Star Hunter.

Chapter 288 Meeting the "Ancestor"

The young man who brought Xilin and the other two here was from the Lansa royal family. Lansa Kensa was one of the more influential princes. However, this prince was not high-profile in the affiliated school. On the contrary, Yuan Xingming and Peter, who were descendants of the three kings, were much more high-profile.

The prince who could appear here must be quite special among the princes, and Xilin believes that Kensa is very likely to be the next heir to the imperial throne.

On their way to this planet, Kenza was quite approachable. As fellow young people, the four were close in age, despite their vastly different backgrounds. Kenza said that if they could get that person's approval, they would all have to work together for the empire.

Bai Ye still doesn't like to talk much. Even though the other party is a prince who is very likely to be the next Lansa Emperor, Bai Ye still faces him with a cold face. However, Kensa and Hadar don't mind, and they really don't mind.

There are many things that Xilin doesn't understand. Baiye and Hadar know far more than Xilin. Perhaps this is because they are native Lansa people. Even though Xilin has read a lot about the history of the Lansa Empire, he hasn't come into contact with many of its secrets.

"Who exactly is that?" Xilin asked.

Bai Ye didn't know that it was only after hearing Xilin's words that he finally raised his head to look at Kensa and Hadar.

Hadar knew some things, but didn't want to talk about them, because he had never actually seen that person. All he knew about that person so far was from his grandfather, Christy Lang, and Hadar had no idea what that person looked like or what their temperament was like. Moreover, there had never been any pictures or videos of that person. Apart from the three big bosses, even the people at Black Viper headquarters had never seen that person.

"That one..." Kenza sighed, "I only met him once, and not long before you. It's not appropriate to tell you now, but I'll give you a heads-up: stay calm when you meet him."

Kensa felt like he was in a dream when he thought about meeting that person, and he was genuinely shocked. For a long time afterward, he felt like he would see those cold eyes every time he closed his eyes, just sitting there in the darkness watching him, and he had nightmares about it.

I'd only ever heard that he was the progenitor of the entire Black Viper. Every one of the three chosen leaders of the Black Viper would visit him, and besides the Black Viper leader, every heir to the throne of Lanza would also visit him several times before inheriting the throne. Kensa didn't believe in God, but many times the feeling was truly beyond imagination.

Kensa feels a chill whenever he thinks about what happened back then.

Seeing that Kensa didn't want to elaborate, Xilin could only fill in the blanks with his own imagination. The gray cat perched on Xilin's shoulder, slowly swishing its tail, and used its paw to scoop out the dried fish from the bag to eat, leaving crumbs all over Xilin's shoulder. The fishy smell could be smelled from afar.

The planet located in the middle of the "vanishing region" in the star map is a very strange planet.

Why do I say it's strange?

The data analysis from the probe shows that the planet's environment is quite suitable for humans, but those who see it for the first time feel a strange sense of dread. They can't explain why, but they just feel a chill for no reason.

There were no satellite arrays around that planet, but there were many space fortresses at a certain distance away. These space fortresses protected the planet very well, and strict checks were carried out on anyone who wanted to enter the planet, even if Prince Kenza was leading the way.

After a rigorous check, Xilin and his group of four were finally allowed to enter, but not in the same spacecraft as before. Instead, they boarded another spacecraft that had emerged from the space fortress, piloted by a dedicated pilot.

Those guarding these space fortresses obey the direct orders of Emperor Lanza. No one is given special treatment except the current Emperor Lanza, whether you are a king or a prince. Even the former Emperor Lanza is no exception.

The serious atmosphere was tense, but thankfully, Xilin and his companions had good mental fortitude and weren't truly intimidated. However, they still admired the guards stationed there. Each of them was a top-tier expert, highly obedient, and ruthless—like human machines.

The person piloting the aircraft focused solely on piloting it after the initial, formulaic greeting to Kenza. Unaffected by Xilin and the others, he conveyed a "leave me alone" attitude, showing no other reaction even when Gray Cat deliberately chewed the fish bones in the dried fish, making a crunching sound.

"This person is quite like you," Xilin said to Baiye.

Bai Ye glanced at the people busy in front of the cockpit and remained silent.

Finally, we entered the planet, and its appearance became clearer.

There wasn't much mechanization; most of the environment was close to a primitive state, with forests and mountains, just like the place where Xilin and his team were tested. However, the environment here was even more primitive and large enough, like entering a primitive kingdom of giant beasts.

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All sorts of dinosaurs, pterosaurs in the sky, and many other animals that have never appeared on other planets; every leaf of the ferns on the ground exudes an ancient aura.

That's certainly primitive enough. Living in such a place, it's no wonder that person is called the progenitor of the black viper.

The aircraft flew into an area protected by a hemispherical shield, where there was a designated landing point.

Only here can you see mechanized things; there are buildings and instruments, but no people, only a few robots. These robots reminded Xilin of the robot he had seen in the underground network that day—familiar yet different.

"Let's wait here for now. They'll let us know when that person arrives," Kensa said to the three of them, pointing to the robots that were walking over.

A robot that looked almost human brought food to the four of them and chatted with Kenza for a while.

The gray cat glanced at the robots for two seconds and then ignored them, circling the food on the table and sniffing it from time to time. Bai Ye and Hadar didn't mind and even cut off some pieces of meat to give to the gray cat.

Xilin only ate a little and then stopped; not everyone can eat like the gray cat. Xilin was curious about the surrounding environment.

Through the semi-circular protective shield, Xilin could see the giant creatures walking by, as well as groups of animals that had only existed briefly in history and were only seen in fossils.

These animals are not those that disappeared from one or a few planets, but rather those creatures that briefly appeared and then vanished in the history of a considerable number of planets.

Reconstructing these organisms is no easy task. Many fossils are so damaged or affected by other factors that it's impossible to fully reconstruct their genetic material. Xilin has seen numerous researchers use instruments to calculate possible genetic arrangements and clone simulated organisms, but these organisms are unstable and always have some kind of problem. Even those that manage to survive stably aren't the theoretically possible ones. Too much randomness makes many organisms impossible to reconstruct. This has always been a regret for researchers.

But here, Xilin saw many creatures that were identified by authoritative figures from renowned institutions as species that could not be restored at this stage.

If they cannot be restored, where did they come from?

Xilin did not believe these were creatures that had survived naturally. Because in just a short period of time, Xilin had seen "extinct species" from at least one hundred planets.

Moreover, the existence of these species is distributed according to a kind of ecological stability. The people who created them have put a lot of thought into it, so that the introduction of a certain species will not cause overall changes, nor will the disappearance of any species trigger a chain reaction.

Who has the means to do that?

Just as Xilin was pondering, the gray cat, who had been engrossed in eating, suddenly straightened its ears and stared wide-eyed in a certain direction. At the same time, several robots who were talking to Kenza also told Xilin and the others that the other person had arrived.

The animals that had been leisurely strolling around suddenly took off running, their hooves and paws pawing the distance, as if afraid of being too slow.

After the animals in the surrounding area had almost all fled, the hemispherical shield closed. Sensing the scent carried by the wind, Xilin's eyes narrowed. No way…

The gray cat darted to a high point on the building to look out, then exclaimed, "Wow! What a huge snake! It's fucking huge!!"

snake?!

Bai Ye's black and white pupils contracted as he looked in that direction, while Kenza and Hadar straightened their clothes, standing there like obedient children.

Xilin could already feel the movement beneath his feet, and the dense branches of the tall trees in the distance were bending to the sides. Just by looking at the movement of those branches, one could tell how big the approaching creature was.

After the sounds of trees snapping and branches being crushed, a series of rapid noises grew closer. Finally, the massive creature appeared before them.

Dark markings scattered across its armor-like scales, two slightly raised lines along its back, and a broad, triangular head covered in hard scales, topped with a horn resembling a crown—a symbol of coronation and dominance. This also signifies the behemoth's supreme status.

With the arrival of this large snake, Xilin felt the temperature suddenly drop several degrees. Even the light reflected from its scales was cold.

It didn't climb directly into the area, even though the protective shield was closed. But this big guy didn't seem to like being in this place.

