Hunting the Stars

To survive

“Shh~ shh~ shh~” Dozens of bizarre creatures quickly emerged from the darkness, charging toward the metal wall. Elian Hawk gauged the situation and realized that these creatures were incredibly fast. From the position where the light beams shot out from the metal wall, the area they illuminated stretched over 200 meters. These ‘monsters’ had reached the foot of the wall in just seven or eight seconds, despite the desert's difficulty in providing a strong push-off. Fortunately, the metal wall was over 20 meters high. Although these creatures were fast, they couldn’t leap that high. This allowed Elian Hawk to slowly ease the tension in his heart.

The creatures, covered in shiny black armor and resembling the aliens from a sci-fi movie, raised their long heads and repeatedly leaped, screeching at Elian Hawk in the watchtower. “Chirp~ chirp~” The sound was harsh and grating, echoing in the silent night sky. There weren’t many of them, only about a dozen or so. Elian Hawk had no idea where they had come from, but they suddenly appeared when the storm passed and the darkness settled, almost as if they knew there was a living being here.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!” As the creatures jumped, they struck the smooth surface of the metal wall with their sickle-like forelimbs. Fortunately, the wall was sturdy and smooth. Their strikes only left shallow scratches on the surface, and they couldn't insert their forelimbs into the wall or cause any damage.

“Chirp! Chirp!” The dozen or so alien creatures (as Elian Hawk had named them) surrounded the bottom of the wall, throwing their heads back and constantly screeching at him. The sight was enough to make Elian Hawk feel a bit fearful.

“You can't climb up, so what's the point of yelling at me? If you're so tough, come up and eat me!” Elian Hawk half-leaned out from the watchtower, shouting loudly when he saw the creatures couldn't reach him. Actually, Elian Hawk did this to calm himself down. After shouting, he did feel a little less afraid.

“Crack!” “Die, all of you!” Elian Hawk aimed his laser gun at the aliens below and fired in all directions. “Vroom! Vroom! Vroom!” The trigger clicked, and dozens of deep blue laser beams shot out from the barrel of the gun.

“Chirp~~ Plop!” One beam struck an alien right in the forehead, and its head exploded like a watermelon. After the alien's head burst, glowing green liquid splattered everywhere, splashing onto the other creatures, who screeched even louder.

“Zz~ zz~” The sound of corrosion reached Elian Hawk’s ears. Knowing that the aliens couldn’t jump up, Elian Hawk boldly poked his head out of the watchtower. Upon seeing the scene on the ground, Elian Hawk couldn’t help but laugh.

“Hahaha! Who would’ve thought that these guys' blood is so corrosive?” The green blood from the alien he shot had splattered onto the others, causing parts of their bodies to corrode. Some of them had even lost half of their bodies and were lying there, half-dead, still screeching.

“So their blood is like sulfuric acid! No wonder... I was the headshot king back in CS!” Elian Hawk raised his laser gun and began shooting again.

“Vroom! Vroom!” “Plop! Plop! Plop!” Elian Hawk's aim was flawless, just as he had claimed—every shot was a headshot. Within three minutes, the dozen or so aliens were all eliminated. The desert floor was covered in their green, glowing blood. Holding his laser gun, Elian Hawk observed quietly, unsure if any other aliens were lurking in the distance. After all, this cursed place was full of these monsters. He had experienced an attack on his arrival, so he couldn’t afford to let his guard down.

After wiping out the aliens, Elian Hawk couldn’t help but start patrolling the perimeter of the wall. He had been walking around for about an hour, his mind still racing, likely due to the stimulant liquid he had consumed earlier. The surrounding area was dark and silent.

“Looks like no more monsters are coming, huh?” Elian Hawk sat down, the excitement fading as he felt a wave of exhaustion and muscle soreness. He took a deep breath, reflecting on his situation.

“I guess I’m lucky. At least I didn’t die in that fight.” Elian Hawk thought back to the battle he encountered when he first arrived, when humans were fighting the alien monsters. He couldn’t help but feel a twinge of fear.

“If I had been killed by those monsters, no one would’ve even noticed someone like me. As a traveler, I probably would’ve had the worst luck.” Elian Hawk chuckled bitterly and shook his head. “Actually, my current situation isn’t much better either.”

He couldn’t help but feel unsettled, knowing that he didn’t understand this place fully and had no idea what other dangers lurked here. Humans are always curious and fearful of the unknown, and Elian Hawk was no different.

Sitting on the ground and lost in thought for a while, Elian Hawk finally stood up again.

“My body’s sore, my legs feel like they have no strength.” Elian Hawk assessed his physical condition, then turned his gaze toward the dark depths of the desert. “What kind of dangers are in that desert, and what kind of monsters are there? I can't stay here forever. There’s not enough food or water. It’ll be fine for a short time, but if I stay too long, it’ll be a problem.”

Elian Hawk stared into the desert, thinking for a long time before shaking his head and walking toward the command center.

Yes, staying here might preserve his life, but food and water would be big problems. But if he left, who knew what dangers awaited him? Elian Hawk was just an ordinary man, a recluse before his journey. Even now that he had “traveled,” he didn’t have any special powers. After some consideration, he decided not to leave the station for now. At least, not in the short term.

“Ah, step by step,” Elian Hawk muttered to himself, walking back into the underground facility of the command center...

Two months later...

“Clang... Shhh...” The gate to the barracks closed behind him. Elian Hawk looked back at the closed gate with a determined look in his eyes. Without a word, he turned and walked deeper into the desert.

Over the past two months, Elian Hawk had explored the entire barracks and found the personal video logs of a squad leader named Karon. From Karon’s logs, Elian Hawk slowly began to learn more about this world. Karon had belonged to the 3rd Heavy Fleet of the Shenyao Empire, stationed in the northern star region, and had been sent here as punishment after offending someone. Karon knew that he and his crew had no chance of survival because the empire had abandoned this tiny asteroid.

After watching Karon's video logs, Elian Hawk learned that the empire would no longer provide assistance, and that the place was effectively abandoned. The small military station he was in was the only human structure on the planet. Elian Hawk’s relief at not having his identity exposed quickly gave way to anxiety about his future. Without outside aid, no ships would come to rescue him, and he had no way of leaving this cursed place. What would he do for food and water? While there was some left in the station, it wouldn’t last forever. He had to figure out how to survive in this desolate place.

Two months later, the food at the station had run out. Even the blue liquid, which Elian Hawk called the “stimulant,” had been consumed. So, he made a decision: he would leave the station and venture into the desert to hunt. It was the only way to survive. Elian Hawk knew that if he stayed in the station without food and water, he wouldn’t last long—perhaps no more than ten days. It was better to take a risk while he still had the strength.

As the station grew further behind him, Elian Hawk silently prayed in his heart: “I, Elian Hawk, will survive in this world, in this time. Please, don’t let fate play tricks on me.”

As he walked farther and farther away, the station slowly disappeared into the desert.