Working at an otherworldly junkyard, making a fortune by collecting trash.

Blue Star floats silently in the sea of ​​stars, its protective shield firmly enveloping the entire planet.

In the distance, the Spiked Pirates' large starship hovered not far from Blue Star, its hatch open, and a group of pirates leaned lazily against the edge of the bulkhead, watching coldly.

They had no intention of interfering; they were simply watching with a spectator's mentality, waiting for their captain to take care of the planetary lord of Blue Star. Their expressions were full of contempt and disdain.

The pirates inside the aircraft had their eyes fixed on the battlefield, as if the outcome was already predetermined.

In the center of the battlefield, Chen Chen stood facing off against the spiked pirates.

The spiked pirate was over two meters tall, its entire body covered in hard, dark armor, with countless sharp spikes protruding from its surface, gleaming coldly and exuding a chilling ferocity.

He held a long, narrow, curved sword in his hand. The blade gleamed with a cold, eerie light, and its edge was incredibly sharp. With the slightest swing, it tore through the surrounding air, producing a piercing whistling sound.

Chen Chen's spiritual energy surged and swirled around his body, with pale blue spiritual energy patterns flowing throughout his body, supporting his physical body to resist the pressure.

He held the spiked club that Hua Dazui had given him in one hand. The club was thick and hard, covered with vicious, protruding spikes, and felt as heavy as a mountain in his hand. It was his only weapon at that moment.

"A mere planetary lord dares to block my path, Yu Ci?" The Spiked Pirate's voice was hoarse and rough, filled with sarcasm.

His eyes flashed with a fierce light, and he pushed off the ground with his feet, his figure suddenly shooting out.

The curved blade, carrying a sharp gust of wind, cleaved straight at Chen Chen's head. The move was ruthless, each strike aimed at a vital point.

Chen Chen dared not be careless. He instantly channeled his mental energy into his arms and swung his spiked club horizontally to block.

clang!

The deafening clang of metal clashing reverberated throughout the surrounding void, and the terrifying impact exploded in all directions, instantly shattering the small meteorites floating nearby into dust.

Chen Chen's arm went numb, and his tiger's mouth throbbed with pain. His body slid backward several meters in mid-air before he managed to land firmly.

The spiked pirate missed its first attack, then flipped over and charged forward, slashing repeatedly with its curved blade. The layers of blade shadows blocked Chen Chen's space to dodge in all directions.

The wind howled through the blades, each strike carrying immense power and speed, devoid of any fancy moves, all hard-hitting techniques for a life-or-death struggle.

Chen Chen focused intently, unleashing his full mental energy to accurately predict the trajectory of each of his opponent's strikes.

He gripped his spiked club, sometimes blocking horizontally, sometimes striking vertically, sometimes sweeping horizontally, using the heavy club to withstand the opponent's sharp curved knife.

The two engaged in close combat, their physical strength clashing and their mental power suppressing each other. They exchanged blows, their fists and clubs flying, and their swords flashing.

There was no unnecessary talk, only the most primal and brutal fighting.

Spiked pirates are physically strong, both offensively and defensively, and their scimitar skills are extremely tricky. They are also very experienced in close combat.

Relying on his powerful physique after awakening, coupled with his strong mental strength to aid in prediction, and taking advantage of the hardness of his spiked club, Chen Chen managed to hold his own against his opponent.

The two darted through the void, colliding and exchanging blows, their moves meeting head-on, and they fought for over a hundred rounds in the blink of an eye.

After a hundred rounds, Chen Chen was already covered in bruises.

His clothes were torn to shreds by the blade's energy, and his body was covered in several wounds of varying depths, with the skin and flesh torn open and oozing bright red blood. His physical and mental strength were greatly depleted, his breathing was heavy and rapid, his arms were sore and heavy, and the speed at which he swung the spiked club had obviously slowed down.

If it weren't for the fact that the spiked club given to Chen Chen by Hua Da Zui was made of materials far superior to conventional weapons, with extremely strong toughness and astonishing hardness, it would have been cleaved in two by the opponent's curved blade long ago. Based on his own strength alone, Chen Chen would not have been able to last even a hundred rounds before being defeated and injured.