Upon seeing the giant snake, Kenza stepped forward and bowed. Unlike the bow he had given to Christy Lang and the others, Kenza's bow now was a gesture of respect from a junior to an elder, and even more so from royalty. Kenza was much more respectful, and even his voice was cautious.

"Hello!"

Hadar also bowed, not in the style of royalty, but with sufficient respect.

However, this made Xilin and Baiye seem quite abrupt, as the two of them didn't react at all. They looked up at the giant snake before them—was this the "one" they were talking about?

It turns out that "that person" wasn't human. No wonder Kenza told us not to be too shocked.

Xilin finally understood why the Lanza Empire treated this alien beast species better than the Star Alliance; the root of the problem lay here.

This is not a giant python, but a viper. Although Xilin did not know how this viper grew to such a large size and shape, it was indeed a viper, a highly venomous viper.

After looking at the group, the giant snake flicked its tongue, still maintaining a cold demeanor, its two round, icy eyes fixed on the tiny figures below. Xilin sensed that this behemoth was quite impatient.

Xilin even thought that if this were a person, they probably wouldn't spit out the snake's tongue but would just "pui" directly.

The giant snake ignored them and instead looked at the gray cat staring at it curiously with its cat-like eyes on the building. It was this cat that had been making the strange noises earlier.

"Who are you?" the giant snake asked.

As he spoke, Xilin saw the sharp fangs inside the snake's mouth; the snake was indeed extremely venomous.

Kenza and Hadar, who had just finished their bows and hadn't yet straightened up, heard the serpent's words and turned their heads to look. They saw the cat leap in a beautiful parabola onto the serpent's two large nostrils at the top of its snout.

The four members of Xilin: "..."

How the hell can they be so bold?!

Kensa felt the hairs on the back of his head freeze, and his hair almost stood on end. The robots silently gathered around Kensa, ready to protect him and help him escape should the giant snake go berserk, especially Kensa, the prince, who absolutely could not be harmed.

The gray cat jumped onto the snake's nostrils, then looked into the snake's two narrow pupils, raised its paw to pat the thick, cool scales beneath it, and said, "Hello, my name is Hu Bie Lu, and my nickname is Hu Lu."

Xilin covered her face. Who cares about your nickname at a time like this!

Strangely, the giant snake didn't lash out; instead, it said, "You've got some nerve."

"Thank you for the compliment!" the gray cat said smugly.

Kenza cursed inwardly: This isn't a compliment, what are you so smug about!

"Oh, you little fellow, you must be over two hundred years old, right?" the giant snake said, its voice tinged with friendliness.

Over two hundred years old?

Bai Ye, Kensa, and Hadar looked at Xilin, wondering if this tiny cat was really that old.

Xilin's lips twitched, and he nodded.

"How old are you?" the gray cat asked. It couldn't calculate the snake's age because the snake was too strange. It didn't seem to have grown naturally like this. Something must have happened during its growth to cause it to mutate.

"Me?" The giant snake flicked its tongue. "I don't remember, around a thousand, I guess."

A thousand-year-old snake?

This was the first time Xilin had ever seen him; no wonder this old guy was called the "Ancestor".

Letting the gray cat fuss over its nose, the giant snake looked down at the group of people. "Is this the group we've chosen?"

"Yes." Kenza secretly wiped away his sweat; he was really startled. He should stay away from cats in the future.

The giant snake looked at Xilin and the other two, nodded, and said, "Come on up, I'll take you there."

Kenza gestured for the three men, including Sirin, to climb onto the serpent's back. The serpent would take them to a place where they would learn about the origins and development of the Black Viper.

This wasn't the first time Xilin had climbed a snake's back, but this snake was much larger than Bona's, and the scales on its back looked ferocious at first glance.

After the three of them climbed onto the serpent's back, the serpent didn't say anything to Kenzado and turned to leave in another direction.

In this primitive ecological environment, the large snake is indeed at the top of the food chain. Wherever it goes, other animals will avoid or hide long ago, so it can travel without hindrance.

After climbing through a forest and reaching an open area, the giant snake quickened its pace and led Xilin and the other two to a mountain range.

There was a large cave entrance in the mountain range; this must be the lair of this giant snake.