Interstellar Survival: Invasion
Chapter 311: Pluto's Big Bang

Red flames were slowly seeping out of the base of the numerous tentacles around us.

"What's that? It looks like a volcano is erupting," asked Old Du.

"I thought there were only ice volcanoes on Pluto," said Zhang Bao'er.

"The super virus absorbed too much of the planet's energy, weakening the planet. Coupled with the intense activities performed by the massive super virus, the planet can no longer hold on. The core is pressured so much that the lava within is pushed out to the surface," said Temo.

"You sound so sure, but how do you know that this isn't another of the monster's attacks?" asked Zhang Bao'er doubtfully.

"The system indicates that a burst of power is coming from the core. The super virus dealt too much damage to the environment when attacking us and the fiend. This part of the planet is on the verge of collapse. A massive volcanic eruption is imminent. Get to your seats!" warned Temo.

As Temo said, a massive burst of lava erupted from the ground. The eruption carried a might capable of slaying gods and demons, declaring to everything here that it was the planet's true overlord. The super virus was completely helpless before the eruption. A massive lava beam rose into the sky like a towering pillar and tore the tentacles around it apart.

"This is our chance to escape!" Baron Sisse, who was an experienced soldier, instantly noticed the opening and shouted to remind Temo.

In the blink of an eye, Markus borrowed the force from the volcanic eruption and shot through the opening high into the sky. While shooting into the sky, I noticed a massive figure in the distance also soaring into the sky. The fiend had also taken the chance to escape the encirclement.

For an unknown reason, I was greatly relieved to see the fiend safe. At the very least, I had kept my promise to it. Markus continued soaring into the storm, reaching an altitude beyond the super virus's reach. We had temporarily escaped the super virus.

After we soared beyond the storm, a chaotic scene was presented before us. Right in front of our eyes, another part of the city collapsed from the sky. Countless transport ships, battleships, and drones were hastily taking flight from the parts of the city that had yet to collapse. They rushed toward outer space to escape the planet that was on the verge of destruction.

"Dodo, we'll reach you in roughly one minute. Please get ready," said Kelly.

"Faster! Almost all our surroundings have collapsed! It's going to be our turn to fall soon!" urged Dodo anxiously.

"Hide well. The ship will reach you soon," said Kelly.

"We don't even need to hide anymore. Only the two of us are left here. All the other robots have withdrawn," said Dodo.

"Only the two of you? Where's the great sovereign?" I asked.

"It's hiding inside Bob. Don't worry. Come quickly. I can feel the city collapsing," said Dodo, impatience clear in their voice.

Finally, two separate parts of the city appeared before us. One of them abruptly collapsed, causing my heart to skip a beat.

"It's not this one. They're on the part that is still standing," said Temo, calming all of us.

Markus rapidly and accurately arrived above the final part of the city still standing. The surface of the city was in a complete mess, fully displaying the aftermath of a sudden retreat. Pieces of military equipment were left everywhere, and two robots were waiting for us at the public square in the middle of the city. Without a doubt, the two were Dodo and Bob.

Our ship landed nimbly, and the moment the door opened, Dodo and Bob rushed into the ship with unimaginable speed. Suddenly, we felt the city lean to one side. Markus, displaying its balancing system's effectiveness, quickly regained balance and then took off into the sky.

"If you were a few seconds late, both of us would have been dead," complained Dodo the moment they entered the ship.

Right before our eyes, the final part of the city collapsed into the fierce storm below. The sight was extremely impactful, causing me to feel as though I was the one falling into the endless hell below. This was not the end of the planet's fury. Before long, several red pillars of flame shot out from the storm below us.

"Looks like the core is already extremely unstable. The planet is going to collapse soon. We need to leave as soon as possible if we don't want to be caught in the explosion," said Temo.

"Retreat immediately and return to outer space," ordered Zhang Xingxing decisively.

With the order given, Temo activated Markus's invisible mode and had the ship soar toward outer space. From space, we could clearly see that the volcanic eruptions on the planet's surface were intensifying. Apart from the pillars of lava, countless ice eruptions could also be seen. The surface of the planet was overturning like a pot of boiling water, presenting us with an extremely terrifying sight.

