A Chemist's Interstellar Saga
Chapter 159: Death Sting

Chapter 159: Death Sting

Facing the massive scorpion-like insectoid in front of him, Drexel held back from charging in recklessly. Instead, he activated his mecha’s radar to scan the creature. Once the scan finished, essential details popped up on the screen.

Type: Mutant

Alliance Name: Death Sting

Class: Supergiant-Class

Length: 1598 meters

Width: 358 meters

Notes: Death Sting is violent and easily angered, attacking all nearby creatures, including its own allies.

With this information, Drexel issued his orders.

"Heavy armor mecha pilots, cover the snipers. Snipers, use your rifles to target its head from a distance. Combat mechas, get in close to deal extra damage and keep it distracted. Over."

"Heavy armor, understood. Over."

"Sniper, understood. Over."

"Combat, understood. Over."

Once everyone acknowledged, Drexel’s focus intensified. "Move out! Attack!"

Leading the charge, Drexel controlled his mecha to leap forward, delivering a powerful blow to the insectoid’s head with his spear.

This sneak attack enraged Death Sting, a creature already on edge.

Death Sting screeched, abandoning its assault on the spaceship to pursue Drexel.

Drexel quickly maneuvered his mecha, darting away with agility. He kept just out of reach, circling the giant insectoid and occasionally striking with his spear.

The combat mechas joined Drexel, hitting Death Sting whenever it got too close to him, drawing its attention away. The insectoid’s shell was incredibly tough; only Drexel’s mecha could inflict serious damage, while the others left minor marks.

Luckily, Death Sting’s aggressive nature worked in their favor. It focused on whatever attacked it, making their tactics effective—something that wouldn’t work with other insectoids.

While Drexel and the combat mechas risked everything to distract Death Sting, the sniper mechas took shots at its head from a distance with their ion guns. =

However, their firepower was insufficient. Though they managed to cause some damage, it only made Death Sting angrier, increasing the danger for the combat mecha pilots.

Realizing the strategy was faltering, Drexel quickly issued another command. "Arix, their firepower isn’t enough. You need to take over the long-range sniping on its head! Over."

"Understood. Over." Arix acknowledged, though her confidence in her shooting skills was low. Still, her Supergiant-Class mecha was their best chance for a decisive shot. She couldn’t afford to fail.

Star Dust’s sword morphed into a sniper energy gun. Arix gripped the joystick, focusing the scope on Death Sting’s head. But the creature’s relentless thrashing made it difficult for her to get a clear shot.

Watching Drexel take another blow, Arix’s frustration boiled over. Her eyes reddened, and she bit her lip until it nearly bled. She had to steady her aim.

Just when Arix felt completely hopeless, something stirred deep within her soul. It felt like a pair of glowing eyes slowly opened, ancient and wise, peering through the darkness.

These eyes seemed to understand Arix’s dilemma and flickered slightly. In an instant, Arix knew what Death Sting’s next move would be.

With a calm composure, she pulled the trigger and fired her beam cannon at a spot just a meter in front of Death Sting’s head.

At first, everyone thought Arix had missed her shot, even Drexel. He was ready to console his sister when Death Sting moved forward to attack.

Right then, Arix’s beam cannon struck its head dead-on, killing it instantly.

Death Sting fell, drifting into the vastness of space.

All the mecha pilots were left speechless.

After a long silence, Drexel suddenly yelled, snapping everyone out of their shock.

"Oh damn! That Insectoid Core is worth a billion astrocredits! Save it!"

The pilots snapped out of their daze and rushed toward the insectoid’s body. Arix, still in her mecha, was bewildered. She realized this wasn’t a fluke—she had just predicted the future!

This ability felt oddly familiar, and she thought of Sylvana. ’Do I possess Sylvana’s power now? Can I see the past and predict the future? Can I win the lottery?’

Excited, Arix opened her opticomputer and tried her luck on a lottery website. She promptly lost 1000 astrocredits.

With a sigh, Arix covered her forehead with her hand. She felt foolish. Maybe it was just luck. Everyone has strong intuition sometimes.

Snapping out of her daydream, Arix saw Drexel running after the Insectoid Core. ’Hasn’t he learned his lesson yet? Why is he chasing after it again?’

When everyone finally returned to the ship with the Insectoid Core, Drexel got an earful from Arix.

"Arix, cut me some slack, will you? Everyone’s watching," Drexel said, wincing in pain, no longer the confident leader he usually was.

The crew watching them smiled at the sibling’s antics. They pretended not to notice, averting their gazes.

They tried to act like they weren’t listening, but their ears were clearly tuned in.

"Miss Kering, carry on. We didn’t see anything," the captain joked, smiling now that the crisis had passed.

When the captain made his joke, Drexel wasn’t amused. He shot the captain a betrayed look and complained, "Captain, you’re abandoning me pretty quickly, aren’t you?"

"Haha!" The crew burst into even louder laughter.

Arix laughed too, shaking her head. She let go of Drexel’s ear, no longer angry.

The moment was filled with laughter and jokes, easing the tension.

The Fifth Legion, which was scheduled to arrive in an hour, showed up ten minutes early.

As their battleship approached, the captain opened the front hatch to welcome the Alliance soldiers. Soon, two rows of well-trained soldiers stood in the front chamber.

Arix’s excitement soared when she saw the officer leading the Fifth Legion. She wanted to run up and hug him but felt too shy since he was busy talking to the captain. She pouted and waited patiently.

When Thaddeus finished his work, he immediately scanned the crowd for Arix. Despite the changes she had gone through, he spotted his beloved daughter right away.

"Arix, come here," Thaddeus called out with a big smile, opening his arms.

"Dad!" Arix beamed and ran into Thaddeus’s arms.

Thaddeus’s serious expression softened as he hugged his daughter. "Arix, did you miss me this past month?" he asked gently.

"Yes, I did! I lost several pounds because I couldn’t see you," Arix said, pouting while hugging his arm.

Seeing her round face, Thaddeus laughed and pinched her cheek, not pointing out her little lie.

"Dad! I missed you too!" Drexel, who had been hiding from his sister, now ran excitedly towards Thaddeus.

But before he could get close, Thaddeus stopped him with a hand and frowned, "Aren’t you a bit too old for this?"

Drexel was stunned, looking at Arix, who was only a year younger. He didn’t dare to say anything and just stood to the side, feeling left out.

Once everything was settled on the spaceship, Thaddeus took his daughter back to the battleship. After a few steps, he remembered his son and turned to look at Drexel, who was sulking in a corner.

Thaddeus sighed, shaking his head, and called out, "Drexel, let’s go home."

"Hey! I’m coming!" Drexel shouted excitedly, no longer sulking in the corner. He jumped up, eager to leave the ship with his dad and sister.

But just before he left, Drexel stopped. He turned back and tossed the Insectoid Core to Sentance. His face was a mix of emotions as he said, "Split this Supergiant-Class Insectoid Core among everyone who helped today."

Drexel quickly turned and walked away, almost as if he feared Sentance might refuse.

Sentance stood there, holding the Insectoid Core in shock. After a moment, he smiled and shook his head, saying, "They’re both such good kids."