Chapitre 36: Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [36]
"Raaaagh—!"
Within a corridor lined with fragmented black rifts, a towering humanoid monster roared in agony as it collapsed to the ground. Beneath its massive cloak, its sinewy muscles bulged like coiled dragons. Its deafening cries shook the air like thunderclaps.
Before the creature lay Gepard, Silvermane Guards' widely acknowledged heartthrob, eldest son of the Landau family, and current Captain of the Guard. His armor was dented, and he wielded his colossal shield, repeatedly smashing it into the fallen creature. The ground beneath them fractured from the impact, and the monster's screams gradually faded into silence.
Gepard's arm trembled from the exertion, his muscles threatening to give out.
Not far behind him, over a hundred civilians—clad in tattered clothing—huddled together in fear. Only after seeing Gepard vanquish the monstrous foe did their frayed nerves finally relax.
Before he could catch his breath, a limping Silvermane Guard approached him, voice quivering.
"Captain Gepard, is… is that thing what became of Laszlo?"
"No, that's not him. Laszlo was meticulous and kind to everyone. That's just the Fragmentum's crude imitation of him. I can handle it!"
Gepard tried to reassure the soldier, though his pallor betrayed his poor condition.
They had been trapped in this monster-infested zone for nearly two hours. Of the soldiers who had accompanied him, many were injured or dead. The few still capable of fighting could be counted on one hand.
The humanoid monster they had just faced had once been a member of the rescue team sent to support them. Before they arrived, he had fallen in battle, and the Fragmentum's energy had used his corpse to forge a grotesque imitation, one that relentlessly attacked the remaining survivors.
Though it bore a human's appearance, it lacked any humanity within—a poor facsimile, as Gepard bitterly put it.
Having held out for so long, Gepard's frustration grew with each passing moment. From the start, he had hoped that a message from one of his men could reach the frontlines, prompting reinforcements to help them escape. The monsters in this area were far stronger than those at the commercial district's frontlines, and their numbers were overwhelming.
But as time dragged on and more of his men fell, Gepard began encountering monsters that bore the faces of his messengers. It was clear that most of them had perished before delivering his plea for help.
Even so, Gepard clung to hope. There was still one man whose monstrous counterpart he hadn't seen yet.
The Silvermane Guards weren't weak. That they had lasted this long against a seemingly endless tide of Fragmentum monsters was a testament to their strength. However, the sheer number of survivors they were protecting made retreat nearly impossible.
Every few steps, a civilian would fall victim to a sudden monster attack. In their efforts to shield the civilians, the soldiers' pace slowed to a crawl, eventually grinding to a halt.
The safe zone was only about two kilometers away, but for Gepard's group, it might as well have been on another planet.
The light of safety glimmered faintly in the distance, yet it felt impossibly far away. Hope dwindled with each passing second.
Where is the reinforcement team? Are they really coming?
Gepard shook his head vigorously, forcing these thoughts from his mind. He believed the Silvermane Guards would never abandon them. He believed that perseverance would eventually be rewarded.
Boom!
He slammed his shield into the ground, his voice ringing out to the wounded soldiers before him:
"Hold the line! Commander Bronya will send reinforcements to us. Every second we hold back the enemy brings them closer to our position. We can't let the support team down—they're on their way!"
"…"
Few soldiers responded, their faces weary. The huddled civilians wore expressions of despair.
They had heard such words many times before. From initial optimism to their current state—half of them injured, many on the brink of collapse—pain and exhaustion had drained their spirits.
Before Gepard's voice even faded, a new wave of Fragmentum monsters emerged from the shadows, their guttural roars filling the air. Gepard gritted his teeth, raised his massive shield, and charged into the fray.
His shield sent countless monsters flying, and seeing their captain lead the charge, the remaining soldiers struggled to their feet, gripping their weapons as they stumbled forward, roaring as they joined the fight.
Shouting drowned out the sounds of the monsters, giving the soldiers a fleeting sense of courage and dulling the pain as they fell in battle.
The desperate struggle began anew.
---
Meanwhile, the group that had entered the Fragmentum stood amidst a sea of corpses, their faces growing numb from the grim sights around them.
Smoke filled the air, and the monsters that had been rushing toward them moments ago now lay still, as if they had been university students pulling all-nighters and had finally succumbed to sleep the moment they sat down.
Chen Lin stood at the front, casually holding a multi-barrel grenade launcher, wisps of smoke curling from its muzzle. He surveyed the scene with satisfaction, marveling at the power of his single-soldier swarm missile system.
This is just the personal version. If it were mounted on a ship, an entire city could be leveled in seconds.
His thoughts were interrupted as he noticed a frostball flying toward him from the third floor of a nearby building. A Fragmentum monster had taken aim, launching the projectile with deadly precision.
Chen Lin didn't bother dodging. He calmly raised his weapon, aimed, and fired.
BOOM!
A dozen finger-sized missiles arced through the air, reducing the building to rubble in an instant.
As for the frostball? It fizzled out just centimeters from his face, dissipating harmlessly against the protective barrier surrounding him.
This scene had played out countless times since they entered the Fragmentum. No monster that had been a threat to the Silvermane Guards could withstand a single round of Chen Lin's missiles.
The soldiers exchanged glances, their previous image of Chen Lin as a frail researcher replaced by awe and reverence for the man wielding such devastating power.
"Well, let's keep moving," Chen Lin said casually.
Pela, still stunned, hurried to catch up. "Mr. Chen Lin… is this what you meant by self-defense weapons?"
"Yeah."
Chen Lin blinked, then chuckled. "This is just basic stuff for researchers like me. Real military weapons aren't something we can use casually."
"What kind of weapons are those?"
Chen Lin grinned. "The kind that can easily obliterate a planet, or emit energy waves that wipe out all life on its surface without damaging a single building."
He continued, "One example you might find interesting: we have weapons that can use spatial compression to unleash torrents of water, flooding an entire planet."
Pela: "…"
"Of course, our empire values peace. The great Interstellar Rift Emperor only deploys such weapons in the direst circumstances. We champion humanitarian spirit—mutual aid and harmony!"
He paused, then added, "Oh, here's a story for you. A starfish-like nation once slaughtered our colonists and provoked war with our empire. In the end, we won."
Pela hesitated. "And… what happened to them?"
Chen Lin smiled. "As punishment, we turned their people into livestock, breeding them for canned goods. Those cans were a hit across the empire—everyone loved the taste."
"That's… humanitarian spirit?" Pela asked, her voice trembling.
"Of course! But only for our own people. Why would we extend that to our enemies? Speaking of which, I'll bring you some of those cans next time—you'll love them."
"N-no thanks!" Pela stammered, swallowing hard.
Never… Never make an enemy of this man. This is terrifying…
---
T/N: hmm is Starsea his empires name? changed it :3c ot Interstellar Rift since Star Sea is just sea of stars uhhh frig tell me if you want it changed back >:(
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État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone