasure.”

“I promise, as long as you are willing to accept our leadership, you will be able to thrive and multiply on this planet.”

After he finished speaking, seeing Hu Ling sigh in relief, Yang Dian continued to ask:

“Also, since you say you have the ability to communicate with Heaven and Earth.”

“Then tell me, where is the closest place to Heaven in this world?”