Seeing that the battle was dragging on and his patience was wearing thin, the spiked pirate's eyes flashed with ferocity. He no longer held back and directly used his innate skill.

His muscles suddenly tensed, and the sharp spikes on his body trembled violently.

The next second, countless spikes detached from his body, transforming into a barrage of projectiles that flew towards Chen Chen in a dense, overwhelming barrage.

The sky was filled with countless sharp spikes, moving at extremely high speeds and at tricky angles, leaving nowhere to hide.

Chen Chen's face darkened, and he immediately mobilized the remaining spiritual energy in his body to condense a thick spiritual energy defensive barrier in front of him. At the same time, he gritted his teeth and swung his spiked club, swinging it forcefully to sweep away the flying spikes coming at him.

A series of clanging and clattering sounds rang out as countless spikes struck the mental barrier and the spiked club. Some were bounced off on the spot, while others pierced through the gaps in the barrier, grazing Chen Chen's body and adding several more wounds.

The mental barrier shook violently under the intense impact, with ripples constantly vibrating. Veins bulged on Chen Chen's forehead as he gritted his teeth and held on tightly, his entire body being forced to retreat step by step.

Inside the energy shield of the blue planet below, hundreds of millions of people looked up at the void battlefield, their hearts pounding in their throats.

Blue Star has just completed its planetary upgrade, and everyone is immersed in the joy of the advancement.

Everyone awakened their spiritual power, secretly pleased with themselves, feeling that Earth had risen to prominence and was now capable of establishing itself in the interstellar world.

But now, seeing Chen Chen fighting desperately and being overwhelmed by the pirates, all the joy on everyone's faces vanished, leaving only tension and fear.

Everyone held their breath, afraid to make a sound, their palms sweating, staring intently at the battle in the sky, terrified that they would see Chen Chen defeated and fall at any moment.

Those who were complacent about their awakened spiritual power fell completely silent. For the first time, they truly felt the terror of interstellar powerhouses and realized that their meager spiritual power was utterly insignificant in the face of true interstellar combat strength.

Just as Chen Chen was barely managing to fend off the flying spikes, his movements becoming slightly sluggish and his strength exhausted, a terrifying pressure, as vast as a mountain and as deep as the sea, suddenly swept across the entire void from the pirate flagship in the distance.

This oppressive aura was cold, domineering, and violent, crushing everything and almost freezing the air currents in the void.

The pirates watching the spectacle inside the spaceship instantly stopped laughing and joking. They all stood up straight, their faces showing awe, and their eyes respectfully looked towards the starship's exit.

A massive figure slowly stepped out of the starship, several times more imposing than the Spiked Pirates. Wings spread, claws like hooks, scales covered his body, and his eyes were fierce like a beast. He exuded a terrifying aura that made people's breath suffocate. It was Ape-Heron, the leader of the Spiked Pirates.

As soon as the ape-heron appeared, its gaze coldly locked onto the wounded Chen Chen on the battlefield. Without saying a word, it moved in a flash, instantly traversing a thousand meters of void, its speed so fast that it could not be detected by the naked eye.

The next instant, a giant claw covered in hard scales suddenly reached out, precisely gripping Chen Chen's neck. Its five fingers tightened sharply, and its powerful brute force instantly locked Chen Chen's meridians and blood, intending to crush his neck and kill him on the spot.

Chen Chen's body stiffened instantly, his limbs seemed to be bound by an invisible force, unable to move at all. A feeling of suffocation surged into his mind, and the sense of impending death enveloped his entire body.

Just as the immense force was about to snap his neck, a layer of azure water light suddenly appeared on Chen Chen's body. The protective shield bestowed by the Sea King was instantly activated, firmly protecting his body and allowing him to withstand the ape-heron's fatal claw.

Click!

A crisp cracking sound rang out, the watery light of the Siren King's protective shield trembled violently, and countless spiderweb-like cracks instantly appeared on its surface. The light dimmed rapidly, clearly indicating that it had been hit hard.

Chen Chen's heart sank. With just a casual claw strike, the Sea King had managed to crack the protective shield bestowed upon him. The strength of the ape-heron was definitely above S-rank, and it was not even in the same league as the previous spiked pirate.

