Himeko could tell Pei Guang had a different idea: after all, his goal was to kill the bug completely.
Pei Guang: "Actually, I do have one! According to the information I gathered earlier, there are two low-risk ways to kill a bug of this planetary, or even stellar, level: one is to pit it against a battleship or another bug of the same tier. The other is to kill it from the inside."
Himeko: "From the inside? Oh? How?"
Pei Guang used his system to create a schematic of the giant True Sting and projected it. He began to explain, "These giant True Stings aren't just massive, they're also used as transport by other True Stings. Technically speaking, this one probably isn't the real leader. There should be another commander inside its body controlling it.
What we need to do is simple: First, break its wings so it can't fly in space. If it can still fly, it can keep devouring, reproducing, and regenerating. In that kind of endless loop, unless we can one-shot it, it's basically unbeatable at this level."
After speaking, Pei Guang pointed at the joint connecting the bug's wings. "Right here. A sufficiently powerful attack on this spot can temporarily damage its structural integrity, rendering it unable to move properly."
Then Pei Guang pointed to the abdomen of the True Sting. "Once it's fully immobilized, we'll smash the energy core here together. That'll strip away its defenses and camouflage. After that, we go here to find its brain: destroy the brain and its neural network, and it will completely lose the ability to resist in a short time.
At that point, we just need to reach its heart and shatter it completely. Once its brain and heart are both destroyed and without the blessing of Abundance, it's dead for sure."
Pei Guang took a deep breath. "From what I know, this method can take down a giant True Sting. In fact, for smaller ones too, the proper way to completely kill them is by destroying both the heart and brain. As long as those two are gone, the individual is dead. But we need to be cautious after it dies, because of the influence of the Path of Propagation, even if the parent dies, the offspring won't. These things are like cockroaches: if you want to kill them, you have to do it thoroughly."
After hearing Pei Guang's plan, March 7th blinked. "That simple?"
Welt said seriously, "Simple? It only sounds simple. Actually carrying it out is incredibly difficult. Whether we can break its joints is one thing, but regardless of success in the first stage, we'll attract the attention of the endless swarm here. And even if we find the energy source in the abdomen, we don't know how to destroy it. Even if we can, who knows what kind of reaction it might trigger.
And destroying the brain, nerves, and heart is even harder. Once it senses the threat of death, these bugs will go completely berserk… But—"
Dan Heng spoke up from the side. "But the plan is feasible. And this enemy is one we must face… isn't it?"
Himeko: "Exactly. This bug not only blocks the navigation route, but also threatens Belobog and possibly other nearby planets. Eliminating this giant threat, within our ability, is exactly the kind of thing Trailblazers are supposed to do…"
Stelle: "Right! And the way Ah Guang describes it feels just like starting a boss raid in a dungeon. With this many people, forming a large strike team should be easy, right?"
Welt: "Yes. Splitting up our forces is risky, but with Ah Guang's abilities and the power of Trailblazing, it's a risk worth taking. And even if we fail, we still have a means of retreat."
Pei Guang nodded. "That's what I was thinking too. And if it really turns out that we can't handle it ourselves, I can just call in my Star Destroyer ship and crash it into the thing!"
March 7th: "Crash it? Can't your ship just blast it apart with one shot?"
Pei Guang nodded. "It can! But here's the problem: the ship is currently in orbit around the solar system. Once it jumps over here, it'll be completely out of energy for combat: it'd only be good for crashing!"
It wasn't that Pei Guang didn't want to fire the cannon—it's just that the energy required to either jump to this location or to fire at full capacity was the same.
The ship's power core, the one he got from capturing Phantylia, only had enough juice for one operation. If he jumped it here, it'd turn into a giant metal battering ram: a glorified wrecking truck with no other options.
Earth's technology had certainly made a qualitative leap, but here was the issue: Earth had developed enough power to rival the local Legion and manage interstellar travel, but the largest warship they'd built so far was the Gray Wind.
And even it couldn't outright destroy a planet.
Pei Guang couldn't help but complain. "See? I've said it before: my Imperial-class starship is powerful, yeah, but because of one thing or another, I can never use it at full strength. I'm used to it by now: it's a classic plot device holding me back. But if we don't want to go head-to-head with this thing and still want to kill it, crashing the ship is absolutely the best way to cheese the fight."
Pei Guang had accepted it. The bug was a threat to Belobog, and his ship came from Belobog in the first place. So in theory, using it to defend Belobog wouldn't betray the loot he got from that "trash can" of a place.
But if possible, he still didn't want to go that far: after all, it was an Imperial-class starship! That thing's massive! Who knows how long it'll take before he can build another one?
Hearing Pei Guang's thoughts, Welt shook his head. "No need. Keep your planet destroyer ship. It might be more useful in the future. Since you already have a plan, we can't back down just because it's risky. Besides…"
At that moment, Welt recalled the experiences of his youth. Even though he was older now, thinking back on those times still stirred his blood.
Even without Pei Guang's teleportation, with the power of the Herrscher of Reason, Dan Heng's Imbibitor Lunae abilities, and Himeko's technology, they still had a solid chance of retreating. Especially Welt: he was confident he could use the power of his mechas to evacuate everyone safely.
This bug was massive, but upon closer examination, it lacked the Imaginary energy signature of an Emanator. It was just big—without the absolute suppression that came with Emanator-class enemies.
So even if Pei Guang's teleportation failed or the Path powers were countered, Welt was still confident.
As Welt agreed, Himeko also smiled and nodded. "I'm in too. It's dangerous, yes—but on this path of trailblazing, we can't let danger stop us from moving forward, can we? And it's not like we're charging in blindly without preparation~"
Dan Heng also nodded. Traveling with Pei Guang had shown him the man's incredible abilities. If Pei Guang could even handle a Lord Ravager, then dealing with a giant bug like this shouldn't be a problem.
March 7th chimed in, "Exactly~ Ah Guang's plans always sound crazy at first, but they work surprisingly well! And think about it: this huge monster eats everything. How many people would end up in its mouth? How many beautiful things would be swallowed without a trace? Just thinking about it feels horrible. Even if it's not for anything else, we have to try for the sake of all those beautiful things."
Pei Guang nodded. "Then let's prep and move out. After all, Propagation bugs aren't Abundance bugs—the difficulty isn't that high."
He remembered how, back in the Memory World, the brood from the Aeon of Propagation had swarmed in overwhelming numbers. But even then, they hadn't reached the undying, undestroyable level granted by the blessings of the Abundance.
Those bugs simply bred fast and were tenacious, but still biological in nature.
Just then, Pei Guang suddenly remembered Argenti: Argenti wasn't a Trailblazer, so he couldn't use the Trailblazer's power, nor the abilities players had access to.
Sensing Pei Guang's gaze, Argenti smiled. "If it means helping more people survive, then this danger is worth it. For beauty, and for Idrila."
In pursuit of the galaxy's beauty, the Knight of Beauty, Argenti, was willing to reach out to all those in peril throughout the cosmos, letting more people experience pure beauty.
Because he believed that one day, when he met Idrila again, she would appear before him and say:
"You've done well, Argenti. Your life has truly embodied pure beauty."
Seeing that everyone agreed, Pei Guang smiled. His idea was simple—besides defeating the giant bug and clearing the travel route, he had a bold temporary thought: he was genuinely curious about what kind of reward a boss this size would drop.
Improved reputation with the nearby planets? Rare materials? What else could there be?