Why Do All the Villains Look at Me Like This? - Chapter 43

The light vanished before Meng Xuexiao’s eyes, plunging him into darkness. The Giant Ape’s massive hand, like a small mountain, swiftly enveloped him like a net, trapping him as easily as catching a rabbit.

Meng Xuexiao felt as if he had been squeezed into a cylindrical barrel, wedged tightly in the middle. He couldn’t move up or down. He tried kicking upward, but it had little effect. Instead, his leg plunged into the thick muscle mass of the Giant Ape’s palm.

The Alien Beast’s muscles were dry and hard, like decades-old, rotten jerky from an ancient tomb. Meng Xuexiao’s forehead throbbed from the impact. As he flailed wildly, he heard a tearing sound. A sharp pain shot through his back.

He recoiled in agony, his back burning and chilling simultaneously. His thick Military Academy uniform had likely been ripped open, leaving his bare skin pressed against the Giant Ape’s coarse fur.

The Giant Ape’s short, bristly fur concealed a sharp claw that jutted out, digging into Meng Xuexiao’s lower back with a strange, damp pressure.

It felt sticky, like half-dried blood.

It felt like a threat.

Meng Xuexiao froze instantly.

Ah…

Why had the treasure suddenly… stopped moving?

The Giant Ape tilted its head in confusion, peering into the fist that held Meng Xuexiao.

Its fist remained clenched, the gaps between its fingers narrow. After several attempts, it managed to wedge one eye into a gap and swivel it around.

Meng Xuexiao, already tense, looked up to find the only sliver of light above him blocked by a massive eye.

The forest-green orb rolled around, and Meng Xuexiao could even make out the distinct red capillaries within.

He held his breath.

Ah… Now, even my breathing is gone?

This was the treasure it had finally obtained after seeing through human tricks!

The Giant Ape scratched its head haphazardly. Its clenched fist trembled imperceptibly as it prepared to open it when a barrage of bullets swept across the ground at its feet.

“Release the hostage!”

A series of warp gates materialized directly above Yanxing. The first gate opened to reveal the massive head of a starship, the source of the barrage of bullets that had just swept across the landscape.

A colossal red emblem adorned the ship’s flank, exuding solemnity and overwhelming power.

“It’s the Military Department!”

The director, who had been pacing anxiously in front of the monitors, immediately straightened up, his face brightening, “They finally arrived in time!”

Even an S-Class Giant Ape controlling a Beast Tide would have to think twice before confronting thousands of Federal Military Department personnel.

The director exhaled deeply and slumped back into his chair, “That’s it. This should be settled now.”

“Mr. Alien Beast, we are representatives of the Federal Military Department. You have crossed the Empire’s border.” The starship’s hatch opened, and a negotiator emerged in a crisp military uniform.

“It has been decades since the Federation and the Empire last signed a peace treaty. Are you seeking to abrogate it?”

The negotiator’s gaze fixed on the Giant Ape’s hand. They had already received intelligence that the creature had abducted a student.

The student must have been quite small, completely hidden within the Giant Ape’s massive hand. The negotiator could only guess Meng Xuexiao’s approximate position by the slight bulge in the ape’s clenched fist.

But… this child is truly tiny.

The negotiator’s focus wavered for a rare moment, his thoughts drifting to the little squirrel he kept at home. Whenever he took it out, he would tuck it into his pocket, its tiny body forming only a small lump.

…Did the Alliance Military Academy even feed this child properly?

He had initially planned to use semi-coercive tactics, but now that seemed inappropriate. If the Alien Beast became enraged, the child would likely be crushed into pulp instantly.

The negotiator wouldn’t gamble with a child’s life.

“Judging by your appearance, you don’t seem to be an Alien Beast native to the border. You must have stumbled in here by accident. If you release the Military Academy student and leave immediately, we can resolve this peacefully.”

The negotiator’s words offered both sides a face-saving way out.

Yet his actions were far from peaceful. The cannons on the Starship shifted, feigning retraction without fully withdrawing.

The negotiator’s demeanor clearly conveyed, “If you don’t compromise, don’t blame us for resorting to force.”

The Giant Ape glanced impatiently at this so-called negotiator.

Dressed entirely in black, with a deathly pale face, he looked like he was attending a funeral. His skin was a dull bronze, far from pale, as if he’d been dredged from the mud.

Instinctively, the ape tightened its grip on Meng Xuexiao.

Indeed, it thought, the differences between humans are vast.

Observing this, the negotiator’s expression darkened.

It was a blatant refusal to release the hostage.

Alien Beast incursions across the border had become increasingly frequent in recent years, and hostage-taking was nothing new.