Inside the Blue Star Protective Shield, Ji Yunli looked at Chen Chen, who was being strangled by giant claws in the void, covered in wounds and in a sorry state. Her eyes instantly turned red and filled with tears.

Seeing Chen Chen struggling helplessly and being manipulated at will, her heart felt like it was being squeezed, the pain was so intense that she couldn't breathe, and she could no longer restrain herself, she was about to rush out of the protective shield regardless of everything.

"Don't act impulsively!"

Cheng Sihai, who was standing nearby, reached out and grabbed her tightly. His expression was extremely solemn, his gaze fixed on the ape-heron in the void, and his tone was heavy: "Going out now is pointless. Not only will you not be able to save Chen Chen, you will only be throwing your life away!"

Ji Yunli struggled desperately, her eyes blurred with tears, filled with anxiety and heartache, but Cheng Sihai held her tightly, leaving her helplessly staring at the sky, unable to do anything.

On the ground, the top leadership of Blue Star has already urgently activated the highest level of global combat readiness, deploying all of the country's most advanced and lethal strategic weapons to their positions.

All the main energy cannons, interstellar missiles, and energy-concentrating destruction weapons were fully charged, and dazzling beams of energy shot into the sky, heading straight for the ape-heron to blast it. They used all of Blue Star's current combat power to try to force the opponent to give up.

Faced with attacks from top-tier weapons capable of shattering mountains and piercing asteroid belts, the ape-heron remained indifferent, casually waving one of its free giant claws.

An invisible, terrifying energy spread out, causing all the incoming energy beams and missile attacks to freeze in mid-air before collapsing and dissipating into countless tiny specks of light, unable to even get close to the ape-heron.

The nation's most powerful weapon, which they had poured all their resources into, was blocked by him with a mere wave of his hand.

This scene completely shattered the last shred of confidence among the people of Earth.

The smiles on people's faces froze instantly, then were covered by a deep fear, and their faces turned deathly pale.

In the void, the ape-heron still gripped Chen Chen's neck with its giant claws, and the force was slowly increasing.

Click... Click...

The cracks on the Siren King's protective shield were getting denser, and the sound of shattering could be heard incessantly. The light of the barrier was getting weaker and weaker, and it could collapse completely at any moment.

The space inside the protective shield began to distort and could not hold for much longer.

Chen Chen was completely restrained, unable to muster any physical strength, and his mental energy was sluggish under the terrifying pressure of the ape and heron, making it impossible for him to break free.

The feeling of suffocation grew stronger and stronger, my mind gradually became hazy, and an endless despair swept over my whole body, spreading from my limbs to the depths of my heart.

He struggled desperately, trying to mobilize his mental energy to resist, but under the absolute suppression of S-level or higher strength, all his efforts were in vain. He could only let his opponent control him. The shadow of death had never been so close to him.

The ape-heron coldly looked down at Chen Chen in its hand, showing no intention of letting go. Then its gaze turned to the energy shield that enveloped the blue star below.

He slowly raised his other giant claw, and with immense force, slammed it down on the Blue Star protective shield time and time again.

Bang!

The first claw struck, causing the entire blue planet to tremble slightly. The energy shield shook violently, and a deep, long crack instantly appeared on its surface, spreading out in a shocking manner.

Bang!

As the second claw struck, the protective shield dimmed slightly, and another crack appeared, further weakening its protective power.

Each claw strike carried a devastating force, and each impact left an irreparable crack on the protective shield.

Inside the protective shield, hundreds of millions of people trembled with fear, watching the increasing cracks above their heads and feeling the entire planet shake.

Panic spread rapidly, with low sobs and desperate sighs echoing across the country.

Everyone knew that once the protective shield broke, Earth would face the slaughter of space pirates, with unimaginable consequences.

The ape-herons became increasingly aggressive, bombarding the shield with increasing frequency. The shield was riddled with cracks, teetering on the verge of collapse, its light flickering as it reached its limit.

The next moment, the ape-heron gathered all its strength and slammed out with its giant claws.

boom!