"This planet has gone mad. A planet that has been enveloped in ice for billions of years has actually been set off by one single-celled organism. Looks like there will no longer be a Pluto in the Solar System," said Old Du.

The intense volcanic eruptions indicated that the planet was becoming extremely unstable. The intense damage dealt by the super virus had finally pushed the dwarf planet that had been asleep for 4.5 billion years to the brink of destruction.

A blinding white erupted from the surface of the planet, and a massive air mass formed and surged high enough to reach outer space. One could only imagine the force behind such an eruption.

Then, violent explosions occurred all over the planet's surface. Countless chunks of rock and ice were thrown into outer space. The explosions were so intense and bright that the planet itself was no longer visible.

"Looks like this is the end of Pluto. Just like this, we no longer have Pluto," said Zhang Xingxing, traces of sorrow in her voice.

We all stood still, silently sending off the planet that had occupied an important position in the history of Blue's astronomy. Once upon a time, Pluto was considered one of the nine planets of the Solar System. At one point, it came to be known as the planet of viruses. It was also precisely a super virus that had destroyed this mythical planet.

A light more intense than the light of the sun shot out of the planet. This was the final eruption from Pluto's core. The brightness lingered for a very long time before gradually fading away.

After 10 minutes of sorrowful silence, Temo gave a surprising remark, "What a tenacious planet. It still exists even after all that."

"What? The planet still exists even after all that?" questioned Old Du in astonishment.

"According to Markus's system, half of Pluto was blown away. The planet is now a hemisphere, but the bulk of its body still exists," said Temo as he pointed at the screen.

The aftermath of the explosions had yet to fully clear, but the system clearly indicated that only the upper half of the planet had vanished. The lower half of its body was still tenaciously existing.

"What an amazing planet," praised Zhang Xingxing.

All of us were in a good mood after realizing that the planet had not been destroyed. After all, this was a planet that had accompanied our civilization for a very long period of time.

"How about the great sovereign? Where is it?" Temo suddenly asked.

Only then were we reminded of our mission. We all looked at Dodo and Bob.

"The great sovereign is safe. It is hiding inside Bob's body," replied Dodo.

"Inside Bob? Is that great sovereign so small?" asked Zhang Bao'er in disbelief.

"Yes, the great sovereign is only a small bug," answered Bob.

"We went through so many hardships to save it. Can you take it out and show us its real appearance? We need to at least get a look at it, right?" I said.

"This..." Bob hesitated.

"Bob, is there a problem?" asked Zhang Xingxing after sensing that Bob's behavior was rather unusual.

"The great sovereign was actually the one who had led us to it. The moment we met, it entered my body. I don't even know where it's hiding. My right arm is under its control. If you need to communicate with it, we can proceed immediately," said Bob helplessly.

"What? The worm got into your body by itself? Let Temo scan your body. We need to get it out, or it will eat you from inside," said Zhang Bao'er, clearly trying to scare Bob.

"Don't talk nonsense, Bao'er. Since we can communicate with the great sovereign, let's connect the ship's system to Bob's right arm. We'll proceed with the dialog," said Zhang Xingxing.

Everyone's focus shifted to the conversation with the great sovereign. As we waited in anticipation, Temo unhesitatingly connected Bob's arm to the ship's system. We then waited for the great sovereign to show itself. However, only static could be seen on the projection. Even after waiting for five minutes, the great sovereign was nowhere to be seen.

"Are you actually lying to us?" asked Zhang Bao'er impatiently.

"I also think they're lying. How can the two of them complete this mission so easily? Are those robotic guards really so useless?" said Domo. After escaping danger and the prospect of losing his wealth, Domo had returned to his previous self.

"We're telling the truth! The great sovereign did lead us to it, and it had guided us to safety as well!" said Bob in agitation.

"Are you sure you weren't brought into an illusion?" asked Zhang Xingxing. The mere thought of that caused all of us to break out in cold sweat.