The Ravenous Mind and the Unyielding Foe

Liu Yu considered herself a calculating woman—a calculating mind, rather—a trait evident not just in the “astounding intellect” she displayed during combat, but also in her everyday life. For instance, the persona she currently adopted was one of her carefully crafted disguises.

While she appeared and acted like a child, Liu Yu remained acutely aware that, deep down, she was a mature adult. Her childish demeanor served merely as a convenient facade, a way to swiftly bridge the gap between strangers. After all, no one would suspect a seemingly naive child of harboring such intricate schemes.

Miss Villy, for example, was a classic victim, completely duped without realizing it. Once somewhat untamed, she had now transformed into Liu Yu’s devoted follower, obeying her every command, doing whatever she was told.

Of course, the most comfortable aspect was not having to think, performing naturally… no, no, that wasn’t it. Let’s skip that topic!

At present, Liu Yu outwardly seemed furious due to repeated banishments, but her true objective, hidden beneath the anger, had always been the Bloodkin imprisoned within the [Dimensional Prison].

Only after tasting a truly exquisite delicacy could one realize how unpalatable the previous fare had been. The young woman keenly understood this sentiment now.

In The Doctor’s assessment, Vampires were merely inferior creatures, failed evolutions of Bloodthirsters, incapable of even stabilizing their self-awareness—essentially useless except for collecting experimental data. Bloodkin, on the other hand, were accepted members, possessing power beyond reason and a perfect form that didn’t alter human thought. They were also the Derivative Species personally acknowledged by Duo Shi, ranking among the Black Blood monsters.

The vast disparity between the two was equally reflected in their taste. If Bloodkin were an endlessly delectable gourmet meal, then Vampires were, at best, plain bread or noodles, edible but not particularly satisfying.

Before tasting Bloodkin, one might find Vampires palatable. But after experiencing Bloodkin, recalling the taste of Vampires felt… well, *that* unpleasant.

It was easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to revert from extravagance to frugality.

For Liu Yu, who constantly relied on Inhibitors for energy and was lucky to occasionally feast on a few Vampires, Bloodkin represented a veritable dimensional attack in both taste and nutritional value. Though somewhat difficult to admit, she had… indeed become addicted.

And in this peculiar space, far removed from the outside world, no one would ever know if she devoured these near-human Bloodkin until nothing remained. It was like a complimentary buffet, an all-you-can-eat feast.

So… it was time to let loose a little. No need to restrain herself, no need to be timid or hesitant. There was no Villy here, no Senior Yao Jing, no Roza… no one who could interfere with her desires. Whatever she did, it would remain unknown.

“Hmph… hmph… ugh…”

Glistening saliva trickled from the corners of the young woman’s mouth as she continuously swallowed. Her inner thoughts urged her to suppress herself no longer, to simply indulge. Yet, her human rationality advised caution, reminding her that a battle still raged outside and she needed to return to the battlefield swiftly, not succumb to this indulgence.

Faced with this dilemma, Liu Yu, after a moment of internal conflict, decisively heeded her inner desires, resolving to finish this grand meal before anything else. Of course, this wasn’t merely to satisfy her cravings; it was also to significantly bolster her strength before the upcoming battle. After all, for her, the Black-blooded were not only delicious but also capable of dramatically enhancing her power—at least, that’s how it felt.

With this thought, Liu Yu embarked on a protracted battle against an unknown enemy.

[Attack ineffective, attack ineffective, attack ineffective…]

Even for the fully operational Crimson Roar, Planetary Annihilation Missiles were considered the pinnacle of conventional weaponry, typically deployed only in medium-scale galactic conflicts. Moreover, the ship was severely damaged, with insufficient resources rendering its weapon systems largely inoperable, preventing the generation of higher-energy armaments.

In short, this super-starship, which had weathered countless storms in the cosmos, seemed to have run out of options after successive failures to eliminate or repel its adversary by force.

—*If this continues, not only will this small universe, used to confine the subjects, be destroyed, but the entire starship itself and the fleet members in the Healing Pods will also be threatened.*

The system submitted this possibility to the Rebirth Star at its core, then launched another volley of Planetary Annihilation Missiles at Subject 43 to interrupt her actions.

“Boom!”

As expected, the results were identical to previous attempts. The weapons, designed to pulverize planets, struck the young woman without even ruffling a corner of her clothes. Subject 43, active in the guise of a human girl, continued to frolic through the cosmos, relentlessly clawing at the [Dimensional Prison].

This seemingly limitless defense led the system to believe that even if this monster in human form were thrown into the Big Bang, it would emerge completely unscathed.

It analyzed the young woman’s actions, attempting to find a way to defeat her. But no matter how many times it ran simulations, the answer was always the same:

[Cannot win]

[No way to win]

For the compromised Crimson Roar, this enemy was an unbreakable ultimate barrier, a colossal entity that stood unyielding. Even exhausting all its computational power yielded not the slightest possibility of a breakthrough.

Since it couldn’t be defeated, the next best option was to buy time.

Adjusting its operational mode, the system once again deduced another possibility: could it delay until the subject’s energy was depleted or her condition deteriorated, then launch a counterattack? The answer remained unsatisfactory.

The opponent inherently possessed the ability to destabilize spatial integrity. After repeated use, this precarious artificial universe simply couldn’t sustain a prolonged battle. A stalling tactic would only lead to the same outcome:

—*Defeat.*

The system’s deductions came to a standstill. The paths before it seemed numerous, yet in reality, every choice led to the same end.

[…]

Concerning the starship’s safety, the system, unable to make a correct judgment, once again deferred the problem to its superior. Afterward, it continued launching missiles, bombarding the black serpents that sporadically emerged.

The two sides remained in a stalemate until, during the thirteenth round of bombardment, the system received a response from the Rebirth Star.

****

Within an unknown cosmic space, Liu Yu held one hand to her forehead, the other clenched into a fist. Shadows, almost solidified into a tangible form, coiled around her. With a mere thought, they transformed into black tentacles, lashing outwards to present a Dimensional Prison, floating in the void, to the young woman.

The young woman took it, inspecting the interior carefully. Finding no Bloodkin hidden within, she casually flicked it behind her, where it lightly tumbled into the designated “junk pile” to join the other spheres.

“This is the fourth one.”