Most of these incidents occurred because the invading Alien Beasts were unsure if they could escape the Federation and resorted to using humans as living shields.

If all they wanted was a human shield…

“Since you refuse to release him, let’s exchange hostages.”

The negotiator removed his slightly long military uniform and turned out his pockets to prove he carried no weapons.

“I’ll exchange myself for this student.”

If it’s a hostage they want, surely a negotiator from the Federal Military Department would be more valuable than Meng Xuexiao?

The Giant Ape’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Are they trying to steal my prize right in front of me?!

Have you even looked at yourself? Do you think the King would approve of this? If I brought this thing back, his entire family’s monkey heads would be rolling!

The Giant Ape pounded its chest with its other controlled fist, letting out a piercing roar, “Hoo!”

The Beast Tide, which had been stabilizing, began to stir restlessly once more.

The negotiator sensed danger. The Starship’s cannon, which had been retracting, fully extended and unleashed a blast that sent numerous Alien Beasts flying.

One of the beasts landed directly at the Giant Ape’s feet, convulsed briefly, and then lay still.

“Attention!” the negotiator barked. “Avoid harming the Federation Military Academy students!”

The Starship’s operator immediately shouted into the comm channel, “Understood!”

Other Starships swiftly converged, weapons raised, clearly prepared for battle.

The Giant Ape roared again, blood vessels in its eyes nearly bursting.

This was pure excitement.

They’re going to snatch it! They’re going to fight over it!

If these people hadn’t challenged it and had simply turned away, it might have gradually lost interest in the dream school.

After all, only the most coveted treasures are worthy of a king’s attention!

Trapped in the palm of its hand, Meng Xuexiao felt like a pearl forcibly wedged into an oyster shell. No matter how he struggled, darkness enveloped him, as if his eyes had been suddenly blindfolded.

He could faintly hear the negotiator’s voice, but he couldn’t grasp the specifics. All he could vaguely discern was that the Federal Military Department was likely engaged in battle with the Giant Ape and the Beast Tide it led.

When Meng Xuexiao first entered the Federation Military Academy, he had been taught that the Federal Military Department housed the Federation’s finest personnel. They possessed extensive experience fighting the Empire and were highly skilled in handling Beast Tides, disasters on par with natural calamities.

So… everything should be fine, right?

He had just heard the hum of a Starship’s engines. Though he had only ridden with Colonel Shen once, he remembered the sound well.

Starships were colossal behemoths, so massive that they could easily be mistaken for smaller planets as they drifted through space. Their armaments resembled vast armories, making them the ultimate combat machines in every respect.

Now, all Meng Xuexiao could do was pray that the Giant Ape would be taken down swiftly.

Lost in thought, Meng Xuexiao suddenly felt violent tremors around him. He was being tossed around wildly in the Giant Ape’s palm, his head slamming against its rough knuckles one moment and his elbow colliding with the side of its curved, razor-sharp claws the next.

“Crack!”

Meng Xuexiao could almost hear the grinding of his elbow joint, and a dull ache spread through the area as if all the blood in his body had rushed there.

Looking down, his gaze wasn’t drawn to his swelling elbow but to the Giant Ape’s claws. So sharp they were nearly black.

If they’re this sharp, they could probably tear through iron plating like paper.

Meng Xuexiao instantly abandoned all complaints. He no longer cared about his elbow. He felt genuine relief, grateful that he had only struck the side of the claws, narrowly avoiding their deadly edge.

If it had struck him head-on… not just his arm, his entire body would have been cleaved in two at the waist.

He exhaled slowly, pressing his ear against the Giant Ape’s palm, straining to catch any sounds from outside.

The noise outside was deafening, almost like a relentless bombardment, but he could faintly hear fragments of the negotiator’s voice.

“The artillery’s firepower… insufficient to breach the defenses? What… switch to… giant missiles?!”

Giant missiles?!

Meng Xuexiao immediately recalled the Federation Military Academy’s lectures on missile technology. Modern technology far surpassed anything he’d known in his previous life, and missile power had increased exponentially. Giant missiles were the apex of this destructive technology.

He’d watched one flatten a small mountain in a documentary…

Such a weapon would certainly take down the Giant Ape, and Meng Xuexiao wasn’t naive enough to pity the enemy. But now that he was trapped in the ape’s grip, he was practically bound to it…

If that giant missile struck the Giant Ape, wouldn’t it be the same as striking him?!

This… this couldn’t be happening!

Meng Xuexiao immediately panicked, desperately pounding on the Giant Ape’s palm.

But the next moment, the tightly clenched hand suddenly opened. Light flashed into his pitch-black vision, momentarily blinding him.

He widened his eyes and scanned his surroundings, meeting the gazes of Li Hao, the Captain, several Federal soldiers, and a pair of dark, sharp eyes.

Meng Xuexiao guessed those eyes belonged to the negotiator.

The young man slowly turned his head, once again meeting the beastly eyes of the Giant Ape.

The Giant Ape licked its lips, then abruptly opened its mouth wide. Pale white fangs and a dark crimson-purple maw rushed toward him, growing larger and larger.

Time seemed to stretch infinitely. Everything in Meng Xuexiao’s vision slowed to a crawl.

He felt himself floating upward, then falling… falling into the Giant Ape’s bottomless throat.

Was he… being eaten?!

The Giant Ape closed its mouth, swallowed a few more times, and let out a satisfied burp.

It stroked its belly with its sharp claws, its eyes narrowing with smugness.

Those missiles were too dangerous for Meng Xuexiao. If they had damaged the little thing, that would have been disastrous. So… it had no choice but to take him to a safe place.

Having roamed the borderlands for years, the Giant Ape possessed considerable survival skills. Just moments ago, it had used one of its special abilities to connect its stomach to its territory within the Empire.

“Wait, how…!” The negotiator’s eyes widened in horror.

He would never forget that scene, the pale-skinned youth being tossed effortlessly into the Giant Ape’s belly.

Before disappearing inside, the boy had even glanced at him, perhaps a silent plea for help…

But he had failed to save him.

Despite having a Starship and a full crew, they had still lost the hostage!

This was all his fault!

How could he possibly explain this to the Federation Military Academy?

The Federation Military Academy’s parade ground was eerily silent. Everyone, including the director, remained silent.

Death during duels was not uncommon, but this… Meng Xuexiao had fought so hard to survive, enduring the Beast Tide and even attracting the attention of the Federal Military Department!

It should have been a perfect rescue, a triumphant ending. How could it have ended like this?

In the end, not even his body remained intact. He was simply swallowed whole.

This feeling of dying just before dawn left a hollow ache, as if something precious had been lost…

“Clang!”

Something fell to the ground.

The director blinked, turning toward the sound with a dazed expression, “Shen… Representative Shen?”

Shen Zekai had collapsed to the ground, as if all strength had drained from his body.

Meanwhile, a figure in the corner suddenly stood up.

The intensity of his aura was so sharp that the surrounding students instinctively recoiled.

“Wu… Brother Wu?” a junior member stammered, his voice trembling with forced courage.

The other person didn’t even glance at Wu Zian. With a single hand, they grabbed their bag and left the table, their communicator still active, “Prepare a starship for Yanxing…”

The word “ship” died in Wu Zian’s throat as his eyes froze. A figure was blocking his path.

It was a man with rare silver-white hair that cascaded down to his thighs, pooling across his wheelchair like a flowing waterfall. His eyes were like mercury mirrors, calmly, even indifferently, reflecting the world around him.

Yet he seemed utterly detached from it.

Wu Zian had seen people like this before, and he had one word for them, “pretenders.”

But this man… he gave Wu Zian a deeply unsettling feeling, as if every hair on his body wanted to stand on end.

Already in a foul mood, Wu Zian lost his temper, “Hey, what year are you in? Get out of my way!”

His tone was harsh, his S-Class aura blazing. The man remained unmoved, not even a flicker of annoyance crossing his face.

Lost in thought, the man’s lips moved slightly, “Already gone?”

Pale fingers threaded through silver hair, tucking a strand that had fallen across his forehead behind his ear. His gaze lingered on the surveillance screen overlooking the Federation Military Academy’s training grounds, briefly pausing on the mecha and Meng Xuexiao’s abandoned bag.

“He really can run, can’t he?”

The wheelchair’s wheels turned slowly, pivoting away with barely a whisper of friction against the ground.

Only after the man had vanished from sight did Wu Zian snap back to awareness. His brow furrowed, his expression still carrying the sternness he’d worn when reprimanding the man.

The tension in his forehead sent a dull ache through his temples. He instinctively pressed his fingers against them.

What… what just happened?

Why had he suddenly lost his temper for no reason?

Did someone… pass by?

His mind felt empty, as if he’d just emerged from water, leaving him with a hazy, dreamlike disorientation. As an S-Class, he rarely experienced such mental fog.

Could it be… exhaustion from recent events?

Forget it. No point dwelling on this.

More pressing matters demanded his attention.

Wu Zian shook his head, striding purposefully toward the Federation Military Academy’s gates.