Hunting the Stars

Return trip

Book Voucher：MHBSWEM8

Elian Hawk’s forehead was drenched in cold sweat. “Just one more inch... just one more inch!” Thinking about how, if the sand beast’s tail spike had pierced him just one more centimeter, his life would have been over. His heartbeat quickened uncontrollably, and his breathing became ragged. "Thank goodness the hypnosis effect kicked in at the critical moment. Otherwise, I’d be a goner." Elian Hawk collapsed onto the sand, gasping for air. It had been terrifying—he could feel how close he had been to death. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and finally, unable to hold it in anymore, he cursed aloud.

“I’ve been helping old ladies cross the street since I was a kid, returning money I found, never doing anything bad. The worst I’ve done is watch some H comics. Even after becoming an adult, I’ve been a harmless nerd. Why the hell does the universe have to play tricks on me, bringing me to this godforsaken place?!” Elian Hawk sat on the ground, yelling angrily at the sky. "Everyone says they’re ‘reincarnating,’ but I didn’t ask for this. Who wants to be reincarnated? Why the hell bring me here? I want to go back! I want to go back!"

In his fury, Elian Hawk grabbed a handful of sand and threw it towards the sky. “Pfft~ Pfft~ Spit!” The sand fell back down, splattering his face. Spitting at the sky only ended up backfiring. Elian Hawk realized this now.

After sitting there silently for a while, Elian Hawk finally refocused on the sand beast, which had already fallen into a deep sleep due to the hypnosis. He stood up and walked over to the beast. Aside from a laser gun, he had no other weapons. Looking at the beast's tough exoskeleton, Elian Hawk felt unsure of how to proceed.

“How can I remove its exoskeleton?” he wondered, crouching by the sleeping beast. "If I can’t get rid of the exoskeleton, I won’t be able to get its meat or the water pouch inside. Everything I’ve done will be for nothing. Plus, I’ve been through a hell of a scare." He stared at the beast as he muttered to himself.

The hypnosis drug he’d used would last for at least ten hours, so there was no immediate need to kill the beast. Since he didn’t have the right tools with him, he decided to drag it back to the base and deal with it later.

After untying a piece of cloth that had been wrapped around his waist, Elian Hawk used it to securely bind the sand beast. He tied the other end around his waist, creating a tight knot. Then, he took up his laser gun and began heading back. The beast weighed at least a hundred pounds, and dragging it through the desert was no easy task. Fortunately, the beast’s abdomen had a diamond-shaped protrusion that made it easier to slide across the sand, saving Elian Hawk some effort, though it still took a lot out of him.

The desert stretch between him and the base was about two hours’ walk—far, but not too far. Still, in this vast desert, with no landmarks to guide him, it was easy to get lost. Luckily, Elian Hawk had found a locator from the supplies storage, based on a recorded message from Karon. Otherwise, he might have truly gotten lost out here.

Dragging a hundred-pound creature was exhausting, but Elian Hawk kept going. This was his food supply for at least a week. He couldn’t afford to quit. “Come on! Keep going! You can do it!” After more than an hour, Elian Hawk finally saw the outline of the base. His lips were cracked, and sweat poured from his forehead as he trudged through the sand, silently encouraging himself.

For the past two months, Elian Hawk had been his own company. If it weren’t for talking to himself, he probably would have gone mad from loneliness. After all, on this planet, he was the only living person. He couldn’t exactly chat with the ‘monsters’ that appeared around the base after every storm. So, talking to himself became a way to motivate and entertain himself.

Just as hope began to rise in Elian Hawk's chest, and he thought the base was within reach, a shrill screech echoed from that direction. Elian Hawk froze, his body trembling. "That sound... it’s so familiar!" What had just been a hopeful moment turned into a nightmare. His face turned pale.

“Damn!” Elian Hawk cursed, realizing that the screech was the same one he’d heard two months ago when he first arrived on this planet. It belonged to the 'monsters' that had attacked the humans, wiping out the soldiers at the base. Elian Hawk dropped to the sand, his mind racing. “Where are they? At the base, or somewhere around here?”

If they were at the base, he could avoid them, but if they were near him, things would get dangerous. He didn’t want to risk attracting their attention and being swarmed. After all, those monsters had wiped out a whole base full of soldiers; there was no way he could face them alone.

Elian Hawk lay still in the sand, praying silently, hoping he wouldn’t be discovered. “Please, God, don’t let me run into them. If they realize the base is empty, they’ll leave. Please, just let me get back safely.”

Looking up at the sky, Elian Hawk had no concept of time anymore. He could only guess based on his instincts. He knew the storm was coming soon, and if he didn’t make it back to the base before then, he might not survive the night.

As he lay there, trying to avoid detection, a sound caught his attention—a rapid, swishing noise from nearby. Elian Hawk’s eyes widened as he realized that hundreds of monsters were fighting each other in the distance, advancing toward him.

“What the hell is going on? Why are they fighting each other?” Elian Hawk thought, confused by the scene before him. He lay still, trying to stay hidden, watching the monsters engage in brutal combat. Their bodies were triangular, with six long claws supporting their movement, and four sharp limbs on their upper body.

As the monsters fought, sand and limbs flew everywhere, with a loud cracking sound every time they collided. Elian Hawk couldn’t believe his eyes. "These look like the creatures from Starship Troopers... mixed with Starcraft’s Zerg!"

He continued to watch, frozen in place, praying the monsters wouldn’t notice him as they fought among themselves.