Chapter 346: Escape Pod
Everyone agreed that made sense.
So they quickly pushed aside thoughts of how to die as peacefully as falling asleep and began to think about how to survive.
Lan Yan, who had been silent all this time, asked, "Does this ship have escape pods?"
"Yes!"
"But we’re already off course. We don’t even know what corner of space we’re in. Ejecting in an escape pod might not be a path to survival, but a path to death."
Setting aside what might be lurking on nearby routes, they had no idea how to find their way back to their original course in space.
And then there was the giant tree itself—it wasn’t the kind of being that would let them leave so easily.
After all, it had so many roots that it could bind objects and drag them back even from a great distance.
Escaping it wouldn’t be so simple.
If they hadn’t truly felt like they were out of options, why would they be contemplating how to die a little more peacefully?
Lan Yan knew their concerns, but since they were going to die anyway, why not give it a try?
’Maybe if we try, we’ll succeed?’
As long as they broke free from the tree, they could pilot the escape pods to land on a nearby planet.
Even if that planet was a Wild Star, they would still have a chance of survival.
If it were just him, he would have taken that gamble.
But Lan Yan glanced at Jiang Qin, who was still singing, and swallowed back his reckless suggestion. He listened quietly as the others analyzed how to escape.
During this time, Jiang Qin had already sung seven songs in a row.
Each song was about five minutes long. During the pauses, she would observe the situation and try to stall for as long as possible to catch a break.
Because of this, a little over an hour had slowly passed.
...
Up ahead in the cockpit, the warriors were also struggling, trying to pilot the ship and break free from the tree’s roots.
Unfortunately, they were bound too tightly. Even with the ship’s engines at maximum power, they couldn’t get away.
The pilot could only say in deflation, "Forget it. Let’s conserve some power. We can’t afford to use it all up."
Otherwise, they really would just be waiting to die.
"Co-pilot, go check on the situation in the main cabin. See if anyone has any ideas. If they do, come back and tell me."
The co-pilot nodded and left.
***
「Time slowly passed.」
Jiang Qin’s voice was now noticeably hoarse. Lan Yuyan, his heart aching for her, kept handing her water.
Only during the intervals did she have a moment to stop for a sip of water or to use the restroom.
"Sister, stop singing..." Lan Yan’s voice was tinged with a plea.
In his eyes, everyone on this ship was alive because of Jiang Qin, and this made him feel extremely resentful.
’Why should she be the only one working so hard!’
’What did the lives of these people have to do with them?’
Alright, he admitted it. He was just upset seeing Jiang Qin suffering, which made him resent everyone, including himself.
He even had the brutal thought that it would be better for everyone to just jump out into space.
But then he thought of Jiang Qin, and how she was about to become a mother, and he couldn’t accept it.
He also knew that she didn’t want to die.
Lan Yan gritted his teeth and looked toward Lan Yuyan.
Although nothing was said, Lan Yuyan understood his thoughts.
After a moment of hesitation, he gave a slight nod.
"Qinqin, let’s take the escape pods. Let’s take the gamble."
Rather than waste away here, it was better to take a chance.
If they stayed any longer, there was no guarantee the tree wouldn’t lose its temper and smash them to pieces the moment Jiang Qin could no longer sing.
Although Jiang Qin was still singing, she had been distractedly listening to everyone’s conversation.
And because she was distracted, her Spiritual Body hadn’t emerged.
Hearing the suggestion now, she agreed without hesitation.
Just as Lan Yan had guessed, she didn’t want to die. She had everything she needed, a career she loved, a partner she adored, and soon, a new family member connected by blood. How could she bear to die?
Even though the chances of escape were slim, she wanted to take the gamble.
Who knew how long this tree had existed in this stretch of space? It wasn’t something they could defeat.
"I’ll go find the escape pods then."
"We’ll go with you."
When they reached the rear of the ship, Lan Yuyan saw hundreds of small escape pods stored there.
This ship was normally used for legion transport, so it was massive and could accommodate a hundred thousand people.
But right now, there were only five thousand people on board.
"Great, that’s enough," the warriors said, sighing in relief.
They hadn’t actually been sure how many escape pods were on this ship.
Seeing the hundred escape pods now, they finally felt at ease.
"Alright, we can call the others."
Lan Yuyan said, "Go and get everyone. Have them board the escape pods and be on standby."
"Yes, Mr. Lan."
...
After the warriors left, they quickly returned with everyone else.
"Quick! Every escape pod gets one female, plus another 49 people."
Besides their partners, they also needed some warriors for protection.
The warriors’ duty was to escort them back to the Federation, so no one objected and waited for the lead officer to assign them.
When 99 escape pods were full, Lan Yuyan prepared to go get Jiang Qin.
Seeing him leave, Wen Xueli quickly called out, "Everyone, don’t be hasty! Qin Bao is still over there singing. We’ll wait for her to get here before we all leave together."
If they left first, they would likely startle the giant tree, preventing Jiang Qin from getting away.
That’s why Wen Xueli and the other Jiang Fans were so nervous, afraid that someone might try to take the opportunity to leave first.
Although no one had said it out loud, they could all guess that if Jiang Qin was there to distract the tree, their chances of escape were quite high.
As long as they weren’t caught by the tree and didn’t fall into a black hole, their odds of escaping safely were very good!
Wen Xueli was so nervous she started picking at her fingers, chanting in her mind: ’Qin Bao, hurry up!!!’
In this tense atmosphere, a female’s voice suddenly rang out, "Don’t worry, we’ll wait for her."
After someone took the lead, the other females who weren’t Jiang Fans also began to speak up.
"Exactly. We all know that without Miss Jiang, we would have died under the tree’s roots long ago. How could we possibly abandon her and run?"
"No one is leaving first, period. If anyone tries, unless I’m dead, I’ll make sure the news gets back to the Federation so everyone can spit on them."
"We’ll wait for Jiang Qin to come, then we’ll all leave together. I refuse to believe that giant tree can control a hundred roots at once to catch us."
"Whoever gets picked by the tree can only blame their bad luck. At least the others will have a chance to get out alive. It’s better than all of us being wiped out in this godforsaken place."
Wen Xueli and the others hadn’t expected these females to be so righteous and not at all intimidated by death.
’But then again,’ she thought, ’females who voluntarily go to support the front lines can’t be all that bad...’
She was a little moved and said, "Everyone, you’re all truly amazing. If we manage to survive this, I hope we can become friends."
"Then it’s a deal! If we make it back to the Federation safely, let’s all go to Miss Jiang Qin’s concert together!"
"Yeah, okay! I’ll do my best to make it back alive."
"Me too..."
"We definitely will..."
"Good luck, everyone!"